DANELECTRO '57

A ridiculously cool reissue of one of the original American electric guitars

ARI O'NEAL

“The secret behind getting so many gigs as a session player?” ponders American guitarist Ari O’Neal, who – in her years of playing for Beyoncé, Jay Z, Lizzo, Alicia Keys and more – would know a thing or two about finding work as a musician. “Post, post and post,” she continues, stressing the importance of making it as easy as possible for people to find you. “I’m always active on my social media pages, it’s really important... As is being different! I want to play like I’m an old black man, and still look like a Barbie [laughs].”

THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER...

Guitar-toting husband and wife Tyler Bryant and Rebecca Lovell are stars in their own right. “We’re the leaders of our own respective bands,” he says. But this year they’ve collaborated in each other’s music – her on the new Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown album, and him on Larkin Poe’s acoustic set. As they tell TG, it’s all about a “special connection” – and a lot of gear...

THE EVOLUTION OF… Yvette Young

ONE OF THE MOST GIFTED AND INNOVATIVE GUITARISTS OF THE MODERN ERA EXPLAINS HOW SHE DEVELOPED A UNIQUE STYLE THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION, INTUITION AND PLAIN OLD-FASHIONED HARD WORK. AS YVETTE YOUNG SAYS: “MY TIME IS STILL VERY MUCH BASED AROUND IMPROVING”

POCKET ROCKET

Boss’ latest box of tricks is loaded with stacks of features

LIVE AND DANGEROUS!

The Struts are Britain’s fastest-rising hard rock band, and for their new album Strange Days, they’ve pulled in some A-list guest stars including members of Rage Against The Machine, Def Leppard and The Strokes – and Robbie Williams. It was also recorded pretty much live in the studio, and as guitarist Adam Slack says, “It’s the most guitar-y album we’ve done!”

MASTER CLASS

HIS WORK WITH RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE AND PROPHETS OF RAGE HAS MADE HIM ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ROCK GUITARISTS OF HIS GENERATION. AND FOR THE READERS OF TOTAL GUITAR HE HAS A SIMPLE MESSAGE. “IT’S LESSON TIME,” TOM MORELLO SAYS. “SO WASH YOUR HANDS AND TUNE YOUR GUITAR. BUT IF YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE OR THE OTHER... WASH YOUR HANDS!”

HARLEY BENTON SC-JUNIOR £177

More than the sum of its parts?

JOE DUPLANTIER SIGNATURE PRO-MOD SAN DIMAS STYLE 2 HH MAHOGANY £719

Another Signature model from the Gojira frontman, but this time he’s gone vintage

DUNLOP CRY BABY Q-ZONE £169

Cocked and loaded

EPIPHONE PROPHECY FLYING V £799

With top-dollar spec and classy finish, is this 2020’s best metal guitar?

AJ YORIO (THE HEAVY HOURS)

“We assumed we would just be four friends making music in a basement forever. One day we get a phone call from a booking agent in Nashville.

“IT WAS A MOMENT OF GREAT JOY, PLAYING WITH THIS GUY…”

IN 1983, TWO OF ROCK’S GREATEST GUITARISTS, BRIAN MAY AND EDDIE VAN HALEN, JOINED FORCES IN THE STAR FLEET PROJECT. NOW, IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TG EDITOR CHRIS BIRD, BRIAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS LATE FRIEND, AND TELLS THE STORY OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MUSIC THEY MADE TOGETHER...

TC ELECTRONIC PLETHORA X5 - £399

MASH to the future

EVERYTHING LOUDER THAN EVERYTHING

As Angus Young sees it, what the world needs now is “a good old hard shock of AC/DC”. Fortunately, said shock comes this month with the release of the legendary band’s new album, Power Up.

FRACTAL FM3 AMP MODELLER/FX PROCESSOR - €1266

Instantly stage-ready high-end amp and effect modelling

JULIEN BAKER

Armed with just a Telecaster and a monster pedalboard, Julien Baker can take her songs to the kind of anthemic heights that normally require full bands.

BLACKSTAR LIVE LOGIC

The logical choice for er, Ableton

EPIPHONE LES PAUL STANDARD 50S £549

A gold standard from a golden era of inspiration?

FENDER STRATOCASTER

A true American icon

40 YEARS OF JACKSON GUITARS

As Jackson celebrates its 40th anniversary, we chart its history from custom repair shop to the number one supplier of rock and metal guitars

Squier Paranormal Super-Sonic

It’s one of the most bonkers guitars you can buy, but is this oddball truly super?

“Sometimes You Just Gotta Play Loud!”

Australian guitarist Orianthi – former sidekick to Michael Jackson and Alice Cooper – shares her knowledge on gear, songwriting and keeping your head in the music business

TAYLOR AD27 GRAND PACIFIC £1619

The most affordable American-made all-solid Taylor series yet

SUPER GEEK!

''THIS WAS DEFINITELY A TOOLKIT OF A RECORD''

The Wizard

AS LEADER OF PROGRESSIVE METAL TITANS DREAM THEATER, JOHN PETRUCCI IS A MASTER TECHNICIAN AND SORCERER OF SHRED. BUT ON HIS LONG-AWAITED SECOND SOLO ALBUM, TERMINAL VELOCITY, HE’S APPLYING HIS VIRTUOSO SKILLS TO THE BLUES, LATIN FUSION AND POP-PUNK – AND PULLING TRICKS FROM ONE OF HIS OLD TUTORIAL VIDEOS...

ROCK AND ROLL

THE MASTERY OF JIMMY PAGE IN 20 CLASSIC LED ZEPPELIN SONGS

ZOOM G11 £699

Zoom are back to take on the multi-FX floorboard competition

NOBELS ODR-MINI £69

An open-secret tone machine gets the shrink

Jimmy Page

In an epic interview with TG Editor Chris Bird, Jimmy discusses his evolution as a player, the fine details of his unique style, tone, and composition, his famous guitars, and the creative process that went into the holy trinity of Led Zeppelin songs – Whole Lotta Love, Kashmir and Stairway To Heaven...