General Interest

With two single-coils and a humbucker in the bridge position, an HSS-configured electric guitar is an indispensable option to have in your tonal palette. And if your arsenal is currently lacking in the HSS department, now might be the time to plug the gap.

Right now at Thomann, you can get this Mooer GTRS Standard 800 SB – complete with hundreds of onboard effects, guitar simulations, a looper and even a drum machine – for just £175 down from £289.

That’s right. Until 14 July, you can get this impressively spec’d entry-level HSS guitar at a 39% discount, or £114 off.

Obviously, chief on the spec sheet is its onboard electronics, which include 126 guitar effects, nine guitar simulations, four selectable and editable presets, an 80-second looper, a drum machine and even Bluetooth 5.0, but it’s decently spec’d in the hardware department, too.

It features an American basswood body, roasted maple one-piece C-shape bolt-on neck, rosewood fingerboard with 22 nickel silver jumbo frets, and a cream pickguard, which beautifully accentuates the guitar’s striking Sonic Blue finish.

In terms of pickups, the guitar sports GTRS SC-1N and SC-1M Alnico V single coils in the neck and middle positions, and a GTRS HM-1B Alnico V humbucker in the bridge position, with singular volume and tone controls and a five-way selector switch.

There’s also an accompanying Mooer GTRS app for additional tonal control plus a handy tuner, too.

So whether you’re looking for your first guitar, or an HSS model to plug that hole in your collection, with the Mooer GTRS Standard 800 SB, you won’t go far wrong – certainly not at this price.

Learn more at Thomann.

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One by one, it seems the amp purists are falling. Some of rock’s most notable old guard – who tend to prefer tube amps over their modern-day digital counterparts – have been experimenting with amp modellers as of late, and have been mightily impressed with the results.

Take Joe Bonamassa, as a prime example. The blues maestro is an avid collector and lover of vintage gear, so much so that he has two museum-style locations in Nashville and LA – Nerdville East and West, respectively – dedicated to the stuff. But even JoBo recently revealed he’d made the switch to digital, at least partially, after sharing that he’d been using Fender Tone Master amps on tour.

“When I first plugged into it, I realised this s***’s good. I really wanted to dislike it! But I couldn’t,” the guitarist said last month. He also revealed that he was prepared to “take a lot of s**t” for his adoption of digital modelling gear.

• READ MORE: “Dreams come true”: Gojira guitarist reacts as Kirk Hammett uses his Jackson signature model onstage with Metallica

Deep Purple guitarist Simon McBride has also made the switch to digital, and like Bonamassa, acknowledges fans who might criticise him for doing so.

“I have a lot of amps, but for most of the Purple stuff I use my live rig, which is the [Neural DSP] Quad Cortex,” he tells Guitarist in a new interview.

“I can hear a lot of Ritchie Blackmore fans crying out, going, ‘No! He’s using digital stuff!’ But it’s brilliant.”

As for why he chose to incorporate a Quad Cortex into his rig in 2025, the decision ultimately came down to a desire to streamline his setup.

“I had to change my sound a bit because you’re dealing with Don Airey, who plays keys, the Hammond and Leslie, and a Marshall head and cabinet,” McBride explains. “He’s in a very similar frequency range to [my] guitar, so I had to figure something out to make the guitar sound more powerful.”

Guitar World notes that McBride asked Engl – who made Steve Morse’s signature amp and gave him his own Artist Edition head – to tweak it and give him more power to occupy his own areas of the frequency spectrum.

“I asked them to tweak it and put a lot more power in the lower mids and low-end. I knew the Leslie and Hammond didn’t have that, so that could be my little space and would cut through but also make me sound powerful when we play a riff together.”

GW notes that while the guitarist doesn’t explicitly say so, he insinuates that his Engl amp has been captured and incorporated into his Quad Cortex.

Many high-profile guitarists have now adopted amp modellers, including James Hetfield, Nita Strauss and Mike McCready.

The post “I can hear Ritchie Blackmore fans crying out!”: Deep Purple’s Simon McBride on switching from tube amps for amp modellers appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Psychedelic metal band Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats allegedly had their set cut short at Roskilde Festival after Damon Albarn “threw a hissy fit” and accused them of being “too loud”.

This is according to Uncle Acid themselves, who shared a statement on social media after the alleged incident took place, in which they apologised to fans and thanked the festival crew for “trying to intervene”.

• READ MORE: “I am going to take a lot of s**t for this”: Joe Bonamassa reveals he’s using digital amps for his new tour

Gorillaz were headlining the Danish festival’s Orange stage on Thursday 2 July while Uncle Acid’s played on the Legune stage. Danish media outlet Politiken reports (via NME) that Albarn spoke to the crowd during his set, saying, “Is it supposed to be possible for me to hear the other music so clearly? We can just stop playing and listen to the other thing instead, that’s fine with me.”

Uncle Acid’s statement reads: “Apologies to everyone who came to Roskilde festival hoping to see us play a full set last night. Pop diva Damon Albarn of the novelty cartoon act Gorillaz threw a hissy fit while we played, threatened to storm off stage before finally getting our set shut down because we were ‘too loud’.

“They were the only headliner of the whole weekend who couldn’t cope with playing at the same time as other artists. Unfortunately we only managed 25 minutes of assaulting his precious ears from our stage half a mile away before his goons came over and pulled the plug.”

They conclude, “Despite us being below the festival dB limit and offering to turn down FOH to continue the show, they wanted us off. Thanks to the Roskilde crew and stage manager who tried their best to intervene but it was ultimately out of their hands. Orders from above. p.s to our Danish fans….we love you and we’ll see you next year in Copenhagen.”

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While Gorillaz fans in the comments are disputing the claims, Roskilde Festival has provided a statement on the matter to NME. It calls the incident an “extremely unfortunate situation for everyone involved”.

“We are sincerely sorry for the disappointment caused to both our participants and the artists, all of whom had been looking forward to a fantastic experience. The decision was made as a result of a combination of wind conditions and technical factors that adversely affected the sound production. When staging a large outdoor live event, shifts in weather and wind conditions can occasionally create operational challenges.”

It adds, “As the weather forecast indicated that windy conditions would continue Friday, we decided to make a series of adjustments and rotations to the programme. These measures were taken in order to reduce the risk of similar situations and ensure the best possible experience for both our participants and the artists.”

Guitar.com has reached out to representatives of Gorillaz for comment.

The post Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats accuse Damon Albarn of being a “pop diva” after he allegedly forced their set to end early appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It already houses Greeny – the legendary ‘59 Les Paul Standard once owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green – and a host of other now-iconic instruments like his ‘79 Flying V and ESP “Ouija” guitar – but it seems Kirk Hammett’s Metallica guitar arsenal just got a little bit bigger, as he’s added Gojira guitarist Christian Andreu’s newest Pro Plus Series signature model.

Andreu’s new signature arrived back in March, and boasts the unique accolade of the first-ever Jackson Rhoads model to feature an EverTune bridge, the patented design favoured by metal guitarists for rock-solid tuning stability.

It turns out Andreu’s love affair with the Rhoads shape started at just 15, when he saw Kirk Hammett wield the two-pronged design onstage with Metallica. Now, that moment’s come full-circle, after Hammett played Andreu’s own signature model onstage during one of Metallica’s London shows at the weekend.

• READ MORE: Metallica have donated $100,000 to earthquake relief in Venezuela

Metallica hit London Stadium in the British capital this weekend for two back-to-back no-repeat sets to conclude their massive M72 World Tour. Gojira and Knocked Loose were in support.

Sunday’s show saw the likes of For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning, Blackened and Enter Sandman, while Friday’s set included Creeping Death, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets and Seek & Destroy, the latter of which Hammett wielded Andreu’s signature model for. Watched fan-filmed footage below:

A starstruck Christian Andreu takes to Instagram in a wholesome new post: “London, you fought fire with fire! Thank you Kirk for using my custom Jackson Rhoads guitar on Seek! Dreams come true.”

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Gojira’s own set on the night packed in 11 tracks, including Stranded, Silvera, Amazonia and Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!), the song with which the French metallers won a Grammy after performing it during the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Metallica’s M72 World Tour has now wrapped, but the metal titans will head to Las Vegas for a residency at the Sphere later this year. For a full list of dates, head to the band’s official website.

The post “Dreams come true”: Gojira guitarist reacts as Kirk Hammett uses his Jackson signature model onstage with Metallica appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale is a big believer that some of the best songs have just two chords, and that music doesn’t need to be overly complicated to be respected.

Looking back on her own journey into music, she’s faced a “demystifying” process after coming up against musicians who feel guitar music in particular should have vast numbers of chords and complex solo arrangements.

• READ MORE: How Women Are Giving Metal Guitars A Mainstream Moment

Speaking of her own early listening habits, Teasdale’s own interests in guitar music piqued with music that felt fun and even at times a little bit trashy. In an interview with The Cut, she recalls learning songs by Kings Of Leon and revelling in the indie rock era of the 2010s.

“The first song I ever tried to play on guitar was Molly’s Chambers by Kings of Leon — back when the band was super-trashy and fun. It was a real epiphany to learn that you don’t have to be a virtuoso guitarist to enjoy playing music with your friends,” she says.

“It’s been a bit of a journey demystifying music-making for myself. I’m not from a musical household, and I even got kicked out of my GCSE music course because I was too far behind the rest of the class, which is kinda hilarious.

“There are so many loser gatekeepers who want you to believe that you need 20-plus chords in a song for it to be worthy. In reality there are so many bangin’ songs that literally are just two chords.”

She goes on to add, “I was also a big fan of PJ Harvey before I realised that I could make music myself, and Björk. Everyone in the band is a fan of Big Thief. When I started going to gigs and festivals, it was very much that indie rock era: Alt-J, Mystery Jets, the Wave Pictures. I love the Strokes.”

Find out where you can catch the band on tour via the official Wet Leg website.

The post Wet Leg frontwoman disagrees with guitar’s “loser gatekeepers” who think songs need “20-plus chords” to be good appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless has been reflecting on the genius of Chris Cornell and her love of Soundgarden.

The Pretty Reckless toured with Soundgarden on the last tour with Cornell in 2017, which was cut short due to his sudden passing. Her reflections about his work land after the release of new album Dear God from The Pretty Reckless, in which she explores grief and depression.

• READ MORE: “I thought, this is not me”: Kim Thayil explains why Chris Cornell played guitar during the verses of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun

Speaking to NME, she says, “I can only speak for me, I can’t speak for the world, but for me all of Chris Cornell’s work speaks to me on a level that nothing else does. When something touches you that way, it’s hard to put into words just exactly why.

“There is just this connection, and it’s like it is speaking to you on a level that is so deep that it feels like a part of you. I’ve listened to his solo work and to Soundgarden so many times, but every time I listen to them, it evokes something different in me.”

She adds, “There is the sheer amount of depth and sensitivity and aggression… [but] also, it’s so smart. It’s musically exquisite and complex — like this never-ending onion where you discover something new about it and about yourself every time you listen to it. I think that is so powerful and so fucking rare. It’s coming from a place that’s so deep and so powerful that it touches your soul.”

Momsen is also asked about the recent news that Soundgarden are hoping to release the final album they worked on with Cornell before his death. According to guitarist Kim Thayil, it had always been a goal for the band to complete the record, and releasing it would feel like a gift to the fans, and to Cornell too.

Momsen says, “Oh, man, I don’t think that’s my place to talk about. But what I will say though is that I love those guys. I’m so excited and proud of them and everything that they are doing, and just stay tuned.”

The news of the project arrived alongside the announcement that Soundgarden were due to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Speaking to Rolling Stone at the time, Thayil said: “Our objective and goal was always to complete that. I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalogue…

“I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don’t just want to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.”

The Pretty Reckless’ new album, Dear God, is out now. Find out where to catch them on tour via their official website.

The post Taylor Momsen on “powerful and rare” Chris Cornell: “His work speaks to me on a level that nothing else does” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Gamers of a certain age might remember FIFA 06 for its legendary intro movie, or the faces of a young Wayne Rooney and Brazil legend Ronaldinho gracing the cover. But for a young Towa Bird, the thing that had the most impact was the twanging electric guitar riff of LCD Soundsystem’s Daft Punk Is Playing At My House that blasted from the title screen.

Towa Bird is far from the only one initiated into the world of guitar thanks to a video game soundtrack, but with her its influence was a profound one. Today, the Hong Kong-born, British-Filipino artist is an internet-moulded guitar star, adored by both the music and fashion industries. She opened for Billie Eilish on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour and appeared as a guitarist on Olivia Rodrigo’s Driving Home 2 U documentary. She’s a regular face for Italian high fashion brand Miu Miu, and has toured with her girlfriend Reneé Rapp.

It all feels a long way from when she would sit on livestreams sharing personal coming-out tales, cool viral guitar covers and original songs online to a few hundred followers. So, as Bird fizzles onto our Zoom screen for her Guitar.com cover interview, there’s plenty to celebrate.

Most pressingly, there’s her brand-new second studio album, Gentleman, which has been lauded for its riffy, hot queer tracks in the guise of 60s-meets-70s rock, dipping into riot grrrl territory as well as alt-pop and synth palettes.

“It’s hard to sort of summarise two years,” Bird ponders casually, flicking through album anecdotes – flying between Los Angeles and New York, working with producer Patrick Wimberly (the former member of Chairlift who has credits with MGMT and Blood Orange), finishing writing last November and getting ready to let go of a year-long project.

“It’s really difficult not to attach your entire self-worth and the reception right before I put it out. I was so giddy, like a child, with excitement and joy,” she smiles. Soon after Gentleman dropped, however, Bird was ready to step aside and let fans and critics alike leave their mark on the album. “I knew I needed to anchor myself in this feeling, because I know as soon as it goes out, people put their two cents in and tell me their opinions and the feeling sort of changes,” she explains.

“Being a guitarist, that’s really fucking important to me. It’s the reason why I got into music in the first place”

Poster Girl

Bird’s star began to really rise with her debut album, American Hero, back in 2024 – but she never really imagined that songs like the amped up B.I.L.L.S or the lusty, smirking Drain Me would resonate with an audience so powerfully.

“It’s all truly been really fucking mind-blowing, to be honest,” she reflects. “I had no fantasy of where I would be; I know that a lot of artists grow up being told I’m going to become a pop star or a rock star, but I never felt that way.” That doesn’t mean she lacked ambition. Bird was working hard to build her career long before her solo career took off, most notably playing guitar on tour with Cassyette, before things fell into place.

“I care so deeply about what I do and I put so much effort into it, but I never really had the fantasy element to it,” she explains. “I think that comes from a place of insecurity rather than security, because I never really gave myself the permission to have those big, big dreams.

“Coming from a mixed family, immigrant parents, and there’s a level of realness, and in their culture and that’s what they passed down to me. It’s much more of an American ideology to dream big and wish for what you want, and in the UK that’s not necessarily the case.”

The hard work has won Bird a broad and incredibly active fanbase – one that transcends the usual online guitar audience – and she admits that she perhaps downplayed her guitar artistry as a result.

“With the first record, I had such a deep desire to prove myself,” she says. “I wanted people to take me seriously as an artist and as a singer-songwriter, and move away from the guitarist label. Now, in the second album, I feel much more excited about being a guitarist and that’s really fucking important to me – it’s the reason why I got into music in the first place.”

If her previous music wasn’t about celebrating technique, it still showed something fundamental and important – inspiring connection, resonating with the hum of the guitar, and finding a level of self-acceptance that she continues to build on.

“I definitely feel so much more aligned with who I am and, with the next album, I hope I’ll continue to get even closer,” she says. “I fell in love with this instrument, so I think it would be a disservice to myself and the audience to put that in the background. I think that comes with growing up a bit, becoming more confident in yourself, and remembering who you are.”

“I had no fantasy of where I would be… I never really gave myself the permission to have those big, big dreams”

Chord Theory

To understand how entwined Towa Bird’s artistry is with the guitar, and how she thinks about music, it’s worth noting that she chooses to talk about her musical evolution through her favourite guitar chords.

Back in the day, she proudly told an interviewer of her love of the Emaj7 chord. “I think that is sort of funny!” she reflects now. “It’s like a representation of where I was. The E major seven is a wonderful and colourful chord. It’s an extended chord, so there are more notes in the actual chord itself.

“It’s kind of funny because that’s representative of how I was trying to prove myself. Now, I’ve simplified, so I go for an E power chord, which is essentially the same. It’s basically all of the same notes, minus two, so it’s much more straightforward – it’s the people’s chord!”

When it comes to her instrument of choice, while she’s become synonymous with her black and gold Gibson Firebird, she’s moved into a more semi-hollow direction of late – leaning on the indisputable charms of a cherry red ES-335.

“I’ve been really enjoying using it; it’s a big body,” she explains. “They’re just big and kind of like Beatlesy and like very 60s. The reason why I love it so much is because it’s huge and so resonant because of the acoustic body. You can feel the vibrations against your stomach and chest as you play it.

“It’s more of a holistic experience where you can feel the music. Instead of an extension, it feels much more like an attachment, and has a warm and nice sound. It’s very classic, and one of the oldest electric guitars, so it’s been around for most of popular music history.”

“I fell in love with this instrument, so I think it would be a disservice to myself and the audience to put that in the background”

Security Blanket

Bird’s first brush with guitars came at a young age, during school lessons when she lived in Thailand. In those early days, she persevered because of her dad’s insistence that she had talent, but nowadays the instrument is an extension of her sense of self. “It gives me a sense of security. When I’m on stage, and I don’t have my guitar, I feel fucking naked,” she admits.

There’s a throughline in her life and art, where instrument, identity and sound mesh. Bird had no intentions of becoming “the lesbian Mick Jagger”, but after watching an awe-inspiring Jimi Hendrix documentary (and plenty of old YouTube tutorials), Bird picked up enough tricks. Flipping the script, then, with Gentleman, was playful subversion, bringing her own queer lens to gender.

“When I was growing up, I never really saw myself fitting into any specific box in terms of sexuality or gender identity,” she says. “My androgyny comes from a place of comfort in the same way that a guitar made me feel really comfortable.”

Olivia Rodrigo is a pop artist who is also credited with inducting a new generation of fans to the magic of guitar, and the celebration of music from a bygone age. It’s something that Bird got to experience up close, and has clearly left an impression.

“Honestly, one of the things that I feel about Olivia – while she’s on a different level – we’re sort of doing [things] in tandem,” she says. “I had Kathleen [Hanna] on my record and [Olivia] has Robert Smith, and she did something with David Byrne as well, recently. We’re bringing these legacy artists and bringing it to people who are maybe under 21.”

The Hanna collab in question is the track All Gone, which sees Bird and the Bikini Kill icon revel in skittering drums, power chords and buzzed-up vocals. It’s a demonstration and a reminder that riot grrrl music is thriving and the guitar scene is anyone’s game.

“When we were writing this record, we were sending reference playlists back and forth, and on every single playlist was a Bikini Kill song or one of Kathleen’s records,” Bird recalls. “So when we were looking for collaborations, we thought we should just fucking swing for it and it happened – I got my dream.”

“My androgyny comes from a place of comfort in the same way that a guitar made me feel really comfortable”

Making Gentleman was a long process for Bird – it took nearly 12 months for her to get the music to a place where she felt revived and authentic. You can hear that fresh enthusiasm in the guitars across the album, positively thrumming with hope and panache.

And Towa Bird is in no hurry to plan her next move – the thoughtfulness that has come to epitomise her guitar style playing out in her career, even as she jets around the world from New York to LA, Hong Kong and beyond.

“I’m not really rushing to make a decision. I’m trying to be okay with living in the unknown a little bit,” she says. “I’m doing well as a person and that is a foundation that is going to really help inform my next project. I’m writing from a place of security and joy, instead of desperation and approval seeking. I think a listener can really tell when it’s writing for oneself rather than writing for the world.”

Words: Z. Raza-Sheikh
Photography: Kristen Jan Wong
Location: 503DTLA

The post “It’s the reason why I got into music in the first place” Towa Bird on reclaiming her status as a new generation guitar hero appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.