magcontent “We’re the birthplace of blues, country and rock and roll music, and the guitar is at the core of all of it”: The America at the Crossroads exhibit charts the guitar’s history with instruments owned by Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and more A new exhibit at The MAX museum explores the guitar’s cultural impact through dozens of significant instruments – from a stunning custom Martin D-28 built for Elvis Presley's estate to a rickety Soviet-era Tonika model “The Opus might not displace your Helix, Fractal, Kemper or Quad Cortex, but it offers a lot of good-sounding emulation in a compact and usable package at a fraction of the price”: Two Notes Opus Amp Sim and IR Loader Unit review There’s a lot of sound and even more flexibility in this little box, and it should prove to be exactly what many guitarists are looking for “One of the beautiful things about Leo is one of the hardest things to do – forget that you’re playing a guitar and just feel like you’re playing music. He embodies that transcendence”: The lessons Julian Lage learned from acoustic master Leo Kottke As Lage further explores his unplugged instincts, he reflects on some of Kottke's humorous nuggets of wisdom – one being that readings from sometimes-unreliable electric tuners are “only a suggestion” Latest magcontent “The best solos have soul, feeling and chops. Players concerned with only playing fast are missing the point...”: With heavy themes and cameos from Alex Skolnick and Vernon Reid, Jane Getter's new album features her most inspired playing to date By Andrew Daly published 5 April 24 Channeling a multitude of influences, Getter has delivered a spunky record that transcends genre and easy categorization “My 1939 Martin was in a garbage bag for 15 years prior to me getting it in pieces. The neck was off and the body was crushed”: How unplugging reshaped Julian Lage's electric approach By Jimmy Leslie published 3 April 24 The jazz guitar virtuoso reveals how his Collings OM1 JL signature model came to be, and why a solo acoustic show can actually be more “raucous” than an electric-driven affair “The Brown setting is the closest you’ll get to playing one of Eddie Van Halen’s Super Leads – at least in a pedal”: UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead Amp review By Art Thompson published 2 April 24 The Lion’s ability to replicate the attitude, pureness of tone and touch responsiveness of vintage Marshalls, and then combine it all with emulations of the right speakers and cabs, makes it one impressive package Follow the lead of players like Mark Knopfler, Albert Collins, and Lindsey Buckingham, and open the door to new techniques and textures, with this primer in fingerstyle rock guitar By Jeff Jacobson published 28 March 24 Eddie Van Halen also incorporated fingerstyle to add another dimension to his playing, and so have modern virtuosos like Tim Henson, Lari Basilio, and Mateus Asato – learn how you can do the same “If a modern shred axe with a bayonet-sharp headstock and a floating Floyd suits your musical vibe, you’ll be thrilled with how useful this new guitar is”: Jackson American Series Virtuoso review By Jude Gold published 27 March 24 The Virtuoso is a welcome addition to the Jackson American Series family – a small, two-guitar family, yes, but a family nonetheless “I was playing the Breeders' Divine Hammer, and my whole hand cramped up, I couldn’t move it... It seemed so simple, but it was something I would never play”: J Mascis went electric for his new solo album, but (mostly) without his usual Jazzmaster By Richard Bienstock published 26 March 24 The Dinosaur Jr. frontman and alt-rock guitar hero will always be associated with Jazzmasters and Marshall stacks, but for his new solo album, What Do We Do Now, Strats, Teles, Vox amps, and even Flying Vs were on the menu instead “I went to Mickie Most's office with an acoustic guitar and played it. It was almost like one of those clichéd movie moments: he said, ‘That’s going to be a hit!’”: Session guitar ace Chris Spedding reveals the stories behind five of his best songs By Mark McStea published 25 March 24 A long-standing sideman to Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry and the late Robert Gordon, Chris Spedding is a master of tasteful playing – just don't expect him to spend too much time looking back at his voluminous discography “This exciting era of acoustic-electronic innovation hasn’t seen much action on the amp front, which makes this a welcome addition”: Taylor Circa 74 AV150-10 acoustic amplifier review By Jimmy Leslie published 21 March 24 This handsome, wood-crafted combo packs 150 watts into a 1x10 enclosure, and fits as easily into a home’s decor as it would a studio setting “As unusual as this model first presents, it becomes just another guitar once you’ve spent a little time with it, although a distinctive and characterful one”: The EBG-6 Jigsaw Crook is a post-modern masterpiece with tones as distinctive as its looks By Dave Hunter published 21 March 24 This unique build is a very expressive and willing creative tool, and an inspiring guitar by any measure “Slash came in with the riff, and I got behind the drum kit... we got it down real quick”: Lenny Kravitz breaks down 5 of his classic songs By Mark McStea published 20 March 24 High-octane collaborations, sudden, manufacturing-halting bursts of inspiration... the stories behind these songs are as eclectic as the tunes themselves 123456789Archives 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 MOST READ1Jimmy Page reflects on the Yardbirds, and his short-lived two-guitar tandem with Jeff Beck 2Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp, Mavis Staples honored by Bruce Springsteen at second annual American Music Honors 3Peter Frampton reveals the stories behind five of his classic tracks4PRS SE CE24, SE Custom 24 Quilt and SE Swamp Ash Special review 5How a deeply personal twist of events brought a beloved 'Burst into Vince Gill's life
“The best solos have soul, feeling and chops. Players concerned with only playing fast are missing the point...”: With heavy themes and cameos from Alex Skolnick and Vernon Reid, Jane Getter's new album features her most inspired playing to date By Andrew Daly published 5 April 24 Channeling a multitude of influences, Getter has delivered a spunky record that transcends genre and easy categorization
“My 1939 Martin was in a garbage bag for 15 years prior to me getting it in pieces. The neck was off and the body was crushed”: How unplugging reshaped Julian Lage's electric approach By Jimmy Leslie published 3 April 24 The jazz guitar virtuoso reveals how his Collings OM1 JL signature model came to be, and why a solo acoustic show can actually be more “raucous” than an electric-driven affair
“The Brown setting is the closest you’ll get to playing one of Eddie Van Halen’s Super Leads – at least in a pedal”: UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead Amp review By Art Thompson published 2 April 24 The Lion’s ability to replicate the attitude, pureness of tone and touch responsiveness of vintage Marshalls, and then combine it all with emulations of the right speakers and cabs, makes it one impressive package
Follow the lead of players like Mark Knopfler, Albert Collins, and Lindsey Buckingham, and open the door to new techniques and textures, with this primer in fingerstyle rock guitar By Jeff Jacobson published 28 March 24 Eddie Van Halen also incorporated fingerstyle to add another dimension to his playing, and so have modern virtuosos like Tim Henson, Lari Basilio, and Mateus Asato – learn how you can do the same
“If a modern shred axe with a bayonet-sharp headstock and a floating Floyd suits your musical vibe, you’ll be thrilled with how useful this new guitar is”: Jackson American Series Virtuoso review By Jude Gold published 27 March 24 The Virtuoso is a welcome addition to the Jackson American Series family – a small, two-guitar family, yes, but a family nonetheless
“I was playing the Breeders' Divine Hammer, and my whole hand cramped up, I couldn’t move it... It seemed so simple, but it was something I would never play”: J Mascis went electric for his new solo album, but (mostly) without his usual Jazzmaster By Richard Bienstock published 26 March 24 The Dinosaur Jr. frontman and alt-rock guitar hero will always be associated with Jazzmasters and Marshall stacks, but for his new solo album, What Do We Do Now, Strats, Teles, Vox amps, and even Flying Vs were on the menu instead
“I went to Mickie Most's office with an acoustic guitar and played it. It was almost like one of those clichéd movie moments: he said, ‘That’s going to be a hit!’”: Session guitar ace Chris Spedding reveals the stories behind five of his best songs By Mark McStea published 25 March 24 A long-standing sideman to Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry and the late Robert Gordon, Chris Spedding is a master of tasteful playing – just don't expect him to spend too much time looking back at his voluminous discography
“This exciting era of acoustic-electronic innovation hasn’t seen much action on the amp front, which makes this a welcome addition”: Taylor Circa 74 AV150-10 acoustic amplifier review By Jimmy Leslie published 21 March 24 This handsome, wood-crafted combo packs 150 watts into a 1x10 enclosure, and fits as easily into a home’s decor as it would a studio setting
“As unusual as this model first presents, it becomes just another guitar once you’ve spent a little time with it, although a distinctive and characterful one”: The EBG-6 Jigsaw Crook is a post-modern masterpiece with tones as distinctive as its looks By Dave Hunter published 21 March 24 This unique build is a very expressive and willing creative tool, and an inspiring guitar by any measure
“Slash came in with the riff, and I got behind the drum kit... we got it down real quick”: Lenny Kravitz breaks down 5 of his classic songs By Mark McStea published 20 March 24 High-octane collaborations, sudden, manufacturing-halting bursts of inspiration... the stories behind these songs are as eclectic as the tunes themselves