Latest articles by Phil Weller
John Mayer had an unusual idea about how to fix his Fender Custom Shop Strat
Mayer's desperate attempt to put his guitar right shows his talent for thinking outside the box
How Prince, Robert Fripp, and Kirk Hammett flew the flag for underdog luthiers
Off-brand guitars have found great fame under the fingers of great players, proving there’s plenty to admire beyond the major manufacturers
Norman's Rare Guitars turned down the chance to own one of the most famous Beatles guitars
The world-renowned vintage gear salesman regrets not buying the guitar, whose fate has become a matter of mystery
Tony Iommi reveals how Black Sabbath fought power to get its signature heavy guitar tone on record
The band’s legendary debut album, released 55 years ago, defined the sound of heavy metal for decades to come
Queen’s Brian May on Jeff Beck and the six guitar tones that changed his life
May says guitars were illegal at his school, but he snuck one in and practiced Hank Marvin, Elvis and Buddy Holly songs with his friends
There’s a fake Wylde Audio website and it's full of bizarre inaccuracies and awful AI imagery
Zakk Wylde launched his namesake brand in 2015, but Wylde-audio.com tells a whole different narrative and claims many rock icons love its products
See lost footage of Led Zeppelin playing Denmark in 1979
The film lay in a drawer for 45 years and shows Zeppelin performing on dates that were intended as warm-ups for the group's historic Knebworth shows
Steve Vai says he underestimated Adrian Belew’s “brilliance” ahead of the Beat tour
The two guitarists have had the punishing job of performing King Crimson's 1980s output live onstage
Tony Iommi almost launched Black Sabbath's heavy metal crusade with a Fender Stratocaster
If it weren’t for two events, the band’s debut album and the genre it shaped would have sounded very different
Gene Simmons on intimidating Geezer Butler and Kiss’ territory-marking tour with Black Sabbath in 1974
Black Sabbath were at the height of their powers in the mid '70s, but that didn’t stop Simmons from trying to scare off the competition
"We were like, ‘Who?’” Metallica's first national tour left audiences scratching their heads.
The British metal act Raven sheds light on the thrash giant’s tour for their debut album, 'Kill ‘Em All'
Did Joe Satriani's deal with Peavey cause Eddie to leave for Fender?
The late virtuoso departed the firm in 2004 before starting up EVH with Fender. But his time with Peavey benefited the gear maker in more ways than one
Alex Lifeson reveals the technique he stole from Rory Gallagher during their time together on the road
The two guitarists became close friends over a pair of tours. Says Lifeson, "To see him lose himself in his guitar playing was truly remarkable"
Harvey Mandel tells how Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards ruined his chance to join the Rolling Stones
The former Canned Heat guitarist says Wood is “a really nice guy,” but believes he was far better suited for the gig
Marty Friedman and Chris Poland admit Megadeth learned a lot from Metallica
The former Megadeth guitarists believe any bitterness between Mustaine and his old band was blown out of proportion
Rudy Sarzo on declining the chance to join Ozzy’s band — and how Randy Rhoads' persistence paid off
The bassist was recommended for the gig by his former Quiet Riot bandmate, Randy Rhoads, whose persistence saved Sarzo from his error
Jeff Tweedy tells how his mother scored rare guitars for him at farmer's auctions
In the same interview with Reverb, the Wilco guitarist revealed how a childhood lie forced him to learn to play guitar
Zakk Wylde says his job “wouldn’t be as much fun” without this must-have pedal in his setup
Whether playing in Ozzy, Black Label Society, or Pantera, this pedal has been a mainstay in Wylde's gear arsenal
Brian May recalls meeting Rory Gallagher in the late ‘60s and how it changed his tone forever
He’s also revealed how he had initially craved a second guitarist in Queen but moved away from the idea after learning how “to make people feel they’d heard an orchestra”
Rudy Sarzo on the differences between Ozzy and Dio — and the Dio rarities tour that never was
He played with the two iconic Black Sabbath singers at very different points in his career. One stood well above the other
Billy Gibbons explains the role Cream and Jimi Hendrix played in the creation of ZZ Top
The fuzz blues icon was pushing a psychedelic sound when the opportunity to tour with Hendrix shaped the future of the Texan trio
Joe Satriani reveals that a G3 tour with Jeff Beck nearly happened – only for him to pull out last minute and suggest Prince filled his spot
Satriani has recruited some of the biggest-name players in the world on his virtuosic merry-go-round tours, but there’s one name he’s never been able to cross off his bucket list
Eric Johnson on the one thing that took Stevie Ray Vaughan’s playing to the next level
The guitarist has reflected on their brief time touring together and recognized the detail that made him so unique
