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June 2024

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56 articles

June 28
- “The 10-inch headstock is an eye catcher, as are the flank of accordion-style pickup selector buttons and the diamond fretboard inlays. But mamma mia, that finish!”: The 1964 Welson Kinton V3 – whack job or Italian beauty... or both?
- “I had hoped to have my band do a spectacular set in front of this enormous crowd... but even though we played well, the audience was very much asleep”: John Fogerty on Creedence Clearwater Revival's disappointing Woodstock set
- Guitar Center’s Fourth of July sale just dropped early with huge savings of up to 30% off gear
June 27
- Prince told her she was “too funky” and Bruno Mars sent her one of his signature Strats: Ella Feingold weaves magic with her funky playing, and this lesson in her style will sharpen up your rhythm work in no time
- “In addition to Steve Miller’s endorsement, Artist-derived signature models hit the stage with Bob Weir, Pat Simmons, Marlo Henderson, and Freddie Stone”: How Ibanez turned a knockoff into a knockout with the Artist Model 2617
- “My old Strat weighs more than a Les Paul that I have, but my signature model is so light that you can hold it up with your pinkie”: Walter Trout is healthier and playing better than ever, but he’s still being dragged down by the world around him
June 26
- “When Dr. Z founder and chief designer Mike Zaite tells you ‘I think this is the best amp I’ve ever built,’ it’s worth paying attention”: Dr. Z Z-80 Head review
- “For the solo on Owner of a Lonely Heart, there were two amps facing each other about a foot apart”: How an unorthodox studio setup helped Trevor Rabin re-establish Yes with an improbable #1 hit
June 25
- “There's cool and then there's this”: Joe Bonamassa tracks down Lowell George's Dumble Overdrive Special after a 15-year search
- “We’re thrilled to be back – in-person interaction is vitally important for the industry”: Fender will return to NAMM in 2025
- “I can still remember the audience being filled with people like Rod Stewart, The Beatles, members of the Small Faces... all of them were silent when Jimi was done”: Junior Marvin on seeing one of Jimi Hendrix's early UK gigs
- “I did what I had to do as a man for my family, and I don’t regret leaving – I regret how it happened”: Richie Sambora reflects on his departure from Bon Jovi
June 24
- “We spent a lot time getting the right tonal benchmark... we believe we've made something truly special”: Marshall celebrates 100 years of Celestion with a standout, super-limited and hand-crafted Studio JTM head and cab
- “Jeff was enormously proud to have owned the original of this guitar”: Gibson's Custom Shop recreates Jeff Beck’s 1959 ‘YardBurst’ Les Paul Standard
- “The cowbell was an afterthought. Before the Saturday Night Live skit, we never used the cowbell live. We had to start using it after the skit came out”: Blue Öyster Cult's Buck Dharma on the stories behind (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, and other BÖC classics
June 21
- “I realized I could just play an E note over and over and it worked on top of all the chords... It was a moment of pure joy”: How Amos Garrett and switching away from a Strat helped Glenn Tilbrook write Squeeze’s Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)
June 20
- “One of the most celebrated periods in the annals of rock, revisited”: Michael Schenker teams up with Slash, Adrian Vandenberg, and more for album of UFO re-recordings
- “With the popularity of that record, all the aspiring guitar players wanted a Les Paul”: Guns N’ Roses producer Mike Clink says Slash made the Les Paul cool again
- Best beginner acoustic guitars 2024: Start as you mean to go on
- “If you happen to be walking through, you’ve got no choice but to hear it!”: John Mayer confirms he's using tube amps at Dead & Company's Sphere concerts – but their location has caught everyone off guard
June 19
- “People want to know their family heirlooms are going to a place where they'll be loved and played. I tick those boxes”: 4 highlights from Joe Bonamassa’s epic new Nerdville Museum mini-documentary
- “The ultimate expression of acoustic artisanry”: Yamaha launches two high-end FS9 acoustics – which are inspired by a traditional Japanese woodworking technique
- “We recorded every idea we had. I’m sure there’s stuff that Eddie did on his own”: Michael Anthony says there’s an archive of unreleased Van Halen material – but we’ll “probably” never get to hear it
- “Workshops, impromptu collaboration and mentorship in an intimate and relaxed environment”: George Benson to head up a star-studded guitar event with Steve Lukather, Cory Wong and Tommy Emmanuel
June 18
- Watch John Mayer play Jeff Beck’s custom Strat during Dead & Company’s The Sphere residency
- “It's very different to a lot of Teles... There's something about it that just works for everything”: Fender unveils a Susan Tedeschi Telecaster, complete with fat-sounding custom pickups
- “A brand new guitar built on ideas spanning decades, with the very cutting edge of our current engineering and design philosophies”: PRS launches the triple humbucker-equipped, Strat-style SE NF3 model
- “Fender's overall string spacing is wider than Gibson's, but at the same time Gibson's necks are wider than Fender's. It's absolute madness”: Why Allan Holdsworth ditched Strats for Charvels
June 17
- “Some of the most vicious, nasty rock ’n’ roll guitar I’ve ever heard in my life”: That time forgotten rockabilly guitar hero Cordell Jackson dueled with Brian Setzer – in a Budweiser commercial
June 14
- “We need more guitar players!”: R.E.M. reunite, Trey Anastasio pays homage to Steely Dan at Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony
- “This song's about when life is good!”: Watch newly unearthed footage of Van Halen performing Top of the World in 1991
- “It’s not hyperbole to compare Kottke’s influence on acoustic players to Hendrix’s influence on electric”: Win tickets to see acoustic master Leo Kottke
June 13
- “In the heat of the battle, all those tiny little peculiarities count, but there's one pedal that does a very good job of simulating my sound”: Brian May on the one pedal that has come close to nailing his sound
- “An icon of Seattle’s grunge rock sound refreshed and redesigned”: G&L is bringing back the Rampage for its first production run in nearly 40 years
June 12
- “He played the inspired solo with a broken arm... like all great artists, he truly suffered for his art”: Ian Bairnson's Wuthering Heights Les Paul Custom surpasses expectations as it's sold at auction
- “Before I could say anything he'd set the guitar on fire; I said, ‘Well, I guess I'm committed now!’”: Adrian Belew on the time Seymour Duncan set fire to his Strat – and inadvertently created the first relic’d guitar
- “Leo wanted me to be partners with him... why should I fool around with some guy who is not a musician?”: The story of how Fender nearly worked with Les Paul
- “You could be excused for glazing over yet another batch of pedals trumpeting different flavors of grind, but these new boxes from Keeley have a cool twist...”: Keeley Electronics Super Rodent, Muse Driver, Blues Disorder and Angry Orange review
June 11
- “It was love at first feel... and it’s been with me ever since”: Gibson recreates Charlie Starr's beloved 1956 Les Paul Junior for a limited signature model
- “It’s not out of the question... to have some made in the States would be wonderful”: Brian May is in talks with Gibson to produce new Red Special replicas
- “Eric Clapton’s roadie came by the house, and he brought a Strat with him... He said, ‘I’ll sell it to you for £60’”: Ritchie Blackmore's first Strat came from Eric Clapton's collection
June 10
- “I remember walking into the studio and wading through miles of 2-inch tape all over the floor. He said, ‘It's about aliens, so play something that sounds like you're coming from outer space’”: How Marty Friedman wrote one of his greatest Megadeth solos
June 7
- “I’m a stone-cold Gibson man... but the guitar I miss the most from that era is the Strat I recorded Walk This Way with”: Joe Perry talks about the guitar that got away from him – and it’s not a Les Paul
June 6
- “It was high time to bring the Time Shadows back into production and get it in the hands of sonic explorers everywhere”: EarthQuaker Devices and Death By Audio’s fan-favorite “tone mangling” pedal has been updated for a full production run
- “There is no one else that comes close to what he knows on guitar... Eddie breathed new life into my playing”: Pro-shot footage of Eddie Van Halen and Leslie West jamming emerges online
- “Ed didn’t just get good vintage guitars – he got the best versions of pretty much everything”: Gibson's Custom Shop exactingly recreates Jason Isbell and Ed King's legendary “Red Eye” Les Paul with ultra-limited edition replica
- “I begged her to take more money – she wouldn't have it. She said, ‘I think Clarence would want you to have this – You'll take care of it, and honor it’”: Marty Stuart on the legendary Clarence White B-Bender Tele
June 5
- “I'm disappointed, but I am hopeful this will give me a new lease of life”: Robin Trower forced to cancel US dates amid ongoing health issues
- “My hero gave me one of his guitars... that was a time I'll never forget”: John 5 on being gifted a guitar by Eddie Van Halen
June 4
- “Perfect for those starting out or experienced players looking for a high-quality practice and home studio recording amp”: Blackstar adds a key feature to its highly affordable practice amp
- Fender launches its biggest Tone Master Pro update yet – including new amps, cabs, and effects
- “This next-level design functions superbly with the Bigsby B3”: Mastery unveils a problem-solving archtop bridge for Bigsby B3 vibratos
- “I looked at Lee – all the color had left my skin... They start counting off the tune, he sees the panic in my face, and reaches over and switches charts on me. He gave me the easy part”: That time Lee Ritenour bailed Steve Lukather out at a session
- Best beginner electric guitars 2024: Empower your guitar journey with our pick of guitars for fresh-faced rookies
- Best beginner bass guitars 2024: Starting you off on your low-end journey
June 3
- “Buddy signed my Squier Stratocaster and asked me to play a few notes for him, then said, ‘Be ready when I call you’”: How an 8-year-old Quinn Sullivan became Buddy Guy's protégé, and friend