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Guitar World
All the latest content from the Guitar World team
Updated: 46 min 16 sec ago
“Siouxsie tried out her newfound kung fu on me and barged me in the back. That was enough – I walked out and Kenny came with me”: A brawl ended John McKay’s tenure with Souxsie and the Banshees, but not his influence on a generation of players
A two-year stint left McKay with fans including the Edge, Robert Smith and Geordie Walker, plus a stack of demo tapes that he’s finally turned into an album
Categories: General Interest
“The guitar that I used on my first album cost me $20, and I got a good sound out of it. It's what you put into the guitar that counts”: He collaborated with Johnny Winter, and was covered by Phish. Son Seals is essential listening for any blues guitarist
A master of gritty, blue-collar blues, Seals was a Chicago guitar icon. Here, he discusses his beloved Guild Starfire, and why blues guitarists need to remember to keep things fun
Categories: General Interest
“I bet if it had been Brian May playing this it would have been labeled incredible!” Sam Ryder delivers an electric guitar-driven rendition of the British national anthem – and somehow stirs up controversy
The guitarist brandished an Ibanez Destroyer during a high-profile English sporting event – and his performance seems to have divided fans
Categories: General Interest
“He started playing rhythm stuff and asked me to play lead. I said, ‘Pete, it’s your album’”: How Snowy White ended up working with Peter Green on In the Skies – the comeback album that lifted the blues rock legend out of obscurity
Green spent most of the 1970s out of the limelight, but a phone call to Snowy White helped get his career back on track
Categories: General Interest
“Most of these dudes don’t fall quite as far as I did. They don’t develop a meth habit and end up shoveling dog s**t for $6 an hour”: Gary Holt on his thrash metal redemption story, balancing Exodus and Slayer – and why even Hetfield cheats on downpicking
Exodus and Slayer mainstay Gary Holt reveals what compelled him to finally roll up his sleeves and unflinchingly tell his life story
Categories: General Interest
“I would love to work with artists who have already built up beautiful collections and are ready to let a few things go”: Is Gibson about to start selling artist-owned vintage gems?
Gibson’s Certified Vintage manager has expressed his desire to team up with artists to sell their vintage gems directly to fans – and a few notable six-strings spring to mind
Categories: General Interest
“I would listen to Eric, but my responsibility was really with the rhythm section”: You know the tune, but maybe not the bass player – how the unassuming Carl Radle carved out a spot in music history on Derek & the Dominos’ Layla
Recorded at Miami’s Criteria Studios on September 9, 1970, Carl Radle helped ground the mega-hit beneath the immortal pairing of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman
Categories: General Interest
“I first heard him play via a tear-out flexi-disc that was included in Guitar Player magazine back in 1986. I had never heard anything like that in my life!”: Joe Bonamassa on the influence of the great Eric Johnson
What’s so special about Eric Johnson? “The tone, the technique, everything!” says Joe Bonamassa, and in this video lesson he shows us what he’s taken from the Texan virtuoso
Categories: General Interest
Giacomo Turra stole their work – now, Jack Gardiner, Alex Hutchings, and a host of other players have teamed up to deliver the ultimate funk masterclass
The instrumental diss track, Slapocalypse Reborn, puts the spotlight back on the players who were wronged by Turra
Categories: General Interest
“Will remind me of the hours I spent in the taverns of Azeroth”: Jackson has built a one-of-a-kind World of Warcraft guitar for Malevolence’s Konan Hall – and it was inspired by his in-game character
The one-of-a-kind Kelly was given its surprise debut during the band’s secret set at Download Festival over the weekend
Categories: General Interest
Fender re-enters the tuner pedal market with an “ultra-precise” strobe stompbox to rival Peterson and Boss – and it’s more affordable than both
Fender expands its stompbox catalog with a trio of new devices that look to make waves in two key pedal markets
Categories: General Interest
“I apologize for the broken beer bottle that was thrown at him”: Melissa Auf der Maur surprises fans as she reunites with Billy Corgan to perform a Smashing Pumpkins classic
The bassist linked up with the alt-rock titans for the final song of the night in Montreal
Categories: General Interest
“The good news is it was recorded – you can go online and see it. The bad news is that’s because someone stole all the master tapes”: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter on his supergroup with Joe Walsh, sessions with Joni Mitchell and the voices of Albert King
Session great discusses being hand-picked by Gene Simmons, fitting in with James Brown, creating classic solos for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, and Frankenstein acts on most of his guitars
Categories: General Interest
“I said, ‘Give me a mop and some cleaning supplies.’ I scrubbed that bathroom and I made it spotless”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto is on a mission to raise store standards – and says he’s not above scrubbing restrooms
Dalporto took a trip to assess the on-scene situation at one of his store’s – and ended up getting hands-on with the cleaning
Categories: General Interest
“There were all these killer players. I was shy and kind of sat there, but Etta said, ‘I like that little white kid’”: Brian Ray wowed Etta James at 18, lost-out on Shakira and landed his gig with Paul McCartney –after auditioning at the Super Bowl
Brian Ray's career is like no other. As Paul McCartney's guitarist for over 20 years, he gives us a unique perspective on what it's like to play with a Beatle – and how it all started with the Monster Mash
Categories: General Interest
“A first in the history of electric bass guitar”: Stephen Malkmus is using his bass string as a guitar strap onstage with his new supergroup – and it looks uncomfortable
Your shoulder might not thank you, but it’s certainly a novel way of repurposing old strings
Categories: General Interest
“Noel pointed to my smashed guitar and said, ‘Whose is that?’ Liam said, ‘That’s yours.’ Noel replies, ‘It ain’t mine!’” How an Oasis engineer ended up with the Wonderwall acoustic – after his budget Fender got destroyed in a Gallagher brother bust-up
The band’s engineer was given the iconic instrument as compensation after an in-studio spat resulted in the destruction of more than one guitar
Categories: General Interest
“The boys and I had just gotten off tour. We got a call from our booking agent…” How a “fluke accident” led to Lzzy Hale playing at Dio’s last-ever show
Halestorm saved the day when they were unexpectedly called upon to open for Heaven & Hell
Categories: General Interest
“One of the most hotly anticipated gear releases of the modern era has finally landed – and it still managed to sneak in a few surprises”: Here is all the new gear that has caught my eye this week – and, yes, that's a pink Jazzmaster
A blockbuster drop from Line 6 and a raft of new instruments from the Fender family of brands headline a busy week in the world of guitar gear
Categories: General Interest
“I used a Gibson EB-3 through my time with David, trying to get the same bass sound Andy Fraser got with Free”: How the late, great Trevor Bolder applied melodic flair to anchor this irresistible 12/8 rocker from David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane
Replacing longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti in the Spiders From Mars, Bolder found himself writing basslines on the spot, a challenge he relished. On Drive-In Saturday, he hit the jackpot
Categories: General Interest