Players

Guitarist Eric Johanson with an electric guitar

“I had a gold Klon but I lost it in Hurricane Katrina...” Blues supremo Eric Johanson on being both a Metallica and Jack White fanboy and why he’s into tone as much as music

By Jim Beaugez published

With the help of "a really gritty velcro fuzz", blues guitarist Eric Johanson gets into the raw experience of the moment on his latest album, The Deep and the Dirty

Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer with Pretenders, stares into the camera wearing a Motorhead T-shirt

“I have a few guitars but if I don’t play them for a while, I punish myself by giving them away. It’s not fair to have a guitar in a lockup…” The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde and James Walbourne on songwriting and the “solo-shy” James Honeyman-Scott

By Marc McStea published

Chrissie Hynde has been leading The Pretenders for 45 years now. She and co-guitarist James Walbourne on developing style, the pressure to stay faithful to old guitar parts and more...

George Harrison performs with Eric Clapton during a concert for the Princes Trust, at Wembley Stadium, London, circa 1987

"I wanted Eric Clapton on My Guitar Gently Weeps for a bit of moral support and to make the others behave..." Jamming with Eric Clapton, recording with the Beatles: A long-lost interview with George Harrison

By Dan Forte published

“I've always been embarrassed at the idea of being in Guitar Player magazine. I'm just a skiffler. I do ‘posh skiffle’, that's all it is…” In 1987, George Harrison sat down with us for a classic interview, looking back across his career…

Jimmy Bryant Country Cabin Jazz

From playing fiddle on street corners during the Great Depression to becoming one of the biggest Telecaster heroes of the 20th century – here's why you should immerse yourself in Jimmy Bryant's Country Cabin Blues…

By Jim Campilongo published

Jimmy and pedal-steel supremo Speedy West (aka “the country jazz John and Paul”) have a swingin’ good time on this fun 1960's shredfest which belies his difficult reputation

English guitarist Snowy White sits on a sofa playing his guitar

Pink Floyd didn't mean anything to him, he told Thin Lizzy he wouldn't jump around onstage and he once had an accidental top 10 hit: The career of Snowy White, rock's easiest-going guitar hero, in five songs

By Joe Matera published

Blues player, session legend and "accidental frontman", Snowy White has worked with everyone from Thin Lizzy to Pink Floyd. Here are five deep cuts he considers his best.

Lessons

(from left) Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Tommy Thayer adorn the cover of Guitar Player's Holiday 2023 issue

Holiday 2023 Guitar Player Lesson Audio

By Guitar Player Staff published

A hand strums an acoustic guitar

Struggling to string bend on your acoustic? Here are 4 simple tricks that will help…

By Jimmy Leslie published

Outside of the box ideas for making string bending easier on an acoustic guitar

Alex Skolnick with ESP Guitar

"Everybody was going crazy about Yngwie Malmsteen. Joe Satriani told me, ‘Don’t get too into him...'" Alex Skolnick's Top Five Tips to becoming a better guitarist

By Joe Bosso published

Testament's Alex Skolnick on why you should be honest with yourself, never listen to negativity and focus on creating your own identity as a guitar player

1982; Fitness gifts; The Everlast Action Hand Grip strengthens the hand and wrist; $3.99 per pair

How to Build Stronger Fret-Hand Fingers

By Dale Turner published

These four great exercises will help put some extra snap in your hammer-ons and pull-offs

Johnny Marr performs at Helsingin Juhlaviikot Festival 2023 at Huvila-Teltta on August 23, 2023 in Helsinki, Finland.

The Ultimate Johnny Marr Guitar Lesson

By Patrick Brennan published

Capture Johnny Marr's signature lead-rhythm style by learning arpeggiated chords, open-string licks and unusual progressions in the style of the former Smiths guitarist

Gear

Joe Knaggs' Severn Trem SSS Guitar

The mission: create a better kind of S-style guitar. Joe Knaggs on the inspiration behind his stunning hardtail-bridge-toting Severn Trem SSS

By Art Thompson published

"I had a ’61 Stratocaster and wanted the same style of guitar with a fretboard radius of eight and a half inches, so it wouldn’t fret out when I’d bend strings…" Meet the drool-some "Telecaster-version" yellow Severn Trem SSS

1968 Teisco May Queen guitar

One of the rarest and most sought-after Japanese-made Teiscos, the 1968 May Queen is a guitar designed for players, not just beginners

By Terry Carleton published

Made for just one year, Teisco's May Queen was three times the price of its regular guitars. There's a reason for that…

1970 Kustom Electronics K200B

What Did Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, and the Jackson 5 Have in Common? They All Embraced the Kustom Look and Sound

By Dave Hunter published

These bold, punchy solid-state amps rocked the backlines of many noteworthy stars

PAF

All You Need to Know About Gibson PAF Humbuckers

By Dave Hunter published

These hum-cancelling pickups are legendary for their tone, but is the “magic” just hype?

Best Headphone Amps For Guitar 2023: Get The Sound Of A Fully Cooking Rig Without Making A Sound

Best Headphone Amps For Guitar 2023: Get The Sound Of A Fully Cooking Rig Without Making A Sound

By Richard Blenkinsop published

Our pick of the best headphone amps for guitar from Vox, Boss, Fender and more

gold-foil pickups

A Firm Favorite of Ry Cooder and Dan Auerbach, Here's Why the Humble Gold-Foil Pickup Can Deliver About as Much Aural Magic as Any of the A-List Coils

By Dave Hunter published

The cult of the gold-foil has acquired a mystique and made its place among us