We're 500 issues old today! Very many thanks to all the contributors to the magazine over the years and readers who have been following us since that heady mid-1980s era when it all began. New issue is out now, packed to the rafters with news, reviews and interviews.
“I hate to say it, but non-musicians – who are the majority of the listening world – are not going to remember guitar solos”: Kirk Hammett says it doesn’t matter how good or flashy a solo is – most people are going to forget them anyway
“You could do anything with a Telecaster”: Joe Bonamassa shares his Telecaster tone tips and tricks – with the help of an exceptionally rare vintage model
“I was playing at three times the speed that I normally play at”: Pete Townshend resisted buying “heavy metal” guitars for decades – but he just got his first Jackson at the age of 78… and loves it
“The Franken V is literally a dream come true. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever had”: Scott Ian always wanted a V-shaped version of Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein – and Jackson made it a jaw-dropping reality
“This is going to sound really f**king strange”: Joe Bonamassa says his go-to BOSS dirt pedal is the Metal Zone – here’s why the blues ace rates the metal monster
“It’s the most money I’ve ever paid for a guitar in my life: over $400,000. But what’s a Flying V worth? It’s worth what someone’s willing to pay for it”: Joe Bonamassa opens the gates to Nerdville and shows off the most prized guitars in his collection
“If you walk through a Guitar Center, you see an awful lot of $300 guitars. If I’m a serious musician, it doesn’t feel like the right place for me anymore”: Guitar Center’s new CEO explains why the firm’s future must prioritize premium guitars
“Steve Vai is the only guitarist who could play my parts. I’m totally psyched for this”: Robert Fripp gives his blessing for a new King Crimson supergroup, featuring Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Danny Carey
“The worst condition I’ve ever seen”: A lost Gibson Les Paul Junior from the 1950s has been found in a near-unsalvageable state – and it could be a first-year model
“An amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny”: the Epiphone Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ Les Paul is finally here – complete with a Gibson headstock and a price tag to match
Happy World Guitar Day! Dive into a host of guitar lessons, interviews and gear guides. More to come throughout the day! Tell us what the guitar means to you using the hashtag
#WorldGuitarDay
“I was blown away by how it sounded”: After 30 years of Marshall stacks, Slash has switched to Magnatone – and a “killer” new signature amp is in the works
“An instrument with class that could still appeal to the most technically driven shredders”: Bruno Mars’ signature Fender Strat tips the cap to his six-string icons Jimi Hendrix and Prince – and it’s one of the finest artist builds we’ve seen
“We’ve arrived at something that’s really special”: Gibson launches Jimmy Page’s ultra-exclusive Collector’s Edition 1969 EDS-1275 double-neck signature guitar – a meticulous, $50,000 recreation of an enduring rock ’n’ roll symbol