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January 2025

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88 articles

January 31
- “He’d already refused an offer from Eric Clapton.” Rudolf Schenker reveals the story behind Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and the guitar Slowhand couldn’t own
- “How the hell did I actually do that?” David Gilmour revealed his favorite solo and the guitar behind Pink Floyd’s biggest songs (it’s not the Black Strat)
- “After 76 years, it’s still considered a monster tone machine.” Leo Fender got it right in 1948 with an amp he created for lap-steel guitar players
January 30
- “You always have to have a dream. My other dream ran its course.” Mike Campbell on the lessons he learned from Tom Petty and the guitars he’ll never part with
- "You’ll have at your fingertips everything that Clapton and Hendrix played." Oz Noy explains the one thing every guitar player needs to unlock fretboard knowledge
- “I had the rock and roll thing in my soul. David gave me an opportunity to stretch that muscle." Can David Lee Roth pick guitarists? Just ask Steve Vai, Jason Becker and John 5
- “That's the easiest part, the solos. There's no great thing in being a soloist.” Why Angus Young thinks rhythm guitar is harder to play than lead
January 29
- "One guitar that can cover just about anything." Boasting humbuckers and piezo pickups, the PRS SE Custom 24 Semi-Hollow Piezo is a versatile partner that can play all night
- “Van Halen gets overshadowed by his own brilliant lead playing." Alex Skolnick explains what everyone misses about Eddie Van Halen
- The Best Acoustic Guitars of 2025! These are the guitars that got our attention at the 2025 NAMM Show
- "Satin finishes: Why? No need.“ Johnny Marr trashes the trend for satin-finished guitar necks. Here's why you should go with gloss
January 28
- “When Nirvana showed up, I became the perfect studio musician." Celebrated session player Tim Pierce explains how Kurt Cobain changed the guitar landscape — and boosted his career
- “This was a seminal album which fired a generation of bands”: Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson on the obscure jazz record that helped kickstart the 1970' British prog boom
- "Eddie Van Halen came to my high school talent contest and showed me how to play 'Runnin' With the Devil.'" Dweezil Zappa shows the guitar Ed gave him that day as he recalls the kind of friend Van Halen was
- Best mini amps 2025: tiny amps for powerful tones
- “I really don't like it. I think there's something wrong with it.” Eric Clapton hated Cream’s “Crossroads." But is there an even longer version of it?
January 27
- UPDATED WITH VIDEO | “It’s getting more difficult, I have to admit. But I will keep doing music for the rest of my life.” Watch Peter Frampton make a surprise appearance at Martin Guitar's NAMM booth and give updates on his health and music
- "He was going to put together his own band and continue on.” Les Dudek on playing “Ramblin' Man,” co-writing “Jessica” and making plans with Dickey Betts after Duane Allman died
- “What if I started with the pickup and built the guitar around it?” We tried the new L.R. Baggs AEG-1 and discovered an acoustic-electric guitar unlike any we've ever seen before
- Amplifying your acoustic? Here's how to get the best sound using two signal paths
- "I said, 'Randy, it sounds like a train, listen!’ " Bob Daisley reveals the origins of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" and credits Randy Rhoads' faulty equipment for inspiring the career-launching hit
January 26
- "That's my main instrument. If I couldn't have anything else, I would have to have it." Paul McCartney made some surprising revelations about his favorite guitar in our historic interview with him
- “What makes you think they stay in tune?” Jeff Beck on his microtonal guitar approach and how he set up his Fender Stratocaster for precision pitch bending
January 25
- “He looked at me and said, 'I can't teach you that.' So I said, ‘Then I can't take a music class!’” Buddy Guy on the one thing every guitarist needs to play the blues
- “I was using Strats with Lace Sensor pickups and a weird rack I built that. Somehow, it just worked.” Billy Corgan on 30 years of Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness'
January 24
- "Jimmy Page was a tour de force. Those first four records are just out of control." Joe Satriani talks Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck and the 10 records that changed his life
- “I knew I wasn’t going to sound like Sykes and I wasn’t going to try to." Steve Vai and Marty Friedman on John Sykes' influence and impact on their careers
January 23
- "The most expensive Les Paul ever sold." Jeff Beck’s guitar collection breaks records as it sells for more than $10.7 million, over eight times what was expected
January 22
- “It was devastating.” Jimmy Page and company recall Led Zeppelin's rise and first rehearsal in the band's historic new documentary
- "Doing that is far more beneficial to my end goal.” Marty Friedman explains why he doesn't practice guitar at home — and why you shouldn't either
- “He blazed a trail and has left a lasting legacy, he deserves to be honored in his home city.” An Irish councilor is pushing for a Gary Moore statue in his hometown of Belfast
- Gold, diamonds and pearls. Martin celebrates its 3 millionth serialized instrument and announces new models on show at NAMM 2025
- “I should have been dead.” Ace Frehley on the stunt that nearly killed him but instead inspired a Kiss classic
January 21
- “I could be playing 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' with a wah-wah, and he'd be going, ‘Hendrix, Hendrix, Hendrix.” Zakk Wylde says Ozzy Osbourne had some strict rules when it came to the guitarist's gear
- "I wish I could hear the music you're making with Gary Moore up there now." John Sykes, who made his mark with Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has passed away at age 65 after a long battle with cancer
January 20
- "The best performance acoustics that have come to my attention in nearly a decade." Martin's U.S.-made SC-18E and SC-28E build on the groundbreaking SC-13E with all solid woods and top-tier electronics
- "He had that flowing melody thing that feels like you're singing along with the music." Warren Haynes talks Dickey Betts' influence as he prepares to honor the Allman Brothers Band giant in a star-studded concert
January 19
- “Eric thought he was going to have this little blues trio and be like Buddy Guy. We had different ideas." Jack Bruce on how Eric Clapton was the odd man out in Cream
- "I had simple tools. All my sound and tone came from my hands and a few pieces of gear." How Andy Summers used chord fragments and an Echoplex to change the sound of rock guitar
January 18
- "People at my own record label had decided that my career was not going to survive.” Steve Earle wrote a timeless tale of outlaws in America. It became a hit. Then Tennessee made it the state song
- "One of the first things I did was throw a capo on the 2nd fret and come up with different chord patterns. And that turned into a hit." How a guitar accessory and a rejection of grunge created one of the 1990s' defining songs
- “I’m going, ‘This guy is better at what I do than I am!' ” Eddie Van Halen on the one guitarist he said out–Van Halened him
January 17
- “It's cobbled together, but it has an aura to it.” Jeff Beck's 'Blow by Blow' Oxblood Les Paul is not all that it seems
- "Play one note per chord and watch what happens." Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal says his top guitar tips will help you break out of ruts and engage with the music
- "We hit this one lick, and the lighting director came rushing forward: 'Don't change a thing!”’ Billy Gibbons reveals how a soundcheck jam turned into ZZ Top's breakthrough hit
January 16
- "In that particular area, I don’t think I’m topped.” Pete Townshend said no one can touch him when it comes to one skill — not even the guitarist from whom he learned it
- “I was surprised he practiced so much — he was actually that good”: Why this rare clip of Jimi Hendrix in his early years proves he was always destined for greatness
January 15
- “We get to our second show and I get an email from Robert Fripp.” Steve Vai says the King Crimson guru saw something in his playing he didn't like. So he told him how to fix it
- “My phone rang and Nuno told me to get to Sao Paulo right away;”: Mateus Asato on playing with Bruno Mars, shredding with Nuno Bettencourt and finally going solo
- “When I play a solo, the best score I can get is 75 percent. I got to a point where I accepted that.” Steve Morse on how to keep your cool when the going gets tough
- "I said, 'What about the guitars?' He said, 'Sorry. We ran out of money and time.' ” As an unseen White Lion video surfaces, we recall Vito Bratta's tremendous talent and shocking bad luck
January 14
- “I’ve already played it 14 times this month.” Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian teases the return of a forgotten ‘70s Gibson guitar and a brand-new Mesa/Boogie amp on the eve of NAMM 2025
- “I got the fingering from Jimi Hendrix.” Zakk Wylde reveals the origins of the first riff he wrote for Ozzy Osbourne and the benefits of learning from those who came before you
- “The only way for Gene and Paul to win was to be as zany and nutty as I was.” Ace Frehley goes behind the scenes of rock's greatest TV interview — when Tom Snyder interviewed Kiss in 1979
- “Bob heard I was the ‘young Hendrix of London.’ He said, ‘How did you do that!?’ " Junior Marvin on being picked by Bob Marley as his lead guitarist on 'Exodus,' the album that brought reggae to the world
January 13
- "I take inspiration from a lot of places, but I try to turn that into my own thing.” Watch Grace Bowers riff on her Gibson SG while she shows us what’s on her pedalboard
- “The best Binson Echorec emulation ever made.” Dawner Prince tackles the king of all delays with its new Boonar Tube Deluxe. Repeat after us: It's a winner
- “I processed salmon in a factory for 16 hours a day. That’s how I saved up to buy my Steve Vai guitar.” How Tosin Abasi went from worshipping Steve Vai to counting the guitarist among his fans
- "That album and that tone changed the game. How many Les Pauls do you think it sold?" Joe Bonamassa names "10 Records That Changed My Life"
January 12
- “A lot of people quit when they experience failure. But there’s a turning point, and that’s when the magic happens.” Kiki Wong shares the five guitar tips behind her Smashing Pumpkins success story
January 11
- “When you have a new tuning like this, it’s like finding treasure.” Mark Tremonti reveals the way to create unique-sounding solos, and it’s easier than you think
January 10
- “That’s the song that made me realize I love this and want to do it forever.” Grace Bowers reveals the legends who inspired her blues
- "You only hit a wrong note if you leave the note by itself.” Michael Schenker talks soloing and technique in Guitar Player's May 1984 issue
January 9
- "The rich clarity of a Fender Deluxe, the ballsiness of a Marshall 20 and the sparkle of a Vox AC15." We reviewed the Dixon Hummingbird 15 tube combo and decided less is definitely more
- “My lifetime of work is not in my hands anymore.” Joe Bonamassa moves his vintage guitars to safety as the Los Angeles wildfires rage
- "I don't even know if I can take credit for writing 'Cliffs of Dover.'" How Eric Johnson's modifications to his 1954 Stratocaster established the tone that led to his breakthrough success
January 8
- "I realized, Oh, I think she wants me to be Zakk Wylde.” Alex Skolnick recalls his blink-and-you'll-miss-it gig as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist
- “Once a week I go to Ged’s, keep my fingers moving and play Rush stuff.” Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee are jamming and recording. Here's the latest about the Rush duo
- “Whether it’s with Jane’s or not, we soldier on.” Dave Navarro is working on new material with his Jane’s Addiction bandmates — but there’s no sign of singer Perry Farrell
- "Not too clever!" Rory Gallagher was honored with a statue in Belfast. But they got a key detail wrong
January 7
- "It’s on a lot of records, and it only cost me 285 bucks!" It's ugly and beat to hell, but Adrian Belew's Stratocaster is behind landmark albums by Frank Zappa, David Bowie, King Crimson and Talking Heads
- "I got used to the idea that Steve Vai was gonna walk in my door and blow my mind." Joe Satriani explains what will keep guitar alive. The good news? It's already happening
- "They're among some of the most versatile electrics ever made." Gibson's ES-345 struck a middle ground between the 335 and 355. It remains an underrated gem worth your time
January 6
- "Friends were phoning: 'Do you know your song's being played every 20 minutes on TV?’” It took 50 years, but this guitarist's tune has become an inescapable hit. You've probably heard it at least once today
- "That's where you control your tone. It’s surprising to me that so few people really talk about it." Sue Foley serves up five game-changing blues guitar tips
- “He was a great guitar player. He obviously really knew the instrument.” Joe Satriani says Kurt Cobain was underrated and points out the one thing few have noticed about the Nirvana guitarist
January 5
- "It’s the sheer quality and playing feel that grab you." Our reviewer hijacked an Abernethy Sonic Empress THC on its way to Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. He found it hard to let go
January 4
- “He said, ‘Because you're a girl, you can't just be a good guitarist — you have to be the best guitarist.” Sophie Lloyd on how she’s learned to deal with haters — and why guitar makers need to think more about women's bodies
- "He had a brilliant mind and a strong vision for what he wanted; my job was to make that happen." Allan Holdsworth's engineer reveals what happened when the tape rolled for the guitarist's groundbreaking albums
January 3
- "With this amp, Dave Davies wouldn't have had to shred his speaker to get his 'You Really Got Me' guitar tone." Mitch Colby resurrects the amp that gave Paul McCartney his start and put the Kinks on the hit parade
- Win tickets to see Johnny A. in Northern California
- “The best Van Halen album — period.” Lzzy Hale tells us the 10 records that changed her life, including choice picks from Black Sabbath, Tool and Alice Cooper
- "I don't give a f*** if you boo, as long as you boo in key, you mothers..." Watch rare footage of the Jimi Hendrix's dramatic final performance at the Open Air Love & Peace Festival in Germany in 1970
January 2
- What Charlie Christian did with his reasonably sized toolbox was incredible. He showed guitar players the way forward. Here's what I learned
- “Jimi Hendrix was a great player, but he wasn't really creative.“ Pete Townshend talks originality, playing loud and which guitarist was first to use feedback
- “People say, 'Bro, how do you pick like that?' I don't know. That's the way it's always been.” Zakk Wylde on his strange picking technique and two other shredders who have defied convention
January 1
- “I didn’t even look up for the first six months for fear of losing my place, because he’s Paul freakin’ McCartney!” Brian Ray on navigating nerves while learning the ropes in Paul McCartney’s band
- "It's the best song Sting ever came up with, and the best Police track." How Andy Summers made a massive hit using a hand-wrenching guitar figure and a Telecaster with a mysterious history