Norse Guitar Feeds

Two-Rock Studio Overdrive Review

It may have "overdrive" in the name, but this luxuriously crafted twist on Dumble themes is super-dynamic, sensitive, and capable of sweetly clean tones.

FU-Tone’s Mass Appeal

How Adam Reiver turned an obsession with hardware into one of the guitar industry’s most trusted upgrade brands.

Córdoba Abasi Stage 7 Review

Tosin Abasi gives electric 7-string players a fanned-fret path to classical connections.

Recording Dojo: RT60, Density, and Diffusion

Three parameters, infinite possibilities. Here’s how to make reverb work harder for you.

Reader Guitar of the Month: Beware Headless Kats!

Headstock surgery saves the day on a beautiful but top-heavy Epiphone.

Rig Rundown: Lamb of God’s Mark Morton [2026]

Hot on the heels of their 12th studio record, Into Oblivion, American metal giants Lamb of God tore off across the continent on a tour that took them to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. That’s where PG’s Chris Kies reunited with Mark Morton, the band’s lead guitarist and one of the genre’s most influential riffers. In this new Rig Rundown, Morton walked us through the trusty tools he’s taken out on the road this spring.

Warm Audio Introduces the Reamper

Warm Audio, the leading manufacturer of faithful recreations of legendary recording gear and guitar pedals, today announces the release of the Reamper (WA-RA), a creative routing hub built to connect guitar rigs, studio processors, pedals, and DAW workflows in ways previously reserved for complex setups.

Hi, Everyone!

I just added two new shorts to my YouTube Channel, that feature the wonderful guitarist, Juri Yun. 

I attended the 2025 Denver Guitar Festival as a vendor and Mr. Yun stopped by my table to try out the guitars I brought to the festival and he was very impressed with my work!

Go to my YouTube Channel page on this blog to see videos of other great guitarists playing my guitars!

Guitar multi-hyphenate Robben Ford has been looking back on what it was like to jam with George Harrison in the 1970s, and by his account, things were very rock ‘n’ roll.

Ford has worked with a wide span of huge artists, including Joni Mitchell, KISS, Bob Dylan, and Harrison, who Ford would later tour with in 1974 for Harrison’s Dark Horse tour. Their first encounter occurred earlier in that very same year though, when Ford was touring with Mitchell.

• READ MORE: “There are just so many problems with the electric guitar”: Robben Ford explains why the guitar is the “most difficult instrument to play”

In the new print issue of Classic Rock, Ford recounts, “I was touring with Joni Mitchell, and we did two shows in London in 1974. I’m hanging out backstage, and I turn around and standing before me is the album cover to All Things Must Pass [Harrison’s first post-Beatles solo album and third studio release overall] – you know, he had the hair, hat, gardening boots, big plaid coat.

“Next day, the whole band, including Joni, went out to his place in Henley-on-Thames. We got there about one in the afternoon. George was still asleep. At about four, he came into the kitchen, smoking a Gauloises, making tea – he only drank Typhoo.

He continues, “Joni finally split, and at one in the morning the band all went up to the studio. Everyone had been drinking, smoking something, snorting something. So we’re all set up in the studio, and there’s a shelf running along all four walls of the control room, with a box of cocaine on every shelf. So if you felt like it, you just popped over, had a little toot and continued. And we did that until the sun came up.”

After releasing a number of solo albums, Harrison joined band again in 1988, when he co-founded supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. The group consisted of Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, and came together as a result of Harrison and Lynne dreaming up a new band during the sessions for Harrison’s 1987 album Cloud Nine.

In a 2007 Uncut interview, Lynne said: “We were three-quarters of the way through Cloud Nine, and every night, as we were relaxing with a few drinks after mixing a big epic or whatever, George and I had the same conversation: ‘We could have a group, you know?’ ‘Yeah, we could.’ He didn’t like the idea of being a solo guy – that’s what he told me. He was never comfortable with it. He wanted a group, and, of course, George could do anything he wanted.”

The post “You just popped over, had a little toot and continued”: Robben Ford recalls “a box of cocaine on every shelf” while jamming with George Harrison in the ’70s appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

[Editor’s note: Harmony is part of Vista Musical Instruments, which like Guitar.com, is part of the Caldecott Music Group.]

Boasting a storied list of players – including BB King, Elvis Presley, and Kurt Cobain – Stella was a guitar brand which remains instrumental in the pages of guitar history.

First founded all the way back in 1899 – 127 years ago – by Oscar Schmidt, and later acquired by Harmony in 1939, it’s a brand which has helped shape the landscape of rock music and beyond.

Credit: Harmony

Now, Harmony has announced it is bringing back Stella, with a new range of parlor-sized acoustic guitars at very-much affordable price points, starting at just $349.

• READ MORE: “This was a divine intervention for me. It was everything that I was looking for”: Jake Kiszka on finding his “Beloved” Gibson SG

Reinterpreting the compact, travel-friendly format for the next generation of songwriters and creators, the new Stella Parlor acoustics boast mahogany backs and sides paired with a solid spruce top, along with a modern X-bracing for durability without sacrificing tone.

Credit: Harmony

There’s a raft of vintage-inspired details, too, like a slotted headstock, off-white binding and a beautifully delicate soundhole rosette. They also feature bone nuts and saddles for “enhanced resonance and sustain”, and come fitted with D’Addario coated strings.

In terms of colourways, the new Harmony Stella acoustics come in Sunburst, Moonstone Blue, Backwoods Green and Ivory.

Credit: Harmony

“B.B. King’s first guitar was a red Stella acoustic,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO of Vista Musical Instruments. “That’s the kind of impact we want this brand to continue to have, being the guitar that starts someone’s story.”

Harmony Stella Parlor acoustics start at $349, and are available in limited quantities, exclusively via harmony.co.

The post Stella – the legendary guitar brand championed by BB King, Elvis and Kurt Cobain – has been revived by Harmony with a new line of parlor acoustics appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Fender has partnered with fashion and lifestyle brand Kith on a Kith Records Limited Player Stratocaster, with a stylish green checkerboard design.

This isn’t the first time Fender has teamed up with a fashion brand for an instrument collaboration, in fact a number of other brands have also launched collaborations with fashion companies over the years. This particular model has been designed to commemorate Kith’s 15th anniversary and Fender’s 80th.

• READ MORE: Slipknot x Gucci: the wildest crossover of the year so far?

The Kith Records Limited Player Stratocaster reimagines Fender’s Limited Player Stratocaster and is finished in custom Stadium green with a checkerboard pattern and gloss finish. It has an alder body along with a rosewood fretboard with rolled edges and 22 medium jumbo frets.

It’s fitted with Player Series Alnico V Single-Coil Strat pickups, and its five-way blade switch “covers the full tonal spectrum”. A two-point tremolo and ClassicGear tuners complete the model. As an extra fashionable touch, the guitar’s pick guard also features a Kith logo redesigned in Fender’s famous typography.

The model will be available to pre-order this Friday 1 May, exclusively for US customers on the Kith website and the Kith App. There is currently no information available on price. Check out the guitar below:

View this post on Instagram

Fender’s other fashion ventures include a 2023 collaboration with Wrangler, for which the Big F released a range of denim guitar cases and straps. Prior to this, the two brands also teamed up in spring of 2022, introducing a range of Fender-inspired clothing which aimed to bridge the gap between music and fashion.

Fender has also partnered with high-end fashion label Yves Saint Laurent and even streetwear brand Supreme in the past. Just last year, Gibson partnered with Marc Jacobs on a series of Les Pauls complete with custom artwork, straps and even pick tins.

The Kith Records Limited Player Stratocaster will launch on 1 May at 11am EST. To find out more, head over to Kith.com.

The post Fender teams up with fashion brand Kith on a super stylish Stratocaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka has been reflecting on the first time he got his hands on his 1961 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard, which he affectionately nicknamed “Beloved”.

The guitar is the inspiration behind his new signature SG Standard with Gibson, which launched just last week. Crafted in Nashville and available only in limited numbers, the model retains the essence of his ’61 Les Paul SG through its contours, deep-edge bevelling, and double‐cutaway design.

• READ MORE: Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka thinks that modern rock bands aren’t experimental enough: “There’s so much tunnel vision in contemporary rock records”

Speaking to MusicRadar, Kiszka recalls how the band visited the Chicago Music Exchange while on tour, back when they were just getting started. Greta Van Fleet’s manager was friends with the company’s CEO, Andrew Yonke, and arranged for Kiszka to visit what CME calls ‘The Vault’, where it keeps treasures of interesting and vintage gear.

Kiszka recalls, “It was maybe a decade ago now, about 10 years ago, Greta Van Fleet was leaving Michigan for the first time, where we’d really played shows and gigged and done all sorts of work there. It was really the first time out in North America, nationally… Setting out into the infinite horizon, trying to find manifest destiny or something.”

On his visit to The Vault, he remembers, “I was looking through all these guitars, and we were trying to pick up some gear if we could, some serious, good gear. I wasn’t really that familiar with the early ‘60s SGs. I didn’t know much about them. I stumbled upon this one,” he shares of his Beloved.

“I was just immediately mesmerised. Immediately, from the first strum, it was like a lightning bolt just hit me from above,” he continues. “I really did feel like this was sort of a divine intervention for me. It was everything that I was looking for in terms of the sound of something. I’d been searching for that my whole life up to this point.”

However, back then Kiszka didn’t have the money to afford this stunning vintage model that he’d fallen head over heels for: “There was no question I yearned to take it on the road with me. The caveat was it was a $25,000 guitar. So of course I wasn’t gonna be able to afford that being a poor kid coming out of Michigan.

“Thankfully and gratefully I’m humbled that the owner perhaps saw something in me, and us as a band, and allowed me to take it on the road. He said, ‘Do you know what? Just pay me back for it later, when you can afford it.’ And I did,” he states.

Kiszka spoke of this very story back in his episode of My Guitars & Me with Guitar.com. Speaking of the wear and tear the guitar has earned since being in his ownership, he told us: “This is what happens when you start wearing rhinestones on suits with no jacket over them. And this is what my nipples have done,” he joked. “It looks like a cutting board, doesn’t it? It’s a lot lighter than when I got it – I’ve sanded it away!”

“I’ll probably be buried with it!” he added. “There’s a piece of me in this guitar, but there’s also a piece of this guitar in me. In reality, a lot of my playing, and the way that I’ve developed playing have actually come from this very specific instrument.”

The post “This was a divine intervention for me. It was everything that I was looking for”: Jake Kiszka on finding his “Beloved” Gibson SG appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Back in 2024, London’s High Court ruled that the estates of former Jimi Hendrix bandmates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell could sue Sony to pursue royalties they believe they were owed from three classic Hendrix albums.

The Noel Redding Estate Ltd and Mitch Mitchell Estate Ltd first sued Sony Music Entertainment in 2022. Sony believed at the time that the case was open and shut, because Redding and Mitchell had signed away their rights to the albums in the ‘70s.

• READ MORE: “It’s your phone – I don’t mind”: Why John 5 is against phone bans at live shows

But despite being granted permission to sue, Redding and Mitchell’s lawsuit has now been dismissed.

Though it claimed that both musicians died – in 2003 and 2008, respectively – in “relative poverty”, at that both were owed royalties from Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland, British High Court Judge Edwin Johnson ruled that both signed away their rights – forgoing future royalties – decades ago.

In a lengthy 140-page ruling, Judge Johnson wrote [obtained by Rolling Stone, via Guitar World]: “I conclude that the first owners of the copyrights… were the producers.”

The judge noted that a clause in the agreement signed by Redding and Mitchell meant the band’s producers, and not Jimi Hendrix’s bandmates, owned the rights to “any sound recordings made hereunder”.

“It’s difficult to see how this could have been expressed more clearly,” Johnson wrote. “The producers were to have the copyright in sound recordings made pursuant to the terms of the recording agreement. This clearly included the recordings, which were all made pursuant to the terms of the recording agreement.”

He added that the agreement was “clear and unequivocal”.

“Jimi’s music is more than a catalogue – it’s a living piece of our family’s soul, filled with his spirit, his passion and his truth,” Jimi’s sister Janie Hendrix says.

“This decision means we can continue protecting that legacy with the love, care, and integrity it deserves, and ensure his voice is honoured for generations to come.”

At the time of writing Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell’s estates have not commented on the ruling.

The post “It’s difficult to see how this could have been expressed more clearly”: Estates of Jimi Hendrix bandmates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell lose court case over royalties appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

There are dozens of micro-decisions that go into building a guitar: wood choice, neck joint, fret size, pickup height, and on and on. Most players never think about them. But one design difference that sits right at the end of the neck generates more debate than almost anything else among luthiers and guitar nerds: headstocks.

• READ MORE: Answered: more technical guitar questions you were too afraid to ask

There are so many different designs and approaches to building a peghead, of course, but broadly they can be put into one of two camps – a Fender-style six-in-a-line or a Gibson-style three-a-side (not now, Ernie Ball 4+2!).

You probably know which style you prefer cosmetically, and let’s not pretend that doesn’t matter of course, but many of us still don’t fully understand what’s actually happening mechanically with the different methods. Understanding a little about what these different designs and the elements that make them up do to your guitar can help you understand why you might prefer one over the other.

The Headstock Angle

On a traditional Gibson, the headstock tilts backward relative to the fingerboard. On a Fender Strat or Tele, it doesn’t. That one difference cascades into a whole set of tradeoffs that touch on structural durability, string geometry, and – depending on who you ask – tone.

The word “better” gets thrown around a lot here. Personally, I hate the word “better” when it comes to design – really, the designs are just different, but knowing the mechanics of each design will help you decide which one is best for you.

When a string travels over the nut, the angle at which it bends downward toward the tuner post is called the break angle. A steeper break angle means more downward pressure on the nut slot, which in theory improves string seating and reduces the chance of open-string buzz.

The key thing most people miss is that you don’t need a pitched headstock to generate break angle – you just need the string to drop below the nut once it clears it. The question is whether you achieve that through geometry carved into the wood, or through hardware. This is the fundamental divide between the big two guitar brands and their approach to headstock design, and it’s been there since the 1950s.

Fender’s Headstock Design

Leo Fender’s approach to guitar building was all about making things as straightforward and easily replicable as was possible, and this is perhaps why Fender’s headstocks traditionally sit essentially flat. The face of the peghead runs in the same plane as the fingerboard, with no backward tilt. Break angle is instead created by the height difference between the nut slots and the tuner posts, which sit lower down below the fretboard.

On the bass strings, that vertical drop is usually enough break angle, but on the treble side, it isn’t. The inline tuner layout means the high E and B strings don’t get enough downward pull on their own, so Fender added string trees: small metal guides that press those strings down toward the headstock face. It’s a hardware solution to a geometry problem.

The break angle for a Telecaster or Stratocaster is roughly six degrees from the nut to the tuning post – this is, of course, dependent on a lot of factors and can vary, but six degrees is a common reading I get on many Fenders.

The structural benefits of this approach are real and underappreciated. Because the headstock isn’t angled back, the wood grain runs more continuously through the neck-to-headstock transition. There’s no sharp break point, no short grain exposed at a stress concentration zone – this means it’s more durable as a result.

If you drop a Strat headstock-first, you’ll likely walk away with a damaged tuner at worst. Do the same with a Les Paul and you’re looking at a painful and costly neck repair. Now, Gibson’s own VP of Product recently claimed that claims about Gibson’s headstock design were “misinformation”, but the fact that these repairs have become so routine that any good tech will be able to fix a snapped Gibson headstock invisibly tells its own story.

Fender’s bolt-on neck is worth mentioning here too, because it compounds the structural advantage. If something goes wrong, you replace the neck. The whole repair philosophy is modular in a way that suits the flat headstock perfectly. It’s a very mid-century production mindset: simplify, standardize, make it serviceable. Leo Fender wasn’t a guitar player. He was an electronics man who thought about instruments like machines. That perspective shows in every detail of the Strat’s construction.

Gibson’s Headstock Design

Gibson’s approach is the opposite in almost every respect. The headstock is pitched back – historically 17 degrees on most production models, though some years in the late ’60s through early 2000s saw 14-degree angles.

That pitch builds the break angle directly into the wood. All six strings get consistent downward pressure at the nut without any additional hardware. The string path is cleaner, geometrically. There’s undoubtedly an elegance to solving the problem at the construction stage rather than compensating for it afterward.

Gibson still creates their necks out of one solid piece of wood, even though it costs considerably more than if they would simply use a scarf joint, they do this at great cost, because they believe that it directly influences the instrument’s resonance. Whether that’s measurably true is contested, however.

What is unequivocally true is that a properly executed scarf joint can be structurally superior to a one-piece angled neck, because the joint can be oriented to run with the grain rather than against it. Many boutique builders use scarf joints for exactly this reason. Gibson’s preference for one-piece construction is more about tradition and brand identity than engineering necessity – but there’s unquestionably value in that, too.

The tuning stability complaints that follow Gibson-style headstocks around are worth addressing, because they are usually blamed on the wrong thing. The angle itself isn’t the primary culprit. The bigger issue is lateral string pull – on a 3-per-side tuner layout, the G and D strings travel outward at a significant angle to reach their posts, which creates sideways friction in the nut slot.

A well-cut, well-lubricated nut eliminates this issue. Aftermarket fixes like the String Butler exist to straighten that string path further, and they work, but they shouldn’t be necessary on a properly set-up guitar.

Which Headstock Design “Sounds” Better?

This is the big question and one that ultimately has no real answer beyond listening with your own ears. Plenty of Gibson fans will tell you that the back-angled three-a-side headstock is not only a more elegant and balanced solution, but is one that allows the wood of the guitar to resonate better. There’s certainly something to be said for solving the issue using the geometry of the woodwork itself rather than delegating it to a piece of metal.

There are definitely ways to get around this on the Fender side though – slightly angling a Fender headstock, or using staggered-post tuners will improve the break angle and remove the necessity of string trees. Fender uses the latter for their American Ultra guitars.

Personally, I appreciate the Fender method for its engineering strength and simplicity, but I still don’t discount the logic and cleaner design of Gibson’s method either. As usual with guitar, it’s all subjective – the right answer is the one that inspires you most.

The post Which guitar brand has the better headstock design – Gibson or Fender? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Reader: Bill Sumner

Hometown:Las Vegas, NV

Guitar: Epiphone Kat

I’d wanted a hollow or semi-hollow guitar for some time, drawn to the tonal differences relative to solid bodies. A Gibson ES-335 or Epiphone Casino had been on my radar for years, but the 16" body width always gave me pause. The Epiphone Kat, at only 14" wide, made the difference. I also considered the ES-339, but the Kat simply looked better.

Right out of the box, my brand-new Epiphone Kat semi-hollow was absolutely beautiful, very well made, played nicely, and sounded excellent, with surprisingly good pickups. Unfortunately, there were negatives. It was longer than any of my other guitars and felt clumsy to me as a result. The extra length combined with the Grover tuners to induce neck dive. The Kat was heavier than I expected for a semi-hollow. Lastly, it didn’t stay in tune very well. As with any imperfect online purchase, I faced the hassle of returning it, tolerating it, or fixing it.

Almost immediately, my imagination went to work: It’s too bad Epiphone didn’t make a headless version of this guitar, I thought. That would solve all four problems I faced. That led to design questions—how does one convert a conventional guitar to headless, without doing major wood work like routing on that beautiful body?

My partner in exploring the feasibility and execution of this project was Las Vegas luthier and guitar tech Von Schroeder. He confirmed that my headless scheme was technically viable. But actually beheading a brand-new guitar would be a first for him. In the end, I decided it was worth a try.

Our unusual design approach was to keep the existing bridge and nut rather than replacing them. I placed a Hipshot Lowpro headpiece just above the nut to lock the strings, and a Hipshot Headless Bridge replaced the tailpiece. This effectively created a tailpiece with tuners. The final result was a perfectly balanced guitar that’s a delight to play, stays in tune, and is exactly one pound lighter than the original.

In a world in which we’re all glued to our phone screens, some artists have taken it upon themselves to force fans to take a break – at least while they watch their shows, anyway.

The phones-at-shows debate has picked up steam in the last year or so. On one hand, some believe banning smartphones at shows encourages the audience to be more present and enjoy the show more, while others think such bans infringe on a fan’s right to film a gig if they wish to do so. 

There are also a number of logistical and safety concerns pertaining to phone bans, like fans being unable to contact their friends in a venue should they become separated.

• READ MORE: Should phones be banned at the Oasis reunion tour? Average attendee to watch 12 minutes of each show on their phone, per new research
  

One of the biggest proponents of phone bans at shows has been Ghost leader Tobias Forge, who mandated last year that fans place their smartphones into locking Yondr pouches for the duration of their set on their Skeletour, which ran from 2025 to 2026.

“If you have 10,000 people at a concert and 8,000 of them are holding a phone, there’s something deeply disconnected,” he reasoned at the time. The success of the ban was sometimes questioned, like when, at the band’s show in Birmingham, UK, fans were queuing to get into the venue for over an hour.

Even pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter has toyed with the idea of limiting smartphone use at her concerts. That’s a different kettle of fish altogether, of course, considering Carpenter’s army of teenage fans.

But there are certainly still musicians who encourage the use of phones during shows, as the fan-filmed footage can serve as promotional material, plus viewing material for those unable to attend.

In a new interview with Louder, guitarist John 5 says he’s all for his fans filming his gigs.

“Many bands object when the fans film the show on their phones. I don’t mind,” he says. “Record the show, put it online. It’s your phone. There are a lot of people that won’t be able to see it, so let’s give them a little joy.”

Tobias Forge elaborated on his Ghost phone ban last year, saying people recording during his shows is “irritating”.

“Maybe I’m old school, maybe I’m old-fashioned,” he said. “I just feel that we’re having an intimate moment, and it disturbs me that you’re filming while we’re doing this together. I’m doing something for you to respond to me.”

The post “It’s your phone – I don’t mind”: Why John 5 is against phone bans at live shows appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It’s a great feeling when your guitar playing moves away from learning your favourite songs and riffs to coming up with your own. Better still, is sharing those ideas with bandmates or other musicians in a jam/rehearsal setting and hearing them in a brand new context – often resulting in fresh inspiration.

But what do you do when you’re writing guitar by yourself? Some people are blessed with the creative vision and skill to visualise a fully-formed song from the outset, but many of us need some form of accompaniment to help us hear the big picture.

In this guide, I’m going to present a series of techniques and tools that I’ve found useful as a solo composer. We’ll be looking at both free and paid tools, so that you can find an approach that works for you.

Before we dive in, it’s important to remember that writing guitar by yourself does get easier with practice. My early ideas were super simple, and while I still lean heavily on many of the tools highlighted in this guide, sometimes a song comes out fully-formed. When that happens, it’s important to embrace it and not mess with it too much. Many of the world’s greatest songs just poured out in a single sitting with little to no additions.

Our favourite techniques for writing guitar by yourself

Rip off your favourites

Sensationalist headline aside, I do really recommend this technique. I’ve taken rhythms, chord progressions and riffs from artists I love and turned them into something completely different that feels like an authentic representation of my style. Your influences may be very obvious in those early days, but the more you play, the more those influences become a footnote of your songwriting and playing style.

Write all the time

You can’t force creativity, but the more you write, the more you hone your writing skills and ability to construct solid ideas when inspiration strikes. Just hit record on whatever device you’re using and play. Not every session will be fruitful, but that’s OK. Your creativity is like a muscle; the more you use it, the more effective it will be.

Don’t be confined to one guitar

I’ll caveat this by saying I spent the first six years using a single electric guitar and your creativity is by no means affected by the number of guitars you own. However, if you’re fortunate enough to be able to own or at least experiment with different guitars, it can unlock a lot of ideas you’d never consider.

In my 20+ years playing, my guitar collection expanded from my Fender Strat to a Cort M600, to a Squier Bass VI and finally a Jackson JS22-7 Dinky. With each successive guitar, the ideas that poured out whilst playing were ones I hadn’t considered and/or couldn’t work on the previous guitar.

You might find that exploring extended range guitars unlocks new creative paths like me or inspiration may strike when switching from electric to acoustic (or vice versa), or exploring other string instruments like mandolin, gottan or cittern.

Find passionate players that speak to you

What really helps me out of a creative slump is being reminded why I love guitar. Loading up YouTube and checking out the latest ‘Thick Riff Thursday’ from Nick Broomhall, seeing what silliness Dean Lamb’s up to or hunting down an interview with my favourite artists on the Garza Podcast never fails to inspire me. That’s before you add in official guitar playthroughs, rig rundowns, production tutorials on how to sound like ‘X artist’, etc.

Will every video turn into a new idea? No, not necessarily. But it keeps me engaged in that world, so that when I do pick up my guitar, there’s inspiration ready and waiting.

Our favourite free tools for writing guitar by yourself

Best for ease-of-use: Voice memos

Voice memos are an invaluable tool for guitarists, be they solo composers or in a band, and pretty much every one of us has one in our pockets. Record your idea, then connect your phone to a pair of headphones or a speaker and you can overdub lines or write lead parts.

Voice memos don’t even need to involve your guitar. A melody or rhythm might come to you when you’re away from home, so recording a quick voice memo is a great way of retaining that idea and exploring it when you’re reunited with your guitar.

Best for efficiency: Video recordings

The major downside, at least in my experience, with voice memo recordings is that I don’t always remember how I played something, especially if the idea is quite old. By filming your ideas on your phone, you can clearly see what you’re playing. If you’re using pedalboard effects, filming the settings on your board is also really helpful so you can dial in the same tone(s).

The caveat here is storage space, as videos will fill up your phone’s HD much faster than voice memos. A free Google account comes with 15GB of free cloud storage, so you can backup your ideas without fear of losing them.

Whether you choose voice memos or video recordings, I recommend devising a naming structure (key, chords, vibe, etc.) so that when you’re browsing through all your ideas, you can pick out the one you’re looking for quickly and easily find ideas that can be paired together to flesh out songs.

Best for computer-based composition: Tracktion Waveform Free

If you’d prefer to demo ideas on your computer, a free DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) such as Waveform Free is super useful for writing guitar parts by yourself. With unlimited audio channels, built-in FX, third-party audio plugin support and video training resources, this is such an amazing tool and a great way to develop not only your songwriting skills, but your recording and production chops, too.

You can even combine this with your voice memo recordings and drag-and-drop them into Waveform and loop them for overdubbing additional guitar parts, writing solos or accompaniment.

Our favourite paid tools for writing guitar by yourself

Best all-rounder: Guitar Pro

Guitar Pro is an incredible solo songwriting tool – I just wrote a three-part guide series on the very subject, so I won’t go into massive detail here. Costing just £61, this software remains the best investment for my musical development, creativity and songwriting.

Whether you’re trying to write sections with multiple guitar parts, hear what a riff sounds like with bass and drums behind it, or just catalogue your ideas so they are ready for when inspiration strikes, Guitar Pro is, in my opinion, the best tool for the job.

Best for tactile songwriting: Loop pedals

You might look at my previous recommendations and feel like your hands are spending too little time on the fretboard, and to those people I recommend a loop pedal. I’ve had a Line 6 DL4 since the early 2010s – a purchase made more for my love of artists such as Brontide and Minus The Bear, rather than its looping capabilities. It’s a delay modeller for crying out loud! Regardless, I’ve racked up hundreds of hours of looping fun on my DL4, but there are so many fantastic dedicated loop pedals for a fraction of the cost.

TC Electronic’s Ditto+ is a space-saving powerhouse with up to 60-minutes of looping time, while its bigger brother the X2 Looper sacrifices looping time (5 minutes max), it adds FX like stop, reverse and half-speed. Both feature a micro USB which allows you to import/export loops and backing tracks (Ditto+/X2) and work with your loops in a DAW (X2 only).

 

Then there’s Donner’s Circle Looper, which offers the same core functionality as the Ditto, in addition to being a drum machine and metronome. Personally, I find writing with a drum beat is essential to moving ideas along, so having these tools in the same pedal makes a big difference. Like the X2 Looper, you can connect the Donner Circle Looper to your DAW of choice.

At the time of writing, each of these loopers is around the same price point (£89-95), so it’s really about what features you would find the most useful, rather than which pedal is the cheapest.

Best for computer-based composition: Drum libraries and guitar plugins

Building on my point about how drum grooves can unlock creative ideas, I have to shine a light on some of the excellent digital drum libraries available. These libraries contain high-quality recorded samples of iconic kits, players and styles for you to use to build out the rhythm sections of your songs. Sometimes, all it takes is hearing a groove for ideas to start pouring out and it’s why I rate tools like this so much for my own songwriting.

As I write and play predominantly in heavier genres, GGD (Getgood Drums) is my go-to for digital drums, especially as several of their flagship libraries are now available as standalone plugins. For a more jack-of-all-trades drum library, Toontrack EZdrummer 3 is a super versatile plugin and an affordable one at that. I would recommend doing some research of your own and trialing a few different libraries before taking the plunge.

While it can be dangerous thinking that new gear means new ideas, there’s an element of truth in that. For that reason, I’m including guitar plugins as an honourable mention. These don’t necessarily need to cost anything, but they can absolutely spark ideas and break you out of a creative dry spell in the same way that a different style of guitar can. Our guide on the best free and paid guitar plugins is the best place to start.

The post Gear and techniques for writing guitar riffs – the essential guide appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

From his infamous struggle with addiction, to repeatedly quitting and rejoining Kiss, the late Ace Frehley lived a pretty chaotic life. However, his ex-bandmates are no longer holding that against him; in a recent interview, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons admits that he wishes he’d done more to help Frehley while he was still alive.

Speaking on the Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast, Simmons recalls how the state of Frehley’s personal life was “up and down for 50 years”. However, Simmons admits he could have done more to support Frehley through his alcohol and drug dependency. “I should have, when [I first saw] the disease starting to get a hold of him,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “I should have, decades ago, took him aside.”

• READ MORE: Ace Frehley’s wild Kiss moments: “A smoke bomb ignited too early inside the cavity of the guitar, and it melted my asbestos costume to my thigh”

While Frehley ended up beating his addictions, being clean and sober for around 20 years before his passing, Simmons still regrets not stepping in to help his bandmate. He admits that an intervention would have been the best port of call, rather than the animosity and anger.

“[I should have] forced him to understand he’s not just hurting himself by his lifestyle choices, but his family, his child and the fans,” the bassist continues, before noting that it was a “stupid and shameful decision” to hide Frehley’s genuine addiction struggles for years.

“Right now the fans who are gonna listen to this are gonna [say], ‘Prick Gene, he never says anything [positive]’… But the kids at home don’t understand [what it was like],” Simmons reflects. “They never met and spent time with Ace. When he’s straight – lovable, everything’s great. When the stuff started to take hold, it was Jekyll and Hyde. You just can’t make smart decisions when you’re drunk or high.”

When Frehley left the band in 1973 and 2002, Simmons would often be met with outrage when trying to explain Frehley’s unreliable nature: “[It’s like] when mum suddenly kicks dad out of the house, and she tries to explain ‘He was a drunk, he was a loser, he was late…’ The fans are the kids, they don’t understand.”

“Ace turned to beverages and chemicals early on, and he wouldn’t show up to do this guitar parts…” he goes on to explain. “The fans don’t like to hear this because he was so talented. Everybody, all the new guitar players, were influenced by him.

The decision to downplay Frehley’s struggles was often due to the band not wanting to worry fans. “[We thought] ‘No, don’t get the fans upset, let’s [pretend] he’s in the band and everything’s okay at home,’” Simmons recalls.

However, despite the addictions Frehley was battling, Simmons insists he was in his own league of guitar playing. “You look at his body of work, and guitar players [like] Eddie Van Halen point to Ace…” he says. “They say, ‘I cut my teeth on guitar by listening to Ace.’”

True to Simmons’ words, countless guitar icons came forward last October to pay tribute to Frehley. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello named Frehley his “first guitar hero”, while Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt also praised Frehley’s influence in Kiss, naming them the “first rock band [he] wanted to be like”.

View this post on Instagram

The post “When the stuff started to take hold, it was Jekyll and Hyde”: Gene Simmons regrets not staging an intervention for Ace Frehley appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, and raised in Los Angeles, Abbasi has been a stalwart member of the New York jazz scene for more than three decades.

Considering Steve Vai has been ranked among Rolling Stone’s Greatest Guitarists of All Time, it only makes sense that he’d live in one of the greatest homes of all time. For the last 30 years, Vai has lived in 10,000 sq ft of luxury – but he’s finally moving on, and his Los Angeles pad is up for grabs.

While it sits at an eye-watering price of nearly $11.8 million, the property seems to be the epitome of luxury. Situated within Encino’s gated Music Row community, the 5-bed house looks like the dream rockstar getaway, complete with a tennis court, gym, swimming pool, home theatre and even a fully-fledged studio out back.

• READ MORE: Courtney Barnett on Kurt Cobain Jaguars, writing for the song, and why she’s learned to push down the feeling she’s “wasting everyone’s time” to nail her guitar solos

Fans might recognise the space as Vai’s Harmony Hut, the guitarist’s personal studio which has appeared in multiple YouTube videos. Originally a small cottage built to house the previous owner’s gardener, the home studio has played an integral role in Vai’s creativity for 3 decades, whether that be tracking parts for albums or recording live playthroughs of tracks (including a sick one-handed Knappsack performance).

The Harmony Hut has also housed countless iconic axes over the years. While Vai will certainly be taking his collection with him, the studio walls have been covered with guitars that have played a role in Vai’s musical history. The eclectic assortment features nods to every step of Vai’s career, starting from his first electric guitar, the Whitesnake Ibanez, to gifts from his collaborators and peers, like Yngwie Malmsteen, Mick Mars, Joe Satriani, and Frank Zappa.

Back in 2001, Vai took to his blog to explain the history of the studio: “There was a gardener that lived in the little shack out back while the house was vacant for 10 years. The poor guy died out there and was not discovered for 2 weeks when the neighbors noticed a funny smell. Ah, a perfect place to make beautiful music, right?”

“I added a small room to t and bumped out the front and put in a huge window, so now when I work at the desk I can look out over the backyard and see the kids, the sun,” he added. “It’s a very comfortable environment with various fabrics on the walls and coloured Tiffany-type lamps that set the room in a warm glow…”

He also explained how, despite the property being “vacant for 10 years” prior to his purchase, him and his wife “saw the potential” of the massive two acres of land.

Alongside the fully kitted out studio, the rest of the house is equally as impressive. From the skylit kitchen, with its open layout and hanging star lanterns, to the warm maroon billiards room, the whole house shows that Vai has pretty good taste. And it’s also got plenty of neat little perks, like a climatised wine cellar and a fire pit for late night conversations after a dip in the pool.

According to the San Diego Union Tribute, Vai relocated to San Diego’s Rancho Santa Fe last year. The sale of his Encino property seems to be the natural next step. “Right before [the Satchvai Band’s] European concert tour with Joe last year, a house came on the market in Rancho Santa Fe and [me and my wife] got it,” Vai explained earlier this month. “We just moved in about a month ago and it’s so quiet, peaceful, and the people are so nice.”

“I’m 65 years old now and I don’t want to grow old in Los Angeles,” he added. “My wife and I raised our family there and it had an energy and vibe that was perfect at the time. But now it’s time for something safer, cleaner and friendlier.”

Check out Vai’s property listing at Sotherby’s International Realty.

The post Steve Vai lists California home for $11.8M, ending an era of working from his Harmony Hut home studio appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Paul Gilbert has become the latest high-profile guitar player to signal a shift away from tubes and towards digital amplifiers.

The shred maestro recently took to Instagram to share a photo of his current rig, which finds a Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb digital modelling combo amp front and centre, alongside his decked out stage-ready pedalboard.

• READ MORE: Answered: more technical guitar questions you were too afraid to ask

In the post, Gilbert explains that the Tone Master Twin Reverb we see in the shot is just one of two: one serves as a monitoring amp while he’s on stage, while the other sits behind him to “rock the house”. “Classic tone that gets my pedals across loud, clear and full of WROC,” he writes, in reference to his latest album.

The rig marks a notable shift in gear choices for the guitarist as of late. As Guitar World notes, his new album was recorded using tube amps: a ‘90s Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb run through a Randall Isolation Cabinet, plus a Victoria Club Deluxe as a volume boost during solos.

Of course, we in the guitar community love to put guitarists into one of two camps: tube or digital. But the reality is nothing’s stopping a guitarist from employing both, harnessing the responsiveness of more traditional tube amps while also leaning on the reliability and consistency of a digital model.

That said, most guitarists do, gun to the head, have a preference. And therefore Gilbert’s post does beg the question, is he beginning to lean more towards the digital side of the equation?

View this post on Instagram

For the pedalboard nerds amongst you, we’re sure you’ve been able to identify a number of units on the virtuoso’s ‘board. We spot an MXR Stereo Chorus, Jam Pedals RetroVibe and a JHS Moonshine V2 overdrive. What else can you see?

The digital vs analogue debate continues to rage in the guitar community, with no signs of a clear winner being found anytime soon. Earlier this year, Lenny Kravitz asserted that digital gear doesn’t sound as good as their vintage counterparts, saying: “It ain’t the same, man.”

But many of the industry’s biggest players have begun to see the benefits of digital amplification.

Last year, Metallica guitar tech Chad Zaemisch reflected on the band’s decision to veer away from heavy physical amps towards digital amp modellers for their live shows, and how it has led to improvements to their stage design and, therefore, fan experience.

“Everybody’s all about content these days, and not a lot of people want to watch a band stand in front of their amp line with nothing else going on,” he said. “Now we can use large video screens. It opens up a lot more opportunities to do different things.”

The post Digital amps have a new convert in Paul Gilbert… appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.



For episode 113 of Luthier on Luthier, I’m joined by guitarist and educator Sean McGowan.

We focus on his recent Archtop Foundation recording project, featuring 20 tracks across nine exceptional Blue series archtop guitars, and dig into his detailed approach to capturing their unique voices in the studio. Sean also shares highlights from his musical journey, his work as an educator at the University of Colorado in Denver, and the realities of making a living as a modern musician.

Link: https://seanmcgowanguitar.com/

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars and brought to you by the Fretboard Journal. This episode is sponsored by the Looth Group, Dream Guitars and StewMac.

Michael Bashkin’s Hub of Acoustics 2026 US Academy: https://hubofacoustics.com/en/#Colorado_Academy

Want to support Luthier on Luthier? Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive photos and content from Michael and his builds.

 

 

The post Luthier on Luthier: Sean McGowan first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Issue 59 of the Fretboard Journal is an instrument lover’s dream. Legends, some fresh faces, historic guitars, interviews with songwriting heroes, and even a philosophy lesson.

Here are some highlights found in this issue’s 128 keepsake pages.

Nearly every guitar fanatic has thought about building their own instrument. The Fretboard Journal‘s Mike Buchman flies to Colorado to make his dream come true under the watchful eye of luthier Robbie O’Brien. He documents the process…and the finished product.

The word troubadour is tossed around far too often these days, but what else can we call songwriter Jesse Welles? Musician Bob Minner talks to Welles about small-town living, small-bodied guitars, and the power of social media to spread a song far and wide.

Tube amps don’t have to look like old Fenders. Case in point: Vancouver, British Columbia’s Gary Economy, who creatively repurposes old radios and telecommunication relics to house his guitar amplifier builds. Writer Brian Lynch pays a visit to Economy’s studio to hear all about his latest upcycling adventures.

Frequent contributor and The Luthier’s Tool Box author Jamie Etherington talks to Welsh primitive guitarist Gwenifer Raymond. How does a young guitarist from a small village in the UK become enamored in the music of John Fahey? Etherington finds out…and so much more…while acclaimed guitar photographer Eleanor Jane takes the pics.

Ella Feingold has taken the record industry (and Instagram) by storm. The guitarist, who has performed with Charlie Hunter, Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, and Erykah Badu – has a knack for rhythm guitar and demystifying the playing of Jeff Buckley, Prince and others like no one else. It’s no wonder that everyone from Johnny Marr to Bill Frisell now follows her. David Von Bader talks to Ella about her background, her mentors, playing funk authentically, and more.

Can the right guitar calm the nerves? Writer Noah Lekas delves into the zen of music as a discovery journey and what Krishnamurti calls a “conclusion mindset” through the lens of guitar. Art by Donald Groscost.

Michael Watts accompanies guitar wizard Alan Gogoll into Hansa Studios, the famed recording studio where Bowie, U2, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Depeche Mode all re-invented themselves.

Jeff Tweedy is in the midst of a creative streak like few others. Fretboard Journal publisher Jason Verlinde talks to the Wilco frontman about Twilight Override, his triple-solo album; the joys of working with your kids; and his ever-growing guitar collection.

Remember Ann Brashares 2001 book, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Twenty-five years later, musician Daniel Marcus Clark writes about an archtop guitar that – like those jeans – seems to fit just about everybody. The instrument, a 1942 D’Angelico New Yorker, was originally built for a jazz hero, but ended up in the hands of Leo Kottke. Clark documents its history and its many travels.

To celebrate our 59th issue, we take a peek at the mystique of the 1959 sunburst Les Paul with help from the experts from Emerald City Guitars. ECG’s Trevor Boone and Tyler Geske have seen and authenticated dozens of these coveted instruments. What do they look for when they pop open a Lifton case? You may just be surprised…

Want this issue? Subscribe today and we’ll send it to you.

 

The post What’s Inside: Fretboard Journal 59 first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

John Mayer has reflected on his 2003 track Daughters, saying he wrote it from a “selfish” place, and questioning whether he had the authority at the time to convey the message he intended to.

During a recent appearance at HISTORYTalks – a live speaker series in which prominent figures give public talks – the guitar legend recounted his inspiration behind the track, which featured on his 2003 album, Heavier Things.

• READ MORE: Slipknot x Gucci: the wildest crossover of the year so far?

The song itself sees Mayer giving fathers advice on how to raise their daughters, and more specifically how raising them right affects how they’re able to experience love in a healthy way. Mayer was 25 when the album was released, and currently has no children.

“What was a 24-year-old boy doing, telling fathers,” Mayer said during the event before breaking into laughter [via People].

Beyond the surface of what the song was about, Mayer revealed he had something of a personal agenda while writing it, explaining he was unable to be with a woman he loved.

“I was thinking in very circuitous and clever ways that it was really about me, a young guy, so selfishly upset that he couldn’t be with the woman he loved, because he thought that her father must have had something to do with it,” he continued.

“When you’re young… that’s young logic, and it plays really well in songs. It just does. ‘Come over. I know [we’re] horrible for each other, come over,’ [type of] young.”

He added that “older logic” doesn’t necessarily make for great songs: “Had a tough day, coped with it.’ It’s a tough song to write. ‘Had a rough morning, took a look at the bright side, got a good phone call later, reminded myself, ‘What was I doing worrying?’ It’s not a chorus!”

Listen to Daughters below:

Elsewhere, John Mayer recently reflected on his nerves before performing with Dead & Company for the first time. Explaining how he was desperate to prove himself to the band’s fans and to late Grateful Dead legend Bob Weir – who died earlier this year – he said: “I couldn’t help overplaying in some of those first few tours. You just do. 

“Even if I knew not to overplay, I’m still going to overplay. It’s going to be wordy. I have to adjust my way into the 10-ring on the target.”

The post “What was a 24-year-old boy doing telling fathers?” John Mayer admits one of his biggest hits was “very selfish” and written with “young logic” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

In one of the more left-field crossovers of the year so far, Gucci has used Slipknot’s debut album opener (sic) in its latest – rather bizarre – advert.

The dark, moody ad sees a number of models waking up in a motel room under spotlights, and features a rather strange turn as two models sit in an old American car with the top down, floating around unpredictably under a full moon, soundtracked by Slipknot’s landmark track (sic). No, you didn’t just hallucinate that sentence.

• READ MORE: Answered: more technical guitar questions you were too afraid to ask

The “short film” also features two other songs perhaps more in keeping with the Italian luxury fashion brand: Mina’s Un bacio è troppo poco and Charles Aznavour’s Hier encore.

The clip serves as a promotional video for the brand’s upcoming Generation Gucci collection. Check it out below:

View this post on Instagram

While never released as a single, (sic) opens Slipknot’s ground-shifting self-titled debut album, which arrived to change the metal landscape in 1999. With its rapid tempo and crushing drop B guitar riffs, the track has become a fan favourite, and according to Setlist.fm [via Louder], it’s the third most-played song in their catalogue at live shows.

Elsewhere in Slipknot World, guitarist Jim Root recently explained to Fender his love of the Telecaster. A flagbearer for Fender in the world of metal – in which players often reach for more conventionally ‘metal-friendly’ brands like Jackson, Charvel, or ESP, for example – Slipknot’s #4 has a number of signature Fender models under his name, including a Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster.

“That’s kind of the whole metal, punk rock, rock and roll attitude,” he said. “It’s anti, and going against the grain. And if somebody tells you to do something, you’re gonna do the opposite.

“Everybody thought I should be coming out with some pointy metal guitar that’s got 12 points or whatever. No, how about we just do a classic slab iconic guitar? Guitars, in my opinion, are like sunglasses. The classics never go out of style. They’ll always be there. People will make their version of it, but there’s only one Fender Telecaster.”

The post Slipknot x Gucci: the wildest crossover of the year so far? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Fender has partnered with Brian Fallon – frontman of longstanding New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem – on a new signature custom Telecaster.

A faithful recreation of the ‘59 Telecaster Fallon toured and recorded with during the early days of the band, the new Limited Edition Brian Fallon ‘59 Telecaster Custom is said to reflect the “sheer versatility of his playing style”, delivering the “perfect tonal balance between raw, powerful resonance and sweet, delicate chime”.

Staying true to Fallon’s original instrument, the guitar’s spec sheet includes a double-bound two-piece alder body finished in a sleek Journeyman Relic black lacquer, paired with a ‘60s-style Oval “C” maple neck and flat-laminated dark AAA 9.5”-radius rosewood fingerboard.

• READ MORE: Fender’s Vintera III Series has landed, with “a targeted focus on iconic moments in Fender history”

Tones come by way of Righteous Sound “Fourth Man” pickups with Dual Stack HS Tele wiring, with the bridge pickup delivering a “mid-range snarl” and the split-coil neck pickup offering up warm, clear note definition”.

Credit: Fender

Further specs include 21 vintage frets, a three-way selector switch, a ‘63 Telecaster bridge with RSD brass saddles, vintage-style tuning machines, and a bone nut.

“Brian’s honest and raw songwriting places him in an incredible group of influential voices from the last few decades,” says Chase Paul, Director of Product Development at the Fender Custom Shop.

“Working together with him on recreating every detail of his favourite Tele, we’re able to give his fans hands-on access to a guitar that helps drive him night in and night out.”

Credit: Fender

“There’s only the switches, and the volume and the tone, and that’s really all you got so you better figure it out,” adds Brian Fallon.

“It’s about taking what you can do and making the best of that, and I think this is the guitar for that. If you need a hammer, that’s a hammer, and everyone needs a hammer. You cannot build a house without it.”

Credit: Fender

“Growing up idolising both Bruce Springsteen and Joe Strummer, Brian’s love for this ‘working man’s’ instrument was undeniable,” Fender adds. “In his mind, a Telecaster matches his style – it not only represents his heroes but symbolises the same no-nonsense approach to songwriting and performing he admires.”

The Limited Edition Brian Fallon ‘59 Telecaster Custom is available now, priced at £6,199 / $6,825. Learn more at Fender.

Credit: Fender

The post “It’s a hammer, and everyone needs a hammer”: Brian Fallon unveils no-nonsense “working man’s” signature ‘59 Telecaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.