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December 2024

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43 articles

December 11
- "He let me play the first amp that he ever made. I never forgot the sound of it.” Orianthi reveals how an invitation from Alexander Dumble shaped the tone of her signature Orange combo
- “I had just put together a beautiful white Stratocaster. So I said, 'Okay, I'll trade you.' ” Jeff “Skunk” Baxter recalls the questionable deal he made with Jimi Hendrix in the mid 1960s
- "The classic overdrive becomes even better with three modes. But with fewer than 2,000 copies available, it's also a collector's item." The DOD 250 Overdrive/Preamp pedal gets an appealing 50th anniversary makeover
- “There were a few guitars kicking around. But it just didn't fit in this electronic-based track.” The world’s most famous charity rock song lost its guitar parts in 1984. They’re finally back for 2024
December 10
- "There are a lot of guys that play much more like Eddie than Joe." Sammy Hagar says Joe Satriani was “not a perfect match” for his Van Halen Best of All Words tour. But one factor set him apart
- “I used to hear people say, 'It's what you don't play that counts.' I thought, What the hell does that even mean?” Warren Haynes explains the two things every guitarist should do to stop sounding like an amateur
- Who is Chris Herin and why are Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson and Martin Barre playing lead guitar on his new album?
- “When she died, she was literally the last person I had in my life. I fell apart. I didn't care anymore.” Chris Impellitteri nearly gave up when tragedies took his family. Guitar kept him alive
December 9
- "He'd been given the guitar for his 16th birthday and obviously didn't want it. I took one look and said, ‘Thanks, I'll have it!’ " Phil Manzanera on his Roxy Music Firebird, "Love Is the Drug" 1951 Tele and other favorite guitars
- “We’ve been writing new music and we want to go back out on tour together." Joe Satriani and Steve Vai announce the new SatchVai Band and Surfing With the Hydra tour
December 8
- “They were yelling, 'You’ve gotta turn your guitar down, Mick! It’s leaking into our vocals.’ ” Mick Mars on how his Mötley Crüe ‘Dr. Feelgood’ tracks ended up on another great album from the 1980s
December 7
- "A fun and unique guitar that’s nevertheless a sleek beast of a performer." The Frank Brothers Sonar electric merges vintage styling with diverse tones, making it a perfect all-rounder
December 6
- “Eddie told us that he copied that style from listening to us. He was a big fan of the band and came to see us play regularly.” Rick Derringer recalls a young Eddie Van Halen and performing with Johnny Winter
- “When she asked me if I would come be her lead guitar player, I just was like, ‘Um, how can I say no to Shania?’” Lindsay Ell talks performing with Shania Twain and finding joy in her career after 16 years
- "The guitar and its case were smashed to bits. We never even bothered to pick it up." Was George Harrison's 1963 Country Gentleman really destroyed in a Beatles road mishap? The evidence says no
- “It doesn’t get nearly enough respect for what a groundbreaking song it still is.” Jimi Hendrix is hailed as a guitar hero. Vernon Reid thinks he deserves respect for something else contained in one magical song
- “For acoustic guitarists, two pickup signals are better than one.” Getting the best acoustic guitar tone from an amp is within your reach. Try these tips.
December 5
- “We were about 50 feet apart when I heard the shots.” Jake E. Lee clarifies the events leading up to his shooting as the former Ozzy Osbourne guitar player gives a health update
- “I thought maybe England didn't want me anymore. I really thought I was completely through.” Jimi Hendrix predicted the rock guitar act that would lead "mind-blowing" music into the future. He wasn't wrong
- “I got the request from Ozzy, so you don’t say no.” Watch Wolfgang Van Halen shred the age-old rivalry between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads with a ripping version of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"
- "It's a 1959 Les Paul. I've had this for about 12 years, and it used to belong to Peter Green." Watch Gary Moore talk guitars and shred with his Greeny Les Paul in 1987
December 4
- "It does a great job in front of any amp and has become an MVP in the studio.” Joe Bonamassa and Joe Perry name the best guitar gear of the year. Their choices surprised us
December 3
- “I get disrespected before I even play. People take one look at me and immediately get a thought in their head of what I am." How teen blues guitar sensation Grace Bowers is winning over critics one gig at a time
- “Prog-rock was king. I’m not ashamed to admit that I loved it.” The Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison says he tried to sell Steve Howe a rare jazz guitar when he was a teenager. Looks like the Yes guitarist missed a good deal
- “I had to audition with this horrible black, Japanese Les Paul, and it started to fall apart, right in front of everybody's eyes." Scott Gorham on his worst guitar moment with Thin Lizzy and the mod he's made to every Les Paul ever since
- "Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?" Eddie Van Halen didn't like the guitarist's choice of wah pedal. His advice to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' axeman was priceless
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over but these 29 guitar deals are still going strong - get something before they're gone
December 2
- “They said, 'You've got to do it,' but I'm so glad they did. It became my biggest song.” The guitarist behind a power-pop gem almost let his hit single pass him by
- “I thought, Why do they want me in the front row?” Ritchie Blackmore on Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the time Ian Anderson pranked him at a Jethro Tull concert
- It might not be the latest model but I still think the Fender Mustang Micro punches above its weight - get it for even less in the Cyber Monday sales
- This Limited Edition Player II Strat is discounted $240. And at just $559, it’s going fast at Fender’s Cyber Monday sale
- This deal is so good, I'm buying it myself. At $99, UAD's Guitar Amp Bundle is 75% off. Plus you get 50+ more plug-ins for free — only on Cyber Monday
- We sent a pack of tone-hungry guitar wolves out to hunt down the best deals on guitar pedals. This is what they found…
- A Fender for $85? Taylor Swift's guitar at $100 off? The best acoustic deals still available right now
- I’ve been recommending this audio interface all year and it just got its first-ever discount for Cyber Monday
- “It was the first time we ever made money. We bought one Mesa/Boogie Mark IV and shared it between ourselves in the studio.” How the Offspring made the number-one indie-rock record of all time with two guitars and one amp
December 1
- Get 100% better tone for 25% less. Boss SD-1 Super OverDrives are dirt cheap at Musician's Friend on Cyber Monday
- Our reviewer called this travel guitar "so good you won't believe it isn't a regular solidbody." Take 20% off during Amazon's Cyber Monday sale
- Universal Audio made my home studio workflow a breeze. Make yours better and save $200 on the Apollo Twin X DUO Gen 2 during Sweetwater's Cyber Monday sale
- My first amp was an embarrassment. My son's first was the Positive Grid Spark Go and it lived up to its name: it ignited something
- And the winner of this year’s Maddest Cyber Monday Deal Award goes to Sweetwater for this 6 grand saving on the Kirk Hammett Flying V…
- Squier Strats for less than $100 in Fender's Cyber Monday sale at Amazon – with free Fender Play subscription? That's mad
- “Front to back, it’s an amazing guitar album. It made me want to drive 95 miles per hour, and then I went out and did it." Samantha Fish talks Guns N' Roses, B.B. King and the 10 albums that changed her life