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The guitarist with “a precise machine-gun right hand” that Marty Friedman loves to work with
Marty Friedman is a champion of uplifting other guitarists, and he’s recently highlighted another player he particularly admires.
Since relocating to Tokyo in Japan back in 2003, Friedman has integrated himself deeply into the country’s guitar scene, appearing on a number of Japanese music television shows like Rock Fujiyama, and networking with other musicians.
In a new interview with Guitar World, he highlights Asterism’s Hal-Ca as one of his favourite players to jam with. The band formed in 2014, and have gained international recognition for their own genre, which they call “mass metal”.
“There are a lot of super female rock guitarists in Japan, but if I were forced to choose a favorite, it would be Hal-Ca,” Friedman begins. “Her band is called Asterism, and we’ve done a lot of cool things together, notably performing the song Gyutto, which we wrote together on Sony’s The First Take video series.
“Hal-Ca is an extremely aggressive heavy metal player, with a precise machine-gun right hand for rhythm that I wish I had. Her soloing is wild, well thought out, and performed with ease and abandon.
“Hal-Ca will be doing some shows with me as my second guitarist on tour, and that requires some pretty high-level abilities,” he shares.
Hear Hal-Ca in action below:
Earlier this year, Friedman also shared his thoughts on the impact that social media has had on the guitar industry. In an interview with musician Tobias Le Compte, he argued that guitar’s popularity has always been cyclical – but today’s platforms are amplifying it in ways that weren’t possible before.
“It goes up and down in popularity as an instrument,” he said. “But the great thing about now is social media is just such a big support of guitar.
“Just right now, I did two things that are, without social media – no one would know what they are. But I did a great collaboration with Ichika Nito, and it’s all over social media now.”
Find out where you can catch Marty Friedman on tour by heading over to his official website.
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A previously unheard Van Halen track is about to be released – here’s how you can listen to it
A previously unreleased Van Halen demo recorded in 1974 is set for release alongside the limited-edition version of Alex Van Halen’s new book, Van Halen.
The new track, Glitter, marks the earliest Van Halen recording ever to be officially released, and features brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen, alongside frontman David Lee Roth and original bassist Mark Stone.
Arriving alongside the signed limited-edition version of Alex Van Halen’s book, Glitter will be available via a 7” picture disc with artwork based on the band’s classic 1984 tour design. The record will also feature a spoken-word recording from Alex Van Halen, taken from exclusive interviews from the new book.
Published by Genesis, Van Halen is described as the “official chronicle of the band”, and is limited to just 1,500 signed and numbered copies worldwide.
The book draws upon AVH’s private archives, tracing his and Eddie’s journey from childhood to their arrival in California from Holland, charting “backyard parties in Pasadena” through to their formative years playing the legendary Sunset Strip, and their landmark 1978 debut album.
The book is made up of 312 pages in total, featuring photography of iconic moments, previously unseen images, correspondence, tour memorabilia, album artwork, press material, musical equipment and other archival material.
Of the total 1,500 copies, copies 351 to 1,500 are presented as Collector boxed sets, arriving in a quarter-bound black vegan leather with silver page edging and a silver-debossed Van Halen logo taken from the band’s 1978 world tour.
In other news, two Eddie Van Halen Kramer guitars recently went up for auction – accompanied by his used cigarette butts… They sold for $205,000 and $100,000, respectively.
The book is available now for pre-order via Genesis.
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“We’ll never stop doing what we do”: The Linda Lindas on the power of community, working with Hayley Williams, and becoming toneheads
The Linda Lindas’ new album begins with a twisted sort of disco. It’s not the usual sound most would ‘expect’ from the four-piece punk band, but their titular opening track proves exactly why this new era is so exciting.
“I had this crazy funk phase right before we started writing,” laughs Bela Salazar. “I was listening to The Brothers Johnson and [artists] like that. If you listen closely, there’s a lot of funky guitar parts. They’re not played in the context that they’re supposed to be played in, but I was deep diving and learning about the picking styles.”
Listen to the lyrics on Gotta Get Out, however, and it all starts to make sense. As demonstrated on their 2022 debut Growing up and 2024’s No Obligation, the Linda Lindas are good at this sort of oxymoronic thing: while their instrumental work is often colourful, their lyrics reveal inner stories of mental health struggles, burnout, pressure, and societal concerns, from climate change to warped politics.
Image: Press
Different Strokes
There’s no doubt about it though, this album feels different, both from a listener’s perspective and for the band behind it. They’ve levelled up.
“We’re very proud of how much we’ve grown,” reflects Lucia de la Garza. “It’s really cool to get to do it with a band and have that shared experience. We’re really lucky to be making music still.”
Half a decade has passed since they went viral for their LA Public Library performance of their song Racist, Sexist Boy. Fast forward to the present, and it’s a busy August morning for the band – completed by Mila de la Garza and Eloise Wong – as they’re set for a day of both press and practice for their upcoming tour. They’re quite happy to have a chock-full calendar though; it was the comedown of their last tour that put the wheels in motion for album three, afterall.
“We toured No Obligation, and it was so, so fun. We were having the best time. Then we got home and were like, ‘Now what?’ And immediately decided that it was time,” recalls de la Garza.
“The process of No Obligation took a long time; from having written the songs to releasing them was a very long time, so the time from releasing them to touring them was even longer. We’d sat with them. They had been in our hearts and in our heads for a while. We had so many ideas for a third album.”
Image: Press
Spinning Around
Not only is Gotta Get Out funky, but it’s metal AF, it’s classic emo, and it’s pop-rock, all in the same body of work. To forge the record as a fresh experiment, the band set out to break from familiar habits when writing, retreating to Palm Springs and Long Beach to work together in the same room for the first time.
A synergy was created between the two six-stringers, with Salazar starting most guitar parts, then de la Garza adding her own spin on them and pushing them even further. The whole band was in their element, inspired by trial and error, and a desire to learn new things.
“I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t really know how to do a lot of things. I’m going to learn how to use Logic. I’m going to demo out all my ideas,’” shares Salazar. “We had a couple of writing trips. I got really into pedals and became a little bit more of a tonehead.”
No gear snobbery round here, partner. The gang used a mix of classic pedals, multi-effects units and modellers, as well as a range of guitars, some of which echo back to the very first instruments they picked up.
The duo dipped into the world of EarthQuaker pedals – from the Westwood overdrive to the Sea Machine super chorus – the Line 6 HX Stomp, and Fender’s ToneMaster.
“I had a SG, I had a Strat, I had a Jazzmaster, I used a St. Vincent [Music Man],” lists de la Garza. “We’re getting ready for tour right now, and I’m going to be taking a Jazzmaster on the road, which I’m very excited about because I stopped [using one for a while].”
“In the studio, I used a [Gibson] ES-330, a [Fender] Jaguar, a Tele. I love Teles,” emphasises Salazar, who these days opts for lightweight models. “On tour, I think I’m going to go back to playing a Tele. My back is all messed up from guitar… I’m getting a Tele [that has] the inside carved out.”
Image: Press
Blood Work
One of the most impressive exercises in the band pushing things further tonally is on track Blood On Our Hands. The band picked up their most metal axes and got to work on finding a classic metal sound. The result is mega, and works in tandem with ultra sharp lyrics: ‘All the people here, we’ll let them go hungry, How does building camps and dropping bombs help our country?’
“We picked the heaviest guitars we had, which for me was the SG,” shares de la Garza. “It took a long time to get there. We were playing for a while and tinkering, figuring it all out. My dad, who’s the producer on the album, really wanted to get it all right and [give] it the heaviest and coolest sound possible. We were using Marshalls a lot in the studio for the big, classic sound.”
Another significant track on the record is the band’s collaboration with Paramore’s Hayley Williams. It was a long time coming given the band’s longstanding bond with Williams, who showed her support from them right off the back of their 2021 viral performance.
“Most of the song was done by the time that she heard it. We layered a bunch of guitars on for the demo because we knew that was the sound that we wanted. She’s like the queen of emo, pretty much! So it was a little bit daunting showing it to her, but also pretty awesome,” says de la Garza.
“We ended up adding more to the bridge in terms of guitar after she heard it. She had ideas to bring it to that place where [it is now]. [Of course we were] going to trust her opinions on how to bring it home in terms of honouring the legacy of the genre.”
No Pressure
Much like Williams, who also started out in the industry as a young teenager, The Linda Lindas have found that breaking into music before adulthood can be a complicated journey of figuring yourself out in front of a public lens.
“Honestly, Hayley told us early on [about the] power of saying no,” explains Salazar. “That has helped us so much because it’s hard to say yes to every opportunity that comes in. We’ve learned to protect our peace.”
The Linda Lindas have their heads screwed on. Making art with good people and building a defiant community around them is not only an act of rebellion, but the hope they hold onto. Here’s to the next five years and beyond.
“One of the things that’s been really cool about being in this band is how many friends we’ve gotten to make along the way that do creative things too,” says de la Garza. “That’s something that AI can’t do, is build a community like that, build something bigger than yourself… We’ll never stop doing what we do, which is being creative and being true to us.”
The Linda Lindas are on tour from September. Head to their official website to find out more.
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Seymour Duncan recreates the P-90s in Joe Bonamassa’s prized pawnshop 1961 Gibson SG Special
Blues maestro Joe Bonamassa has teamed up with pickup powerhouse Seymour Duncan on a new set of Custom Shop P-90s.
Recreating the sound of the P-90s in his treasured 1961 Gibson SG Special – which made him fall in love with the sound of P=90s in the first place – the Joe Bonamassa “Pawn Shop Special” 1961 P90 Set utilises Alnico 4 magnets, a custom wind and “historically accurate components” to deliver “airy highs, expressive midrange and snarling overdrive”.
Joe Bonamassa’s love affair with P-90s began in 2010, when he discovered his now-prized ‘61 Gibson SG Special at a pawn shop while on tour. Though dating back to the first year Gibson ever launched the now famous SG model, the guitar is said to have been a “pristine example of a first-year SG Special”.
As he remembers, he was alerted to the presence of the pawn shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana by a member of his crew.
“Very rarely do you find a special guitar in a pawn shop,” Bonamassa says. “Well, one day in 2010, I was playing the Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne. It was the middle of winter, and I heard there was a pawn shop around the corner with an interesting SG from one of the crew guys.”
He continues: “I ended up bringing it back to the Embassy Theatre. I plugged it in, and these particular P-90s were the P-90s that I was searching for. Over the years, I always thought they were either too dark or too bright; not for me. But this was the beginning of my love affair with P-90s.”
Seymour Duncan has been tasked with recreating the pickups of some of Joe Bonamassa’s vintage guitars in the past, but this collaboration marks the first time the brand has made a custom Joe Bonamassa P-90 set.
The pickups are outfitted with historically accurate dimpled P-90 bottom plates, covers and other period-correct details, and come wax potted as per JoBo’s preferences for his live performances.
Owing to the special place that ‘61 “Pawn Shop Special” SG has in Bonamassa’s collection – it was the very first instrument he catalogued, marking it as inventory item #001 – the first 610 sets of the new pickups come with a Nerdville #001 inventory tag, plus a certificate of authenticity signed by both Joe and Seymour Duncan.
Nerdville, of course, refers to the two locations in LA and Nashville where Joe Bonamassa houses his vast collection of vintage instruments.
The Joe Bonamassa “Pawn Shop Special” pickups are available now, priced at $375 a set.
Learn more at Seymour Duncan.
Credit: Seymour Duncan
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The best deals from Thomann Guitar Days – save up to 60% on guitars from Fender, Gibson, Strandberg, Solar and more
In the market for a new guitar? Perfect timing, as Thomann has just launched its Guitar Days sale, which across the rest of September, offers discounts of up to 60% on a huge range of guitar gear.
Whether you’re looking for your first guitar or simply another instrument to add to the collection, Guitar Days has deals running the gamut of price points, so regardless of your budget, you’ll find your perfect new guitar in no time.
Naturally, as there’s hundreds of deals on offer – over 500, to be precise – it’s a bit of a task to sift through them all to find the right one for you. Thankfully, though, we’ve scanned the entire sale to find the very best deals to make your life a little easier.
Budget-constrained/looking for something entry level? There’s a huge range of Thomann-owned Harley Benton electric guitars up for grabs, like the shred-ready Fusion-IV HSS RW SGD, discounted by 20%, down from £429 to £345. Or if you’re after a single-cut, try the SC-Custom III in Purple Satin, down 10% to just £232. This one’s fitted with Tesla humbuckers and a raft of player-friendly features, and could very well be your next riff machine for under £250.
Headless guitars are all the rage these days in the virtuosic prog metal world, so if this is your bag, you’ll need one in your collection. And during Guitar Days, there’s some solid headless options discounted until the end of September.
The top-rated Strandberg Boden Prog NX 7 Deep Blue has seen a massive 31% knocked off its price tag, taking this seven-string beauty down from £2,259 to just £1,555. Obviously fifteen hundred quid ain’t cheap, but £700 in savings is nothing to be sniffed at. Specs include a swamp ash body with a flame maple veneer, a carbon fibre reinforced neck, Fishman Fluence pickups and a headstock featuring – oh no, wait, that’s missing.
Meanwhile, there’s a six-string option available, too – the Strandberg Boden Metal NX 6 in Black Granite, discounted by 26%, now just £1,350 instead of £1,825. This one sports Suhr Aldrich humbuckers, a carbon fibre-reinforced neck, and a basswood body.
If you want a headless guitar at a fraction of the price, try the Hils Next HN5 Met. in Coral Orange, with nearly half off the price tag at just £291 down from £511.
In the guitar world, Fender and Gibson remain the two big dogs. So if one is missing from your collection, now’s the time to branch out… There’s a number of Fender and Gibson guitars on offer during Guitar Days, like this Les Paul Studio, down 18% to just £1,135 from £1,390.
Or if you’ve got a little more budget to play with, a Gibson Firebird is a prestigious addition to any guitar collection. This Firebird Custom is discounted by £600, and is now £3,490 throughout the Guitar Days sale.
On the Fender side, you can get this Made-in-Japan ‘60s Jazzmaster for just £1,199 down from £1,350.
If none of these tickle your fancy, take a look at some other highlights we’ve picked out below!
And if there’s still nothing here that’s tempting you, feel free to head over to Thomann to browse the full Guitar Days sale yourself!
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Spark PEDAL: Positive Grid crams an entire guitar rig – with amps, effects, a looper and Bluetooth – into a compact pedal format
In just 15 years, Positive Grid has established itself as one of the most innovative guitar gear makers in the game. Lately, most of the San Diego-based brand’s equipment has seen AI as a key selling point. Take BIAS X, for example, a comprehensive in-the-box amp suite featuring AI-driven text-to-tone capabilities. Or the Reactor, a physical amplifier that ships with an AI chatbot…
But its latest release sees the company foray into the world of floor-based amp modellers, placing less emphasis on AI this time around and returning to the basics that made its flagship Spark amps so popular: top-quality tones, Bluetooth connectivity for jamming and practice, and a massive suite of digital amps and effects to play with.
Built on Positive Grid’s HD Tone Engine – the same DSP architecture found in the flagship Spark 2 – the Spark PEDAL offers guitarists 33 onboard amp models and 43 effects, as well as access to over 100,000 tones via PG’s online ToneCloud tone-sharing community.
The Spark PEDAL features an intuitive set of controls, with multi-function knobs depending on the mode selected. In Amp Mode, these knobs adjust your standard amp parameters, like Gain, Bass, Mid and Treble. Meanwhile, switching to FX Mode makes these knobs control Drive, Modulation, Delay and Reverb depth. The centre multi-function knob can be held down to activate a built-in tuner, while guitarists can also store up to six presets across two banks via the onboard footswitches.
There’s also an onboard 60-second looper, which can be operated via the unit’s footswitches, meaning no menu navigation and seamless looper access. Guitarists can also jam along to tracks via a mobile Bluetooth connection, and practice silently using the stereo headphone out.
In terms of connectivity, the Spark PEDAL can function in a range of scenarios. Alongside its functionality as a standalone floor-based amp pedal, the amp section can be bypassed and the unit used as an effects unit in front of an existing rig, it can be used on an existing pedalboard, and even as an audio interface for desktop recording.
AI has made up a big part of many of Positive Grid’s most recent products, and via the free Spark app, Spark PEDAL users can also utilise Text to Tone to describe and be delivered any tone they can imagine. These tones can then be either saved or manually tweaked further.
Credit: Positive Grid
Additionally, the Spark PEDAL features an impressive onboard battery, with up to seven hours per charge.
The Spark PEDAL is available now for $199. For more information, head to Positive Grid.
Credit: Positive Grid
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Sweetwater CEO Mike Clem on what makes them different: “It’s not about profits. It’s about how we introduce a new generation to the joy of making music”
When Mike Clem joined Sweetwater back over 20 years ago, the Indiana-based retailer was a $2 million a year business. Nowadays, the US retail giant is knocking on the door of $2 billion. In that time, Clem has steered Sweetwater’s evolution into America’s biggest music eCommerce brand. But despite his technical background, his love of music has driven his rise to the top of the brand.
“I was a band geek by day, and a rock star at night!” Clem chuckles. “I’d be in smoky bars till 3am and then up in the morning playing at church. I just absorbed as much music as I possibly could.”
Clem nearly went to music college, only deciding at the last minute to pivot to his “second love” of computer science. Armed with the software skills to take advantage of the earliest days of the internet, Clem became something of a pioneer in the world of online retail.
In 2003, the Indiana native had an opportunity to “combine passions” with a job at Sweetwater. “We were building technology and figuring out how to make that experience great online,” he explains. “You know, Sweetwater.com went live in 1994. It was one of the very first websites on the internet, let alone this industry! And from day one, it was about educating, and it was about community: commerce came later.”
Servant Hearts
A huge part of why Sweetwater has become the billion-dollar behemoth it is today is their unique approach in an era where online retail is about as impersonal as it gets. Every customer gets assigned a “Sales Engineer”: a highly trained and knowledgeable customer service representative who will remain their permanent point of contact at the company. It’s a level of personalised service that comes straight from Sweetwater founder Chuck Surack.
“There’s definitely a love of the game here,” Clem explains. “We’re in it for more than just the business part. Music is a high-passion industry, and success is moving you along that musical journey. And so that’s why this relationship model pays off. We’re picking up the phone, saying, ‘Hey, tell me about your goals. Where are you trying to get to?’ And then we can be a companion along that journey. We’re actually understanding customers at a personal level – it’s not just transactional and through a spreadsheet.”
Image: Press
Economies of Scale
Another part of Sweetwater’s success has been a different approach to growth – “Chuck was smart enough to say there,” Clem says, “there’s such a thing as growing a company too quickly.” The company, which was founded 1979, has intentionally ensured it didn’t grow too fast or expand too hastily at the expense of that customer-centric focus.
“It’s easy to get one customer experience right. It’s hard to do that consistently across 14 million,” Clem freely admits. “It requires you to create structure, to create culture. We have to hire the right people that come in with a mindset to serve others. There’s a culture of obsessing over details like I’ve never seen in any other company. No detail is too small.”
For Clem, there’s something unique and special about music makers that makes this approach even more effective.
“Y’know, music resonates with our souls and in ways we can’t understand,” he explains. “Those moments when you get goose bumps on the arm. Nothing can ever replace that core human feeling.”
Passing The Torch
After decades working on Sweetwater’s multifaceted digital offering, Clem took over from Surack as the CEO/President of the brand in 2023. But rather than try to put his own stamp on the brand, Clem has proven passionate about preserving their founder’s core values and ethos above all else.
“Part of my promise to Chuck was to maintain the heart of the company, not the growth,” Clem explains. “Chuck would always say, we just take care of one customer at a time, one detail at a time. If we come in every day and do that with passion and precision, the growth will follow, the money will follow, but we stay focused on the customers.”
Instead of pursuing growth for growth’s sake, Sweetwater is instead focused on doing things that benefit all musicians and music lovers.
“That’s really the north star at Sweetwater: how do we grow the entire industry?” he reveals. “It’s not about growing the company or sales or profits. It’s about how we introduce a new generation to the joy of making music.”
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Dave Mustaine’s new memoir, In My Darkest Hour, has arrived, and he’s embarking on a three-stop US book tour
As the end of Megadeth looms ever closer, Dave Mustaine is getting existential. While the guitarist has put pen to paper in the past, with 2020’s Rust In Peace autobiography reflecting on the band’s iconic 1990 album of the same name, his new biography is a far more personal. Released today, In My Darkest Hour tells the tale of how a cancer survivor, family man and legendary thrashman “saved himself” when the pressure was on.
To spread the word of his new memoir, Mustaine is also embarking on a three city US book tour. The first stop on release day will be extra special, with a New York fan Q&A where Mustaine will be discussing In My Darkest Hour, adding further depth to the release and answering audience questions. After, he’ll before stopping by Boston on 9 September and Manassas on 10 September for meet and greet events.
While the Virginian meet and greet in Manassas is already sold out, New York’s launch event and Boston’s event both still have some spots left. Each ticket purchase also includes a signed copy of the book. Each of the three events has also been planned to align with Megadeth’s slot on Iron Maiden‘s Run For Your Lives World Tour, so there’s no need to worry about missing the show.
As for the memoir itself, In My Darkest Hour is set to be, unsurprisingly, pretty dark. When the book was first announced, Mustaine revealed that it explores the “harrowing” experience that followed his stage three throat cancer diagnosis in June 2019. “One of most harrowing experiences of my adult life has been my seven-year journey through cancer treatment and onward into remission,” he wrote on the Megadeth website.
“This story is considerably more than just go to the doctor, get diagnosed, get treatment and hopefully I live happily ever after,” he continued. “This was a journey of me saving myself, staying alive, keeping my family together, and continuing to make music through it all.”
The memoir is set to explore Mustaine’s experience balancing chemotherapy and studio sessions, all leading up to the band’s 2022 record, the Sick, The Dying…and the Dead! As the press release explains, it also explores how Mustaine confronted “his own mortality” throughout this period, which “brought him closer to his family, taught him how to ask for help, strengthened his faith, and challenged the vulnerability of his art”.
As for Megadeth, the band are continuing to enjoy their final victory lap before calling it a day. After earning a Billboard #1 record with their last ever album, the self-titled Megadeth, the band’s global farewell tour is set to run until at least 2027.
In My Darkest Hour is out now. For news on Megadeth’s final tour, head to the band’s website.
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Metalheads: this sleek AF Cort guitar could be your new favourite affordable singlecut
South Korean guitar maker Cort has expanded its single-cut electric guitar lineup with the all-new CR300MT.
Focusing on “traditional material choice” and seemingly aimed squarely at metal players, the CR300MT features a solid mahogany body configured for “sustained resonance and low-end warmth”, finished in a luxurious Black Satin designed to highlight the “physical architecture of the guitar body without distraction”. Elsewhere, the guitar sports a multi-ply black-and-white binding around the perimeter of the body and headstock.
The CR300MT also features a mahogany set-neck – which helps transfer string vibrations across the whole instrument more effectively – as well as a 24.75” scale length, a Micarta fingerboard with 24 frets with a 12” radius and nickel-silver frets (because what modern metal machine is complete without 24 frets?) and a premium Graph Tech TUSQ nut.
Credit: Cort Guitars
Electronics come by way of a pair of active EMG humbuckers – the classic metal-ready pairing of an 81 in the bridge position and a 60 in the neck position – controlled via two separate volume and two separate tone knobs and a standard three-way toggle switch.
Credit: Cort Guitars
Finally, the guitar boasts Grover Rotomatic tuning machines for rock-solid tuning stability and precise micro-adjustments, and a Tune-O-Matic-style bridge paired with a secure stop tailpiece.
The CR300MT is available now, priced at $899.99.
Learn more at Cort.
Credit: Cort Guitars
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Bruce Springsteen would sweat so much during gigs that his guitar would short out – here’s the bizarre thing he did to fix it
Being a rockstar isn’t always glamorous. Yes, there’s the glitzy world tours and hoards of adoring fans, but performing can also get a little… sweaty. For over 50 years, Bruce Springsteen has been strutting onstage looking like a drowned rat. Seriously – his perspiration is so excessive that fans have genuinely wondered how he’s avoided being electrocuted from sweat dripping onto his guitar.
Finally, Springsteen has addressed the sweaty elephant in the room. In a new interview with Fender celebrating the Telecaster’s 75th anniversary, the guitarist reveals that his sweat really has been an electrocution hazard in the past. “I was sweating so much that halfway through the show, the guitar would short out,” he reveals, adding that, at one point, it was happening “regularly halfway through shows”.
Luckily, he found a solution to protect both himself and his Tele: “I had to insulate the entire inside of the guitar with rubber.”
At the time, Springsteen wasn’t quite at the height of his fame; he couldn’t afford having multiple axes to hand on tour. “I would lose all my highs and would just sound like crap…” he recalls. “I was only using one guitar for the entire show. You didn’t have three or four others that you could switch with. So they insulated the entire guitar with rubber, so when water came pouring down, it continued to play.”
Despite his sweat shorting out his Telecaster, Springsteen doesn’t hold it against the iconic Fender model. Instead, he has nothing but praise for the humble Tele. “At the beginning, when I signed my first record contract, I was going to get to buy a new guitar, but I knew I wanted a Telecaster…” he explains.
“[The Tele] is your working man’s axe,” he continues. “First of all, it’s just a hunk of wood with strings and a neck – it’s your fundamental tool for rock and roll, or soul music, or whatever you want to use it for.”
He later explains how the Tele truly feels like an “extension” of himself. “When I have this guitar on, I don’t feel like I have a guitar on,” he notes. “It feels like my arm… like an extension of your physical self. I may take it in the coffin with me if I go… I’ve identified myself with this guitar and with the Fender Telecasters my whole life, and I will continue to do so until it’s over.”
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Elevate your coffee table with this new book showcasing some of the most stunning vintage guitars ever
Picture this: you’ve just made the most beautiful artisanal coffee. You head over to your couch, set it down on the coffee table, and realise the only thing missing is some appropriately relaxing reading to accompany this moment of utter tranquility.
Yep, no coffee table is complete without a coffee table book, and thanks to this new offering from photographer, author and former Guitar.com contributor Eleanor Jane, you can now complete yours.
The Guitar Chronicles, arriving 17 September via Welbeck and available via all major bookstores, shines a spotlight on some of the most beautiful and history-rich vintage guitars that exist today, including classic instruments owned by Jeff Beck, Jack White, Jeff Tweedy, Mike Bloomfield and Jake Kiszka.
Credit: Eleanor Jane
Also showcased are “beaten-up, barfly Telecasters thick with nicotine stains and battle scars from dive bars across America and catalogue guitars modified with mailbox stickers by eager kids in the ‘50s emulating the elaborate neck inlays of country heroes”.
Indeed, it’s not just guitars wielded by some of the most iconic guitarists in history that are showcased in The Guitar Chronicles; you’ll also feast your eyes on pawnshop classics plus even survivors of fires and tornadoes.
“These are instruments that inspired the artists you love, along with countless others who may not have been household names but helped shape the landscape of music in their own way,” Jane explains.
“I’m beyond thrilled with how this project turned out, the stories I’ve been able to tell, and all the beautiful new work I have to share.”
Credit: Eleanor Jane
The book has even received praise from Gibson Director of Brand Experience Mark Agnesi, and Hollywood A-lister and bass guitar aficionado Jason Momoa.
“I love seeing these amazing guitars that are so life-worn, with all that mojo, through Eleanor’s eyes and lens. Beautiful,” says Momoa.
“Eleanor has a unique ability to tell stories through her photographs,” adds Agnesi.
The Guitar Chronicles will be available from 17 September. You can pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, or your local bookseller.
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Inside the music shop where rising guitar band Westside Cowboy formed: “It helped me find my love for guitar again”
“This is Johnny Roadhouse Music, where Westside Cowboy technically started,” is Jimmy Bradbury’s welcome address at his former workplace, ushering us upstairs with his bandmate Reuben Haycocks. The two live around the corner from the music shop, which is located on Manchester’s Oxford Road: the nucleus of student life in the city. 300m away is the Royal Northern College Of Music, where Haycocks met bassist Aoife Anson O’Connell – who we run into shortly after this conversation – and drummer Paddy Murphy back in 2021.
Bradbury recalls his ‘interview’ to become the shop’s guitar tech: “‘Can you use a soldering iron? Done. I’ll see you tomorrow at 11 o’clock.’” Founded in 1955 by the late saxophonist John Roadhouse, the family-owned business specialises in second-hand instruments, meaning you get “crazy guys knocking on the back door, like, ‘I’ve got 30 guitars in the back of this van. Do you want to buy them?’” Roadhouse’s son now runs it with his wife, who both sing Westside Cowboy’s praises before Bradbury and Haycocks enter like returning heroes.
“You see so many different types of playing in here,” reflects Bradbury. “Everything from shredders to really old country guys and Flamenco players. Wandering around the shop, I feel like the guitar is a very open, welcoming instrument. There’s so much you can do by just learning a couple of small things on it.” When Murphy started bringing Haycocks and Anson O’Connell here to meet his pal Bradbury, the four began congregating here multiple times per week.
“I had never really come across gear before, [growing up in] Shropshire,” says Haycocks, who is easily distracted by the newly-arrived 1976 Martin D-28 on the wall. “I hadn’t been around people who were bothered about cool old guitars. I’d watch James pick up a guitar and play random shit. You can’t play the songs that you’ve learned in a guitar shop – because you look like a knob – so if I wanted to play this really cool ’70s Gibson SG, I had to pick it up and play some classical things, rather than going through my rolodex of songs that I knew. And then maybe one AC/DC song…”
Image: Clementine Schneidermann
The University Of Life
Having decided on a whim at Johnny Roadhouse to form Westside Cowboy, the quartet have transformed into one of Britain’s most exciting guitar acts. Although the title of 2024 debut single I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You) sounds like it belongs on an early Arctic Monkeys or Fall Out Boy album, their alt-country twang straddles folk, indie and Americana soundscapes. Their live show alone won them a slot at Glastonbury 2025, and they’re now signed to a major label and Fontaines D.C.’s management.
Initially cutting their teeth in local bands DieKaiDai and Katz at venues like Fuel, Manchester’s musical landscape proved pivotal to Westside Cowboy’s eventual path. “Being in a scene is the most rewarding part about being in music, seeing all your friends do really well,” says Haycocks. In a city where Live Nation and Mission Mars continue to swoop in on independent venues, community-driven spaces – be it a café or Johnny Roadhouse – are essential to meet like-minded folk, reckons Bradbury. “So many musicians come in and speak to someone who they [wouldn’t] in the street, because you have common ground.”
Although a primary school Bradbury and an early teenage Haycocks fell out of love with guitar, a friend who played Guns N’ Roses riffs and reduced focus on musical grades respectively re-ignited both guitarists’ love affairs with their instrument. Though Haycocks describes a “musical rebirth” upon coming to Manchester, both bring up the inhibitive nature of their university studies. “People telling you, ‘You have to play these chords and scales,’ it can really beat you into a corner,” says Bradbury. “[Working] at Johnny Roadhouse, it helped me find my love for guitar again, seeing so many different types of instruments and playing.”
Haycocks whips out his 1979 Gibson SG, which “feels like the scale length of a Fender with the sound of a Les Paul on an SG body”, while Bradbury grabs some water. “It has a really thick neck, and you have to really fight it,” Haycocks continues. “When I’m on stage, if something feels too nice, it creeps me out. I need to be slightly uncomfortable.” Bradbury has named his 1987 Jackson Charvel (when the two companies were co-owned) ‘Peggy’, having replaced its “horrible” high-output metal pickup with a simpler ’50-style Esquire. “It’s just got one volume knob,” he shrugs. “I don’t like too many buttons – it gets in the way!”
Image: Clementine Schneidermann
It’s Not Rocket Science
Simplicity is a guiding principle for Westside Cowboy, who’ve made the previous mistake of “songs that have way too many chords in”, Bradbury recalls. Earlier earworms Can’t See and Don’t Throw Rocks tap into punchy riff-work and cosy changes in velocity; both are visibly moulded into shape by their impulsive live show. Three-chord hit Kick Stones (The Boys), the lead single of their debut album It Goes On, is arguably their most precise work to date, recorded to ensure Haycocks’ gritty strumming is audible like it’s an entire instrument itself.
“There are certain bits of ear candy like that which make you feel more connected to the song and make it feel more real than a DI would,” explains Haycocks. “We’re always looking for it to sound like you’re standing in the middle of the room [with us], and I think that adds to the ‘authenticity’ of the sound,” he smiles, reluctant to toot his own horn. “In terms of a rock band versus a rock ‘n’ roll band, Westside Cowboy has more of the ‘roll’ in it,” adds Bradbury, who prefers not to overcook songs with distortion or pedals. “When you hear Reuben strum, you can feel the roundness of the individual strings that brush through it.”
The band’s approach draws parallels with recent comments from Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale, who described her “epiphany” upon realising “you don’t have to be a virtuoso guitarist to enjoy playing music with your friends”. She’s “very right”, Bradbury responds. “By no means is this a new idea,” elaborates Haycocks, “but it’s a personal thing when you actually realise. Everyone is aware that lots of chords don’t make a great song… but it’s taking that step yourself and actually believing what you’re saying. Westside Cowboy was that, for us: the epiphany moment.”
It’s why, as their self-named ‘Britainicana’ tag follows their sound onto whatever heights they will achieve, those core values will serve them well. All four write music, individually, in their spare time, but there is a shared understanding of what defines a Westside Cowboy song. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that It Goes On retains a clear consistency from top to bottom, solidifying the buzz that their first two EPs and talked-about gigs helped generate.
“Your uncle always tells you that a good song will still be a good song on an acoustic guitar, and at the start of the band, we just ran with that,” admits Haycocks. “Without guitars, ‘Britainicana’ wouldn’t have existed.” Bradbury adds the final layer. “The idea of ‘Britainicana’ comes down to the values around that song. If you can’t play it with either a guitar or piano and your voice, where it still resembles that piece of music, then maybe it’s not very Westside Cowboy.”
It Goes On is out now via Island
The post Inside the music shop where rising guitar band Westside Cowboy formed: “It helped me find my love for guitar again” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Jake Kiszka claims guitar was his ticket to self-expression as a kid: “I had so much taken away at a young age, and the guitar was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur”
Growing up in a “romanticised Americana” town, the grit of hard rock didn’t quite match up with Jake Kiszka’s ‘white picket fence’ childhood. However, the Greta Van Fleet guitarist couldn’t resist the rockstar lifestyle – and his guitar helped him escape suburban mundanity.
Speaking to Guitar World, Kiszka describes his first experience with a guitar as almost spiritual. “When I picked up a guitar when I was a kid, it was this object or artifact,” he explains. “It was a monolith of freedom and self-expression. Being raised in the place we were raised in [the small town of Frankenmuth, Michigan]… we’re learning who we are, what we’re meant to do and where we belong… There’s this sense of great repression in some ways – social confines.”
While Greta Van Fleet are currently one of the world’s most prominent (and divisive) newer hard rock groups, there was a time when Kiszka didn’t know whether his dreams would become a reality. So he clung onto his guitar, and refused to abide by the “social confines” around him. “To me, the guitar was something no one could take away,” he says. “I had so much taken away at a young age, and this was sort of a defiance against structure and systems.”
“[My guitar] was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur or something… I really felt that way,” he emphasises.
Of course, Kiszka’s upbringing wasn’t dreadful. Speaking to radio station 102.1 The Edge in 2018, he describes his “romanticised Americana” childhood, where he was “playing in the fields, exploring the forests and [swimming in] the many streams and rivers” that surrounded his hometown. However, “there wasn’t much going on” – which was a perfect catalyst for focusing on music.
It’s a similar case for Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme. Last month, Homme told the Queer the Music podcast that growing up in a “very empty, very idyllic small town” in Palm Desert was pretty boring… but “boredom” lead him to music. “The gift of nothing is a very real thing,” he explained. “In the boredom… you’re allowed to practice playing guitar, piano, or drums.”
As for Greta Van Fleet, Kiszka is keen to continue wielding his Excalibur to inspire other budding guitarists to pursue the art of rock ‘n’ roll. “We’re trying to bring a sense of imagination, hope and love to a generation through rock ‘n’ roll,” he tells Guitar World.
Back in May, Greta Van Fleet sparked breakup rumours after releasing a cryptic social media video. However, they’ve recently confirmed that they’re still together, and their fourth album, Palace For The People, is dropping on 9 October. The group have already shared a pair of new singles: Saw You Stand and Play Your Games.
Palace For The People is out 9 October. You can pre-order it now.
The post Jake Kiszka claims guitar was his ticket to self-expression as a kid: “I had so much taken away at a young age, and the guitar was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Eric Clapton reveals why he always starts writing songs on acoustic “It makes you play a certain way”
Eric Clapton is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players to ever live. His hits like Layla and Wonderful Tonight showcase his extraordinary ability to craft timeless electric guitar lines, but as he explains in a new interview with Guitar Center, he prefers to practice using an acoustic guitar.
As the guitar legend explains, he started out his guitar journey as a teenager playing an acoustic guitar. “I started on the acoustic. That’s the thing,” he says. “And when I practice, I practice on the acoustic. It makes you play a certain way.”
“I always revert back to what I heard as a kid that made me wanna play, and it is acoustic blues. Then I heard electric blues,” he continues.
Clapton explains how the arrival of Muddy Waters to the UK in the ‘50s had a profound effect on his dream of becoming a professional guitarist himself.
“I remember when Muddy [Waters] came here with an electric guitar, and it was like, ‘What’s all this?’ It was like Bob Dylan, just 50 years before, you know. And so he had to come back again, acoustically.
“So it was very much [that] the skiffle thing was going on. It was really big, and that’s what gave me… I thought, I’m not doing well at school with what I’m being taught, and I’d gotten so much out of music, I’m gonna try and play the guitar, because it moved me so much – the sound of solo guitar.”
Elsewhere in the same interview, Eric Clapton remembers the release of his now classic Unplugged live album. As he explains, he didn’t even want the album to be released, and even bet his label boss $100 that it would be a flop. Of course, the album has since gone on to sell over 25 million copies…
“I wanted to do a deal with them… to put it out as a limited edition,” he says. “Just 500 copies or something. I just didn’t want to hear it anymore… I had a real aversion to it for a long time.”
The post Eric Clapton reveals why he always starts writing songs on acoustic “It makes you play a certain way” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I’ve learned grown-up chords”: Anthrax’s Scott Ian says playing with these experimental rockers stopped him being a “caveman” on guitar
He may play a part in the Big Four of Thrash, but Anthrax’s Scott Ian has never been that fussed about shredding. As far back as 2015, he’s branded himself as a “caveman rhythm guitarist”, ignoring advanced technicality in favour of using the guitar as a “tool” for shaping rhythms and songwriting.
However, that all changed in 2019 when Ian joined Mr. Bungle. In a new interview with Guitar World, Ian explains how the band’s experimental funk-metal-jazz-rock clusterfuck entirely transformed his approach to guitar. “Being around the guys in Mr. Bungle for six years has opened my caveman world,” he says.
Rather than treating his axe like a basic tool to carve out songs, he’s understanding that there’s a lot more to guitar playing than he thought. “Outside the basic realm of major and minor, I didn’t really know a lot of other stuff,” he admits. “Getting to play with them has definitely made me a better player. And playing a lot of crazy cover songs like Olivia Newton John’s Hopelessly Devoted, I’ve learned grown-up chords.”
While he admits that he still doesn’t know many official terms or techniques, he’s just having fun fleshing out his palette. “I still don’t know the names of most of [the chords I’m playing], but I know how to play them, and I’m moving them around the neck now,” he says. “I also learned a lot of cowboy chords playing on and off with [my wife] Pearl Aday [in hard rock band Motor Sister] over the years.”
He closes off with his ultimate piece of advice for any other stubborn “cavemen” guitarists out there: “Any time you dip your toes into another genre, it’s only going to make you a better musician.”
Back in 2015, Ian explained what his “caveman” approach entailed. “I look at guitar in a completely different way than most people,” he told Guitar Interactive. “I would rather listen to [AC/DC’s] Malcolm Young play an A chord than anything else on guitar… other than maybe Eddie Van Halen.”
“I’m a caveman when it comes to guitar,” he said. “Guitar, for me, has only ever been a tool to write songs. Guitar is a tool used to create music and to play with other people. That’s what guitar is for me. That’s what makes me happy as a guitar player… From a technical standpoint, [shredding] is amazing… But I didn’t become a lead guitar player, and I didn’t focus on that, because the work wasn’t fun for me. I just wanted to get up there and rip big chords.”
Of course, when he’s not dabbling in his avant-garde Mr. Bungle antics, Ian has still been ripping up big chords with Anthrax. The band’s latest album, Cusum Perficio, is set to drop on 18 September.
The post “I’ve learned grown-up chords”: Anthrax’s Scott Ian says playing with these experimental rockers stopped him being a “caveman” on guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I looked up to him like a hero”: World pays tribute to Every Time I Die guitarist and pro wrestler Andy Williams, who has tragically died aged 48
Andy Williams – former Every Time I Die guitarist who turned pro wrestler under the ringname ‘The Butcher’ – has died aged 48, prompting an outpouring of tributes from the guitar and metal worlds and beyond.
According to a report by TMZ, Williams was participating in a tag team wrestling match in Pennsylvania when he collapsed, and later died in hospital.
While a pro wrestler as part of All-Elite Wrestling for 10 years, Andy Williams was also a founding member of Every Time I Die, and was an integral part of the Buffalo, New York heavy metal outfit until its disbandment in 2022. He played on all nine of their studio albums, most recently 2021’s Radical.
- READ MORE: Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham reveals the “most ridiculous question” he’s ever been asked about guitar
Since the news of his death broke, musicians far and wide have penned tribute to Andy Williams, with Bring Me The Horizon’s Lee Malia regretting the pair never having made music together.
Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou writes: “Today we mourn the loss of an old friend, musical visionary, storyteller, force of nature and all around rad dude, Andy Williams. I’m not ready to put on a smile and play a show, but the only way through grief is forward.”
Balaguer Guitars – the guitar brand with whom Williams had a number of signature models – writes in a post: “You were a light in a darkening world and anyone who knew you, loved you. What a devastating loss. Andy was hilarious, caring, and loving. He always went out of his way to make sure you knew he cared about you. He was one of a kind.”
“Andy was the nicest guy ever. And he was one of the greatest to ever do it,” says Scott Ian of Anthrax. “If you don’t know, do yourself a favour and go down an ETID wormhole on YouTube and watch him destroy.”
Fit For an Autopsy guitarist and Grammy-winning record producer Will Putney writes: “If you knew Andy, you understand why he is so universally loved. A testament of hard work and artistic creativity. One of the funniest, kindest, and craziest dudes. A perfect storm of a human. He could accomplish anything he wanted, and he did.
“Last week he told me he would bite someone for me if I asked him to, I woke up still laughing about it today. I loved talking shop about gear, I loved his excitement for music, his drive, his overwhelming kindness.
“I loved seeing his rise as a wrestler when the odds were against him, I loved making records with him, and challenging ourselves to be better. I loved the inside jokes, the banter, and everything else you can’t even explain. There will never be another person like Andy. I looked up to him like a fucking hero.”
Back in 2021, shortly after the release of Radical, Williams spoke to Guitar.com about the difficult act of balancing wrestling with playing guitar in one of metalcore’s most dominant bands. He explained how the Covid pandemic led him to commit further to his pro wrestling career.
“You spend all this creative energy doing this beautiful record, you get out, you play one show and the entire world shuts down,” he said. “At that point in time I had been working with AEW but I was getting paid by appearance. If they booked me for a show, that was the only time I got paid. It seemed like that was what they were going to do with me and my [tag team] partner. But then they offered us the full contract.
“It was right when things started getting dicey with the pandemic. I was like, ‘The universe is really speaking to me. I have to do this.’ I’ve been listening to that record for almost two years, and every time our manager would hit us up because it was looking like we could book some shows, they would get cancelled. I dove headfirst into wrestling – if the other thing doesn’t come back, I need to set myself up. I went full on, to say the least.”
The post “I looked up to him like a hero”: World pays tribute to Every Time I Die guitarist and pro wrestler Andy Williams, who has tragically died aged 48 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Moth Electric P. Isabella Fuzz (Ram’s Head) review – is this the ultimate Muff-type fuzz pedal?
$189.99/£189, mothelectric.com / northernstomps.com
Have you ever met a sheep? They’re strange little fellas, but one thing they absolutely do not look like is the face on the front of a mid-70s Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi. Apparently that logo was never actually supposed to be a ram’s head, but the nickname stuck so here we are – and here is the latest American boutique fuzz box to take inspiration from its thick, creamy, endlessly sustaining tones.
Up-and-coming pedal brands don’t get much upper or cominger than Moth Electric, based in the Pacific Northwest. There are six pedals in its current range, and two of them carry the P. Isabella name – the other is based on the wonderfully evil green Big Muff made in Russia in the 90s. All are newly available in the UK via Northern Stompboxes.
Image: Richard Purvis
What is it?
It’s all very well being able to design and build exquisite hand-soldered guitar pedals, but how do you expect to get by in life if you can’t manage basic arithmetic? Everyone knows a Muff-type fuzz has three knobs – this one’s got five! There’s even an added toggle switch for flipping between ‘classic’ and ‘modern’ modes, taking this pedal far beyond the realm of straight-up clones.
And what are those extra knobs? Joining the standard trio of volume, tone and fuzz are a mids control – a familiar mod for avoiding the Big Muff curse of vanishing in a band mix – and, less predictably, one for clean blend. All of this is presented in a large and quite beauteous enclosure with top-mounted jack sockets… and a picture of a moth that does actually look like a moth.
Image: Richard Purvis
Sounds
For some of us – including David Gilmour, who famously used one for the solos on Comfortably Numb – the sound of the 1973 Big Muff v2 circuit is about as good as distorted guitar tones get. Certainly you’ll never separate me from my Stomp Under Foot Ram’s Head… but there’s no denying that Moth’s effort comes pretty close to matching it. The sound is huge, naturally, but what’s just as important is the impeccable balance of roaring rage and tonal discipline. There’s no flab in the bottom end and no scratchiness in the top – just pure all-round fuzzy goodness.
And of course, the P. Isabella also has those extra controls to take it to places no ordinary Muff can reach. The mids knob has a wide and well-judged sweep, from exaggerated scoopage to something much more forthright than the norm yet no less smooth; and while mixing in some clean signal with a sound this saturated is never going to be a good idea, the blend knob can be surprisingly useful when you have another dirt pedal on the go. Sometimes, it turns out, the only thing better than combining a Rat with a Muff is combining a Rat with two-thirds of a Muff.
The output level takes a big jump when you switch to modern mode, and most of that seems to be happening in the midrange: it’s a more solid kind of voice that reminds me a little of the EHX Big Muff 2, and it’s also less compressed than classic mode. Maybe that makes it a smidge less likeable, but it’s definitely a worthwhile addition to this unit’s armoury.
Image: Richard Purvis
Should I buy one?
This really boils down to a simple choice between simplicity and flexibility. For Big Muff purists, the P. Isabella’s added controls will be nothing more than a distraction – and there are already plenty of options for getting those core tones from a compact enclosure with three knobs.
If, on the other hand, you wish you could enjoy the best of this celebrated circuit in a more tweakable package, a red and white Moth should probably be winging its way onto your pedalboard at the earliest opportunity.
Image: Richard Purvis
Alternatives
If you’re happy to stick to the three-knob formula, your high-class contenders include the Stomp Under Foot Ram’s Head ($199.99/£189) and Wren And Cuff Caprid Small Foot ($199/£177). For a Muff that’s actually allowed to call itself a Muff, check out the Electro-Harmonix Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi ($114/£99), also available in J Mascis signature livery for a few dollars more.
The post Moth Electric P. Isabella Fuzz (Ram’s Head) review – is this the ultimate Muff-type fuzz pedal? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Happy Labor Day – we’ve done the work for you and found the 10 best guitar deals
Another year, another Labor Day. While the holiday honours the efforts of workers across US and Canada, it also holds a very special place in guitarists hearts… because it means oodles of deals on brand new gear. Hey, you know what they say – if you’re working hard, you deserve to play hard.
While the workers of the world kick back and take a load off, we’ve found some of the best deals on across Sweetwater, Guitar Center and zZounds. So, if you’re on the hunt for a new electric, acoustic-electrics, or maybe even a fresh amps, stay tuned…
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster (was $1,839.99, now $1,475.99)
If you’re after a tried-and-true American classic, look no further than the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. We awarded this axe a 9/10 back in 2020, and it’s still a thing of beauty, with its trio of V-Mod II single-coil pickups, two-point tremolo bridge, contoured heel joint, and upgraded electronics from the American Professional’s first iteration. You can now get this guitar’s vintage sound and modern design for $200 off – and it’s available in a wide selection of colours, from striking Miami Blue to a warm Three Colour Sunburst.
More premium Roasted Pine and Sienna Sunburst models are also $200 off their usual price point of $1,939.99. That means they’re $1,739.99, so they sit a little higher than the rest of the colour options.
Fender American Professional II Telecaster (was $1,939.99, now $1,739.99)
That leads us onto the American Professional II Strat’s sibling – the American Professional Telecaster. Sweetwater have also cut $200 off of the Tele model, meaning you can enjoy this great axe for a fraction of the price. Available in a slew of colours, from Butterscotch Blonde to Roasted Pine, this guitar’s V-Mod Tele single-coil pickups and deep ‘C’ profile neck with a contoured heel joint are prime and ready for a guitarist to pick up and play.
Fender Player II Telecaster Electric Guitar (was $849.99, now $679.99)
Over at Guitar Center, Fender’s Player II Telecaster has taken a $170 price cut. This Guitar Center exclusive model pairs the six-string electric with a classy British Racing Green alder body, rosewood fingerboard, SS configuration and Alnico V Tele single-coil pickups. This is a great, affordable Fender axe, earning a 9/10 from us for being a total workhouse. If you’re after great Tele tones at an even greater price point, this could be the one for you.
Sterling By Music Man Kaizen 6-string Electric Guitar (was $949.99, now $759.99)
Yet another 9/10 guitar has been given a Labor Day discount. This one is Sterling By Music Man’s awesome, futuristic Stealth Black Kaizen 6-string electric. Crafted by prog metal mastermind Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders, this guitar is ergonomic and primed to tackle even the wildest of solos. With its contoured body allowing full access to all 24 frets, modern two-point tremolo and straight 25.5-inch-scale fingerboard, we stand by our assertion that this guitar is a “shredder’s dream”.
Strandberg Boden Standard N2.6 Electric Guitar (was $1,799.00, now $1,439.00)
Sweetwater has sliced $360 off of Strandberg’s Boden Standard N2.6 Electric Guitar. This headless six-string is definitely on the quirkier end of things, but this axe might be the one to convert you. We found it to be an addictively playable axe, and a grand improvement of the Boden Standard series. Comprised of premium tonewoods, EGS Arc hardware, an EndurNeck profile, dual Seymour Duncan humbuckers, a pair of Sentient and Pegasus pickups, this is a great option for prog heads out there. It’s available in cool Black Satin and Transformative Teal metallic finishes.
The axe also has a sale across all three of its stringed options – meaning you can get this as a six-string, seven-string ($1,519.00), or an eight-string ($1,599.00).
Yamaha FS-TA TransAcoustic Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar (was $579.99, now $479.99)
If you’re after an acoustic-electric, Sweetwater has trimmed $200 off of the price of the Yamaha FS-TA TransAcoustic Concert Acoustic-Electric. Available in both Vintage Tint and Ruby Red, Yamaha’s FS-TA TransAcoustic comes loaded with reverb and chorus effects to add some flare and richness to your live performance in a jiffy. This version comes with a cutaway, but if you’re wanting it without the cutaway, no problem. It’ll just cost you a little extra – $100 more, to be exact.
Martin Special D-X2E Acoustic-Electric Guitar (was $759.99, now $649.99)
Guitar Center has some lovely deals on acoustic-electrics too; namely the Martin Special D-X2E Acoustic-Electric, which is currently $110 cheaper. With its Martin E-1 pickup, preamp system, and onboard tuner, it’s a great way to finesse your acoustic tone for a live performance. Its slim, oval-shaped mahogany neck and 12” radius fingerboard is also designed to be easy and comfortable, meaning you’ll be able to knock out high quality Martin tones on this solid spruce top all day long.
PRS S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut Electric Guitar (was $2,399.00, now $2,099.00)
zZounds has a great deal on the Paul Reed Smith S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut Electric, with its Lake Blue model dropping by $300. This American-made asymmetrical PRS axe is designed to deliver a vintage feel with oodles of modern features, from its coil-splittable 58/15 pickups, dual volume and push/pull tone controls. It’s bound 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck, zinc two-piece bridge and thicker back also allows for more sustain, allowing you to really feel out those vintage tones. It also comes with a gig bag, which is pretty handy!
Gibson Hummingbird Special Acoustic-Electric Guitar (was $1,869.00, now $1,859.00)
If you’re willing to invest in a Gibson that’s been pre-opened, zZounds has got a Hummingbird Special Acoustic-Electric available for $1,859.00 – a sharp drop from its cost brand new, which is $2,199.00. It’s a great price point, allowing you to enjoy the guitars solid mahogany body, round profile neck and rosewood fingerboard, L.R. Baggs electronics and lush tone for less. It also comes with a premium soft shell case, to keep it save on the go.
Peavey 6505 II Guitar Amplifier Head (was $1,999.99, now $1,699.99)
Boasting 120 Watts, Peavey’s 6505 II Guitar Amplifier Head is a reliable bit of kit. With its high-gain and two distinct, footswitchable tube channels, it’s a cracking Peavey amp to add to your rig – and zZounds has cut $300 off of its usual pricetag. It’s a great way to really control your sound, thanks to the channels having separate EQ, Resonance, and Presence controls. It also has the Crunch feature, allowing for a bit of extra gain in your Rhythm Channel, as well as a Clean Channel for when you want to sound – well – clean.
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“Slow down for Christ’s sake!”: Europe’s John Norum admits that he played too many notes too fast in the 80s
From The Final Countdown to Rock The Night, the ‘80s saw Europe carving out some mega riffs, courtesy of John Norum. At the time, the youthful Swede was full of piss and vinegar, keen to play as fast as he could – however, looking back, the guitarist winces at his shredding addiction.
In a new conversation with Guitar World, Norum admits that he should have toned it down a notch back in the ‘80s. “Mindless noodling and showing off is a bit pointless for me,” he says. “I don’t need to show off – I did plenty of that in the Eighties, especially live. I watch the footage now and think, ‘Take it easy and slow down, dude, for Christ’s sake!’”
While we don’t think he has anything to worry about, Norum seems mortified recalling his younger self shredding up a storm. But he also acknowledges that every guitarist needs to go through their shredding phase. “But that’s how it is when you’re young,” he says.
While shredding has a time and a place, plenty of guitarists have expressed similar sentiments to Norum. Back in 1991, Eddie Van Halen told Guitar Player journalist Jas Obrecht, that shredding was a young man’s game. As a more mature player, the Van Halen legend admitted that his years of shredding were well behind him. “A lot of people just do all kinds of crazy shit, and fine and dandy when you’re young,” he said.
“[Nowadays] playing as fast as you can doesn’t really hold much water for me…” he added. “To me, a solo is to highlight song. It’s not to show off.”
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar in 2023, Marty Friedman also noted that he wasn’t a fan of shredding. He described shredding as something that “looks cool on the fingers, but it doesn’t sound cool”.
As for Europe, the band are set to release their 12th studio album, Come This Madness, later this month. The record comes nearly nine years after their last record, 2017’s Walk The Earth, and Scandinavian Eyes comes as the latest taste of the record. It’s got a fabulous Deep Purple flavour to it.
Come This Madness is out 25 September 25. You can pre-order it now.
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Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham reveals the “most ridiculous question” he’s ever been asked about guitar
Most guitar fans have an opinion on who they think is the best player, alive or dead, but Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham thinks it’s an impossible question to answer.
He raises a good point: art is subjective, so how can any of us decide who is truly the best at anything? Gorham also believes that the only opinion that matters is your own when it comes to the music you enjoy listening to or creating.
Speaking to Jordi Pinyol on YouTube, Gorham shares, “Probably the most ridiculous question I’ve ever been asked is, ‘Who is the best guitar player in the world?’ It’s like… what? I don’t even understand that question, right? Who is the best band in the world? Wait a minute, there is no best.
“It’s the same in the art world. There is no best artist. It all depends on what you think, not what anybody else thinks. If people say, ‘I really love that [artist/song/album], I think it was really good,’ – great. But like I say, there’s no ‘best in the world’ anything!” He concludes.
In other Thin Lizzy news, the band’s former guitarist Eric Bell has reflected on the time he joined Metallica to perform Whiskey in the Jar.
The song began life as a traditional Irish folk tune, and it wasn’t until 1972 that Bell electrified it with Thin Lizzy. More than twenty years later, Metallica reimagined the track for their 1998 covers album Garage Inc.
Speaking with Guitar World last year, Bell revisited the unexpected moment he found himself performing the song alongside Metallica in Dublin.
“I didn’t know anything about Metallica. I’m not into that kind of music, really. But it was funny; they got in touch with me. Someone from their setup phoned me and said, ‘I work with Metallica. We’re doing a world tour. Would love to have you come along to play with us in Dublin and do Whiskey in the Jar.’”
He went on to add: “Once we got to Dublin, the thing that threw me was, I was trying out this Marshall amp, and Metallica walked in sort of like cartoons. They said, ‘Hey, man, when we do this, we tune our guitars a whole tone down.’ I thought, ‘A whole tone? The guitar is going to sound like a fucking banjo…’ But I don’t know; I didn’t really know them… I just felt a bit out of place.”
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