Christopher Scapelliti
Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of GuitarPlayer.com and the former editor of Guitar Player, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
Latest articles by Christopher Scapelliti

Klon sues Behringer's parent company for "blatant counterfeit" of its iconic overdrive pedal
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The lawsuit accuses Music Tribe of “willful trademark counterfeiting" and seeks damages and injunctive relief

Joe Bonamassa shares AI-generated deepfake video of himself created to deceive fans
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Scammers doctored a video clip that the blues giant posted in 2021 by adding an AI-generated voice speaking an entirely different message

John Fogerty didn’t want his Creedence Clearwater Revival guitar back. He got it anyway and revived his love for his classic tracks
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The guitar played a crucial role in Fogerty making his new album, 'Legacy,' on which he re-creates 20 CCR cuts

Brian May on the mind-blowing difference between seeing Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix perform in the 1960s
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
May also cited Jeff Beck as a guitarist who changed his thinking about guitar playing in his most formative years

Randy Bachman on his jaw-dropping introduction to Stephen Stills at Neil Young’s 70th birthday party
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Bachman and Young have been friends since they were teens in Winnipeg. But he never met Stills until Young’s 70th birthday party

Mike Campbell on the hit-making studio technology that mystified Bob Dylan
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
Dylan was smitten with Campbell's LinnDrum and thought it held the secret to creating a chart-topping song as he returned to secular music in the 1980s

Rick Derringer told us how he inspired Duane Allman to become the greatest slide guitarist in rock
By Christopher Scapelliti published
"Johnny Winter showed me a lot,” said the guitarist, who died May 26. Little did he know he would himself prove influential to slide's GOAT

Mark Knopfler’s now-famous guitar sound on one of Dire Straits’ biggest hits was all down to dumb luck
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Brothers in Arms producer Neil Dorfsman made the revelation in a TikTok video shared on the band's account

Jim Irsay, who owned the guitars of David GIlmour, Eric Clapton, Prince, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and others, has died
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Irsay, who owned the Indianapolis Colts football team, was an avid collector who shared his collection with the public and other guitarists

Neil Young on his Old Black Les Paul and the amp that's been his go-to for nearly 60 years
By Jas Obrecht published
The guitarist shared deep details on his Les Paul, Fender Deluxe and Whizzer controller in a classic interview from our archive

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey don’t see eye to eye on his guitar-smashing past
By Christopher Scapelliti published
As the Who prepare for the final tour, all bets are off on whether or not Townshend will return to his guitar-trashing ways

Eric Clapton on his friendship with George Harrison and the shocking time he was nearly asked to join the Beatles
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Harrison and Clapton bonded through guitars and music in 1968 at a time when both were struggling through major changes in their careers

An acoustic guitar owned by George Harrison and Eric Clapton — with a Beatles and Cream connection — is being sold for $1 million
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Dubbed Pattie, the guitar is named for Pattie Boyd, the former wife of both Harrison and Clapton

Paul Rodgers reveals guitarist Mick Ralphs' role in the origins of Bad Company’s name
By Christopher Scapelliti published
In a new interview with Trunk Nation, Rodgers reflects on Bad Company's upcoming — and long-awaited — Rock Hall induction

Pete Townshend on the Who's real lead guitar player
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The Who's guitarist and bassist said their inadvertent switching of the lead guitar and bass roles confused fans, while it defined the Who's sound

How a misheard John Lennon lyric led Bob Dylan to meet the Beatles and change both their destinies
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Drawn together by mutual admiration, the Beatles and Dylan would push each other to new phases of their artistry. And it started with one song

Jill Sobule’s last song was a profane rant against J.D. Vance
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Sobule penned the viral hit shortly before her death last week, pushing her back into spotlight one final time

Brian May said Freddie Mercury edged him out of this chart-topping Queen hit.
By Christopher Scapelliti published
John Lennon reportedly said the tune spurred him into recording again, resulting in his final album, 1980’s 'Double Fantasy'

Lita Ford weighs in on what's more important — your guitar or your amp
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The six-stringer is the latest to answer the question, adding her insights to those of Yvette Young and Doug Aldrich

Positive Grid’s Spark Neo headphones had our reviewer feeling like he was recording in a pro studio
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The Spark line's latest addition delivers an immersive experience that puts all of Positive Grid's amp and effect tones in sharp detail

Alex Lifeson on the Rush album that was the most fun to make
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Made in the brutal cold of a Canadian winter, 'Moving Pictures' became their biggest-selling album and spawned several of the group's now classic tracks

Andy Summers on the Police song Sting refused to perform on — and how he had the last laugh
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The instrumental guitar track from 1980's 'Zenyatta Mondatta' went on to win a Grammy award for the group, defying all expectations

How Jerry Lee Lewis terrorized Rory Gallagher, Dave Davies and Ritchie Blackmore
By Christopher Scapelliti published
They didn't call him "the Killer" for nothing. Said Blackmore, “I was a big fan, but I was very frightened of him”

Mark Knopfler on his difficult collaboration with his childhood hero, Bob Dylan
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The guitarist was at his peak with Dire Straits when Dylan hired him to produce 'Infidels,' the celebrated album that marked the born-again Christian's return to secular music

Paul McCartney explains how the Beatles introduced harmonized guitar leads to rock and roll with one remarkable song
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
Absent from rock for years before the Fabs used them, dual lead lines would eventually be embraced by 1970s guitarists ranging from Brian May to Tom Scholz
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