“I had 30 days left on my visa or they’re gonna throw me out of the country. I didn’t know they’d already auditioned 24 guitarists”: Scott Gorham recalls his nerve-racking Thin Lizzy audition – and his first impressions of Brian Robertson
Back in 1974, Thin Lizzy were auditioning a second guitarist to accompany their newest recruit: the 18-year-old Les Paul-wielding Brian Robertson
Read more » “Everyone who met him will carry Chris’ enthusiasm and love for music of all kinds. It was impossible not to be affected by it”: Chris Bird, Guitar World Lessons Editor and former Total Guitar Editor, has died aged 48
Our friend and colleague first joined Total Guitar in 2007 and spent nearly two decades sharing his passion and knowledge for the craft with readers
Read more » “Sonically, it’s astonishing. You plug in, turn it on and there it is – there’s the Andy Timmons sound”: That Pedal Show’s Daniel Steinhardt reveals his top 5 pedals (from the past 5 years)
Looking for some ‘board inspiration? Here, the man behind GigRig and one half of YouTube’s favorite pedal show gives us his shortlist
Read more » “It was about being a competitive guitarist in the ’80s. That was a completely different playing style than Ace was known for”: In 1985, Kiss needed the best and got the best – his name was Bruce Kulick
It was the no makeup era of Kiss, and after a succession of guitarists, they needed an ace in the pack. Kulick stepped up, and brought his A game. Here he reflects on a pivotal moment in Kisstory
Read more » “Gilby had left the band. Axl called me up and said, ‘Do you want to get together and jam?’” Zakk Wylde on the time he almost joined Slash and co in Guns N’ Roses
The GNR lineup – and their music – could have turned out very different had the experiment paid off
Read more » “It’s certainly worth considering against the start-point of the Gibson USA Les Paul range. The lines are getting blurred.”: Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue review
Epiphone chases the flame of the world’s most coveted electric guitar
Read more » “What led to the end of my time with Steppenwolf? Egos and drugs”: Michael Monarch was just 18 when he tracked one of the most iconic riffs of the ’60s –next came Janis Joplin, Jimmy Page and Free’s Andy Fraser
Fan of slide-based tuning recalls not being credited for his work with Janis Joplin, why he left Andy Fraser’s band, waiting to work with Roger Glover, and why Led Zeppelin couldn’t save Detective, his band with Michael Des Barres
Read more » Guitar tech Annie Needham is here to show you how to adjust your pickup heights
Small mods make a big difference! ⚙️ Guitar tech Annie Needham is here to show you how to adjust your pickup heights. What other mods would you like to see?…
Read more » “The guitar player got caught in a snowstorm and couldn’t get down for the gig. They were looking for somebody and I said, ‘I know all that stuff’”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter went to a James Brown gig – and had to step in as his sideman at the last minute
Brown may be known as the the “Hardest-Working Man in Show Business”, but it seems like Skunk is also worthy of that moniker…
Read more » “My pickups melted!” Guns N’ Roses’ show in Saudi Arabia was so hot that Richard Fortus’ guitar pickups started to melt
The guitarist’s signature Gretsch was left feeling the heat, and it made for a grizzly sight
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