Phil Weller
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
Latest articles by Phil Weller
PRS launches the triple humbucker-equipped, Strat-style SE NF3 model
By Phil Weller published
A spin of sorts on the company's ultra-popular John Mayer signature Silver Sky, the new model brings PRS's Narrowfield pickups into the company's SE line for the first time
Watch newly unearthed footage of Van Halen performing Top of the World in 1991
By Phil Weller published
The previously unreleased video shows Van Halen shred the biggest hit from ‘91’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge at the West End Marketplace in Dallas, with a newly remastered extended version of the album set for release next month
Brian May on the one pedal that has come close to nailing his sound
By Phil Weller published
The pedal comes in at a mere $180 – but May adds that there is one thing it can’t do
G&L is bringing back the Rampage for its first production run in nearly 40 years
By Phil Weller published
The no-nonsense Strat-style build has become a cult classic thanks to Jerry Cantrell, and a new-and-improved model is set to hit the market later this year
Ian Bairnson's Wuthering Heights Les Paul Custom surpasses expectations as it's sold at auction
By Phil Weller published
Bairnson famously played the solo with a broken arm, and the guitar he used, which featured on Kate Bush's first four albums, more than doubled its estimated value of £10,000
Adrian Belew on the time Seymour Duncan set fire to his Strat – and inadvertently created the first relic’d guitar
By Phil Weller published
Belew had sought the expertise of his friend Seymour Duncan to fix his “ugly-ass guitar” – but he didn’t expect his trigger-happy solution
The story of how Fender nearly worked with Les Paul
By Phil Weller published
Leo Fender saw the potential of Les Paul’s solidbody guitar concept, but the latter opted not to work with the legendary luthier
Gibson recreates Charlie Starr's beloved 1956 Les Paul Junior for a limited signature model
By Phil Weller published
The guitar, which once belonged to Georgia Satellites guitarist Rick Richards, has been a key fixture in Blackberry Smoke's career
Brian May is in talks with Gibson to produce new Red Special replicas
By Phil Weller published
Speculation regarding what the new May-Gibson partnership will produce has been hotting up, and now May has poured fuel on the fire
Ritchie Blackmore's first Strat came from Eric Clapton's collection
By Phil Weller published
Blackmore might be a Stratocaster icon now, but if it wasn’t for a bargain deal courtesy of Eric Clapton’s roadie, he may never have been
Joe Perry talks about the guitar that got away from him – and it’s not a Les Paul
By Phil Weller published
When Joe Perry left Aerosmith in 1979, he wanted to distance himself from the band – and the guitars that defined his tenure with them – which meant that one beloved guitar regrettably slipped away
EarthQuaker Devices and Death By Audio’s fan-favorite “tone mangling” pedal has been updated for a full production run
By Phil Weller published
Only 1,000 copies of the original multi-delay pedal were produced, but now the pedal has been given new features and treated to a full-scale production run
Pro-shot footage of Eddie Van Halen and Leslie West jamming emerges online
By Phil Weller published
The pair were joined onstage by Mountain drummer Corky Laing for a rendition of Mountain's Never In My Life, with West later revealing that Van Halen knew the track better than he did
Gibson's Custom Shop exactingly recreates Jason Isbell and Ed King's legendary “Red Eye” Les Paul with ultra-limited edition replica
By Phil Weller published
Cutting-edge techniques were employed to build the most accurate version of the classic '59 Burst, and only 59 copies are being made
Robin Trower forced to cancel US dates amid ongoing health issues
By Phil Weller published
The guitarist played his first run of shows in five years last week, but has now announced he needs time to recover from an impending and imperative operation
John 5 on being gifted a guitar by Eddie Van Halen
By Phil Weller published
The guitarist says no one shaped his playing more than Van Halen, making the instrument a gift that he will always cherish
Blackstar adds a key feature to its highly affordable practice amp
By Phil Weller published
The 10-watt ID:Core 10 V4 Bluetooth combo packs the same features as the rest of the V4 series, but adds extra connectivity for bedroom players and beyond
Fender launches its biggest Tone Master Pro update yet
By Phil Weller published
Thanks to the brand-new firmware rollout, Fender’s star amp modeler is also now controllable via phone
Mastery unveils a problem-solving archtop bridge for Bigsby B3 vibratos
By Phil Weller published
The bridge features aircraft-grade aluminum and adjustable saddles as the firm looks to solve the tuning issues prevalent in Bigsby systems
Robbie Robertson’s heavily modified Telecaster, played by Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, sells for $650,000
By Phil Weller published
The guitar played a pivotal role in Dylan’s storied career, has been played by Eric Clapton, and features on records by Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Ringo Starr
John 5 played his Goldie Telecaster so much that Fender feared for his health
By Phil Weller published
The Telecaster obsessive owns over 100 different models, but there’s one he loves above all others, and the wear and tear he inflicted on it had its makers worried
John Lennon’s Help! Framus 12-string becomes one of the most expensive guitars to ever sell at auction
By Phil Weller published
The acoustic is now the most expensive Beatles guitar to ever sell at auction, having been lost for 50 years
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee make surprise appearance at Gordon Lightfoot tribute concert
By Phil Weller published
Rush's surviving members joined alt-country band Blue Rodeo for a salute to the late singer/songwriter in the form of a progged-up version of one of his mid-'60s classics
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