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October 2025

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58 articles

October 19
- “To be honest, I actually didn't want to record this song.” Ace Frehley on his one regret about the hit that is forever associated with him
October 18
- “I remember thinking I could change the whole thing right now if I wanted to. That’s all I remember thinking.” Bruce Springsteen on writing his most personal song — and his biggest hit — in one anger-fueled late-night session
October 17
- “I'm gonna keep going until the wheels fall off.” Ace Frehley on plans for his unfinished final album — plus memories of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Kiss... and the hardest song to play
- “I’ve heard it’s responsible for a whole generation being conceived.” Paul Rodgers on Bad Company’s rock anthem that took years — and an entirely new band — to complete
- “For $99, you get rich, round, clear tone reminiscent of the most popular 1x12 combo of all time.” We review the EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening Analog Amp Simulator Pedal
- “He is and will always be a part of Kiss’s legacy.” Ace Frehley’s life and music are remembered in tributes from Kiss's Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, among many friends and fellow musicians
October 16
- “I didn’t realize how short he was!” The late Ace Frehley always spoke his mind. And when it came to his Kiss replacements Bruce Kulick, Vinnie Vincent and Tommy Thayer, the Space Ace had plenty to say
- “We are completely devastated and heartbroken." Ace Frehley, Kiss cofounding guitarist, is dead at age 74
- “I got my guitar and smashed it to smithereens. I said, ‘Now will you get out of my effing life!?’” Pete Townshend on the first guitar he ever broke — at age 13 — and John Entwistle's hilarious response
- “He hated me because I didn’t practice his stuff enough.” Joe Satriani taught guitar wizards like Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett and Alex Skolnick. But one player didn't get along with his methods
- “A holy grail for Zappa fanatics and guitar nerds.” Frank Zappa’s famous Baby Snakes SG is heading to auction. Here’s why it matters
October 15
- “I never liked all those Les Paul guitars screaming and distorting.” George Harrison on the guitarist who changed music's landscape in the 1960s — and why he wasn't a fan of what followed
- “He played it to death. I don't think he would have swapped it for anything in the world.” Rory Gallagher's iconic 1961 Strat is finally headed to the National Museum in Ireland
- “Perhaps they’re waiting for the statute of limitations on vintage guitar theft to expire.” Michael J. Fox thinks he knows what happened to the ‘Back to the Future’ Gibson ES-345
- “For the sophisticated player that wants it all: Strat-style slinkiness, the heartiness of a Les Paul and the open woodiness of a 335.” We review the PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow
- “It brings everything musicians love about classic Gibson acoustics to a new generation of players.” Gibson and Guitar Center resurrect one of the guitar maker’s most beloved acoustic guitars for modern players
October 14
- “It’s a bit mad, but it’s got everything in it” Brian May says Queen's biggest hit seemed like nothing out of the ordinary to him — until the fans went crazy for it
October 13
- “It’s the most misunderstood song I ever wrote. But some people said, ‘God! The audacity!’” Tom Petty on the song that defined him as a new kind of guitar-slinging American rocker
- “He was a very moody sort of guy. We’d be traveling in a van, going to the shows, and he would sit in the corner and not talk to anybody.” Jim McCarty recalls Eric Clapton’s “quite unhappy” time with the Yardbirds
- “About a quarter mile out, some guy is flicking his lighter.” John Fogerty on the band that nearly ruined Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Woodstock set — and the audience member who saved the show
October 12
- “This is one of the odd things about how Stevie and I can interface.” Lindsey Buckingham on his creative fusion with Stevie Nicks, and how it made “Rhiannon” Fleetwood Mac’s breakout hit
October 11
- “They came into the room with a screwdriver and pointed to my Les Paul.” Inside Paul McCartney’s drug bust and the former Beatles’ decision to stop touring
October 10
- “We we’re playing basketball, and he said, ‘I want to do something different — like a circus.’” Roger McGuinn on Bob Dylan’s big breakthrough, meeting the Beatles... and his question after hearing Tom Petty for the first time
- “It was amazing to see how the crowds reacted to the songs. And it still happens when I play them.” As Bernie Leadon drops his first solo album in 21 years, he talks about the Eagles and the birth of California’s country-rock scene
- "We were in a very strange place.” David Gilmour on Pink Floyd’s difficult years trying to follow up The Dark Side of the Moon — and how Wish You Were Here was a statement from Roger Waters to his absent band members
- “It was a dogfight. And then all the special effects came in.” Buddy Guy on the warning he gave Jimi Hendrix before he went into the British blues clubs
October 9
- “Those days are long gone. It is so unappealing to watch that go down.” Joe Bonamassa says this crowd-pleasing guitar trick is over and done — with one exception
- “He’s one of the greatest there is, not just in blues but anything. He’s an alien.” Samantha Fish names the five guitar players she says will keep the blues alive
- “He said, ‘How do you record an 11-minute song in one take? It's perfect!’” As Rush prepare for their 2026 tour, Alex Lifeson recalls the group’s most complicated song — and the bizarre dreams that inspired their music
- 19 of this year’s best October Prime Day deals for guitarists are still live – including a highly rated PRS SE with $200 off
October 8
- "It's a slowed-down way of doing it. But I'd rather take something than nothing at all." Ritchie Blackmore is heading out on tour after his health scares. Here's how he plans to do it
- Hurry! When they're gone, they're gone. These dirt-cheap Prime Day pedal deals end today – build a killer budget pedalboard with stomps starting from just $27.99!
- “Is it possible that this anticipated heavy metal?” Donovan says he, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones sowed the seeds for Led Zeppelin and the future of hard rock with this 1968 hit song
- Quick! My go-to acoustic guitar for new players has a whopping $136 off, making it more affordable than ever - but hurry, as the sale ends today
October 7
- “I used to hate it when it came on the radio." Bob Dylan on the Neil Young song that got under his skin — for the most personal reason of all
- “Ken Parker eliminated all the things that normally go wrong with Fenders and Gibsons.” Adrian Belew leads the tributes to master luthier Ken Parker, who has died aged 73
- “The last thing I wanted to be was a stand-in for Eric Clapton.” Peter Frampton says George Harrison failed to tell him one crucial detail about playing at this groundbreaking 1971 concert
- Forget Amazon Prime Day, the Musician's Friend Rocktober sale is the place to go for seriously discounted guitar gear – including $800 off this Steve Lukather-approved Ernie Ball Music Man
- Forget big-ticket gear like guitars, these Amazon Prime Day accessories and essentials are the ones that are worth your attention
- There's only one day left to shop Guitar Center's massive Guitar-A-Thon, and honestly, it's better than anything you'll find in the final day of Amazon's Prime Day sale
- Amazon just chopped up to $54 off Loog kid’s guitars for Prime Day, so I’m getting my 3-year-old’s Christmas gift sorted early
October 6
- “We got the guitars out, and then things loosened up.” George Harrison on the 1968 visit with Bob Dylan that changed his future in the Beatles
- Universal Audio's insane Rocktober software sale just landed, and it includes 5 plugins I think every home producer should have in their arsenal
- "It's time for a celebration of 50-something years of RUSH music!" Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee announce Rush will tour in 2026
- “We played it over and over — it was just this great hypnotic beast.” Jimmy Page on the Led Zeppelin riff he couldn’t stop playing
- “He was hitting me with a guitar at the time.” Roger Daltrey on the day he knocked out Pete Townshend — and how the Who battled on after the sudden death of bass guitarist John Entwistle
October 5
- “The coolest acoustic-electric guitar gadget of the past decade is now better than ever.” We review the new ToneWoodAmp2 Portable Effects Processor for Acoustic-Electric Guitars
- "Slide like Joe Walsh!" Brett Garsed teaches his angled-slide technique that lets you play lines like Walsh used in the James Gang and Eagles — but in standard tuning
- “That’s a terrible idea for a song!” “Margaritaville” writer Jimmy Buffett didn’t listen to his critics. Here’s how a bad day, a traffic jam and a rejection from Elvis Presley turned out just fine for him
October 3
- “I said, ‘That really f**ked my head up.’ He goes, ‘I don’t need to be reminded of my failings.’” Elliot Easton opens up about the Cars’ Ric Ocasek and says new music is coming featuring the group’s five original members
- “Death’s been knocking at my door for the last six years. At some point I’m gonna have to let him in.” Ozzy Osbourne reflected on his imminent demise weeks before his passing
- “Even when he was drunk, his guitar playing was unbeatable.” How Eric Clapton trounced George Harrison in a guitar duel. The prize was like no other
- “I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wish I had.” Jimmy Page remembers original Yardbirds guitarist Chris Dreja, who has died at age 79
October 2
- “I had never heard the guitar quite sound like this.” Robert Fripp on the Brian Eno creation that made him feel truly “liberated” as a guitarist
- “When we broke up, I went into that dark place. I didn’t give a s**t about the music anymore.” The breakup that nearly made Eric Clapton quit music
October 1
- “I’ll have Frankenstein, my wife, and we’re good.” Wolfgang Van Halen says he kept Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein in his car and ready to go at a moment's notice during the “doomsday” L.A. wildfires
- “I’ll be your guitar player!” As Keith Urban announces his divorce from Nicole Kidman, he calls out guitarist Maggie Baugh with a suggestive lyric change to his chart-topping hit
- “I said, ‘Why’d you buy my cottage?’ He said ‘You wrote all those bloody songs there!’” Donovan says David Gilmour bought his former home to channel his songwriting magic