Phil Weller
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
Latest articles by Phil Weller

Why 2024 was the year pop music fell in love with guitar solos again
By Phil Weller published
The artistic decisions of the world’s top pop stars may turn the tide for guitar in music's future

Derek Trucks says playing with Buddy Guy taught him the secret power of turning down your amp
By Phil Weller published
Trucks joins Eric Clapton, Quinn Sullivan and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram in praising Guy's influence

Mike Rutherford reveals his secret recording sessions with Eddie Van Halen
By Phil Weller published
The former Genesis guitarist says he found one element of working with Ed difficult

Adrian Smith reveals the two lucky breaks that resulted in a pair of Iron Maiden classics
By Phil Weller published
The tracks, from 1986’s 'Somewhere In Time,' came to him with the help of an oddball guitar and, even stranger, heavy sedation

Joe Bonamassa and Jared James Nichols have found their favorite alternative to the humbucker
By Phil Weller published
Once the “underdog” pickup of the Les Paul universe, P90s are making a comeback among some of today's top players

Jeff Lynne explains why a "campfire classic" proves George Harrison's slide playing was second to none
By Phil Weller published
The ELO frontman and producer shared his comments in a post to Harrison's Instagram page

Warren Haynes says it's the greatest overdrive pedal and tells why the Ibanez Tube Screamer can't beat it
By Phil Weller published
The green screamer was a key part of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone, but Haynes explains why the Klon does the job far better

Orianthi reveals how an invitation from Alexander Dumble shaped the tone of her signature Orange combo
By Phil Weller published
Her Oriverb took two years to dial in as she sought to replicate the tone of Dumble's debut build

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter recalls the questionable deal he made with Jimi Hendrix in the mid 1960s
By Phil Weller published
The guitar icon says the swap angered his bosses, but it started a friendship with a guitarist that he knew was destined for bigger things

Sammy Hagar says Joe Satriani was “not a perfect match” for the Best of All Words tour, but one factor set him apart
By Phil Weller published
The outspoken frontman says dozens of 12-year-olds can play like Eddie, but he wasn’t after pure mimicry

Warren Haynes explains the two things every guitarist should do to stop sounding like an amateur
By Phil Weller published
The blues powerhouse says he started out as a singer and that it paid dividends when he began to play guitar

Vernon Reid on the one Hendrix song that doesn’t get the credit its due
By Phil Weller published
The Living Colour guitarist has praised a side of the virtuoso that many overlook

Jake E. Lee clarifies the events leading up to his shooting and gives a health update
By Phil Weller published
Lee explains the timeline and verbal altercation that led to his shooting in October

Jimi Hendrix predicted the rock guitar act that would lead "mind-blowing" music into the future. He wasn't wrong
By Phil Weller published
Hendrix’s comments strike up an interesting debate about what makes an artist “mind-blowing”

Wolfgang Van Halen shreds the rivalry between EVH and Randy Rhoads with a ripping version of "Crazy Train"
By Phil Weller published
Wolfgang honored the late guitar hero at Osbourne's latest Rock Hall induction ceremony

Joe Bonamassa and Joe Perry name the best guitar gear of the year. Their choices surprised us
By Phil Weller published
Of all the new gear introduced this year, these two offbeat items got a nod from the guitarslingers

The Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison tried to sell Steve Howe a rare jazz guitar when he was a teenager
By Phil Weller published
The punk guitarist explains his early love for prog-rock players like Robert Fripp, Jan Akkerman and Howe

Tony Iommi on his last-minute gig as Jethro Tull's new guitar player
By Phil Weller published
He may have only played two shows with the band, but the experience helped him push Black Sabbath to new heights

Joe Bonamassa reveals the world's most expensive three-channel amp
By Phil Weller published
With three Dumbles, two Marshalls, a rare Mesa/Boogie rotary speaker and an original Klon Centaur, it's a no-expense-spared setup

Jimmy Page on the guitarists he admires and the word he hates when it comes to describing them
By Phil Weller published
His picks included big names and under-the-radar six-stringers he feels deserve more recognition

Matteo Mancuso highlights the one thing social media guitarists get wrong
By Phil Weller published
The young virtuoso has leapt ahead of his peers by making musicality, rather than "wow" factor, his prime focus

John Lennon’s 1971 secret letter to Eric Clapton asking him to start a “ballsy” new rock band is headed for auction
By Phil Weller published
Lennon's letter, now headed to auction, was in part an attempt to help Clapton out of his heroin addiction

David Gilmour says he can't shred so he chose to be tuneful. It made all the difference in creating his signature style
By Phil Weller published
Following on from recent comments by Noel Gallagher, the prog legend discusses why playing fast shouldn't be every guitarist's ultimate goal
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