General Interest

A massive auction of over 1,000 pieces of rock and roll history has gone live, offering items owned and played by the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton and Elvis Presley.

Now open for bidding, the 2026 April Rock & Roll Auction by Backstage Auctions is predicted to fetch upwards of seven figures overall, with a cumulative estimate of up to $1.5 million.

• READ MORE: How Emerald Guitars changed the perception of carbon fibre guitars – and put the player’s needs at the heart of everything
  

There are guitars aplenty, including an Italian-made acoustic Eko Ranger signed by Bob Dylan himself and two formerly owned by Keith Richards: a classic Gibson bearing his felt-tip signature, and a bespoke 2005 Duesenberg Starplayer Outlaw electric guitar custom–made for the Rolling Stone. The guitar, which Richards gave to McLagan as a birthday gift, features rhinestones, skull-shaped knobs and a pearlescent yellow mosaic finish on the body.

In fact, several museum-worthy pieces are up for grabs. There’s the custom 1994 Don Musser acoustic guitar played by Eddie Van Halen, which was a “key component” of Van Halen’s Billboard-topping 1995 album Balance, recorded at 5150 Studios.

The instrument was also used in a couple of tracks on follow-up Van Halen III, namely “Without You” and “New World”.

For the cinematically inclined, there’s Elvis Presley’s iconic sunburst Gibson acoustic which co-starred in his smash-hit 1964 film Viva Las Vegas. The movie, regarded as one of the King’s best, sees him play a race-car driver competing for the affection of Rusty, played by Ann-Margret. It was during filming that the pair first met and began a torrid affair. The couple were even rumoured to have briefly considered elopement.

But the standout of the collection is a stripped woodgrain 1965 Fender Telecaster with a Stratocaster neck, which the auction house describes as a “singular piece of rock and roll history”.

As well as the Stratocaster neck, part of an exchange with mod icon Steve Marriott, the chimeric guitar features a humbucker salvaged from a Gibson SG that Pete Townshend smashed to pieces during one of The Who’s iconic Marquee Club performances. The object was among McLagan’s prized possessions and was his “primary soulmate in his musical journey”.

Other notable pieces for sale include a 1974 black Fender Stratocaster owned and played on-stage by Eric Clapton and a Chinese-style Paiste gong extensively used by Keith Moon until his death in 1976.

Among the wonderfully niche and downright weird items of rock memorabilia is Eddie Van Halen’s 6th grade history homework on the Soviet Union, which earned the legendary guitarist to-be a solid B+ from his teacher Mrs Burton. And it could be yours for $500.

There’s also an “avant-garde” safety-pinned leather thong worn by Fee Waybill of The Tubes going for the same price. Or a purple felt-tip doodle by the late Kurt Cobain, which depicts a stick figure – “presumably himself”, as notes the auction house – about to be hit by a bus is commanding a lean $2,000. The scribble, says Backstage Auctions, “provide[s] insight into his creative mind”.

The collection chiefly comes from the personal archives of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ian McLagan, who passed away in Austin in December 2014. Best known for his work with the seminal English rock bands Small Faces and Faces, McLagan also toured with Bob Dylan and worked as a sideman for the Rolling Stones.

Learn more at Backstage Auctions.

The post Massive trove of random rock memorabilia – including Eddie Van Halen’s 6th grade history homework – headed for auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

What’s the secret to eternal youth? Former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar, 78, reckons the answer is simple: stem cell treatment.

Speaking with the Daily Express US ahead of a six-show UK solo tour in July, his first in three decades, Hagar shared that he stays healthy and preserves his powerhouse voice through a regime of regular exercise, daily vitamins and stem cell therapy – an anti-aging treatment that uses specialised cells to repair and regenerate body tissue.

• READ MORE: David Lee Roth made a surprise appearance during Teddy Swims’ Coachella Festival set – and the pair covered Van Halen’s Jump
  

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer explained: “I take things that stop my body from getting stiff – anti-inflammatories and vitamins, nutrition that you need in your body as you get older.

“I do stem cell therapy with an IV. I do it every six months. I put young stem cells in my body. And I feel the difference.”

Hagar first joined Van Halen in 1985 after David Lee Roth’s departure, and played with the band throughout the ’80s and ’90s before departing in 1996.

This means his arrival coincided with some of the band’s most debaucherous years, a lifestyle that had, in part, pushed his predecessor to quit the band at its pinnacle. During the aptly named “Van Hagar” era, Van Halen developed a more anthemic, synth-oriented sound.

Hagar conceded that he was down to party in his Van Halen years: “I was guilty as everyone else.” But, even then, he insisted on putting his health and work first. “I had a job to do. My job was more important than anything.”

He even told his managers to lock him in hotel rooms to remove him from the “undisciplined” partying of his bandmates. “It’s worked for me. I’ve run my life like this from day one. I used to never even drink and do any drugs of any kind.

“People say the most important thing is family, but it’s your job because if you don’t have a job and can’t support your family, then you’re an asshole. A singer cannot get trashed and still pull off shows.”

Hagar would rejoin Van Halen in 2003, before leaving for good two years later.

Hagar vocalist isn’t the only legendary rocker who has turned to stem cell treatment in their older age. The late Ozzy Osbourne publicly used experimental stem cells to manage his Parkinson’s disease. His Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi also enlisted stem cells to repair damaged cartilage in his hand.

The post Sammy Hagar claims he undergoes stem cell treatment to keep him in performing shape: “A singer cannot get trashed and still pull off shows” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Somatics, a field within body work, originated as a product of a cultural movement in the 18th century that focused on physical activity and strength-building. The principal element of somatics, which has gained prominence in the past decades in wellness culture and therapeutic contexts, is soma. On a surface level, soma is the perceived experience of the body, as distinct from the intellectual response to stimuli in your brain. The divide is easy to grasp. Maybe your brain thinks you’re at ease, but your body sends a different message: It’s tense, shaky, locked up. Our bodies can send us messages that our cerebrum might not be able to parse in the moment. The thought can be unsettling, but it can also be empowering and invigorating to acknowledge that the body can communicate in a way that defies conventional logic and easy explanation.

Somatics can help explain why some bands choose to work at volumes that most people consider dangerous. And they’re especially pertinent when discussing Sunn O))). The American duo of guitarists Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley has been making intoxicatingly loud music since 1997, flanked by a fortress of 100-watt Sunn Model T amplifier heads (the band’s name is self-evident) atop towering stacks of speaker cabinets. They’ve been described as drone metal, noise rock, doom, and ambient, and aside from regular collaborations with vocalists like Attila Csihar and select other heavy-music singers, Sunn O)))’s music is largely instrumental.

“That’s our band practice—hiking in the woods.”—Greg Anderson

Their new, self-titled record certainly is, and there is only one type of instrument present: electric guitar. The album’s six tracks, entirely performed by Anderson and O’Malley, unfurl slowly over the course of roughly 80 minutes; in the most complimentary way, these are not thinking songs—this is music that is perceived and experienced more than it is understood.

Even through headphones, the compositions have a palpable, breathtaking sense of mass and space. Guitar may be the only instrument on the record, but it is not the sole source of sound. Throughout the fourth track, “Mindrolling,” we hear running water, recorded in the woods around Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington. Just northeast of Seattle, a large window in the studio looks out onto the intoxicating perma-green of the Pacific northwest’s forest. You can feel the environment in Sunn O)))’s tracks. The power chords are as towering and knotted as an ancient Douglas fir; the distortion as enveloping and forgiving as the forest floor; the feedback as deep and powerful as the Pacific. This is music to listen to while lying back, spread-eagled, on a cliff face in a hard, thrilling wind.

For Anderson and O’Malley, though, the record is evidence of something else, something just as sacred. “It’s really, to me, a representation of my relationship with Stephen,” says Anderson. “I get a good feeling listening to it.”

Sunn O))), the band’s 10th LP, arrives seven years after Pyroclasts. That seems like a long time to most people, remarks O’Malley, but he considers those years a natural part of “the arc of the creative process.” The new record, he says, is like a flower that emerged over the years. The duo worked with producer Brad Wood, sleeping in a farmhouse on the same property as Bear Creek Studio, which is itself housed in an old barn. Anderson and O’Malley would wake up, have coffee, then hike for a few hours in the forest nearby. After lunch, they’d meet up with Wood in the barn to work.

Anderson lives in Los Angeles, while O’Malley lives in Paris. When pandemic restrictions on concerts began to loosen, they started playing shows as a duo as a way to mitigate risk: Plenty of international tours had been thwarted, at great financial loss, by sudden changes in regional gathering restrictions. But the two-piece shows quickly became more than a logistical necessity. They felt fresh and open, says O’Malley, and he and Anderson were coming up with new ideas based on the limitations of only having two guitars onstage. “The fundamental ideas of the ensemble instrumentation were all there in the distortion,” says O’Malley. “I felt like I could hear it clearer in that abstract distortion and saturation. So we’ve continued on.”

“Whenever we play as a duo, it’s somewhat nostalgic,” says Anderson. “I didn’t know that there was another path forward from that. It turns out there was, and that’s what we were really excited about capturing on the recording—the development of what the duo had become.”

“The fundamental ideas of the ensemble instrumentation were all there in the distortion.”—Stephen O’Malley

Anderson brings up the idea of shoshin, a Zen Buddhist idea that celebrates having a beginner’s mind for all things in life. In the context of the band’s post-pandemic creativity, it suggested embracing the joy he felt in the first days of the project, such that the entire process—playing as a duo onstage and in the studio, focusing only on his friendship with O’Malley—felt like an embodiment of shoshin. The two of them felt joy, but they also felt newness, and explored it. That’s why they decided to create a new album: to document this unexpected expansion.

There was little creative preparation to be done; songs would be captured in the moment as living, breathing things. Both Anderson and O’Malley have Model Ts stashed around the world, from Los Angeles, to Paris, to Amsterdam. The 100-watt heads all have different personalities, insists O’Malley, not least because of the different voltages between American and European power supplies and how the transformers respond. They shipped Anderson’s collection—including Marshalls, Fenders, Hiwatts, Soldanos, Ampegs, Oranges, and, naturally, Sunns—from California to Bear Creek, and rented cabinets in Seattle. Wood placed mics everywhere: on each speaker of the 4x12s, around the room, even outside the room. In another area, smaller combos—including a Fender Champ, Deluxe, and Twin—were used for re-amping and running tape effects on solos. The variety of perspectives allowed Wood to sculpt the mass of distortion and create the record’s cavernous spatial signature.

Anderson relied on an Electro-Harmonix “Civil War” Big Muff, paired with his Pro Co RAT, and the band’s own signature pedal, the EarthQuaker Devices Life, to generate his guitar’s pillowy, bottomless low-end across the record. He likens rediscovering the might of the Big Muff, after all these years, to smoking pot or having sex for the first time. “That’s kind of the shoshin concept, too,” he notes. “Playing with the joy that you had when you first started playing, and trying to get back to that. That can be applied to many different elements, including combining a Big Muff with the RAT circuit.” O’Malley, meanwhile, has used the same ZVEX Super Hard On since 1997. Beginner’s mind, indeed.

Growing up, Anderson remembers seeing the Melvins in their early days, and the physicality of their gigs’ over-the-top volumes moved him. “That’s why I would follow them around like the Grateful Dead,” says Anderson. The same thing happened when he saw My Bloody Valentine in the early ’90s. “Of course you can hear the music, but to feel it in your bones, that was just something special,” he says. “I had a connection there that I got really addicted to. You can’t really get that on a recording, right?”

Part of the reason the band’s new record is self-titled is because it evokes the feeling of Sunn O))) at its most elemental: Anderson and O’Malley, together in a room, making electrifyingly loud compositions with their electric guitars. When the band first began, they weren’t concerned with playing live. Inspired by that mammoth wall of sound, the idea was to simply get in a room with as many amps as they could manage, get high, and play music together. When they caught on to the physical aspect of the project, they began to think about taking it to the realm of live performance. But that’s not an easy thing to do: The logistics of transporting and operating multiple 100-watt stacks are sticky, and even if you figure out how to do it, there are few venues willing to host such a performance. If a club can’t accommodate Sunn’s backline, or if they require acts to abide by a decibel limit, the band won’t play. (Anderson knows their backline is a lot: “It’s a mountain,” he says.) That can cross out certain cities entirely, but it’s non-negotiable. The volume is part of the band.

“I enjoy the aspect of danger, and I feel like a lot of that has been removed from art and music and film,” says Anderson. “I get it, I understand health and safety, but it also sort of bothers me, because then you’re taking that away from people. There are things that can be done to protect yourself. You’ve taken away that choice and that ability for people to experience it. It’s really loud, but it’s not a painful loud. It’s nearly all low end and low frequencies. There’s not that high, ice-pick, piercing sound in what we do. I equate it more to a warm bath. We’re not trying to damage people’s hearing. It’s not this aggressive moment at all. I understand why it could be interpreted that way, but that’s not the case. To me, the music is very soothing, and I’m grateful that people have gotten that and connected with it.

“It is overwhelming, and to be immersed in that, it does have this kind of comical angle to it sometimes,” Anderson continues. “Oftentimes, Stephen and I will laugh and say, ‘This is insane and amazing that we’re in this right now!’ I think that in itself is a reason to celebrate. It has this kind of celebratory atmosphere to it.”

“I enjoy the aspect of danger, and I feel like a lot of that has been removed from art and music and film. I seek out things that have that edge to it.”—Greg Anderson

Greg Anderson’s Gear

Guitar

• 2005 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe goldtop with black DiMarzio P90 Super Distortion pickups

Amps

• Mid-’70s Sunn Model T
• Sunn 2000S
• Sunn 1200S
• Ampeg SVT “Blueline”

Effects

• Pro Co Turbo RAT (with LM308 chip)
• Electro-Harmonix/Sovtek “Civil War” Big Muff Pi
• EarthQuaker Devices White Light
• EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal
• Aguilar Octamizer
• Ernie Ball VP JR
• 4-way splitter box

Anderson notes that he and O’Malley have always delighted in pushing the boundaries of their own expectations, to the point of deleting them entirely. That attitude is one of the keys to their longevity. “It sounds cliche, but I keep saying it over and over again, and it’s true: It’s about being open to different possibilities and ideas,” Anderson explains. “That’s why we’ve sustained, and that’s why it continues to be interesting. Every single band in my life that I’ve been involved with had an ending point. But Sunn O))) has transcended a lot of that.”

“Over time, each person grows in innumerable ways and transforms, and their tastes transform, their perception transforms,” says O’Malley. “It’s like you’re constantly shedding possible versions of yourself.” When you rewatch a film that you haven’t seen in five years, it might mean something entirely different to you. “I think that’s one of the strengths of our music, and the longevity of it, too: the openness to not only changing things, but changing the point of view of what it is.”

​Stephen O’Malley’s Gear

Guitars

• Travis Bean “Deo Dei” TB1000A
• Electrical Guitar Company DS Ghost

Amps

• Sunn Model T
• Ampeg SVT
• Fender Twin Reverb
• Fender Champ
• Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100
• 1952 Supro combo

Effects

• Keeley-modded Pro Co RAT
• J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer
• Pete Cornish G-2
• Pete Cornish P-2
• “Ram’s Head” Big Muff clone
• OTO BIM
• OTO BAM
• Roland RE-201
• Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
• EarthQuaker Devices Black Ash
• Bright Onion Active Splitter Pedal with Phase Switching
• ZVEX Effects Super Hard On

So what exactly does “openness” mean? For Anderson and O’Malley, it’s throwing out the “rules” for being a band. They don’t practice; soundchecks before shows are the closest thing they have to rehearsals, and Anderson admits that he despises conventional “band practice.” He casts the idea of practice in a different light. For he and O’Malley, it’s not about strapping on their guitars and going over ideas together. While they were in Illinois to attend a celebration of life for longtime creative collaborator Steve Albini, the two of them went swimming in Lake Michigan. Being present together, at the memorial, going for a swim—that was practice. While they worked on the new record, they took plenty of hikes together in the Washington woods. “That’s our band practice,” says Anderson. “Hiking in the woods.” It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that communing with their surroundings, being present in their bodies, is central to their creative relationship.

“If I remove the word ‘band’ from ‘band practice,’ it makes more sense,” says O’Malley. “It’s the practice of being together. Music is about relationships and interaction.”

O’Malley continues. “I’m not saying going swimming gives me riff ideas, but when you’re in the waves, it’s quite immersive. Being in Illinois, to celebrate the life of a great master who also happened to be a friend, and then taking time to have pleasure by engaging with the ancient lake, it’s pretty powerful.”

It wouldn’t be Coachella Festival without a few surprises – and this year was no exception. From the legendary Jack White’s last minute addition to the line-up to Billy Corgan hopping onstage to sing with alt-popstar Sombr, Coachella had some great treats for rock fans this year.

One particular standout came during R&B star Teddy Swims’ set on Friday (10 April). With a stage designed to look like an apartment, surprise guests would sporadically ‘ring the doorbell’, only for Swims to welcome them out to perform a track. While his other guests included singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton and a pop-rocking Jonas Brother, Joe Jonas, one such guest happened to be the iconic Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth.

• READ MORE: The Real Riot Women: the Gen Xers discovering punk and embracing guitar

Swims was clearly honoured to be performing with Roth, considering his grand introduction. “Oh my God – it’s David Lee Roth from the best fucking band of all time, Van Halen!” he yells out into the audience. Then, with Roth by his side, Swims kicked into a hearty version of Van Halen’s timeless track, Jump.

And Roth certainly dressed up for the occasion. At age 71, he’s showing no signs of toning down the showmanship, decked out in an intricately beaded waistcoat, cravat and tight silver and black trousers. Throughout the set, he’s the vision of some kind of futuristic cowboy as he hypes up the crowd with glee.

Though the performance had a minor hiccup, with the pair missing a timing cue, it serves as a testament of how different generations of music can co-exist. Sombr’s performance with The Smashing Pumpkins’ Corgan also had a minor mic malfunction, but their performance of the Pumpkins’ marvellous 1979 went down a treat.

Last year, Olivia Rodrigo had a similar experience when Robert Smith emerged during her Coachella headline set, with the pair duetting their way through The Cure’s Friday I’m in Love and Just Like Heaven.

The post David Lee Roth made a surprise appearance during Teddy Swims’ Coachella Festival set – and the pair covered Van Halen’s Jump appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Teruya Guitars founder Micah Teruya has just completed his most personal build to date. Following a long battle with leukaemia, Teruya’s wife Karrah sadly passed away last August – but the luthier is ensuring that her spirit lives on through this beautiful custom-made electric guitar.

Rather than merely stowing Karrah’s ashes in an urn, Teruya has transformed his wife into something beautiful. The pastel pink Matriarch guitar serves as poignant one-of-a-kind axe in honour of Teruya’s late wife – and it’s even got Karrah’s ashes inlaid on the headstock, and her wedding ring embedded in the fretboard.

• READ MORE: The Real Riot Women: the Gen Xers discovering punk and embracing guitar

While Teruya often documents the entire process of his guitar builds, this project was kept under wraps until the final reveal. However, the craftsman did film the two most meaningful moments, when he is delicately inlaying Karrah’s ashes and her ring. He has shared the clips alongside some of his most cherished videos and memories of his wife. “The process was incredibly painful for me but I wanted to share this with you because of how much it means to me,” he writes on Instagram.

“Having to deal with the technical aspects of building a guitar colliding with the emotional weight of who I lost was unbearable,” he continues. “Often I could only work for 10-30 minutes on this before being physically and emotionally drained.”

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Despite the pain, finishing the Matriarch guitar was a crucial part of processing his grief. “This guitar needed to be finished before I could continue on any other projects – it took me over 6 months to finish,” he admits. “Going through my camera roll for these clips of Karrah brought me to tears several times. She was so magnificent and beautiful. I wish all of you could have gotten to know her, she would have changed your world for the better.”

In another post, Teruya explains why he opted for the Matriarch name. “Karrah was the Matriarch of our family and friends, she dedicated everything in her life to bring all of us closer together…” he writes. “Nobody tells you that you can continue to love someone more even after they leave this life. I built this guitar to honour her life and her legacy in a way that is personal and sacred to me.”

In terms of the wedding ring on the fretboard, he also explains that its positioning holds a special, personal meaning. “Traditionally it would be placed in the 12th fret to mark the octave, however, we were married for 10 years, 11 months and 14 days, therefore I decided to place the ring between the 10th and 11th fret to symbolise how long we had been married,” he explains.

“This was the most painful experience I ever had building an instrument… but now she is in every note I play,” he concludes.

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The post “She is in every note I play”: How a widower used his wife’s ashes and wedding ring to craft the most beautifully poignant custom guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Lyndon Laney – founder of legendary British amp brand Laney Amplification – has died aged 77.

In a statement shared with Guitar.com, the brand confirms Laney’s passing, calling him a “creator, innovator and trusted figure whose passion for the industry was at the heart of his working life”.

Lyndon Laney founded Laney Amplification in 1967 at just 19 years old. The brand would become internationally respected in the decades following, and has helped shape the sound of many high-profile guitar players, including Lyndon Laney’s longtime friend, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.

Though perhaps primarily associated with Laney Amplification, Lyndon Laney was a successful industry veteran elsewhere, having developed several ventures which ultimately became what is now the Headstock Group.

• READ MORE: Laney’s new Prism-Mini is a pocket-sized smart amp ready to take on Positive Grid’s Spark GO

The group first expanded into the Pro Audio sector with the acquisition of HH Audio, followed by the development of Headstock Distribution, representing brands like Ibanez, Tama, Zildjian, Vic Firth and DiMarzio.

“Lyndon’s influence extended far beyond business success; he was admired for his warmth, integrity, humour and quiet determination,” Laney Brand Director Lee Wrathe says.

“Lyndon was not only a founder, but also a creator, innovator and trusted figure whose passion for industry was at the heart of his working life. His legacy continues through the business he built and through his son, James Laney, who proudly carries that vision forward.

“He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and the wider music community.”

Among those who have paid tribute to Lyndon Laney is Tony Iommi, who says he is “absolutely devastated” at his friend’s passing.

“I’m so sad to say that I lost my very dear friend Lyndon Laney to cancer on Friday,” Iommi writes in a post on X. “I am absolutely devastated. We go back to the late ‘60s when I first met him and I started using his Laney amps. He was a really lovely guy and his great passion was building valve amps. He also loved his cars as I did as well, we had so much in common. 

“We’d sit talking about ideas and what to build into my amplifiers. I am so honoured to have known him and his family. James, his son, has been running the company for some years now and he has carried on the business and has pushed it forward with some brilliant ideas. My deepest condolences go out to Lyndon’s wife Jan and son James.”

I’m so sad to say that I lost my very dear friend Lyndon Laney to Cancer on Friday. I am absolutely devastated. We go back to the late sixties when I first met him and I started using his Laney amps. He was a really lovely guy and his great passion was building valve amps. He… pic.twitter.com/qEXJChknLO

— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) April 13, 2026

The post Lyndon Laney, founder of Laney Amplification, has died appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

While many CEOs of international instrument makers take the reins of a heritage company already decades or even centuries in existence, Emerald Guitars founder Alistair Hay came to the acoustic guitar via a very different route. His previous career in the high-adrenaline sport of Formula 1 powerboat racing established him as one of the world’s leading experts in the use of carbon fibre. But how did he come to start making guitars out of them?

Waiting for a delayed flight in 1999, Hay bought a guitar magazine, and while he flicked through the pages the idea came to him: take his expertise with carbon fibre, apply it to the acoustic guitar, and expand the sonic, aesthetic and ergonomic experience of players around the world.

Emerald Guitars on the Guitar.com Cover. Image: Andy Ford for Guitar.com

The question you’re probably asking yourself here is, ‘Aren’t guitars made of wood?’ Well, most of the time – but not always. People have been trying to make electric guitars out of alternative materials for decades, but acoustic guitars are often a sticking point – after all, so much of their tone is created by the sympathetic vibrations of various bits of wood.

But there have been various attempts to make guitars out of carbon fibre over the years, some more successful than others. And if you wanted to know if the characteristics that make the material perfect for a world-championship carbon fibre motorboat can also make a good guitar, Alistair Hay is the man to ask.

“A racing boat has to actually work with the vibrations of the water: to flex and move. That really is the essence of a really good quality acoustic guitar too”

“That is a very interesting question,” Hay muses. “In actual fact, there’s a lot of similarities. When I worked for the raceboat champion, Bill Seebold, he would talk about tuning the boat and how a boat should flex and how it should move.

“A racing boat isn’t just about being super rigid. It has to actually work with the vibrations of the water, to flex and move. It’s a delicate balance. And let’s face it, that really is the essence of a really good quality acoustic guitar too.”

Image: Andy Ford for Guitar.com

Pushing The Envelope

Since setting up Emerald in a workshop in Donegal, in the north west of Ireland, the brand has become known for building guitars with radical and striking designs that would be all but impossible to execute in wood.

Ergonomic curves and contours, bevelled edges and offset soundholes are all hallmarks of the brand. If you’ve been scrolling through the guitar-based corners of Tiktok and Instagram over the last few years, chances are you’ve done a double-take at one of these unconventional guitars in the hands of some of the most impressive players out there.

Social media has been a key driver in the recent success Emerald has enjoyed across the globe. So much so that last year the brand opened a US-based warehouse and showroom – run by Alistair’s brother Chris – to cope with the demand from across the pond, allowing the brand to reach more players than ever.

“A lot of the people that tell you to do something more conservative will actually have no interest in buying your work even if you do follow their advice”

But when you see someone like Nathaniel Murphy make effortless magic on an Emerald, it becomes abundantly clear that these designs are not just pieces to be enjoyed visually. Their wonderfully rich sound is also a vital component of Emerald’s success – even though finding that voice has been a process.

“Initially I just wanted these guitars to sound musical and sweet, and not sound synthetic or plastic,” Hay recalls.

“A lot of it was trial and error to begin with – seeing what made a carbon fibre guitar too bright or too dark, too quiet or just not musical. We started to learn the parameters and how things worked within our own designs. Essentially, these days our priorities are clarity of note with richness and warmth and power.”

Image: Andy Ford for Guitar.com

Hole In One

In the quarter of a century that Emerald has been pushing the envelope, the brand has explored varied territory – from dreadnoughts and parlors to Weissenborn lap guitars, hybrid electric-acoustics and basses.

One common thread both sonically and visually to nearly all of these designs is the presence of an offset soundhole – positioned not in the traditional place beneath the strings, but on the guitar’s top horn right below the player’s ear. This design hallmark came about through trial and error.

“The very first guitar that I ever made was a dreadnought with a centre soundhole,” Hay explains. “I just made a mould from my own existing acoustic guitar as the basis, and to start with our designs were kind of traditional in that regard. They still had the shaped back and some nice details, but funnily enough at that time I had people telling me that our designs needed to be more traditional – like a straight copy of a Martin Dreadnought or a Gibson SJ-200, just in carbon fibre – honestly!

“It was at that point that I realised that a lot of the people that tell you to do something more conservative will actually have no interest in buying your work even if you do follow their advice.”

“Carbon fibre has allowed us to do things that would be unviable in wood”

Hay’s first two models, which had centre soundholes, “were nice guitars but just horrible flops from a commercial point of view”. Then he designed the X20 model, “which was a total game changer”: “It was the first guitar where I really started to look at ergonomics and designing a guitar that played to the strengths of carbon fibre rather than pandering to tradition.”

But even as Hay gained confidence in his abilities as a luthier, he was still second-guessing himself as a businessman.

“I knew I had something special with the X20, but you know what? After I made the first one, I had it sitting there for a year and a half before I was brave enough to actually put it onto the market,” he reveals.

“I was thinking it was too radical. That people weren’t going to take this right. And then we put it out there and it was a huge success. That was the pivotal moment for Emerald. That was the guitar that influenced everything else that we designed from then on.”

Image: Andy Ford for Guitar.com

Comfort In Sound

This is what sets Emerald apart from other makers of carbon fibre guitars: this focus on designing an instrument that exploits the inherent advantages of the material to better accommodate the player.

Whether you’re holding an X20 dreadnought or a Virtuo hybrid, the contours and curves of the instrument fit around you more like an electric guitar than a traditional acoustic, enabling a different physical connection.

“Ergonomics is a huge part of what we do and how people feel and experience these guitars,” Hay agrees. “It’s definitely one of the things that we get the best feedback on.

“People just love to sit down and play our guitars for hours on end. Carbon fibre has allowed us to do things that would be unviable in wood. Some people think it’s all done in a computer but our design process is actually a lot more hands-on.”

“There’s a different mindset when you’re buying a carbon guitar. You can just think a little bit more creatively”

That process is both untraditional and more organic than you might expect in this era of CAD design.

“I start off with an outline on a big slab of household insulation foam,” he says. “It’s a cheap material and it’s very easy to manipulate. I cut it into shape with a jigsaw or a hand saw and then start to sand it into shape. So it’s a very tactile process, and something that I wouldn’t know how to even start to do on a computer.

“It allows me to make these little adjustments and then a solid physical shape that we’ll start to cast moulds from. That’s my design process: just feeling my way through it.”

Image: Andy Ford for Guitar.com

Brace Yourself

Anyone steeped in the lore of acoustic guitars understands that the voicing of a traditional instrument revolves around the pattern of braces used to give the guitar’s top and back stability as they vibrate under tension. This is irrelevant with a carbon fibre guitar, so how does one voice an instrument in this way?

“We do control the stiffness of our soundboards, which is created by using different layers of carbon fibre,” Hay reveals. “If you were to look inside, you’re not going to see any bracing. It looks totally flat, but the top of an Emerald guitar can contain anything from two to eight layers of carbon in different areas of the top.

“Carbon fibre has a grain pattern and a stiffness to it that can be manipulated in just the same way as wood. The thing with carbon fibre is that we can repeat that pattern many times, whereas every piece of wood is unique.”

Image: Andy Ford for Guitar.com

Wood And Steel

For a carbon fibre guitar company, Emerald still keeps quite an extensive wood library in its Donegal factory. This is because one of the company’s aesthetic calling cards is to embed a thin veneer of elaborately figured wood into the soundboard of the instrument.

Usually, these woods are the sort of elaborately figured materials other makers would keep to the back and sides – such as cocobolo, ziricote, royal ebony and quilted maple – but Emerald puts them front and centre, in a fan-driven flourish.

“Our clients have led so many of our decisions over the years,” Hay says. “Choosing a wood veneer allows each Emerald guitar to be unique, and that does matter. I’m always looking for a way to make our instruments eye-catching, and a spectacular slice of mother nature on the front definitely does that.

“That’s my design process: just feeling my way through it”

“Figured woods are often used on the back and sides of guitars but no-one can see them there. That seems a bit of a shame to me. We enjoy showing all that beauty on the front of our guitars. The veneers are so thin they make no difference sonically – they’re just there for aesthetics. We have used spruce and cedar in the past but you know – where’s the fun in that?”

Emerald Guitars sprung from one man’s curiosity and career expertise in carbon fibre – and after 25 years of hard work and dedication to craft, it’s poetic that others have come on board, not just as customers but as enthusiasts whose own design ideas help make the journey fun.

“It’s amazing how imaginative our customers are,” Hay marvels. “They’ve designed instruments that we just never would have thought of that have been a pleasure to make. I think there’s a different mindset when you’re buying a carbon guitar. You can just think a little bit more creatively.”

Words: Michael Watts
Photography: Andy Ford

The post How Emerald Guitars changed the perception of carbon fibre guitars – and put the player’s needs at the heart of everything appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.



Acclaimed guitarist Roy Rogers joins us this week to talk about his unique gear choices, working with John Lee Hooker, vintage amps, his new album and so much more!

Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.

Some of the topics discussed this week:

:56 Eric Barbour’s the Tube Dumpster in Vacuum Tube Valley: 6K6, 6F6, 6Y6 tubes

2:39 A flea market Tweed Bassman

8:51 A Garnet book giveaway!

13:42 What’s on Skip’s bench: A distribution pre-amp

17:12 Special guest: Roy Rogers: ‘The Sky’s the Limit’ (his new album, out now!); Mesa Boogie Mark IIB and Epiphone Electar Zephyr amps; DeArmonds in flattop acoustics; Martin New Yorkers; his custom Chappell Guitars double-neck; Johnny Shines; working with John Lee Hooker; the Hot Spot soundtrack (with Roy Rogers, Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, and Taj Mahal!!)

Get Roy’s new album here: https://royrogers.hearnow.com/

Order ‘Gaynell’s Kitchen – Down Home Cooking from A Wayward Southern Belle’: https://amzn.to/41mcZBn

1:27:45 How can a Traynor Bassmaster Mk. II be rated at 90 watts, while the same power-tubed YBA-1 is only 40?

1:32:14 Is Skip related to Chris Shiflett?

1:33:01 Never trust, always double-check; output transformers

1:34:29 An October meetup at Skip’s, maybe

Want amp tech Skip Simmons’ advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon page to get to the front of the advice line, see exclusive pics, the occasional video and more.

Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.

The post The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 163 with Guitarist Roy Rogers first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Sponsored by Shubb: Shubb Capos have earned a place in countless gig bags, vintage guitar cases, bars, clubs, recording studios and stadiums because they do one thing incredibly well: they work. Intonation, elegant simplicity, and legendary reliability are the reasons Shubb has stood the test of time—and why it continues to lead today. Shubb has spent […]



The incredibly talented Wendy Eisenberg joins us this week to talk about their new, self-titled album, which just earned a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork.

Wendy talks about their start playing music in Western Massachusetts, the perils of awful guitar instructors, discovering prog rock (and eventually jazz…and singer-songwriters), and so much more. Hosted by Sofia Wolfson.

https://www.wendyeisenberg.com

Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal print magazine here.

Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Register today: https://fretboardsummit.org

We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout).

Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar: https://mmguitarbar.com

Mike & Mike’s Substack: https://mmguitarbar.substack.com

Above photo: Eleanor Petry

The post Podcast 545: Wendy Eisenberg first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Peter Frampton has released a new single with Tom Morello, which will feature on Frampton’s forthcoming album, Carry The Light.

The new single, titled Lions At The Gate, is a protest song that challenges the elite and draws inspiration from lion statues that would sit outside Hollywood mansions in the 1920s. Frampton’s son Julian also contributes vocals to the track.

• READ MORE: The secret difference that Tom Morello uses to tell his original Arm The Homeless guitar apart from his new signature model

Carry The Light is Frampton’s first album of all-new material in 16 years, and will land on 15 May. It’s been co-written and produced with his son, and also includes guest appearances by Sheryl Crow, Bill Evans, H.E.R., Graham Nash and Benmont Tench.

Frampton says of the new single (via Blabbermouth), “Lions At The Gate is a powerful track with a powerful message, and Tom’s playing took it to another level.” He later adds: The Carry The Light album is the first new music from me in 16 years. It was one of my most enjoyable projects ever. I got to work with my son Julian – writing and producing together. A first of many for us, I’m sure.”

Check out the new song below:

In January last year, Frampton gave a talk at the Martin booth at the NAMM show, in which he spoke of his health struggles with inclusion body myositis (IBM), a disease characterised by slowly progressive weakness and muscle wasting. He spoke about how his health has impacted his guitar playing, and how he’s learning new ways to play to ensure his longevity.

“I’m gonna keep going as long as my fingers work,” he told the crowd. “It’s getting more difficult, I have to admit, but the worst thing about playing for me, when I’m soloing, is to actually think about what I’m playing. I don’t want to think, I want it to come from my heart, my soul. That’s how I’ve always played.

“Now I do have to think a little bit because [I’ll be] in the middle of a passage and say, ‘Hm, that finger is not gonna get there in time.’ So I do a regroup, and I use one finger for many notes that I used to use three fingers for.”

Carry The Light arrives on 15 May. Find out more or pre-order via the Peter Frampton website.

The post Peter Frampton teams up with Tom Morello on new protest song about the ultra-powerful appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

2026 has been a hell of a year for high-profile guitar auctions. The Jim Irsay Collection – put up for sale following the death of billionaire Indianapolis Colts owner and prolific guitar collector Jim Irsay – saw a significant reshuffling of the list of all-time highest-selling guitars, with David Gilmour’s Black Strat now holding the record at a gargantuan $14,550,000. 

Jerry Garcia’s Tiger fetched a cool $11.5 million, while instruments once belonging to Eric Clapton and Kurt Cobain also raked in massive seven-figure sums. All in, the Jim Irsay Collection brought in $94.5 million, and set 28 world records becoming the most valuable memorabilia auction in history, per auction house Christie’s.

And while they’re not likely to pull in the same eight-figure sums as the top-selling guitars in the Irsay collection, a number of new high-profile guitars have hit the auction block this week.

• READ MORE: Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus review – serious class on a sensible budget

First, Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone EJ-200 – which he used throughout the recording of Oasis’s landmark sophomore album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, and now Elvis Presley’s legendary 1968 Comeback Special Hagstrom Viking II is once again hitting the auction block.

Like Gallagher’s EJ-200, Elvis’s Hagstrom Viking is up for sale via Sotheby’s, where it’s expected to fetch as high as $2 million, if its sale for $625,000 in 2021 is anything to go by.

While only ever played once by Elvis, the red Hagstrom Viking II is as legendary as any other guitar played by the King of Rock and Roll. He had originally planned to use a different guitar during his 1968 Comeback Special performance, he opted for this one – which originally belonged to session guitarist Al Casey – as it matched the set, and his outfit’s black and red aesthetic.

Elvis’s Comeback Special performance marked his first performance in seven years, as Sotheby’s Music and Pop Culture Specialist Craig Inciardi explains. 

“This guitar became a symbol of Elvis’ legendary comeback,” Inciardi says. “Guitars have always been central to his image, but seeing Elvis return to the stage after years away, dressed in his iconic black leather outfit and playing this guitar, created one of the most enduring images in rock history. 

“It marked a pivotal moment, reconnecting him with a generation of fans and cementing his status as the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.”

Elvis Presley’s Hagstrom Viking II is expected to fetch between $1 million and $2 million. Bidding for the online auction is now open, and the guitar will be displayed at Sotheby’s New York Breuer Building between 13 – 20 April.

Learn more at Sotheby’s.

The post The red guitar Elvis Presley used during his 1968 Comeback Special performance is up for auction, and could fetch $2 million appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Journey guitarist and co-founder Neal Schon has spoken out against claims made by singer Arnel Pineda, in which he claimed he was forced to go on tour with the band despite voicing concerns about personal issues.

The Journey camp has been rather unsettled for some time now, guitarist/keyboardist Jonathan Cain even sued Schon while the pair were still on tour together in 2024. Schon recently joked in an interview that he feels he gets “one lawsuit served every week”.

• READ MORE: The one piece of advice Neal Schon would give young guitar players: “It took a long time to learn all that”

In March, vocalist Pineda claimed in a Rolling Stone interview that he had been pressured into doing a farewell tour with the band. His reasons against touring include “an aging body and voice, a difficult divorce, and some very public allegations of domestic abuse that made headlines in his native Philippines”, according to the article.

Pineda claims that the band booked a 60-date US tour for this year without consulting him, with at least another 40 shows slated for 2027. Pineda also claims he told the band on two occasions he wanted to leave. Both Schon and Pineda allege that AEG’s contract with the band stipulates that this tour could not go forward without Pineda. Rolling Stone reports that AEG did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Schon has since taken to social media to voice his side of the story. He writes, “Over the years, Journey has always been about the music and the fans first. There’s been some recent press and speculation that doesn’t reflect the full picture.

“Touring at this level involves many moving parts, and decisions are made collectively with our team, including management, agents, and promoters. Like any long-running band, there are moments where people feel the pressure differently. I respect that, and I have nothing but appreciation for what everyone brings to the stage.”

He adds: “For clarity, no one was ever prevented by me from making their own personal decisions. At the same time, we were all advised by our representatives that there are contractual obligations tied to touring that need to be honoured.”

Two Journey shows have recently been postponed due to illness, but it looks like all other shows are going ahead as planned. You can find out more via the Journey website. 

The post “No one was ever prevented by me from making their own decisions”: Neal Schon address claims from Journey singer Arnel Pineda that he was pressured into touring appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Gary Holt has once again touched upon the comparisons often made between Exodus and their thrash rivals Metallica and Megadeth, asserting that despite playing “faster”, Exodus still doesn’t get the same credit as their genre counterparts.

In a recent interview with Loudwire, the guitarist explains how having the “world’s biggest chip on our shoulders” at not receiving the same recognition as Metallica and Megadeth actually serves as a formidable source of inspiration for the band.

• READ MORE: “It was heartbreaking”: Bob Daisley insists that he deserved credits for his work on Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary Of A Madman

“It works to our advantage,” Holt says [via Ultimate Guitar]. “We’re never satisfied, the world’s against us, and everybody looks down on us. Like, we’ll write the fastest thrash compared to our peers. And if it’s 2% not as fast [as] one before it, ‘Oh, Exodus has slowed down.’”

“We’re still faster than everybody else. We feel we don’t get the credit,” he says.

Holt goes on to explain how “years of self-inflicted damage and dysfunction” keeps the band “motivated to prove ourselves”.

“We’re, arguably, the first one – us and Metallica formed at the same time. Exodus was formed in the ‘70s. And here we are.”

Both pioneers of the early Bay Area thrash metal scene, Exodus formed in 1979, while Metallica formed two years later in 1981. Exodus founding guitarist Kirk Hammett later joined Metallica in 1983 following the departure of lead guitarist and future Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine.

Indeed, Gary Holt recently joked that he’s owed some royalties for his part in writing Metallica’s massive Ride the Lightning hit Creeping Death. As he explained, he wrote the lyrics “Die by his hand” (later changed to “Die by my hand” in Creeping Death) for an early Exodus demo. “It’s Kirk’s riff, it’s my lyrics,” he said.

Gary Holt has spoken about his thrash metal genre-mates extensively as of late, recently saying, “Metallica were the best of all of us but not anymore”.

“I think Exodus crushes them, but that’s my own humble opinion,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Loudwire interview, Holt, now 61, reflects on how his playing is being affected by age.

“Eventually age will catch up to us, and we can’t play this shit,” he says. “Because modern-era Exodus is more difficult than the ’80s stuff to play. It just is. I’m arthritic and have bad joints from my toes to my fucking neck. I’m serious, all of them are bad. I’ve had countless injections from here, here, and a few spinal taps.”

“I do it to keep going. Like in Slayer, I had so many injections in my elbows, I can’t count them. The alternative was to stop for a while. And maybe I should have… But I just keep going. I can’t stop.”

The post “We carry the world’s biggest chip on our shoulders”: Gary Holt on Exodus’s competition with thrash rivals Metallica and Megadeth appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$999/£992, yamaha.com

Perhaps you saw that Yamaha had brought back its single-cutaway Pacifica design and were overjoyed; perhaps you then saw the price of the SC Professional and were immediately underjoyed. Well, the SC Standard Plus – a similar guitar at a much lower price point – might just pull you back to a state of… medium-joyedness?

• READ MORE: Yamaha Pacifica SC Professional review – the ultimate in solidbody sophistication?

Yes, this new model is still a lot more expensive than the average Pacifica, but building it in Indonesia – with just a few minor spec compromises – has enabled the company to bring it in at less than half the price of the supremely sophisticated Japanese flagship. In theory at least, that might just make it this year’s canniest six-string bargain.

Image: Adam Gasson

Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus – what is it?

There are people living under actual rocks who are familiar with Yamaha’s double-cutaway Pacifica – loosely based on the Stratocaster template, with (usually) three pickups and a vibrato bridge, it almost qualifies as a design classic in its own right. The long-overdue return of the single-cut version is a move into more Telecaster-influenced territory, with two pickups and a fixed bridge.

Beyond that, many of the details of this guitar are exactly as they are on the SC Professional. In fact, here’s a list of shared specs: solid alder body with bolt-on maple neck, 25.5-inch scale length and maple or rosewood fretboard; Gotoh locking tuners, TUSQ nut and Gotoh T-style bridge with compensated brass saddles; Reflectone HT7b single-coil bridge pickup and EH7n neck humbucker with master volume and tone controls, plus three-way selector and pull-up ‘focus switch’ for the single coil.

Now here’s a list of things that aren’t the same, and you’ll notice that it’s a lot shorter: the Standard Plus has a simple 12-inch fretboard radius rather than a compound one, doesn’t have Yamaha’s Initial Response Acceleration (IRA) wood treatment, and… um, that’s about it. The only other point to note is that the cheaper model comes in a well-padded gigbag rather than a hard case – which some people might prefer anyway.

Image: Adam Gasson

Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus – is it easy to play?

Gone are the days when being manufactured in any Asian country other than Japan meant an electric guitar was doomed to be slightly (or more than slightly) crap. Where build, finish and playability are concerned, there’s nothing about the SC Standard Plus that feels cheap or compromised.

It sits nicely on the strap or the lap, and the smooth, nicely rounded neck welcomes your hand like memory foam and simply invites you to start playing – all the way up to the top, thanks to the smartly carved heel. The factory setup on my review instrument was sound, with supernaturally frictionless frets that vanished under the fingertips; and if you do need to make any tweaks to the neck relief, the adjustment wheel at the top of the ’board should make that extra-easy.

Image: Adam Gasson

Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus – what does it sound like?

On the one hand, this guitar deserves to be judged on its own merits. On the other hand, meh: I’ve already reviewed the Pacifica SC Professional and it sounds basically the same, so what do you want, a copy-and-paste job with some of the words shuffled around a bit? Better if I start this section with a brief summary, and let you refer back to that other review if you need more detail before we move on to the minor differences between the two.

With the focus switch you’ve got a total of five pickup settings, and they’re all quite distinct but share an emphasis on smoothness and shimmery top-end clarity. You might well want to use the tone knob to tame the treble, and you might also want to stomp on something gainy because these pickups are a lot more fun when they’re rocking out. Here endeth the summary.

Now, did someone mention minor differences? The first of those is apparent before you even plug in: acoustically the Standard Plus is not quite as resonant, with a brighter voice despite the rosewood board, and less bloomy depth. This might be down to the absence of that vibration-based IRA treatment, or it might simply be about timber selection – after all, who could blame Yamaha for saving the best stuff for the top of the line?

Unsurprisingly, given the identical electrics, that pattern is repeated with the amplified tones. The sound on the neck pickup of the Standard Plus is very similar but not so mellow, with a touch more midrange, and the bridge pickup is fractionally cooler in the lower frequencies – so while it has the same clucky brightness, it can sound a little skinny with single notes.

Ultimately though, the underlying story is no different: it’s all about refinement and control. The pickups are pretty high-output (despite relatively low DC resistance readings) and have an elastic sheen that lifts them away from any danger of getting raw, ragged or vulnerable. If you like proper old-school Telecasters, you might well hate this; if you crave something more grown-up and businesslike, it could be just what you’ve been waiting for.

Image: Adam Gasson

Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus – should I buy it?

This is certainly a guitar that does its own thing. It has a clear and snappy voice that can sound almost piezo-like at times, and that will be the reddest of red flags to some players… but if you’re not one of them, the SC Standard Plus has a lot going for it – not least the broad tonal range covered by its five pickup settings.

Like the SC Professional, it’s at its best when you give it some overdrive to play with – and while it’s probably fair to say this is technically the lesser of the two guitars, the difference is surprisingly small bearing in mind how much cash you’re saving by going Indonesian. It’s also considerably cheaper than the double-cutaway Pacifica Standard Plus – so if you’re happy to buy an outsourced guitar rather than insisting on the ‘real thing’, and you prefer T-types to S-types anyway, then it looks like a win-win.

Image: Adam Gasson

Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus alternatives

For marginally better specs plus an extra sprinkle of ‘made in Japan’ prestige, go for the Yamaha Pacifica SC Professional ($2,199.99/£2,150). Other T-types with a neck humbucker that are in the same price range as the SC Standard Plus include the Fender Player II Modified Telecaster SH ($1,079.99/£939) and Schecter Nick Johnston PT Signature ($899/£899).

The post Yamaha Pacifica SC Standard Plus review – serious class on a sensible budget appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Bassist Bob Daisley has spoken about his contributions to Ozzy Osbourne’s 1981 album, Diary Of A Madman, and has again insisted that he should be credited for his work on the record.

Daisley worked on Osbourne’s first two solo records, 1980’s The Blizzard of Ozz as well as Diary…, And still feels cheated out of proper accreditation for his playing. Daisley says that “seeing those erroneous credits for the first time” was like a “punch in the solar plexus”, and that seeing bassist Rudy Sarzo credited rather than him was hurtful.

• READ MORE: Zakk Wylde says the riff for Miracle Man was inspired by this classic Jimi Hendrix song

In an interview with Bass Player [via Guitar World], he says, “Just ask me what I thought of Rudy Sarzo being credited on Diary of a Madman! That was a travesty, a true crime against [drummer] Lee Kerslake and me.

“I’d worked hard on that album – as I do with every album that I’ve been involved with – both with the playing/writing aspects and the production. And then, to see all my hard work get credited to someone who’d had nothing to do with any of it was heartbreaking, and the same goes for Lee.”

He adds, “I would love to see proper accreditation on that album before I take the long dirt nap.”

There is a history of legal battles between Daisley and Osbourne. He sued Osbourne in 2016 and his company Blizzard Music Limited, accusing him of withholding over $2m in unpaid royalties from the song Crazy Train.

At the time, Osbourne refuted the claims and a representative said that Daisley had been receiving biannual royalty statements and checks from Blizzard Music, “totalling in millions of dollars, which have been routinely cashed.” The case was eventually dismissed.

Back in 2023 during an episode of The Osbournes Podcast, Osbourne discussed Daisley’s ‘Holy Grail’ demos, which are rumoured to contain around seven hours of recording sessions with late heavy metal icon Randy Rhoads.

In the episode, Osbourne said, “The quality [of the recording] sucks… [He’d record] everything we ever did. He would record the fucking milkman… The quality was fucking dreadful.”

“[He recorded] on a cassette machine,” Sharon added. “A tiny little cassette machine. And it’s not for us to do anything with.”

The post “It was heartbreaking”: Bob Daisley insists that he deserved credits for his work on Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary Of A Madman appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Following months of speculation at where Mateus Asato might go next after ending his decade-long partnership with Suhr, the Brazilian guitarist has officially confirmed he’s joining Fender.

Asato became somewhat synonymous with Suhr Guitars during his stratospheric rise as the quintessential Instagram guitarist, but as he enters his next phase as a fully-fledged solo artist – with his debut album landing in February – Fender’s where he’s landed.

Following the news that Asato was leaving Suhr, fans quickly began to speculate that a Fender partnership might be on the horizon after he posted a video playing Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing on a Fender Stratocaster.

Asato attempted to dispel rumours of a Fender partnership, writing: “You guys are funny. Imagine playing Little Wing on a guitar that isn’t a Strat…

“In my case, I just picked this strat because it fits the storytelling the most. Regarding this topic, I’m really chill. ‘Single’ & happy where I am at this point.”

But fans still had their suspicions – especially after Asato attended an in-person clinic with Fender Japan, and may or may not have been spotted by the Guitar.com team at a Fender Custom Shop event at this year’s NAMM Show…

These suspicions have now been confirmed in a new post on Asato’s Instagram page.

“I am officially part of Fender’s team now,” he says. “In these past few months, I’ve been spending [a] great amount of hours with their guitar in my hands, trying to capture the best ways to make the best out of this new chapter.

“It’s an honour to enter this journey alongside so many incredible names in [the] history of music.

“Thank you, Fender. And a very warm thanks to all the incredible ones who are involved in this special project. I deeply appreciate your effort and time. I’m ready.”

View this post on Instagram

As for the fruits of what a Fender x Asato partnership might look like, the guitarist has been seen playing a green Stratocaster in numerous videos as of late, which can also be seen in his announcement post above. We’d wager a signature model is right over the horizon…

The post “I’m ready”: Mateus Asato confirms he’s now a Fender artist appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Pro Co RAT has quite the cult following. Designed way back in the 1970s, it’s still treasured and used widely today. If you’ve been thinking of adding one to your pedalboard, you can get one now for a discounted price of $88 at Sweetwater.

The Pro Co RAT 2 is the most modern version of the RAT, which we rate a perfect 10/10. In our 2024 review and deep dive into this hard-clipping distortion legend, we noted that “for something that’s been essentially unchanged since 1978, it’s still a large part of the bedrock of the world of modern dirtboxes”, and also celebrated its reasonable pricing.

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The RAT 2 hosts the same three-knob layout (Distortion, Filter, and Volume) as its vintage counterparts, along with a rugged on/off footswitch, a status LED, and even glow-in-the-dark graphics. With controls this simple, you literally cannot go wrong.

• READ MORE: Milkman/Benson The Amp review: “a compelling solution for players looking to replace a traditional tube amp”

And yet despite its simple face, there are still plenty of ways you can experiment with its streamlined design. As Sweetwater explains, with the Distortion knob at its minimum setting it acts as a “dirty boost”, while at maximum it delivers fuzz tones.

The Filter knob is also a core player in this pedal’s flexibility, opening up a range of sonic textures, from clear tones with plenty of clarity to warm, cranked amp-like sounds. Check it out in action and learn more about its history below:

The Pro Co RAT has also made its way onto some legendary albums, including the Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut album. The only stompboxes used on the record were the RAT, an MXR Distortion+, and possibly a Boss DS-1 – a testament to its versatility among such a core set up.

The Pro Co RAT 2 is on sale now for $88 at Sweetwater.

The post The Pro Co RAT is a distortion legend – and you can get it now for less than $90 at Sweetwater appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

A woman has been charged over the alleged stalking, threat and assault of former Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham.

Buckingham was attacked with an unknown substance in Santa Monica, California on 25 March this year, and the suspect immediately fled. The alleged suspect, Michelle Dick, now faces seven charges. She also claims to be the biological daughter of Buckingham.

• READ MORE: “This is categorically false”: Fleetwood Mac respond to reunion rumours

Fox News Digital reports that court documents claim Michelle Dick, who was previously accused of stalking Buckingham and his family, has now been charged with two counts of stalking, two counts of threats to commit a crime with intent to terrorise, assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism, and battery.

Buckingham filed a request for a restraining order against Dick in December 2024. Buckingham raised concerns about the safety of himself and his family at the time, and said: “I do not know Ms. Dick and I am not her father.”

It is alleged that she began harassing his family in 2021, when Dick allegedly “got ahold” of the business phone number for Buckingham’s wife, Kristen Messner, and “called the number dozens of times a day sometimes, leaving long drawn-out messages”, including claims that she is his child and “threats to kill me and my family,” as Buckingham said in the petition.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted the restraining order, which stated that Dick must stay at least 100 yards away from Buckingham and his family. She was also ordered not to harass or attempt to make contact with him in any way.

A warrant has been issued for Dick’s arrest. She is yet to be detained, according to reports, and a judge has set bail at $300,000.

The post Lindsey Buckingham’s alleged attacker faces charges for stalking, threats and assault appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

We’ve now looked at how to tab a basic riff as well as composing a full song in Guitar Pro, so hopefully you’re feeling confident in using the software. While it’s an excellent tool for developing ideas into fully-fledged compositions, Guitar Pro has a number of benefits to all aspects of your guitar work.

In this guide, we’re going to look at some of the ways in which Guitar Pro can streamline the recording process; exploring its impact on the way you write, practice, collaborate and collate your ideas and how all of those aspects feed into recording. What we’ll be exploring applies to both solo artists and guitarists in a band that intend to either record and produce themselves or work with an engineer/producer.

Practise at your own pace

The world of guitar tablature is daunting for a beginner – and even sometimes for a veteran. Thankfully, Guitar Pro has long been the default choice of fans and artists when it comes to accurately tabbing out songs.  Tab books will often come with Guitar Pro files as standard.

Being able to hear and see the notes and chords being played makes a world of difference when learning a song. When you combine that with Guitar Pro’s playback speed, metronome and loop functionality, practising guitar becomes infinitely better as you can set a comfortable pace, learn parts efficiently and refine your timing.

The more songs you learn in this way, the more you’ll learn about different articulations and the theory behind your favourite pieces, which will build your knowledge and inform the way you write and perform.

In addition to this, if your favourite artist and/or song hasn’t been tabbed and you want to try your hand at learning it by ear, Guitar Pro can be incredibly helpful. Whether you’re working it out the full piece or using a stem separator to pick out the part(s) you want to learn, tabbing the part out in Guitar Pro helps in multiple ways.

• You have both a visual and aural guide to refer to as you’re learning
• You can use the playback speed and metronome to practise at a comfortable pace before getting to 100% speed
• The more you tab out parts in Guitar Pro, the more efficient at it you’ll become
• You’ll develop your musical ear and each subsequent piece should, in theory, take less and less time

Write parts you can’t play

The beauty of Guitar Pro is you tab something out and it plays it, so what’s to stop you just trying something nuts to see how it sounds? It may turn into a practice routine for you that both elevates your playing and becomes a key component to your song. It may be something you transpose to another instrument such as synth and turn into a lead line. Give it a try and I guarantee it will help unlock some creative ideas.

Create an organised archive of ideas

You might be sitting on an ever-growing folder of voice memos or videos of different riff ideas and chord progressions. I know I am! But a habit that I’ve been trying to form is transferring those ideas into Guitar Pro – and here’s why.

Too many times I’ve looked back at an idea and realised I’ve filmed it at a terrible angle and can’t actually make out what I’m playing and spend the limited time I have on trying to relearn the part by ear. That issue grows exponentially with voice memos! Tabbing out the idea in Guitar Pro removes these issues, while also developing your proficiency with the software.

Even if you’ve documented an idea clearly, there’s very little you can do with it as a recording on your phone. And unless you’re hot on naming and categorising your recordings, it’s easy for those ideas to become disorganised and great riffs and progressions being forgotten for extended periods of time.

By staying on top of your latest bursts of inspiration, you can quickly build an organised archive of ideas that are in the best place to be developed over time and turned into fully-formed ideas or finished tracks.

Bonus tip

This isn’t a Guitar Pro tip, but one that I feel is still beneficial to share. I periodically upload any video recordings of ideas to a drive as both a backup and for better organisation. When naming these recordings, I include the key and/or tuning of the idea and some descriptive element. This could be ‘new intro idea for X track’ or describing the vibe of the idea, e.g. heavy, dreamy, energetic, etc. These naming conventions make it much easier to categorise ideas and easily scan through them to find what you’re looking for.

Easily collaborate with other artists

You might be great at following my previous point, but if you’re consistently running into creative blocks and unable to progress an idea, why not enlist the help of another artist? This can be scaled in the smallest or largest ways, whichever suits your creativity best.

Share and write parts with your bandmates

We don’t always have the luxury of regularly jamming and writing with our bandmates – your band may even live across countries or continents. Guitar Pro makes sharing ideas incredibly easy, whether that’s exporting an idea as an .mp3, sharing a MIDI file of the project, which a bandmate can drop into their Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), or if they are a Guitar Pro user, simply sharing the project file.

It can also be a great way for you and your band to write parts outside of your home instrument(s). For example, you might have an idea for a drum part that you want to share with your drummer. Equally, your drummer might have a melody in mind for guitar. You can go super ambitious and channel my second point on writing parts you can’t play to challenge one another and potentially create something you’d never have attempted by yourself.

Develop ideas with artists across the globe

If you’re a solo artist or simply looking for some new creative perspectives, the same approach can be applied to artists across the world. With a multitude of Discord servers, subreddits and forums dedicated to sharing music, you can put ideas out into the ether and see how others interpret and develop them.

Collaborate with a broad range of instrumentalists

As you may remember from part one of this guide, when you create any project in Guitar Pro, you can choose to have the music written out as a score. While there are many guitarists that read and write sheet music, it’s most commonly found in jazz and classically trained musicians. When you have a suite of orchestral instruments in-software, what’s to stop you taking a stab at scoring some string parts for your track and reaching out to players to help develop and potentially record these parts?

Your score won’t come out as a perfect piece of sheet music, but it will be a much more effective way of communicating your ideas with instrumentalists, especially when paired with the project. When you find a player that’s keen to collaborate, they can take that score, clean it up and then record the parts as you envisioned them.

Streamline the recording process

Each point preceding this feeds into streamlining the recording process, but this is the most direct way that Guitar Pro can speed things up.

We’ve already touched upon exporting MIDI data to import into a DAW when collaborating, but how does this aid the recording process? Let’s say you’ve composed a complete song in Guitar Pro, with multitrack parts, accompanying instrumentation and even automation, panning, etc. The final step is to record it.

Ordinarily, this would involve building a recording template in your DAW with section markers, tempo information, audio and MIDI channels, etc. When you export a Guitar Pro project as a MIDI file and then drag-and-drop that into your DAW (I am using Logic Pro for this example), it automatically creates separate channels for each part, using the DAWs in-built instrument library to give each part a distinct sound, as well as any automation data as well as the song’s tempo. Unfortunately, should your song have any time signature changes, your DAW will not create markers for these changes, and this has to be done manually.

You now have an accurate template (time signatures notwithstanding) of your song(s), which massively reduces how much pre-production time is needed before beginning your recording. This is doubly useful for recording engineers who are not familiar with your music and can be a good way for them to know what you’re trying to create with the recording.

Additionally, if you intend to use any instrument libraries, you will already have the MIDI data in place from the import. This can not only save time, but make a huge difference in setting the ‘vibe’ early on, allowing you to ease more naturally into recording your parts.

There you have it! Our essential guide to Guitar Pro is complete – I hope you’ve found it useful. Don’t forget, you can download the demo project file we referred to in part two to get you started in the software.

The post How Guitar Pro can streamline your recording process appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.