Why the Beatles couldn't have made "Helter Skelter" without the Who
McCartney was seduced by the idea of a “screaming record” after reading about the Who, and said the Beatles cut their track “in madness and hysterics”
Guitarists
Ritchie Blackmore looks back on his career in an interview from our December 1996 issue
The guitarist spoke about Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and his own infamously bad temper
He’s played with Bowie and the Cure, but Reeves Gabrels says things don’t always go right, even for pros
"That’s what makes live shows so extraordinary," the guitarist says. "You’re always on the high wire”
Steve Stevens on his all-time worst gig and the visit to Jimi Hendrix's grave that never happened
The Rock Hall nominee recounts the good, bad and ugly shows ahead of releasing Idol’s latest album
Gear
Best Fender amps 2025: The finest Fender amplifiers you can get your hands on
Tube warmth or modern modeling? I've taken a look at the best Fender amps for all players and budgets
We review the Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo, a convincing take on a very special vintage tube Echoplex
Don't be fooled by its size. There's plenty more under the hood to make the EC-1 one of the more versatile delays we've tested
Best amp modelers 2025: Get your dream guitar tone with my top picks
Amp models so good, you’ll think they’re the real thing
A gigantic $360 off Positive Grid's celebrated BIAS amp sim software may have just put the nail in the coffin of my beloved valve combo
Positive Grid's Guitar Month Sale sees discounts applied to everything from the acclaimed Bias software to a Steve Vai signature Spark Mini and more
Orianthi performs at Guitar Player Presents in Oakland, California — Win Tickets
The PRS signature guitarist will make her debut appearance at the monthly concert series with shows on April 16 and 17
"I heard a livelier overall sound, with a more multidimensional voice that enhances a chewy texture to the harmonics." We asked an avowed string snob to try Cleartone Treated Strings on his guitars. Here's what he told us
The innovative guitar string maker got its start using technology developed by none other than Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers
Guitars
Best guitar cables 2025: Hard-working cables that will preserve your tone
The ultimate plug in and play guide: the best guitar cables from the likes of Mogami, Ernie Ball, D’Addario and more
Guitar Center's Guitar-A-Thon is back, and it includes a colossal $600 off a Gibson Les Paul, $180 off a Fender Strat, and a slew of new exclusive models
Grab yourself some huge savings on all your favorite guitar brands with Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, and loads more
Mike Campbell on his "Red Dog" Telecaster, the focus of two new Fender tribute models
Fender's two new Red Dogs include a Stories Collection edition and a Custom Shop limited-edition model
The story of Joe Satriani’s showstopping Crystal Planet Ibanez JS prototype — which has just sold for $10,000
The custom-built prototype takes see-through specs to a whole new level, making it one of the most intriguing JS models in ever made
Martin unveils its reissue of Eric Clapton’s 'Unplugged' acoustic — but his affinity for the brand began long before that seminal show
The two new acoustics celebrate 30 years of collaboration between Martin and Clapton, but the luthier’s builds were shaping his career decades earlier
"The tuning is E to E but an octave higher than standard." Can this little guitar make you sound like you’re playing mandolin? Meet Ellis Guitars’ Soprano TX
The unique Mando-guitar hybrid delivers the sweet tones of a mandolin without requiring you to learn new fingerings
Kirk Hammett takes us deep inside 'The Collection,' his new tome from Gibson Publishing
The guitarist tells us about the guitars he's won and those he's lost as he admits "in the process of trading up, sometimes you have some remorse"
Makers
New tariffs are having a negative impact on Fender’s credit rating
The taxes affect production at Fender’s facilities where guitars, amps, pedals and other electronics are made
Ciari Guitars is rising high as the industry’s premier travel guitar maker
Ciari founder Jonathan Spangler tells the story behind his company's innovative folding guitar design and technology
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
Lessons
Mike Stern's top five guitar tips include one simple fix to help you develop your personal guitar style
The jazz guitar icon, who recently released the album Echoes and Other Songs, tells us music can be the cure for dark times
Pete Thorn shares the tip that convinced Joe Satriani he was the right guitarist for the SatchVai Band
The L.A. session ace told us the five rules he thinks every player should follow for a successful career
Add vibrant rhythms and sophisticated chords to your guitar playing with Jesse Cook’s five essential flamenco techniques
Delve into the world of rasgueado strumming, triplet rhythms, percussive golpe taps and fast picado picking
Music
Brian May makes a surprise appearance at Coachella to perform Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"
The guitarist had teased his appearance with the singer on Instagram. But apparently not everyone in the audience was as excited to see May as Boone had hoped
Christopher Cross covering for a sick Ritchie Blackmore on Deep Purple's first U.S. show
The man behind "Ride Like the Wind" gets support for his tale from Eric Johnson, whose band opened for Deep Purple that night
Joe Perry on Jeff Beck, the Yardbirds and "The 10 Records That Changed My Life"
The guitarist says he picked a pair of albums from his own catalog for one very good reason: "Making those albums made all the difference in my career"
Don Felder on how he crafted his iconic guitar solo for the Eagles’ “One of These Nights”
Felder considers his creation "the most deliberate solo I did" and says he took his cues from the style of alto saxophonist David Sanborn
Steven Wilson redefines the modern guitar solo on 'The Overview' by putting tone first
Wilson's new solo album is influenced by the experience space travelers have when seeing Earth from outer space
Paul McCartney leads the charge of 400 stars opposing changes to AI copyright laws
AI firms want exemptions to expand the tech’s learnings. An open letter backed by McCartney highlights the risks to America’s creative industries
Alex Lifeson on how Rush’s early failure pushed them for their breakthrough success
The guitarist explains how the band’s more ambitious direction “inspired me to mess around with my guitar tone”
