CATEGORIES

HARTKE LX8500

The new big box from the esteemed amp-makers Hartke arrives on Stuart Clayton’s desk. Cover your ears, he advises

Enter Sandbergman

Swedish bassist Victor Brandt is a veteran of Scandinavian metal—so it’s about time he got his own suitably heavyweight signature axe. We meet the metal maestro

Better Off Live

Five times a live version was better than the original studio recording

BEHIND THE WALL OF SOUND

You think you know who the late, great Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister of Motörhead was? We thought so too, until we met the singer songwriter Lynda Kay, who reveals a tender side to the great man that we never knew existed

Dave Mustaine – "I think people do expect me to be invincible."

Fans were stunned when Dave Mustaine was diagnosed with cancer. Below, we find out how the Megadeth frontman took on his biggest battle yet – and won.

Bass of Tomorrow

We can think of a few string manufacturers who claim to make the best-sounding products in the world. Dr Jonathan Kemp doesn’t just make that claim—he can prove it, too. Hywel Davies is blinded with science...

Beginners' Lesson

Step away from theory for a minute, says beginners’ guru Steve Lawson. This month, we’re learning how to learn... with a looper

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.

LEADER OF THE MAC

Among the many stars of London’s mid-Sixties blues scene, one guitarist outshone and outplayed them all — PETER GREEN. Here, in interviews with John Mayall, Mike Vernon, Green’s former bandmates and the “Man of the World” himself, WE TELL THE STORY OF HOW FLEETWOOD MAC WERE BORN

GREEN MACHINE

The fascinating connection between Kirk Hammett, Peter Green, Gary Moore, Fleetwood Mac and a singular 1959 GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD CALLED GREENY

God Couple

With their prodigious performances on LAMB OF GOD’s new self-titled full-length, Mark Morton and Willie Adler remind us all why they are ranked among the most formidable guitar tandems in metal history

On the Hunt with the Black Pumas

MEET THE BLACK PUMAS’ ADRIAN QUESADA AND ERIC BURTON — AN UNLIKELY PAIRING THAT WORKED OUT UNBELIEVABLY WELL

Mass Effect

LINE 6 POD GO

Rock Brigade

IN HONOR OF DEF LEPPARD’S IMPRESSIVE NEW BOX SET, THE EARLY YEARS 79-81, JOE ELLIOTT AND PHIL COLLEN DISCUSS THE BAND’S FIRST TWO ALBUMS — ON THROUGH THE NIGHT AND HIGH ‘N’ DRY — AND EARLY GUITARISTS PETE WILLIS AND STEVE CLARK

Tales from the Deep

LOUIS HARDY AND MAX HARPER TALK 27 MILES UNDERWATER, THE SECOND OUTING BY U.K. HARDCORE SQUAD HIGHER POWER. BUT WAIT — ARE THEY REALLY HARDCORE?

Lyrics? We Don't Need No Lyrics!

From the shadows to the surrealist: a history of instrumental rock

Air Guitar

BOSS WAZA-AIR

Bigger Brothers

John and TJ Osborne – Aka Brothers Osborne – offer up an exclusive preview of their upcoming "bigger, louder and more exciting" new album

ASHDOWN Grail and Saint

Amp-makers Ashdown step into bass guitar world, with this Dan Lakin-designed range of workhorse instruments. Phil Mann steps up for a test

BASS OF TOMORROW

GHS Strings have helped to shape the sound of the world’s bass players since 1964. Hywel Davies asks Jon Moody, one of the company’s top minds, what the future holds

IBANEZ SR2405W-BTL

Mike Brooks gets up close and personal with this sensibly-priced head-turner

DARKGLASS Microtubes X Ultra

The latest pedal from Darkglass is another mighty Microtubes. Let’s rock, suggests Brooks

STONE UNTURNED

Is there a bigger band on the planet in terms of cultural impact, commercial stature, and sheer heritage than the Rolling Stones? Darryl Jones looks back at the path that led him to the very, very top

HAMSTEAD Subspace Intergalactic Driver

Ready to go Intergalactic? The Editor readies his (moon) boot

Immediate Lee

The great Lee Sklar, veteran of literally countless sessions, returns with a new project, the Immediate Family. “I’m your gardener!” he tells us...

Wedding Rites

My Dying Bride play heavy—but ‘romantic’—metal. Lena Abé is tasked with delivering the lowest of the low end, she tells us...

TRICKFISH Bullhead 1K Amp and TF-112 Cabinet

There’s a new kid on the amplification block and it’s making serious waves. Mike Brooks takes a dip with the Trickfish

Royal Rumble

Gibson’s head of Product Development, Mat Koehler, and Fender historian, Terry Foster, explain how the two industry titans battled it out over the electric bass in the early days—and changed the course of popular music in the process…

Lillie Mae

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH THE ENIGMATIC NASHVILLE SPITFIRE — ON THE HEELS OF HER NEW ALBUM, OTHER GIRLS

THINGS A YOUTUBE GUITAR HERO SAYS

THINGS THE KING OF GUITAR YOUTUBE DOESN’T CARE IF YOU DON’T LIKE HIS CHANNEL. A decade after JARED DINES first joined the streaming platform, he’s got more than he ever could have expected: more than 2.7 million followers, more than half a billion total views, onstage guest spots with some of modern rock’s biggest bands and a huge network of friends and collaborators.