Latest articles by Art Thompson
"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
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Diamond Rowe Monarkh is a superb rock machine. The EverTune bridge makes it invincible
Created for Diamond Rowe, co-founder and lead guitarist for Tetrarch, this new Jackson model is versatile enough to work for rock, blues and country
Meet 30 players who tapped, twanged, sweep-picked and shredded the 1980s to its greatest glory
From Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Daniel Ash and Jamie West-Oram, we present the decades' greatest players across the genres
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
Guitar Player presents 50 badass blues guitar solos you must hear
From the players of old to the guitarists shaping the blues scene, this list serves up a cross section of the genre’s finest solos from across nearly a century of guitar blues
"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
We reviewed the Dixon Hummingbird 15 tube combo and decided less is definitely more
Boasting top-notch build and minimal features, it's an ideal pedal platform and a solid performer that morphs from rhythm to lead via your picking or guitar volume
The DOD 250 Overdrive/Pre gets an appealing 50th anniversary makeover
This welcome revision of an American classic is limited to just 1,974 copies
Tom Petty shared his greatest advice on rhythm guitar playing in a long-lost 1997 interview
The guitarist, who died on October 2, 2017, also gave his insights on Telecasters and Rickenbackers and the art of songwriting
“A satisfying pedal that’s loaded with cool distortion textures”: Danelectro Nichols 1966 review
A reissue of a stompbox that company owner and Foxx founder Steve Ridinger designed and started making when he was just 14, the Nichols 1966 has plenty of retro flavor, with just as many modern applications
“The ne plus ultra of LP Junior–style axes”: Knaggs SSC-J Steve Stevens Signature review
This well-built, sonically-pleasing six-string has become, the Billy Idol guitarist tells us, Steve Stevens' recording guitar of choice
Back from the brink, Dean Guitars is here to bring the ruckus to guitar craftsmanship
After years of external and internal legal battles – some of which remain ongoing – Dean is back with a new lease on life, fresh ideas, and an even more rebellious attitude
Before he became a reliable rock hitmaker, Steve Miller was a child protégé of Les Paul
In an interview with GP, the Steve Miller Band leader recalled the monumental impression Paul left on him as a youngster
Fender 70th Anniversary Ultra Stratocaster HSS review
Graced with a stunning, sports car-like finish, this guitar is a versatile salute to the genius of Leo Fender
Keeley Electronics Super Rodent, Muse Driver, Blues Disorder and Angry Orange review
The ability to mix and match different drive and tone stacks on these pedals gives them impressive sonic range and flexibility
Donner Triple Threat review
The Triple Threat is an ideal thing to put in your gig bag when you need just a few effects, in a package that takes up less floor space than a lot of single-effect pedals
PRS SE CE24, SE Custom 24 Quilt and SE Swamp Ash Special review
Based on two models that date back to the 1980s, and a late-90s/early-'00s-era outlier model, these new offshore-built guitars have playability, build quality, and tonal versatility in spades
“The Brown setting is the closest you’ll get to playing one of Eddie Van Halen’s Super Leads – at least in a pedal”: UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead Amp review
The Lion’s ability to replicate the attitude, pureness of tone and touch responsiveness of vintage Marshalls, and then combine it all with emulations of the right speakers and cabs, makes it one impressive package
“Elvis loved the way we took his stuff and went into another dimension with it”: James Burton on his time with Elvis Presley, and the origins of “Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building”
Burton – a major influence on classic rock guitar luminaries like Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Brian May – was held in very high regard by Presley
"A reminder of just how far ahead of the curve Leo Fender was in 1950": Here's why the Vintera II series guitars sound as good as they look
Reviewed: Vintera II ’50s, Jazzmaster ’60s, Telecaster and ’70s Mustang.
Based on a prized guitar from Bonamassa’s vintage collection, The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1963 SG Custom is an obvious choice for anyone who’s been priced out of the market for a vintage Gibson
”The SG Custom was a class act back in the day, and Epiphone’s latest version is every bit as appealing”: The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1963 SG Custom reviewed
Shelved for 15 years of tinkering, Totally Wycked Audio's homage to the early ’70s Maestro Bass Brassmaster, the Krytical Mass KM-01 Reactive Octave Fuzz, is finally here. And it's totally Wycked…
Totally Wycked Audio's Krytical Mass KM-01 Reactive Octave Fuzz is modern, but with a vintage soul and if you're a fuzz fanatic this stompbox has to be high on your audition list
"When I play with a pick and without a capo, I have a tendency to go right over to B.B. King's or Buddy Guy's house. I can't help it. But when I use the capo, I think I sound more like me." Jimmie Vaughan's wicked tone secrets
One from the Guitar Player archives: a 1998 interview with Jimmie Vaughan on tone, recording secrets, fat strings and more…
Gear of the Year: The best guitars, amps, pedals and more of 2023
Our guide to the greatest guitars, amps, pedals and accessories of 2023, handpicked by the Guitar Player team
“I did just build a Chena with World War II fighter planes on it for a guy”: With celebrity fans including Billy Morrison and Steve Stevens, luxury guitar maker Joe Knaggs sets his sights on six-string perfection
Joe Knaggs started at PRS guitars before forming his own company. Their goal? To make high-end instruments that “ignite the senses and summon the muse”. Discover his unique take on guitar design and plans for the future
