Rockabilly legend Brian Setzer reveals auto-immune disease prevents him from playing guitar
Setzer said the effects of his illness became apparent during the Stray Cats' 2024 summer tour, the group's first road stint in five years
Guitarists
Guitar Player presents the top guitarists of the 1980s you need to know
From Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Daniel Ash and Jamie West-Oram, we cover the gamut of the decade's greatest players across the genres
Leslie West revealed the picking techniques that made him a singularly great guitar hero to Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and Pete Townshend
Speaking to Guitar Player in 1972, the Mountain guitarist laid out his use of "harmonic jumps" and high volume to achieve a wide range of articulations
Zakk Wylde says his job “wouldn’t be as much fun” without this must-have pedal in his setup
Whether playing in Ozzy, Black Label Society, or Pantera, this pedal has been a mainstay in Wylde's gear arsenal
Gear
The Presidents' Day sale at Musician's Friend includes a massive up to 40% off guitar gear – here’s three deals that caught my eye
Get your hands on a new guitar, amp, or effects pedal at a healthy discount in this early Presidents’ Day sale
Best FRFR Speakers 2025: The best full range, flat response speakers for your digital effects and modelers
Our pick of fantastic FRFR speakers that won’t color your tone from Kemper, Line 6, Fender, Mission Engineering and more
Ritchie Blackmore got the loudest Marshall amp ever made. All he had to do was keep two secrets
The guitarist said his volume while testing amps was distracting to Marshall's workforce, even when he was in a soundproofed room
Leo Fender got it right in 1948 with an amp he created for lap-steel guitar players
Making its debut as part of a Hawaiian lap-steel beginner set, the Champ has become a studio workhorse for blues and rock guitarists
Guitars
Taylor’s Gold Label 814e SB Super Auditorium: “The most remarkable Taylor I’ve reviewed in nearly a decade”
Says Andy Powers, “I wanted to create an instrument with a totally different sound than what Taylor is known for while retaining what we love in a modern Taylor guitar.”
“When I saw this 'Let It Be' footage, I noticed how easy it looked to play.” Paul McCartney on why he pulled his Höfner bass out of mothballs after ignoring it for nearly two decades
McCartney credited Elvis Costello for encouraging him to return the instrument to his lineup when the two began working together in 1987
Dweezil Zappa laments the absence of riffs in modern music and what it means for future guitar players
He’s mused on how songwriting has changed over the years, which has come at the expense of the riff and people’s exposure to the instrument
“I had him mix some paint there on the spot, and finally we came up with Fiesta Red!” With one decision, Fender increased the desirability — and future value — of a select few guitars
Fender custom colors were offered for a small upcharge after a handful of customers requested their guitars in special finishes
John Lennon’s legendary Framus 12-string gets an official reissue just months after its landmark sale
The guitar, used on a string of Beatles hits and missing for 50 years, has since become one of the most expensive guitars sold at auction
"Cover just about anything." We review the PRS SE Custom 24 Semihollow Piezo
The new addition to the PRS lineup raises the performance bar for this icon of six-string artistry
The Best Acoustic Guitars of 2025! These are the guitars that got our attention at the 2025 NAMM Show
With notable entries from Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Breedlove and many other makers, this year's offerings have something to please everyone
“What if I started with the pickup and built the guitar around it?” We tried the new L.R. Baggs AEG-1 and discovered an acoustic-electric guitar unlike any we've ever seen before
Its two pickup systems reproduce string vibration and body resonance while capturing ambience and offering resistance to feedback
Makers
Paul Reed Smith explains why it doesn’t matter where guitars are made
Calling Carlos Santana and Jimmy Herring up as witnesses, the luthier continues his electric guitar myth-busting streak
Gibson revamps the Les Paul Studio with tonal, playability, and aesthetic upgrades
A lighter body, plain maple cap, updated electronics, and new finishes give the affordable LP a new lease on life
Fender launches the first-ever Certified Pre-owned Reverb store – offering its second-hand instruments at a discount
All guitars are professionally inspected before being listed, come with a one-year warranty, and are on average 25 percent cheaper
After the 2010 Tennessee floods, Keith Urban had to abandon his ruined guitar collection for last-minute eBay buys in the studio
Urban says he was forced to buy a Clapton Strat to fill the void, but felt like he was “cheating” on his beloved guitars
Vote for the greatest rock guitar riff of all time
In our December 2024 issue, Guitar Player will celebrate the 50 greatest rock riffs of all time – as chosen by you
Guitar Center employees find thousands of dollars worth of cocaine, and methamphetamine hidden inside a guitar amp
The Atlanta-area store was listed as the shipment’s return address to minimize suspicions, but it ended up at the store by mistake
Claudette King to celebrate B.B. King’s 100th birthday with funk-infused 2025 tour
The blues legend’s daughter will front a 10-piece band including Grammy-winning bluesman Grady Champion and King’s longtime drummer as they celebrate his legacy “with a flavor of funk”
Fernandes Guitars, Japanese brand loved by Kirk Hammett and The Edge, files for bankruptcy
The budget guitar builder, founded in 1969, cited a poor performance in the second-hand market and increased competition for its $2.75m debt
Dean Guitars wins the right to a retrial in its ongoing trademark dispute with Gibson
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Dean Guitars is entitled to a retrial after it appealed against a 2022 ruling that went in Gibson's favor, but it does not overturn a 2022 injunction preventing Dean from using the disputed shapes for the time being
Lessons
The whammy bar is a magical device for bending strings; Carl Verheyen shows 6 stunning licks and riffs for you to learn
Verheyen said Beck's album "made me realize it would be nice to know what intervals would happen when I pulled on the bar”
Oz Noy explains the one thing every guitar player needs to unlock fretboard knowledge
The guitarist also tells why it's important to tune your guitar by ear, along with five other top tips
Amplifying your acoustic? Here's how to get the best sound using two signal paths
With one signal path for true acoustic tone and another for effects, you'll have maximum control over your live sound
Music
Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson says Eric Clapton convinced him he had a limited future as a guitarist
Anderson credits Clapton and albums by Dire Straits, Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa with shaping his musical direction
Black Sabbath will reunite for one final show, with all-star support acts
Dubbed Back to the Beginning, the all-star event will take place on July 5 at Villa Park, Birmingham
He kickstarted 1970s power-pop with a Gibson SG, a rented acoustic and a gem of a song that remains a classic
Todd Rundgren’s “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” helped revive 1960s-style power-pop in the era when hard-rock and heavy-metal ruled the airwaves
Rudolf Schenker on Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and the guitar Slowhand couldn’t own
The guitarist says the 1984 hit went through nine revisions before it was ready to record
Eric Clapton hated Cream’s “Crossroads." But is there an even longer version of it?
Producer Tom Dowd said Cream never played “Crossroads” for less than seven minutes in concert and was certain the 'Wheels of Fire' recording was an edit
Les Dudek on “Ramblin' Man,” “Jessica” and Dickey Betts' plans when Duane Allman died
The guitarist also recalls how an argument between Betts and Gregg Allman derailed the “Jessica” sessions
Bob Daisley credits Randy Rhoads' faulty equipment for inspiring Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"
The bassist and lyricist said he wrote the 1980 song about world events and the looming threat of another world war
