Frank Zappa

Latest about Frank Zappa

Adrian Belew of King Crimson, portrait, at Tent, Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 6th September 1982,
It's ugly and beat to hell, but Adrian Belew's Stratocaster is behind landmark albums

By Andrew Daly Published

The guitarist told us the history of his Strat, which he bought off the wall after his previous axe disappeared

Electric Guitars
Dweezil Zappa and Eddie Van Halen
Dweezil Zappa on the time he taught Eddie Van Halen how to play one of his dad’s most difficult riffs

By Phil Weller Published

Dweezil had looked up to Eddie all his life, but the apprentice became the master one night in 2010

Guitarists
Dweezil Zappa (left) and Frank Zappa perform onstage
Dweezil Zappa reveals the ins and outs of Frank Zappa's futuristic setup

By Jackson Maxwell Published

Though guitar gear, of course, has advanced in leaps and bounds since Frank Zappa's heyday, the elder Zappa enthusiastically pushed its technological limits

Amps
(from left) Dweezil Zappa, Eddie Van Halen and Frank Zappa perform onstage
"I showed Eddie Van Halen some of what I had to learn in order to pull off Frank’s music... Eddie said, 'Who would've thought that you'd be giving me a guitar lesson!': How Dweezil Zappa took EVH inside his father's playing, and left him in awe

By Jackson Maxwell Published

In this vintage GP interview, Dweezil also reflected on the idiosyncratic nature of his father's soloing, and how the elder Zappa worked around his technical limitations

Lessons
Adrian Belew (left) and Frank Zappa perform onstage
Adrian Belew recounts his audition with Frank Zappa: "We sat on his purple couch. I placed my Pignose amplifier face down on it so I could get a little bit of sustain... At the end of it, he reached out his hand and said, ‘You got the job’"

By Jimmy Leslie Published

Belew got the gig in the end, but his audition was anything but smooth sailing...

Guitarists
Steve Lukather from TOTO onstage at the Over Oslo Festival on June 20, 2019 in Oslo, Norway.
“My Goal Was Simply Longevity – to Have a Long Career – Not to Become Famous”: Steve Lukather Looks Back on His Extraordinary Life as a Guitarist

By Jude Gold Published

From Toto and Boz Scaggs to Michael Jackson and Ringo Starr, it’s hard to name a guitarist who has landed more dream gigs than Luke

Guitarists
Adrian Belew performs with 'David Bowie' at the Fresno Convention Center in Fresno, California on April 2, 1978.
“He Just Wanted Me to Go Wild on the Guitar”: Adrian Belew Reveals How David Bowie Helped Him Become a More Creative Player

By Mark McStea Published

The guitarist recalls his “wild and unusual” approach to recording the final instalment of Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, 'Lodger'

Music
L-R: Guitarists Bill Frisell, Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp
Sick of Playing the Same Old Lead Lines? Here’s How Guitar Players Like Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell and Frank Zappa Broke the Mold

By Patrick Brennan Published

Learn to play “outside” by superimposing arpeggios over chord changes

Lessons
Musitronics Mu-Tron III
Favored by Frank Zappa and Jerry Garcia, the Musitronics Mu-Tron III Combined Wild Sonics and Creative Usability

By Dave Hunter Published

Unveiled in 1972, this pioneering envelope filter was a near-instant hit

Pedals & Pedalboards
John Frusciante performs with his band IKE in the San Fernandi Valley, CA in 1987.
Watch a “17-Year-Old” John Frusciante Shredding Like Steve Vai in the ‘80s

By Rod Brakes Published

VIDEO The teenage guitarist shows off some fretboard pyrotechnics in this rare clip of his pre-Red Hot Chili Peppers band, IKE

VIDEO
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