Rob Laakso, Kurt Vile & The Violators guitarist, dies at 44 By Jackson Maxwell published 8 May 23 A multi-instrumentalist, Laakso was also a member of the renowned indie bands Swirlies and Mice Parade
A Jimi Hendrix stage-used 1968 Fender Dual Showman cabinet is headed to the auction block By Jackson Maxwell published 8 May 23 Acquired by Hendrix due to his need for more onstage firepower, the cab features a pair of 15-inch JBL 130 speakers, and was most prominently used for the guitar hero's performance at the 1969 Newport Pop Festival
Wolfgang Van Halen toys with polyrhythms on anthemic new Mammoth WVH track, Like a Pastime By Jackson Maxwell published 8 May 23 The song, Van Halen says, has "a completely different vibe than anything on the first Mammoth WVH album"
Crown Lands’ doubleneck devotee Kevin Comeau on his fearless guitar/bass multitasking, recording with Alex Lifeson’s acoustic and why Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream is a tonal benchmark By Amit Sharma published 8 May 23 Comeau unpacks his multi-instrumentalist approach on the Rush disciples’ impossibly expansive sound, and explains just exactly where he got that super-cool doubleneck
Extreme cancel forthcoming M3 Rock Festival appearance due to Nuno Bettencourt knee injury By Jackson Maxwell published 5 May 23 Bettencourt performed seated with Extreme earlier this week on the Monsters of Rock cruise after injuring himself in a basketball game
Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: Stevie Ray Vaughan – The Making Of A Guitar Hero By Chris Bird published 5 May 23 Also in issue 371! Interviews: Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton, HMLTD, Indigo De Souza and more! Reviews: Charvel Jim Root Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 1, Marshall Reissue Pedals, Strymon Cloudburst, Epiphone 1958 Korina Explorer, Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium. Learn songs by Mammoth WVH, The Clash and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Watch Joe Perry tackle Beck's Bolero in tribute to Jeff Beck By Jackson Maxwell published 5 May 23 Armed with a custom Telecaster equipped with both a whammy bar and a reverse headstock, the Aerosmith man doffed his cap to one of his heroes with a faithful, impassioned cover of the iconic instrumental
This week's essential guitar tracks: from Smashing Pumpkins' shredding metal turn to solos from the son of a session legend By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Matt Parker published 5 May 23 All the guitar-driven songs you need to hear this week
What’s the greatest guitar solo of the 21st century? By Paul Elliott published 5 May 23 Vote now for your favorite!
Stevie Ray Vaughan swapped his Strat for this Guild 12-string acoustic in his virtuosic MTV Unplugged performance – now it’s up for auction By Matt Parker published 5 May 23 The Texan blues dynamo used the model to perform the likes of Rude Mood and Pride and Joy in the 1990 performance
Nuno Bettencourt performs sitting down after busting his knee on Monsters of Rock Cruise – but still nails the Rise solo By Matt Parker published 5 May 23 The Extreme guitarist apologized to fans for his injury, yet battled on to deliver a set worthy of a standing ovation
John Primer: "When I played with Muddy Waters, he set my amp tone up for me. I use the same settings he gave me back in the mid-'70s" By Andrew Daly published 5 May 23 The blues veteran discusses his love of Epiphones (and why he never clicked with Strats), what he learned as a sideman to Muddy Waters and Magic Slim, and the secret to his enviable tone
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett: “With 72 Seasons, I improvised 20, 30 solos, gave them all to Lars and Greg Fidelman, and went, ‘You guys edit them!’” By Jenna Scaramanga published 5 May 23 Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo draw back the curtain on the metal album of the year: the gear shakeups, the Angus Young and Ritchie Blackmore-inspired guitar approach, and the response to critics of Kirk’s improvisational soloing approach
Hear unreleased Rory Gallagher track Continental Op – a rampaging live performance from the Stratocaster great's previously undocumented period By Matt Parker published 5 May 23 A new Rory Gallagher live album, All Around Man – Live In London, is on the way and it features 23 unreleased recordings
Best guitars for shredding 2023: unleash your inner guitar god with these supersonic six strings By Matt McCracken published 5 May 23 Shred the competition with our pick of the finest face-melting axes from Ibanez, Charvel, ESP, Schecter, and more
5 ways to start a guitar solo By Jenna Scaramanga published 5 May 23 Grab the audience's attention right off the bat with these fail-safe lead guitar tips
Nuno Bettencourt on Rihanna Super Bowl halftime show appearance: "The hell with the NFL for not giving any love to the band" By Jackson Maxwell published 4 May 23 Though he expressed gratitude toward the pop superstar for involving him in the show, the Extreme guitarist bemoaned the lack of camera time Rihanna's band received during the much-watched performance
Jon Bon Jovi: “I was in the room with Jeff Beck when he took a guitar out of a cardboard box, with a rented amplifier and no pedals and created that sound” By Matt Parker published 4 May 23 The frontman was asked to name the greatest guitarist of all time and wasted no time in selecting Beck
Kemper announces Liquid Profiling – offering “the perfect marriage of modeling and profiling” By Matt Parker published 4 May 23 The huge new update brings modeled gain and EQ controls to profiled tones, creating amp-like responses in captured profiles
Kiesel unveils the Sophie Lloyd Signature Series – signature guitars you can spec yourself By Michael Astley-Brown published 4 May 23 The social media virtuoso and Machine Gun Kelly guitarist has kitted her signature model out with some fun appointments – and aesthetics you can customize