“I was playing in the living room, he walked past and shot me this look of ‘Do that again.’ So I bent the string up and he gave me this nod of approval”: Jack Moore on lessons learned from his father, Gary
Having one of the world’s most revered blues guitarists for a dad meant Jack Moore couldn’t get away with bad technique. And he learned that the hard way
Read more » “I heard the Money solo and thought, ‘This is amazing!’ So I sent David a telegram saying, ‘Remember me? I’m in a band now called Roxy Music’”: Phil Manzanera on his friendship with David Gilmour, and the key to the Pink Floyd man’s unmistakable tone
The two guitarists have worked on several records together, giving Manzanera the inside baseball of the tricks behind Gilmour’s iconic guitar tone
Read more » “It’s really quite genius, but also hard to learn – it sounds insane, but sometimes the easiest songs still get me nervous”: Kiki Wong reveals the Smashing Pumpkins song she had the most trouble with
After beating 10,000 other candidates to the gig, the guitarist set about navigating Billy Corgan’s “distinct playing style,” with one song proving more challenging than the rest
Read more » That time Stevie Wonder jammed with Stevie Ray Vaughan… and played SRV’s number one Strat
The two musical giants traded licks before Wonder picked up Stevie’s guitar
Read more » “Freddie King would ask me why I never tried using thumbpicks… I really like digging in with my fingers”: He replaced Jimi Hendrix in Little Richard’s band, was idolized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and is one of the most underrated Tele slingers of all time
Extracting inimitable, stinging tone from his Tele with just his fingers, Albert Collins carved a hugely influential sonic path for himself, though he’s still often left out of discussions of the greatest blues guitarists of all time
Read more » “When I heard Sonic Youth, I was like, ‘I need a Jazzmaster, and I’m gonna put duct tape on it!’”: Bartees Strange on working with superstar producer Jack Antonoff, his vintage guitar collection, and emulating Neil Young’s “spluttery” guitar sounds
The UK-born, Oklahoma-raised songwriter reflects on lusting after a Jimi Hendrix-style whammy bar, pre-amp pedals, and why he loves electric-acoustic guitars (and not acoustic-electrics)
Read more » “The ability to use this as a midweight MIDI brain for a gigging setup is what makes it unique.”: Walrus Audio Canvas Clock review
Walrus’ latest Canvas pedal looks to take control of your MIDI-equipped pedals. A silver bullet, dream come true, or too niche by far?
Read more » “We hadn’t really rehearsed. As we were walking to the stage, he said, ‘Hang on, boys!’ And he went in the corner and vomited”: Assembled on 24 hours’ notice, this John Lennon-led, motley crew supergroup marked the beginning of the end of the Beatles
Though the band’s set at the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival was ragged, it confirmed in stone a hugely consequential decision Lennon had made just before the festival
Read more » “Among the most sought-after of all rhythm guitars… a power and projection unsurpassed by any other archtop”: Stromberg has made a long-awaited comeback, and we got our hands on its new Master 400 – a holy grail archtop with a price to match
The big-bodied archtop is a notorious powerhouse but its return – even at a hair under eight grand – has us tempted. Here’s what the fuss is about…
Read more » “I pushed myself to down-pick faster and make the riffs more aggressive. Maybe it’s the old man in me struggling to feel young and fighting back against aging”: How Killswitch Engage went to thrash metal bootcamp to deliver their face-ripping return
This Consequence is the sound of pent-up aggression, a creative release after Killswitch were stopped in their tracks. Dynamic duo Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel talk frontmen, riff tactics, and why nothing was too grimy for this
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