Gear Fractal’s new VP4 virtual pedalboard puts hundreds of classic stompbox and studio effect models at guitarists' feet The floor-based processor features effects based on the award-winning Axe-Fx III Former Beatle John Lennon's weirdest guitar is one of the last he played It's John Lennon's birthday. We take a look at a rare guitar that was one of just two he used on his final album Yngwie Malmsteen reveals the 60-year history behind his new MXR signature overdrive As the Swedish virtuoso tells Guitar Player, “I wanted a Marshall. But it wasn’t enough to create the sound in my head.” Latest gear For those about to rock: we salute the Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive which has wowed lead guitarists for over 40 years with its jagged, granular tone By Dave Hunter published 25 November 23 Boss brought out the SD-1 Super OverDrive in 1981, refining the circuit for more gain and aggression and adding a tone knob – and it’s sold by the millions “I dreamt up the Super Distortion because I wanted to improve my guitar without chiseling a hole in the body!” On its 50th anniversary, guitarist and inventor Larry DiMarzio remembers how his company changed electric guitars forever By Art Thompson published 24 November 23 A massive hit with everyone from Kiss to The Grateful Dead, Larry DiMarzio’s pickup was the start of something big The mission: create a better kind of S-style guitar. Joe Knaggs on the inspiration behind his stunning hardtail-bridge-toting Severn Trem SSS By Art Thompson published 20 November 23 "I had a ’61 Stratocaster and wanted the same style of guitar with a fretboard radius of eight and a half inches, so it wouldn’t fret out when I’d bend strings…" Meet the drool-some "Telecaster-version" yellow Severn Trem SSS One of the rarest and most sought-after Japanese-made Teiscos, the 1968 May Queen is a guitar designed for players, not just beginners By Terry Carleton published 25 October 23 Made for just one year, Teisco's May Queen was three times the price of its regular guitars. There's a reason for that… What Did Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, and the Jackson 5 Have in Common? They All Embraced the Kustom Look and Sound By Dave Hunter published 29 September 23 These bold, punchy solid-state amps rocked the backlines of many noteworthy stars All You Need to Know About Gibson PAF Humbuckers By Dave Hunter published 29 September 23 These hum-cancelling pickups are legendary for their tone, but is the “magic” just hype? A Firm Favorite of Ry Cooder and Dan Auerbach, Here's Why the Humble Gold-Foil Pickup Can Deliver About as Much Aural Magic as Any of the A-List Coils By Dave Hunter published 26 September 23 The cult of the gold-foil has acquired a mystique and made its place among us With a Surprising History Dating Back to the 1940s, Carvin Later Achieved Kudos With Endorsements by Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth and Joe Walsh By Dave Hunter published 20 September 23 Launched as a post-WWII startup, the firm grew into a guitar gear giant, one catalog sale at a time Played by Keith Richards and Peter Buck, Fender’s Humbucker-Loaded Telecaster Custom is a CBS Classic By Dave Hunter published 1 September 23 Punchy, powerful and versatile, version two of the Telecaster Custom carries a big slab of Seth Lover-certified humbucker mojo Are Vintage Pickups Better Than Modern Pickups? Here's What You Need To Know By Dave Hunter published 30 August 23 There was no mystical fairy dust sprinkled between the windings in Fullerton or Kalamazoo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Archives Get The Pick NewsletterAll the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors LATEST ARTICLES1Watch Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson shred “Crossroads” in this exclusive new video from the G3 reunion tour2Fender's new American Ultra II series boasts faster necks, advanced pickups and fresh contours to modernize its recipes 3“An addictively responsive gem of a humbucker.” Bare Knuckle releases a PAF-style humbucker set in collaboration with producer Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood 4“Eddie asked me to show the solo to him, because he’d forgotten it”: Jennifer Batten recalls re-teaching EVH his 'Beat It' solo5“Eddie asked me to show the solo to him, because he’d forgotten it”: Jennifer Batten recalls re-teaching EVH his 'Beat It' solo
For those about to rock: we salute the Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive which has wowed lead guitarists for over 40 years with its jagged, granular tone By Dave Hunter published 25 November 23 Boss brought out the SD-1 Super OverDrive in 1981, refining the circuit for more gain and aggression and adding a tone knob – and it’s sold by the millions
“I dreamt up the Super Distortion because I wanted to improve my guitar without chiseling a hole in the body!” On its 50th anniversary, guitarist and inventor Larry DiMarzio remembers how his company changed electric guitars forever By Art Thompson published 24 November 23 A massive hit with everyone from Kiss to The Grateful Dead, Larry DiMarzio’s pickup was the start of something big
The mission: create a better kind of S-style guitar. Joe Knaggs on the inspiration behind his stunning hardtail-bridge-toting Severn Trem SSS By Art Thompson published 20 November 23 "I had a ’61 Stratocaster and wanted the same style of guitar with a fretboard radius of eight and a half inches, so it wouldn’t fret out when I’d bend strings…" Meet the drool-some "Telecaster-version" yellow Severn Trem SSS
One of the rarest and most sought-after Japanese-made Teiscos, the 1968 May Queen is a guitar designed for players, not just beginners By Terry Carleton published 25 October 23 Made for just one year, Teisco's May Queen was three times the price of its regular guitars. There's a reason for that…
What Did Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, and the Jackson 5 Have in Common? They All Embraced the Kustom Look and Sound By Dave Hunter published 29 September 23 These bold, punchy solid-state amps rocked the backlines of many noteworthy stars
All You Need to Know About Gibson PAF Humbuckers By Dave Hunter published 29 September 23 These hum-cancelling pickups are legendary for their tone, but is the “magic” just hype?
A Firm Favorite of Ry Cooder and Dan Auerbach, Here's Why the Humble Gold-Foil Pickup Can Deliver About as Much Aural Magic as Any of the A-List Coils By Dave Hunter published 26 September 23 The cult of the gold-foil has acquired a mystique and made its place among us
With a Surprising History Dating Back to the 1940s, Carvin Later Achieved Kudos With Endorsements by Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth and Joe Walsh By Dave Hunter published 20 September 23 Launched as a post-WWII startup, the firm grew into a guitar gear giant, one catalog sale at a time
Played by Keith Richards and Peter Buck, Fender’s Humbucker-Loaded Telecaster Custom is a CBS Classic By Dave Hunter published 1 September 23 Punchy, powerful and versatile, version two of the Telecaster Custom carries a big slab of Seth Lover-certified humbucker mojo
Are Vintage Pickups Better Than Modern Pickups? Here's What You Need To Know By Dave Hunter published 30 August 23 There was no mystical fairy dust sprinkled between the windings in Fullerton or Kalamazoo