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Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka says his bandmates are “very critical of guitar things” and have rejected some of his best riffs for the band
Greta Van Fleet are certainly doing their part to keep guitar music alive – but surprisingly, Jake Kiszka says his bandmates are “very critical of guitar things”.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Kiszka dives deep on Mirador, his other band he formed in 2024 with Chris Turpin of Ida Mae.
The band are set to release their debut album – which has been heard by Guitar World – and Kiszka explains how some of the riffs that ended up Mirador riffs were rejected by GVF.
One track, for example, on the new Mirador record is called Blood and Custard, named after an old nickname for Vox AC amps.
“I think that song is a perfect example of what type of things don’t necessarily translate in the world of Greta,” Kiszka explains.
“That was a riff I had for a long, long time. It’s just been sitting on the shelf. I would say I was influenced by the Eric Clapton and Duane Allman song Mean Old World, that kind of acoustic interpretation of a traditional blues song.
“So I had this thing hanging on the wall, and I wanted something with slide guitar on the record. Obviously, Chris is a great and very unique slide player, and I’m also known to play some slide, which I love doing. I put that riff to Chris and he loved it. He suggested Blood and Custard, which was an old nickname for the original Vox [AC] amplifiers – they had this cream-and-red binding. That’s a good [example of] guitar nerdism.”
As Kiszka reveals, his Greta Van Fleet bandmates passed on the riff.
“I think Josh [Kiszka, GVF singer and Jake’s brother] is very critical of guitar things,” he adds, “and it wasn’t something that he was particularly interested in. I don’t think it ever made it to the final stages.”
While Greta Van Fleet have now flourished into an arena band very much deserving of its place, they had to battle – and continue to do so, to a lesser degree – with those who accuse them of being derivative.
But they’ve always stuck to their guns. “I think people have realised we are sticking around and this is who we are,” Jake Kiszka said in 2023.
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Black Sabbath are done, but Tony Iommi is making another solo album: “I’m trying to finish what I started”
Black Sabbath might have finally thrown in the towel, but guitarist Tony Iommi hasn’t just yet. In fact, the Godfather of Heavy Metal has hinted at plans he has to finish a new solo album, his first in 20 years.
In a new conversation with Eddie Trunk of Trunk Nation, he reveals that he’s turning his attention back to the album, after it was diverted heavily by Back to the Beginning, Sabbath’s last-ever show and one of the largest heavy metal events ever put on.
“I was doing my own album until [Back To The Beginning] came up, and then, of course, I had to stop and concentrate on [preparing for] the Sabbath [performance],” Iommi tells Trunk [via Blabbermouth].
He goes on: “But I’m continuing next week on trying to finish off what I started with this album. And then who knows what I’m gonna do then? It’s great, really, ’cause if something pops up, I’ll do it, if I want to do it. So it’s a good thing.”
The album will be Iommi’s third solo outing, after the self-titled Iommi in 2000 and Fused in 2005. While Iommi featured a plethora of guest vocalists, his upcoming effort looks to be similar to Fused, in that only one singer is set to appear. Glenn Hughes sang on Fused, but the identity of the singer on this album has yet to be revealed.
“I’ve got one singer on it at the moment, which I originally thought of different singers,” Iommi continues. “But it started off as, ‘It’s gonna be an instrumental album,’ and it’s gone from, ‘I’ve got some instrumental stuff,’ but then I thought, ‘Oh, I wanna try it with a singer.’ And so that’s what I’ve been doing.”
As it stands, that’s the only information we have on the status of Iommi’s next solo outing. But we can forgive him for taking his time, given the magnitude of his commitment to Back to the Beginning.
The event – hosted at Villa Park in Black Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, England – so thousands of metal fans turn out to watch the genre’s A-listers, including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera and many more, pay tribute to the band who spawned their entire genre.
Sabbath performed a set at the end of the night with their original lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.
The event also reportedly raised a staggering £140 million for charities chosen by Ozzy and Sabbath: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
It also saw plenty of killer guitar moments – as you’d expect, being metal, and all – including Kirk Hammett wielding the CEO4, a guitar built by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian, during Metallica’s cover of Sabbath’s Hole in the Sky.
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Cory Wong explains his “steady motor” method to keep his picking hand in time
When you first start learning guitar, it’s probably true that you give more attention to what your fingering hand is doing than your picking hand. But the latter is in charge of timing, so it mustn’t be overlooked.
Given the importance of rhythm and timing, many guitarists devise methods to make sure their right hand remains steady and to the beat, like Cory Wong, who in a new column for Guitar World, explains his “steady motor” method.
“I’d like to talk about the paramount importance of the right, or pick, hand,” he explains. “How it’s the keeper of time and the thing that gives us the groove while we play.”
“When it comes to strumming,” he continues, “I subscribe to the ‘steady motor’ method, keeping my hand in perpetual motion, in an unbroken down-up ‘pendulum pattern, most often in a 16th-note rhythm, even when I’m not hitting every 16th note…
“…This way, I never have to think about my strokes, as the continuous motion will make those decisions for me.”
Indeed, you’ll notice what Cory Wong’s talking about if you watch any video of him performing live; his right hand remains in steady motion, regardless of the rhythmic intervals between the actual notes he’s playing.
Like anything, though, a method that works for one situation won’t necessarily work for every situation.
“Are there times when I’ll change my strumming approach for a unique musical situation? Absolutely – this is just a general guideline.
Cory Wong kicked up some dirt in the guitar world lately when he made his opinion clear that guitarists should know every note on their fretboard.
His comments sparked heated debate online – which he wasn’t opposed to, by any stretch. “Didn’t know this would trigger so many folks,” he said. “I’m here for it.”
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Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 review – the do-it-all high-fidelity delay pedal gets glitchy
$399/£379, walrusaudio.com
Being on top of the world is great, but then the world moves and you fall off. Walrus Audio knows this. It’s been half a decade since its Mako Series D1 was crowned Guitar.com’s pedal of the year, and a lot has changed in that time – notably the rise of weird, glitchy, low-fidelity delay pedals. So where does that leave the king of non-weird, non-glitchy, high-fidelity delay pedals?
- READ MORE: Walrus Audio Fundamental Ambient review – is this the best budget reverb pedal on the market?
Of the four stompboxes in the Mako Series, the D1 was perhaps the one that needed a MkII version most. And here it is, with a new interface built around an LED screen… and a new emphasis on lo-fi soundscaping adventures.
Image: Adam Gasson
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 – what is it?
First up, Walrus Audio is an Oklahoma City pedal company with an expansive product range and a cute logo. The original Mako Series was its first leap into high-end multi-mode stereo effects using SHARC digital processors, with the D1 delay leading the line – followed soon after by the R1 (reverb), M1 (modulation) and ACS1 (amp and cab simulation). The D1 had an upgrade in 2022, but don’t confuse v2 with MkII – this is a much more significant evolution of the whole line.
This new Mako generation is mostly about the interface, with the three toggle switches across the middle replaced by that two-inch LED display, which is controlled by a row of digital encoders (basically knobs without pointers) above it. This allows for a much deeper level of control, with all the advanced parameters accessible via a couple of prods and tweaks.
But there are also new models – and in the case of the D1 that means ‘grain’, an algorithm that chops up your signal and spits it out in all directions with the option of an octave up, an octave down or both. If you’ve got an itch for the glitch, here’s where you’ll find your sonic scratching stick.
The rest is as before: the top row of knobs covers delay time, repeats and mix, the right-hand footswitch is for tap tempo, and you can hit both footswitches together to move through three presets. Again there are three banks of those (now accessed from the screen), so you can store and recall nine different sounds in total – or 128 if you connect a suitable MIDI device. And one more important feature is unchanged: the little walrus logo at the bottom.
Image: Adam Gasson
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 – in use
This was never going to be an ultra-simple device… but the display has added a layer of versatility without adding a layer of complexity, and that’s quite a feat in itself. The whole interface is clear, logical and easy to get your head around – as long as you’re not the sort of person who panics at the sight of a third knob on a fuzz box.
Here’s the key: while the Mako Series is all about presets, navigation of the main controls is no harder than it would be with a fully manual pedal. Turn the central encoder to pick a delay mode, adjust the three top knobs to get the basics how you want them, and you’re never going to be far from where you want to be.
On the default screen, the two outer encoders are also ready to be deployed right off the bat: the left one for adjusting modulation rate, the right one for BPM. Yes, this is the same as delay time, but presented in a way that allows you to sync it to a backing track. That’s smart, that is.
And to get to the other variables? Simply push down on the left encoder to cycle through the six options: modulation depth, rate and wave shape, plus age (signal degradation), tone (progressive filtering) and stereo spread. You get a few more by pushing the right encoder; these vary according to the delay mode.
Pressing the middle and left encoders together takes you to the preset banks, and the only other thing you need to know is that there are master settings – bypass mode, screen brightness and so on – accessed by pressing middle and right. And when I say “need to know”, I mean “don’t really need to know”.
Image: Adam Gasson
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 – sounds
In terms of conventional delay sounds, there wasn’t a lot wrong with the old D1, especially after the v2 update, so it could be argued that the MkII model doesn’t have a great deal of work to do here. Sure enough, there’s nothing noticeably new about the core tones in digital, modulated, vintage, dual and reverse modes. They’re big on clarity, low on background hiss, and superbly convincing at pretty much everything they do. The reverse effect in particular is as good as I’ve heard.
But what’s really striking is how much of a difference that enhanced interface has made. Having independent control over modulation rate and depth allows this pedal to get closer to the sound of a real Deluxe Memory Man than the old one did – like, uncannily close – while those extra fine-tuning powers open up interesting new possibilities in the dual and reverse modes. It’s a shame the attack knob has been sacrificed – this was a nice way to give repeats a softer edge without making them dull – but I’ll be honest, with so many other factors to mess about with I almost didn’t notice it was gone.
And so we come to the granular delay. Your extra variables on the right encoder here are grain size, mix (between normal and messed-up repeats) and pitch, and this latter includes five options: standard, octave up, octave down, reverse (with no pitch-shift) and random (bouncing between up and down octaves). It might have been nice to see one or two other intervals on offer – fifths are always a giggle – but what really matters is that the sounds are all good, and all usable.
The obvious reference point here is Walrus’s own Fable ‘granular soundscape generator’ – but while that pedal’s all-mono algorithms have a tendency to get somewhat mushy, there’s none of that going on with the MkII D1. Just try the octave up effect running into two amps with stereo spread at maximum – it’s fluttery, skittery, ear-bewitching magic.
Image: Adam Gasson
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 – should I buy one?
It’s hard to see how this pedal could be any better in terms of the quality and tweakability of its effects – most notably the faux-analogue and reverse delays, and most rewardingly when used in stereo – but you could argue that what really sets it apart from most rivals is that it packs all of those sounds into a genuinely compact enclosure.
And while it can’t match a dedicated glitch machine when it comes to the eccentric stuff, the new grain mode adds an extra dimension of real substance. I’d love to hear that taken further with more manipulation options – something for a future firmware update?
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 alternatives
If you’re after a multi-mode all-rounder, the D1’s main rivals include the Strymon TimeLine ($449/£399), Source Audio Nemesis ($329/£299) and Boss DD-500 ($406.99/£379). But if you just want the strange and unearthly stuff, a better starting point might be the Pladask Elektrisk Baklengs ($255), Red Panda Particle 2 ($329) or Chase Bliss Audio Habit ($399).
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Kirk Hammett used a guitar made by Gibson’s CEO for Metallica’s Black Sabbath farewell performance – and it’s heading to auction
Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning was a triumphant success, with a pantheon of metal legends gathering at Villa Park to pay one last tribute to the Brummie legends who spawned the genre to which they owe everything.
The day saw performances from the likes of Alice In Chains, Gojira, Mastodon and Lamb of God, with sets from heavy metal A-listers later on including Metallica, Pantera and Slayer.
And for those of us guitar nerds out there – which you may very well be, reading this website – the day saw the guitar legends present showcasing a number of six-string gems, including Kirk Hammett, who among his usual rotating lineup of electric guitars, played a guitar built by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian.
We’ve known about the Metallica guitarist’s close relationship with Gibson’s head honcho for some time – the two have worked together on several signature releases, including the “Greeny” 1959 Les Paul Standard.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that the CEO4 – the one of a kind Gibson SG built by Cesar Gueikian himself – found its way into Hammett’s hands during Back to the Beginning.
Perhaps we should have seen this coming though, given Gueikian’s Instagram post on 24 May, in which he wrote: “CEO4 is finished! It’s now with one of my Hermanos who will be playing it on stage in July at a special show!”
The silver SG only made an appearance for one of Metallica’s six songs on the night – a cover of Sabbath’s Hole in the Sky, from 1975’s Sabotage. The thrash legends’ set was rounded out by Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls, a cover of Sabbath’s Johnny Blade, Battery and Master of Puppets.
And the CEO4 is set to land in the hands of one lucky guitarist out there, as it’s headed to auction some time later this year, according to Gibson.
Given its provenance – and the elite hands and events through which it has passed – we expect it to command a pretty high sale price. Proceeds from the sale will go to charity via Gibson Gives, though, so this is certainly a good thing.
The exact date of said auction is yet to be determined, but we’ll endeavour to keep you in the loop as we know more.
Back to the Beginning also highlighted Gibson’s commitment to charitable causes, as two Gibson SGs – one in Ebony and another in Cherry Red – signed by Tony Iommi also went up for auction.
The Ebony model ended up with 51 bids and sold for £14,750, while the Cherry Red one had 29 bids and sold for £20,666. We’re sure the final bidder on that one placed those final three numbers on purpose.
All proceeds from both sales went to three charities chosen by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath for the event: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
According to Tom Morello – who served as the events musical director – Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning raised a staggering £140 million for charity. Not bad stats at all for a band who gave birth to an entire genre, too…
The post Kirk Hammett used a guitar made by Gibson’s CEO for Metallica’s Black Sabbath farewell performance – and it’s heading to auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Jack White has gone 50 years without ever owning a cell phone – until now
In what might have been the biggest breaking news to us of the year so far, 50-year-old Jack White has never owned a cell phone – until now.
How an American can go five decades without owning a cell phone – particularly in the digital-, internet-first landscape of the last couple of decades – beggars belief, quite frankly.
- READ MORE: “I got away with murder!”: Is Mark Knopfler a ‘guitar hero’? He certainly doesn’t think so
But we’re all so glued to our phones that the White Stripes man was probably doing himself a favour.
In a new post on Instagram, White reveals that his shiny new iPhone was a present from his wife Olivia Jean.
“Well, y’all, it’s either all over for me now or just the beginning,” he writes. “I am now the reluctant owner of a cellular telephone for the first time in my life! A lovely 50th birthday present courtesy of my gorgeous and thoughtful wife Mrs. Olivia Jean.
“I’ve been saying that my days were numbered for years: can’t listen to my music in my car, can’t park at a parking lot by myself because of QR codes, etc.
“And I guess Olivia decided to be kind and put me (and all my loved ones) out of my misery! I thought if I could make it to 50 years old at least without ever having one that I could be proud of myself, and I am. Can’t wait to talk to you all soon. My phone number is the square root of all of our combined social interaction x Pi.”
So there you have it – get ready to hear from Jack White on social media a lot more now that he’ll have phone-ready access to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and wherever else artists share their daily musings. We can’t wait to see what he has in store…
Elsewhere, Jack White recently shared that he was looking for the Gibson ES-120T he sold as a teenager.
Sharing the news on Instagram – how he posted that without a phone raises more questions than it answers, but let’s gloss over that – the guitarist shared his regret at selling the six-string many years ago, launching an appeal for anyone with information regarding its whereabouts to come forward.
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The essential guitar albums of 2025 that you (probably) missed
It’s only July, but 2025 has already been a banner year for guitar music. The likes of Black Country New Road, Spiritbox, Sleep Token, Lambrini Girls and more have put out hit releases in the last six months and thrust themselves to new levels of popularity. But, for every album that’s received its righteous goodwill, there have been 10 to unjustly fly under the radar.
So, with this year now just over 50 per cent done with (I know), now seemed like an opportune time to take stock and give a leg up to some of the artists who haven’t received their deserved flowers yet. From all-out metal attacks to absorbing blues outings, these are the essential guitar albums of 2025 that you probably missed.
Spellling – Portrait of My Heart
Spelling ‘Portrait of My Heart’ album artwork. Image: Press
A restless genre-hopper, Christia “Spellling” Cabral’s back-catalogue includes experiments with synth music, psychedelia, soul and more. On album number four, the Oakland singer/songwriter zeroes in on rock but explores plenty of the style’s different corners, especially with the guitar work. Where the title track invokes such alt-rockers as The Smashing Pumpkins with its emotional melodies and arpeggios, Satisfaction unloads some boisterous hardcore riffs. Cabral’s always-beautiful vocals keeps everything tied together, however, cementing her status as one of the most underrated solo acts in the modern music industry.
Pothamus – Abur
Pothamus ‘Abur’ album artwork. Image: Press
The second album by Belgian post-rockers Pothamus is dense with guitars, but don’t expect riffs in the conventional sense. Comparable to such pioneers as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and labelmates Year of No Light, the three-piece pile texture after texture of string-based noise on top of each other, until their songs feel apocalyptically oppressive. The thudding bass and ominous drums only cement Abur as a potential soundtrack to the end times, while the fleeting, distant, choral vocals make this band sound like a cult actively chanting for a cataclysm.
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar
Imperial Triumphant ‘Goldstar’ album artwork. Image: Press
“We’re the sound of New York,” Imperial Triumphant singer/guitarist Zachary Ezrin told Guitar.com earlier this year, and Goldstar is the most direct embodiment of that spirit to date. Through their ferocious metal riffs, spasming jazz rhythms and rusted Art Deco imagery, the trio capture the essence of 1920s decadence rotting under the weight of hideous noise and confusion – a perfect metaphor for the modern-day Big Apple. With more episodic songs than they’d written for previous efforts, the band’s symbolism shines through more powerfully here than ever before.
Mdou Moctar – Tears of Injustice
Mdou Moctar ‘Tears of Injustice’ album artwork. Image: Press
Tears of Injustice is the companion piece to Mdou Moctar’s album, 2024’s Funeral for Justice, rearranging the Nigerian guitarist’s tracks into acoustic forms. As the man himself says, “If Funeral for Justice was the sound of outrage, Tears of Injustice is the sound of grief,” as the tracks retain the same political focus yet inherently sound more downtrodden and defeated over the state of the world. The reworks also highlight Moctar’s adaptability as a player, going from twirling and bluesy to quiet and folky, but no less dextrous.
Avkrvst – Waving at the Sky
Avkrvst ‘Waving at the Sky’ album artwork. Image: Press
Fans of dark prog luminaries Steven Wilson and Opeth will be spoiled by Avkrvst. Pronounced “aw-crust”, the Norwegian unit were formed by two lifelong friends when they started jamming together in a remote cabin. Waving at the Sky, their second album, brings the despondent edges of their 2023 debut The Approbation front and centre, accompanying a narrative about abuse with lashings of sullen melody. With Ross Jennings of Haken getting a guest spot and Sony imprint Inside Out behind them, this outfit already seem destined for big things.
Art d’Ecco – Serene Demon
Art d’Ecco ‘Serene Demon’ album artwork. Image: Press
The guitar isn’t the defining instrument on Canadian solo act Art D’Ecco’s fourth album, with the instrument instead being used as part of a bigger, wonderful tapestry. This is a 10-song goth/glam winner with hallmarks of lounge, jazz, funk and ’40s film noir, with everything coalescing into a bouncy and seductive whole. The riffier moments include acoustic folk stomper Honeycomb and post-punk anthem The Traveller, the latter of which has been longlisted for a Polaris Music Prize. But, truthfully, if you skip even one track across this uber-catchy platter, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Havukruunu – Tavastland
Havukruunu ‘Tavastland’ album artwork. Image: Press
It’s black metal with Iron Maiden riffs. Do you really need to read more than that? Havukruunu have been broadcasting sophisticated extremity from the wilds of Finland for 20 years now, yet it still seems that only the most devout metalheads know of their existence. Tavastland reiterates how great an injustice that is, combining stampeding percussion and twirling guitar leads to offer 50 minutes of unfettered adrenaline. Add in a fascinating lyrical concept about generational trauma and you get one of the most essential metal releases of 2025 altogether.
Waldo’s Gift – Malcolm’s Law
Waldo’s Gift ‘Malcolm’s Law’ album artwork. Image: Press
Calling an artist ‘avant-garde’ feels like a cop-out half the time, but when it comes to Waldo’s Gift… what the hell else can anyone say?! Equal parts jazz, rock and prog, the Bristol instrumentalists are pure technicality, from the callus-shredding guitar athletics to the breakneck drum performances. Yet, there’s a constant sense of bounce and playfulness that stops debut album Malcolm’s Law from feeling like a soulless collection of exercises. The improvisations and bittersweet finale Last on the Plane only add further heart, cementing this band as ones to watch.
Slung – In Ways
Slung ‘In Ways’ album artwork. Image: Press
From Loathe to Bleed, it seems that every young metal band nowadays has to have at least some hallmark of Deftones influence in their music. Though Brighton up-and-comers Slung are no exception, debut album In Ways shakes up the formula. For all the waves of dreamy nu metal heard on the songs Come Apart and Collider, there are vicious extreme metal and hardcore punk deviations. Opener Laughter kickstarts the record with a venomous snarl and a thrashing riff, before Class A Cherry channels some of the sludge metal density of Mastodon.
Danefae – Trøst
Danefae ‘Trøst’ album artwork. Image: Press
From Heilung to Kalandra, Nordic folk is back in vogue, and Denmark’s Danefae proved themselves worthy of a seat at the table with their second album. The rockers mixed hypnotic, lullaby-like vocal harmonies with an array of instrumentation, from bold, hard chords to serene arpeggios. The highlight of Trøst, though, is midpoint P.S. Far Er Død: a 12-minute, progressive giant that rose from gentleness and spoken-word to pulse-pounding metal. With more of that kind of unpredictability, this four-piece could become big names in one of the trendiest subgenres right now.
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“You couldn’t be in a rock band unless you looked a certain way”: Why Tim Pierce didn’t join Bon Jovi – despite playing guitar on their first hit
As Bon Jovi were forming in 1983, glam metal was reaching its peak, and the way a band looked was almost as crucial to success as the music they played.
It was for this reason that Tim Pierce – credited as a guitarist on Runaway from Bon Jovi’s self-titled debut – didn’t end up joining the band as a full-time member… at least according to him.
- READ MORE: “I got away with murder!”: Is Mark Knopfler a ‘guitar hero’? He certainly doesn’t think so
In a new interview with Guitar World, Pierce recalls how he ended up recording “all the guitars” on Runaway, and why Richie Sambora ended up joining the band instead of him.
“That happened kind of by accident, as many great opportunities do,” he says of Runaway. “I was 23 and recording in New York. Jon Bon Jovi was living upstairs at the Power Station [recording studio]. Basically, his job was the janitor for his uncle, Tony Bongiovi.
“They put together a master demo and he asked me to play on it. I said, ‘Of course!’ I ended up doing all the guitars on Runaway, and Jon credited me on the back of the record. That was his first Top 40 hit, and I got full credit. It was great.”
Though his collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi saw them do “six or eight” master demos leading to Bon Jovi’s record deal with Mercury Records, he wasn’t asked to become a permanent member of the band Bon Jovi was putting together.
“Jon and I became friends,” Pierce recalls. “He came to LA when he was looking for musicians to join his band, but a couple of things happened. First, I didn’t have the image to be in the band. People forget that you couldn’t be in a rock band unless you looked a certain way. I didn’t have that image, so Jon never came out and asked.”
On whether he has any regrets about not joining Bon Jovi, the guitarist continues, “I missed out on being in one of the biggest rock bands in the world – but I don’t think I had the image!
“Richie was the perfect choice. The way he plays, looks and sings is great. They wrote some of the most amazing songs ever. Jon didn’t ask, and it probably had to do with the fact that I had another gig – and didn’t look like a rock star.”
After his work with Jon Bon Jovi, Pierce went on to join Rick Springfield’s band as Jessie’s Girl was picking up traction.
“It was a wonderful thing to jump into. I became Rick’s guitar player for five albums, and we’re friends to this day,” he remembers.
Tim Pierce also runs a comprehensive masterclass teaching guitarists of all skill levels, with over 1,800 videos and more than 150 hours of educational content.
Learn more at timpierce.com.
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Eric Gales nearly played a 16-bar solo on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album
![[L-R] Eric Gales and Beyoncé](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Eric-Gales-Beyonce@2000x1500.jpg)
Self-proclaimed via his website as the “best blues guitarist in the world” – hey, we’re not exactly arguing that – Eric Gales has indisputably top-tier guitar chops. And the fact he does it all with an upside-down guitar is something else, but we digress…
As producer Raphael Saadiq reveals in a new interview with Tonya Mosley of NPR, Gales’ skills nearly got him the opportunity to play a solo on Beyonce’s 2024 album Cowboy Carter, but touring commitments meant he wasn’t able.
- READ MORE: “I got away with murder!”: Is Mark Knopfler a ‘guitar hero’? He certainly doesn’t think so
One of the guitar highlights of the album comes at the end of eighth track Bodyguard, where Saadiq lays down a bluesy solo underneath Beyonce’s outro vocals.
“Bey wanted a solo. And I did a solo,” Saadiq reflects. “And she was like, ‘Can we make it longer?’ But she knows her audience, and she knows that is rare. And she’s like, ‘I think we could do that. We can have a 16-bar solo on this record.’
“So that was a little bit of pressure, to go back in there and play, like, a 16-bar solo.”
While Saadiq played the solo himself, he originally intended to tap up Eric Gales for the job.
“I would’ve called my boy. I would’ve called Eric Gales,” he continues. “Eric Gales is one of the most amazing guitar players in the world today. He’s from Memphis, Delta blues. He was the guy that’s playing – he played a lot of guitar in [2025 film] Sinners. But I would’ve called him to play, but he was on tour, so I had to play it. And it came out good.”
Cowboy Carter saw Beyonce – like many other artists as of late – foray into country, leading to something of a country revival in recent years.
If you need proof of Eric Gales formidable guitar skills, he recently traded licks with blues legend Buddy Guy on an album dedicated to his late brother Little Jimmy King.
Listen to Somebody below:
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“I got away with murder!”: Is Mark Knopfler a ‘guitar hero’? He certainly doesn’t think so
Mark Knopfler’s work on Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms landed him the label of ‘guitar hero’ in the eyes of many. And the six-string lines on its title track, Money For Nothing and So Far Away show you why.
But Knopfler doesn’t feel the adulation was entirely merited, as he explains in a new interview with Guitar World.
“That was just awkward,” he reflects on the praise he received for his guitar skills after the release of the 1985 album.
“The world is bursting with fabulous players. Whether I’ve written a good song or not, that’s what counts to me.
“I gave up trying to be a great guitar player. I have enough to get by in the studio – that’s how I see myself as a guitar player. Not much more than that. But I can get away with it.
Knopfler adds that a band’s chief songwriter or songwriters should be allowed a certain degree of leeway regarding their technical skills.
“If you’re the one who wrote the songs,” he says, “you’re kind of allowed to be crap. Well, not to be crap, but you’re given some leeway because you wrote the thing.
“The other guys are there, really standing by their instruments: ‘I play piano,’ ‘I play bass.’ Like, ‘I’m good at this and that’s why I’m here’ – and boy, they are.”
Though we feel he’s underselling his technical prowess a little, in Knopfler’s eyes, he says he “got away with murder”.
He reveals he was “still learning how to play in time” while recording Brothers In Arms – Dire Straits’ fifth album.
He says it came “after years of working in studios with engineers who would say, ‘You’re rushing there.’ And you’d say, ‘No I’m not.’ And they’d say, ‘Yes, you are.’ Because you didn’t recognise it. You didn’t know it yet. You think you’re playing in time – but you’re not. You have to learn that.”
He concludes: “It takes a long time, especially if you’re playing 8th and 16th notes with your thumb and fingers. That’s just part of the journey. Some of the very finest musicians have told me they had to learn the same thing. Glenn Worf [bassist] was just the same. There was a guy in his band who told him, ‘You’re not playing in time.’ And he said, ‘The hell I am!’”
In another recent revelation, Mark Knopfler recently told Classic Rock that the iconic guitar sound of the record’s second track Money For Nothing came as a result of a microphone mishap.
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King Crimson are recording their first studio album in over 20 years
King Crimson are recording their first studio album since 2003’s The Power to Believe, according to Jakko Jakszyk.
In a new interview with Goldmine Magazine, the guitarist is asked about his time with the 21st Century Schizoid Band, the Crimson alumnus group with whom he played before being asked to join King Crimson when they reunited in 2013.
“It was an amazing thing to have done, and in a way, part of it’s still happening,” Jakszyk says. “As we speak, we’re doing a King Crimson album.
“When that will come out and what format or how – that’s beyond my brief. But yeah, we’ve been doing it piecemeal, and then a couple of months ago, the management said, ‘Can we?’ So, yeah. I’ve been recording that with a view to it coming out in some format at some point. But who knows when?”
As for what we can expect? The album will apparently feature the most recent King Crimson lineup: Jakszyk, Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison and Jeremy Stacey.
Jakszyk also says the album might include studio versions of new tracks from live releases recorded with this lineup.
“The studio versions of those pieces and some other bits and pieces will emerge from putting it together. I think so,” he says.
And that’s not the only new music we’re set to hear from the King Crimson universe.
Jakszyk says there’s a new version of The Scarcity of Miracles – the 2011 album recorded by Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins – “about to come out with loads and loads of extra stuff”.
“Because of the nature of how we made that record, there’s lots of improvisation and seriously alternate versions of things that we didn’t release.
The team here at Guitar.com will keep you in the loop on King Crimson’s new album as we know more.
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Justin Hawkins refuses to use any other guitar tuning than E standard: “If you can’t put your ideas across with that, you’re in trouble”
While there are a myriad of guitar tunings to choose from, E standard generally remains the most popular. And according to The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, you shouldn’t need anything else.
While the Darkness also use drop D on some songs – which involves tuning the low E string down a whole tone – many of their biggest tracks, including I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Love Is Only a Feeling – are in E standard.
In an interview in the new issue of Guitar World, Hawkins explains his love of a “standard-tuning guitar”.
“There’s not a semitone down across the board,” he explains. “If you can’t put your ideas across with that, you’re in trouble anyway, I think.
Hawkins is far from the only guitarist who feels E standard is the superior tuning. Recently, Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith recalled the pushback he received when trying to get his bandmates to experiment with drop D.
“We do songs like Run to the Hills, The Clairvoyant, it’s Drop D,” he said. “I’m the only one in the band who would do it. ‘Come on! Let’s drop the D, move with the times!’ They’re like, ‘Nah.’”
Elsewhere in the new Guitar World interview, Justin Hawkins explains his approach to using the minor pentatonic scale to craft solos.
“There are a lot of moments when it’s pentatonic, but I go for harmonic minor stuff as well,” he says.
“I like a ninth in a solo because I think it forces you to decide whether you’re going to go up or down from there. You can’t just have it suspended in no man’s land. You have to make a choice.
“Pentatonic is a go-to thing when you’re building a solo. But I tend to think of a solo as a collection of phrases that you’ve bastardised and made your own.
“And I’ve got a couple licks that I don’t think anyone else does that sounds like a spider crawling across the fretboard.”
In other news, Justin Hawkins has expressed his opinion that rock music should evolve if it wishes to stay relevant in the modern era.
“Rock is a middle-aged guy in a world full of people who are just generation… whatever the fuck it is now,” he told Kerrang! [Rock] has to wake up and be part of it.
“I’m saying that if [rock as a genre] wants to flourish and be the best again, it has to sort of pull its head out of its arse,” he adds. “[It has to] realise that, yeah, Led Zeppelin existed, The Rolling Stones existed, AC/DC existed, but you have to do that for now. That’s what we are.”
The Darkness released their latest album Dreams on Toast in March this year. Listen below:
https://open.spotify.com/album/19syLvSEiTyMcBMgdLtqp6?si=0IOvA_4nR_SMJjUzpx-RU
The post Justin Hawkins refuses to use any other guitar tuning than E standard: “If you can’t put your ideas across with that, you’re in trouble” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Exodus are the greatest thrash band in the world. We’re better than all of them!”: Gary Holt thinks his band are better than Metallica, Slayer and the rest of the Big Four
While many agree that Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax are the Big Four of Thrash, Gary Holt seems to think Exodus are the truly definitive thrash band.
In a recent chat with Serbian journalist Jadranka Janković Nešić, the guitarist insists that his band is “the greatest thrash band in the world”, and they “have been for many years”.
In fact, Exodus have been around since 1979 – years before any of the ‘Big Four’ bands had formed. “Everybody else can fuck off,” he laughs. “We’re better than all of them! And I’m sorry, it sounds like an ego, but listen to any of our records. We’ll crush them all!”
Of course, Holt says it in jest. He takes the entire notion of the ‘Big Four’ with a pinch of salt. “I’ve never worried about any of that stuff,” he says. “Big Four, Big Five, Big Ten…”
Holt even goes on to praise one of the Big Four, noting Metallica’s 1986 record, Master of Puppets. “Master of Puppets, to me, is the greatest metal album ever made,” he notes. “And, you know, [while touring] … And Justice for All they were already way bigger than any of us. Then they just became the biggest metal band of all time.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Holt discusses Exodus’ follow up to 2021’s Persona Non Grata. “It’s going to be released as two totally separate records,” he reveals. “We had so much material that we just [thought], let’s work extra hard.”
“I wish we had 20 songs done instead of 18, because then we would have the next album done! Then I could go on vacation or something. I’ve never had one.”
What should fans expect? “It’s 100 percent Exodus and, at times, 100 percent different,.” Holt reveals. “There’s some surprises on it. It’s super heavy, and there are some moments that are so fast, but there’s moments that are also super slow. Just satanic, evil as fuck!”
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“I could have ruined metal!”: Armoured Saint frontman reveals how he was once approached to be Metallica’s lead singer instead of James Hetfield
Step aside Papa Het… Anthrax and Armored Saint’s John Bush has revealed that he was once asked to front Metallica instead of James Hetfield.
In an interview with Get On The Bus, Bush explains that he was approached with the proposition of fronting Metallica around the release of their 1983 debut, Kill ‘Em All. “It was an honour to be asked to sing in Metallica,” he reflects. “It just was not my fate.”
Metallica’s manager, Jonny Z [Jon Zazula], asked Bush personally – and, when his request was denied, he’d approach Bush yet again in the 1990s to join Anthrax. Second time lucky.
It would take 28 more years for Bush to finally give fronting Metallica a trial run. Armored Saint opened up for Metallica on their run of 30th anniversary shows in 2011, and Bush joined Hetfield and co onstage to sing The Four Horsemen. “They told the story about how, ‘we were gonna maybe get this guy, but it didn’t happen… this is what it would sound like if he did join,’” Bush recalls. “That was a really special moment in my life.”
Despite the experience, Bush insists it just wasn’t his “destiny” to front the band. “I could have ruined metal. That’s just too much, man – that’s too much pressure,” he admits. “It just wasn’t my fate. And I could never imagine anybody singing those songs other than James Hetfield. That would’ve been a big loss for heavy metal.”
While Bush never ended up officially joining the Metallica ranks, he’s glad that he’s found friends in the Metallica gang. “There’s always a connection… Armored Saint ended up going out and touring with Metallica on Ride The Lighting and March Of The Saint, for us,” he says.
“We have a lot of history together as friends. And one of the funny things is James, during Metallica’s recent set [at Sonic Temple], said, ‘I was stoked to see Armored Saint Today… We destroyed a lot of hotels together.’”
These hotel-destruction tales have been teased for years. Back in 2011, Hetfield and Lars Ulrich introduced Armored Saints to the stage, referring to the legendary event. “There’s a story… Let’s see… it was a hotel in Detroit or something…” Hetfield begins, before Lars cuts him off, looking into the audience and asking: “is everybody over 21?”
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The power of change: why Taylor’s Gold Label guitars are getting bigger, and why you should be excited
Ad feature with Taylor Guitars
Andy Powers wants to make Taylor fans a little uncomfortable, sort of. “Well not uncomfortable,” the ever-affable Taylor CEO quickly corrects himself. “But I think it does feel like a bit of a surprise. Like, ‘Where are we going with this? I did not expect that sort of change from you’.”
Powers is talking to us about the Gold Label series of instruments – a totally new line for Taylor that debuted back at the NAMM Show in January 2025… and quickly became some of the most talked about guitars to come out of El Cajon in a very long time.
Because anyone who knows and loves Taylor Guitars knows that there’s a pretty successful formula – the look tends to be clean, sleek and modern, the bodies tend to prioritise player comfort with cutaways and contours, the sound tends to be pristine and hi-fi, and the playability is slinky and inviting. But the first Gold Label instruments broke with at least a couple of those conventions – with radically different looks and a wealth of under the hood innovations that made them, in some ways, the most un-Taylor guitars the company has ever made.
Or to quote our review of the Gold Label 814e, “A guitar that melds vintage warmth with the precision and clarity we’ve come to expect from a V-Class guitar – if you’ve been left cold by Taylor guitars in the past, this might make you take another look.”
And to hear Powers himself talk about it, that was very much the point: “This is a different flavor altogether,” he explained to us ahead of launch. “Equally good, equally interesting, but probably speaks to a different musician – or different use case at least. And so this will be interesting to watch expand. There’s a lot that we can do with this coming in the future.”
Plenty of players have clearly already got the message when it comes to the Gold Label Collection, because that future is already here. Barely six months after the initial launch, part two of the Gold Label Collection might be its most exciting development yet.
Image: Taylor
Pushing Power
The original Gold Label 814e guitar also debuted a brand new Super Auditorium body shape that was designed to take advantage of two revolutionary Andy Powers creations – a Fanned interpretation of V-Class bracing, and the brand new long-tenon Action Control Neck
. The result was a warmer, rounder and more robust tone that felt dramatically different from any other Taylor guitar that had come before it, and also more traditional and vintage at the same time.
The Super Auditorium felt like a more classic take on the traditional Taylor formula, but anyone who played a Gold Label guitar knew instantly that this could be used in a variety of different ways. But the non-cutaway 814e was already a pretty big guitar – few would have expected the next evolution of the Collection would be to go even bigger. Enter the Gold Label Grand Pacific.
The Grand Pacific body shape was already the big brother of the modern Taylor line – a slope-shouldered design that’s pretty much the exact same width, length and depth as a classic Dreadnought guitar. But for the Gold Label, Powers decided that the sonic qualities of the design meant he could go even bigger than a dread.
The Gold Label GP retains the beautiful dimensions of the original, but this thing is an extra 3/8-inch deeper – making it a whopping five inches deep at the soundhole. That’s deeper than a dread, that’s deeper than a Super Jumbo… but Taylor is known for making smaller and more compact bodied acoustics still sound fantastic… why would the good folks in El Cajon suddenly want to go in the other direction?
The answer is “lung capacity” – the extra body depth in the Gold Label Grand Pacific gives the guitar more low-end expressiveness, a deeper resonant frequency, and of course, a little more ‘sonic push’ when it comes to volume. In practice this translates to a guitar that combines the wonderfully in-tune and clear high-end characteristics of a V-Class guitar with an expanded low-end expressiveness – giving your notes and chords articulation and clarity wherever you play them.
It can also shout with the best of them. While the onboard LR Baggs Element VTC means you’ll sound great when plugging in, the sheer power and volume available with the Gold Label GP will mean you’ll have no problem being heard should you choose not to.
Image: Taylor
Colour & The Shape
The look of the original Gold Label 814e was head-turning, and that was entirely intentional, “With that sound in hand, I needed to appoint the guitar appropriately.” Powers explained. “And this does feel like such a radical change for us.”
Powers drew on his love of vintage banjo and archtops of the pre-war period, plus the acoustic guitar-making language of the 1930s, to inform the radically classic look of the Gold Label guitars.
But the new spruce/rosewood 717e and spruce/mahogany 517e also add another striking look to the palette to go with the eye-catching sunburst options of the 814e. The 717e and 517e Blacktops do exactly what it says on the tin – painting the spruce top black for a strikingly vintage and old school appearance. If Taylor had been making guitars during the Great Depression, they might very well have looked like this, and it’s a stunning prospect.
It all adds up to demonstrate why the Gold Label concept is such an exciting one for Taylor – whether you’re a devotee of their guitars or not. This is a company boldly stepping out of their comfort zone and trying different things, but alloyed to the precision and innovation the brand is synonymous with.
The obvious and safe thing to do would have been to follow up the Gold Label’s initial success with something safe and more traditionally Taylor – a cutaway guitar or one with a Grand Auditorium body shape, for instance. Neither of those options would have been wrong of course, but it shows the commitment of Powers and his team to use Gold Label to broaden the brand’s horizons. They’re pushing into the unknown here, and that’s by design.
“I don’t have it entirely mapped out,” Powers explained of the grand plan for the Gold Label Collection. “That would be tremendously boring, because then it might as well be done! I like there to be a little bit of adventure in life. It’s the kinds of things that I remember made me excited with guitars, and still make me excited with guitars. Let’s do something that when we pick the instrument up and play the same open-position chords, we go, ‘Wow, I hear this in a new way’. That feels inspiring. That’s worthy of living.”
Find out more about the Gold Label 717e and 517e at Taylor Guitars.
Image: Taylor
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Jack White is looking for the Gibson guitar he sold as a teenager – can you help?
Jack White has launched an online plea for fans to help find the Gibson ES-120T he sold as a teenager.
In a new post on Instagram, the White Stripes man showcases a similar ES-120T, before announcing he’s looking for the model he originally sold.
“I sold this model guitar as a teenager and have regretted it for many years now,” White writes in the post’s caption.
“It was given to me by my cousin Paul Ossy who is a multi-instrumentalist (who also played electric violin on the Stripes album De Stijl). I sold it at Gordy’s guitar show in Detroit in the early ‘90s so I could buy a two-pickup Silvertone amp in-case model.
“I etched something under the truss rod cover that only I know, if anyone out there finds it, let me know. And it’s not a red burst version, it’s the black burst version like this one I’m holding over at Carter Vintage, Nashville. Please excuse my filthy hands and arms as I was in the shop painting boxes all day.”
The comments on the post offer some promising leads, including from one person who claims to have a guitar “just like it”.
“The truss rod cover has something etched,” they write. “Tried to send you a picture but can’t before you accept the message. Send me a PM and you’ll get a picture of the guitar and truss rod.”
While the whereabouts of White’s original guitar are currently unknown, the White Stripes guitarist is hoping someone out there will be able to help. Might it be you?
In other news, Jack White recently joined a hotly debated topic over whether guitarists should know every note on the fretboard.
The conversation was sparked by jazz-funk maestro Cory Wong, who insisted every guitarist should seek to become fluent with every note on their guitar’s ‘board. His comments provoked some to push back, but he embraced the controversy. “Didn’t know this would trigger so many folks – I’m here for it,” he said.
In a hilarious response, Jack White responded: “Ok it’s a deal; I’ll find the C, but I’m not learning all those other notes!”
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“He really is the daddy of shredding”: Sophie Lloyd picks her five favourite guitar solos of all time
Guitarist Sophie Lloyd has tackled plenty of solos in her time, boasting a whole YouTube channel of shred covers. Now, she’s revealed her five favourite guitar solos.
In interview with Metal Hammer, Lloyd kicks her list off with an “obvious choice”, albeit a total classic – Eruption by Van Halen, specifically the Live in New Haven version. “Eddie Van Halen is just the biggest inspiration for me,” she explains. “That tapping lick is something I think pretty much all guitarists learnt when they were growing up… I actually used it in my solo I played today!”
While Lloyd praises Eddie’s technique, she does admit she has a “love-hate relationship” with the song sometimes. “It was my alarm while I was at university,” she says. “It was kind of traumatic for me when I had to wake up early for lectures. But it’s still one of my favourite solos to this day – and he looks so cool when he takes his cigarette and puts it in his guitar. I aim for the day I can be that cool.”
Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd is another pick. “This one has a special place in my heart,” Lloyd begins. “Because I did a shred version of this one on my YouTube channel and I did the original solo. Before this I was very much, you know… let’s shred like crazy! [When] I had to learn this, I really had to adjust my playing style.”
“I think studying the way David Gilmour bends, the way he puts licks together and stuff, just really kind of opened my eyes to playing with feeling and telling a story through your solos,” she continues. “I really credit that as a turning point in my kind of soloing journey.”
Another challenging solo that would help define Lloyd’s style was that of Beast and the Harlot by Avenged Sevenfold. “When I was growing up, I remember thinking and listening to that solo in the car thinking ‘When I can play that, that’s when I’ll finally admit I’m a good guitarist,’” she recalls. “I still won’t admit it, but I can play it!”
“The techniques that Synyster Gates uses are just fucking incredible,” she adds. “His little chromatic runs at the end… he really is the daddy of shredding to a lot of people! And I think he just comes up with such cool, creative ideas. The harmonies with Zacky Vengeance [are also] really cool and really inspiring to me. [Gates is] definitely a guitarist that I look up to. And I think you can see that in my playing.”
Lloyd also gives a nod to Ozzy Osbourne with Crazy Train – quite fitting, considering this weekend saw the Prince of Darkness’ final ever performance with Black Sabbath. “Randy Rhoads, of course, recorded this solo,” she explains. “[It’s just a] masterclass in good rock metal soloing. It’s got so much feeling in it… you feel like you’re on the crazy train with the way he uses his techniques, uses the whammy bar in the solo and does his tapping down. It really kind of portrays that craziness.”
“Again, that was another one [where] I was like, ‘when I can play that, I’ll admit I’m a good guitarist,’” she notes. “And I still won’t admit it! Randy Rhoads is such a big inspiration for me. Like his little techniques and tricks he does, like his finger slides on the fretboard.”
The final pick is November Rain by Guns N’ Roses, a track Lloyd notes as an “all-round beautiful” song. “It’s amazing,” she praises. “They kind of switch up from the slow song to suddenly having this build into this epic solo at the end with the epic bends! And everyone knows that scene with Slash in the wind, everyone wants to recreate that. And I think it’s just something that really stands out in people’s minds as a solo.”
Like most guitarists, Lloyd notes Slash as a standout inspiration. “He’s one of my biggest inspirations of all time,” she says. “I couldn’t not put a Slash solo in there! Again, I did a shred version of that [track], and learning that solo really taught me so much about emotion and putting different notes into different scales to make it sound good according to the backing track and everything.”
Check out the full clip below:
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The cheapest Fender guitar on the market is even cheaper this Prime Day
Fancy a brand-new electric guitar for 100 quid? This is easily one of the best Prime Day guitar deals we’ve seen yet.
For a limited time only – Prime Day lasts until 11 July – you can grab this Fender Squier Debut Collection Telecaster in either Seafoam Green or Dakota Red for just £109.99. As an entry-level model in the Fender lineup, the guitar normally boasts an affordable price tag, but right now you can get it even cheaper.
[deals ids=”5ZPFng2dvy2V8FtEHAsC4″]
An ideal beginner guitar – or indeed a vibrant addition to any existing guitar collection – the Squier Debut Collection Telecaster features a lightweight poplar body, comfortable slim “C”-shaped neck profile, 21-fret laurel fingerboard and two single-coil pickups for that timeless Tele sound in a package that’s wallet-friendly, to say the least.
Elsewhere, the guitar offers three-way switching for a healthy palette of tones to explore, as well as a hardtail bridge for reliable tuning stability, and sealed-gear tuning machines for smooth, accurate tuning adjustments. It also sports chrome hardware for a premium look which far belies its price point.
Credit: Amazon
When in the market for your first guitar, it’s hard to know where to start. There are a plethora of affordable options available on the market, so choosing the right one can be a little daunting.
But with Squier – a budget brand owned by Fender, one of the world’s best and most reputable guitar companies – you know quality is assured. And for a little extra piece of mind, this guitar comes with a two-year warranty, too.
Does the deal still need sweetening? Okay, fine. If you grab this guitar for just £109.99 this Prime Day, you’ll also get a free subscription to Fender Play, Fender’s own learning platform which includes thousands of instructional videos to build your skills.
In terms of value for money, Prime Day guitar deals don’t come much better than this. Grab the Squier Debut Collection Telecaster for just over £100 right now.
Learn more at Amazon.
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Blackstar’s new ID:X advanced DSP modelling amplifiers go “head-to-head with the current market leader”
Blackstar Amplification has announced the launch of ID:X, a new line of advanced DSP modelling amplifiers.
Available in both 50 Watt and 100 Watt models, the ID:X is built on the foundation of Blackstar’s ID:Series, Silverline, and AMPED models. It “goes head-to-head with the current market leader” of the modelling world, according to the amplification brand, and is built to offer a streamlined user experience.
The ID:X introduces a discreet, user-friendly OLED display that provides instant visual feedback and deep access for editing settings and effects. It also features six voices, including both cleans and signature Blackstar high-gain, all of which are shaped by a four-band EQ section.
Of course, ID:X also includes Blackstar’s latest IR-based CabRig speaker and mic simulation technology, and additionally features new In The Room tech – able to create the experience of standing next to an amp while you play, rather than the “studio focussed tones” of traditionally captured IRs.
Players can create and store up to 99 patches, with easy recall via the front panel or using a compatible FS-12 or FS-18 footswitch, and the amp is fully integrated with Blackstar’s Architect software for further editing, patch management, and more. You’ll also find over 35 effects directly on board (overdrive, delay, reverb, etc.), and each can be edited straight from the amp for convenience.
Image: Blackstar
This new amp is suitable for both stage and studio, and has selectable power modes including a 1W setting for quiet playing. The 100 Watt model includes a balanced XLR out plus MIDI in and thru, while both models host USB-C for recording, a 1⁄4-inch line out, headphone output, and an aux input.
The 50 Watt ID:X is available for £292.99, while the ID:X 100 is priced at £379.99. You can find out more via Blackstar.
The post Blackstar’s new ID:X advanced DSP modelling amplifiers go “head-to-head with the current market leader” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“The electric guitar is an American cultural export” NAMM CEO John Mlynczak on why Fender, Gibson, PRS and others joined forces to lobby congress over wood tariffs
Since President Donald Trump took office for the second time in January, his administration has used executive orders to enact sweeping changes to the way the USA trades with the rest of the world – most notably by using hefty tariffs on the import of goods into the United States from countries around the world.
While the impact of these tariffs has been felt across the American economy, the guitar industry seems to be especially keenly impacted.
Over the last few weeks on Guitar.com we’ve been covering the devastating impact these new tariffs have had on America’s thriving boutique effects industry. Dozens of makers told us how their businesses were teetering on the brink of collapse as a result, and explained why the long-term goals of bringing certain industries to America from China and elsewhere would come too late to save them.
But what about the guitars themselves? On the surface US-made guitars are less keenly impacted by the tariffs on electronic components from places like China, but what about wood? The awkward reality is that a huge amount of the tonewoods that are used in the construction of US-made guitars come from outside of the US.
That’s a significant problem for the American guitar industry as a whole, and it’s led NAMM CEO John Mlynczak to spur his organisation into action. Mlynczak has spoken out several times about the threat these tariffs pose to the industry and called for musical instruments to be exempted from tariffs, but he’s also been working behind the scenes.
Back in May, Mlynczak and NAMM went with a delegation of key figures from the US guitar industry – representatives from Fender, Gibson, PRS, Martin and Taylor – to Washington DC. The aim was meet with congressional representatives and try to help them understand the situation.
John Mlynczak. Image: Press
It was an unusual and striking move to see the biggest players in the American guitar industry move as one, so now that the dust has settled, we caught up with Mlynczak to find out why he felt the mission was an important one.
“We talk so much about the NAMM show, but we are first and foremost, an association [NAMM is an abbreviation of National Association of Music Merchants – Ed],” Mlynczak explains. “And so that was a big thing we got from talking to members – what can we do for you year round?
“We have amazing companies, we have innovators, we have incredibly resilient people in our industry that are out there fighting the good fight every day. But what is it that only the Association can do? Particularly in DC, only the Association, in partnership with members, can go lobby.”
Mlynczak describes the tariff situation as “scary and unfortunate” for the guitar industry, but it was also a chance for NAMM to provide leadership, organisation and direction – and to show its members that it is going to bat for the US music industry at the highest level.
“We can now show our industry that we’re not just the big trade show of the past,” he explains, animatedly. “We’re out there.”
John Mlynczak and Jon Batiste at The 2025 NAMM Show at Anaheim Convention Center on January 24, 2025 in Anaheim, California. Image: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
Story Tellers
You might well ask what an organisation like NAMM, or indeed the brands associated with the delegation can really do to impact US government policy given the comparatively small size of the guitar industry in relation to something like consumer electronics or the garment industry.
But Mlynczak believes that there’s power in putting human faces and real-world testimonials into the hands of lawmakers.
“Members of Congress, we hear it time and time again – they desperately need stories when they go debate in committees and they go debate on the floor,” he affirms. “If you ever watch C-Span – and I was a C-Span junkie for a while – they’re focusing on stories from their district.
“That’s what they’ve told us, ‘We need stories from our district. How do I make the case to the other side or to my committee?’ So when we bring members and we’re arming them with data. It’s super necessary work.”
Regarding the specific issue of tariffs on tonewoods, Mlynczak clearly believes that the proactive stance that NAMM and its members took in DC was the best route.
“The tariffs are incredibly nuanced and complicated,” he admits. “But there are various Section 232 investigations [an investigation by the Department of Commerce on the impact of certain imports on national security – Ed] on various industries happening right now.
“One of them is on imports of timber. And so the high level ask that we wanted to work on, was making sure that we submitted letters to congress, and we submitted investigation letters through the process.
“But we also met with high-level members of Congress just to follow up and say, ‘Hey, we’ve done this… and by the way, American made brands can’t make these products unless they get wood from overseas. We don’t grow these species of wood in the United States!’”
Time will tell how effective this lobbying effort was on US government policy, but Mlynczak feels like there’s a clear and obvious case for the exemptions he’s previously called for.
“Our industry does have American manufacturing,” he insists. “I mean, you think about it, what’s more iconically American, what’s more apple pie… than the electric guitar? Man, come on, there’s nothing more American than that!
“The electric guitar – that is an American cultural export. And so if we were going to fight for anything in this climate of prioritising American manufacturing, that was the one.”
The post “The electric guitar is an American cultural export” NAMM CEO John Mlynczak on why Fender, Gibson, PRS and others joined forces to lobby congress over wood tariffs appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.