magcontent “Dave Friedman's amps deliver many of the things we love about big ’70s rock, molten ’80s metal, and modern high-gain guitar... If you want a handy sampling of these sounds that travels well, the JEL-20 might be your golden ticket”: Friedman JEL-20 review With its monster tones, is this the ultimate hard rock amp? “Link Wray does it all, but his style also reminds us how captivating a few well-chosen riffs can be when combined with compelling tone, passion, and musicality”: Link Wray's Rumble (1956–62) is an essential document of ‘less is more’ guitar playing A spin of this fantastic compilation will make you fall in love with the guitar all over again “What impressed me the most was, at 72 years old, the guy still gets excited like a little kid, like a true rock fan... He had a lot of ideas”: Steve Brown details the inspiring process of working with Ace Frehley on his shocking new album, 10,000 Volts The Trixter guitarist reckons that the one-time Kiss guitarist's new LP is his “best all-around songwriting record,” featuring the “best vocal performances he’s ever had on record” Latest magcontent “People used to show up in the parking lot and ask the crew to tell me that they had guitars to sell... One guy was facing trial and needed money for his lawyer. That's how I got my goldtop Les Paul”: Lenny Kravitz on recording, and unlikely gear finds By Mark McStea published 12 March 24 Since his first release, Lenny Kravitz has been the master of impeccable riffs, perfect guitar tone, and genre-melding music. As he releases his fiery new album, he takes GP inside his creative process and incredible collection of vintage guitars “Sly Stallone asked me about why AC/DC records sounded so powerful – I told him about tape compression...”: Survivor's The Eye of the Tiger beat out Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust for use in Rocky III – here's how the '80s smash came together By Mark McStea published 11 March 24 Though the rewards were ultimately huge, the process of putting together one of the most iconic rock songs of the 1980s – guitarist Frankie Sullivan tells GP – was sometimes a tense one “It’s mind-blowing to know I was a huge influence on a new crop of guitar players in the same way that Hendrix, Page, and Beck had an impact on me”: Ace Frehley on the creation of his new solo album, and the '59 Les Paul he'll forever regret selling By Ken Sharp published 8 March 24 Ace Frehley is back with a shockingly rocking new album in 10,000 Volts. Here, he tells GP about collaborating with Trixter's Steve Brown, re-working 40-year old demos, and the more unlikely guitars in his enviable collection “With a through-neck, two DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups, an onboard booster preamp, and a fixed adjustable wrap-around bridge, the B.C. Rich Mockingbird was the ultimate hard-rock weapon”: How a small Los Angeles shop changed the rock guitar game By Dave Hunter published 7 March 24 Used by the Runaways’ Lita Ford, the Alice Cooper tandem of Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, Slash, and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, the Mockingbird made the models of the '50s and ’60s look like old hat upon its mid-'70s debut “There’s a riff that represents my twisted idea of how Aerosmith might sound in 5/4”: How Guthrie Govan channeled his inner Steve Reich, and Steve Cropper, on the Aristocrats' humorous, musically dazzling new album, Duck By Joe Bosso published 6 March 24 Re-teaming with his fellow virtuosos for another roller coaster ride of an album, Govan was unafraid to explore yet more musical avenues and instruments, but in the end, it all always came back to his signature Charvel “Comically ridiculous appearance aside, this guitar plays great”: Boasting “a Mayan temple of angles” this custom Crosley Radio Tone guitar combines bizarro looks with snappy, versatile tone By Terry Carleton published 5 March 24 Made from a blue-and-gold 1950 Crosley E-15TN tube radio, this custom build has a truly wild appearance that belies its sound and playability. No matter what music you play on this guitar, seeing it will make people smile “When I went to my first meeting with Elton, I immediately hit him with ideas. Elton saw my willingness to put myself out there”: Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone reveals how learning the sitar benefited his guitar playing, and how (not) to get a gig By Joe Bosso published 5 March 24 After five decades and thousands of gigs with superstar Elton John, Davey Johnstone has plenty of valuable advice to help you reach the top of your game “I’ve seen a lot of guitars with multiple necks – often the player uses one or two necks at a time. I use all three on this guitar while also playing percussion”: How acoustic wizard Luca Stricagnoli wrangles his signature triple-neck beast By Jimmy Leslie published 28 February 24 Making rock, pop, metal, and even hip-hop classics his own with his trademark triple-neck acoustic, Stricagnoli's extraordinary virtuosity stands out, but there's far more to his playing than percussive hits and tapping acrobatics “Breathtakingly beautiful and strikingly different from just about everything that has come before”: An homage to the original Paisley Tele, Joe Yanuziello's stunning, Japanese paper-adorned Gold Paisley Washi Paper Deluxe is a guitar like no other By Dave Hunter published 27 February 24 With a precision-engineered, modded Bigsby, a trio of Curtis Novak’s Guyatone-style GT-V Tokyo Vintage pickups, and a fascinating blend of Telecaster, Les Paul, Guyatone, and Harmony aesthetics, this gorgeous build has incredible looks and equally incredible tone “The Black Hole Sun arpeggios were unusual for me – like the right side of a piano, or fairies dancing on a pin... I thought, ‘This is not me’”: Kim Thayil on how Soundgarden persevered through personal and musical frustrations to create Superunknown By Joe Bosso published 26 February 24 Soundgarden's lead guitarist goes deep into the creation of the band's most enduring and successful album – the effects (or lack thereof) of commercial success, the difficulty of nailing down Black Hole Sun, and the fun of creating “insane chaos psychedelia” solos 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 READ1“Dave Friedman's amps deliver many of the things we love about big ’70s rock, molten ’80s metal, and modern high-gain guitar... If you want a handy sampling of these sounds that travels well, the JEL-20 might be your golden ticket”: Friedman JEL-20 review2“Link Wray does it all, but his style also reminds us how captivating a few well-chosen riffs can be when combined with compelling tone, passion, and musicality”: Link Wray's Rumble (1956–62) is an essential document of ‘less is more’ guitar playing3Best guitar stands and hangers 2024: Keep your precious guitars safe and secure4“Eddie Van Halen had me play his 5150 guitar, and then he asked me to show the solo to him, because he’d forgotten it”: Jennifer Batten recalls re-teaching EVH the Beat It solo5“Premium sound for everyday playing without the hassle of amps, pedals and computer interfaces”: With the Katana:GO, Boss has entered the headphone amp market with a bang
“People used to show up in the parking lot and ask the crew to tell me that they had guitars to sell... One guy was facing trial and needed money for his lawyer. That's how I got my goldtop Les Paul”: Lenny Kravitz on recording, and unlikely gear finds By Mark McStea published 12 March 24 Since his first release, Lenny Kravitz has been the master of impeccable riffs, perfect guitar tone, and genre-melding music. As he releases his fiery new album, he takes GP inside his creative process and incredible collection of vintage guitars
“Sly Stallone asked me about why AC/DC records sounded so powerful – I told him about tape compression...”: Survivor's The Eye of the Tiger beat out Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust for use in Rocky III – here's how the '80s smash came together By Mark McStea published 11 March 24 Though the rewards were ultimately huge, the process of putting together one of the most iconic rock songs of the 1980s – guitarist Frankie Sullivan tells GP – was sometimes a tense one
“It’s mind-blowing to know I was a huge influence on a new crop of guitar players in the same way that Hendrix, Page, and Beck had an impact on me”: Ace Frehley on the creation of his new solo album, and the '59 Les Paul he'll forever regret selling By Ken Sharp published 8 March 24 Ace Frehley is back with a shockingly rocking new album in 10,000 Volts. Here, he tells GP about collaborating with Trixter's Steve Brown, re-working 40-year old demos, and the more unlikely guitars in his enviable collection
“With a through-neck, two DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups, an onboard booster preamp, and a fixed adjustable wrap-around bridge, the B.C. Rich Mockingbird was the ultimate hard-rock weapon”: How a small Los Angeles shop changed the rock guitar game By Dave Hunter published 7 March 24 Used by the Runaways’ Lita Ford, the Alice Cooper tandem of Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, Slash, and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, the Mockingbird made the models of the '50s and ’60s look like old hat upon its mid-'70s debut
“There’s a riff that represents my twisted idea of how Aerosmith might sound in 5/4”: How Guthrie Govan channeled his inner Steve Reich, and Steve Cropper, on the Aristocrats' humorous, musically dazzling new album, Duck By Joe Bosso published 6 March 24 Re-teaming with his fellow virtuosos for another roller coaster ride of an album, Govan was unafraid to explore yet more musical avenues and instruments, but in the end, it all always came back to his signature Charvel
“Comically ridiculous appearance aside, this guitar plays great”: Boasting “a Mayan temple of angles” this custom Crosley Radio Tone guitar combines bizarro looks with snappy, versatile tone By Terry Carleton published 5 March 24 Made from a blue-and-gold 1950 Crosley E-15TN tube radio, this custom build has a truly wild appearance that belies its sound and playability. No matter what music you play on this guitar, seeing it will make people smile
“When I went to my first meeting with Elton, I immediately hit him with ideas. Elton saw my willingness to put myself out there”: Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone reveals how learning the sitar benefited his guitar playing, and how (not) to get a gig By Joe Bosso published 5 March 24 After five decades and thousands of gigs with superstar Elton John, Davey Johnstone has plenty of valuable advice to help you reach the top of your game
“I’ve seen a lot of guitars with multiple necks – often the player uses one or two necks at a time. I use all three on this guitar while also playing percussion”: How acoustic wizard Luca Stricagnoli wrangles his signature triple-neck beast By Jimmy Leslie published 28 February 24 Making rock, pop, metal, and even hip-hop classics his own with his trademark triple-neck acoustic, Stricagnoli's extraordinary virtuosity stands out, but there's far more to his playing than percussive hits and tapping acrobatics
“Breathtakingly beautiful and strikingly different from just about everything that has come before”: An homage to the original Paisley Tele, Joe Yanuziello's stunning, Japanese paper-adorned Gold Paisley Washi Paper Deluxe is a guitar like no other By Dave Hunter published 27 February 24 With a precision-engineered, modded Bigsby, a trio of Curtis Novak’s Guyatone-style GT-V Tokyo Vintage pickups, and a fascinating blend of Telecaster, Les Paul, Guyatone, and Harmony aesthetics, this gorgeous build has incredible looks and equally incredible tone
“The Black Hole Sun arpeggios were unusual for me – like the right side of a piano, or fairies dancing on a pin... I thought, ‘This is not me’”: Kim Thayil on how Soundgarden persevered through personal and musical frustrations to create Superunknown By Joe Bosso published 26 February 24 Soundgarden's lead guitarist goes deep into the creation of the band's most enduring and successful album – the effects (or lack thereof) of commercial success, the difficulty of nailing down Black Hole Sun, and the fun of creating “insane chaos psychedelia” solos