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Jackson’s first ever Wes Borland signature model is here: Behold, the Pro Series Wes Borland King V KV
Jackson has launched its first-ever signature model with Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland, the Pro Series Signature Wes Borland King V KV.
Borland is best known for his unconventional and quirky playing styles (as well as some pretty unconventional stage outfits). This new model is crafted to his exact specifications, and is built for “uncompromising power and raw sonic intensity”.
At the heart of the guitar is a Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup, described as the “powerhouse” behind Borland’s tone. The model also offers neck-through construction with graphite reinforcement for stability, a compound radius ebony fingerboard crowned with 24 jumbo frets, and upside-down pearloid shark fin inlays.
Luminlay side dots glow in low-light conditions, and there’s also Jackson locking strap pins and a recessed Floyd Rose 1500 series bridge, helping the King V stay in tune through dive-bombs. Borland has opted to keep the model streamlined and “bulletproof”, so it has just a single volume control.
“It’s taken me a long time to figure out what I need as a guitar player. For me, you just need volume, pickups, locking tremolo system and 24 frets, that’s it,” says Borland. “Live, it just needs to be as bulletproof as possible. I’ve been very rough with guitars over the years. I’ve come to realise that the more streamlined our guitars are, the less problems we have on stage.”
Going on to address how the guitar matches up to his outrageous stage styles, he adds: “Jackson is fun; the over the top, shred-a-copter shapes and my outrageous stage costumes pushing the boundaries, this fits in more with that. The way people dress, it affects how you behave, and I think it also changes how I play guitar.”
Credit: Jackson
Completing the guitar is a detail unique to Borland: the Jackson logo on the headstock is flipped upside down. Peter Wichers, Product Development Manager at Jackson Guitars, explains why.
“Wes Borland is unlike anyone else in nu-metal — nobody looks or sounds like him. When our artist rep Mike Tempesta introduced Wes to some Jackson Custom Shop guitars, he picked a left-handed King V and modded it for his right-hand playing, which left the headstock logo upside down.
“He loved it, so we kept it. That happy accident became one of the most iconic details of the whole build. Being involved in the development of his Signature King V has been an incredibly cool project, and I think that shows in every inch of this guitar,” Wichers shares.
The Pro Series Signature Wes Borland King V KV is available now for $1,299.99 USD/£1,199 GBP. Head over to Jackson to learn more.
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Great Acoustics: Earl Scruggs’ Iconic 1955 Martin D-18
Judas Priest’s Ian Hill says forthcoming new album is “more traditional” and “a lot more direct”
Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has shared some insider knowledge on what fans can expect from their next album, and says it’s set to be more “direct” and “traditional”.
The band’s most recent album was 2024’s Invincible Shield, which marked their 19th studio album so far. Hill’s comments follow on from Richie Faulkner, having let slip that the band were working on new music back in March.
Speaking to Spain’s Metal Journal about their new material, he says [via Blabbermouth]: “The style, it’s a little bit different from the last one. It’s a little bit more traditional, maybe a little bit quirky with some of the things.
“I’ve only heard it in very raw form, just basically guitar, bass and drums, but it’s shaping up to be a great classic Priest album. It’ll be out some time next year, probably March, April, something like that. That’s down to the record company.”
Asked if it will sound reminiscent of classic releases like British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance he adds with a laugh, “No, not that traditional. It’s more along the lines of Invincible Shield, but a lot more direct, shall I say.”
Hill, along with guitarist Glenn Tipton, are the only Priest members to have appeared on all of the band’s studio albums so far. On their lineup changes over the years, Hill also shares how “nobody’s irreplaceable”, and believes Judas Priest could continue on in the future with new members.
“There’s no reason why not. We’ve already got through about six or seven drummers, four guitarists and two vocalists. So, why not? I’m sure everybody will be up for it if Rob or myself have to pack it in for one reason or another. Nobody’s irreplaceable, so you never know.”
Find out where you can catch Judas Priest live via their official website.
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Alex Lifeson is taking a Kirk Hammett Greeny on the road with Rush: “The relic’ing is just spectacular”
Rush are soon to kick off their highly-anticipated Fifty Something reunion tour, and Alex Lifeson is taking a Kirk Hammett Greeny model with him on the road.
The tour begins on 7 June at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, and it’s going to be huge. The stint continues across the world with dates going all the way into April 2027. Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee will be joined by drummer Anika Nilles, and it will mark the first time in 11 years that Rush have toured, as well as the first time since the tragic passing of Neil Peart in 2020.
The Greeny signature model Lifeson will be taking is likely the Murphy Lab-aged Gibson Custom Shop edition launched in 2023, which replicates the fabled 1959 “Greeny” Les Paul Standard guitar belonging to Hammett, priced at $19,999. In the same year, an Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop Epiphone version was also launched.
Speaking to Guitar World about his gear choices, Lifeson reveals, “Kirk Hammett gave me one of his Greenys. I’ve been having fun with that. It’s a pretty raunchy Les Paul, for sure. The Gibson Custom Shop did such an amazing job on it. The relic’ing is just spectacular, and it sounds really, really great.”
He continues, “My original ES-355 has gone to someone else, but I have one of the reissues that I’ll have on the road… I’m still sort of building that arsenal. I think I had 23 guitars on the last tour. I’ll probably have 15 or 16 [for this tour].”
As for Lee, he plans on bringing his ‘62 Jazz Bass, some “classic Rickies”, and more, including “some unusual things” which he remains tight-lipped about.
Lifeson and Lee spoke of their decision to tour again in an interview with Classic Rock published earlier this year. Given their previous comments about not wanting to tour over fears of being “a Rush tribute band”, Lee joked the stint is a “supremely stupid idea” with emotions running high.
“It’s a massively stupid idea, because we’re going to be so emotional already, that first show without Neil, and then to be in that building. What the fuck was I thinking?” He later continued, “Without Neil… I’ll be frank. There are some songs you play where it kind of hits you, it’s bad, and it feels weird. And it’s appropriate that that happens. You know what I mean?
“If we just picked up and went on without feeling any tug of anything, that would be absurd, that would be a whole other thing. And there’ll be moments in both sets where we’ll pay tribute to him. We’re working hard on that, making sure that it’s appropriate.”
You can view the full list of Fifty Something tour dates via the Rush website.
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“He never said anything mean about Randy… Ed didn’t really care”: Ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist says the rivalry between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads was overplayed by fans
![Eddie Van Halen [main] and Randy Rhoads [inset]](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Eddie-Van-Halen-Randy-Rhoads@2000x1500.jpg)
Former W.A.S.P guitarist Chris Holmes has shed some light on the rumoured rivalry that allegedly existed between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads.
Both Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads began building their music careers within Van Halen and Quiet Riot respectively around the same period, with both playing across California in the late 1970s into the 1980s. But the pair rarely crossed paths, and according to Holmes (a good friend of Eddie’s), the speculated rivalry between the two was actually rather between fans.
- READ MORE: Jack Osborne says the planned Ozzy Osbourne biopic will feature the fallout from Randy Rhoads’ death
“He never said anything mean about Randy,” says Holmes, speaking to Rock Interview Series [via Ultimate Guitar]. “Ed never did it all. Ed didn’t really care. Ed knew how he played, but he didn’t really care.”
He later adds, “The rivalry was between the fans, more. The fans of Quiet Riot versus Van Halen fans. That was where the rivalry really was. But between the bands…it wasn’t between Ed and Randy. Ed would never say he hated the guy or disliked him.”
Holmes isn’t the only musician part of the inner circles of Van Halen and Quiet Riot who has dispelled such rumours. Earlier this year, Quiet Riot’s original bassist Kelly Garni told the Booked On Rock Podcast that “there was no competition,” between the two.
Garni explained, “Most certainly, there was no competition in Randy’s world. Because Randy didn’t compete. It just wasn’t in Randy to try to compete. He couldn’t! The way his brain was wired… he could not form a thought like ‘Oh, I’m gonna be better than that guy!’”
Garni rather recalled a fascination on Rhoads’ part, and says he even went to watch a Van Halen gig and tried to go backstage to meet his supposed “rival”: “Randy was trying to get backstage to meet him, and he did get back there…” he said. “Eddie was acting kind of crazy and bouncing off of walls in his underwear. And Randy was like, ‘Oh okay… not the best time to meet this guy.’”
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Sick of competitions that reward speed and chops? This one is all about playing in the pocket, and there’s $10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs
[Editor’s note: The Pocket Challenge is sponsored by Heritage Guitars, Harmony and MONO, all part of Vista Musical Instruments. VMI, like Guitar.com, is part of the Caldecott Music Group.]
Do you pride yourself on your ability to play in the pocket? It’s a different discipline entirely than just being able to shred hundreds of notes per minute, and if this sounds like you, here’s a competition which could land you some seriously cool prizes…
All too often, online guitar competitions revolve around entrants’ ability to dazzle listeners with lightning-fast chops and rapid technical precision. But as many prominent guitarists have noted in recent years, it’s often more important to prioritise feel, groove and timing if you want to really captivate your audience.
And this new competition devised by Yurt Rock and Wheelhouse Beats – The Pocket Challenge – is designed to reward those with a knack for playing in the pocket.
Here’s how you enter: first you need to download the Wheelhouse Beats app to gain access to a selection of real drummer recordings and groove tracks, then you simply play along with your instrument of choice, and film yourself playing. “Keep it authentic – no tricks needed,” organisers insist. Finally, you need to post it on Instagram or TikTok with the hashtag #pocketchallenge, and upload your video to contest.yurtrock.com.
The public will then vote for their favourite submissions, and the top 10 most-voted-for submissions will become finalists, ready to be assessed by a stellar panel of judges, including guitarist and Frank Ocean collaborator Charlie Hunter, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, Grammy-nominated composer Larry Goldings, and bassist and David Bowie collaborator Tim Lefebvre.
Not a guitarist? Not a problem. The competition welcomes entries from any instrument, be it bass, guitar, drums, keys, vocals, horns and anything else.
‘What’s in this for me?’ we hear you ask. Well, how does $10,000 worth of musical prizes sound?
The winner of the competition will receive a Heritage Standard II Collection H-150 electric guitar with a case, a MONO Classic FlyBy Ultra backpack, the Yurt Rock Ultimate Bundle – with over 250 GB of content to use, XLN Audio Suite – featuring Addictive Drums, RC-20, XO and more – and even a private lesson with Charlie Hunter.
Second place will receive a Harmony Standard Series Juno electric guitar, a MONO Classic FlyBy backpack, Yurt Rock Artist Series Bundle and XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2.
Third place will get a Heritage Ascent+ Collection H-150 electric guitar – which we rated a 9/10 in our review last year – a MONO Stealth Alias backpack, the Yurt Rock Producer Pack, and XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color.
“The pocket is what makes music feel good,” competition organisers reason. “It’s timing, groove, and feel – not speed or complexity.”]
Learn more and enter now at contest.yurtrock.com.
The post Sick of competitions that reward speed and chops? This one is all about playing in the pocket, and there’s $10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Review: Suhr Classic S HSS
The Suhr Classic S HSS is a guitar that manages to take a very familiar design and elevate it in ways that immediately become apparent once you spend some time with it. While the guitar will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has played a traditional S-style guitar, the level of refinement and attention to detail that Suhr puts into this instrument makes it feel like something a bit more special.
The first thing that stands out about the Classic S, and really any Suhr guitar, is the overall build quality. Suhr has built a reputation for producing exceptionally well-made instruments, and this guitar certainly reinforces that reputation. The fit and finish are outstanding, from the clean neck pocket to the impeccable fretwork. Everything feels solid and carefully put together, and the guitar gives the impression that the people who are making the instrument care about what they’re doing.
This particular guitar has Suhr’s 60s C Vintage Standard neck profile, which measures .810 - .930. My hands are fairly sensitive to different neck shapes, but I find the neck to be very comfortable. I also like the compound radius, which goes from 9”-12”. Whether you’re playing chords down low or bending notes further up the neck, the guitar feels smooth and responsive.
Sonically, the single-coil pickups have a clear and crisp character that works beautifully for clean tones. Chords ring out with plenty of definition, and individual notes remain articulate even when playing more complex passages. There is a hi-fi quality to the sound that allows the natural character of the guitar to come through very clearly.
The reason I went with the HSS configuration is for versatility. When switching to the bridge position, the guitar takes on a thicker, more powerful voice that works well for lead playing and higher-gain sounds. Even with the additional output of the humbucker, the tone still retains clarity and definition. Additionally, I don’t find the output difference to be all that noticeable when playing. There is a slight bit of difference, but these pickups are fairly well balanced across the spectrum.
One nice feature that seems fairly unique to Suhr is their SSCII (Silent Single Coil II) system. My understanding is that this system uses a dummy coil to reduce the 60-cycle hum. That allows Suhr to use standard single coil pickups while also reducing the hum. It works great. When playing with high gain, I find the single coil positions to actually be quieter than the humbucker position.
The hardware and overall setup are also excellent. The tremolo operates smoothly, tuning stability is solid, and the guitar feels very reliable overall.
I’ve owned several Suhr guitars over the years. Each one has been a high quality instrument that feels like a refinement over the guitar it’s based on. The craftsmanship is outstanding, the tones are clear and articulate, and the SSCII system does an excellent job of eliminating the usual single-coil hum while preserving the character of the pickups.
If the recent news has got you looking for a different company for S- or T-shaped guitars, I can highly recommend Suhr.
Billy Squier once had to save just one of his guitars from a burning building: “I went straight to the closet, looked at my four Les Pauls”
Billy Squier once had to flee from his building in Manhattan when a fire broke out in the basement, and he took with him just one of his guitars and his trusty pet dog.
When faced with the commotion, Squier had to pick from a collection of guitars that he’d used on some of his biggest hits, including a 1957 Fender Telecaster Custom that was played on Calley Oh from his 1980 debut album The Tale Of The Tape, and across his follow up record Don’t Say No.
In an interview with Guitar World, the hypothetical burning building question is posed to Squier, and he reveals exactly what went down when such horrors became a reality. Thankfully, Squier, his dog, and all of his gear made it through the ordeal safe and sound.
Ultimately, it was his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard named ‘Fanny’ that became the chosen one to be saved: “It already happened to me a few years ago,” he begins. “It turned out it wasn’t serious, but I live in a large building on Central Park West in Manhattan, and there was a fire in the basement.
“There was a big commotion – alarms going off and fire engines circling – so I went straight to the closet, looked at my four Les Pauls, grabbed that one and my dog, and trotted down the back stairs and out onto the street.”
He concludes, “Everything was fine in the end. We didn’t lose anything.”
Gibson Les Pauls often become treasured pieces by those who get their hands on one. In a new interview with Guitar.com, Lamb of God’s Mark Morton shared how his early love of the Les Paul came to be, and spoke of his new Modern Quilt signature model.
“My first main guitar was a Les Paul Deluxe ’75,” he said. “It was chopped up for PAFs and refinished – just a total beater! But I played it until the frets were flat. I was playing that guitar in punk bands all around town, just kind of dragging it around on the floorboard of my truck with no case. It was just like my security blanket.”
Keep up to date with updates from Billy Squier via his official website.
The post Billy Squier once had to save just one of his guitars from a burning building: “I went straight to the closet, looked at my four Les Pauls” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The May/June 2026 issue of Guitar.com Magazine is here: here’s how to get your copy
A new issue of Guitar.com Magazine drops this week – and comes in a bundle with NME Magazine! Here’s how you can get a copy of the May/June 2026 issue.
Last April, we announced the relaunch of the Guitar.com print edition after a four-year hiatus, featuring Mateus Asato, Yvette Young and Jacob Collier on the cover of the first three issues. This Thursday, you’ll be able to get your hands on the next issue of Guitar.com Magazine, featuring unmissable features and reviews, which comes with a copy of the May/June 2026 issue of NME Magazine.
Mark your calendars for Thursday May 28 at 2pm BST – that’s when the cover stars of both magazines will be revealed and the mags go on sale exclusively via retailer Dawsons. The waiting room is open, so check it out now – and give our brand-new crossword a go.
Besides Guitar.com, MusicTech has also returned to print. Guitar.com, MusicTech and NME are sister publications under NME Networks. The new Guitar.com and MusicTech print editions alternate with every bi-monthly edition of NME Magazine – which itself was relaunched in 2023 – meaning three print editions per calendar year for each brand.
Subscribe here for more information about Guitar.com Magazine and for the chance to receive an exclusive queue jump opportunity, where readers can get their hands on a copy before anyone else. Guitar.com will send out queue jump tickets shortly before the magazine goes on sale to subscribers on the mailing list.
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Seymour Duncan links up with YouTuber Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on new signature humbucker
Seymour Duncan has teamed up with musician Dragged Under guitarist and YouTuber Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on a new signature humbucker.
Combining elements of two of his favourite passive Seymour Duncan pickups – the iconic JB Model and the Black Winter – the new FLF Model humbucker is the result of a direct partnership between Bruce and the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop team.
It combines a coil from the JB Model and the Black Winter pickups with an Alnico 4 bar magnet “for a tone that’s uniquely Fluff’s own”, the brand says.
Built for a tight, high-gain modern metal sound, the FLF Model is said to boast a “throaty midrange and percussive bite” – perfect for punishing drop-tuned rhythm parts – as well as a “smooth, buttery top”.
In terms of physical specs, the FLF Model features black nickel studs and screws, matte black bobbins, a black Olde English Seymour Duncan logo, and short mounting legs.
Credit: Seymour Duncan
“When Ryan “Fluff” Bruce – one of YouTube’s most influential metal guitarists – needed a pickup that could handle anything, Seymour Duncan answered with the FLF Model,” the pickup firm says.
“Hand-built in the Custom Shop, this signature humbucker drives the hard-hitting sound of Dragged Under and is the voice of Fluff’s limited-edition Artist Series StingRay by Ernie Ball/Music Man.”
“Being able to combine my favorite Seymour Duncan tones into one pickup that works with everything I do is truly a sonic gift!” adds Ryan “Fluff” Bruce.
You can watch Ryan “Fluff” Bruce get excited about his new signature pickup in his video below:
Price-wise, the Ryan “Fluff” Bruce signature FLF Model Humbucker clocks in at $180.
Learn more at Seymour Duncan.
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David Lee Roth on early songwriting sessions with Eddie Van Halen: “His mom wouldn’t let him plug into the amp. So I have to listen to the electric guitar without one. It’d be so close that our knees would touch”
David Lee Roth has opened up about his earliest songwriting sessions with Eddie Van Halen, recalling how songs were created in such tight spaces where the pair were often “so close that our knees would touch”.
Speaking during a recent solo show at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania, the former Van Halen frontman became visibly emotional as he revisited the “tiny little space” where much of the band’s early material first took shape.
Tracing those early writing conditions back to his own upbringing, where space was just as limited, Roth explains [via UCR]: “Most of these songs that I wrote with Ed, we wrote in a very, very tiny little space. I myself started off in the exact same space. My dad was just starting in school on the GI Bill when I happened. Back in 1954, the Fender Stratocaster was released, and so was I.”
“And we lived in student housing for about the first 10, 12 years of my life,” he continues. “It was very tight, about the size of the drum riser here. And I had a little space that was for the washer and the dryer, and just enough for me on some cinder blocks with a foam rubber cushion.”
That kind of environment, he says, felt strangely familiar when he first met Van Halen.
“When I first walked into Ed’s [room], it wasn’t even a room,” Roth recalls. “It was identical to the way I grew up. You had to go from the backyard to the kitchen, and you moved through what they called his room, but it was just a little alcove for a washer and a dryer – and then, ultimately, me.”
“The beginnings of every song we sing to you tonight, I started with Ed,” the musician continues. “He had an electric guitar, and his mom wouldn’t let him plug into the amp. So I would have to listen to the electric guitar without an amp, and it’d be so close that our knees would touch.”
“And those first couple of years, God, how many hours did I spend leaning over like this? Tape recorded on a Sony little thing with the push buttons and the cassette player. Take it home, write the lyrics and bring it back and go, ‘I think it’s a song about runnin’ with the devil or something. What do you got next?’ It would be so quiet that our knees would touch the whole time. We never noticed.”
“And these were the days when I’d say, ‘Hey, you wanna have a cigarette?’ He’d go, ‘Yeah,’ and that’s what we would have,” says Roth. “The two of us, one cigarette. ‘Don’t fuckin’ hotbox it. You’re lipping it. No, fuck you, too. Oh, fuck you twice. He fuckin’ runs with the devil, what’s that fuckin’ mean?’ There was friction early and we loved it.”
That push-and-pull dynamic, Roth adds, didn’t disappear with time. It resurfaced decades later during the band’s short-lived 1996 reunion, where they wrote two new songs, Can’t Get This Stuff No More and Me Wise Magic. By then, both he and Eddie Van Halen had moved into very different worlds – but the creative rhythm, he suggests, remained unchanged.
“I guess about 30 years later, whatever it was, Ed and I had both gotten tombs with a view. That’s what I call those big houses. As big as this whole building,” he says. “And Ed built himself a multimillion-dollar studio, and it had all the most modern equipment. And I’d been away from the band for a while, but hey, great healing. We come back, and he says, ‘Okay, we’re gonna write two more songs.’ That’s great.”
“I was sitting in the middle of the room… and I was on a chair, and I was reading a paperback, waiting on him,” Roth continues. “And when he came in, he put a cigarette in his mouth, came over, brought a chair right in front of me, and sat down in it and scooted forward till our knees touched. That’s how I wrote the last two songs. Full circle.”
The post David Lee Roth on early songwriting sessions with Eddie Van Halen: “His mom wouldn’t let him plug into the amp. So I have to listen to the electric guitar without one. It’d be so close that our knees would touch” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“As it’s associated with the beginnings of the development of the electric guitar, it’s iconic – and the players that use them are iconic” – Gina Gleason on 75 years of the Telecaster
Gina Gleason is one of heavy music’s great Telecaster advocates. Her unconventional outlook on tone fits well within the mutable approach Baroness takes to heaviness – with an origin story as the band’s lead guitarist that’s as unique as the band’s music. She joined Baroness in 2017, after a stint playing guitar for Cirque Du Soleil. She became fast friends with frontman John Dyer Baizley over their shared love of weird fuzz pedals – and it wasn’t long before she joined the band full time.
When she joined, she was quick to adapt her gear approach from the shreddier side of things to suit the Baroness tonal palette – single-coils, weird fuzz tones, and pedal-friendly combos. And far from leading to a softer touch – this unique approach lets the band push the boundaries of heavy music into further and stranger places than ever before.
Image: Press
Why the Telecaster?
“I was always a fan of the Telecaster sound – just the pure brightness of it, and, from my early days of being interested in the guitar, the musicians that played Telecasters. Growing up my dad loved Elvis more than anything – so I was exposed to a lot of James Burton’s guitar playing from a really young age.
“I’ve also had the same guitar teacher since I was a teenager, and I still take lessons with him to this day. His name’s Yanni Papadopoulos, and he lives in Philadelphia. He’s got a great band called Stinking Lizaveta. He exposed me to some really great players when I took lessons from him – like Danny Gatton and Jimmy Bryant. I remember trying to learn a Jimmy Bryant piece as a teenager, and was just blown away by the effortlessness of his alternate picking.
“In my mind, I also drew this parallel between players like Jimmy Bryant, who had these insane alternate picking chops, and this ability to incorporate chromaticisms and reality fast licks, and these other guitarists I admired like Dimebag and like Randy Rhoads – these total shredders that sort of had this otherworldliness about their playing. Those folks that played Teles – they were reflective of the other players I loved in metal, from a chops perspective.”
Image: Press
What informed your own unique approach to ‘heavy’ tones?
“I think the breakthrough moment for me was, about 12 years ago, I was working as a musician for Cirque du Soleil, doing 484 shows a year – and it was Michael Jackson’s catalogue. So I had access to the isolated guitar tracks to learn the songs and emulate the sound with a Fractal.
“And something about listening to Eddie Van Halen’s isolated solo on Beat It – I was like, oh, it’s not that distorted – it’s pretty clean! I just started thinking about the perception of heaviness and distortion, and how more gain does not always equal heavier – almost the opposite.
“The more you can pull back the gain, it’s almost like your sound can kind of bloom in a way that takes up space, and gives a different perception of volume – that’s kind of what I feel brings a lot of heaviness to a sound. It’s the same with Baroness – it’s not just about what sound can be louder, it’s more about adding dynamics in a broader way, thinking more about frequencies, not just pure volume.”
Image: Press
How did your gear approach change when you joined Baroness?
“When I joined Baroness, John was playing a lot of G&L guitars – an ASAT Classic and a Bluesboy. And I was bringing this Jackson DK2M Dinky, this late ‘90s Jackson that I still play to this day – and a Kramer SM-1, which has a really similar body shape – pointy headstock, humbuckers, Floyd Rose, the whole thing. And I just felt it wasn’t suiting the vibe.
“At the time we were touring the Purple album that had just come out the year before. And to me, Baroness was a band that always had a lot of experimental tones and textures, with tons of layers. John was really interested in figuring out how we could explore that on a deeper level in the live settings. And I’m really into tone chasing – pedals are kinda the whole reason John and I met, through a mutual friend that made fuzzes.
“So, yeah, I think just that really early stage of sort of auditioning for the band. I was like, I want to have the right gear for this. Yeah. And I found a used – I think – ‘92 ASAT classic at a local Sam Ash, because again, I had always been fascinated by that style of guitar, and Baroness was my opportunity to get one.”
What’s your go-to Tele now?
“My go-to Telecaster is the American Pro I, from I think 2017 or 2018 – it’s just a really comfortable neck, and I like how the pickups are voices. It’s got a lot of brightness and presence, and I like how it sits in a mix with John’s rig, which is something I try to think about a lot. You want to have a cool sound that inspires you, but you also have to think about the whole picture, the full mix of your band.
“So I tend to try to think about that stuff – if we’re playing a harmonised lead and John’s on the neck pickup, I’ll try to make sure I’m on the bridge, and vice versa. It’s a way of complementing your bandmates’ sound, and making sure the live performance and presentation is as dynamic and as engaging for the listener as possible.”
The American Pro I Tele is a pretty traditional spec, rather than one built with more traditionally “modern metal” appointments.
“I like the three-saddle bridge because it makes me think of a more classic setup. It is slightly more tedious when you’re intonating it – but I like the feel of them. There can be a little bit of an imperfection sometimes when you’re really whaling on things, but I still just want that classic Tele setup.
“Fender is amazing at constantly innovating and coming up with new solutions and things to suit different players – like the 75th anniversary model, the American Ultra in Liquid Gold, it’s got a neck profile that’s almost like a Jackson’s, and those incredible pickups – I think all that stuff is awesome. But for me, I really like a more classic setup.”
With that more traditional guitar setup and an analogue pedalboard, how do you approach amps and headroom?
“I started with really low headroom when I first joined the band, and have kind of upped it through the years. Now I’m playing a Bassman reissue – and I also like having a Princeton in my rig. That’s not got a lot of headroom, but I like the way it breaks up – I never really have it past three, maybe four, so it just gets the slightest amount of breakup, as I’m not driving it super hard. Sometimes I’ll use a Fender Twin – not so much if we’re travelling, but for recording they’re great. John, when I first joined the band, he was using a Princeton and a Deluxe, and he’s since changed up so that he’s got a Roland JC-120, which is a great high-headroom amp for pedals.
“And actually, for some stuff I was recording at the Fender factory, I was using one of the 5150 EL34 heads – given I didn’t have my usual pedalboard, I thought that would be the most dynamic thing, to cover some more country licks to more chuggy playing. And I did end up picking one of those up for myself…
“The classic Tube Screamer-into-5150 – that is an incredible sound. But especially with John’s songwriting tendencies, and the way he voices chords – it’s arranged so there’s a lot of impact when we come together, because we’re playing different things a lot of the time. Gear wise, our more dynamic approach helps the power of that impact a lot of the time. You don’t want to be on a 10 the whole time.”
Image: Press
Is that related to how Baroness views the complex mix of metal genres that gets pinned on the band?
“Working with John is amazing for a lot of reasons, he’s one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever been around. And something that I perceive as being important to him is that he doesn’t want to be told what kind of music he’s making – I think his tendency is to just do the opposite of whatever somebody’s telling them that they think he is creating, or whatever space people think he’s creating in. So we definitely try to avoid some of those genre touchstones if we’re setting out to make something.”
You’re still taking lessons with Yanni – what are you working on at the moment?
“A few years ago I linked back up with him because I hadn’t lived in my home city of Philadelphia for a few years. So we started jamming together and going over licks and stuff like that, and then a couple of years ago, he was like – it’s time for you to start learning the real book. So we just’d go through these standards and look at transcribing, and how to solo over them or make accompaniments – and that has been the most helpful breakthrough as a guitar player that I’ve maybe ever had.
“I also teach lessons, so I try to express the importance of transcribing, you know – I’m not by any means a jazz guitar player, or really even in that world – but I do really like looking at it from that perspective of outlining chord progressions and finding things that complement them. So I’m really grateful to have a teacher to work through some of that stuff with – and we play out, too, he’s got a jazz trio, so I’ll sit in with those guys. That’s been invaluable.”
Why do you think people are still playing Telecasters after all of these years?
“It’s iconic, and because it’s associated with the beginnings of the electric guitar, the players that use them are iconic. For me, there’s just something that works about them. Particular when it comes to comfort – depending on the tour we’ll do a two-and-a-half or three-hour set! So it’s that, and my visual sensibilities. When I see certain crazy-looking guitars, it doesn’t do the same for me. Maybe if Chuck Schulinder is playing it, I want to hear that – but not for me!
Find out more about the 75th Anniversary of the Telecaster at fender.com
The post “As it’s associated with the beginnings of the development of the electric guitar, it’s iconic – and the players that use them are iconic” – Gina Gleason on 75 years of the Telecaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Scott Ian admits he used to play online poker during Anthrax sets: “I’d be going deep in the tournament, then it’s time for the band to go on stage”
What does multitasking look like for the average band guitarist? Probably not playing a set and an online poker tournament at the same time – unless, of course, you’re Scott Ian.
In a new interview, the Anthrax axeman reveals how his obsession with Texas Hold’em became so intense that he would occasionally bring a laptop on stage during shows to keep tabs on ongoing games.
Ian, whose poker fixation reportedly began after competing in VH1’s 2006 Classic Rock ‘N’ Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament alongside Vinnie Paul, Ace Frehley, and Godsmack frontman Sully Erna, tells Poker News, “There were times where I’d be in a Sunday tournament.”
“I’d be going deep in the tournament, and then it’s time for the band to go on stage and I’m like, ‘What am I going to do?’”
“So I would literally bring my laptop on stage,” says Ian. “I’d be up there playing. My laptop would be right over there on the side where my guitar tech is set up. And so I’d be out there playing and songs are an average four minutes to six minutes, and then I would run back [and ask] ‘What happened?’”
“My tech knew enough about [Texas] Hold’Em, and I would just give him instructions like ‘just fold anything except for nines or better at this point,’” he adds.
“There were actually a few times where he would get in the hands and actually win a pot for me, and so if I cashed, I’d cash him out at the end of the game, too.”
Poker eventually became more than a backstage distraction. In 2008, Ian signed a professional sponsorship deal with online gaming site Ultimate Bet, kicking off a four-year stretch where he says he played up to 90 hours a week.
In the meantime, Anthrax are currently on tour supporting Iron Maiden on the European leg of the latter’s Run for Your Lives World Tour.
The post Scott Ian admits he used to play online poker during Anthrax sets: “I’d be going deep in the tournament, then it’s time for the band to go on stage” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
ADDAC System Mixology review: “it really can breathe new life and modern utility into old pedals”
€220, addacsystem.com
Have you ever wondered what your favourite effects pedals might sound like blended in parallel or series? Or what it might be like to have the flexibility to blend between them in real time using an expression pedal, without even needing to repatch? What about feeding back the signal into an entirely different pedal for new sounds?
It’s probably not controversial to say that these sorts of high-level effects routing shenanigans are a pretty niche concern – the sort of weird sonic experiments that the bold and brave usually only attempt if they have the flexibility of a studio to mess around with.
But how about making the whole thing a lot more straightforward with the addition of one handy box in the middle that handled it all? Pour one out, then, for the Mixology.
Image: Adam Gasson
ADDAC System Mixology – what is it?
The first thing to make clear about the Mixology, from Lisbon-based synth specialists ADDAC System, is that it might look like an effect pedal, but it doesn’t itself make any noise to speak of.
It’s a utility pedal then, though that is rather selling its potential short – in fact, in the right hands it has the potential to become the most useful and creative little utility box on your pedalboard.
ADDAC’s background is in modular synthesis, and they’ve built on this to create a pedal that creates a flexible routing and mixing system for your existing effects. In essence, you plug a bunch of them in, and use the various knobs and switches on top to easily create huge creative possibilities.
Image: Adam Gasson
ADDAC System Mixology – build quality and ease of use
With five ¼-inch inputs (plus power) up top, six on the bottom, six knobs and four toggle switches, it takes a minute to work out how the Mixology routes your pedals into its hardware.
Also, hang on, where’s the footswitch? It turns out that there isn’t one – they come for free on your existing pedals after all! – and in this case there’s not really any need for one.
At its core the Mixology is a dual effects chain router and feedbacker, and it’s perhaps easier to think of it as a pair of parallel mixers that allow you to mix the sounds from two different pedals or chain of effects in interesting ways.
While there’s no foot-based control to switch between the chains, there are myriad options for the use of expression pedals, opening up a much more unique way to blend and control your effects in real time.
To get started, you simply connect your favourite pedal to FX1, send and patch it back to FX1 return, repeat for another pedal in FX2’s Send/Return and you have two effects loops you can blend between, select order, and even feedback the signal from one to another.
Many of these features can be controlled via an expression pedal, meaning lots of creative possibilities in live situations or the studio.
Image: Adam Gasson
ADDAC System Mixology – in use
Can’t quite find that perfect balance of reverb and delay? Or fuzz with your overdrive? Stick one in each loop and use the FX mix to dial in a best of both worlds approach.
That’s my first port of call here, and In practice it means I can still enjoy the beautiful blooming squish of my favourite fuzz pedal, but by mixing in some Screamer-ish overdrive I tightened up the low end, and added some much-needed midrange solidity and cut through.
Feeling inspired, next I hook up a reverb pedal and a delay, utilising the brilliant feedback controls to create all sorts of unique atmospherics – it’s enough to convince myself that I’ve clearly missed my calling doing sci-fi soundtracks.
Returning to planet Earth, more everyday uses for the Mixology includes the ability to add an external mix control to an old one-knob MXR phaser – a pedal that sounds superb, but is sometimes just too deep and swishy blended with other effects for me.
Elsewhere, I found that by connecting an expression pedal to the Mixology to control the FX mix depth of an old 80s Ibanez AD9 delay, I was able to control the level of repeats. It really can breathe new life and modern utility into old pedals – something that’s really handy in live situations.
ADDAC System Mixology – should I buy one?
There’s no doubt that many guitar players will take one look at the myriad ins, outs and mix controls here and want to run a mile – it’s all a bit too modular synth, right?
But even if you’re not a sonic experimentalist, there’s some really handy and useful stuff here that could expand the usefulness of the pedals on anyone’s ‘board – especially if you have a bunch of vintage boxes that don’t have a lot of modern functionality built in.
Once you patch in the pedals of your choice it becomes a very intuitive process and hugely addictive – leading to tons of fun and exciting sound creation.
ADDAC System Mixology – alternatives
The Earthquaker Devices Swiss Things ($299) offers a similar dual signal chain routing experience, with expression control in there too, while the Wetter Box from the GigRig (£249) offers similar mixing of two pedals or chains of FX, offers stereo ins and outs and Expression control but both of these lack the Mixology’s powerful feedback controls. More affordable is the EHX Tri Parallel Mixer ($159.70 / £129.99) offers a number of creative and foot switchable routing options for not a lot of cash.
The post ADDAC System Mixology review: “it really can breathe new life and modern utility into old pedals” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“This isn’t just, like, hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. I know he would be into this.” Jack Osbourne responds to ‘AI Ozzy’ criticism
Jack Osbourne has defended his family’s plans to create a ‘digital’ version of his late father Ozzy Osbourne, insisting the project is far more sophisticated than “hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT”.
Last week, the Osbourne family revealed that they’ve teamed up with tech company HYPERREAL to build what they call “the digital DNA of Ozzy Osbourne, voice, image [and] movement”, with Sharon Osbourne noting “The things that you can do with that are just endless.”
The announcement has drawn a mixed reaction online, with some fans questioning the ethics of digitally recreating a deceased artist, and others calling it “a bit freaky”.
Speaking in a livestream on his YouTube channel last Friday (22 May), Jack pushed back on criticism of the project, arguing that the technology involved is much more advanced than people assume.
- READ MORE: Jack Osborne says the planned Ozzy Osbourne biopic will feature the fallout from Randy Rhoads’ death
“Here’s the thing – it’s gonna be so tasteful what we’re doing. It’s not gonna be fucking lame. And it’s really complex what we’re doing,” Osbourne says.
“This isn’t just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we’re gonna be working with, and it’s gonna feel very real, and it’s kind of wild how it will be utilised.”
According to Jack, the idea was something his father had already been open to.
“It’s awesome. It’s really cool, and it’s something that I think my dad would be into,” he says. “We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this.”
The project is being developed with HYPERREAL, the same company that created a hologram of Marvel creator Stan Lee, which debuted at 2025’s L.A. Comic Con.
“It’s kind of scary how it’s really very accurate,” Osbourne previously said of the project. “[Ozzy] will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers. Technology has come such a long way to where it’s almost drag and drop. You could shoot a template for a commercial… literally prompt what you want Digital Ozzy to do in that commercial and you just drop it in. It’s that simple now.”
Ozzy Osbourne passed away last July at the age of 76, just weeks after his final live appearance at the Back To The Beginning farewell concert in Birmingham’s Villa Park.
The post “This isn’t just, like, hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. I know he would be into this.” Jack Osbourne responds to ‘AI Ozzy’ criticism appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“The old George Harrison trick… it works every f**king time” Jason Isbell admits he stole a guitar technique from the Beatle for one of his most famous songs
If you’ve ever been hypnotised by the gleaming slide guitar work on Jason Isbell’s 24 Frames, there’s a good chance you’ve got George Harrison to thank for it.
As it turns out, the 2015 Isbell classic borrowed a page straight from the Beatle’s playbook – a studio trick the guitarist says “works every fucking time”.
Speaking to The Sun ahead of his UK and Ireland tour with The 400 Unit, Isbell reflects on the ideas behind some of his best-known songs, including the guitar parts that give the Grammy-winning 24 Frames its unique feel.
“I may have doubled up two exact same slide-guitar parts on that,” he says. “It’s the old George Harrison trick from My Sweet Lord and it works every fucking time.”
For Isbell, that fascination with guitar started early. Looking back on his childhood as the son of teenage parents, Isbell says music was simply everywhere around him growing up.
“Though my dad and mom didn’t play music, pretty much everybody else in my family did, at least as a hobby. It was seen as a birthright thing,” he explains.
“I got to spend a lot of time with my grandad, who preached in a Pentecostal church in Alabama, and played guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo. And my uncle, my dad’s little brother, played guitar in a rock band.”
“When I was around four, my parents would take me to band practice in his friend’s garage, and I would fall asleep, usually when they did Neil Young’s Like A Hurricane,” Isbell adds.
“I know this sounds like down-home Southern horseshit, but my grandad would make me play gospel music with him for a couple of hours a day. Then if I could get through it without getting lazy, I could play rhythm guitar. The guitar was huge, and I was small, and it would take a lot of work.”
Today, despite being one of modern Americana’s most celebrated musicians, Isbell admits he still treats guitar playing as a “hobby”.
“My girlfriend paints very seriously and that’s her work,” he says. “Lately she started working with miniatures and building doll houses, and that’s her hobby. It’s very close to painting but it’s not a commercialised part of her life.”
“That’s how I look at guitar playing. Singing, songwriting, touring – that’s my job. If left alone for a couple of hours, I just sit and play guitar – that’s my hobby.”
And when it comes to writing new material, Isbell says he has one oddly specific goal in mind: “When I’m writing a record, I think, ‘How am I going to make these people hold their pee for four more minutes?’
“Because when the new material comes out, that’s usually when everybody heads to the bar!”
The post “The old George Harrison trick… it works every f**king time” Jason Isbell admits he stole a guitar technique from the Beatle for one of his most famous songs appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Recording Dojo: A Deep Dive into Signal Routing
Let’s have an honest conversation, shall we?
How many of us really take creative control of signal routing and use it to build original, inspired effects chains? Most of the time, we reach for a preset—a pedal, a plugin, a multi-effects unit—turn the mix knob, get something quickly, and move on.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach. But you’re swimming in shallow waters. A few strokes further out lies an entire lagoon of sound design most players never see, not because it's intimidating, but because no one ever showed them how to dive in.
Before we swim into these kaleidoscopic waters, I want to explain some basic terms so that everyone has a means of navigation and can really enjoy the experience. Wetsuits on, watches set—we’re going effect diving for this Dojo.
Audio signal paths utilize three basic parameters of flow: serial, parallel, and an optional summing possibility. They also can become increasingly complex depending on how they move. Imagine, for a moment, a school of fish moving collectively through the lagoon—twisting and turning from point to point. That’s a serial event.
Now, imagine that same school splitting into smaller groups, moving in their own clustered directions, and creating independent patterns that unfold simultaneously. That’s a parallel event.
Finally, imagine them all coming back together (summing) into one large mass again.
Swimming in Serial and Parallel
Here’s a simple explanation for a serial audio signal path. Your guitar runs into an overdrive, then into a delay, then into a reverb, and finally into the amplifier—old school (pre “effects loop”). The signal passes through each pedal’s processor in a contiguous sequence, aka serial. [Fig.1]
Parallel signal flow begins the moment we decide to split that path. Instead of one continuous stream, we create multiple streams that exist at the same time. One version of the signal might move through distortion and modulation, while another passes through delay and reverb. [Fig. 2] Most commonly, these paths are brought back together (summed into a single output), but you could easily keep them separate and run them into another input channel on your amp, or a different amp altogether.
Routing = Deeper Waters
Let’s start with something simple. In your DAW, select a track you want to process, and load up your favorite chorus plugin (something luscious, with lots of modulation). Now, add your favorite reverb plugin (maybe a 4-second plate reverb) after the chorus. Play the track. Notice how you have a wide chorus effect that’s sitting in a reverberant field?
Swap the routing order of the plugins and place the reverb first. Listen to the difference! Hear how the reverb is swooshing and modulating with the tides. Add a favorite stereo delay into the scene. Place it in between the reverb and the chorus, and then place it at the end of the chain. Hear the differences.
Taking it further, create an aux stereo bus in your DAW and “click+drag” each plugin from your track over to the bus. (If you’re not sure how to do this, see my Dojo article “Here’s Your Ticket for the Aux Bus”). You can now use your “send” level to adjust how much of this composite effect you want to hear. Nothing should really be different here except that now you can control the volume of all three plugins globally.
Create another aux stereo bus, this time adding a longer delay set to 100 percent wet and following it with a pitch shifter set to +12 semitones (1 octave up). Play your track and mix in this parallel bus by increasing the “send” level to taste. You now have two independent signal chains working at the same time. If you want to swim a bit deeper, pan aux bus one 70 percent left, and aux bus two 70 percent right. Remember, you can automate this as well!
What begins to emerge from this way of thinking is a shift away from basic effect selection and toward unique signal architecture.
If you really want to dive deep, I invite you to check out my new album, 7 Secret Lives of Lucien Midnight. It’s centered on a fictitious character who believes he is living seven intrepid lives in parallel. Until next time, namaste.
Totally Guitars Weekly Update May 22, 2026
May 22, 2026 Today’s Update is a combo of IGC News, mini-vacation report (with a long personal story), and a look at slow 12-bar blues in the key of A minor, with an excursion into a Leon Russell tune. There are some cute photos attached at the end that are part of the personal story. […]
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Totally Guitars Weekly Update May 8, 2026
May 8, 2026 Today’s Update was mostly a rundown of the two Spring International Guitar Camps we just had over the last two weekends. There were just a couple snippets of playing and no real theory to digest. I did have Steely Dan on my mind though and talked a little about Max Rich’s great […]
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Totally Guitars Weekly Update May 4, 2026
May 4, 2026 This Spring we held two International Guitar Camps, due to demand and wanting to keep them very small. Each week we had about 18 students and five teachers spending two full days and three nights together in the Santa Cruz Mountains just outside of Los Gatos. Lynn and Marc were here for […]
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