Latest articles by Phil Weller
Watch Andy Summers teach John Mayer how to play “Message in a Bottle”
Mayer was due to perform with the British trio, but first Summers had to help him tackle a song he had struggled with himself
Eddie Van Halen’s ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli hopes a Van Halen biopic never happens, despite his brother putting plans in motion
The drummer has been determined to celebrate Van Halen's legacy in new ways, but Bertinelli says a film would be a bridge too far
Chapman Guitars owner Rob Chapman raises concerns about the impact Trump’s tariffs will have on the guitar industry
Chinese imports make up 43 percent of the instruments imported into the U.S., leading insiders to fear a music recession could result from Trump’s tariffs
Ritchie Blackmore on his first meeting with Jimmy Page, and early recording sessions with Jeff Beck
Today, the former Deep Purple guitarist is full of praise for his compatriot, but a 1975 interview suggests a slightly different narrative
Gene Simmons tells how he, Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley gave Kiss some British swagger
The bassist grew up adoring British bands and felt they had a wild, carefree attitude that U.S. acts lacked. Kiss set about changing that
Martin Barre on Jethro Tull’s famous Grammy triumph over Metallica 36 years on
Even the band’s label thought Metallica would win, so they refused to fly them out for the ceremony
Eric Clapton on the one guitarist who blew him away onstage
The pair had become great friends, but when Slowhand stepped up for a guest spot, he got thrown for a loop
Joe Perry on 'Toys in the Attic' and the riffs that saved Aerosmith from oblivion
After two under-performing albums that had seen their well of songs run dry, Aerosmith found inspiration from unlikely places and turned their fortunes around
Yvette Young gives her top tips for regret-free guitar shopping and recalls her worst impulse buy
The Ibanez signature artist also expains why in-person shopping helps save her from embarrassment
How a 20-year-old hot-shot guitarist convinced Eric Clapton to switch to Fender Strats
Having made his name with the Gibson brand in the mid to late 1960s, Clapton made the dramatic switch in the ‘70s and hasn’t looked back since
Martin Barre neglected one aspect of guitar until another famous player helped him see the light
The former Jethro Tull guitarist says, "There’s always some aspect that will grab me, and right now it’s my right-handed technique"
How The Kinks inspired Al Di Meola to write a fusion classic
And it turns out he inadvertently tracked it with Leslie West’s preferred guitar tone
Dweezil Zappa offers a look into his rare guitar vault with a one-of-a-kind MIDI and fretless Gibson SG
The heavily modded guitar is showcased across his 2015 'Via Zammata' album, where he demonstrates the value of its unusual features
Don't bother giving Chrissie Hynde a guitar. She's set for life with her Ice Blue Fender Telecaster
The Pretenders' frontwoman says guitar companies have tried to tempt her into playing their wares, but the punk guitarist in her has no mind to shop around
Andy Summers isn’t a fan of King Crimson — but his collaboration with Robert Fripp came at just the right time
He’d made his name in the mainstream, but after several albums with the Police, Andy Summers was looking for another guitarist to get weird with
How a candid moment caught on camera became the final Beatles song the band recorded together
"I Me Mine" wasn’t intended to make the 'Let It Be' album, but an executive decision forced what remained of the Beatles back into the studio to record it for one last hurrah
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 short and tumultuous reign of the Trio of Doom, as told by John McLaughlin
They could have been the world’s greatest jazz-fusion trio, but Jaco's undiagnosed bipolar disorder brought things to an end almost as soon as they started
Mick Rogers says he has Jeff Beck's final recording. Releasing it is another matter
The pair bonded over their love of rockabilly, but Beck's impending tour prevented them from re-uniting before the guitar legend's untimely passing
Ian Anderson and guitarist Mick Abrahams regroup the original Jethro Tull in 2002 for a return to their blues roots
The get-together reveals how the prog-rock innovators might have turned out were it not for Anderson's ambitions
Pete Townshend ponders using AI to re-create his ‘70s heyday for fans who prefer the Who's classic songs
The guitarist says he's growing increasingly frustrated by fans clamoring for him to play his old hits at solo shows
Reb Beach helped Bob Dylan work a whammy bar and earned a nickname in return
The folk rocker was mystified when he tried to tune his Floyd Rose–equipped guitar, leading Beach to step in and lend a hand
