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

Peavey's Classic 20 tube combo can be yours with $100 off at Sweetwater's Cyber Monday sale
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
With two channels, lush reverb and volume-attenuation switches, this tube amp is perfect for stage, rehearsal and bedroom practice

This new Yamaha Pacifica is “near perfect” as is. It’s absolute perfection with $200 off at Sweetwater’s Cyber Monday event.
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
If you’ve been lusting after a Pacifica model, now’s the right time to grab one

This Limited Edition Player II Strat is discounted $240 and going fast at Fender’s Cyber Monday sale
By Christopher Scapelliti published
It's one of nearly 80 guitars on sale at Fender right now

One simple tweak makes this PRS SE NF3 nearly perfect. Get it on sale for $679 and save $120 for the mod
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
With a pull switch and a set of SE locking tuners, this Indonesian-made axe gets “dangerously close” to PRS’s U.S. builds - get it while it's still on sale!

So good, I'm buying it myself. UAD's Guitar Amp Bundle is just $99 and includes 50+ more plug-ins on Cyber Monday
By Christopher Scapelliti published
With a total value of nearly $500, this is a chance you don't want to miss

So many pedal deals, so little time: The best deals on guitar pedals right now
By Scott Rowley, Michael Astley-Brown, Christopher Scapelliti, Matt McCracken published
Huge savings on small boxes that make big noises. A guide to the best pedal deals right now

Need some grit in your tone? Boss SD-1 Super OverDrives are dirt cheap on Cyber Monday
By Christopher Scapelliti published
If you've never discovered the power of this legendary workhorse, now is the time

A travel guitar "so good you won't believe it isn't a regular solidbody." Take 20% off during Amazon's Cyber Monday sale
By Christopher Scapelliti published
With a body roughly half the size of a standard electric guitar, the Donner Hush-X still sounds every bit as good

Improve your studio workflow and save $200 on the UA Apollo Twin X DUO Gen 2 during Sweetwater's Cyber Monday sale
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Want even more processing power? Check out these other deals going on all month

Black Friday guitar deals 2024: Black Friday is officially over but you can still grab a great guitar gear deal
By Matt McCracken last updated
Black Friday may be done for this year, but there are still loads of great savings available and we've got the best of them

Stevie Ray Vaughan explains his left-handed vibrato and why Albert King was filing his nails during his solo
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Stevie revealed the stories behind both oddities in a now-historic 1984 interview with Guitar Player

Save $150 — nearly 45% — on the Sterling by Music Man Cutlass CT30HSS during Sweetwater’s Black Friday Sale
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Available in a range of colors, there's something here to satisfy the eye of every beginning guitarist

Up to $170 off Fender Meteora guitars and basses at Sweetwater's Black Friday deals
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Available in a range of finishes and boasting Fireball pickups with modern electronics, these are versatile workhorses with stylish looks

Save up to half off on Electro-Harmonix guitar pedals at Musicians Friend on Black Friday
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The big deals are the Pulsar Stereo Tremolo and Satisfaction Plus, but Big Muffs and more are on sale too

Neural DSP Quad Cortex Bundle Deal, only at Sweetwater this Black Friday
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The popular amp emulator gets even better with a free gigbag and Eminence speaker emulations

Eric Clapton and Duane Allman’s guitar tandem was the essence of the blues tradition
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The co-writer of many 'Layla' tracks sheds light on the symbiotic relationship between the two guitarists

Why did the Beatles play Epiphone Casinos? It all comes back to one man
By Christopher Scapelliti published
John Mayall brought some famous guitarists to the fore. He also turned the Beatles on to one of their defining guitar models

An unusual guitar is at the center of a mystery about the Beatles' White Album
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The rare fretless guitar appears to have been used on "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "Helter Skelter"

“Bobby came in and he went, ‘Da-da-da-da-da-da-da DUH-daaa!’ I said, ‘That’s the only thing you think I should do?’” George Benson tells how one small change turned the song “Breezin’” into an instrumental guitar sensation
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
The guitarist also shares how he got his Gibson Johnny Smith guitar for a steal

Mary Ford made her name as Les Paul’s singing guitar partner. At long last she’s getting her own signature Gibson Les Paul
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
The latest addition to Gibson's Les Paul line, it's the first public release of an ultra-rare signature model from the Golden Era

Rich Williams recalls how his choice of guitar picks ruined a day’s worth of playing on the biggest hit Kansas ever had
By Gary Graff published
The problem was made worse by the fact that he'd quadruple-tracked his guitars

Roughly the size of a nine-volt battery, the Cicada may be the world’s smallest effect pedal in production
By Christopher Scapelliti published

“People always say I’m the Beatle who changed the most.” How playing sitar helped George Harrison become a guitar legend
By Christopher Scapelliti published
While all the elements of Harrison’s guitar style were falling into place, the Beatles were falling apart. Here’s what happened
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