CATEGORIES

Best Recipes

Switching from chef to luthier might seem an almost unfathomable career changeover, but JWJ's Rich Jones insists that one work ethic really does flow into the other

Up To Speed

Alex Bishop is busy in the workshop crafting acoustic guitar necks - but can he keep up with his students?

Salves For Valves

Jamie Dickson checks in with tone-meister Dan Coggins who shares his tips on getting the best from your valve amp

ERIC JOHNSON

A NEW LIVE ALBUM FEATURING STEVE VAI, ERIC JOHNSON AND JOE SATRIANI DOCUMENTS A REUNION FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE ORIGINAL G3 TOUR THAT THUNDERED INTO THE WORLD BACK IN 1996. WE CHECK IN WITH ONE THIRD OF THE TRIUMVIRATE TO FIND OUT MORE

X Factor

J Rockett provides Bon Jovi guitar-slinger Phil X with a signature boost and overdrive pedal

WOMAN IN BLACK

Her surname precedes her (whether she likes it or not). But as Gibson releases a limited-edition recreation of her fabled father's SJ-200 – alongside her new J-185 - Rosanne Cash tells us she's comfortable in her skin and proud of her own legacy

Rocking On

MXR revives Tom Scholz's fabled 80s guitar headphone-amp tone in its latest pedal

Embellished Chords

Richard Barrett helps you explore more chordal opportunities in standard tuning

Vintage Modern

Fender attempts the incredible feat of replicating the historic Bassman with a silicon heart in its latest addition to the Tone Master series

QUEEN - BATTLE ROYAL

For 51 years, Queen's self-titled debut album was the cult curio of their fabled catalogue. Now, as the new Queen I boxset drags these lost songs into the daylight, Brian May tells us about poverty, parental disapproval, the Red Special's first run-out and the perils of playing through Jimi's stack

1928 MARTIN 0-42

Martin has become synonymous with dreadnoughts and OM models, and there were rich pickings in the small-bodied pre-war era, too

CLEANING UP

No, it's not a device that instantly removes gunk from your guitar, but the Mars-Tronic Perfecto Clean Switch could prove handy once Dave Burrluck can work out exactly what it does...

WINDING ROAD

As the world's biggest string manufacturer, it's fitting that the half-century history of D'Addario has plenty of twists. We speak to current chairman, Jim D'Addario, about the company's roots, breakthroughs and next moves

'Pauls Apart

Two recent Les Paul launches from Gibson and Epiphone take a nod back to the 50s in style. But not only are they made on different continents, they're very different in price. Which is best? Let's find out

INTERPOL

As the New Yorkers set out on the anniversary tour for 2004's classic second album, Antics, Guitarist met Daniel Kessler to hear about early rejection, the magic of hollowbodies, and why you won't catch him playing major chords

New York City Guitar Shops

For vintage guitar enthusiasts, a shopping trip to the US is surely a fixture on the bucket list.

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

While our mainly recycled build cracks on at a pedestrian pace, Dave Burrluck pauses to ponder that old chestnut: the offset bridge

BECK THE GUITAR AUCTION

Jeff Beck had no equal for the joyous, headstrong energy and beguiling subtlety he brought to his playing. When he died suddenly in January of 2023, he left behind the lightning rods through which his electrifying talent passed an eclectic collection of guitars, many of which are as heavily customised as the hot-rod cars that were Beck’s other ruling passion. Almost exactly two years after his passing, these legendary instruments are now set to go under the hammer in London. We join the experts from Christie’s auction house on the eve of the sale to take a closer look at Oxblood’ and other historic instruments from Jeff’s career and discuss the portrait they paint of a pragmatic, restless yet peerlessly gifted talent and his musical legacy

POWER STATION

Founded by Jimi Hendrix mere months before his death, Electric Lady Studios was a mind-expanding creative mothership where his guitar playing reached new heights. As a new documentary explores this lost chapter, longstanding Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer and filmmaker John McDermott tell us about Jimi's final brainwave

Virtual Pedalboard

Fractal Audio puts its Axe-Fx III effects in a conveniently sized stage-ready floor unit

Larkin Poe

Seventh studio album, Bloom, sees Rebecca and Megan Lovell embrace family dynamics, take the spark from stage to studio, and serve up the guitars neat”

And Your Bird Can Sing...

We travel back to the future to bask in the glory of Gibson’s reincarnated 1960s rare classic, the Falcon combo

Outer Limits

Walrus Audio revitalises its very first pedal, the Klonemulating Voyager, with some tasty additions

Top Tier

The upgraded American Ultra guitars get a subtle makeover, creating what Fender believes is its most advanced series of electric guitars. Vintage buffs, look away...

DON MUSSER ACOUSTICS

He’s built guitars for some of the very biggest names in the business and yet Don Musser remains a known unknown. We track him down to fill in the blanks

1960 Epiphone Coronet

Not long ago I was at the Philadelphia Guitar Show and a buddy of mine told me he had something I’d probably never seen before – and, sure enough, it turned out he did.

QUICK CHANGE

As Gibson finally adds some Quick Connect pickups to its Pickup Shop line-up, Dave Burrluck revisits this simple no-solder method to mod your Modern guitar

Return Of The Rack

A revered rackmount digital delay makes a welcome comeback in pedal form.

Pure Filth

This all-analogue preamp pedal based on Blues Saraceno's amp is a flexible powerhouse with a variety of roles.

Reptile Royalty

From Queen to King - there's another Electro-Harmonix royal vying for the crown of octave distortion