Christopher Scapelliti
Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of GuitarPlayer.com and the former editor of Guitar Player, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
Latest articles by Christopher Scapelliti

"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
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Haynes will join Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and many others for the 'In Memory of Dickey Betts' tribute show in Macon, Georgia, on February 28

How Andy Summers used chord fragments and an Echoplex to change the sound of rock guitar
By Michael Molenda, Joe Bosso published
The former Police guitarist told us how the group's evolution in the midst of punk led him to his breakthrough achievement as a singular guitar stylist

“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
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
Ed's impressions of Steve Vai weren't entirely positive, and he wondered if others saw him the same way

“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
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Built by hand, and available in limited quantities, it’s a gorgeous emulation of the delay unit famously used by David Gilmour

Sophie Lloyd tells how she’s learned to deal with rejection — and why guitar makers need to think more about women's bodies
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
The guitarist credits her guitar mentor for advising her she would "have to be the best guitarist" in the male-dominated world of rock guitar

Joe Satriani says Kurt Cobain was underrated and points out what few appreciate about the Nirvana guitarist
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Satch also reveals the difficulty of accommodating the styles and requests of virtuosos as varied as Yngwie Malmsteen and Robert Fripp

How Andy Summers made a massive Police hit using a hand-wrenching guitar figure and a Telecaster with a mysterious history
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The guitarist says “It’s a famous riff, and I have to admit, it’s hard to play. You have to be a real guitarist to do it well."

"She made it look so effortless.” Watch Amy Winehouse stun audiences with her voice and a Stratocaster
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Known for her singular voice, Winehouse was also a talented guitarist

Eddie Van Halen on guitar solos, the music teacher who slapped his face, and his all-time worst song
By Jas Obrecht published
EVH touched on the essence of his approach to soloing in this classic Guitar Player interview

Randy Bachman tells us how an inside joke gave him a hit even bigger than "Takin' Care of Business"
By Gary Graff published
Not many artists can boast that their song won an award from the Stuttering Foundation of America

Robbie Robertson told us how this simple change helped the Band save "The Weight" from oblivion
By Christopher Scapelliti published
In our 1995 interview, the guitarist said this classic hit was originally a B-list song intended as filler

Lindsay Ell talks performing with Shania Twain and finding joy in her career after 16 years
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
The guitarist addresses her struggles and the lessons learned in her life-affirming new EP, 'Love Myself'

Mick Mars on how his Motley Crüe ‘Dr. Feelgood’ tracks wreaked havoc on another great album from the 1980s
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
The former Crüe axeman’s comments come to mind as a new edition of 'Dr. Feelgood' re-enters the Billboard charts.

Was George Harrison's 1963 Country Gent really destroyed in a Beatles road mishap? The evidence says no
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The discovery of Paul McCartney's stolen Höfner bass this past year offers new clues to the Gretsch guitar's fate

Scott Gorham on his trouble-plagued Thin Lizzy audition and the mod he's made to every Les Paul ever since
By Christopher Scapelliti published
The guitarist explains that he'd sold his better guitar to Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson

Eddie Van Halen didn't like John Frusciante's choice of wah pedal. His advice was priceless
By Christopher Scapelliti published
Guitar tech Dave Lee says the plastic wah pedal was Frusciante's favorite — and the easiest to break

Peavey's Classic 20 tube combo can be yours with $100 off at Sweetwater's Cyber Monday sale
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
With two channels, lush reverb and volume-attenuation switches, this tube amp is perfect for stage, rehearsal and bedroom practice

This new Yamaha Pacifica is “near perfect” as is. It’s absolute perfection with $200 off at Sweetwater’s Cyber Monday event.
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
If you’ve been lusting after a Pacifica model, now’s the right time to grab one

This Limited Edition Player II Strat is discounted $240 and going fast at Fender’s Cyber Monday sale
By Christopher Scapelliti published
It's one of nearly 80 guitars on sale at Fender right now

One simple tweak makes this PRS SE NF3 nearly perfect. Get it on sale for $679 and save $120 for the mod
By Christopher Scapelliti last updated
With a pull switch and a set of SE locking tuners, this Indonesian-made axe gets “dangerously close” to PRS’s U.S. builds - get it while it's still on sale!

So good, I'm buying it myself. UAD's Guitar Amp Bundle is just $99 and includes 50+ more plug-ins on Cyber Monday
By Christopher Scapelliti published
With a total value of nearly $500, this is a chance you don't want to miss

So many pedal deals, so little time: The best deals on guitar pedals right now
By Scott Rowley, Michael Astley-Brown, Christopher Scapelliti, Matt McCracken published
Huge savings on small boxes that make big noises. A guide to the best pedal deals right now

Need some grit in your tone? Boss SD-1 Super OverDrives are dirt cheap on Cyber Monday
By Christopher Scapelliti published
If you've never discovered the power of this legendary workhorse, now is the time
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