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“If Creep hadn’t been as big as it was, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have made another record”: Ed O’Brien on the impact of Radiohead’s biggest hit
With well over 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Radiohead remain one of the most listened-to rock bands on the planet. And at nearly 3 billion streams on that one platform alone, Creep still stands as the group’s most enduring hit.
And in a new interview with Uncut, guitarist Ed O’Brien reflects on the song’s impact, saying were it not for its success, the band might have been out of the game entirely afterwards.
Asked about the moment in his career when he felt Radiohead had created something completely artistically new, he replies: “I think The Bends, really.
“You could feel the influences on the sleeve of Pablo Honey, but The Bends was pretty diverse. If you think about the way that that album bookends, it starts with Planet Telex and ends with Street Spirit. Two quite different songs – the power and the sonic playfulness of one, and then the emotion of the other.”
He continues: “We knew there were flaws with the first album, and it was propped up massively by Creep.
“If Creep hadn’t been as big as it was, there’s a very good chance we may never have made another record, because the record company would have dropped us.”
Despite its lasting success as Radiohead’s biggest track, the band famously dislike it, and only very rarely play it during live shows.
Frontman Thom Yorke has, in the past, unaffectionately called the track “Crap”, and according to the Guardian, answered a Montreal crowd’s request for them to play the song with “Fuck off”. He has also previously called lovers of the track “anally retarded”.
As the story goes, guitarist Jonny Greenwood even injected some grating crunchy guitar blasts at the start of the chorus as an act of sabotage to ruin the song during the recording of My Iron Lung, but they were later kept by the producer.
The post “If Creep hadn’t been as big as it was, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have made another record”: Ed O’Brien on the impact of Radiohead’s biggest hit appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Recent and Remarkable: Records from Early Spring 2026
Billy Strings details “extreme pain and crazy ketamine trips” after horror skateboarding injury leads to tour rescheduling
Bluegrass maestro Billy Strings has detailed a horror skateboarding injury which has forced him to reschedule a series of upcoming shows.
In a new post on Instagram, the guitarist reveals he attempted a trick backstage following a show on Saturday night (18 April), and ended up breaking his leg.
“Well, can’t say y’all didn’t warn me about screwing around on my skateboard!” he writes. “Saturday night I walked off stage right before the encore – I was all zazzed up from a really fun show.
“I grabbed my board and tried to do a trick I’ve done a million times (back 180) and landed awkwardly and broke my leg. I heard it snap over the screaming crowd! Sounded like a damn 2×4.”
The 33-year-old guitarist – whose real name is William Lee Apostol – goes on to detail the “interesting couple days” he’s experienced following the incident.
“Complete with the most extreme pain and crazy ketamine trips and operations stuff, but the staff here at UVA (hospital, Charlottesville, Virginia) rules,” he says. “They screwed me all back together. They are absolute angels on earth.”
Apostol explains that despite his best intentions to continue with his planned tour dates, doctors and family members have convinced him to reschedule in order to let the injury heal.
“I had every intention of carrying on with the tour and Dave Grohling it,” he continues, referring to the time Dave Grohl performed a number of shows atop a Game of Thrones-style guitar-themed throne after breaking his leg. “He even texted me and offered me the throne!
“I really don’t want to let anybody down, but after some long talks with this doctors, my friends, band and colleagues, my wife etc, I should probably let this thing heal. I don’t believe that I could give you guys the show you deserve coming right out of this surgery, and these first few days are really important as far as keeping this thing elevated and letting it heal.
“Plus I’m all messed up on pain killers and stuff. It’s a dumb ass mistake and it’s all my fault… I feel like such an idiot. But what are ya gonna do , ya know? At least I didn’t hit my head or break my wrist or something.”
Billy Strings’ 22 April date in Charlottesville was rescheduled to 4 August, while three shows in Fishers, Indiana on 24, 25 and 26 April have been rescheduled to 6, 7 and 8 August, respectively. All tickets will be honoured at the new dates.
View a full list of Billy Strings upcoming tour dates via his official website.
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“You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody”: Eddie Van Halen was “too humble” about his guitar abilities, according to Ritchie Blackmore
![[L-R] Eddie Van Halen, Ritchie Blackmore](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/EVH-Ritchie-Blackmore@2000x1500.jpg)
Eddie Van Halen was one of greatest guitar players to ever live, but surprisingly, he wasn’t always overly confident about his chops.
In a recent interview, Deep Purple legend Ritchie Blackmore recalls his interactions with the late guitar icon, recalling his “humble” and somewhat socially reserved nature.
“[He was] very humble, almost too humble,” Blackmore says [via Guitar Player]. “He would often come backstage at our shows and go, ‘You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody,’ and I could never understand why he would say that. He always used to underestimate himself. He basically reinvented the guitar with his hammer-on technique.”
Blackmore goes on to explain how Eddie was “too sensitive” and turned to drinking to be social, adding that his sensitivity was why he found it difficult to relate to some of his guitar legend predecessors.
“Unfortunately for Eddie, he was too sensitive,” Blackmore continues. “And of course the business brought him down. He started drinking because he needed to drink to socialise. He was very sensitive, and I can relate to that.”
Of course, Eddie Van Halen wasn’t the only late guitar legend with a strong sense of humility; Randy Rhoads – often perhaps unfairly touted as EVH’s rival – was also known to be immensely humble despite his genre-defining guitar skills under Ozzy Osbourne.
“He was almost like Eddie Van Halen; very similar attitude, very humble, which I always appreciate when I talk to people,” Blackmore says. “There’s no reason to be conceited about music.”
Despite his humility, though, there’s no denying that Eddie Van Halen’s guitar skills changed the landscape of rock music at the time. Last month, Dokken guitarist George Lynch recalled watching Van Halen support UFO at California’s Golden West Ballroom in 1976.
“It was somewhat dramatic, because I don’t know if UFO knew what they were in for,” Lynch said. “And I love UFO – we all love UFO – but they got their ass kicked. I mean, they came up, and I don’t think they were ready for that.”
Elsewhere in the same interview, Ritchie Blackmore recently made the bold claim that “most guitarists aren’t nice people”, but named one player who bucked the trend.
The post “You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody”: Eddie Van Halen was “too humble” about his guitar abilities, according to Ritchie Blackmore appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
David Lee Roth sold his publishing catalogue last year and says he’s feeling “rich”
David Lee Roth has revealed that he sold his music publishing catalogue last year, adding his name to the wave of legacy rock artists monetising their back catalogues in the streaming era.
The former Van Halen frontman shared the news during a backstage interview with the Associated Press at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, where he also joined R&B artist Teddy Swims onstage for a surprise performance of Van Halen’s Jump.
“I sold my publishing eight months ago,” Roth tells AP, before adding: “Ask me how I feel.”
When prompted, he replies: “[I feel] rich. [Laughs] For the first time in my life I can rub two coins together and create a little interest. No, really.”
The 71-year-old musician is credited with writing the majority of lyrics across Van Halen’s first six albums, and has long claimed authorship of “every word you heard, every syllable, every melody” during his tenure with the band.
His move follows a broader trend in recent years that has seen a growing number of classic rock acts cashing in on their catalogues. Artists including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and Sting have all sold rights to their songwriting or publishing, while bands such as Pink Floyd and Kiss have also struck major catalogue deals.
The surge has drawn in a range of buyers, from major recording labels like Sony to private equity firms and asset management groups such as Hipgnosis, all betting on the long-term value of song ownership in a streaming-led market.
In 2024, Queen reportedly sold their catalogue to Sony Music in a landmark deal worth around $1.27 billion (£1 billion), underlining just how lucrative music rights have become in today’s industry.
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Why people still pick up guitars in 2026, according to Gina Gleason: “Guitar is one of those magic things that still wields this power”
Gina Gleason has spent enough time around guitars to know the instrument’s appeal isn’t just about sound. According to the Baroness guitarist, the guitar’s enduring pull lies, in part, in the way it “appeals to one’s sense of wanting to figure things out”.
Speaking with Guitar World, Gleason reflects on why, even as listening habits, production tools and the wider music industry continue to evolve, people are still buying guitars, learning riffs, and starting bands.
“Guitar is one of those magic things that still wields this power,” she says. “It looks awesome and it seems somewhat effortless, but I can hear that what’s happening is complex. It appeals to one’s sense of wanting to figure things out.”
“The reward is looking cool, having a cool hobby, and being in spaces with likeminded people passionate about the same things as you.”
For Gleason, that sense of identity doesn’t just stop at playing – it extends into the culture of gear collecting as well: “I teach guitar, too; my student Bill tells me that pedals appeal to his collector sensibility – ‘This one’s a different colour!’ Guitars are like cool classic cars: ‘Well, this one is red!”
Addressing the enduring appeal of Telecasters, in particular, Gleason says, “they have such a unique sound. If you have a trained ear and listen to a lot of music, you can probably start to equate different sounds with gear. With the Tele, there’s no question. It cuts through and has a brightness and brilliance.”
“And the players who started using them – the Danny Gattons and Jimmy Bryants – appeal to this sense of virtuosity. The iconic sound is so crisp and clear it gets associated with a high level of playing. There’s nothing to really hide behind. Danny Gatton knows what’s going on!”
As for her recent gear obsession, Gleason says she’s been “really into the [EHX] Big Muff Op Amp pedal for solos and boosts” of late.
“I just got a Big Muff 2; our tech, Jesse Anderson, mods Big Muffs so we use them a lot on tour,” says the guitarist. “I recently got an EVH 5150 EL34, too. I used one for the Tele demos and thought, ‘Man, I need one of these!’”
The post Why people still pick up guitars in 2026, according to Gina Gleason: “Guitar is one of those magic things that still wields this power” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on surviving the excess of the ’70s: “There was always something in the back of my mind that scared me. I didn’t want to lose my chops”
1970s Los Angeles wasn’t exactly known for moderation. Between the free-flowing booze, drugs, late-night sessions and occasional onstage meltdowns, excess was practically part of the rockstar gig. While plenty of players got swept up in it, for Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, surviving it as a guitarist meant knowing where to draw the line.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan, the Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist opens up about life at the epicenter of a notoriously indulgent era – and the mindset that helped him come through it unscathed.
- READ MORE: “We have a moral duty to the players”: Fender CEO Bud Cole on leading with responsibility
“Listen, I partied hard,” Baxter admits. “And especially playing in country bands… So, a tough night at the Jack of Diamonds, you know, a bottle of Jack Daniels.”
He recalls long, chaotic nights onstage, where the music often had to compete with whatever was happening in the room.
“I’m playing [pedal] steel on Talent Night, Thursday night doing Faded Love. Waiting for the two guys to finish killing each other so we can go into Foggy Mountain breakdown.”
“But there was always something in the back of my mind that scared me. Because I didn’t want to lose my ability. I didn’t want to lose my chops,” says Baxter, who’d seen firsthand the toll that lifestyle could take on other players around him.
“I saw people who damaged themselves to the point where they lost something. That was always in the back of my mind.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Baxter recalls a formative encounter with Jimi Hendrix before the latter’s rise to stardom – one that left a lasting impression not just for his playing, but his personality.
“I was at Jimmy’s [Music Shop]. And he just walked in the store. Very nice guy,” he says. “I loved his guitar playing. To me, it was that welcoming thing. It was just a joy about it that I love. And then I got to sit in for one song and of course that blew up into me playing with Jimi Hendrix. But we became friends. We didn’t see each other a lot, but you know, there are people that you see every once in a while and [it’s like you saw them yesterday]. Very special guy.”
“He had no axe to grind and his life certainly wasn’t easy, but I don’t think – he could have been James Brown… And listen, I love James. I played with him. I love the guy, but there was a hardness, a hard edge to James. There was no hard edge to Jimmy at all.”
Watch the full interview below.
The post Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on surviving the excess of the ’70s: “There was always something in the back of my mind that scared me. I didn’t want to lose my chops” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele review: A stage-ready Martin at a seriously competitive price
$899/£949, martinguitar.com
There’s something undeniable about a Martin guitar. Like a perfectly worn-in old leather jacket, or a Toyota pickup, they are as dependable as the sunrise. It’s why the guitars made by America’s oldest guitar brand are still regarded by many as the “gold standard” of acoustic guitars. Martin’s rich heritage, unmistakable tone and expert craftsmanship has ensured the brand has stayed at the top of the pile for decades.
Entry into the Martin owners club can come at varying price points, along with levels of compromise made along the way. A proper, Nazareth-made guitar is always going to be a premium instrument, while an affordable Mexico-made X series means you’re going to have to settle for laminate construction in many cases.
Image: Adam Gasson
The Road Series has, for three decades now, offered something of an attractive middle ground for many players – these are guitars made in Navojoa, Mexico sure, but with specs and aesthetics that are firmly rooted in the Nazareth values.
For 2026, the Road Series has undergone a line-wide refresh, aiming to bring a mix of both modern guitars and more retro-inspired instruments, with prices aimed squarely at serious intermediate and pro players.
Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – what is it?
As part of the refresh, the new Road Series range is split into two lines – Retro and Modern. The Modern side of things is where you’ll find cutaways, more contemporary body shapes and unconventional finishes. The Retro side features dreadnoughts and 000s in a variety of vintage-vibed configurations.
Another helpful part of the Road Series refresh is that each model number now relates to its level of trim fanciness – Style 10 is the most basic, Style 12 the middle and style 13 the most luxe.
Image: Adam Gasson
Knowing all that, you’ll be able to determine that this D-10E Retro Sapele is a humbly adorned dreadnought in the Retro series; a fact that’s further emphasised by its stained all-sapele build that bears a strong resemblance to the all-mahogany Style 17 guitars in the Standard series.
The trade-off here is that you get an all-solid Martin dreadnought for less than $900 bucks, which feels like quite a thing to say here in 2026.
Despite its humble price tag however, it doesn’t scream ‘cheap Martin’ in the way that some of the Mexico-made instruments have to me in the past. There’s nothing flashy here of course, but it’s a functional and understated if you like that sort of thing.
It also has stage potential out of the box, given that it’s packing Martin’s E1 pickup system. In addition to allowing you to plug in with ease, the E1 also features a discrete built-in soundhole tuner. The D-10E also comes with a Martin soft-shell gig bag for wherever you choose to take it too.
Image: Adam Gasson
Beyond that, there’s not much to be said and that’s by design. The neck, fingerboard and bridge are ‘select hardwood’ (Martin’s catch-all term for mahogany, cedar and a few other woods depending on supply), while the fretboard itself sports understated faux-pearl diamond and square inlays.
Up top you’ll find a set of black-buttoned open-gear tuners, while the only bit of laminate on the guitar is the headplate.
Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – build quality and playability
The first thing I was struck by when pulling the D-10E from its gig bag was the solidity of the build. I don’t mean that it feels solid in a dead-weight kinda way, but in a reassuring, ‘this could survive a tour with no problems’ sense. It’s all very well put together with no issues in terms of the workmanship inside or out.
Before I got stuck in, a quick tune-up is always advisable, and the built-in tuner in the soundhole is an absolute godsend for that. However, despite looking rather nice, I did find that the tuning machines themselves were a little stiff at first twist – they loosened up a bit with a few jiggles, and are perfectly functional, but it does diminish the premium feel elsewhere somewhat.
Image: Adam Gasson
The Performing Artist neck profile is on the shallower side compared to other Martin offerings, and sleek with it, working just as well for chord-heavy strumming and delicate finger style work. Despite the retro aesthetic elsewhere, this is a modern neck that is built for endless comfort.
Out of the box, the action on this test model may feel slightly high for some, though players with a heavier left hand might welcome the extra space between string and fretboard – for me I would have preferred something a little more slinky, but this is a big ol’ mahogany (ish) dread at the end of the day. It’s not exactly meant to be shredded.
Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – sounds
Any playability gripes are forgotten when you strum a chord: the sounds are where the D-10E really earns its keep. The immediacy, power, and authority is just unmistakably Martin. Open chords ring. The low-end is generous, without becoming boomy, providing the perfect foundation for the equally important, sparkling high tones. Dig in on the bass strings and the D-10E puffs out its chest and screams for attention.
Switch gears to fingerstyle playing and the scenario changes beautifully. There’s a surprising level of articulation and balance here, with enough clarity to keep individual notes defined without losing any warmth. It’s a genuinely versatile instrument, not just a dreadnought cannon.
Image: Adam Gasson
Plugged in, the Martin E1 system provides a streamlined control setup with Volume and a Tone for Bass and Treble response in tandem. It’s not going to change your life in terms of sonic fidelity, but it’s a solid and functional tone that gives a decent approximation of the guitar’s sonic characteristics. The phase switch is a standout inclusion. It’s honestly baffling why it isn’t standard everywhere, given how it improves the quality of life of a performing musician, especially one who regularly plays at high-volumes and has fallen victim to the dreaded acoustic guitar/monitor feedback loop.
Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – should I buy one?
Let’s not forget that this is an all-solid dreadnought, with excellent build quality and a gig bag for $899… and it says Martin on the headstock. That’s already a compelling combination right now.
Okay, it doesn’t have the levels of refinement or premium feel as one of Martin’s higher end offerings, but it’s closer than some might expect. Martin has genuinely included all the essential ingredients of a great acoustic guitar in one accessibly priced package with the D-10E Retro.
If you are after a dependable, gig-ready acoustic guitar that sounds incredible for the price, this is such an easy recommendation. This isn’t just a relatively affordable entry to the Martin brand… it might actually be all the Martin most players will ever need.
Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – should I buy one?
It’s hard to talk about Martin guitars without mentioning its former budget brand (now independent) Sigma. The DM-15 (£340) is all-mahogany and a whole lot of guitar for the money with solid mahogany back and sides, but no pickup. If you want a Martin and don’t mind a bit of laminate in there, the mahogany-topped DX1E Mahogany ($649.99 / £649) is a very good option, and if you like your guitars preloved looking, the Martin D Jr E StreetMaster ($849.99 / £799) is another interesting option.
The post Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele review: A stage-ready Martin at a seriously competitive price appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“It’s defined me as a player, and I think I’ve defined it in return:” Jake Kiszka’s signature Gibson SG Standard has finally arrived
Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka has partnered with Gibson for a limited-edition production run SG modelled after the now-iconic 1961 Les Paul SG that helped shape his sound.
Handcrafted in Nashville and available only in limited numbers, the Jake Kiszka SG Standard honours the soul and captures the essence of Kiszka’s cherished guitar – nicknamed his “Beloved” – with its iconic double-cutaway design, elegant contours and deep-edge bevelling.
Elsewhere, the guitar features a SlimTaper mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and acrylic trapezoid inlays that offer an “ethereal glow” under stage lights.
“Exceptional tuning stability” is granted by a Graph Tech nut and Gibson Vintage Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons, while the guitar also sports an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with a Stop tailpiece, positioned underneath a Sideways Vibrola cover, which has been locked for enhanced stability and the functionality of a fixed tailpiece.
The guitar’s tonal palette is delivered by a pair of T-Type humbuckers, promising “roaring dynamics, articulate clarity and high-end bite. Each pickup has its own independent volume and tone controls, with Orange Drop capacitors for a wide expressive range and “exceptional tonal consistency”.
Finally, the Jake Kiszka SG Standard is finished in a classic Faded Vintage Cherry gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, and comes in a black hardshell case with Kiszka’s custom doubloon logo, along with a hand-signed Jake Kiszka backplate, and custom leather strap with his metallic coin pendant.
“The ’61, this particular model, has defined me as a player, and I think I’ve defined it in return,” says Kiszka.
Last year, Jake Kiszka joined Guitar.com to take us through his most cherished guitars, and of course, his “Beloved” Les Paul was front and centre in his showcase.
He told us the story of how he first came across the guitar at a Chicago Music Exchange store, calling the moment he plugged it in a moment of “divine intervention”.
Credit: Gibson
“It was like lightning split from the sky – it was really unbelievable,” he said. “It was everything that I had been looking for sonically in a guitar my whole life was right here.”
Gibson and Kiszka and hoping to impart upon you the same experience the GVF guitarist had when he held the guitar in his hands for the first time…
The Jake Kiszka SG Standard is available now, priced at £2,149. For more information, head to Gibson.
Credit: Gibson
The post “It’s defined me as a player, and I think I’ve defined it in return:” Jake Kiszka’s signature Gibson SG Standard has finally arrived appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
State of the Stomp: Why Some Pedals Will Never Go Digital
With new computer technologies and AI-driven advancements seemingly everywhere you look, I felt it would be fitting to zero in on digital effects in the pedal world—specifically, which ones most of us have embraced, which ones we continue to avoid, and which ones remain haunted by the ghosts of older tech.
Let’s start with digital effects that are pretty well embraced, and definitionally necessary. The first two that come to mind are audio loopers and clean octave pedals. Looper pedals have been around since the turn of the century, most notably the Boss RC-20. Then a big market splash came from TC Electronic with the Ditto and its subsequent models. These units provided powerful tools for musicians—the ability to lay down an idea and instantly play it back was huge. It still is!
These creative boxes run on digital wizardry—and they have to. The biggest stipulation? Don’t degrade or alter the incoming signal. We gear nerds work hard to craft and maintain the tones we love and rely on. Recording and playing back audio samples demands storage and all manner of digital signal processing (DSP), and most of us understand that—so as long as the audio comes out the way it went in, we’re on board.
Let’s hop over to another widely embraced digital effect: the clean octave. Musicians have been enjoying analog octave-up effects since the late ’60s with the Octavia, analog octave-down since the ’70s courtesy of Mu-Tron and MXR, and then Boss in the ’80s. All of these devices inspired great music, but they shared something else in common: analog limitations. Most notably, an inability to track multiple notes or chords of any real complexity—which is what we mean when we talk about “tracking.” On top of that, they were dependent on fuzz, prone to glitchiness, and often had a mind of their own. None of that is a knock—analog octave circuits remain loved, widely used, and held in high esteem. For a lot of players, the limitations are the appeal.
Clean digital octaves, on the other hand, overcome those shortcomings and can produce clean octaves up and down simultaneously, with minimal tracking or latency issues. No fuzz. Minimal glitchiness. Code is king here, and not something everyone can do—or even wants to do. But the few companies that do it, make octave pedals packed with great sounds and capabilities driven by high-powered DSP. Those that enjoy it really enjoy it. How often have you seen a pedalboard with some type of DigiTech Whammy or Electro-Harmonix POG on it?
So what would be something that’s not embraced in the digital realm? The easy answer is gain—from treble boosts all the way to fuzz boxes. There are several aspects to consider when diagnosing why this is. The first may be that we simply don’t require DSP to make any of the classics that are well-known and well-loved. These were originally made with all analog components, and they still are. A lot of companies, both big and small, offer models of these classic circuits. This leads me to my next point. Players often have an affinity for these, and they become a core part of “their sound.” To further that point, there can be a feeling of uniqueness when it comes to building a pedalboard. Let’s say you were to see 10 different pedalboards, and all of them featured something like a Helix for producing reverb, delay, and amp-modeling sounds. Yes, they’re probably set in different configurations, but they’re all the same mass-produced box. And that’s fine! The uniqueness of a board often comes earlier in the chain, by way of, say, a small-batch, NOS-parts-based germanium fuzz pedal made by some artisan in their basement. That’s something that resonates with that particular player and gives that feeling of having something special to contribute to “their sound”
Even if DSP could reproduce the sounds of a vintage germanium fuzz, it still wouldn't have the swag of a handmade, through-hole version. We guitar players are a group of artists with a connection to cool, tactile components, and a romance with the tech of yesteryear. Artists are also drawn to other creatives and the stories they tell. Coding has its own story and achievements worth celebrating, but it’s less tactile and accessible to most. It can be far easier to understand and appreciate the circuit artist who’s measuring hundreds of transistors, tweaking voltages to an uber-specific value, choosing the right capacitor for the job, and screen printing in a dark basement.
For all these reasons, I think there’s a case to be made for why analog gain pedals aren’t going away—even in a world of digital awesomeness.
“We have a moral duty to the players”: Fender CEO Bud Cole on leading with responsibility
Edward “Bud” Cole, Fender’s new CEO, has said the brand has a moral duty to its players, and that his leadership style factors in this huge responsibility to take care of the brand and drive it forward.
Cole was appointed as the new leader for Fender in January, with outgoing CEO Andy Mooney retiring after a decade in the role. Cole had served as President of Fender Asia Pacific (APAC) for over 10 years, and oversaw some of the company’s most significant growth initiatives, leading the expansion of the Fender business into 14 countries.
Speaking to Music Inc Magazine, Cole says of his new position, “Honestly, it’s beyond words. There’s a weight to it, and I mean that in the best possible way. I’ve been entrusted with something that is genuinely one of the most significant and meaningful brands in the world.
“Fender isn’t just an instrument company. It’s a language, a cultural ecosystem. When someone picks up a Fender guitar, they’re holding 80 years of history – every riff, every record, every performance, every artist who ever found their voice through this instrument.”
He adds, “That responsibility is something I feel every single day. It keeps me sharp. It keeps me humble. Everything we create, everything we say, everything we do has to honour that truth: music matters, guitars matter and players matter. Fender has always been, and will continue to be, at the centre of that story.”
Speaking of the broader family of brands under the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, he goes on to say that his focus is on “leading boldly and making sure Fender is unmistakably Fender today and for generations to come”.
Cole explains, “What’s beautiful about the portfolio is that every brand under the FMIC umbrella has its own distinct identity and sensibility. Its own voice, its own player and its own story. And through the lens of this family of brands, we’re able to give players something truly meaningful: choice.”
Cole says his leadership style is about leading with heart and fostering a safe environment that encourages Fender’s staff to be committed, highly skilled and highly motivated. He later adds, “When you think about what Fender represents, 80 years of shaping music culture, the No. 1 electric guitar and bass brand in the world, being a servant leader here feels less like a style choice and more like a responsibility.
“We have a moral duty to the players – current and future – who pick up a guitar and use it to express something they can’t say any other way. Music matters. Guitars matter. And it’s both a privilege and an honour to inspire and empower the people around me to honour that.”
Check out more from Fender.
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Upgrade your in-the-box guitar rig with these sweet savings as part of Plugin Boutique’s Band Month
If you’re looking to upgrade your in-the-box guitar rig, you can currently save up to 94 percent on plugins for guitar – as well as bass, drums, and vocals – over at Plugin Boutique as part of its Band Month sale.
These deals are all about “embracing the sound of real instruments and capturing the collaborative magic of a live performance” from within a DAW, and offer massive discounts on brands like IK Multimedia, Universal Audio, Blackstar, and many others.
[deals ids=”7A05RmzmJf5Jr5H2LHSHhD”]
IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube 5 is now reduced to £29.99 with 84 percent off. This plugin utilises IK’s Dynamic Interaction Modelling tech, “forged by 20 years of research and collaboration with top brands and artists” to capture all the nuance of its gear emulations. It delivers over 180 gear models, including pedals, amps, cabs, speakers, mics, and rack FX.
You could, however, step things up a little further with the beefier AmpliTube 5 MAX, which comes as part of IK’s TOTAL Guitar MAX bundle, now with 89 percent off. This bundle offers over 400 gear models.
Another exciting deal is UAD’s Sound City, now just £36. Launched in 2023, it marked the first-ever plugin emulation of the iconic Sound City Studios. The recording space – based in Van Nuys, California – has served as the birthplace for many of the best-selling rock records over the years. This emulation brings together all of the key elements of the studios, including its Studio A live room, vintage mics, analogue gear and legendary mixing console.
The biggest saving is on the Band Month Mixing Bundle from Antelope Audio, which has been reduced from a mighty four-figure sum down to just £89. It offers 12 plugins in total, including “iconic hardware” emulations and tools for guitar & bass, drums, vocals, and mixing.
Further deals include 38 percent off the St. James Suite from Blackstar, which offers amp simulations with the “tone and feel of real valve amplifiers in a visually stunning, easy to use, low-latency package”. You can also save on LANDR Guitar, and UVI’s Soul Bass plugin.
View all Band Month deals over at Plugin Boutique.
The post Upgrade your in-the-box guitar rig with these sweet savings as part of Plugin Boutique’s Band Month appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“If I stopped what I was doing because I was blinded by fame and money, that would be selling my soul”: Why Michael Schenker didn’t join Ozzy Osbourne’s band
Michael Schenker has explained why he chose not to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band after the tragic death of Randy Rhoads in 1982.
It was Jake E. Lee who went on to take up guitar duties for the Prince Of Darkness after Brad Gillis first stepped in, but a number of players were asked to audition, including Vito Bratta, George Lynch, and others. At the time, Schenker had not long left bands UFO and Scorpions, the latter of which he joined in support of his brother Rudolf.
Speaking to Guitar World, he says, “With Scorpions, I helped them out as a gesture to my brother. They were lost; they couldn’t do an album, so I worked with them as a jump-starter.
“When Ozzy approached me, there was an inner warning light that said, ‘Don’t do that because you have just left UFO and Scorpions.’ I had time to digest my situation and the message was clear to me. I wanted to carry on doing my thing and purely self-express, and not run after a trend, which Scorpions and UFO had been trying to do since I left.”
He adds, “I’ve always believed in doing exactly what I feel like. That’s freedom of expression. If I did something just because it was what people expected, or if I stopped what I was doing because I was blinded by fame and money, that would be selling my soul.”
In other Michael Schenker news, the guitarist’s iconic 1971 Flying V was recently recreated by the Gibson Custom Shop, as a limited launch of just 50 hand-signed Collector’s Edition models. The run sold out in just one day. Take a look below:
Based on 3D scans of the original instrument, which is currently owned by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, the guitar was used to record UFO’s first three records, and went on to earn a striking black and white makeover.
The post “If I stopped what I was doing because I was blinded by fame and money, that would be selling my soul”: Why Michael Schenker didn’t join Ozzy Osbourne’s band appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“The way my guitar looks with the circles and squares – I was trying to find my own pattern”: How Jerry Cantrell was inspired by Eddie Van Halen to create his own legendary modded guitar
The G&L Rampage guitar has become synonymous with Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, and he pretty much intended for that to be the case.
Cantrell’s Rampage is known for its unique look featuring a pattern of circles and squares, and has also been heavily modded by Cantrell over the years. Much like Eddie Van Halen with his Frankenstein guitar, Cantrell wanted to find “his own pattern”, and have something that could be associated with him.
Speaking to Guitar World in its new print issue, Cantrell explains, “Van Halen is one of my favourite bands, and Eddie was just a fucking alien. I was like, ‘How the fuck does this guy make his guitar sound like this?’ It was inspiring on many levels, and he was also into tinkering.
“His guitar is called Frankenstein for a reason! The artwork – the striped pattern – was a direct influence on me and the way my guitar looks with the circles and squares. I was trying to find my own pattern.”
As for the other changes he made to his G&L, Cantrell goes on to share, “The strings always came off the Kahler because it was top-mounted. I felt like it needed a bit more tension, so I counter-sunk the Kahler down into the body a little, which added a bit more tension at the rolling bar. It came with a shitty locking mechanism where the screws were made out of tin foil or something.
“Every time I changed the strings, I was replacing nuts because you’d strip them. So I put a Floyd Rose nut up top as that’s what Eddie had and counter-sunk the Kahler. I added a Seymour Duncan JB as my main pickup,” he says.
Asked how his G&L impacts the way he plays, Cantrell explains: “To some degree, you’re a mechanic. You use whatever tool you need for the job. Even if the G&L is my main guitar and is gonna be on most of the stuff and the one I feel most comfortable with, if I’m writing a song that sounds better on a Tele or a Strat or a V, I’m gonna use that. But then there’s the one you’re kinda known for. Angus [Young] plays a Gibson SG or Eddie’s got his guitar. The G&L is mine. It’s the one that felt right.”
The post “The way my guitar looks with the circles and squares – I was trying to find my own pattern”: How Jerry Cantrell was inspired by Eddie Van Halen to create his own legendary modded guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Police uncover organised crime ring targeting multiple West Coast Guitar Center stores, suspect arrested
Guitars are the common target of thieves, sometimes petty opportunists, but often members of fully organised crime rings.
And a number of Guitar Center stores across the west coast of the United States have found themselves victim of such a crime ring, police say, following a recent arrest made of one of the alleged perpetrators.
After a $3,000 guitar was stolen from Guitar Center’s Redmond, Washington store in October last year, authorities reckon they’ve pieced together a crime ring that spans several states in the region, including Washington, California, and Oregon.
The Redmond police department explains in a press statement that following the theft of the $3,000 guitar, detectives spotted the same guitar at a local pawn shop. Employees of that shop “reported a man had pawned multiple high-value instruments in a short timeframe”. Via transaction records and CCTV, police identified the suspect who had pawned the stolen guitar as Armando Jacome Vignaud.
Officers responded to another theft at the same store on 21 March, 2026, and later confirmed Vignaud was also involved. He was apprehended on 26 March, and charge with Theft in the Second Degree. An investigation linked him to 15 other valuable guitars pawned in quick succession.
“This arrest is what premier law enforcement looks like in practice,” says Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe.
“Organised retail theft is a serious, coordinated crime, and we treat it that way. Our detectives are diligent, they are persistent, and they are dedicated to holding criminals accountable.”
Another member of the scheme, 25-year-old Laurentiu Miclescu, allegedly stole two guitars from the Redmond store, too. Miclescu was charged on December 3, 2025, after being caught on camera hiding instruments under a jacket. At least four other stores, in addition to Redmond, were also targeted.
According to Guitar World, the suspects were nabbed with a classic sting operation, whereby an undercover officer reached out to purchase one of the guitars online, and arrested the suspects without incident when they arrived at the meet with the guitar.
Sadly, guitars have become a common target for thievery. In one recent incident, session guitarist Mason Stoops revealed he had had a Gretsch and a Jazzmaster stolen from his van. Joe Bonamassa has put out a call for the instruments to be recovered.
The post Police uncover organised crime ring targeting multiple West Coast Guitar Center stores, suspect arrested appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Up close with iconic guitars from Ace Frehley, Kirk Hammett, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more at Julien’s Music Icons auction
Julien’s Music Icons auctions have become a regular event in the music industry calendar, often showcasing some of the most interesting and iconic rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia of all time and, most importantly for our purposes of course, guitars.
The Music Icons auction returns for 2026 in rare form – when the collection of rock ‘n’ roll artefacts goes under the hammer at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square next month, the pick of the lots going under the hammer will be a selection of truly legendary electric guitars.
Before the sale, the headline items on the sale were taken to the Hard Rock Cafe in London’s Piccadilly Circus for the launch of the sale and for the public to check these iconic guitars out, before heading to Tokyo to do likewise and then back for the auction itself.
A Les Paul played by Billy Duffy of The Cult. Image: Adam Gasson
Guitar.com snuck into the Hard Rock Cafe before the launch of the sale to get up close and personal with the most important instruments in the sale, and to chat with Julien’s Co-founder and Executive Director, Martin Nolan. Given the wealth of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia that decorates every Hard Rock Cafe, it was a fitting location.
“We’ve been doing this for 21 years,” Nolan explains. “And yes, the auction is exciting and the record prices are exciting. But the most rewarding part, and the part that I personally find more exciting, is to bring these items to various places around the world where people would never dream they could be up close with such a significant or important guitar.”
Space Man
The most iconic guitar in the sale is also the most poignant. The sad passing of KISS icon Ace Frehley at the end of last year makes the sale of his most iconic guitar barely six months later feel all the more significant.
Frehley’s #1 Les Paul wasn’t the Space Ace’s first Les Paul, but it is certainly his most famous and important – the guitar, which he started using a Cherry Sunburst 1975 Les Paul Custom in around 1976 after which it became his primary guitar until around 1978, and remained a frequent feature on stage and in the studio until he left KISS in 1982.
Image: Adam Gasson
It’s the guitar that Ace was using for many of the band’s most iconic moments, including their legendary Tokyo Budokan performance in 1977.
Ace modded this Les Paul with a pair of DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups (while also adding in a third dummy pickup in the middle because he “liked the look”) and you can see it also features a re-located strap button and a sticker on the back. When you picture Ace Frehley in your head, he’s probably playing this very guitar. It’s estimated to fetch between $400,000-$600,000 in the sale.
Ace modded this Les Paul with a pair of DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups (while also adding in a third dummy pickup in the middle because he “liked the look”) and you can see it also features a re-located strap button and a sticker on the back. When you picture Ace Frehley in your head, he’s probably playing this very guitar. It’s estimated to fetch between $400,000-$600,000 in the sale.
Guitar Heroes
The interesting part about this particular Music Icons auction is that many of the guitars featured are from artists who made their names in the 80s and 90s – and there’s perhaps none more important and influential than Metallica’s Kirk Hammett.
Of all of the varied and unique guitars that Hammett has used throughout his time in Metallica, perhaps none is more recognisable than his ‘Ouija’ ESP – this striking guitar has been replicated and iterated on time and time again by Kirk and ESP over the decades, but the one going under the hammer here is the original – it says so.
Kirk Hammett’s ‘Ouija’ ESP guitar. Image: Adam Gasson
Kirk has helpfully scrawled a small essay on the back of the guitar, explaining that it is indeed his first ever Ouija ESP, and noting that it was used on countless tours, as well as for the recording of the Black Album, Load and Reload.
As meaningful instruments in the history of Metallica go, this one is up there – and it’s estimated to fetch around $250,000-$300,000 in the sale.
A Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion guitar played by Izzy Stradlin, formerly of Guns N’ Roses. Image: Adam Gasson
Is there a more iconic 1980s guitar moment than the Welcome To The Jungle video? It’s the moment that announced Guns N’ Roses to millions as the saviours of rock ‘n’ roll, and became a staple of MTV for decades to come.
In that video, you can see Izzy Stradlin riffing away on a striking and unconventional 1987 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion model – a leftfield choice for anyone at that time, but one that has become a hugely significant part of rock ‘n’ roll history. Stradlin sold the guitar a few years later, but its place in history is assured, as its estimate of around $50,000.
I Want My MTV
The power of MTV has had a huge impact on the rising value of all-star guitars in the last decade. Two of the top five most expensive guitars sold at auction are instruments used for MTV Unplugged performances, and one of the instruments up for sale in the 2026 Music Icons auction shares that important facet.
For many guitar players, Stevie Ray Vaughan remains the absolute pinnacle of electric guitar playing, but in many ways that all makes his 1990 MTV Unplugged set all the more remarkable.
Watching SRV do Pride And Joy is a treat regardless, but to watch him shred the song on a 12-string acoustic really does reinforce the otherworldly guitar talent that Stevie possessed, not to mention the strength and ferocity of his approach.
A Guild ’69 Guild F-412 acoustic guitar played by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Image by Adam Gasson
It makes being in the presence of the ’69 Guild F-412 he used for the entire performance just months before his tragic death a moving and powerful experience – this is a guitar touched quite literally by genius, that demonstrated his true mastery of the instrument. It’s no surprise it’s estimated to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000 at the sale.
Juliens and the Hard Rock Cafe are giving fans a chance to experience these wonderful, important guitars up close, and it’s something that Nolan clearly values.
“That’s the reward you’ve given people,” he explains. “It’s not a money grab. This is about celebrating rock and roll history, preserving the legacy, telling the story, and giving regular people a chance to see really incredible items.
“People love that connection. They’re works of art. They’re investment pieces, yes, but each piece also lets someone connect with Ace Frehley or Izzy Stradlin – we all have these people that we love, and we remember how impactful they were when we were growing up.
“And so this is the legacy of that. These pieces live on to tell the story. And in 10 years, 30 years, 50 years, 100 years from now, these will still be iconic pieces. So whoever the new owners there, I remind them they are just caretakers. Because they have to preserve them so that generations to come will have an opportunity to appreciate them too.”
Julien’s Music Icons 2026 sale takes place at the Hard Rock Cafe, Times Square, New York on 29-30 May – to browse the full catalogue visit juliensauctions.com
The post Up close with iconic guitars from Ace Frehley, Kirk Hammett, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more at Julien’s Music Icons auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Martin continues its commitment to sustainability with new penguin-themed acoustic guitar for Earth Day
It’s Earth Day 2026, and regular as clockwork, Martin has unveiled its latest nature-themed acoustic guitar celebrating its commitment to sustainability.
Every year, on Earth Day, Martin showcases a brand-new Biosphere guitar that pairs meaningful artistry” with responsibly sourced materials. Like last year’s D Biosphere III, this year’s guitar, the 00L Biosphere IV, sports original artwork from renowned artist and Martin collaborator Robert Goetzl.
This year, Martin’s focus turns to “one of the most extreme and fragile environments on Earth: Antarctica.
The stunning artwork across the guitar’s Sitka spruce top showcases the powerful moment between an emperor penguin and its chick. “Shielded from the Antarctic wind, the image reflects both resilience and vulnerability in a rapidly changing world.” Martin says.
“When your environment is at threat, you feel very protective of your offspring – and the creatures around you that need protecting,” says Goetzl. “That’s what this piece is about.”
Credit: Martin
Alongside its artwork-adorned Sitka spruce top, the sloped-shoulder 00L Biosphere IV features a sapele back and sides, plus a flamed maple binding. There’s also a modified Low Oval neck with a High-Performance Taper, as well as a 1 ¾” fingerboard width at the nut. Other features include an FSC-certified ebony bridge, plus a scalloped X bracing.
Both left- and right-handed configurations are available, both priced at $2,399.99.
Credit: Martin
Alongside the launch, Martin has partnered with the Global Penguin Society, and has given a “generous donation” to its mission to protect penguins, preserve critical coastal habitats and advance global education and stewardship.
Martin has also released its 2025 Impact report, highlighting its continued progress in environmental sustainability. Milestones include:
- 103 grants awarded through the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, totalling $594,750
- $35,000+ in donated instruments for music education and environmental causes
- First Martin Sustainability Summit held at the solar-powered Commerce Lane facility
- Six new instruments built with sustainable and domestically abundant tonewoods
- 200+ tons of recycled material across Martin facilities
Learn more about the 00L Biosphere IV at Martin, and check out Martin’s 2025 Impact Report in detail.
The post Martin continues its commitment to sustainability with new penguin-themed acoustic guitar for Earth Day appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
This Jackson x Blizzard guitar is a Diablo player’s wet dream
Are you a guitar-loving metalhead who also happens to be fanatical about Diablo? Your two biggest passions might not always be catered for at the same time, but today, this one’s bang on the money.
Forged in the fires of Jackson’s design room in partnership with Diablo developers Blizzard Entertainment, we introduce you to the X Series Limited Edition Diablo Kelly HT. Inspired by the dark world of the Diablo video game series, this guitar is a contender for one of the most metal six-strings ever.
Adorned with the menacing visage of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred – one of the three Prime Evils of the Diablo universe – the guitar sports a hellish black, red and white colour scheme across a nyatoh body with a blood-red binding which wraps the body, neck and headstock. Elsewhere, there’s a through-body one-piece maple neck with graphite reinforcement, plus a 12”-16” compound-radius 24-fret amaranth fingerboard with custom red Diablo-inspired inlays.
Credit: Jackson
Metal-ready tones come by way of a pair of Jackson-designed high-output pickups with a singular volume control. “When you’re channeling pure evil, you need maximum output, period,” says Jackson.
Other “battle”-ready features include a Jackson hardtail bridge built for “exceptional tuning stability and enhanced sustain”, plus precision die-cast tuners.
Credit: Jackson
“The Blizzard and Diablo partnership is a natural fit because it fuses the raw, high-performance aggression of Jackson guitars with the dark, immersive mythology of Diablo,” says Jon Romanowski, VP of Product, Jackson.
“The Diablo graphic amplifies that identity, making the guitar feel powerful and visually commanding, carrying the game’s darkness and intensity in every detail. The Jackson Kelly is the perfect platform for this sort of endeavour as its sharp angles and horns give it a weapon-like appearance. It’s a physical crossover between metal culture and gaming lore that feels authentic, collectible and built for the same audience.”
Watch YouTube star Cole Rolland demo the guitar below:
“This guitar is the essence of Diablo forged in the real world,” says Gavian Whishaw, executive producer and VP of Diablo IV.
“Jackson has captured the metal, infernal power of the battle between good and evil with the sleek red and black design. This collaboration is for those who stand at the crossroads of Hell and Rock and Roll, and turns that passion into something you can hold, play and unleash. It’s a crossover we’re proud to crank up to eleven.”
The X Series Limited Edition Diablo Kelly HT is available now, priced at $1,299.99 / £1,199 / €1,409, and comes with a premium Jackson gig bag.
“Perfect for metal masters seeking the ultimate collector’s piece and players who demand both crushing tone and jaw-dropping aesthetics,” Jackson says. “This limited run won’t last forever – prepare to unleash hell and make a deal with the devil for incredible sound.”
Credit: Jackson
The Jackson x Diablo guitar lands at a crucial moment in the history of the massive online game, as 28 April will see a new expansion, Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred. Diablo IV launched in 2023, shattering records as the best-selling opening in Blizzard’s history, crossing an eerie $666 million in global revenue within the first five days of release.
Jackson’s parent company Fender is no stranger to partnering with media franchises on super-cool limited-edition guitars. Last year, Fender Japan unveiled three Godzilla-themed Stratocaster guitars – with one even able to roar at the push of a button.
Learn more at Jackson.
The post This Jackson x Blizzard guitar is a Diablo player’s wet dream appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Alternative rockers: 10 cool new dirt pedals you need in 2026
It’s at least 20 years now since the boutique stompbox industry really took off – and while makers have had to deal with some economic ups and downs over that period, for tone-hungry guitar players this is the boom that just keeps on booming. That’s especially true in the marvellously mucky world of overdrive, distortion and fuzz.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with the classics: if you want to stick with established noise makers like the Ibanez Tube Screamer, ProCo Rat and Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, they’re all still around and still sounding fabulous – as are their countless clones and tributes. But this is a great time for pedal buyers in search of something a little bit different.
All the pedals on this list have been launched with the intention of offering an alternative to the usual staples. That doesn’t mean they all sound like barking jackals or faulty washing machines, though: this is a highly diverse selection of products, and some of them are actually very tasteful indeed.
Most are from North America but there are also representatives of the UK and mainland Europe – even prim little Switzerland! – and while not all of them can claim to be truly ‘boutique’ or even ‘indie’, each one has the tones to be worth taking a chance on.
At a glance:
- Best pedal for fuzzy chaos: Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz
- Best combined overdrive and clean boost: Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante
- Best Tube Screamer alternative: DOD Badder Monkey
- Best pedal for black-panel crunch: Superlunar SR-01
- Best vintage-voiced fuzz: Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver
- Best fuzz for shoegaze: RhPf Electronics Mosrawr
- Best all-rounder: Silktone Expander
- Best fuzz with modulation: Blue FX Fuzz Fields
- Best dual overdrive: Warm Audio Throne of Tone
- Best pedal for tweed crunch: Lazy J x ThorpyFX The J
- Why you can trust Guitar.com
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Best pedal for fuzzy chaos: Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz
Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz. Image: Adam Gasson
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You know pretty much what this one’s about just from the name – at least, you do if you’re a fan of British alt-rock gods Muse. Frontman Matt Bellamy is the majority shareholder in Manson these days, and the Devon guitar maker’s first stompbox is a bold and belligerent fuzz that nods to the band’s biggest hit, Supermassive Black Hole.
But this hefty unit, built in collaboration with ThorpyFX, is not just about bringing the colossalness while you strut across an imaginary stadium stage – it also has an extremely powerful EQ filter with adjustable bandwidth and a footswitchable ‘peak’ mode for fruity feature sounds that will leap out from any mix.
Need more? Read our Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz review.
Best combined overdrive and clean boost: Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante
Image: Richard Purvis
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If we hop to the opposite end of the scuzz spectrum, we find the Konstante: a drive and boost pedal that’s about as recklessly noisy as a sleeping cat… and very nearly as adorable.
The left side of this compact unit is based on the Greer Lightspeed, a hugely popular boutique overdrive that specialises in adding dirt without colouring your tone too much; and the right side is inspired by the preamp of an old Echoplex tape delay. Neither one is especially radical on its own, but the way you can combine them – in either order – makes this German-made stomper unusually flexible, and a bit of a low-key gem.
Need more? Read our Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante review.
Best Tube Screamer alternative: DOD Badder Monkey
Image: Adam Gasson
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The story behind the Badder Monkey is, frankly, a bit silly. But there’s nothing silly about the performance of the pedal itself – an enhanced reissue of the Bad Monkey made in the early 2000s by DOD’s sister brand DigiTech. That was a simple overdrive in the Tube Screamer vein, and it wasn’t much missed… until Josh Scott, JHS Pedals boss and one-man YouTube infestation, published a video suggesting it could sound as good as the almighty Klon Centaur.
The fact is, the Badder Monkey only exists because of the hype generated by that moment. That’s nothing to complain about, though: this new pedal is not just a remake but a much more versatile overdrive with a unique ‘barrel’ control that blends between three different variants of the circuit, and it sounds ace. Thanks, Josh!
Need more? Read our DOD Badder Monkey review.
Best pedal for black-panel crunch: Superlunar SR-01
Image: Richard Purvis
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The hardest thing to do with this boost, drive and fuzz pedal is tear your eyes away from its stunning asymmetrical design for long enough to start playing. And the second-hardest thing is to stop playing, because it sounds very nearly as tasty as it looks.
The SR-01 sets out to recreate the tones of a mid-60s Fender amp, ranging from mild breakup all the way through to the kind of raggedly fuzzy mayhem that you’d only get from the real thing by cranking it up to full blast and making your housemates cry. The controls don’t always feel intuitive, but it nails every aspect of the brief.
Need more? Read our Superlunar SR-01 review.
Best vintage-voiced fuzz: Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver
Image: Richard Purvis
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If you’re hunting for new tones, 1971 might not seem like the most obvious place to look… but the Colorsound Overdriver is a forgotten giant of early British fuzz, and this cheeky little chunk is proof that you don’t have to rely on the usual Fuzz Face and Tone Bender circuits if you want to sound huge and hairy.
In fact, this pedal from Tru-Fi’s new Mini range includes recreations of two Colorsound models: flick up the toggle switch and you get the 1969 Power Boost, which is simply the Overdriver running on 18v instead of 9v. Both are very much vintage in character, and surprisingly versatile.
Need more? Read our Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver review.
Best fuzz for shoegaze: RhPf Electronics Mosrawr
Image: Richard Purvis
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This is a high-gain fuzz that sounds great on its own, but what it really wants to do is hang out with other, like-minded pedals and create towering walls of noise together. Because the Swiss-made Mosrawr from RhPf Electronics is specifically designed for “shoegaze, noise rock and post-rock”.
In tonal terms, that means it’s extremely gnarly and has a strong midrange to ensure it stays clear in the mix, never dissolving into washiness even when it’s running through excessive delay and/or reverb. It works brilliantly as a tool to bring the rage to your soundscaping adventures… and as a not inconsiderable bonus, it’s got a bright pink dinosaur on it.
Need more? Read our RhPf Electronics Mosrawr review.
Best all-rounder: Silktone Expander
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The really smart thing about this ultra-high-class American boutique overdrive is its tone control… or, to look at it another way, the fact that it doesn’t have one. What the Silktone Expander does have is a ‘choke’ knob for rolling off the lower frequencies and a three-way toggle switch for dark, normal or bright voicing. And that’s quite the potent pairing.
Yes, it takes a while to properly get the best out of such an unconventional EQ setup, but the array of different tones on offer here is amazing – aided by a gain range that covers everything from crispy grit to splatty fuzz, with lots of lovely crunch sounds in between.
Need more? Read our Silktone Expander review.
Best fuzz with modulation: Blue FX Fuzz Fields
Image: Richard Purvis
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The key with this Danish-built stomper is supposed to be all the things it can do beyond fuzz – including tremolo, vibrato and synthy envelope-following sweeps – but wait! If you’re in too much of a hurry to explore all the kooky stuff you’ll miss the best bit. Yes, the extra tricks are great, and make this a truly unique stompbox, but underpinning all that is a core fuzz voice that’s rich, smooth and downright enormous.
The Blue FX Fuzz Fields is an expensive bit of kit – especially if you pay extra for the ‘It’ control module, which is definitely worth getting to unlock all the rhythmic effects – and it’s also on the complicated side. But fuzzes with filtering and modulation don’t get better than this.
Need more? Read our Blue FX Fuzz Fields review.
Best dual overdrive: Warm Audio Throne of Tone
Image: Press
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On the face of it, the Warm Audio Throne of Tone has no business being on this list: it’s just a couple of clones in one box, isn’t it? Well, no, not quite. The basics are, indeed, basic – it’s a dual overdrive based on the Marshall Bluesbreaker and Analogman King of Tone – but then you notice that it’s got eight knobs and seven toggle switches, and realise (unless you’re very bad at maths) that there must be something more going on here.
In fact, both sides of this pedal are identical, and each can be set to either circuit – so you can have two Bluesbreakers, a full double King, or one running into the other in either order. You also get an added presence control on each side, making this way more versatile than the average two-in-one drive.
Need more? Read our Warm Audio Throne of Tone review.
Best pedal for tweed crunch: Lazy J x ThorpyFX The J
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The first thing that marks this out as no ordinary drive pedal is the sketchy handwritten scrawl of the control panel; the second is the fact that two of those controls are marked ‘Response’ and ‘Supply’. Intriguing… and even more so when you clock that the two designers behind this collab are Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX and Jesse Hoff of Lazy J Projects.
This is, essentially, Jesse’s J 20 combo – one of the best tweed-style amplifiers you can buy – in stompbox form. The angle is ultra-realism, in feel as well as tone. You get footswitchable normal and bright channels, and even a toggle switch for flipping between simulated 12AX7 and 12AY7 preamp valves. This might be the ultimate overdrive for people who don’t like their pedals too… well, pedally.
Need more? Read our Lazy J x ThorpyFX The J review.
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That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
The post Alternative rockers: 10 cool new dirt pedals you need in 2026 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“It’s such a player’s guitar”: how the Pacifica SC is shifting the perception of Yamaha’s most popular instrument
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For decades, Yamaha’s Pacifica has been a byword for quality and reliability at the affordable end of the guitar spectrum. In fact, if you’re reading this there’s a good chance that you made your start on a Pacifica guitar that offered a level of sound, playability and build that vastly outperformed its humble price tag.
But in the last few years, you’ll have noticed the buzz around the Pacifica change somewhat. Back at NAMM 2024, Yamaha revealed the brand new Pacifica Professional and Standard Plus guitars – instruments that redefined what people expected when they saw that iconic Pacifica logo on a guitar’s headstock. The new Pacificas were the result of years of research and development of the kind that only Yamaha could do – painstakingly reimagining the brand’s most successful and famous guitar for a new era, and a new type of player.
And that was the most interesting thing of all – Yamaha wasn’t just speaking to beginner guitar players to find out what they needed, they were speaking to professionals, artists: those whose experience was vast and whose requirements were exacting.
Plenty of other student-focused guitars have evolved to find themselves deployed across the biggest stages and the biggest stars – it was Pacifica’s turn. There will always be a Pacifica guitar for the beginner of course, but Yamaha knew it was time for model to spread its wings and show just how good it can be – and for 2026, this revolution is reaching a whole new level.
Single Minded
The single-cut Pacifica has been something of a cult hit among aficionados of the model. It hasn’t been a regular feature in the brand’s line-up since the late 90s, but earlier this year that changed with the launch of the Pacifica SC in both Japan-made Professional and Standard Plus configurations. Instantly, artists stood up and took notice.
In a few short months, the guitar has found its way into the hands of some of the most respected musicians in their fields, in a way that few Pacifica guitars before have done. But that’s actually quite fitting.
Because real ones will know that while the single-cut hasn’t been in the standard Pacifica line for decades, it has lived on in the shape of Yamaha’s only Pacifica signature model – the Japan-made 1611 Mike Stern. The modern SC takes the torch that jazz virtuoso Stern has been carrying for years and pushes it to another level, and he’s no longer alone in singing its praises.
One of the SC’s early adopters is Britpop legend Graham Coxon. The Blur guitarist used a single-cut guitar to craft some of the most iconic and inventive guitar riffs of the 90s, but he was also informally involved in the development of the model with Yamaha. We did say they’d been consulting with professionals… they weren’t doing things by half measures.
But Coxon’s interest in the Pacifica SC has been more than just as a consultant – he’s come to really love the guitar as he’s spent more time with it.
“The neck is very comfortable,” Coxon explains. “The guitar seems to disappear when playing it leaving nothing between you and the sound, and those Rupert Neve pickups are flipping amazing! This guitar is getting a lot of use in the studio right now.”
Another artist who’s flying the flag for the Pacifica SC is Jack Taylor from rising British indie band Corella, and as is often the case with a Yamaha guitar, the craftsmanship and consistency have helped make him a convert.
“When I first picked up the new Pacifica SC I was really impressed by the overall build quality, every detail felt as though it’d been properly thought through and designed with intention,” Jack explains. “The stand out feature for me is the playability, it’s so easy to play I’ve found myself reaching for it more and more in our live shows. The pickups also sound great, they’re super dynamic and responsive, whilst being really defined in the top end.”
Jack Taylor of Corella performing with the Yamaha Pacifica SC.
Pushing The Boundaries
That artists are falling in love with the Pacifica SC is no surprise – it’s one of the most thoughtfully and carefully designed electric guitars on the market today, with every aspect of the design contributing to the whole.
You can see it in the body itself, which is meticulously contoured for maximum comfort. It’s a far more ergonomic proposition than a traditional single-cut, while the smoothly carved neck joint heel, and perfectly balanced design provide effortless upper fret access that allows you immersive, stress-free playing.
That body also takes advantage of Yamaha’s innovative Acoustic Design technology – a process of precisely routing the body wood to maximise resonance and vibration through the neck, and thereby enhancing the sustain.
You’ll also find it in the Reflectone pickups that Coxon was raving about. Designed in collaboration with Rupert Neve Designs, these SH pickups deliver clear, articulate tones with solid lows and sparkling highs, with the EQ-shaping Focus switch adding further tone-shaping options.
Combine all this with premium hardware from Gotoh, a wonderful selection of eye-catching classic colours, and great looks, and it’s no wonder that artists are falling head over heels with the Pacifica SC.
“I love the new Pacifica SC, it’s such a player’s guitar,” enthuses Circa Waves guitarist Joe Falconer. “It puts out a broad selection of tones that are practical in almost any situation in the studio and on stage. I love how it feels in my hands and it’ll definitely be a workhorse for me on tour over the summer.”
The professionals are already getting the message, isn’t it time for you to see if the Pacifica SC can be your new workhorse too?
Find out more about the Pacifica SC at yamahaguitargroup.com
The post “It’s such a player’s guitar”: how the Pacifica SC is shifting the perception of Yamaha’s most popular instrument appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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