Latest articles by Christopher Scapelliti
The Ultimate Beatles Guitar Quiz
Know everything there is to know about the guitars of The Beatles? Then test yourself with the GP quiz…
John 5 shreds live in the studio on his upcoming song "Fiend"
The guitarist tells us the song is destined for a solo album and that his producer assists him by handling effects so John can focus on his playing
"We used the mic amp of the mixing board to get distortion. It almost sounds like a synthesizer." Jimmy Page on creating the magic behind the famous Led Zeppelin riff he didn't write
Page and the group struggled with the tricky rhythm. In the end, they discovered that keeping it simple was the solution
We crowned the Strymon BigSky MX the champ of multi-reverb pedals
With new algorithms, IR importing, higher-quality processing and the ability to use two reverbs at once, the BigSky MX takes reverb to an entirely new level
Alex Lifeson on Rush's big gamble — '2112,' the album that became their global breakthrough
As his group Envy of None prepare to release their sophomore album, we dug into our archives to see what Lifeson said about Rush's struggles 50 years ago
Paul McCartney said his very first performance with John Lennon went so badly that he swore off guitar solos
McCartney's botched showpiece was the reason he pushed Lennon to bring George Harrison into the Quarrymen. The rest is Beatles history
Strymon releases the EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo pedal
The EC-1 is a true stereo pedal with independent left and right signal processing for wide dimensional sound
Pete Townshend on how Jimi Hendrix led him to write ‘Tommy,’ the Who's 1969 breakthrough
“I realized that what I had was a bunch of gimmicks which he had come and taken away from me,” the Who guitarist told us. “I took refuge in my writing”
Don Felder makes his first public comments after nearly collapsing onstage
The guitarist became disoriented while performing on February 13 and had to be helped offstage. He was found to be suffering from dehydration
Harvey Mandel wants credit for introducing Eddie Van Halen to tapping
The guitarist has no beef with Van Halen, but he wouldn't mind getting his due for using the technique long before Eddie and most other rock guitarists
Robby Krieger reveals how breaking the rules resulted in the Doors' breakthrough hit, "Light My Fire"
The guitarist says his chart-topping song came about because Jim Morrison said "We need more originals"
Rockabilly legend Brian Setzer reveals auto-immune disease prevents him from playing guitar
Setzer said the effects of his illness became apparent during the Stray Cats' 2024 summer tour, the group's first road stint in five years
Gene Simmons says Ace Frehley copied a Robby Krieger guitar solo note for note on a famous Kiss track
Frehley's solo from "She" was directly inspired by Krieger's own for the Doors' "Five to One"
"We thought his music was very similar to ours, and we latched on to him amazingly quickly.” Paul McCartney explained how a youthful error led him to write one of his greatest guitar tracks for the Beatles
"Blackbird" developed from his and George Harrison's love of Bach's Bourée in E minor and their attempts to master the piece as young teenagers
Leslie West revealed the picking techniques that made him a singularly great guitar hero to Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and Pete Townshend
Speaking to Guitar Player in 1972, the Mountain guitarist laid out his use of "harmonic jumps" and high volume to achieve a wide range of articulations
Peter Frampton on how George Harrison shocked him when they met in 1970 with an invitation to record
The guitarist said it was the first time he met George. It led to a friendship that lasted until Harrison’s death
Alex Lifeson recalls the thrill of meeting his guitar hero, Jimmy Page
Lifeson also weighed in on Pete Townshend's influence on his rhythm playing and writing, and the guitar talents of Michael Schenker, Steve Morse and Eric Johnson
“When I saw this 'Let It Be' footage, I noticed how easy it looked to play.” Paul McCartney on why he pulled his Höfner bass out of mothballs after ignoring it for nearly two decades
McCartney credited Elvis Costello for encouraging him to return the instrument to his lineup when the two began working together in 1987
“In my head, I could hear it as a monster.” Tony Iommi on the moment he instantly composed “Iron Man,” calling it one of two Black Sabbath songs he relates to
The guitarist, who will regroup with Black Sabbath's original lineup, told Guitar Player the song is an example of his desire to write "something dramatic and big"
B.B. King on the night in 1967 when he jammed with Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix
The night marked the moment King recognized his influence on the new generation of blues guitarists — but he had no bitterness for his years in obscurity
David Gilmour revealed his favorite solo and the guitar behind Pink Floyd’s biggest songs (it’s not the Black Strat)
The guitar icon shared insights into his guitar style and the origins of his pedal-steel guitar with Guitar Player in 2003
Eric Clapton hated Cream’s “Crossroads." But is there an even longer version of it?
Producer Tom Dowd said Cream never played “Crossroads” for less than seven minutes in concert and was certain the 'Wheels of Fire' recording was an edit
Peter Frampton makes surprise appearance at Martin Guitar's NAMM booth and gives updates on his health and music
The guitarist also regaled fans with the story of how he and Eric Clapton performed "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the 2019 Crossroads Guitar Fesival
