Guitarist Magazine

01/01/2025

“That top nut is probably the most common problem with any lower-end mass-produced guitar”: Having problems with your shiny new guitar? Try these fixes first

Final quality control on new instruments can vary. Do we all need to learn to do a little DIY?

30/12/2024

“Jason and I were always battling for the same space in the mix”: The controversial mixing of Metallica’s …And Justice for All wasn’t a hazing of Jason Newsted. This is James Hetfield’s explanation

The band's first album with Newsted, ...And Justice for All was marked by the band's increasingly progressive and technically intricate bent – and barely audible bass parts

28/12/2024

“We shared and borrowed gear from our students, who usually had better gear than we did”: How Jason Becker and Marty Friedman made one of shred’s most celebrated albums with a little help from their pupils

When the two virtuosos went into the studio to record under the Cacophony name, they brought a bunch of gear that had been lent to them by students

27/12/2024

Remembering the guitarists we lost in 2024

This year, we've sadly had to say goodbye to many guitar greats from across the world of music. Here, we recognize some of those guitarists, and their contributions to the instrument

24/12/2024

“He got a kidney infection, so he’s in hospital… That’s a bit of a drag, because he was going to be the lead guitarist”: The iconic charity rock song that missed out on its star guitarist due to illness – and why it could have sounded very different

Do They Know It’s Christmas? could have ended up with more guitars had fate not intervened

24/12/2024

“When Jerry left, that was the end of the Grateful Dead. Period. There’s just no way that you can replace Jerry Garcia”: The Grateful Dead on Jerry Garcia’s lasting impact on their legacy – and how they felt the band couldn’t go on without him

The band looked back on lead guitarist Jerry Garcia’s pivotal role when they received this year’s prestigious Kennedy Center Honor

24/12/2024

“My job is not to be the guy that’s bringing the entertainment or adding the color”: Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman opens up on his role in one of the world’s biggest bands – and how he’s adapting his playing style

Berryman has discussed how he helps translate Coldplay’s studio sound to the stage, and why that lets him experiment with his technique

24/12/2024

“Nigel has been running a cheese and guitar shop in Berwick-upon-Tweed”: Spinal Tap II director teases what we can expect from the long-awaited sequel

Spinal Tap are ready to reunite… with a little help from Paul McCartney and Elton John

24/12/2024

“It couldn’t be any simpler – yet, in truth, it couldn’t be any better”: Inside the remarkable story of the Gibson Les Paul Junior – the single-cut that changed the world

Stripped down, primal, with P-90 snarl and an unfussy aesthetic, there is something so ineffably cool about the Junior... 70 years young, it's one of guitar's hardest-working six-strings

23/12/2024

“They want people to look at them and say, ‘Is this a joke?’” Chibson has made a movie about Robert Plant’s “favorite band” – a reggae Led Zeppelin cover group fronted by an Elvis impersonator

The meme machine has expanded its empire into the world of film with a debut documentary that tells the story of one of the wildest cover bands ever

23/12/2024

“You never know. I don't have a crystal ball, I can’t definitely say”: Linkin Park’s Brad Delson on why he stepped back from touring – and if he’d ever return to the stage

Though he isn’t directly involved in the show night-on-night, Delson has been instrumental in what the band delivers on the road

23/12/2024

“I would never have picked up a guitar had it not been for her”: Watch the Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt receive this year's Kennedy Center Honors – as they're covered by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile

The musicians were honored alongside Francis Ford Coppola and Arturo Sandoval in an event that took place on December 8 and aired yesterday on CBS

23/12/2024

“The instruments he’s sold have been used to make music that’s changed the landscape of rock ‘n’ roll”: The highly anticipated Norman’s Rare Guitars documentary gets its first trailer – and an official Netflix release date

The feature-length film about the legendary vintage gear shop is due to land before the end of the year – and it will star some huge names

23/12/2024

“He's probably, for my money, one of the finest guitarists in the world”: Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on who he considers the best rhythm guitarist he's ever played with

The Radiohead bassist also reflects on what makes Thom Yorke's guitar playing different from Jonny Greenwood's

23/12/2024

“My stock answer was, ‘No.’ Most people who approach me to do something like that are looking to relive the glory days of ’80s rock”: Why Steve Vai dropped his anti-supergroup stance to help revive some of King Crimson’s most celebrated work

BEAT has been celebrating King Crimson’s 1980s albums, with Adrian Belew and Steve Vai’s new guitar partnership at its core

23/12/2024

“It ain’t hip, but it’s fairly priced for a North American-made guitar – and an instrument this writer would happily gig with, no hesitation”: Godin Radium review

Along with making guitars for Alex Lifeson, Godin’s standard electric range has plenty to offer. We take this pared-down roots-rocker for a long overdue spin

22/12/2024

: When the Osbourne camp began searching for Jake E. Lee’s replacement, a neo-classical speed shredder featured high up on their list

When the Osbourne camp began searching for Jake E. Lee’s replacement, a neo-classical speed shredder featured high up on their list

22/12/2024

A six-string experiment helped Steven Spielberg and special effects expert Michael Lantieri nail one of the film’s most masterful cinematic moments