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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Practise at your own pace

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

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

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

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

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

Write parts you can’t play

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

Create an organised archive of ideas

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

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

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

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

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

Easily collaborate with other artists

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

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

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

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

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

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

Streamline the recording process

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The power of the guitar as a vehicle of musical expression is an almost universal concept. No matter where you go in the world, you’ll find unique, interesting artists and bands building scenes that speak authentically to their cultures, backgrounds and passions.

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

There’s also no doubt that the age of music streaming has made music a truly global experience. Whether it’s BTS, Bad Bunny or Rosalía, the place of Western, English-language music as the dominant power in pop is slowly shifting – the music tastes of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are global in ways we’ve never seen before.

Today, we’re seeing Spanish songs with billions of streams, performed by a Puerto Rican megastar, played out at the Super Bowl, while K-pop musical numbers snag Golden Globe Awards.

In this climate, it’s no surprise that guitar-centric artists from all across the globe are starting to win new fanbases across the globe. This is increasingly true across the Asia-Pacific region – where bands that have been part of thriving local and regional scenes rub shoulders with bands who stand out from the crowd in their homelands, finding common new audiences.

Now, when flipping through music libraries, you’ll find J-rock acts sitting next to Pakistani metal tracks, as well as K-rock bands. Guitar music – especially rock, metal and punk – has found a growing audience across a new generation, creating an eclectic new fusion phase of guitar music across countries like Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea.

Let’s meet some of the most exciting and interesting bands that are poised for a breakthrough in 2026.

RIIZE

Formed in 2023, K-pop newcomers RIIZE have over 4.8 million followers on Instagram and 2.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Achieving accolades across the Asia Artist Awards and nominations at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the Korean boy band is one of the fastest emerging boy bands in K-pop. While often affiliated with genres of pop, R&B and dance, RIIZE’s first debut song (and single) was titled Get A Guitar.

RIIZE singers Wonbin and Anton are incorporating their love for guitar music into the band’s work. Wonbin first picked up the guitar after following his dad and, later, learned electric guitar in middle school. Meanwhile, Anton learned how to play bass and then moved onto playing the guitar. “John Mayer was what first drew me to the guitar. His music and lyricism spoke to me and hearing his playing made me want to try and learn a couple of his songs,” Anton tells Guitar. “Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, too. Another modern-day guitar icon I admire would be Mk.gee.”

In bringing guitar music to a globally successful K-pop group, Wonbin highlights how the instrument can translate across languages and genres, adding that there’s a reason why South Korea’s alternative scene has rapidly grown in the last few years. “I think the unique character of each artist adds that special charm that draws people in beyond just the good music itself,” he says, name-dropping DAY6, JANNABI, Silica Gel, and HYUKOH as Korean artists that can bring guitar music into a mainstream space.

“Playing guitar has helped broaden my perspective on music, which has been a really positive influence on me as an artist and with RIIZE’s debut song being Get A Guitar, it makes my relationship with the guitar even more meaningful,” he adds. “The thrill of playing guitar on stage left such a strong impression on me that I can’t forget it. It’s something I want to keep showcasing going forward.”

After Mdnight

Hailing from Malaysia, After Mdnight are the internet’s latest pop-punk breakthrough band. Forming in 2022, members Riff (bassist), Mamu (drummer), Arfa and Hafiz (guitarists), and Iza (lead singer) have connected with fans online through viral videos by tapping into alternative music algorithms and comparing their songs to artists like Paramore and Neck Deep. “We’re a Malaysian band that’s attracting interest from all over the world right now – we have that sense of pride to represent the nation, especially being recognised internationally,” Riff says.

Taking stock of some of Malaysia’s previous rock bands – Lefthanded, Butterfingers, Wings, and Black Rose – and one of Malaysia’s most renowned singers, Siti Nurhaliza, After Mdnight is redefining what pop-punk looks like, as well as who gets to be a part of the scene. While contemporary 2000s Malaysian rock bands, like Hujan, have shown the collective that there’s still a scene to enrich.

“As a band, we’re all Muslims. We want to put out an image where being a Muslim and playing music is not inherently bad,” he explains. “We’re just playing what we are passionate about and not necessarily following a certain stereotype. Nurturing music publicly and widely in Malaysia is very difficult.” Yet, by bringing together influences from Malaysia’s industry names to the band’s own favourite artists – Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Neck Deep, Blink-182, Green Day – After Mdnight have a message to prove: “If music is something that’s within you, you just have to go for it.”

HANABIE

Artists nowadays can feel more reachable than ever. You can hop online and see Towa Bird charmingly ripping through some guitar chords on a custom Gibson Firebird or endless guitar renditions and remixes of K-pop songs across TikTok. The outcome, unsurprisingly, is a music world interconnected to a new height. Alexander Milas, journalist and former editor of Metal Hammer, considers this shift in industry and culture a milestone-making cultural exchange.

“Clearly, the internet has had a tremendous role to play as well as massive shifts in the way that music is discovered and promoted, thanks to social media and streaming,” Milas says. “The term global village comes to mind, but I don’t think this has happened overnight and so whatever’s happening now is a culmination of years and decades of groundwork and a lot of really brilliant music.”

Japanese metalcore HANABIE formed in 2015, when vocalist Yukina, guitarist and vocalist Matsuri, and bassist Hettsu came together. In 2023, drummer Chika joined, completing the current lineup. The band, who have toured across Hong Kong, Taipei, and Bangkok as support for While She Sleeps and, more recently, performed in Taiwan in 2024, recall a positive response from Asian Pacific fans.

“[We] remember the energy of the crowds being incredible, and we had such a fun time performing,” they tell Guitar. As HANABIE continue to evolve as a band, they credit their style and on-stage presence as a way they’ve been able to “shine” and “carve out our place in the [guitar] scene”.

On their recent EP, HOT TOPIC, HANABIE showcase their neo-Japanese genreless flair – a leading reason why the band have almost 400K listeners on Spotify, with hubs of fans across Mexico, Brazil and Germany. “We’re still in the process of growing, so it’s hard to say for sure, but I think we’ve always tried to pursue things that other artists haven’t done before,” HANABIE share. “That applies to many aspects—our music, band name, video production—because at the core, we never wanted to blend in or look the same as others. Maybe that’s what worked in our favour.”

As bands like HANABIE continue to push the frontier of fusion rock, innovative guitar music continues to deepen its roots with younger generations. Milas, founder of the World Metal Congress, says the development of global guitar scenes, particularly those spotlighting minority voices, has been on the cusp for several years.

“I think it’s been there for some time; only what’s happened is that we in the West have no choice but to sit up and pay attention, at last,” he explains. “It wasn’t always like that, and you have examples of artists with astonishing creative output who’ve had difficulty being recognised outside of their initial sphere of influence. HANABIE are a tremendous band: would they be there without the road that was paved by say, X Japan who were creating a whole world around themselves back in the 80s? And you can spend a lot of time theorising, but the bottom line is, no matter where you’re from, you’ve got to have songs, which HANABIE absolutely do.”

Death Of Heather

While the region is seeing a wave of new bands come through, underground alternative shoegaze acts like Thailand’s Death Of Heather have built a dedicated pool of fans, with a cult flock of listeners across Thailand and Singapore. Tay, the lead singer of the four-piece, is reflective on the new phase of momentum hitting the guitar scene across Pacific Asia.

For a band that began in 2017, Tay and his fellow bandmates (Non on drums, Thong on bass, and Nine on guitar) became a gang of like-minded university friends who all lit up at the idea of being in a band. After Tay shared some bedroom demos with the group, DoH was formed. Nowadays, Tay and co play monthly shows and have just wrapped up recording their new album. No longer teens, but in their 30s, Tay (and fellow band members), are no strangers to how the guitar music and local scenes are steadily evolving.

“Honestly, the reason guitar bands from different regions are growing is because of the internet,” he tells Guitar. “Music scenes are connected everywhere now. People are more open, and bands from Asia can reach listeners way easier than before. It feels like guitar music from all over the world finally has a space.”

Whether streaming on SoundCloud or racking up views on YouTube, Tay is appreciative of how globalised online music has become, with it supporting new and established acts. “The rock and alternative scene in Bangkok is pretty active. It’s not as big as mainstream pop or hip-hop right now, but there’s a solid group of listeners, and new bands keep popping up,” he explains.

While there’s no single-purpose method of putting more Pacific Asian bands in the spotlight, Tay advocates for intercommunity platforming: “I think guitar and alternative bands in Asia can grow faster if we all support each other more—sharing show opportunities, touring together, promoting each other across countries. The Asian scene feels stronger every year, and it’s nice seeing bands push one another forward.”

Last Minute

As Gen Z steps up to the music industry, bands like Last Minute are looking to create a stir in the guitar scene. Forming in 2024, Last Minute are creating music that feels like “a blend of 5 different minds” all under the “interpretation” of rock music that will resonate with younger audiences. Like most new bands, Last Minute have faced their challenges with funding, balancing jobs and locking down time to invest in the band. Yet, the quartet remain optimistic about where Singapore’s music scene is going. Affordability and accessibility within guitar music has helped Last Minute’s guitarist, Meryl, play around with new tech, including plugins and pedals.

“I learned guitar during this era of convenient and accessible guitar technology, with plugins emulating the real-time sounds of professional setups that are customisable to your own preferences, with tiny digital multi fx pedals that would blow the minds of older guitarists,” he says. “Its definitely cheaper and easier to achieve the sounds you want nowadays.”

As for the future of guitar-leaning music in Singapore, Last Minute’s vocalist, Renjin, has a few suggestions on how to nurture and support new alternative acts. “I think [we need] more third spaces and venues. But still, it’s a business venture and a business at the end of the day needs its supporters. If you’re an avid enjoyer of rock music and haven’t supported local shows yet, please do, there are many amazing bands in Singapore, especially metalcore ones,” he says.

“If you’re an event organiser, you need to start targeting the general audience. New concepts with creative designs. Make it fun! Make it so that someone who doesn’t need to understand music will enjoy it. It’s going to be tough, but we can do it. I think we as artists have this responsibility of using ideas to keep the community fresh and alive. We can do it, one show at a time.”

The post “We as have this responsibility of using ideas to keep the community fresh and alive” Meet the rising Asian guitar artists you should get excited about in 2026 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Ian Horne, a former sound engineer for Wings, has recalled how remarkably relaxed Paul McCartney was when he broke the news to him that his 1961 Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass had been stolen.

The incident occurred in October 1972, when McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings were in the recording studio. Horne had parked a truck full of their gear on a West London street, which was broken into. The stolen bass has become the focus of a BBC Two documentary film, McCartney: The Hunt For The Lost Bass, which airs on Saturday 11 April.

• READ MORE: Paul McCartney found a guitar chord he didn’t recognise while having tea with Andrew Watt – and was so inspired he recorded a new album

The documentary film ends with the rediscovery of the bass, which was found in an attic, following several investigations and an online campaign. McCartney shared his gratitude and confirmed on his website in 2024 that it had been returned and authenticated by Höfner.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Horne recalls, “I walked up to the truck, saw the padlock on the ground, and my heart sank. It was a three-ton truck with a roller shutter at the back. When I pushed the shutter up, I saw straight away that it was gone. The bass wasn’t there.”

Horne remembers that while there were “lots of nice people in the hippy culture” at the time, “there were some dodgy people about as well”. He adds, “We visited two or three houses in a sort of threatening manner – you know, not very polite. But we didn’t find it. I rang the police and went to the station to make a statement, but they were no help. There was nothing more to be done. I realised I had to go and tell Paul in person.”

As you can imagine, Horne was filled with dread when he approached McCartney’s house near Abbey Road to break the news. But Macca was rather chilled about the ordeal…

“All these things go through your head. I must have looked like a beaten man when I knocked on the door. I just came out with it: ‘I’ve got some bad news, Paul. Our truck was broken into and the bass was stolen.’ I expected him to go ballistic, but Paul was lovely about it. He said, ‘It’s all right, I’ve got another one,’” shares Horne.

McCartney: The Hunt For The Lost Bass airs on BBC Two this Saturday at 8:45pm (BST).

The post “It’s alright, I’ve got another one”: Wings engineer remembers Paul McCartney’s relaxed reaction when he told him his Höfner Violin Bass had been stolen appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have announced plans to honour their late Rush bandmate Neil Peart every night on their upcoming Fifty Something world tour.

Celebrating 50-something years of Rush music, the upcoming reunion tour will see Lee and Lifeson joined by drummer Anika Nilles, who will play in place of Neil Peart, who was the band’s drummer from 1974 until their hiatus in 2015. He sadly passed away in 2020 from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer.

In a new interview with National Today, bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson say the nightly tribute to Peart will consist of “certain songs” performed alongside a visual accompaniment.

• READ MORE: “Some people are seeing this as a final album”: Details of the Rolling Stones’ top secret new album revealed

“We’ve been talking about certain songs that we feel really, really give us the vision of Neil,” Lee says. “Twice a night we will pick a song to play sort of for him and we’ll present a visual tribute behind us, to Neil, whether it be to his lyrics or just to his playing or whatever.”

“It’s a celebration of who he was as a person and a drummer, not so sad anymore,” Lifeson adds.

Elsewhere in the interview, the pair reflect on the decision to perform as Rush or to call the tour something else entirely. “[At] one point we were coming up with all these ways of not calling it Rush,” says Lee. “And then it seemed ridiculous because when you’re learning 40 Rush songs, what the hell are you supposed to call this thing you’re doing? Yeah, let’s say we’ll go out, we’ll play 40 Rush songs, we’ll call it Iron Butterfly.”

Indeed, Lee made a similar comment in a recent interview, saying: “What the fuck should we call it, Iron Maiden?” adding that the pair “twisted themselves into a pretzel” trying to land on a name that wasn’t Rush.

Lee and Lifeson will perform alongside drummer Anika Nilles on the upcoming tour. Nilles performed with them at this year’s Juno Awards ceremony. On filling Peart’s shoes in a longer-term setting, Nilles recently told Classic Rock:

“His playing was very energetic, and I really like that. That’s something I feel very comfortable with. I also love playing in a very energetic way. That’s the first thing that comes to mind, and something I really appreciate about his playing.”

Rush’s Fifty Something Tour will begin in Los Angeles on June 7. The group will perform in North America, South America, the UK, and Europe, finishing the tour on April 10, 2027, in Helsinki.

Head to Rush.com for full dates and ticket information.

The post “Twice a night we’ll pick a song to play for him”: Geddy Lee reveals how Rush will pay tribute to Neil Peart on reunion tour appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Rolling Stones have seemingly started teasing the title of their next album, which could also be their last.

According to a recent report, the album’s title may hark back to an alias they have used in the past to announce secret shows, The Cockroaches. Posters have also been spotted featuring this moniker, and the first single, titled Mr Charm, is supposedly landing this Saturday (11 April).

• READ MORE: “Call my guitar man if you want the exact number”: Keith Richards reveals the astonishing number of guitars in his collection

According to an exclusive from The Sun, a “music insider” says, “The Rolling Stones album has been in the can for some time now. A lot of it was written and recorded a while back but there has been a lot of fine-tuning to make it perfect. They were back in Metropolis Studios in West London last year and now it’s ready to go.

“The guys are aware they aren’t getting any younger so some people are seeing this as a final album – but who knows with the Stones? They will be making some appearances together to promote it but there’s not going to be a tour yet.”

If the rumours are to be true, this new record will mark their 25th studio album and their first since 2023’s Hackney Diamonds. The Grammy-winning album was produced by Andrew Watt, and marked their first record since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, though he does appear on two of its songs. The Sun also suggests that this new album could include more recordings from Watts.

Both members of The Rolling Stones and those associated with them have been teasing that their work is not quite done ever since Hackney Diamonds landed. Keith Richards told Guitar Player in 2023, “I’ve never even come close to thinking of wrapping up the Rolling Stones’ story… We plan to keep on working. I know we’re going to work next year.”

Last year, Andrew Watt also hinted about working with the group again. He told Rolling Stone, “I’ve said it before, but it’s like working for Batman. When the tongue [logo] is up in the air, you just go… I can say we did some recording together, but that’s all I can say.”

Prior to this, Keith Richards’ son also gave an interview to Record Collector, in which he said that the band were “nearly done” recording and that they had enough material left over from Hackney Diamonds to work with on a new project: “They have enough left over from the last one. [It] gave them a Grammy so now they’re all hyped up on that: ‘Oh, yeah – we can do another one like that! We’ve got more like that if you want…’. I think they’re doing the follow-up.”

The post “Some people are seeing this as a final album”: Details of the Rolling Stones’ top secret new album revealed appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Ernie Ball Music Man is celebrating 30 years of its Axis electric guitar model with a limited-edition collection honouring its legacy.

First launched in 1996, the Axis has become a staple of the EBMM lineup, and guitars in the new collection stay true to the original design with a classic asymmetrical neck carve for “comfort and playability”, 22 stainless steel frets and a figured maple neck with glow-in-the-dark side dots.

• READ MORE: Guitar Center is launching its own guitar brand and asking guitarists for help with design – but the response hasn’t been all positive

The 30th Anniversary Axis features a hand-stained quilt maple top, and comes in six different finish options: Gold, Black, Pink, Red, Blue and Purple, each with a colour-matched headstock. Each option comes with a sparkled black back for a “refined and cohesive look”.

Elsewhere, the guitar features a pair of custom-wound DiMarzio pickups, plus an Ernie Ball Music Man double locking tremolo system, and fine tuners for “exceptional tuning stability”.

A final visual touch comes by way of a commemorative 30th Anniversary logo on the back.

Additionally, each 30th Anniversary Axis guitar comes with a certificate of authenticity, and ships in a deluxe hardshell case.

Price-wise, the 30th Anniversary Axis clocks in at $3,799. It’s also limited worldwide, with 120 Gold guitars available, and 100 each of the other five colours.

Learn more at Ernie Ball Music Man.

The post “A true collector’s piece”: Ernie Ball Music Man unveils 30th Anniversary Axis appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Guitar Center has announced it is setting up its own in-house guitar brand, and is outsourcing a portion of research and development to its community of customers and players.

In a TikTok video posted on 26 March, CEO Gabe Dalporto shared the company’s plans to develop its own guitar brand, explaining his reasoning behind the move.

“We are about to do something insane,” he said. “We are going to build a revolutionary guitar and guitar brand from the ground up. Guitars haven’t changed that much in the last 50 years, and we’re about to change that.

“We have something that nobody else has: a relationship with you,” he continues. “Our customers are incredible musicians. And we’re going to work with you in public, out loud, and share our designs, take your feedback, iterate, and make the best guitar that has ever been made.”

@guitarcenter

It’s time to throw out the rule book and build a new guitar with no constraints, and you’re the designer! Follow @ gdalporto on Instagram to stay tuned in the guitar building journey, and join the subthread, r/GuitarLab, on Reddit to see the whole conversation unfold—link in bio. ——— By submitting your idea, design, suggestion or feedback (collectively, “Idea”), you affirm that your Idea is your original creation, and that any Idea submitted by you is wholly original and owned by you, and cleared for use by Guitar Center, Inc. (“Guitar Center”) without the need for additional licensing. By submitting your Idea, you assign, transfer, give and relinquish to Guitar Center all right, title and interest in and to the Idea or any material based upon or derived therefrom for no consideration. Guitar Center may use and exploit, without any payment or attribution obligation of any kind, any Idea you provide to Guitar Center. You waive any moral and similar rights you may have in such Idea. If requested by Guitar Center, you agree to execute and deliver all documents needed to confirm the assignment and transfer of your Idea to Guitar Center.

♬ original sound – Guitar Center – Guitar Center

A subreddit – r/guitarlab – has also been set up by Guitar Center to encourage its community to submit ideas for their ideal guitar, but a number of disclaimers have some guitarists sceptical about the whole idea, mostly around the concept of giving away ideas for free which will later be used for profit.

“Come build a guitar with us from the ground up,” Dalporto writes. “Your input will go directly to our builders as we iteratively create the world’s most revolutionary guitar from first principles (and your frustrations and desires). Be part of the biggest guitar innovation since Les Paul nailed a neck and pickups to a railroad tie.”

Under the r/guitarlab rules section, Guitar Center sets out three important disclaimers those submitting ideas for guitar design need to know:

“By submitting your idea, design, suggestion or feedback (collectively, “Idea”), you affirm that your Idea is your original creation, and that any Idea submitted by you is wholly original and owned by you, and cleared for use by Guitar Center, Inc. (“Guitar Center”) without the need for additional licensing,” reads the first.

But the second two stipulations are what have guitarists scratching their heads.

“By submitting your Idea, you assign, transfer, give and relinquish to Guitar Center all right, title and interest in and to the Idea or any material based upon or derived therefrom for no consideration,” reads the second rule. “Guitar Center may use and exploit, without any payment or attribution obligation of any kind, any Idea you provide to Guitar Center.”

And finally, the third rule: “You waive any moral and similar rights you may have in such Idea. If requested by Guitar Center, you agree to execute and deliver all documents needed to confirm the assignment and transfer of your Idea to Guitar Center.”

While some have enthusiastically taken to the cause, others have expressed their concern at the limited perks or remuneration community members will receive for their contributions.

In a post labelling the move “peak corporate cringe”, one user writes: “Am I the only one who finds it incredibly unnerved that a multi-billion dollar corporation, which has been struggling with its own identity and finances for years, is now asking us to do their R&D for free?”

Meanwhile, another user writes: “Seriously? you’re just going to rip ideas off your community and give them nothing but crappy trade in values?”

As it stands, Guitar Center hasn’t publicly responded to these concerns.

Keep up to date with the design via the official r/guitarlab subreddit.

The post Guitar Center is launching its own guitar brand and asking guitarists for help with design – but the response hasn’t been all positive appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

You can now get a PRS SE Silver Sky for $599 thanks to this huge deal at Sweetwater, saving you $250.

The Overland Gray version of the SE Silver Sky with a maple fretboard is available at this reduced price on the Sweetwater website only while supplies last. This model was part of the original launch of the SE Silver Sky Maple, which landed in 2023.

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Apart from the fretboard wood, the PRS SE Silver Sky Maple has all the same specifications as its rosewood-appointed sister. The SE version does differ from the standard Silver Sky, however, and was designed to be a more affordable alternative.

• READ MORE: PRS releases full-length documentary celebrating the life of guitar industry legend Theodore “Ted” McCarty

The SE Silver Sky’s biggest deviation from the standard model is a slightly modified 8.5-inch radius, as opposed to the original’s 7.25-inch radius. Its other key features include a poplar body, 22 frets and a 25.5” scale length, 635 JM “S” pickups, plus one volume and two tone controls, accompanied by a five-way blade pickup switch.

We rated the SE Silver Sky Maple a 9/10 in our 2023 review. We noted that while the sonic differences between the rosewood and maple fretboard might be minor, the Maple version “further pulls the S-type format into step with modern design languages”.

Last year, PRS refreshed its rosewood SE Silver Sky by introducing four new colours, created in collaboration with John Mayer. The finishes were all-new for PRS and almost crayon-like, they were: Derby Red, Trad Blue, Laurel Green, and Dandy Lion (yellow).

PRS also teamed up with Ed Sheeran on a new “Cosmic Splash” Limited Edition signature model, launched at NAMM earlier this year. The guitar features artwork made by the singer-songwriter himself, and is a limited SE Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone model. Only 1,000 of them were made available worldwide.

To shop this huge deal on the SE Silver Sky Maple, head to Sweetwater.

The post We rated the PRS SE Silver Sky Maple a near-flawless 9/10 – save $250 on it right now at Sweetwater appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

An Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic guitar owned by Noel Gallagher – and used by the Oasis legend on the band’s landmark 1995 sophomore album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – is headed to the auction block.

The auction will take place as part of Sotheby’s April rock and pop sale, and will also feature a handwritten lyric sheet for the Oasis megahit Don’t Look Back in Anger, plus a Noel Gallagher-owned Rickenbacker 12-string.

• READ MORE: Charvel recreates Jake E. Lee’s Bark at the Moon/Ultimate Sin-era Blue Burst guitar

The Epiphone EJ-200 was used by Gallagher during the 15 days Oasis spent recording (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – the best-selling British album of the ‘90s which featured tracks like Don’t Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova and Wonderwall.

“It was quite extraordinary how they managed to record it in such a fast period of time,” says Sotheby’s New York-based pop culture specialist Craig Inciardi [via The Guardian]. 

“He was just so prolific at the time … with the amount of songs that were coming out of him, it’s almost unprecedented. And if you look at that album and you look at the track listing, it looks like a greatest hits album.”

In terms of its provenance, the EJ-200 was given by Gallagher to a roadie, who later sold it to the person selling it now. Sotheby’s estimates the guitar will sell for between $60,000 and $80,000, though given the results of recent high-profile guitar auctions – like David Gilmour’s Black Strat and Jerry Garcia’s Tiger guitar, which sold for $14.5m and $11.5m at the recent Jim Irsay Collection auction, respectively – it could well exceed that estimate.

“These are functional objects that have become so sought after and the value of musical instruments that have this sort of historic provenance has significantly increased over time,” adds Inciardi.

Online bidding for the auction begins on 9 April. Learn more at Sotheby’s.

The post Noel Gallagher’s What’s The Story Epiphone acoustic headed to the auction block – could it become the latest high-profile guitar to smash its estimate?  appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Charvel has teamed up with legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee to recreate the guitar he used throughout Ozzy’s Bark at the Moon and Ultimate Sin album cycles.

Delivering “the same explosive tonal versatility at an accessible price point”, the Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 1 HSS HT RW is built to pay tribute to Lee’s enduring influence on the landscape of 1980s hard rock.

• READ MORE: What’s the point of a guitar’s pickguard anyway? This is what it’s actually there for…

Specs-wise, the guitar sports the same Blue Burst finish the made the original such an iconic piece of six-string eye candy, along with an alder San Dimas body, a Charvel hardtail bridge for maximised sustain, resonance and tuning stability, and an HSS pickup configuration, with a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge position, and DiMarzio SDS-1 single coils in the middle and neck positions.

There’s also a bolt-on maple neck with a 12”-16” compound radius fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and white dot inlays, as well as a five-way blade switch and single volume knob, and locking Charvel tuning machines.

“For the signature Charvel, we wanted a more accessible version,” Lee says. “We want to put it in more hands for aspiring guitar players.”

“The Custom Shop has always set the standard for what’s possible, and now we’re bringing that same level of craft to players everywhere,” adds Peter Wichers, Product Manager at Charvel.

“The Pro-Mod Blue Burst captures the exact visual intensity that made Jake’s guitar iconic under the lights, that deep, electric blue finish, that unmistakable presence, but this is Charvel’s moment to put it in the hands of every player who’s been chasing that sound and look.”

The Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 1 HSS HT RW is available now for $1,399/£1,399.

Learn more at Charvel.

The post Charvel recreates Jake E. Lee’s Bark at the Moon/Ultimate Sin-era Blue Burst guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Ad feature with Sweetwater

Chances are you remember the first time you bought a guitar. Depending on your age and where you lived, that first guitar buying experience was probably done in a brick and mortar store, where you wandered the racks and stands searching for that one guitar that spoke to you, the one that would set you off on your journey as a musician.

For most of us, the huge benefits of price, convenience and choice that online musical instrument retail offers us is worth losing some of the more romantic aspects of guitar buying. But that being said, wouldn’t it be great to inject some of that back into it somehow?

Because a guitar isn’t a TV, a refrigerator, or a games console. While the consistency and quality of guitar making has remarkably improved across the board in recent years, these are still works of art made primarily out of wood by human hands. This adds a certain amount of variance that, frankly, is part of why we love these instruments.

The issue is that when you’re buying online, most of the time you don’t have anything more to go on than a picture that might well be a manufacturer’s product shot, and some basic spec. How can you make a fully informed decision about your dream instrument with such limited information? Don’t worry, Sweetwater has you covered.

Get Close Up

If you’ve browsed Sweetwater recently – and let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you definitely have – you will probably have encountered the Sweetwater Guitar Gallery. If you haven’t, this innovative and hugely useful tool helps bring a bit of the old magic of wandering a guitar store, turbocharged by the power of America’s favourite online guitar retailer.

The Guitar Gallery is a dedicated space at Sweetwater’s Indiana HQ where guitars are inspected, photographed, weighed and fettled into perfect playing condition by a skilled and dedicated team.

For one, this means that you can see pictures of the exact guitar you’re going to buy. When you visit a guitar’s Sweetwater product page, you’ll be presented with a list of guitars matched to their respective serial number. Each of these guitars has their individual weight listed, and also photos of that exact guitar taken so you can get up close and personal, and make sure that this is the perfect guitar for you.

That means from a weight perspective, if you’re like Adam Jones from Tool and you think that the heavier a Les Paul is, the better it sounds, you can pick the chunkiest, meatiest slab of mahogany you can find. Or if you’re of the school that thinks that any Strat over 8lbs is making you work too hard? Well the Guitar Gallery can let you find the ideal candidate to get close with.

It’s not just about weight however, the fact that each guitar is individually photographed also lets you really dial in on what your dream guitar is going to be – especially when you’re talking about guitars with visible wood grain.

We all know that no piece of wood is identical, and the Guitar Gallery celebrates this – while giving you a hitherto unseen level of choice. It’s quite the thing to be scrolling through every individual guitar of a certain model and finish until you find the burst pattern that is just perfect, or the top figure that speaks to you. They certainly never offered this breadth of choice in even the biggest brick and mortar guitar store.

And that, ultimately is the magic of the Guitar Gallery – it doesn’t just let you see the guitar you’re actually buying, it lets you find your guitar soulmate in a way that you never would have been able to before.

Handled With Care

But the Guitar Gallery is about more than just pictures and weights – it also gives you the piece of mind that an instrument has been inspected and checked by a real human being, who has treated the guitar like it’s their very own.

As part of the Guitar Gallery service, every guitar featured also receives Sweetwater’s rigorous 55-point inspection checklist to ensure that your guitar arrives with you in perfect condition.

The details of the inspection process is far too detailed to go into here (though you can read about all 55 here!) but rest assured that Sweetwater’s Guitar Gallery team will go over every inch of your instrument. They’ll polish it, clean it, ensure that the frets and setup are tip top, and of course make sure that it plays, sounds and feels just like it should.

The Guitar Gallery team is made up of professional technicians, inspectors, and luthiers, who have been trained by the big brands themselves about exactly what your guitar should feel, play and sound like. They also have years of customer feedback to draw on to ensure that they know exactly what you expect.

Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about your precious new guitar having a rough time before it gets to you, as every guitar is stored in Sweetwater’s temperature and humidity-regulated facility 24/7. So you’ll know it’s going to be in tip-top shape when it heads out to you.

Buying With Confidence

The Sweetwater Guitar Gallery is a truly game-changing innovation for guitar players: offering a level of choice and personalisation that you’ve never been able to experience at even the biggest and most well-stocked brick and mortar store, all without having to leave the house.

It takes away so much of the guesswork and potential for disappointment that often plagues online shopping. And knowing that a team of dedicated professionals has got the instrument in perfect condition before it leaves the store, you’ll just need to sit back and wait for the sweet moment you can crack open the box, and strum that first chord on your new favourite guitar.

Find out more at Sweetwater.com.

The post Why Sweetwater’s Guitar Gallery gives you the reassurance of a brick and mortar guitar store with the convenience and value of shopping online appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Former Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro has traded blows with Arch Enemy, accusing the Swedish death metal outfit of plagiarising his 2024 track Talking Dreams with their new song, To The Last Breath.

In a post on Instagram on 26 March, the Brazilian guitarist shared a clip of his song side by side with Arch Enemy’s new single, pointing out a similar chord progression alongside the caption: “Just helping promote Arch Enemy’s new song… you’re welcome.”

But Arch Enemy have fired back, dismissing Loureiro’s insinuation of copyright infringement. In a video of their own posted to Instagram last week, the band shared an in-the-studio snippet of a demo version of To The Last Breath from 2022, two years before Loureiro released Talking Dreams.

• READ MORE: “It doesn’t matter how fast you can speak – it matters what you’re actually saying”: Uli Jon Roth explains the problem with the pursuit of technical perfection in guitar playing

“In light of a recent copyright infringement accusation against Arch Enemy made by Brazilian YouTuber/guitarist Kiko Loureiro and his lawyer, we feel it best to present clear evidence proving this to be a false claim,” the band write in the post’s accompanying caption.

“In this video you can see and hear the early demos in 2022 which led to becoming To The Last Breath.”

“Anyone familiar with our creative process knows that we document extensively,” the statement continues. “Demos, drafts, and iterations are part of how we build our sound, and in this case, that documentation unquestionably establishes the timeline.

A statement directly from Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott adds: “Hey Kiko, sorry to disappoint you and your lawyer, but as you can see and hear, I had the melody back in 2022 already, two years before you released your song. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

“Enjoy the video and good luck with your music, I will continue to not listen to it!”

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At the time of writing, Kiko has not responded to Arch Enemy or Michael Amott, though former Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow – and the band’s current manager has chimed in on Kiko’s post, defending her former bandmates.

“Never heard Kiko’s song before tbh,” she says. “So 3 notes are the same? Well, I guess that happens quite often in music. I have heard a lot of Arch Enemy notes in other songs but would never accuse the other band of plagiarism… More the contrary, I would probably feel honoured to inspire others.

“So sad to read a post like this from a guitar player we all respected. What is this good for? If you really feel you’ve got a case, get in touch and discuss professionally, not make such a post.”

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With millions of songs in existence and only a limited number of chord progressions and notes to choose from, it’s natural that songs often share similarities with one another. However, as is the case between Arch Enemy and Kiko Loureiro, this can lead to disputes which often wade into legal territory.

One of the most publicised such cases in recent memory concerned Ed Sheeran, who was accused of plagiarising Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On with his 2014 megahit, Thinking Out Loud.

The case was ultimately dismissed, after Sheeran used a guitar in court to prove how common the chord progression of Thinking Out Loud is across music. However before the ruling, he had threatened to quit music if found to have plagiarised Marvin Gaye’s classic.

“If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping. I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it,” he said.

The post Kiko Loureiro accuses Arch Enemy of copyright infringement  – Arch Enemy fire back: “So 3 notes are the same?” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Is the pursuit of technical excellence damaging the next generation of guitarists? Former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth seems to think so, as he explains why players shouldn’t “put too much emphasis” on perfection.

In a newly uploaded interview with North Coast Music Beat, Roth discusses why the pursuit of “technical brilliance” might often be at the expense of feel and soul.

• READ MORE: ThorpyFX just made the world’s first braille pedal for blind guitarist Anthony Ferraro following his custom braille Victory amp

“Nowadays there’s a lot of talent out there,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “However, I find the journey at the moment is maybe a little bit too much in pursuit of technical brilliance, and the personal sound and personal touch and expression is wanting.

“Too many players start sounding like typewriters, I would say. And I’m not saying that derogatorily – there are amazing people around, but I would [say], for a young player who wants to be different and stand out, do the opposite: don’t play all the fast notes. Play the notes that go straight to the heart…”

The 71-year-old guitarist says he’s taken on his own advice in his later years: “I still do [play fast] sometimes, but the older I get, the more I aim for just the most meaningful notes.”

“It doesn’t matter how fast you can hold a speech to someone; it matters what you’re actually saying… when you listen closely [to someone speaking fast] they’re not saying anything – it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just empty gobbledygook, as we’d say in England.”

Roth says young guitarists should aspire to have an understanding of theory in order to make their playing more impactful.

“You should know music, not just the scales and arpeggios. Understand the harmonies, understand the rhythms, and understand music from deep within and connect with it on the deepest level you possibly can. And then get inspired. And then the rest will come.”

And Uli Jon Roth isn’t alone in his opinion that players should focus on the meaning of their note choices as opposed to just playing fast.

Earlier this year, Carlos Santana said those who play fast are no better than gym bros who flex their muscles: “Big deal, so what?” he said.

Similarly, in 2024, Lenny Kravitz gave his take on Instagram shredders who are all about speed: “Musicians should be thinking more about feel, dynamics and emotion,” he said.

Watch North Coast Music Beat’s full interview with Uli Jon Roth – recorded in 2025 – below:

The post “It doesn’t matter how fast you can speak – it matters what you’re actually saying”: Uli Jon Roth explains the problem with the pursuit of technical perfection in guitar playing appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

In all my years of writing guitar-centric articles, I’ve covered a lot of ground, and still, sometimes there are things I realize I’ve never considered when it comes to guitar construction. For example, have you ever wondered why guitars have pickguards? Especially since a lot of players like their guitars to have that worn-in kind of look.

• READ MORE: Stop wasting your money on professionals – here’s how to install a new guitar pickup yourself

The pickguard – or scratchplate, as it’s sometimes called – seems like an obvious feature at first glance. It’s there to protect your guitar’s finish from pick scratches, right? Well, after some research, we find the answer can sometimes be a bit more complex than that, and depending on the guitar, the pickguard might be doing a lot more work than you think.

The Original Purpose: Protection

Let’s start with the basics. The pickguard was originally designed to protect a guitar’s finish from damage caused by the picking hand – specifically from fingernails, not picks. If you want a good example of that sort of wear, check out Willie Nelson’s “Trigger”, which was a Martin N-20 that didn’t have a pickguard. As a result, the wood on the guitar’s top has been completely worn through down to the bracing.

According to historical documentation, the pickguard became important on acoustic guitars where aggressive strumming or fingerpicking could easily scratch and wear down the polished wood surface near the soundhole. Gibson introduced the “floating” pickguard design in 1909 for archtop acoustic models like the Gibson L-1, where the guard was elevated on adjustable metal support brackets. This allowed players to adjust the height based on their playing position while keeping the guitar’s top protected.

On acoustic guitars, pickguards are typically thin sheets of plastic adhered below the soundhole. The material needs to be lightweight – usually around 2mm thick – because anything heavier could dampen the soundboard’s vibration and affect the instrument’s tone and volume. It’s a delicate balance between protection and performance.

The Electric Guitar Revolution: Function Meets Manufacturing

When Leo Fender designed the Telecaster and Stratocaster in the early 1950s, he transformed the pickguard into something far more clever. Leo Fender was a brilliant man, but his contributions to guitar design extend into the means of mass production – that was equally important as the design of the solidbody guitar. He didn’t just design the solidbody electric guitar as we know it, he revolutionized the industry at the manufacturing level as well.

As we know, the Stratocaster’s electronics are mounted directly to the pickguard rather than to the body. This design feature meant the entire assembly – pickups, controls, and wiring – could be dropped into place and screwed down with just eight screws, requiring only a connection to the output jack.

This was revolutionary for mass production. As noted in Fender’s historical documentation, the original Telecaster featured a simple black pickguard made from fiber or Bakelite held on with five screws. The pickguard changed from black to white in 1954, and materials evolved from brittle early plastics to more durable options by 1955. By 1959, Stratocasters received multi-ply celluloid pickguards with 11 screw holes instead of the original eight.

How The Pickguard Can Improve Tone: Shielding

Modern pickguards serve a third purpose that many players don’t realize: electromagnetic shielding. According to guitar electronics experts, guitars with single-coil pickups are particularly susceptible to electromagnetic interference from fluorescent lights, dimmer switches, and other electrical devices. This interference creates unwanted hum and buzz in your signal.

Many manufacturers now apply conductive shielding – either copper foil or conductive paint – to the underside of pickguards. When properly grounded, this creates what’s known as a Faraday cage around the guitar’s electronics. Shielding the pickguard back and connecting it to the grounded body cavities helps reduce radio frequency interference and electromagnetic interference that would otherwise be picked up by your wiring.

Some companies even manufacture metal pickguards from aluminum or copper specifically for their shielding properties, though these come with their own aesthetic considerations.

Another Hidden Purpose

Back in the late 1960s, Fender was making their guitars out of lightweight ash, but it became difficult to find, so after a shipment of heavy ash wood, they started exploring other means of weight relief in the bodies of their Telecaster guitars. One of the first attempts at this weight relief resulted in what many know as “The Smuggler’s Telecaster”. Basically, Fender routed out a large cavity in the guitar’s body just beneath the pickguard.

From the exterior, it looks like any other Telecaster at the time, but the pickguard was hiding one of the first attempts at weight relief in solid body electric guitars. The routed-out cavity seemed to be perfect for people what might want to smuggle items in their guitar undetected, hence the moniker “Smuggler’s Tele”. This was somewhat a precursor to what would become the Thinline Telecaster which would come out in 1968. Most Smuggler Telecaster examples are from 1967. About ten years or so ago, Fender did a limited run of 100 Custom Shop “Smuggler’s Telecasters” which came with two pickguards – one white and one clear, so you could see into the cavity. The Smuggler’s Tele teaches us that the pickguard was the key to a major innovation regarding weight relief in solid body guitars.

So What’s the Point?

The pickguard serves several distinct purposes depending on the guitar. On acoustics, it’s purely about protecting the finish – this is the most obvious purpose. On electric guitars, particularly Fender-style instruments, it’s a mounting platform that makes assembly and repairs significantly easier. And increasingly, it’s also part of the guitar’s noise-reduction system, helping to keep your signal clean in electrically noisy environments.

The next time someone tells you the pickguard is just there to look cool, you can let them know it’s actually one of the hardest-working components on your guitar – even if most of that work happens completely out of sight.

The post What’s the point of a guitar’s pickguard anyway? This is what it’s actually there for… appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Relicing has long been one of the most divisive topics in the guitar world. Some players adore the worn-in look and feel, while others can’t stand the idea of a brand-new instrument looking decades old, dismissing it as disingenuous.

Fender masterbuilders Andy Hicks and Austin MacNutt know just how heated this debate can get. In a recent conversation with Guitarist, the pair break down why some players are drawn to the beaten-up aesthetic, why others recoil at it – and why, at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste.

• READ MORE: ThorpyFX just made the world’s first braille pedal for blind guitarist Anthony Ferraro following his custom braille Victory amp

“There are people who want an instrument that looks like it’s straight out of the early ‘50s, and then there are other people who see [relicing] as another aesthetic part of the guitar,” says Hicks.

“In just the same way as people have their favorite colors, they also tend to have their favorite relicing level. And it’s not about, ‘Does it look like it actually happened to the instrument?’ Something that you’ll hear a lot of is that relicing is like ‘stolen valour’ – like, ‘Oh, you didn’t earn that relicing.’ But I think people who like it are not thinking of it like that,” he explains.

“They’re not thinking, ‘I want this instrument to look like I’ve played it for 60 years.’ They just think it’s cool.”

Hicks stresses that his role isn’t to police taste but to build the guitar the customer wants. Whether it’s a one-off for a local player or a Custom Shop model for Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray, the philosophy stays the same.

“I always tell people there’s nothing stopping you from ordering a NOS [non-relic] guitar,” MacNutt laughs. “I’m more than happy to not beat it up – so you can have both.”

Despite how they look, relic’ing doesn’t mean simply smashing guitars or beating them up indiscriminately (though Andrew Belew and Seymour Duncan might beg to differ) There’s a surprising amount of care and craftsmanship behind the process, as Fender Chief Product Officer Max Gutnik explains.

Take Fender’s Road Worn models, for instance. Built at the company’s Ensenada, Mexico factory, they’re designed to give players that ‘played-in’ feel straight out of the box, replicating the gradual wear of decades of playing.

“It’s like getting a pre-washed pair of jeans,” Gutnik says. “They’re broken in so they’re comfortable right out of the store, but they’ll continue to wear and become your own.”

“That’s what’s so great about nitrocellulose lacquer. If you have to wait 25 years to get to that place, I mean, you might not get there! So starting that process and having the guitar feel super comfortable out of the gate is what we’re aiming for.”

The post Fender masterbuilders on why relic’d guitars aren’t about “stolen valour”: “Those who like it aren’t thinking, ‘I want this instrument to look like I’ve played it for 60 years.’ They just think it’s cool” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Angine de Poitrine are quickly becoming the hottest act in guitar town. The Quebec-based instrumental duo – known as much for their polka-dotted masks as for a sound that borders on the unearthly – are turning heads across the internet.

Fresh off the release of their second album, Vol. II, ADP are riding a wave of online buzz, with their February KEXP performance already closing in on 8 million views on YouTube.

And now, even Foo Fighters guitarist Dave Grohl has hopped on the hype train.

• READ MORE: Celebrate Foo Fighters’ new album and get Dave Grohl’s Pelham Blue Epiphone DG-335 at a discount at Thomann

Grohl shared his discovery of the duo during a recent interview with Logan Kelly on Logan Sounds Off. Asked about the music he’s been listening to lately, Grohl immediately gushes, “I just have to try to say this correctly because it was sent to me yesterday by a friend, and it absolutely blew my fucking mind.”

“It’s called Angine des Poitrines… And I don’t know how to explain it other than you just have to watch these people. And it’s all instrumental.”

Attempting to put the band’s setup into words, Grohl explains, “That person has a double neck that’s a bass guitar on the bottom and a guitar on the top. And you’ll see the bank of pedals that they’re stepping on. And they’re looping every one of these riffs. It’s so completely insane.”

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For the uninitiated, that part-bass, part-guitar beast of an instrument, as drummer Klek de Poitrine revealed in a previous interview with Noize, actually began as a DIY experiment.

“I built the first microtonal guitar we used myself,” he said. “I added more frets on a guitar with a saw. The moment we started playing it, we just laughed. But since I’m not a guitarist, I wasn’t using the instrument’s full potential.”

“So I brought it to [bandmate] Khn [de Poitrine], and I told him, ‘You have to try this, it makes absolutely no sense.’ Then right away, the moment we started playing with it, we just laughed, you know, because of the friction created and the proximity of the notes.”

Listen to Angine de Poitrine’s new album, Vol. II, below.

The post “It absolutely blew my f**king mind”: Dave Grohl is getting on the Angine de Poitrine hype train appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Earlier this year, boutique amp maker Victory made headlines by building a custom braille-equipped amp for blind guitarist and skateboarder Anthony Ferraro. Now, UK pedal wizards ThorpyFX have picked up the baton with what’s believed to be the first fully braille-labelled guitar pedal.

“Braille guitar pedal? It’s the first one in the world,” Ferraro exclaims in an Instagram video documenting the reveal. “Wouldn’t be possible without this man, [Thorpy founder and pedal designer Adrian] Thorpe. I just showed up to his factory in the UK and he surprised me with this.”

• READ MORE: The best looper pedals for all needs and budgets

The pedal in question is a customised version of ThorpyFX’s The Dane MKII, a dual-stage boost/overdrive developed in collaboration with Andertons demo star and session ace Peter Honoré, aka ‘Danish Pete’. Already a favourite among tone chasers for its amp-like drive and stacked boost section, The Dane now has a new trick: it can literally be read by touch.

Getting there, however, wasn’t as simple as swapping printed Gain and Boost labels for raised dots. Thorpe’s initial attempt to integrate braille into the standard control layout quickly hit a wall.

“He started by trying to put the braille in here but unless you have super dainty fingers, which I don’t have, you can’t read it,” Ferraro explains. The solution came in the form of a custom “cover plate” – a removable top layer featuring clearly spaced braille markings that map out every knob and switch without crowding the pedal.

Running his fingers across the enclosure, Ferraro reads aloud: “Let’s see if the braille’s right. Level, boost side, clip, gain, tone, lows, the Dane. And then it even tells you on each side
which each pedal does. Like, this is the drive side and this is the boost side. Not to mention, he actually made it so I know if it goes on or off.”

“When using guitar pedals, it can get really confusing and I can forget all the controls at once,” Ferraro continues. “And this makes it so I know exactly what I’m gonna dial in and this is pure freedom at its finest. Especially in an age where all these pedals are going digital with all these touch screens. Come on!”

Plugging in his Fender Stratocaster, Ferraro runs through the tones: “Here’s our clean signal. Add some drive. Add some boost.”

And the verdict’s clear: “I think this just became my favorite drive pedal,” says the guitarist. “Thanks for being the first one to ever do this with a pedal and making huge waves in the accessibility world, brother. Thank you.”

In the video’s caption, Ferraro – a longtime advocate for accessibility in music gear – also reflects on how far the conversation has come.

“I thought asking music equipment to be made accessible was an extreme request but why not dream big. Never did I think my advocacy for braille throughout my life would lead to such monumental waves,” he writes. “If playing music is the only thing I do in my life that doesn’t make me feel blind then why not make the gear accessible so other blind kids and people can experience freedom through music like I have.”

“Thank you ThorpyFX for making the world’s first braille pedal – of course it had to be The Dane by Peter Honoré – it was incredible to visit your factory where this braille pedal came to reality and gave us a new friendship.”

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The post ThorpyFX just made the world’s first braille pedal for blind guitarist Anthony Ferraro following his custom braille Victory amp appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

£1,419, fender.com

Here’s a strange one for you – despite being without question the coolest guitar the company has ever made, Fender doesn’t seem to understand why people like Jazzmasters. That’s a ballsy claim, I’ll admit, but as a fully paid-up member of the Offset Tragics committee, let me tell you why.

If you love a Jazzmaster, chances are what captivated you about them were the guitars made in the 60s – especially those with various delightful custom colour options. Lake Placid Blue? Hell yes. Firemist Gold? Don’t mind if I do. Fiesta Red? I should think so. In fact, if you go onto Reverb, search ‘Jazzmaster’ and sort prices from high to low, you’ll find that all the most expensive offsets on there are early 60s Jazzers in a variety of beautiful shades.

And yet despite Fender churning out enough guitars to clog the Strait of Hormuz on a daily basis, you simply cannot buy an authentically early 60s Jazzmaster with Fender on the headstock.

• READ MORE: Eastman Fullertone Offset ’62 review – “it has a unique sonic voice and retro feel all of its own”

The American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster is a stunning guitar, sure, but that has block inlays and a big matching headstock – a different genus of Jazzer if ever there was one. The Vintera II Jazzmaster guitars are 50s models, and so it’s all sunbursts and gold pickguards – again, beautiful instruments, but it’s not what I want. The American Professional Classic guitar looks the part, but under the hood it’s a modern guitar in 60s clothing. In fact, the only way to get something that properly looks and feels the part without going to the Custom Shop is the Squier Classic Vibe 60s model… and that doesn’t have the right name on the peghead.

Thank goodness, then, for Fender Japan. In the 90s and early 2000s it kept the faith with the Jazzmaster when nobody else was making them, constantly reminding the world that Fender’s offset remained achingly cool with some wonderfully quirky takes on the form. It’s no surprise, then, that among the small range of Fender Japan guitars that the brand chooses to share with the wider world, there’s always a couple of quirky Jazzmasters in there – that’s real heritage.

Most relevant for this discussion, one of the more recent entries is this – a proper early 60s spec’d Jazzmaster… is this the traditional guitar I’ve been waiting for?

Fender Made In Japan Traditional 60s Jazzmaster – what is it?

Crafted in Fender’s mysterious Nagano factory (the specific details of which they refuse to share publicly), this Jazzmaster might have “Traditional” in its name, but in a lot of ways it’s anything but.

We’ll come back to the visuals in a minute, but even a glance at the spec sheet reveals this to be very much its own thing. So, for starters the body is basswood rather than the more traditional alder you’d expect to see in a Fender guitar. There’s nothing wrong with basswood of course – everyone from Steve Vai to Eddie Van Halen has found it a perfectly acceptable option, but well, it’s not very ‘traditional’ is it?

Then there’s the neck, which is a classic maple/rosewood affair at least, but with a U-shaped neck profile and 9.5-inch fingerboard radius – again, there’s nothing wrong with either of those things, but that certainly wasn’t what Fender was doing in the 60s.

And then there’s the visuals, which if you’re not reading this via some sort of screen-reading software, is likely to be old news – and something about which you’ve probably made your mind up about already.

Because yes, while you can get this Traditional 60s model in a rather fetching sunburst with a competition stripe (lordy) or Black Pearl, the powers that be have deigned to send me one in this rather polarising White Pearl finish, complete with matching headstock and gold hardware.

And in some ways, I have to take my hat off to the folks at Fender Japan – they’ve managed to craft a Jazzmaster that I absolutely would not take out in public, and I think that might be a first. Which is a real shame, because the White Pearl, with its rather charming hint of iridescence, is kinda awesome – especially when looking at it up close – but the mood-killer here is that gold hardware.

Look, gold hardware in the right context can look awesome – stick it on a big ol’ Gretsch or a Les Paul Custom and I will buy that all day long. Doubly so if that gold has got a bit dulled and tarnished in an authentic way.

But there’s just something… wrong… about the gold here. I don’t know whether it’s the pristine nature of it all alongside that ultra-shiny poly finish, the specific shade of gold Fender has chosen, or just the fact that it’s on a Jazzmaster at all but… it’s an absolute car-crash. It feels about as premium as a Claire’s Accessories jewellery haul, and that is NOT what we want especially from, and I feel the need to reiterate this – a Traditional 60s Jazzmaster.

Looks are subjective of course, but everyone I’ve shown this guitar to over the last few weeks has universally agreed that this would be a massively better-looking guitar with silver hardware.

Fender Made In Japan Traditional 60s Jazzmaster – build quality and playability

Putting my aesthetic reservations aside, respect is due to the fine folks at Fender Japan for the level of craftsmanship and the attention to detail that comes off every millimetre of this instrument.

With a finish this shiny – especially one that catches the light in the way that the Pearl does – any hint of imperfection or rushed workmanship would show up, but this guitar really is perfect from top to bottom. The immaculate edging around the painted headstock and the transition from neck to peghead is also flawlessly done. The neck’s glossy finish is also smoothly applied, while the rosewood fingerboard is a lovely dark brown, with 21 impeccably installed vintage-style frets.

As it happens, I have a pair of similarly-priced alternative Jazzmasters to compare the MIJ one to – the Road Worn Vintera II 50s model I reviewed earlier this year, and my trusty 60s Lacquer model from 2012.

One striking aspect of this MIJ model is the weight: both of the Mexico-made guitars read at bang on 8lbs, but the Traditional 60s guitar barely scrapes 7lbs. This is no doubt down to the lightweight basswood body compared to the alder used on the other two, but it’s still eyebrow-raising to pick up a Jazzmaster and find it has the displacement of a good Strat or Tele.

The neck is another obvious point of difference – obviously you get a flatter and more bend-friendly experience from the MIJ’s 9.5-inch radius (though I never have too many issues with a 7.25 in that regard personally), but the profile itself is a strikingly different experience.

Both the Mexico guitars have a classic C-shaped neck and, comparatively, the pronounced shoulders and flatter back of the U-shape on the Japan model definitely offer a different vibe. It’s not any less comfortable, but it’s one that feels more set up for lead playing and precision than the perhaps more generic comfort of the MIM models I have for comparison.

It’s also a slightly deeper neck at the first fret (20mm to 21.5mm) but graduating to a roughly identical 22mm at the 12th fret – combined with the extra shoulder, it makes for a chunkier proposition when playing open chords.

Despite the gloss finish however, it’s impressively un-sticky under hand, and while the ‘board edges aren’t rolled as they are on the Vintera II, the fretwork is nicely finished and it’s a smooth, comfortable player.

Like literally everyone else who’s ever owned a Jazzmaster, my guitar has had a bridge change from the dreadful threaded saddles that make original guitars from the 60s such a tricky prospect to set up right.

I’ve had to learn to live with Fender’s baffling determination to inflict the original bridge on modern players on its vintage-inclined instruments, but given how fast and loose Fender has played with the ‘Traditional’ tag on this guitar elsewhere, it’s utterly baffling to see an ugly gold example situated here. Especially as it seems to be more prone to rattling than the bridge on the Vintera II does. The worst part is, if you were planning to buy the damn thing, your upgrade options are limited. As far as I can tell neither Mastery, Staytrem, Tuffset or Bensonite – the most trusted options for aftermarket bridges – offer a gold option. That means you’re stuck with a generic Mustang option that probably won’t quite match the shade of gold to the rest of the guitar. Nightmare.

Mercifully, the rest of the setup works nicely, the push-fit trem arm is a welcome addition, and it’s a smooth, fluid operator out of the gate – with tuning stability as acceptable as you could hope for a JM trem.

Fender Made In Japan Traditional 60s Jazzmaster – sounds

Given that this guitar is loaded with a set of Fender’s Vintage-Style Jazzmaster single-coils, you might very well expect that we’d be greeted by a traditional Jazzmaster sonic experience when plugging in… well, not so fast, my friend.

Played clean, there’s plenty of woody low-end warmth that you’d expect to find from a Jazzmaster, but rather than pair that with the usual high-end sparkle you’d expect, we get more of a strident midrange and general clarity in terms of note definition. Even with the idiosyncratic rhythm circuit, this is a guitar that seems unwilling to muddy up – which depending on what you want to use it for, may be a good or bad thing.

If I had to guess, I’d say that this is probably more down to the basswood body than the pickups themselves – basswood is quite similar to mahogany in terms of the way it pushes the mid frequencies, compared to the brighter attack of alder, after all.

It’s a sound that’s unquestionably very usable – it doesn’t have much of the wooliness that can plague a Jazzmaster in the wrong hands, and if I were to put my hand on my heart I’d say that it’s probably a more widely usable palette of tones for the average player, especially if you’re pushing things on the distortion front.

Even with the rhythm circuit engaged, there’s a pleasing amount of midrange here that works well as you dial the gain up, adding punch and power without any shrill high-end issues. We’re not going crazy here – this is still a single-coil pickup guitar – but if you’re a Jazzmaster fan looking for a more general rock voice, this could be exactly what you’ve been after. “Traditional” though? Well…

Fender Made In Japan Traditional 60s Jazzmaster – should I buy one?

I feel like I’m boring myself at this point by continually pointing out that this guitar has been bafflingly named. If you’re looking for an authentically early 60s guitar like me, then your search continues here as it doesn’t have much of that about it – whether that’s the looks, the playability, or indeed the sound.

With that in mind, maybe the sensible thing is just to park that particular misnomer and take this guitar on its own merits. If you’re a more rock-inclined player looking for something that has some Jazzmaster mojo but with a playability and sound that will make light work of lightning-fast runs and heavier tones, this might be the perfect offset for you.

It’s also built extremely well, with an excellent level of fit and finish throughout, and the price is compelling given how rapidly the price of Mexico- and USA-made Fenders have crept up in recent years: at barely 200 bucks more than a Vintera II Road Worn and almost a grand less than a USA guitar, it stacks up very well.

It’s a less fun equation if you’re in the USA, sadly: while Fender Japan guitars are widely available (including direct from Fender) outside of the US, the guitars seem to be an import-only affair in the Land Of The Free currently. Maybe it’s a tariffs thing, but either way it’s a shame.

The subjective question of the looks here on this particular finish / hardware combo is the biggest sticking point for me. I’m sure someone will love it, and I am nobody’s idea of an authority on style, but I can’t really understand some of the choices made here. And that, much more than the inaccurate name, is the thing I just can’t get over.

Fender Made In Japan Traditional 60s Jazzmaster – alternatives

As you might well expect, Fender offers most of the ready-made alternatives to this guitar, and perhaps its closest competitor is the American Professional Classic Jazzmaster (£1,599 / $1,599) – that offers a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard and various other modern conveniences with a classic (and very early 60s) look, and vintage-style pickups. If you want something that’s much more accurate on the vintage side (albeit in the later 60s incarnation) the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster ($2,799 / £2,379) is a fantastic guitar from top to bottom. If you wanna embrace the rock with your offset, the EVH Wolfgang Special ($1,499) has a pair of humbuckers to pair with the same basswood body as the Jazzmaster.

The post Fender Made In Japan Traditional 60s Jazzmaster review: “this visually polarising guitar is anything but traditional” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

This June, Rush’s grand Fifty Something reunion tour will finally be kicking off at LA’s Kia Forum, the very same venue where guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee performed their final show with the late Neil Peart in 2020. For years, the band weren’t sure they’d ever feel comfortable performing again without their iconic drummer – let alone under the Rush branding.

While the band ultimately decided to go by Rush on their comeback tour, it was a hot topic of debate amongst the team. But, as Geddy Lee says in the latest issue of Classic Rock, “What else do you fucking call it?” when you’re performing a back-to-back set of Rush cuts.

• READ MORE: Rush have performed for the first time since reforming – and you can watch it right now

“When the band ended, we said it’s only Rush with Neil in it,” he explains. “Which of course is true. Rush as most people know it. But, you know, over five gigs we will be playing forty Rush songs. So what the fuck should we call it, Iron Maiden?”

While the band will be touring with new drummer Anika Nilles, Peart’s family has given their blessing for the group to tour under the Rush name once again. Because, when it comes down to it, Lifeson and Lee have gone by Rush for over five decades – it’s a part of them. “We were twisting ourselves into a pretzel to try to avoid using the name that we have had for fifty years, and even before Neil came,” Lee says.

Of course, the tour opening at the venue that played host to Peart’s final Rush performance is the band’s way of respecting their late drummer’s legacy. But they won’t let the loss define Rush and confine it to the annals of history. “It just seems silly to go on as Lee and Lifeson Present The Music Of…” Lee concludes. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Let’s just be who we are and have been for over fifty years.”

And Neil’s presence is going to be felt every night, so he wont be forgotten. Lee expressed his sadness elsewhere in the new Classic Rock interview: “Without Neil… I’ll be frank. There are some songs you play where it kind of hits you, it’s bad, and it feels weird. And it’s appropriate that that happens. You know what I mean?”

“If we just picked up and went on without feeling any tug of anything, that would be absurd, that would be a whole other thing. And there’ll be moments in both sets where we’ll pay tribute to him. We’re working hard on that, making sure that it’s appropriate.”

The post “What the f**k should we call it, Iron Maiden?” Geddy Lee says he and Alex Lifeson “twisted ourselves into a pretzel” coming up with a reunion name that wasn’t ‘Rush’ appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.