CATEGORIES

ODD JOBS

As the caretaker for a vast collection of unusual vintage axes, blues guitarist Mike Dugan has carved out a second career in front of the camera.

MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS

His twangy guitar has helped Duane Eddy travel across decades and genres. These are the top cuts from his long-running journey.

THE FEEL'S THE THING

As a guitarist of many influences, Marcus Machado puts the “extra” into his sensory perception.

Fender Bassman – Big Bottom

Designed for bassists, the Fender Bassman became the favored tone machine of guitarists everywhere.

Prince – Royal Intrigue

Prince kept his music and life private. In these new exclusive interviews, those who knew and worked with him share untold secrets and tales from the studio and road.

Audiophile Axe

With its tube-powered pickup, the Ruokangas Duke Valvebucker is a high-fidelity experience.

OPEN TO OPTIONS

How to put the open-string chord-voicing prowess of Wayne Krantz to work.

GUILD

BT-258E Deluxe 8-string Baritone

NEURAL DSP

Quad Cortex Floor Modeler

TECH EDUCATION

Once an analog man, Lloyd Baggs used digital know-how to revolutionize acoustic amplification with Voiceprint Acoustic D.I.

EARTHQUAKER DEVICES

Astral Destiny reverb

Eventide

MICROPITCH DELAY

Stageworthy Strategies, Pt. 2

Understanding acoustic preamps, D.I.s and digital enhancers.

D'ANGELICO

Excel 59

ROCKET SCIENCE

GIBSON’S FUTURISTIC FLYING V WAS ON A DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY UNTIL A FEW INVENTIVE GUITARISTS PROPELLED IT TO ASTRONOMICAL SUCCESS — AND VALUE. WE EXAMINE A HIGHLY DESIRABLE 1969 EXAMPLE.

Fables Of The Deconstruction

Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline tell how cheapo guitars, rubber bridges and sonic obliteration helped them find happiness on ode to joy.

Dancing With Destiny

Robbie Robertson tells the history behind the bronze Fender Stratocaster that became the guitar star of the last waltz.

The Conjurer

COAXING NEW SOUNDS FROM OLD EFFECTS, ROBBIE ROBERTSON RAISES THE GHOSTS OF HIS YOUTH ON SINEMATIC.

Koto-Graphic

How to mimic the exotic, melancholy sound of the Japanese koto

Larger Than Life

ADRIAN BELEW PUSHES THE LIMITS OF SONG AND SOUND ON POP SIDED, HIS NEW ALBUM OF ANYTHING-BUT-CONVENTIONAL POP MUSIC.

End Of The Line

STREAMING MADE ALBUMS IRRELEVANT. SO SHERYL CROW DECIDED TO MAKE THIS ONE HER LAST.

Mission Engineering Gemini 2 Studio

LIKE THE STANDARD GEMINI 2, THE Studio (a.k.a. GM-2-ST) is a stereo amplified guitar speaker cabinet designed especially for use with digital modelers and other software based guitar systems.

Three Pedals from Black Cat, Mu-FX, and Supro

Don't Just Write For Other Guitarists

THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME GREAT exceptions, but, by and large, if you compose super-complex instrumental music, you’re limiting your audience.

It Fell Out Of The Sky

Noel Gallagher On Spontaneous Inspiration In The Studio

Fodera Emperor Classic And Imperial Deluxe

FOR MOST OF ITS 34-YEAR RUN, FODERA has been known for its handmade basses—the choice of monster players such as Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Lincoln Goines, Mike Pope, and others—while 6-string guitars popped up only on an occasional custom-order basis. Now this Brooklyn-based maker is storming the boutique guitar market in grand style, with two new standard models available in several variations and trim levels.

Robert M. Knight's 5 Tips For Taking Great Concert Photos

ROBERT M. KNIGHT—YOU’VE probably seen his images in the pages of Guitar Player—is celebrating five decades of capturing legends on film with the release of Rock Gods: Fifty Years of Rock Photography [Insight Editions]. Here, Knight shares his experience for capturing stunning concert photos.

Caroline Jones On Why Production Elements Are Crucial To Songcraft

MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST CAROLINE Jones—who plays everything on her records except bass and drums—recently released Bare Feet [Faction], a six-song EP that showcases her talents on acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, lap-steel, keyboards, and harmonica. She’s also a “big production” nerd, and she offers some excellent ideas for balancing multiple elements and textures without obscuring the main impact of a song.

Reamp To Improve Your Wireless Tone

WIRELESS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN IN use since the 1980s, and they have become better and costs have come down. However, the continuing problem with wireless systems is dependable transmission, as you need a high quality, digitally agile diversity system that has really good dynamics and low noise.

Crafting Jimmy Page's “Heartbreaker” Solo Tone In The Box

AS I KID, I SAT FOR HOURS IN FRONT OF my turntable constantly dragging the needle to the middle solo section of “Heartbreaker” (on Led Zeppelin II), trying to learn what Jimmy Page’s nibble fingers were athletically accomplishing, as well as how to recreate the devastating attitude of his guitar tone.