Guitar.com

From flowers to bottles, music punters have been lobbing things onstage at artists for years. However, nowadays even approving fans have started throwing potentially dangerous things at the stars they adore; Eric Clapton recently stormed offstage at a gig after being struck with a flying object mid show.

Last Thursday (7 May), Clapton was struck by a flying vinyl record during a gig in Madrid’s Movistar Arena. A video of the incident shows Clapton smiling to himself as he walks offstage, before a vinyl whacks him in the chest. Despite the setlist showing that the rocker was set to return for a further encore, he opted to cut the show short, ending on pre-encore track Cocaine.

• READ MORE: “I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard” Adam Granduciel on his love of effects and the next The War On Drugs album

While the projectile wasn’t necessarily harmful, there’s been an alarming increase in fans throwing objects at musicians as of late. It’s no longer a case of giggling about sweaty boxers landing onstage beside you – now, performing onstage has become a game of dodging flying phones, vapes, and disposable cameras.

Very sad indeed. What kind of idiot does that? pic.twitter.com/0bNZ3wYFU7

— Pablo Rodríguez (@Paulhewsonrm) May 7, 2026

Previously, throwing things at artists has been associated with putting on a bad performance; Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine has gone on record in the past saying that, if you’re putting on a good show, you should be in the clear. However, that’s not the case any more.

It’s gotten to a point where some artists have started ejecting fans for throwing things at them onstage. Country singer Riley Green asked security to throw out a fan after he took his phone’s ‘airplane mode’ setting a little too literally, hitting Green in the face mid-performance.

@rabbitcar07

Riley Green hit with a phone in Melbourne! @Riley Green #rileygreen #melbourne #tough

♬ Gemini – So Lis

Despite Clapton deciding not to return for his encore in Madrid, it’s not put him off performing. The rocker is still in the swing of his European tour, before a grand Sandringham Estate gig is set to take place later this summer on 23 August. The gig will see him joined by the likes of Ronnie Wood and Andy Fairweather Low.

For more information on Clapton’s upcoming tour dates, check out his website.

The post Eric Clapton scraps encore in Madrid after being struck by a flying vinyl record appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

We’re always keeping an eye out for the best bargains on guitars, pedals, amps and more, and we’ve found some huge savings this week across retailers like Sweetwater and Guitar Center.

Kicking things off this May, we bring you huge savings on a PRS ($250 off, to be exact), a sweet deal on IK Multimedia’s popular AmpliTube software, as well as other guitars and gear with generous discounts. You can also check out our Deals page for more bargains.

• READ MORE: Marshall has unveiled its new mascot – and we’re a little scared

Let’s round up the highlights below…

PRS SE Custom 24 ($599)

Right now at Sweetwater, you can save $250 on a PRS SE Custom 24 model in Turquoise, with a striking flame maple top. This solidbody electric guitar puts all the character of the PRS Custom line into a more affordable instrument, and features a mahogany body and maple top with a more traditional “violin” body carve. It’s fitted with a pair of 85/15 S pickups, has a maple neck with a Wide Thin shape, and a rosewood fretboard with its famous bird inlays, of course.

Fender 70th Anniversary Vintera II Antigua Stratocaster ($909.99)

Guitar Center is saving you $350 on this unique Fender Vintera II Strat. This model is “loaded with classic Fender features from the golden age of the electric guitar”, as per the brand itself, including an alder body, U-shape maple neck, vintage-tall frets and a trio of 70th Anniversary Vintage-Style ’70s single-coil Strat pickups. Its Antigua finish gives it a truly special look.

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 MAX v2 software ($99.99)

For just under $100, you can get your hands on IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube software at Sweetwater, and this MAX version comes packed with over 430 gear models for you to experiment with. You can use it with your DAW or in standalone mode, and its library includes collections from Fender, Orange, Fulltone, Leslie, and Mesa/Boogie, as well as artist collections from Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Dimebag Darrell, Brian May, and Joe Satriani. Save $200 overall.

Line 6 POD Go Guitar Multi-Effects Processor ($509.99)

Line 6 may be stepping things up with its Helix Stadium range, but if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, you might want to check out its POD Go. This multi-effects processor offers a newly updated firmware with additional amps, cabs, effects and features, and has a large LCD screen, encoders and footswitches. You can save $90 on it via Sweetwater.

Fender Acoustic 100 Acoustic Guitar Combo Amplifier ($409.99)

Now reduced at Guitar Center, the Fender Acoustic 100 amplifier delivers “full, natural tone” for acoustic-electric guitars and vocals. It offers a unique plywood shell to complement the acoustic guitar’s form and voice, and features two channels designed for instrument or microphone use, each with effects like reverb, delay, and chorus. It offers handy Bluetooth connectivity for streaming audio.

The post Here are the best guitar deals I’ve found this week appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Kashus Culpepper had only stopped in for a beer and something to eat. But, like a lot of people before him, he left the Blue Front Café knowing a little more about the blues. Still in his duck hunting gear, he pulled up a seat at the venerable Bentonia, Mississippi juke joint and scarfed down a fried bologna sandwich while the music took hold. Soon, the old dude pulling licks from a guitar was asking him if he played. “I was like, ‘Yeah, a little bit,’” he says during a Zoom call, fresh from dialling up the 70s cool of Guitar.com’s cover shoot. “He’s like, ‘Let me show you something.’ He ended up doing this weird tuning and playing Amazing Grace in this crazy way.”

Culpepper took that tuning home with him and started writing In Her Eyes, a winding, enticing highlight from his debut album Act I. Its coiled riff wrapped around hot-blooded, conflicted lyrics tapping into classic blues staples: temptation, righteousness, all that good stuff. The song is emblematic of the way the Alabama native is able to turn a fresh kernel of wisdom into something that reflects deep-seated truths about who he is and where he comes from. “I have those experiences every day,” he says. “I’m learning so much about myself, and why I love music the way I do.”

Act I’s simmering melange of soul and rootsy country-rock emerged only five years on from Culpepper picking up a guitar in earnest for the first time, but it feels like the work of someone who’s been living between its notes his whole life. Which, in reality, he has. “I wanted to get the sound of all the artists I love, from the Allman Brothers to Aretha and Wilson Pickett,” he says. “I wanted to stay true to my roots. This is who I am.”

“Growing up, music was everything to me, the only thing that didn’t judge me”

Small Town Hero

Culpepper grew up in Alexander City, a small town close to a big lake in Tallapoosa County. Like so many other kids his age, he played football and wrestled in high school. But music was everywhere – his mother was big into gospel and R&B, while he spent his spare time chasing down the country songs that were ubiquitous in the deli or grocery store.

He sang in church a couple of times a week but, initially, he didn’t seek the spotlight. “We had so many people who had these amazing voices,” he recalls. “I’m doing this because my mom and my grandma want me to. Y’all can perform if y’all want to.”

That feeling would change thanks to an unusual set of circumstances. Culpepper’s road led away from Alex City, his time spent around the ER as a firefighter inspiring him to seek out a nursing qualification. In need of cash to pay for his tuition, he signed up for the US Navy and was posted overseas, winding up in a barracks in Rota, Spain as Covid-19 swept across the world.

“You go over there and you might buy a microwave or toaster – you don’t take it back with you,” he says. “When the next group comes in, there’s usually a room full of stuff. A lot of people try to get there as soon as they can, to get whatever they can.”

Left behind in the free-for-all when Culpepper arrived was a beater guitar. The pandemic was awfully quiet for long stretches, but maybe he could do something about that. With nothing to go on barring a few chords he’d picked up as a teenager, Culpepper opened a YouTube tutorial and set about learning some tunes.

“I realised music is so community-based and what it can do for a person,” he says. “Growing up, music was everything to me, the only thing that didn’t judge me. I didn’t have to be nobody else around it.”

“I wanted to stay true to my roots. This is who I am”

Heart Of The Action

Quickly, he became the rare person you’d be happy to see pull out an acoustic at a bonfire. He started taking requests, from Sturgill Simpson to Taylor Swift, and his weather-beaten voice, halfway between Bill Withers and Ray LaMontagne, began to resonate with people. The youngster who’d shunned attention in the choir was, all of a sudden, right at the heart of things when others needed him to be.

“I had these grown men and women in the service telling me it was dope,” he says. “I was just doing it because it made me feel good to be playing music, and I saw how it made people feel good.”

When he got out of the Navy in 2022, Culpepper found himself at a crossroads. Over time, he had started to doubt whether a career in nursing was a good fit. “I know how much they help people but I saw some bad stuff when I was in the fire department,” he observes. “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can see that every other night for the rest of my life.’”

For the first time in a long time he didn’t have a plan. But he did have a guitar and access to the bars of the Gulf Coast, where someone with his voice and a handful of well-chosen covers can make bank. “I love people who do the cover band scene – they’re making great money,” he says. “They’re killing it.”

For a while, he had a good time doing it, too. Certainly, he had a better time than the Taylor 110 accompanying him. “I beat that guitar to death,” Culpepper says, on the cusp of laughter as he draws out each word. “The humidity was so bad, I sweat so much, and I play so hard. I was breaking strings every gig. It wasn’t the guitar’s fault. It was my fault. I was like, ‘Maybe I need to change my strings to a higher gauge, maybe I shouldn’t leave my guitar out in the sun while I’m on my break so it’ll rust.’ That was all on me.”

“With a guitar I really feel things. I play a lot harder than most”

Missing Ingredient

Besides the usual grind, Culpepper started earning better money by playing casinos and private events. But between each round of beery applause, it became clear that, in the same way nursing hadn’t been it, the bar scene wasn’t it either. “It wasn’t until I started writing songs in the middle of 2023 that I realised I love the creative side of it,” he says, that spark leading him to embrace both traditional and modern approaches to getting over.

Firstly, he moved to Nashville and started working with a producer, the Lone Bellow’s Brian Elmquist. Secondly, he opened a bunch of social media accounts and started posting covers and snippets of his own work, which bridged the gap between R&B, country and down-home rock with the ease of someone who came up steeped in these sounds.

“Brian told me it was a mix of a lot of things,” Culpepper says. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m not trying [to do that] – these are the melodies in my head.’”

By the end of the year his song After Me? had gone viral, its mix of barrel-chested passion and skipping hooks tapping into a guitar style that Culpepper had developed while crunching through cover sets. Immediately, there was something honest and unvarnished about him that people could grab hold of – here was someone playing songs that he thought might make another person feel better. “I’m a very emotion-driven type of guy, from singing to my personal life,” he says. “Also with a guitar – I really feel things. I play a lot harder than most.”

Culpepper was off and running in Nashville, writing with everyone from Natalie Hemby to Brent Cobb as the songs on Act I began to come together, and making his Grand Ole Opry debut in the winter of 2024. But he also felt the need to close a different loop.

To deliver an opening statement of intent, he needed to head back to Alabama. So, he rolled up with a Martin D-18 at Ivy Manor Studio in Muscle Shoals, where past glories of the Rolling Stones, the Staple Singers and Percy Sledge hung heavy in the air. “I never knew what they went through to make a record,” he admits. “I was learning the whole time.”

Culpepper’s openness in admitting all the things he doesn’t know is disarming – there’s no bluster to him, just a singer and guitarist who means it, whose songs resonate because they feel human, with all the excitement and hurt and mess that entails.

“I get this euphoric feeling when I listen to music at full volume,” he says. “When I started playing guitar, being able to play those songs for myself gave me an even bigger rush.” So, after so many years spent changing lanes, is he on the right track now, steering straight ahead as the speakers rattle? “I think so,” he says. “I’m still evolving – I’m having so much fun.”

Words: Huw Baines
Photography: Alanna Taylor
Styling: Lakelyn Pounders

The post “I play a lot harder than most.” Kashus Culpepper’s guitar is a lightning rod for feeling, community and the sounds of the American South appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

A federal court has ruled in favour of Dean Guitars, after the estate of Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell sued the guitar brand in 2021.

In the lawsuit, Dimebag’s estate cited unlawful use of the Stealth and Razorback guitar body shapes that Dimebag (real name Darrell Abbott) made in collaboration with Dean, and “unauthorised fraudulent trademark registrations” for the two. In Dime We Trust, led by Dime’s longtime girlfriend and estate trustee, Rita Haney, also accused Dean’s parent company, Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, of breaching their terms of contract.

• READ MORE: A brief history of Dean Guitars

At the time, Haney wrote a statement which said: “After much consideration, it is with great sadness that I announce the longstanding relationship between Dimebag and Dean Guitars is over. Unfortunately, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Dean Guitars… It was necessary for us to end Dime’s endorsement of Dean Guitars to continue to honour and celebrate his legacy the way he deserves, and in the way he had laid it out.”

Dean Guitars responded by arguing that it had “always treated Dime and his brother Vinnie with the utmost respect and loyalty”, adding: “We have enjoyed a long-standing, 17-year relationship with Dime and Vinnie, and continue that relationship with Vinnie’s estate on the ddrum [the drum manufacturer also owned by Armadillo Enterprises] side… Dean Guitars is proud to have played a role in ensuring Dime’s legacy not only survived, but thrived over the past 17 years.”

In the new ruling, the court has granted a summary judgement that dismisses “the majority” of the Dimebag estate’s trademark, fraud, and breach of contract claims against Armadillo/Dean, including In Dime We Trust’s claims regarding the ownership of Dean’s guitar models (via Guitar World).

Court documents do, however, also conclude that Armadillo has been denied summary judgement on two counts: the copyright infringement of Darrell’s Dean From Hell artwork, and false endorsement and false association, which is concerned with whether there was “a likelihood of consumer confusion, mistake or deception as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval of goods being sold”.

“For almost two decades Armadillo was proud to work directly with the Abbott family under a relationship built upon mutual respect, shared purpose, and a genuine love for Darrell Abbott’s music and his love for Dean Guitars,” states a press release from Armadillo.

“The United States District Court’s order is confirmation of what we have known all along: Armadillo’s ownership of the Stealth and Razorback trademarks, the Razorback guitar design, and related intellectual property was earned through years of prior use and good faith commercial activity.”

The post Court rules in favour of Dean Guitars in trademark dispute with Dimebag Darrell’s estate  appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$2,699/£2,975, taylorguitars.com

Since its arrival in 1994, the Grand Auditorium body shape quickly became Taylor’s most iconic and best-selling acoustic guitar design, striking the right balance between the larger, boomier dreadnought and the smaller Grand Concert.

• READ MORE: Taylor Gold Label 510e review: “Taylor’s return to the dreadnought is crying out for some big pick energy”

Over the preceding three decades, the design has remained a key pillar of the brand’s offering, and has evolved in myriad ways under the hood as this most innovative guitar company has continued to push things.

For 2026, however, the model has received some of the most significant and meaningful new innovations since the arrival of V-Class bracing back in 2020 – it’s time to explore the Next Generation.

Taylor Next Generation 324ce: what is it?

The Next Generation Grand Auditorium is Taylor CEO and master guitar designer Andy Powers’ ground-up re-imagining of the whole concept. The body shape and general look of the guitars might have stayed broadly the same, but under the hood it’s all change.

For starters, the guitar sports Powers’ latest take on his revolutionary V-Class bracing system. The new scalloped V-Class promises to offer the same impressive intonation and clarity that the bracing has been known for, but with more warmth and richness than the original version.

Another new addition is perhaps the most noticeable visual departure. For well over a decade now, Taylor guitars have sported the three discrete rubber knobs of the ES-2 pickup system on their top shoulder. The brand new Claria system not only does away with that, relocating the controls to the soundhole, but also promises a more straightforward and easily dialled-in, plugged-in sound than its predecessor.

Finally, making a jump from the Gold Label series – and indeed acoustic guitar design in general – is the Action Control Neck. It’s another impressive bit of Powers engineering that truly lives up to the Next Gen name. It delivers the ability to micro-adjust your guitar’s neck angle and action in seconds, without even having to detune the instrument itself. It’s not only super easy and quick, but this is usually a job that would usually need to be left to professional techs only.

The Next Gen moniker has been given to an entire gamut of new US-made GA models, from the premium Builder’s Edition all the way to the standard line, of which this 324ce is the second most affordable on the log. The two in its nomenclature means it has a Neo-tropical mahogany top with sapele back and sides and a mahogany neck. It’s all stained in deep brown, with a subtle edgeburst to the top.

Taylor Next Generation 324ce: build quality and playability

Upon removing this 324ce from its supplied hard case, it’s hard not to be impressed with the general build and finish of this instrument. Taylor guitars might not be everyone’s cup of tea visually, but surely any of us can appreciate an instrument where the effort and workmanship that has gone into it is evident in every detail; ensuring it feels pristine, precision-engineered and generally flawless.

Personally, I also think this particular Taylor is especially handsome in the grain – the red tinge to the stain goes extremely well with the firestripe pickguard and the black and white binding, while the ornate but understated weathervane inlays that run up the board and onto the peghead add a lovely visual flourish.

This is a guitar that also wears its gloss finish very well – it looks pretty without feeling so delicate you’re afraid to play it, perhaps because of the darker shade to the whole affair. By most measures, this is not a cheap guitar, but it certainly feels and looks expensive in the best kind of way.

It’s a nice touch that the Standard Carve neck itself has been spared the gloss treatment, however, combined with a familiar 25.5” scale length, it makes for a graceful and comfortable playing experience that, in typical Taylor style, veers towards the slimmer end of the acoustic scale. If you’re used to playing electric guitars, this offers a very comfortable transition.

The West African Crelicam ebony fretboard is smooth and the fretwork is meticulously finished – the frets themselves are bright and smooth and invite you to think beyond cowboy chords, such is the easy fluidity with which you can bend the strings.

As is usually the case with Taylor, the action is low out of the box, though not so low as to elicit any string buzz. If it wasn’t to my taste, however, the new Action Control Neck could have me setting my ideal playing height in seconds. At least… that’s the theory.

It’s a little frustrating that Taylor has trumpeted how easy it is to use the ACN and then failed to supply any tools in the case to try it out. I’ve seen Andy Powers demonstrate the trick using an adjustable screwdriver, so I got one in to try it out… only to discover that metric socket sets and the imperial-sized bolt on the ACN don’t quite match up well enough to replicate Powers’ magic trick.

The guitar’s setup is flawless as is for my tastes – but it’s a little frustrating that Taylor couldn’t include some sort of tool or adapter in the case to let users try it out. It’s a two and a half grand guitar, after all…

The case the guitar came in, however, is another real plus point – yes, you’d expect a quality hard case at this price, but Taylor’s one is a beautiful thing, all brown tolex and pink innards. You’d have a lot of faith that this thing could take a hammering without damaging its precious cargo.

Taylor Next Generation 324ce: sounds

Taylor guitars traditionally have a sound that, by its own admission, you either like or you don’t. While the Gold Label series has attempted to expand that tonal palette somewhat, broadly speaking a Taylor guitar in the core line is expected to have a clarity and precision that sets it apart from the likes of Martin and others.

The Next Gen GA however, certainly feels like an evolution of that Taylor sound into something that, while unlikely to win over any old-fashioned dreadnought aficionados, certainly has a much more balanced tonality than other Taylors I’ve played.

Perhaps it’s that new bracing pattern and the mahogany top, but whatever it is, it really seems to shine. The ‘G chord test’ is usually a solid benchmark by which to compare the tonal profiles of different acoustics with one another. The Next Generation 324ce offers a notably powerful projection in the lower registers, but one which doesn’t overpower the midrange or the highs.

The frequency spectrum is balanced, so whether you’re strumming or fingerpicking chords in the lower registers of the fretboard, or playing more intricate leads further up, the Next Generation 324ce never feels out of its depth.

This being a Taylor, of course, special mention must be made about the 324ce’s top-end. A clear, sparkly high-end has a tendency to make an acoustic guitar sound more ‘expensive’, and that’s definitely the case here. It’s a hi-fidelity treat for the ears, and one which has had me lost in playing for sometimes hours at a time.

Taylor’s Expression System was an impressive technical feat that used magnetic in-body pickups to try and replicate the authentic sound of the guitar. It was a powerful system and one that the company refined with the Expression System 2, but one that could be quite tricky to dial in. The new Claria system is an attempt to enhance versatility and user experience.

A more conventional piezo-based system feeding into a proprietary preamp, the Claria ditches the two-band tone-stack for a single tone control and a mid-contour control positioned just inside the soundhole edge. The theory is that with these two controls, you can more effectively and efficiently tweak the frequencies that matter to suit the amp, room or desk you’re plugging into. Visually, it’s a lot more covert too.

We’ve probably all reached the point now where we accept that, most of the time, a pickup isn’t going to have the warmth and timbre of a mic’d up acoustic – but the Claria is still an impressive system.

Whether plugging into a Roland Cube or going direct into my audio interface, I found it very easy to use those two tonal controls to shape your sound and get something that sounds warm, vibrant and pleasing to the ears.

Taylor Next Generation 324ce: should I buy one?

There’s no escaping that here in 2026, spending $2,699 on any guitar is no small investment for the vast majority of players. But almost from the first note you play, it’s abundantly clear that this could easily be your forever acoustic. Compared to the US-made competition, it’s pretty decently priced for what it is, too.

The previous GA was a fine guitar, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the refinement that the Next Generation brings will make guitars like this 324ce more compelling for a broader spectrum of players. With a more balanced sound and a pickup system that offers impressive plug-and-play usability, the next generation of Taylor is clearly in good hands.

Taylor Next Generation 324ce: alternatives

If the price of the Next Gen 324ce is a bit on the steep side for you, the US/Mexico hybrid build 314ce Studio ($1,999 / £1,799) that I reviewed last year is a serious guitar for the money, even without the Next Generation upgrades. Larry Breedlove got his start at Taylor, and so there’s some shared DNA in the small-bodied Breedlove Roots Concert E Mahogany ($2,899), while the Larrivée LV-24 ($2,999) is another more modernist take on the acoustic guitar.

The post Taylor Next Generation 324ce review: “this could easily be your forever acoustic” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Angine de Poitrine have spent the last few years building one of the strangest cult followings in experimental guitar music: microtonal riffs, looping chaos, papier-mâché masks and a ridiculous custom double-neck guitar/bass that looks like it escaped from a fever dream.

The instrument has become such a key part of the duo’s identity that they’ve learned to live with one unavoidable problem: nobody actually makes a case for something that bizarrely proportioned.

• READ MORE: Al Di Meola plays Jerry Garcia’s $11.5 million “Tiger” guitar live onstage: “It was emotional in a way I didn’t expect”

Speaking to The Guardian following the release of their second album, Vol II, the duo reveal that they’ve resorted to transporting the instrument inside a sleeping bag while travelling – a decision that apparently raises more than a few eyebrows at airport security.

While their masks usually pass through customs without much issue, Khn says the oversized guitar tends to invite more concern.

“The guitar gets funny questions because I carry it in a sleeping bag and it looks like a dead body,” says the guitarist.

The exaggerated double-neck build has already become central to Angine de Poitrine’s whole aesthetic. Earlier this year, the duo described it as “the perfect choice to make fun of guitar heroes”, a fairly natural extension of a band whose entire idea was to “assume a bit of a satirical approach to rock music in general”.

Klek and Khn continued playing together through their teens before officially forming Angine de Poitrine in their early twenties. “For a while, we didn’t take it seriously,” says drummer Klek. “It was just like playing with Legos.”

“Well, maybe that’s true for you,” Khn replies. “I was 12 when I picked up a guitar and I instantly became very serious about it. I always had the intention to make a band.”

That attachment to the band’s original homemade world still remains intact, even as their audience grows. The pair say they have no plans to replace their battered papier-mâché masks with cleaner or more polished versions.

“People have fallen in love with the band as it’s always been,” says Khn. “So we’re not gonna change everything [because] we have a bigger budget now. We’re emotionally attached to our old beaten-up costumes that have been in car accidents and are full of snot. We think people love the fact that you can feel they have lived.”

As for the music itself, the duo say most songs emerge through long stretches of improvisation and trial-and-error.

“We improvise and make a lot of crap, then you have a little spark,” sasy Khn. “A lot of the songs on the second album, I found one riff that’s got something to it, then you build from that.”
Building loops repeatedly creates “a feeling of anxiousness”, adds Klek. “We’re always playing with that feeling, and tension and release.”

Khn also notes how using a loop pedal live keeps them in line: “If I start from this idea, I have to find a coherent way to move away from it,” he says. “[Otherwise we] have a tendency to make songs that go from A to Z without coming back to A or B.”]

The post “The guitar gets funny questions because it looks like a dead body”: Angine de Poitrine have to transport their double-necked guitar in a sleeping bag – which causes problems at airport security appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Napalm Death guitarist Mitch Harris has been touring the world for almost 40 years. Now he is building TourFlip to help new acts last as long as he has. The platform is a hub for that streamlines every element of live music events.

Promoters can host their gigs while allowing artists to bid on their slots. Once the booking is confirmed, logistical aspects of the show, such as contracts, riders, and settlements, can be managed from within the app.

• READ MORE: The history of pinched harmonics, divebombs and squeelies
  

TourFlip can also be a hub for different elements of touring. Log in to find people to run merch or drive the buses. And if touring gets slow, there are different sources of income for artists, such as studio sessions and side shows.

Beyond the artists and the players directly involved in live music, freelancers can use the service for the same purpose. Should anyone need producers, engineers, designers, photographers, videographers, etc., the community can solicit their services as well.

The TourFlip website reads:

“Streaming killed album income. Radio barely supports new artists. Costs keep rising. Fuel, travel, everything. Ticket prices go up. Service fees go up. Fans pay more. Artists take home less. Venues take a cut of merch. Bands are first in, last out, last paid. Crews still find work through word of mouth. Promoter offers never reach the artists they’re meant for. Venues are under pressure, and many struggle to stay profitable.”

On the flip side,  promoters can also sell tickets directly to users on TourFlip, removing the need for corporate tentacles from Ticketmaster and its ilk. TourFlip will charge a 5% fee to use Stripe, but nothing more.

“The artists. The crews. The promoters. The fans. The community that drives this culture. Let’s keep music alive, together.”

TourFlip is currently in a crowdfunding phase. As of this writing, just over $5,000 has been donated, roughly 8% of the $65,000 goal.

To donate and learn more, go to TourFlip.

The post Napalm Death guitarist Mitch Harris launches TourFlip, a new platform to help artists streamline tour logistics appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Rolling Stones have announced their new album Foreign Tongues.

The band confirmed the news on Tuesday (5 May), revealing that the record – their 25th studio album – was produced by Andrew Watt and features appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith.

Foreign Tongues is the Stones’ first full-length release since 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, which marked their return to original material after 18 years. The record was also their first full album since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021.

• READ MORE: Rolling Stone names its 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time – and the internet is doing what it does best: arguing over it

The album launch was marked the same day with a listening party and Q&A hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Weylin venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Speaking at the event, the Stones revealed how McCartney ended up on the record. Keith Richards says the Beatle star was working in a nearby London studio when he dropped by unannounced.

“I think Paul really wanted to jump in there,” frontman Mick Jagger adds [via AP]. “There was no intimidation. He wanted to play with the band.”

The band also confirmed that Foreign Tongues includes one of Charlie Watts’ final recordings, a track titled Hit Me in the Head.

“We did that in LA with Charlie,” Jagger says. “It’s a real fast punk rocker. A super-fast song.”

Watts’ long-time replacement Steve Jordan, who was recommended by Watts himself, handles drums across the rest of the album.

Of the recording process, Richards says, “When you get in the studio, and the guys get together, and you lay out a track, an idea, and you let it take off from there – you can’t plan all of this stuff. You kind of just have to follow it and hope you come out the other end.”

Earlier this year, the Stones also cancelled their planned 2026 touring schedule, though Jagger now says he would still “love to tour the album”.

“I absolutely would love to,” he says. “I hope to do it as soon as that’s possible.”

Elsewhere, Ronnie Wood also reflects on the making of Rough and Twisted, the vinyl-only single the band released last month under the name The Cockroaches. He said he used the same guitar he played on Faces’ 1971 track Stay With Me on the new single.

“It was so spontaneous,” Wood recalls. “We even surprised ourselves with it.”

Due out on 10 July, Foreign Tongues is now available to pre-order.

The post Mick jagger says he “absolutely would love to tour” Rolling Stones’ new album Foreign Tongues appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

For a guitar that just sold for $11.56 million, Jerry Garcia’s legendary “Tiger” sure isn’t spending much time behind the glass.

After resurfacing onstage in March with Derek Trucks during a Tedeschi Trucks Band show at New York’s Beacon Theatre – just a day after its historic Jim Irsay auction sale – the iconic custom-built instrument has now made yet another live appearance. This time, in the hands of jazz fusion heavyweight Al Di Meola.

• READ MORE: “It only felt right to return the favour”: Al Di Meola is the latest guitarist to play Greeny – so he let Kirk Hammett play his ‘71 Black Beauty in return

Last weekend (3 May), Di Meola brought “Tiger” onstage during a performance at Park West, alongside Josh Olken of Grateful Dead tribute act Terrapin Flyer.

Sharing footage of him playing the guitar on social media, Di Meola reflects on Garcia’s legacy and the surreal feeling of plugging into one of the most famous instruments in rock history.

“I never got to meet Jerry Garcia, but I later heard he mentioned me as one of his favourite guitar players,” Di Meola writes. “I couldn’t believe it, honestly.”

He continues, “When I was 15, my friends and I would skip school, take the bus into the city, and see the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore East. Some of my best memories! That era was magical!”

“Last night in Chicago, I had the chance to play Jerry’s famous ‘Tiger.’ It was emotional in a way I didn’t expect. This is a close-up from soundcheck, just getting a feel for it. And there it was… the Jerry tone.”

Di Meola also thanked Olken for “sitting in,” as well as the guitar’s new owner, Family Guitars co-founder Bobby Tseitlin.

Meanwhile, Terrapin Flyer also praised Olken for handling the pressure of performing alongside Di Meola with minimal preparation.

“Josh had very little rehearsal time,” writes the band. “Al changed the key so Josh had to transpose the song on the spot. It was a tight spot for Josh to be in performing with someone so talented and revered and he slayed it. We’re all very proud of him. Josh walks amongst giants. Mind blown.”

View this post on Instagram

The renewed spotlight on “Tiger” comes just months after the death of legendary luthier Doug Irwin, who built the instrument for Garcia in the 1970s. Earlier this year, the six-string fetched a staggering $11.56 million at the Jim Irsay collection auction, instantly becoming one of the most expensive guitars ever sold.

The post Al Di Meola plays Jerry Garcia’s $11.5 million “Tiger” guitar live onstage: “It was emotional in a way I didn’t expect” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It’s been more than six years since guitar legend Peter Frampton first revealed his diagnosis with inclusion body myositis (IBM), the progressive muscle disease that has since changed the way he moves, lives, and plays the guitar.

In that time, the guitarist has hardly slowed creatively. Since going public with his diagnosis in 2019, Frampton has released multiple records – including instrumental covers album Peter Frampton Forgets the Words – while continuing to write and record new material with his son Julian.

Now, in a new interview with the New York Times, Frampton opens up about adapting to life with IBM, explaining that learning to accept the condition has become a crucial part of moving forward.

• READ MORE: Peter Frampton teams up with Tom Morello on new protest song about the ultra-powerful

Discussing the physical realities of the condition, Frampton details the adjustments he’s had to make as a guitarist, and why he still spends nearly every night playing music.

The musician traces the earliest signs of IBM back to a 2009 songwriting trip with Julian.

“Julian said, ‘Let’s run up this hill.’ Normally I would beat him, and I didn’t,” Frampton recalls. “It felt like there were insects in my legs, like they were vibrating.”

Years later, after a series of unexplained falls onstage and at home, Frampton was diagnosed with IBM, which causes gradual muscle deterioration in the arms and legs. The disease has forced him to rethink parts of his playing technique, with riffs and solos that once came instinctively now sometimes taking multiple attempts to complete.

Still, music remains embedded in Frampton’s everyday routine. He continues writing and recording with Julian – who he says “knows who I am, what makes me tick, what I can do, what I can’t do” – and reveals the pair already have a half-dozen new songs underway.

He also describes a nightly ritual of getting into bed, smoking “a little weed” and playing guitar for around an hour before revisiting the recordings the next morning to see if any ideas stick. While he admits he still doesn’t know whether he’ll tour again due to the fall risks associated with IBM, he says he hopes he can.

“People say, ‘Oh, you must be so upset,’ and, yeah, I am,” Frampton admits. “But you can fix the little things.”

“But big things never worried me,” he adds, “because the big things you can’t do anything about. If I don’t accept what I have, I’m going to be mad for the rest of my life.”

Frampton is set to release his new album Carry the Light on 15 May. The record marks his first collection of new songs since his IBM diagnosis, as well as the first and the first full-length project he’s created alongside his son Julian.

Listen to the latest single Lions At The Gate, featuring Tom Morello, below.

The post “If I don’t accept what I have, I’m going to be mad for the rest of my life”: Peter Frampton on accepting his illness and continuing to play guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Few things get guitar players talking faster than Rolling Stone publishing another “greatest of all time” list.

This time, it’s the magazine’s new 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time ranking, topped by Prince’s solo on Purple Rain – a choice likely to split opinion given the competition sitting beneath it.

The choice also closes a long-running loop in Rolling Stone lore. The publication famously left Prince off its 2004 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time list, a snub long rumoured to have inspired his now-legendary performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Now, Rolling Stone has not only crowned Prince number one for Purple Rain, but also placed that very While My Guitar Gently Weeps solo at number 15.

• READ MORE: Have Greta Van Fleet broken up? Fans speculate over meaning of “thanks for the wild ride” social media post

Rolling Stone describes the list as a “full-blast mix of different genres, generations, grooves”, spanning blues pioneers, punk icons, metal players, funk innovators and “hippie jammers”. The criteria, it says, wasn’t sales or chart success, but “six-string brilliance” – solos that ‘make the song’ rather than simply mirror its melody.

“Some are solos that always make you hum in the car, or play air guitar using the nearest vacuum cleaner,” the magazine writes. “A few you could even sing in the shower.”

And, unsurprisingly, many of the usual heavyweights dominate the upper reaches. Alongside Prince at number one are classics like Stairway to Heaven, Hotel California, Johnny B. Goode, Kid Charlemagne and Maggot Brain – plus Eric Clapton’s lead work on While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

The upper end of the list sticks fairly closely to the established guitar canon. Jimi Hendrix appears multiple times in the top 20 with Machine Gun, All Along The Watchtower and Little Wing, while David Gilmour’s Comfortably Numb lands at number four. Eddie Van Halen’s revolutionary Eruption, meanwhile, comes in at number five – a placement many might consider low given its influence on modern guitar technique.

There’s also a notable emphasis on solos from the late ’60s through the ’80s. While newer inclusions do appear lower down – including Geese’s Getting Killed at 98 and MJ Lenderman’s Knockin’ at 81, the top 50 is still largely dominated by classic rock, blues-rock and guitar hero-era staples. Contemporary prog, djent and modern metal barely register.

That said, the list does make room for some broader historical touchpoints. Sister Rosetta Tharpe earns a 34th place with Strange Things Happening Every Day, a nod to one of the foundational figures in rock guitar whose influence is often acknowledged far less than it’s heard.

On the flipside, several legacy rock and metal staples land lower than many fans might have expected. Dimebag Darrell’s solo on Cemetery Gates, for instance, appears at number 85 despite its near-mythic status among metal guitarists, while AC/DC only just scrape into the ranking, with You Shook Me All Night Long landing at number 100.

And speaking of Rolling Stone lists, producer and YouTuber Rick Beato will likely have opinions ready. Following the magazine’s 250 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time feature in 2023, Beato blasted the ranking as “idiotic” in a reaction video, while branding it a “sh*t list” on the thumbnail.

Time will tell whether this latest list avoids a similar fate.

Check out the full list of rankings at Rolling Stone.

The post Rolling Stone names its 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time – and the internet is doing what it does best: arguing over it appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The pinched harmonic is a technique unique to the guitar. Other stringed instruments can create a similar, ghostly tone that a guitar can by striking a string without depressing the string to fret it, but the squealy, cutting tone of a pinched harmonic? That’s a guitar technique, and something that has stayed fairly rooted in blues, rock and metal since its inception.

• READ MORE: The 15 Most Expensive Guitars Sold At Auction

A natural harmonic creates a ghostly, soft tone, and generally works best at only a handful of intervals along the neck. The pinched harmonic, with enough gusto, can be performed anywhere. Its extensive use in heavy metal genres has led to various other harmonic based techniques, used by famous guitar players like Eddie Van Halen, Zakk Wylde and the late Dimebag Darrell.

The pinched harmonic – aka pinch harmonic, the squealie, or any other manner of nicknames – is performed by striking a string, generally with a plectrum, before your thumb follows through and creates an artificial harmonic by striking the string as well.

Much easier to perform with some distortion, the modern pinch harmonic is used broadly in modern metal, in either rhythm playing like Kublai Khan’s Antpile or in lead playing by people like Zakk Wylde who, despite using them extensively, doesn’t overdo it.

Blues Beginnings

The origins of the pinched harmonic are usually attributed to blues-rock pioneer Roy Buchanan in the 50s. Buchanan’s song Potato Peeler features a few vocal-like pinched harmonics in its solos, settling in amongst a horn solo in the two and a half minute instrumental, the most notable squealing harmonic appearing about 50 seconds in.

The horn solo that follows uses some whistly, screaming tones, so the aggression of the harmonic on the guitar feels more at home. The sound appears just once, so whether it was an accidental moment of magic or not, a legend was born.

Inspired, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top has used pinched harmonics throughout his career, again both in rhythm and lead playing. One of the solos in the Little Old Band from Texas’ La Grunge uses pinch harmonics almost exclusively, Billy scooping and pinching for a wholly expressive, scorching solo. Billy’s use bought the technique to the fore like never before.

Then, later 70s and 80s saw the late Eddie Van Halen using them across Van Halen solos and riffs, further cementing and refining the technique. Eddie’s use of unconventional techniques like tapping, harmonics and pick scrapes were so widely influential that they became a convention. Eddie’s mysterious techniques were so mesmerising that people couldn’t help but add them into their own music.

Eddie inspired a young Zakk Wylde, who pushed the technique to breaking point and really nailed it home as a heavy metal technique. Going far beyond the screech of Roy Buchanan and the wail of Billy Gibbons, Wylde’s pinches are loud, proud, and incredibly controlled, with particular focus on pinched harmonics on the lower strings. These yield a different character to those on higher strings, adding girth and impact to the technique.

Zakk has continued to inspire the heavy metal community in his work in the late Ozzy Osbourne’s band, Black Label Society and most recently, taking the place of another pinched harmonic master: Dimebag Darrell in Pantera.

Bombing Out

Dimebag’s own legacy features extensive use of harmonics in another form – divebombs. Divebombs are another trick used by heavy metal players to give solos a moment of crescendo as a natural harmonic rises from the depths of the lowest notes on the fretboard to otherworldly heights thanks to the harmonic elevating the sound a few octaves higher than the plucked note, as well as being aided by a tremolo bridge, often of a Floyd Rose style.

Dimebag’s own version, deemed a ‘Dimebomb’ by the man himself, is performed by ‘dumping’ the Floyd Rose so the strings are as floppy as possible, plucking a string and creating a harmonic, before allowing the strings to slowly return to tension and beyond— the harmonic slowly emerging from the rubble of the dumped string noise.

The divebomb came along a little later than the pinched harmonic, having been used extensively by Jimi Hendrix. Though not as exaggerated as the modern metal divebomb, Hendrix’s use of divebombs with his Stratocaster’s tremolo system added a new level of expression and vocal-like tonality to his playing. Rock and metal players exaggerated this and added either natural and pinched harmonics to dive down, and rise from the divebomb with a natural harmonic.

These soaring, squealing sounds have become a staple of rock and metal guitar, serving to excite the crowd as well as subvert their expectations, the squeal that emerges and cuts through a dense mix being an ear-catching moment in music. Mastering the technique can help build out your toolkit of sounds and noises when the moment strikes.

Rock Discipline

The pinched harmonic has stayed rooted firmly in rock since its inception in the 50s, its popularisation through the 70s and 80s into the modern day: a staple technique for rock and metal guitar players. The demanding squeal of a pinched harmonic is exciting and stands on its own, but when paired with a divebomb or other tremolo expression, can be used to elevate the performance to new heights.

Used extensively in lead playing by people like Eddie Van Halen and Billy Gibbons, the pinched harmonic has now been used as a tool in rhythm playing and riffs. The squealing sound sandwiched between low-noted chugs adds definition and dynamic to a riff, emphasising how heavy the notes that follow the harmonic are. Building on the technique, as experimental as rock and metal players are, has led to both the divebomb and ‘Dimebomb’, adding a new flavour beyond simply using a tremolo for vibrato or subtle pitch shifting and modulation.

Much like riding a bike, a pinched harmonic can be difficult to learn, but once you do your first, you never really forget.

The post The history of pinched harmonics, divebombs and squeelies appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

British amp brand Orange has partnered with London brewery Signature Brew on a special edition of Backstage IPA, one of its core beers.

Available exclusively at independent music venues on draught and in specially designed cans, profits from the sale of the Orange Backstage IPA will be donated to the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the UK representative body for music artists.

Specifically, proceeds will support the UK Artist Touring (UKAT) fund, which, launched in March 2026, supports artists through the “cost of touring crisis” and helps them continue on the road.

• READ MORE: Marshall has unveiled its new mascot – and we’re a little scared

Backstage IPA is described as a “bold and punchy” modern IPA which blends East and West Coast styles, with passionfruit, tangerines and berries with pine and crisp citrus notes.

“In an increasingly digital world, taking time to come together and experience something live, unique, and curated by and for the community is precious and worth protecting,” says Tom Bott, Founder and Managing Director of Signature Brew.

“Grassroots venues are where scenes are built, artists are developed, and culture moves forward. This collaboration is about backing those spaces in a meaningful, practical way.”

“By partnering with Signature Brew and the FAC, we hope to create tangible help for artists,” adds Managing Director of Orange Amps, Sarah Yule. “We also hope this collaboration rallies the broader industry to come together, and do what they can to protect our grassroots and emerging music scenes in the UK and beyond. If we can help just one more artist make touring viable, I’ll raise a pint to that!”

Gus Unger-Hamilton, alt-J & FAC Director says: “This an incredibly powerful gesture from Signature Brew and Orange Amps. We are extremely grateful for the recognition of our work protecting and supporting the UK’s artist community through initiatives like the UK Artist Touring fund.

“The UK’s live music ecosystem is in a precarious place right now, but we know that UKAT’s targeted investment into artists’ touring activity is one of most effective ways to help the sector. If artists can sustain themselves on the road, it means more musicians and live professionals will be employed, more venues get booked and more audiences experience live music.”

The beer will be subject to a coordinated launch across venues and festivals throughout summer, with artist ambassador shout-outs and an autumn celebration show at Signature Brew.

Learn more at Signature Brew.

The post Orange beer? Legendary guitar amp brand launches its own IPA with Special Brew appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

In what’s safe to say a pretty unexpected announcement, power metal juggernaut DragonForce have announced their new frontwoman as Alissa White-Gluz, former singer of Arch Enemy.

Arch Enemy announced the departure of White-Gluz in November last year, ending a 12-year tenure with the band, and promising “big news” to come in 2026. And now, she’s certainly delivered on that promise.

• READ MORE: “Brian said we’d frightened the life out of them. I thought: ‘Good, we’ve done our job’”: The time Queen thought Iron Maiden – their support act – had upstaged them

It doesn’t look like White-Gluz’s introduction into the DragonForce brood means the departure of longtime vocalist Marc Hudson, though, as it seems that the pair will serve as co-lead vocalists. Hudson has sung on five DragonForce albums: The Power Within (2012), Maximum Overload (2014), Reaching into Infinity (2017), Extreme Power Metal (2019), and Warp Speed Warriors (2024).

“In a momentous union of two storied and unstoppable forces, the preeminent pioneers of extreme power metal will now be joined by one of metal’s legendary vocalists, unleashing both an intrepid evolution of the genre and the start of a seismic year ahead,” reads a press release confirming the news.

“Alissa joining the band is an expansion of everything we’ve done up to this point,” says DragonForce co-founder and lead guitarist Herman Li. 

“Twenty years is a long time to do anything, let alone survive the music industry and still be so inspired to continue doing what we love. Together we will honor what made Inhuman Rampage matter, while showing people exactly where we’re going next. 

“Having Alissa in the room changes everything. She doesn’t just sing, she makes all aspects of our music better. And she sounds incredible live! I can’t wait for the fans to see her and hear what we have been working on.”

“I am beyond excited to be bringing such iconic music to life with these amazingly skilled musicians in such a fun and inspiring environment,” says Alissa White-Gluz. “It feels great to showcase all the colours of my voice and utilize all my singing styles in technically challenging, deeply energising, highly addictive songs. 

“I am so thankful for the amazing support I have been lucky enough to receive from the metal world over this wild career I’ve built; I want to keep pushing my boundaries and delivering exceptional music and live experiences to the fans that I cherish so much.”

View this post on Instagram

After stepping down from Arch Enemy in November, Alissa White-Gluz launched a solo career, recruiting guitarists Alyssa Day and Dani Sophia for her solo band, Blue Medusa. What the new announcement means for Blue Medusa remains to be seen.

DragonForce – with Alissa White-Gluz in tow – are set to perform at two upcoming dates. Check them out at the band’s official website.

The post DragonForce have a new frontwoman: Alissa White-Gluz, formerly of Arch Enemy appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Nowadays, they’re one of the biggest metal bands – nay, artists – in the world. But Iron Maiden are where they are after 50 years plus of hard graft, which has included supporting some of the biggest names on the planet.

And in a new interview with Classic Rock, founder and bandleader Steve Harris comments on the unspoken and somewhat healthy rivalry that often occurs between headliners and support acts.

Over their multi-decade career, Iron Maiden have supported a who’s who of rock and roll’s elite, including Kiss, Judas Priest and Queen. And the biggest lesson Harris learned from supporting the former two? “Be nice to people,” he says.

• READ MORE: Marshall has unveiled its new mascot – and we’re a little scared

“I’m not naming names,” he says. “But there [were] a lot of things going around, with headline bands worrying you were going to go down better than them. I’ve always felt you should give up if you’re worried about support bands.”

He continues: “Any band supporting us, their job is to go out there, push us hard and try and take our audience.”

Harris recalls an interaction at the inaugural edition of Rock in Rio in 1985, which found Iron Maiden supporting headliners Queen. As he remembers, following their set, guitarist Brian May tracked him down before Queen’s set.

“Brian said we’d frightened the life out of them. I thought: ‘Good, we’ve done our job.’ Of course it didn’t make any difference to Queen, they still went down amazing. But it’s good to ruffle feathers.”

Iron Maiden’s members are now all in their late 60s and early 70s, but there remains a strong sense of physicality to their live shows.

“In the early days when we had frontmen that didn’t move so much, I had to cover the stage more. It was my job,” says Steve Harris. “After Bruce arrived, I didn’t need to be in the middle of the stage – despite what he says!”

“But I always wanted to keep moving. These days it takes more effort to get across the stage, without slipping over in my own sweat. I’ve always done a lot of sports, though. I still do a lot of running and I just played tennis this morning.”

Iron Maiden have a string of tour dates planned for the remainder of 2026. For a full list of shows, head to their official website.

The post “Brian said we’d frightened the life out of them. I thought: ‘Good, we’ve done our job’”: The time Queen thought Iron Maiden – their support act – had upstaged them appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Here’s an idea: instead of carting around an amp that’s both as bulky and as fragile as a manosphere influencer, why not use a backpack-friendly analogue preamp instead?

These powerful, neatly sized boxes of tone are catching on. They do the same job as the first part of an amplifier that your guitar’s signal would hit, boosting and shaping the signal before it is amplified (by the next part of the signal chain) to your chosen volume.

Tweak the preamp’s settings – which typically include volume, EQ and various other parameters – then plug it into a powered cab to hear your signature sound. It’s like using an amp head with a cabinet in a stack, but the power stage that amplifies the signal is not included (in most cases). The advantages of a guitar preamp over a head would typically be better portability and the possibility to tap into completely different amp sounds on the go. Some of these options do include a power amp, but this list focuses mainly on pure preamps – which you can then make louder with a dedicated power amp, the FX return on another amp, or by going into a cab sim if needed, and then straight into headphones or the PA.

Digital preamps are also available, but there’s a specific appeal to an analogue preamp that magicks the sonic character (and key components) of a cumbersome transistor or tube amp into a portable package. Perhaps tellingly, the leading brands in this space are not the usual suspects – so instead of the likes of Fender, Blackstar and Orange, we’re looking at pre-amps from lesser-known brands including Victory, EAE and Solar Guitars.

The potted reviews below will introduce you to some of the best analogue preamps on the market, with models to suit a variety of genres and budgets. Let’s find your solution to fill a venue with sweet, analogue sound, without filling the car boot.

At a glance:

• Our pick: Victory V4 The Kraken
• Best transistor preamp: Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT
• Best high-gain preamp: Solar Guitars Chug Pedal
• Best versatile preamp: Science Amplification Mother
• Best boutique preamp: Milkman x Benson The Amp
• Best valve preamp: Two Notes ReVolt
• Vest vintage preamp: Victory The Copper
• Best advanced guitar preamp: DSM & Humbolt Simplifier X
• Best preamp for beginners: Tubesteader Magnezium
• Best retro preamp: Tone King Imperial Preamp
• Why you can trust Guitar.com

Our pick: Victory V4 The Kraken

Valve preamp meets cab simulation in this monstrously good unit from boutique amplification brand of the moment, Victory Amps.

Unlike many of the best guitar preamps, this model includes a power stage (solid state, up to 180W). Combined with your choice of ten virtual Victory cabinets, this means you can plug straight into an unpowered speaker cabinet and play – loud.

Of course, for analogue aficionados, the big draw to the V4 Kraken is its valve preamp stage, driven by a trio of CV4014s and one EC900. With two gain channels on-board, there’s scope to quest for your own Atlantis of harmonic scuzz. That’s quite a long way to travel without leaving your pedalboard.

Best transistor preamp: Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT

Powerful and replete with EQ and brightness settings, the Model feT is a fantastic homage to the Model T. And no, we’re not referring to the car.

You might know the Sunn Model T amp head for the high-gain sounds that have been cranked out of it by the likes of Josh Homme and Buzz Osborne – or you might be more clued into just how good the Model T sounds clean. The Model fET from Electronic Audio Experiments spans that night-and-day divide in a pedalboard-friendly package.

Like the Model T, the Model feT sounds superb with a distortion or overdrive pedal ahead of it in your chain. Unlike the Model T, it doesn’t cost a small fortune.

Best high-gain preamp: Solar Guitars Chug Pedal

Want to make just about any amplifier or guitar sound chuggy? As its name suggests, this analogue preamp from Solar Guitars will help you do it. It even made a Jazzmaster sound gnarly during our hands-on review.

A true preamp, the Chug Pedal needs to be plugged into a power stage or cab sim. All of the many controls crammed onto the top of the pedal basically give you different shades of chugginess, covering EQ, noise gating and, of course, gain. It’s incapable of sounding even remotely clean, so consider this your dedicated preamp pedal for heavy sounds only.

Best versatile preamp: Science Amplification Mother

If you’re shopping for a preamp that’ll give you great sounds in just about any situation, this versatile, dual-channel model based on the Mother MKIII amplifier would be a great pick. Whether you work it into your pedalboard or plug it straight into your amp or recording interface, it’ll give you the best of tube-like FET transistor tone.

One of the keys to this preamp’s versatility is its choice of two outputs: one that’s made for hooking up to a normal amplifier, and another that provides a full-range response to feed into a neutral power amp. It’s designed to sound great with both electric guitar and bass.

Best boutique preamp: Milkman x Benson The Amp

This pedalboard-friendly collaboration from Milkman and Benson puts analogue at the heart of everything, with tube-driven preamplification and EQ. There’s a fine balance of classic tone and contemporary convenience here, with options to send your signal straight out to your big, old cab, or through a new and immaterial cab sim via XLR.

Above all, what you need to know about this preamp is that it sounds exceptional. Plugged into a cab, it delivers glorious dynamics and chime, and our reviewer was pretty besotted with the on-board reverb. You won’t get much change out of a grand when you buy The Amp – but you will get something special for the money.

Best valve preamp: Two Notes ReVolt

Three-channel, fairly priced and packed with adjustable parameters, the Two Notes ReVolt could well be the ultimate accessible option for valve amp sounds. The 12AX7 vacuum tube behind its little window on the enclosure might look a bit like a museum artefact, but it makes itself heard in the ReVolt’s natural overdrive and crunchy, Marshall-like valve sounds.

Whether you’ve plugged the preamp into your amp’s effects loop or sent its signal out via the headphone or XLR outputs, you’ll find power, warmth and nuance in the ReVolt’s sound. We see it as a full-blown amp substitute; not just an addition to your pedalboard.

Vest vintage preamp: Victory The Copper

For guitarists on the prowl for vintage character in a practical package, the Copper from Victory is a surpassingly classic-sounding option. It’s all-valve with two CV4012s and two CV4014s, and the sounds at your disposal range from chiming cleans to raucous overdrive.

There are plenty of settings to play around with, including a standout, footswitch-operable treble boost that’s ideal for playing spiky lead parts or solos, a la Dave Davies in ‘You Really Got Me’. You can feed it straight into your amp, although we’d tend to plug it into the effects loop input for a more focused sound.

Best advanced guitar preamp: DSM & Humbolt Simplifier X

Touted as the most advanced analogue amp simulator ever, the Simplifier X builds impressively on the legacy of earlier DSM & Humboldt gems including the Simplifier DLX (which is still worth considering pre-owned). It boasts an assignable AUX input (either for your headphones or output to PA), true stereo sound and standout multi-stage reverb.

A preamp-lover’s preamp, the Simplifier X gives you granular control over your sound, with two separate, switchable channels incorporating preamp, power amp and cab sim stages. There’s an abundance of knobs to get your head around, but the layout is intuitive – and the analogue sounds on offer merit the exploration.

Best preamp for beginners: Tubesteader Magnezium

If there were such a thing as a guitar preamp for beginners – and that’s debatable – then the Tubesteader Magnezium could be it. There are two channels delivering Fender-like and Marshall-like overdriven sounds respectively, and tapping into them is as simple as selecting your channel and tweaking the gain and EQ to your taste.

Proudly analogue, this preamp celebrates its 12AX7 valves with a peek-a-boo design. Just be careful if using it while wearing stilettos. There are two output modes tailoring the signal to different setups, so you can plug straight into a regular amplifier, or send a beefier signal to a power amp or cab sim instead.

Best retro preamp: Tone King Imperial Preamp

This preamp looks and sounds straight out of the 1950s, serving up a soda fountain of classic sounds powered by three 12AX7 preamp tubes. It’s based on the Tone King Imperial MKII combo amp, and that’s pretty much what you’re getting (minus a few elements like, erm, a speaker) in a pared down, large format pedal.

The sounds on offer are decidedly vintage, paying homage to ’50s and ’60s Fender amplification classics, as well as 1970s British rock tone – and the on-board tremolo and reverb complete the mood perfectly. Something decidedly more contemporary is the Imperial’s power amp simulation, which enables you to plug it straight into the PA or recording interface.

Why You Can Trust Us

Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.

That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.

The post The best analogue guitar preamps and pedalboard amps appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Marshall has unveiled its new mascot. It’s simply a Marshall stack with a somewhat dopey looking smiley face on the amp head, and as unsettling as it may be, we kinda love it.

The amp giant has let its mascot loose upon unsuspecting Londoners in order to spread the word and raise the hype around the fast-approaching UK festival season.

• READ MORE: Marshall protein powder and AI-powered gloves that play for you: These are the best guitar April Fools hoaxes we’ve seen this year

The only thing is, the mascot is yet to be officially named. And Marshall has put it to its fanbase to come up with suggestions.

“I don’t know what to call them but they [look] like they’ve already hot boxed their tent and I love that for them,” one fan writes. “He looks fucking high,” adds another.

Another suggestion we love – as does Marshall – comes from one fan: “Lexi the Plexi.” There’s a number of “Jim” suggestions, too, in honour of Marshall Founder, and the “Father of Loud”, Jim Marshall.

You can watch the mystery mascot dance around London and interact with fans and members of the public in the wholesome video below: 

View this post on Instagram

It’s been a strong few months for Marshall. Just last month, the company teamed up with Steve Jones on a 50th Anniversary Sex Pistols JCM800, outfitted in the bright pink and yellow colour scheme of the punk pioneers’ landmark album, Never Mind the Bollocks.

And as seen by its wacky new mascot, Marshall is never afraid to have a laugh, either. In November, it celebrated the release of Spinal Tap II with the “loudest amp ever made”, with knobs that go to 11 and a master volume that goes to infinity.

And for this year’s April Fool’s Day, the brand unveiled its foray away from the world of audio and into the world of gym supplements, launching its first protein powder, Marshall Gainz (not really).

View this post on Instagram

The post Marshall has unveiled its new mascot – and we’re a little scared appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Black Keys have reflected on the cancellation of their entire 2024 North America tour, commenting on the “poisonous” nature of the modern-day music industry.

When the duo – comprising guitarist and singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney – announced the cancellation of their 2024 tour supporting Ohio Players, many speculated it was due to poor ticket sales. Carney later expressed dissatisfaction with the band’s management, saying they had booked “rooms they shouldn’t have been in”.

• READ MORE: Fender Godzilla Distortion: imbue your pedalboard with the “sonic might of the King of Monsters”

“Everything went tits up,” Carney tells The Times, elaborating further on the reasons for the tour’s cancellation.

“Live Nation owns a piece of almost every management company, and they own Ticketmaster, and they even scalp their own tickets – which they just got sued for [by the Federal Trade Commission in September 2025].

“So I’m an artist managed by Live Nation, trying to negotiate with Live Nation, being promoted and ticketed by Live Nation? It’s insane, man!”

The situation ultimately led the duo to have to fire their crew months before the trek was scheduled to start.

“We had to fire our whole crew. Why? Because Live Nation cancelled four months before the first show without a single call,” Carney continues. “It’s my dumb ass for being involved in this stupid industry. It’s evil.”

Guitarist Dan Auerbach chimes in: “Poisonous.”

Elsewhere, the duo speak on the current state of social media, and how artists are somewhat required to play the social media game.

“When you get famous real quick, you’re suddenly surrounded by people who seem like they’re your buddies but they’re not,” Carney says.

“That’s when you start asking yourself, what does it all mean? I don’t want to be a content creator. I don’t think it’s cool to be on Instagram all the time. We’re interested in the natural state of things, which you can hear on the first album – and the last.”

“Junior Kimbrough [legendary blues musician] never made a TikTok video,” Auerbach adds.

View a full list of upcoming Black Keys tour dates via their official website.

The post “It’s my dumb ass for being involved in this stupid industry. It’s evil”: The Black Keys reflect the reasons for their 2024 tour cancellation appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

After making its grand debut at January’s NAMM show, Blackstar’s Beam Mini desktop amp is finally available to the public. The tiny DSP-powered amplifier boasts massive tone, as well as cramming a whole host of digital amp models, ISF control and TONE3000 NAM compatibility into its portable size.

Regardless of whether you’re performing with an acoustic, bass or electric guitar, the Beam Mini offers 12 different amp models to experiment with. The selection varies from six Blackstar amps, to six recreations of classic amps crafted by Ampton. There are also three specialised bass amps, as well as a pair of acoustic voices and an acoustic simulator thrown in for good measure.

Despite its smaller scale, Blackstar has assured that the Beam Mini doesn’t sacrifice on tone. That means that you can take that diverse selection of amps anywhere and know it’ll still sound cracking. That’s also aided by the amp’s two 60mm full-range drivers, its pair of passive bass radiators and Blackstar’s Super Wide Stereo technology, all designed to offer an “expansive, room-filling sound”.

• READ MORE: “I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard” Adam Granduciel on his love of effects and the next The War On Drugs album

Users can also fine-tune their sound thanks to Blackstar’s ISF controls, as well as morphing their tone with any of the 35+ effects in the amp’s library. Users can navigate their way through any personalisation on the amp’s SpeedDial and Light Beam Display, removing any need to navigate through long, bloated menus.

However, if there is any interest in delving a bit deeper, the amp can be controlled via the Beam app. The app allows for further editing of tones, as well as allowing access to an online library of amps, cabs, mics and pedal models – as well as any artist-uploaded patches and tone settings, which can be uploaded and shared amongst the app’s community.

Alongside the tone editing and modelling abilities, the amp also boasts Blackstar’s IR-driven speaker and mic simulation, CabRig. The addition allows the amp to extend beyond a mere tool for performing and instead allows for recording – be that guitar parts or vocals, thanks to its studio-quality microphone input.

The amp is even planning to introduce Moises AI down the line in August, which should allow users to separate stems from your recordings. Blackstar plan to add the additional AI tool in a software update.

If that already sounds up your street, there’s also the guarantee of it being weatherproof, dust-tight and rechargeable. With 18 hours of potential playtime, it’s a strong option for musicians wanting to practice or record on the go, keeping things light but still offering a nice selection of tone to play with.

For more info, head to Blackstar.

The post Blackstar’s Beam Mini is available now – and it packs a mighty punch despite its portable size appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Following the roaring success of Fender Japan’s Godzilla-themed Stratocasters last year – which we labelled, and still believe to be, some of the coolest guitars we’ve ever seen – the guitar titan has now unleashed its Godzilla Distortion pedal upon the world.

The distortion pedal was first unveiled along with the Godzilla-themed Strats in October 2025, but like those, was exclusively available in Japan. Now, those who sit in the intersection of the guitar player/Monsterverse fan Venn diagram all over the world can get their hands on one.

They’re subject to “limited stock”, though, so you’ll have to be quick…

Described as a “powerhouse pedal” capable of transforming your rig into a “heat-ray-breating beast”, the Godzilla Distortion is designed for the range of distortion use cases, from “thick rhythmic chugging” to “soaring lead tones that cut through any mix”.

The unit itself is powered by an op amp-based distortion circuit, with active Treble and Bass controls for crafting the perfect EQ curve for your tone.

• READ MORE: Online games have been doing it for years – are guitar brands cottoning on to the lucrative nature of crossover collaborations?

Visually is where the pedal really shines, though; there’s a striking Godzilla-themed wraparound artwork, with “Godzilla” emblazoned on the bottom of the unit.

It’s pedalboard-friendly, too, of course, with top-mounted jacks plus a road-ready aluminium enclosure. There’s also true-bypass switching, so when the pedal is switched off, you know your signal is clean and unaltered.

So if you want to “unleash sonic might as legendary as the King of Monsters himself”, you’d better get on the Godzilla Distortion quick, as we imagine these will sell out fast.

Price-wise, the Godzilla Distortion clocks in at a totally reasonable £145. Get yours at Fender.

The post Fender Godzilla Distortion: imbue your pedalboard with the “sonic might of the King of Monsters” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.