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In one of the more left-field crossovers of the year so far, Gucci has used Slipknot’s debut album opener (sic) in its latest – rather bizarre – advert.

The dark, moody ad sees a number of models waking up in a motel room under spotlights, and features a rather strange turn as two models sit in an old American car with the top down, floating around unpredictably under a full moon, soundtracked by Slipknot’s landmark track (sic). No, you didn’t just hallucinate that sentence.

• READ MORE: Answered: more technical guitar questions you were too afraid to ask

The “short film” also features two other songs perhaps more in keeping with the Italian luxury fashion brand: Mina’s Un bacio è troppo poco and Charles Aznavour’s Hier encore.

The clip serves as a promotional video for the brand’s upcoming Generation Gucci collection. Check it out below:

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While never released as a single, (sic) opens Slipknot’s ground-shifting self-titled debut album, which arrived to change the metal landscape in 1999. With its rapid tempo and crushing drop B guitar riffs, the track has become a fan favourite, and according to Setlist.fm [via Louder], it’s the third most-played song in their catalogue at live shows.

Elsewhere in Slipknot World, guitarist Jim Root recently explained to Fender his love of the Telecaster. A flagbearer for Fender in the world of metal – in which players often reach for more conventionally ‘metal-friendly’ brands like Jackson, Charvel, or ESP, for example – Slipknot’s #4 has a number of signature Fender models under his name, including a Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster.

“That’s kind of the whole metal, punk rock, rock and roll attitude,” he said. “It’s anti, and going against the grain. And if somebody tells you to do something, you’re gonna do the opposite.

“Everybody thought I should be coming out with some pointy metal guitar that’s got 12 points or whatever. No, how about we just do a classic slab iconic guitar? Guitars, in my opinion, are like sunglasses. The classics never go out of style. They’ll always be there. People will make their version of it, but there’s only one Fender Telecaster.”

The post Slipknot x Gucci: the wildest crossover of the year so far? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Fender has partnered with Brian Fallon – frontman of longstanding New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem – on a new signature custom Telecaster.

A faithful recreation of the ‘59 Telecaster Fallon toured and recorded with during the early days of the band, the new Limited Edition Brian Fallon ‘59 Telecaster Custom is said to reflect the “sheer versatility of his playing style”, delivering the “perfect tonal balance between raw, powerful resonance and sweet, delicate chime”.

Staying true to Fallon’s original instrument, the guitar’s spec sheet includes a double-bound two-piece alder body finished in a sleek Journeyman Relic black lacquer, paired with a ‘60s-style Oval “C” maple neck and flat-laminated dark AAA 9.5”-radius rosewood fingerboard.

• READ MORE: Fender’s Vintera III Series has landed, with “a targeted focus on iconic moments in Fender history”

Tones come by way of Righteous Sound “Fourth Man” pickups with Dual Stack HS Tele wiring, with the bridge pickup delivering a “mid-range snarl” and the split-coil neck pickup offering up warm, clear note definition”.

Further specs include 21 vintage frets, a three-way selector switch, a ‘63 Telecaster bridge with RSD brass saddles, vintage-style tuning machines, and a bone nut.

“Brian’s honest and raw songwriting places him in an incredible group of influential voices from the last few decades,” says Chase Paul, Director of Product Development at the Fender Custom Shop.

“Working together with him on recreating every detail of his favourite Tele, we’re able to give his fans hands-on access to a guitar that helps drive him night in and night out.”

“There’s only the switches, and the volume and the tone, and that’s really all you got so you better figure it out,” adds Brian Fallon.

“It’s about taking what you can do and making the best of that, and I think this is the guitar for that. If you need a hammer, that’s a hammer, and everyone needs a hammer. You cannot build a house without it.”

“Growing up idolising both Bruce Springsteen and Joe Strummer, Brian’s love for this ‘working man’s’ instrument was undeniable,” Fender adds. “In his mind, a Telecaster matches his style – it not only represents his heroes but symbolises the same no-nonsense approach to songwriting and performing he admires.”

The Limited Edition Brian Fallon ‘59 Telecaster Custom is available now, priced at £6,199 / $6,825. Learn more at Fender.

The post “It’s a hammer, and everyone needs a hammer”: Brian Fallon unveils no-nonsense “working man’s” signature ‘59 Telecaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Neural DSP has released Darkglass Ultimate, a revamped plugin that brings its iconic Darkglass sound into a complete, studio-ready bass rig.

Available as a free update for existing Darkglass Ultra users, Ultimate builds on the original Ultra by combining Darkglass’ defining tones with a full signal chain and creative tools, allowing you to move from an initial bass idea to a finished track all in one place.

• READ MORE: “The only way this thing goes out is if I’m 100% satisfied”: What Cory Wong told Neural DSP when offered his own signature Archetype plugin

At the heart of Darkglass Ultimate are the same two circuits that helped define the original plugin: the B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra. The B7K Ultra delivers a tight, aggressive drive with controlled low end and clear articulation, while the Vintage Ultra introduces a warmer, rounder character inspired by classic tube-style amplification. Together, they cover a wide tonal range that’s consistent and immediately usable in a mix.

With this release, Darkglass Ultra evolves into a creative platform for bass – extending beyond preamp modelling into a signal chain designed for modern bass workflows.

For starters, Darkglass Ultimate adds a full pre- and post-effects chain, including compressor, fuzz, auto-wah, and octaver up front, plus chorus and delay for after the amp section. There’s also a 9-band graphic EQ built specifically for shaping bass frequencies, plus cab simulations based on DG210C and DG810ES cabinets with adjustable microphone positioning for more detailed tone shaping.

In addition, Neural has bundled in a handy set of tools aimed at day-to-day playing and writing, including transpose, tuner, metronome, and a selection of production-ready presets designed to get ideas moving quickly.

This extends the Darkglass sound beyond the B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra into an all-in-one bass toolkit, combining its defining tones with the tools needed to shape, refine, and bring sounds to completion.

“With Darkglass Ultimate, we’re expanding the Darkglass sound into something more comprehensive,” says François Barrillon, Lead Product Manager for Plugins at Neural DSP. “For many players, that sound has been a reliable starting point – something they shape around and build on. This release brings more of that process into the same place, so you can experiment, refine, and carry a sound further without stepping outside of it – while preserving the clarity, power, and character that define Darkglass.”

Neural CEO Douglas Castro adds, “We’ve taken the core Darkglass tones and expanded them into a more complete setup, bringing more of the signal chain within a single environment and making the process of shaping and developing a sound more fluid – so players can spend less time managing their tone and more time creating with it.”

For existing Darkglass Ultra users, the upgrade to Darkglass Ultimate is free. A 14-day free trial is also available if you’re looking to test the plugin before purchasing.

The launch also ties into Neural DSP’s annual Birthday Sale, running through 6 May, which offers 50% off all Neural DSP plugins – including Darkglass Ultimate – and 30% off selected products like Archetype: John Mayer X.

In the meantime, Neural DSP will host a giveaway featuring both software and hardware prizes, with winners drawn on multiple dates throughout the campaign.

More details are available at Neural DSP.

The post Neural DSP expands its Darkglass bass plugin into a full creative rig with Darkglass Ultimate appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Dave Grohl has been reflecting on Nirvana’s legacy and the difficult period following Kurt Cobain’s death, explaining why even returning to the band’s most iconic songs once felt completely off-limits.

Speaking with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Grohl says that the aftermath of Nirvana wasn’t just about grief or moving on – it reshaped his entire relationship with music for a while.

“I think that we all wound up in places that felt… I don’t want to say comfortable, but safe,” says Grohl [via Guitar World]. “When I went into the studio and recorded that stuff by myself, I felt safe there. And I can’t speak for [bassist] Krist [Novoselic], but I think at that time it was like we were just trying to get our feet back on the ground. For me, that’s something that I thought, ‘Okay, well, music is the thing that’s going to rescue me.’”

• READ MORE: “I’d go back to my mother’s house and sleep in my childhood bed and feel like life is still real”: Dave Grohl on coping with Nirvana’s sudden mainstream success

But even as he found his way back into recording with the Foo Fighters, revisiting Nirvana’s old catalogue still proved difficult.

“It’s such a weird thing to feel afraid to play songs,” Grohl explains. “And for a long time it’s like I was even afraid just to sit down at a drum set and play the opening riff to Smells Like Teen Spirit. It just seemed sort of forbidden.”

“And so the few times that Krist and Pat [Smear] and I have gotten together to do it, it’s a trip,” he continues. “It’s like a time warp. It’s like a time capsule. The noise that the three of us make together, you don’t really get that noise anywhere else.”

“When you’re in the room and it happens, the way that Krist strums his bass lines, the bass that he uses, the equipment he uses, his sense of feel and time, it’s like all of those things combined with Pat like with that crazy Germs/Pat Smear guitar thing. And then some loud-ass drums, when it happens, you’re just like, ‘oh fuck, I remember this. Shit, I haven’t heard this in 35 years’. It’s a really beautiful sound and a beautiful feeling.”

Elsewhere in the chat, Grohl also looks back at Nirvana’s earliest days, including a meeting with record label executives before Nevermind was released. Sitting in a high-rise office across from a major label exec, Grohl remembers Cobain being asked what the band wanted.

“Kurt says, ‘We want to be the biggest band in the world,’” he recalls. “And I think we all laughed. I don’t know if he was kidding. Still to this day I think about it.”

While the prospect sounded impossible at the time, Grohl notes there was always something clear about Cobain’s writing.

“The songs that he wrote, I think he wrote them to be heard,” he says. “I think that most songwriters when they write songs, you want them to be heard or you want them to be felt or you want – not necessarily validation – but you want someone to feel what you feel just as a listener wants to feel what the artist feels.”

“I don’t know what the exact intention was,” he adds, “but I do know that Kurt was one of the greatest songwriters of all time. And it was inevitable that his songs would be recognised as some of the greatest songs of all time.”

Meanwhile, Foo Fighters’ latest album Your Favorite Toy is now out. Listen to the title track below.

The post Dave Grohl says playing Nirvana songs felt “forbidden” after Kurt Cobain’s death: “For a long time I was afraid to play the opening riff to Smells Like Teen Spirit” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Even for a player who’s tackled the catalogues of Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, and Eddie Van Halen, some guitar parts remain as demanding and impossible as they come. Just ask Steve Vai.

Speaking in a recent interview with Rock Antenne, the virtuoso opens up about the unexpected challenge of learning Robert Fripp’s intricate guitar work for BEAT, the supergroup celebrating King Crimson’s 1980s material. While Vai initially thought he had it covered, reality soon hit as he started physically working through the parts.

• READ MORE: Steve Vai struggled to play Brian May’s Red Special guitar due to its strange neck: “I just remember thinking, ‘I can’t play this thing’”

“I had to make sure I could play this stuff,” Vai explains [via Ultimate Guitar]. “So I listened to it, and I felt ‘Yeah, OK. I can get this.’”

That confidence was backed up by a detailed “music transcription book” covering every note of the era’s three albums – a “godsend”, as Vai put it.

“But once I started putting my fingers to the actual parts, I realised that they’re booby-trapped,” he says. “They’re Robert Fripp parts. And he has a unique technique that he developed his entire life, through vision and discipline. And I have a totally different technique.”

“I just felt that probably about 80% of the stuff was easily under my fingers the way he did it, and then probably 15% I got the same notes but I changed the way he did it, because our techniques were too alien to each other.”

“But there was a small percentage of stuff that was just ruthless and just so out of my ballpark at my age,” Vai adds. “And there was Frame by Frame, y’know there’s that one riff [sings fast melody]. It goes at breakneck speed, it’s impossible to pick, and it goes on forever. I couldn’t do that consistently every night. So, I changed it a bit, but that’s the only one.”

Thankfully, Vai didn’t have to second-guess those adjustments for long. As he’s previously shared, Robert Fripp himself had given him the green light to put his own spin on the parts.

“Fripp said, ‘If I were sitting in the audience, I wouldn’t want to see you doing my kind of solo. I wanna see Steve Vai go crazy!’ So, that’s what I do,” he told Vintage Guitar.

Meanwhile, BEAT – featuring former Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin alongside Tool drummer Danny Carey and Vai himself – will kick off their European tour this summer.

View the full list of dates on the band’s official website.

The post “They’re booby-trapped!” Steve Vai recalls the difficulty he faced learning Robert Fripp’s guitar parts for BEAT appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

There might be no such thing as a stupid question, but that doesn’t make asking it any more embarrassing. The world of guitars and gear can be an especially complex space to navigate – with brands, forums and the whole online guitar space seemingly overflowing with people arguing about right and wrong seemingly without end.

• READ MORE: Answered: Technical Guitar Questions You Were Too Afraid To Ask

But in truth, getting the tones you want starts with a basic understanding of your gear and how to use it. So here, we’ll answer some common technical questions about guitar that maybe you’ve always wanted to ask but never felt comfortable doing so. With this knowledge in your back pocket, you should be able to keep your guitar in better working order, and have more fun as a result.

Why Does My Guitar Go Out of Tune So Fast?

This can be from a variety of causes. The most common issue is string stretch, especially if your strings are new. As you play on a new set of strings, they will stretch, and you’ll find yourself having to tune them back to pitch fairly quickly.

Another common issue is friction at the nut or, less commonly, the bridge. The strings do travel through the slots carved into the nut on most guitars, and when you bend the string, it needs to be able to travel through that slot. Sometimes, if the nut slots aren’t properly carved or lubricated, the string can bind in there and result in the strings sticking sharp. Many guitars with vibrato systems have tuning stability issues as well, so you need to ensure that those systems are properly set up and maintained.

Temperature changes can also play a role. Metal expands and contracts with heat, and wood responds to humidity. A guitar that was perfectly in tune in your living room may drift once it’s brought into a cold rehearsal space or a warm stage environment. For touring guitarists, this can be a constant battle.

Why Do My Strings Buzz?

Buzz happens when a vibrating string lightly touches a fret somewhere along its path. Because guitar strings vibrate in an arc rather than a straight line, there has to be enough clearance above the frets to accommodate that movement. If the string sits too low, it will collide with the next fret as it vibrates.

That clearance is controlled by several setup factors working together: neck relief, action height, and nut slot depth. The truss rod adjusts the slight forward curvature of the neck known as relief. Some people think their neck should be dead straight, but without that subtle curve, the strings would sit too close to the frets in the middle of the neck. Action height, controlled at the bridge, determines how far the strings sit above the fretboard overall.

There are a few ways to check for proper relief but what I do is put a capo at the first fret, then I use my finger to fret the string at the twelfth fret, (some people will fret the last fret or on acoustics, where the neck connects to the body) then I use a feeler gauge to check the clearance at the sixth fret. I like to set up the action somewhere between .004” and .008” for electrics and .006” and .010” for acoustics. Some players like a lower action, and some like a higher action, but anything less than .004” and you’re probably going to have fret buzz.

Should I Touch My Amplifier Tubes?

I’ve watched techs handle tubes with white cotton gloves like they’re defusing a bomb – that’s a bit overkill, if you ask me. Yes, tubes are made of glass. Yes, you shouldn’t spike one into the floor like a touchdown celebration. But they’re a lot tougher than they sometimes are presented to be.

I’ve heard people tell me that you can’t touch a tube with your bare hands. The thinking goes that the oil from your skin will create hot spots on the glass and burn the tube out early. There is a grain of truth in this, but it only applies to halogen lightbulbs, which use a quartz envelope that reacts badly to skin oils.

A vacuum tube might look like a lightbulb, but it’s not – they’re made of standard borosilicate glass and so don’t have that problem. In short then, don’t touch your car headlights, but your tubes are absolutely fine!

Where you do want to be careful is the temperature. A tube that’s been running gets hot, and hot glass is more vulnerable to thermal shock than cold glass. But the real reason you shouldn’t touch a tube when it’s hot… is because touching hot glass will burn your fingers!

Does Higher Pickup Output Mean a Better or Heavier Tone?

Pickup output is one of the most misunderstood specifications in the guitar world. It’s often assumed that a higher-output pickup will automatically sound heavier, more aggressive, or better suited for rock and metal. In reality, output only tells you how strong the electrical signal is, not what the pickup actually sounds like.

Higher-output pickups usually achieve that extra signal strength through more wire windings around the coil. But adding windings doesn’t just increase volume. It also changes the pickup’s frequency response. As the coil gets hotter, it tends to lose some high-end clarity and emphasize midrange frequencies. That’s why many vintage-style pickups with relatively low output can sound incredibly articulate and dynamic, while some hotter pickups sound thicker and more compressed.

Magnet type also plays a major role. Ceramic magnets often produce a tighter, more aggressive response, while Alnico magnets tend to sound smoother and more open. Two pickups with similar output levels can therefore sound completely different depending on their design.

Other major factors in a pickup’s tone include pickup design (single coil or humbucker, blade or pole-piece, potting, etc), wire gauge, windings and winding style, the pots you’re using, and the setup of the pickups (height and position) – all of that will have just as much (if not more) of an influence on a pickup’s tone than just the output.

The key point is that output is just one piece of the puzzle. It can hint at how a pickup might behave, but it won’t tell you everything about the tone. The only real way to know how a pickup sounds is to hear it in action.

If you have specific questions, you can send them in anonymously, and we will answer them in future articles. In the words of Red Green, remember, I’m pulling for ya, we’re all in this together.

The post Answered: more technical guitar questions you were too afraid to ask appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The rumour mill can churn out some corkers, but Ritchie Blackmore is determined to set the record straight. On a recent Instagram livestream, the Rainbow and Deep Purple guitarist has debunked a long-standing belief that there’s bad blood between him and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.

Despite claiming that “most guitarists aren’t nice people” elsewhere in the livestream, Blackmore insists that Page is one of the good guys. “’Jimmy Page’ – very good friend!” he says upon reading a fan’s comment. “Don’t believe what they say. I read the other day that I hated him! I can’t believe they said that!”

• READ MORE: “You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody”: Eddie Van Halen was “too humble” about his guitar abilities, according to Ritchie Blackmore

He goes on to explain that the pair have actually known each other for a very long time. “The first time I met him was 1963, or 1962…” Blackmore says. “I knew he was going places… not only did he have a style, but he had the playing ability. And he just looked right playing the guitar. He was a star in the making, Jimmy Page.”

The guitarist even recalls the last time him and Page saw each other, which would have been at the Rainbow Bar & Grill restaurant in Hollywood. “He said to me, ‘Where did you learn all your runs from?’… It was quite a compliment coming from him.”

Blackmore also notes that he and Page grew up in the same village of Heston in Middlesex, highlighting that they have a lot in common beyond their musical abilities. “I never knew that he was even in the village,” Blackmore reveals. “We were both 15 or 16 at the time… He’s a magical guy. A great guy. Always will be!”

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Looking back, it’s unclear exactly where the rumour might have stemmed from. In a 1975 with International Musician & Recording World magazine, Blackmore seemed to downplay his appreciation of Page’s skills, but his wording isn’t exactly hostile. After singing Jeff Beck’s praises, labelling him his “favourite guitarist”, he casually adds that “I’m not too struck on Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton”[via Classic Rock]… and that’s it.

In 2015, Blackmore also hinted that his feelings towards Page were pretty positive. “I knew he was going to be somebody,” Blackmore explains in the Ritchie Blackmore Story documentary [via Guitar Player]. “Not only was he a good guitar player, he had that star quality. There was something about him he was very poised and confident, but not arrogant.”

“I thought, ‘He’s going to go somewhere that guy, he knows what he’s doing,’” he concluded. “He was way ahead of most guitar players and he knew he was good too. He was very comfortable within himself.”

The post “Jimmy Page is a magical guy… Always will be!”: Ritchie Blackmore sets the record straight on Led Zeppelin ‘feud‘ appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Might a trove of early Black Sabbath demos be about to see the light of day? A number of early recordings – from when Sabbath were called Earth – previously owned by the band’s first manager Jim Simpson, are now in the hands of Sabbath’s original members, and could soon be released. Here’s what’s happened: 

Last year, Jim Simpson – who managed Sabbath from 1968 to 1970, overseeing their name change from Earth, plus the recording of their landmark albums Black Sabbath and Paranoid – announced his plans to release a number of early Sabbath recordings in an album titled Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes via his Big Bear Music record label. 

The announcement came not long before Sabbath were due to play their momentous swansong show, Back to the Beginning.

• READ MORE: Watch Megadeth perform their Ride the Lightning cover for the first time ever
  

The album was set to feature eight songs, including Evenin’, Wee Wee Baby, Free Man and Song For Jim, as well as future Black Sabbath songs Warning and Wicked World, and even a cover of Blue Suede Shoes.

But the release was blocked after Sharon Osbourne – wife of late singer Ozzy Obsourne and his longtime manager – threatened Simpson with legal action in November, saying the band’s members didn’t want those old recordings released.

“You know that, as a band, Black Sabbath don’t take things lying down and you can be assured that if you go ahead with this against the band’s wishes we will take any action we can where their rights are infringed, both here [in the UK] and in America,” she said [via Louder].

But in a new appearance on The Osbournes podcast, she reveals she and the Black Sabbath members concerned have “settled” with Jim Simpson, and hints at what might happen next.

“We settled with Jim Simpson and the band now have their demos back,” she says. “And all four of them own it, which is where it should be. All of that stuff should be theirs. So it all ended well.”

As for whether the recordings will ever see the light of day, Sharon doesn’t shut the idea down: “We’re going to talk about what everybody wants to do with it, and we’ll go from there.”

She continues: “I just think it’s historically important for music lovers of that genre. And then we got [the rights to] the pictures that were taken at that time, too. So that is all so important… I’m just happy that it’s where it should be – with the band, and what they wanna do as a band, what they’re going to do with it. So that’s great.”

When Jim Simpson announced his plans to release the album, he said: “These recordings clearly demonstrate what fine music they produced right from the very beginning. We recorded these tracks at Zella Studio in Birmingham in 1969, but held back from releasing them as their style was evolving so quickly.

“Now, some 57 years later, the recordings assume a greater importance, illustrating how these four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were excellent musicians and a fine band, fully deserving of all the success that was to come their way.”

The post Black Sabbath have settled a legal dispute with their original manager over the release of early demos – could they soon see the light of day? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

After 4 decades, Megadeth are officially calling it quits – but the thrash metal legends are making sure to honour their roots on the way out. Most notably, frontman Dave Mustaine has buried the hatchet on any lingering hostility with Metallica, even knocking out knocking out a brand new version of Ride The Lightning on Megadeth’s final record.

While fans were already excited to hear Mustaine’s recorded reworking of the 1984 track, Megadeth’s take on Ride The Lightning has just made its live debut. The thrashers knocked it out at their show on Sunday 26 April at the Movistar Arena in Colombia – and, based on a fan recording from the crowd, it went down pretty damn well.

• READ MORE: David Ellefson says Megadeth’s music is the “most timeless” of all the big thrash bands

Mustaine plays the track like it was made for him – which makes sense, considering he was involved in its creation. Despite leaving Metallica in 1983, he was a co-writer on the iconic 1984 track. Due to his role in the track’s creation, Mustaine has explained that the new Megadeth recording feels less like a ‘cover’, as he was equally as involved in its creation.

“I wrote music in that song, it just makes sense,” he told Record Collector back in January when asked why he decided to re-record the track. “It’s not a cover song. It’s a song that I wrote part of, and it just feels different. It doesn’t feel like we’re doing a song by another band.”

Last year, Mustaine also explained that Megadeth’s version of Ride The Lightning comes as his way of ‘honouring’ Metallica as a key step in his musical journey. “It wasn’t really that I wanted to do my version…It was about respect,” he explained to Rolling Stone.

Elsewhere in the interview, he even praised the “fucking powerhouse” of a guitarist that is James Hetfield, adamant that he has “always respected” the frontman. “I wanted to do something to close the circle on my career right now, since it started off with [Mustaine’s band before Metallica] Panic and several of the songs that ended up in the Metallica repertoire, I wanted to do something that I felt would be a good song.”

“Our intentions were pure,” he states. “I didn’t have any reason I was going to say, ‘Oh, hey man, this thing that we’ve had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things.’ That wasn’t it at all. It was more about: This is my life going forward. I want to do things that are respectable… I mean, I hate to say this, because it’s just so fucking arrogant, but the guitar playing in Metallica changed the world.”

For more info on the band’s final world tour, head to Megadeth’s official website.

The post Watch Megadeth perform their Ride the Lightning cover for the first time ever appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$129.99 / £99, fender.com

Here’s a fun challenge – make a few hundred words about a new tuner pedal anything other than excruciatingly dull. I’ll give it my best shot! Perhaps with liberal use of exclamation marks! OK, maybe not. Anyway, despite being a pretty essential part of your setup (surely the most essential pedal you’ll ever buy), tuners risk being pretty bland, especially when your job is normally to find new adjectives for how scrunkly a new fuzz pedal sounds.

• READ MORE: Line 6 Helix Stadium XL review – “bewilderingly ambitious… but it feels like the future”

Pretty much only one tuner recently – the Walrus Canvas Tuner – has managed to create any sort of buzz, because you can put memes on the LCD screen when it’s bypassed. However, while there has not been as much of a furore of excitement about the new Fender Strobo-Sonic Pro, it is still worth talking about.

Fender Strobo-Sonic Pro Tuner: Functionality

Despite Fender making a version of basically everything guitar-related under the sun, the Strobo-Sonic is actually its first dedicated tuner in quite some time, following the PT-100. Unlike the quite basic PT-100, here we’ve got fast and accurate strobe tuning, and quite a sizeable display.

First things first, no, it’s not a screen like that of the Walrus Canvas tuner, and so you cannot upload pictures of your beloved family members or hilarious cat gifs to be shown when the tuner is bypassed. You can’t rotate this screen angle either to position the Strobo-Sonic Pro pedal sideways on your pedalboard if required. A bit of a shame, but lest we forget, some of the Walrus Canvas’ fun-factor came at a relatively higher price – just under $150. What you lose in putting memes on your board, you gain in still having an extra $50 compared to the Strobo-Sonic.

There are two modes you can have the display work in – needle or strobe. Needle is your standard tuner mode found on pedals like the Boss TU series – whereas strobe has a scrolling set of blocks, the speed and direction of which indicate your distance from the target pitch.

The screen itself is bright and readable, and its discrete LED nature means that it’s pretty unambiguous, even at a distance. There’s an auto-dim mode for bright environments, which is fine, although the light sensor for this function does look weirdly like a camera, giving the thing at first glance the look of a blocky, early smartphone.

And speaking of blocky – its otherwise sleek, minimal design is slightly undermined by a stonking great logo, written in a vaguely futuristic italic that seems to have been taken directly from a PlayStation 2 racing game. It’s not the most tasteful thing in the world, sure, but this is why the gods gave us black electrical tape.

There are a few other utility features on board – you can adjust the tuning reference frequency, if you like, and you can turn off the auto-dim feature. You can also change the bypass mode – true-bypass, buffered, or ‘mute’, which is a buffered mode that keeps the pedal always listening, with the footswitch muting your signal. The mute state of the pedal in this and the other modes is shown by a big red “MUTE” indicator on the screen, which is good to see – clear, unambiguous stuff like this does matter in the heat of the moment on stage.

And one final note of practicality before we get to the exciting stuff – the jacks here are top-mounted – all of them, not like the Canvas Tuner’s slightly weird and impractical audio-on-the-top/power-on-the-side approach. So that’s a big plus if space is at a premium on your ‘board, and fortunately, the pedal is wide enough that using pancake jacks is fine too.

So, the actual tuning! In use, the Strobo-Sonic Pro is remarkably fast – I’ve been using the same V1 EHX 2020 Tuner for years, and I was actually blown away by how much quicker the Strobo-Sonic tracked a note’s pitch – it was a much smoother and more responsive experience, and I never overshot the mark because of this. It quickly responded no matter what signal I threw at it – bass and baritone guitar included.

Additionally, due to how the strobe mode works, it is extremely accurate – ±0.01 cent compared to the needle’s (and most other tuners’) ±1 cent – on stage and in most settings this gets you to such fine detail it won’t make too much of a practical difference, however it’s a really handy thing if you want to set intonation, or want things to sound dead-on in the studio.

Fender Strobo-Sonic Pro Tuner: Should I buy one?

Let’s be honest – a £45 second-hand TU-2 from 2004 with half the paint scraped off will do 90% of the job of any other tuner. However, I find the Strobo-Sonic Pro to be a very effective and efficient piece of kit, and for speedy and accurate strobe tuning, it’s a relatively affordable thing that definitely feels worth the extra money over a cheaper unit. Yes, it could look sexier, but ultimately, it’s a tuner pedal, it’s not here to be sexy – it’s here to tune, and it tunes really damn well.

Fender Strobo-Sonic Pro Tuner alternatives

For a more premium experience, you can always check out Peterson’s Strobostomp HD and Mini line, pretty much the de facto high-end tuner pedals. If you’re desperate for something a bit more ‘aesthetic,’ then, yes, the Walrus Canvas Tuner ($/£148.99) will do you well, and you can put memes on it. If you’re not fussed about the last 10% of performance or the memes, and want to save a little cash, you can’t really go wrong with Boss’ TU-3 ($109.99/£99) – pretty much the industry standard, and good enough for countless professional pedalboards. Try the Waza version if true-bypass is a must. The TU-3 can also be used to power some other low current draw other effects by daisy-chaining, as can the TC Electronics PolyTune 3 ($63.90/£59.99), which represents great value. It has switchable true bypass or analog buffer as standard too.

The post Fender Strobo-Sonic Pro Tuner review: fast and accurate strobe tuning for a great price appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

With well over 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Radiohead remain one of the most listened-to rock bands on the planet. And at nearly 3 billion streams on that one platform alone, Creep still stands as the group’s most enduring hit.

And in a new interview with Uncut, guitarist Ed O’Brien reflects on the song’s impact, saying were it not for its success, the band might have been out of the game entirely afterwards.

• READ MORE: Billy Strings details “extreme pain and crazy ketamine trips” after horror skateboarding injury leads to tour rescheduling

Asked about the moment in his career when he felt Radiohead had created something completely artistically new, he replies: “I think The Bends, really.

“You could feel the influences on the sleeve of Pablo Honey, but The Bends was pretty diverse. If you think about the way that that album bookends, it starts with Planet Telex and ends with Street Spirit. Two quite different songs – the power and the sonic playfulness of one, and then the emotion of the other.”

He continues: “We knew there were flaws with the first album, and it was propped up massively by Creep.

“If Creep hadn’t been as big as it was, there’s a very good chance we may never have made another record, because the record company would have dropped us.”

Despite its lasting success as Radiohead’s biggest track, the band famously dislike it, and only very rarely play it during live shows. 

Frontman Thom Yorke has, in the past, unaffectionately called the track “Crap”, and according to the Guardian, answered a Montreal crowd’s request for them to play the song with “Fuck off”. He has also previously called lovers of the track “anally retarded”.

As the story goes, guitarist Jonny Greenwood even injected some grating crunchy guitar blasts at the start of the chorus as an act of sabotage to ruin the song during the recording of My Iron Lung, but they were later kept by the producer.

The post “If Creep hadn’t been as big as it was, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have made another record”: Ed O’Brien on the impact of Radiohead’s biggest hit appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Bluegrass maestro Billy Strings has detailed a horror skateboarding injury which has forced him to reschedule a series of upcoming shows.

In a new post on Instagram, the guitarist reveals he attempted a trick backstage following a show on Saturday night (18 April), and ended up breaking his leg.

“Well, can’t say y’all didn’t warn me about screwing around on my skateboard!” he writes. “Saturday night I walked off stage right before the encore – I was all zazzed up from a really fun show. 

• READ MORE: “You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody”: Eddie Van Halen was “too humble” about his guitar abilities, according to Ritchie Blackmore
  

“I grabbed my board and tried to do a trick I’ve done a million times (back 180) and landed awkwardly and broke my leg. I heard it snap over the screaming crowd! Sounded like a damn 2×4.”

The 33-year-old guitarist – whose real name is William Lee Apostol – goes on to detail the “interesting couple days” he’s experienced following the incident.

“Complete with the most extreme pain and crazy ketamine trips and operations stuff, but the staff here at UVA (hospital, Charlottesville, Virginia) rules,” he says. “They screwed me all back together. They are absolute angels on earth.”

Apostol explains that despite his best intentions to continue with his planned tour dates, doctors and family members have convinced him to reschedule in order to let the injury heal.

“I had every intention of carrying on with the tour and Dave Grohling it,” he continues, referring to the time Dave Grohl performed a number of shows atop a Game of Thrones-style guitar-themed throne after breaking his leg. “He even texted me and offered me the throne!

“I really don’t want to let anybody down, but after some long talks with this doctors, my friends, band and colleagues, my wife etc, I should probably let this thing heal. I don’t believe that I could give you guys the show you deserve coming right out of this surgery, and these first few days are really important as far as keeping this thing elevated and letting it heal.

“Plus I’m all messed up on pain killers and stuff. It’s a dumb ass mistake and it’s all my fault… I feel like such an idiot. But what are ya gonna do , ya know? At least I didn’t hit my head or break my wrist or something.”

Billy Strings’ 22 April date in Charlottesville was rescheduled to 4 August, while three shows in Fishers, Indiana on 24, 25 and 26 April have been rescheduled to 6, 7 and 8 August, respectively. All tickets will be honoured at the new dates.

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View a full list of Billy Strings upcoming tour dates via his official website.

The post Billy Strings details “extreme pain and crazy ketamine trips” after horror skateboarding injury leads to tour rescheduling appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Eddie Van Halen was one of greatest guitar players to ever live, but surprisingly, he wasn’t always overly confident about his chops.

In a recent interview, Deep Purple legend Ritchie Blackmore recalls his interactions with the late guitar icon, recalling his “humble” and somewhat socially reserved nature.

“[He was] very humble, almost too humble,” Blackmore says [via Guitar Player]. “He would often come backstage at our shows and go, ‘You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody,’ and I could never understand why he would say that. He always used to underestimate himself. He basically reinvented the guitar with his hammer-on technique.”

• READ MORE: David Lee Roth sold his publishing catalogue last year and says he’s feeling “rich”

Blackmore goes on to explain how Eddie was “too sensitive” and turned to drinking to be social, adding that his sensitivity was why he found it difficult to relate to some of his guitar legend predecessors.

“Unfortunately for Eddie, he was too sensitive,” Blackmore continues. “And of course the business brought him down. He started drinking because he needed to drink to socialise. He was very sensitive, and I can relate to that.”

Of course, Eddie Van Halen wasn’t the only late guitar legend with a strong sense of humility; Randy Rhoads – often perhaps unfairly touted as EVH’s rival – was also known to be immensely humble despite his genre-defining guitar skills under Ozzy Osbourne.

“He was almost like Eddie Van Halen; very similar attitude, very humble, which I always appreciate when I talk to people,” Blackmore says. “There’s no reason to be conceited about music.”

Despite his humility, though, there’s no denying that Eddie Van Halen’s guitar skills changed the landscape of rock music at the time. Last month, Dokken guitarist George Lynch recalled watching Van Halen support UFO at California’s Golden West Ballroom in 1976.

“It was somewhat dramatic, because I don’t know if UFO knew what they were in for,” Lynch said. “And I love UFO – we all love UFO – but they got their ass kicked. I mean, they came up, and I don’t think they were ready for that.”

Elsewhere in the same interview, Ritchie Blackmore recently made the bold claim that “most guitarists aren’t nice people”, but named one player who bucked the trend.

The post “You don’t want to talk to me, because I’m nobody”: Eddie Van Halen was “too humble” about his guitar abilities, according to Ritchie Blackmore appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

David Lee Roth has revealed that he sold his music publishing catalogue last year, adding his name to the wave of legacy rock artists monetising their back catalogues in the streaming era.

The former Van Halen frontman shared the news during a backstage interview with the Associated Press at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, where he also joined R&B artist Teddy Swims onstage for a surprise performance of Van Halen’s Jump.

• READ MORE: Why people still pick up guitars in 2026, according to Gina Gleason: “Guitar is one of those magic things that still wields this power”

“I sold my publishing eight months ago,” Roth tells AP, before adding: “Ask me how I feel.”

When prompted, he replies: “[I feel] rich. [Laughs] For the first time in my life I can rub two coins together and create a little interest. No, really.”

The 71-year-old musician is credited with writing the majority of lyrics across Van Halen’s first six albums, and has long claimed authorship of “every word you heard, every syllable, every melody” during his tenure with the band.

His move follows a broader trend in recent years that has seen a growing number of classic rock acts cashing in on their catalogues. Artists including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and Sting have all sold rights to their songwriting or publishing, while bands such as Pink Floyd and Kiss have also struck major catalogue deals.

The surge has drawn in a range of buyers, from major recording labels like Sony to private equity firms and asset management groups such as Hipgnosis, all betting on the long-term value of song ownership in a streaming-led market.

In 2024, Queen reportedly sold their catalogue to Sony Music in a landmark deal worth around $1.27 billion (£1 billion), underlining just how lucrative music rights have become in today’s industry.

The post David Lee Roth sold his publishing catalogue last year and says he’s feeling “rich” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Gina Gleason has spent enough time around guitars to know the instrument’s appeal isn’t just about sound. According to the Baroness guitarist, the guitar’s enduring pull lies, in part, in the way it “appeals to one’s sense of wanting to figure things out”.

Speaking with Guitar World, Gleason reflects on why, even as listening habits, production tools and the wider music industry continue to evolve, people are still buying guitars, learning riffs, and starting bands.

• READ MORE: “The way my guitar looks with the circles and squares – I was trying to find my own pattern”: How Jerry Cantrell was inspired by Eddie Van Halen to create his own legendary modded guitar

“Guitar is one of those magic things that still wields this power,” she says. “It looks awesome and it seems somewhat effortless, but I can hear that what’s happening is complex. It appeals to one’s sense of wanting to figure things out.”

“The reward is looking cool, having a cool hobby, and being in spaces with likeminded people passionate about the same things as you.”

For Gleason, that sense of identity doesn’t just stop at playing – it extends into the culture of gear collecting as well: “I teach guitar, too; my student Bill tells me that pedals appeal to his collector sensibility – ‘This one’s a different colour!’ Guitars are like cool classic cars: ‘Well, this one is red!”

Addressing the enduring appeal of Telecasters, in particular, Gleason says, “they have such a unique sound. If you have a trained ear and listen to a lot of music, you can probably start to equate different sounds with gear. With the Tele, there’s no question. It cuts through and has a brightness and brilliance.”

“And the players who started using them – the Danny Gattons and Jimmy Bryants – appeal to this sense of virtuosity. The iconic sound is so crisp and clear it gets associated with a high level of playing. There’s nothing to really hide behind. Danny Gatton knows what’s going on!”

As for her recent gear obsession, Gleason says she’s been “really into the [EHX] Big Muff Op Amp pedal for solos and boosts” of late.

“I just got a Big Muff 2; our tech, Jesse Anderson, mods Big Muffs so we use them a lot on tour,” says the guitarist. “I recently got an EVH 5150 EL34, too. I used one for the Tele demos and thought, ‘Man, I need one of these!’”

The post Why people still pick up guitars in 2026, according to Gina Gleason: “Guitar is one of those magic things that still wields this power” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

1970s Los Angeles wasn’t exactly known for moderation. Between the free-flowing booze, drugs, late-night sessions and occasional onstage meltdowns, excess was practically part of the rockstar gig. While plenty of players got swept up in it, for Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, surviving it as a guitarist meant knowing where to draw the line.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan, the Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist opens up about life at the epicenter of a notoriously indulgent era – and the mindset that helped him come through it unscathed.

• READ MORE: “We have a moral duty to the players”: Fender CEO Bud Cole on leading with responsibility

“Listen, I partied hard,” Baxter admits. “And especially playing in country bands… So, a tough night at the Jack of Diamonds, you know, a bottle of Jack Daniels.”

He recalls long, chaotic nights onstage, where the music often had to compete with whatever was happening in the room.

“I’m playing [pedal] steel on Talent Night, Thursday night doing Faded Love. Waiting for the two guys to finish killing each other so we can go into Foggy Mountain breakdown.”

“But there was always something in the back of my mind that scared me. Because I didn’t want to lose my ability. I didn’t want to lose my chops,” says Baxter, who’d seen firsthand the toll that lifestyle could take on other players around him.

“I saw people who damaged themselves to the point where they lost something. That was always in the back of my mind.”

Elsewhere in the chat, Baxter recalls a formative encounter with Jimi Hendrix before the latter’s rise to stardom – one that left a lasting impression not just for his playing, but his personality.

“I was at Jimmy’s [Music Shop]. And he just walked in the store. Very nice guy,” he says. “I loved his guitar playing. To me, it was that welcoming thing. It was just a joy about it that I love. And then I got to sit in for one song and of course that blew up into me playing with Jimi Hendrix. But we became friends. We didn’t see each other a lot, but you know, there are people that you see every once in a while and [it’s like you saw them yesterday]. Very special guy.”

“He had no axe to grind and his life certainly wasn’t easy, but I don’t think – he could have been James Brown… And listen, I love James. I played with him. I love the guy, but there was a hardness, a hard edge to James. There was no hard edge to Jimmy at all.”

Watch the full interview below.

The post Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on surviving the excess of the ’70s: “There was always something in the back of my mind that scared me. I didn’t want to lose my chops” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$899/£949, martinguitar.com

There’s something undeniable about a Martin guitar. Like a perfectly worn-in old leather jacket, or a Toyota pickup, they are as dependable as the sunrise. It’s why the guitars made by America’s oldest guitar brand are still regarded by many as the “gold standard” of acoustic guitars. Martin’s rich heritage, unmistakable tone and expert craftsmanship has ensured the brand has stayed at the top of the pile for decades.

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

Entry into the Martin owners club can come at varying price points, along with levels of compromise made along the way. A proper, Nazareth-made guitar is always going to be a premium instrument, while an affordable Mexico-made X series means you’re going to have to settle for laminate construction in many cases.

The Road Series has, for three decades now, offered something of an attractive middle ground for many players – these are guitars made in Navojoa, Mexico sure, but with specs and aesthetics that are firmly rooted in the Nazareth values.

For 2026, the Road Series has undergone a line-wide refresh, aiming to bring a mix of both modern guitars and more retro-inspired instruments, with prices aimed squarely at serious intermediate and pro players.

Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – what is it?

As part of the refresh, the new Road Series range is split into two lines – Retro and Modern. The Modern side of things is where you’ll find cutaways, more contemporary body shapes and unconventional finishes. The Retro side features dreadnoughts and 000s in a variety of vintage-vibed configurations.

Another helpful part of the Road Series refresh is that each model number now relates to its level of trim fanciness – Style 10 is the most basic, Style 12 the middle and style 13 the most luxe.

Knowing all that, you’ll be able to determine that this D-10E Retro Sapele is a humbly adorned dreadnought in the Retro series; a fact that’s further emphasised by its stained all-sapele build that bears a strong resemblance to the all-mahogany Style 17 guitars in the Standard series.

The trade-off here is that you get an all-solid Martin dreadnought for less than $900 bucks, which feels like quite a thing to say here in 2026.

Despite its humble price tag however, it doesn’t scream ‘cheap Martin’ in the way that some of the Mexico-made instruments have to me in the past. There’s nothing flashy here of course, but it’s a functional and understated if you like that sort of thing.

It also has stage potential out of the box, given that it’s packing Martin’s E1 pickup system. In addition to allowing you to plug in with ease, the E1 also features a discrete built-in soundhole tuner. The D-10E also comes with a Martin soft-shell gig bag for wherever you choose to take it too.

Beyond that, there’s not much to be said and that’s by design. The neck, fingerboard and bridge are ‘select hardwood’ (Martin’s catch-all term for mahogany, cedar and a few other woods depending on supply), while the fretboard itself sports understated faux-pearl diamond and square inlays.

Up top you’ll find a set of black-buttoned open-gear tuners, while the only bit of laminate on the guitar is the headplate.

Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – build quality and playability

The first thing I was struck by when pulling the D-10E from its gig bag was the solidity of the build. I don’t mean that it feels solid in a dead-weight kinda way, but in a reassuring, ‘this could survive a tour with no problems’ sense. It’s all very well put together with no issues in terms of the workmanship inside or out.

Before I got stuck in, a quick tune-up is always advisable, and the built-in tuner in the soundhole is an absolute godsend for that. However, despite looking rather nice, I did find that the tuning machines themselves were a little stiff at first twist – they loosened up a bit with a few jiggles, and are perfectly functional, but it does diminish the premium feel elsewhere somewhat.

The Performing Artist neck profile is on the shallower side compared to other Martin offerings, and sleek with it, working just as well for chord-heavy strumming and delicate finger style work. Despite the retro aesthetic elsewhere, this is a modern neck that is built for endless comfort.

Out of the box, the action on this test model may feel slightly high for some, though players with a heavier left hand might welcome the extra space between string and fretboard – for me I would have preferred something a little more slinky, but this is a big ol’ mahogany (ish) dread at the end of the day. It’s not exactly meant to be shredded.

Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – sounds

Any playability gripes are forgotten when you strum a chord: the sounds are where the D-10E really earns its keep. The immediacy, power, and authority is just unmistakably Martin. Open chords ring. The low-end is generous, without becoming boomy, providing the perfect foundation for the equally important, sparkling high tones. Dig in on the bass strings and the D-10E puffs out its chest and screams for attention.

Switch gears to fingerstyle playing and the scenario changes beautifully. There’s a surprising level of articulation and balance here, with enough clarity to keep individual notes defined without losing any warmth. It’s a genuinely versatile instrument, not just a dreadnought cannon.

Plugged in, the Martin E1 system provides a streamlined control setup with Volume and a Tone for Bass and Treble response in tandem. It’s not going to change your life in terms of sonic fidelity, but it’s a solid and functional tone that gives a decent approximation of the guitar’s sonic characteristics. The phase switch is a standout inclusion. It’s honestly baffling why it isn’t standard everywhere, given how it improves the quality of life of a performing musician, especially one who regularly plays at high-volumes and has fallen victim to the dreaded acoustic guitar/monitor feedback loop.

Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – should I buy one?

Let’s not forget that this is an all-solid dreadnought, with excellent build quality and a gig bag for $899… and it says Martin on the headstock. That’s already a compelling combination right now.

Okay, it doesn’t have the levels of refinement or premium feel as one of Martin’s higher end offerings, but it’s closer than some might expect. Martin has genuinely included all the essential ingredients of a great acoustic guitar in one accessibly priced package with the D-10E Retro.

If you are after a dependable, gig-ready acoustic guitar that sounds incredible for the price, this is such an easy recommendation. This isn’t just a relatively affordable entry to the Martin brand… it might actually be all the Martin most players will ever need.

Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele – should I buy one?

It’s hard to talk about Martin guitars without mentioning its former budget brand (now independent) Sigma. The DM-15 (£340) is all-mahogany and a whole lot of guitar for the money with solid mahogany back and sides, but no pickup. If you want a Martin and don’t mind a bit of laminate in there, the mahogany-topped DX1E Mahogany ($649.99 / £649) is a very good option, and if you like your guitars preloved looking, the Martin D Jr E StreetMaster ($849.99 / £799) is another interesting option.

The post Martin Road Series D-10E Retro Sapele review: A stage-ready Martin at a seriously competitive price appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka has partnered with Gibson for a limited-edition production run SG modelled after the now-iconic 1961 Les Paul SG that helped shape his sound.

Handcrafted in Nashville and available only in limited numbers, the Jake Kiszka SG Standard honours the soul and captures the essence of Kiszka’s cherished guitar – nicknamed his “Beloved” – with its iconic double-cutaway design, elegant contours and deep-edge bevelling.

Elsewhere, the guitar features a SlimTaper mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and acrylic trapezoid inlays that offer an “ethereal glow” under stage lights.

• READ MORE: “I’ll probably be buried with it!”: Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka on his most beloved and battered guitars

“Exceptional tuning stability” is granted by a Graph Tech nut and Gibson Vintage Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons, while the guitar also sports an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with a Stop tailpiece, positioned underneath a Sideways Vibrola cover, which has been locked for enhanced stability and the functionality of a fixed tailpiece.

The guitar’s tonal palette is delivered by a pair of T-Type humbuckers, promising “roaring dynamics, articulate clarity and high-end bite. Each pickup has its own independent volume and tone controls, with Orange Drop capacitors for a wide expressive range and “exceptional tonal consistency”.

Finally, the Jake Kiszka SG Standard is finished in a classic Faded Vintage Cherry gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, and comes in a black hardshell case with Kiszka’s custom doubloon logo, along with a hand-signed Jake Kiszka backplate, and custom leather strap with his metallic coin pendant.

“The ’61, this particular model, has defined me as a player, and I think I’ve defined it in return,” says Kiszka.

Last year, Jake Kiszka joined Guitar.com to take us through his most cherished guitars, and of course, his “Beloved” Les Paul was front and centre in his showcase.

He told us the story of how he first came across the guitar at a Chicago Music Exchange store, calling the moment he plugged it in a moment of “divine intervention”.

“It was like lightning split from the sky – it was really unbelievable,” he said. “It was everything that I had been looking for sonically in a guitar my whole life was right here.”

Gibson and Kiszka and hoping to impart upon you the same experience the GVF guitarist had when he held the guitar in his hands for the first time…

The Jake Kiszka SG Standard is available now, priced at £2,149. For more information, head to Gibson.

The post “It’s defined me as a player, and I think I’ve defined it in return:” Jake Kiszka’s signature Gibson SG Standard has finally arrived appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Edward “Bud” Cole, Fender’s new CEO, has said the brand has a moral duty to its players, and that his leadership style factors in this huge responsibility to take care of the brand and drive it forward.

Cole was appointed as the new leader for Fender in January, with outgoing CEO Andy Mooney retiring after a decade in the role. Cole had served as President of Fender Asia Pacific (APAC) for over 10 years, and oversaw some of the company’s most significant growth initiatives, leading the expansion of the Fender business into 14 countries.

• READ MORE: Slipknot’s Jim Root explains why Fender Telecasters are like sunglasses

Speaking to Music Inc Magazine, Cole says of his new position, “Honestly, it’s beyond words. There’s a weight to it, and I mean that in the best possible way. I’ve been entrusted with something that is genuinely one of the most significant and meaningful brands in the world.

“Fender isn’t just an instrument company. It’s a language, a cultural ecosystem. When someone picks up a Fender guitar, they’re holding 80 years of history – every riff, every record, every performance, every artist who ever found their voice through this instrument.”

He adds, “That responsibility is something I feel every single day. It keeps me sharp. It keeps me humble. Everything we create, everything we say, everything we do has to honour that truth: music matters, guitars matter and players matter. Fender has always been, and will continue to be, at the centre of that story.”

Speaking of the broader family of brands under the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, he goes on to say that his focus is on “leading boldly and making sure Fender is unmistakably Fender today and for generations to come”.

Cole explains, “What’s beautiful about the portfolio is that every brand under the FMIC umbrella has its own distinct identity and sensibility. Its own voice, its own player and its own story. And through the lens of this family of brands, we’re able to give players something truly meaningful: choice.”

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Cole says his leadership style is about leading with heart and fostering a safe environment that encourages Fender’s staff to be committed, highly skilled and highly motivated. He later adds, “When you think about what Fender represents, 80 years of shaping music culture, the No. 1 electric guitar and bass brand in the world, being a servant leader here feels less like a style choice and more like a responsibility.

“We have a moral duty to the players – current and future – who pick up a guitar and use it to express something they can’t say any other way. Music matters. Guitars matter. And it’s both a privilege and an honour to inspire and empower the people around me to honour that.”

Check out more from Fender. 

The post “We have a moral duty to the players”: Fender CEO Bud Cole on leading with responsibility appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

If you’re looking to upgrade your in-the-box guitar rig, you can currently save up to 94 percent on plugins for guitar – as well as bass, drums, and vocals – over at Plugin Boutique as part of its Band Month sale.

These deals are all about “embracing the sound of real instruments and capturing the collaborative magic of a live performance” from within a DAW, and offer massive discounts on brands like IK Multimedia, Universal Audio, Blackstar, and many others.

[deals ids=”7A05RmzmJf5Jr5H2LHSHhD”]

IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube 5 is now reduced to £29.99 with 84 percent off. This plugin utilises IK’s Dynamic Interaction Modelling tech, “forged by 20 years of research and collaboration with top brands and artists” to capture all the nuance of its gear emulations. It delivers over 180 gear models, including pedals, amps, cabs, speakers, mics, and rack FX.

• READ MORE: Plugins baby – An essential guide to free and paid guitar plugins

You could, however, step things up a little further with the beefier AmpliTube 5 MAX, which comes as part of IK’s TOTAL Guitar MAX bundle, now with 89 percent off. This bundle offers over 400 gear models.

Another exciting deal is UAD’s Sound City, now just £36. Launched in 2023, it marked the first-ever plugin emulation of the iconic Sound City Studios.  The recording space – based in Van Nuys, California – has served as the birthplace for many of the best-selling rock records over the years. This emulation brings together all of the key elements of the studios, including its Studio A live room, vintage mics, analogue gear and legendary mixing console.

The biggest saving is on the Band Month Mixing Bundle from Antelope Audio, which has been reduced from a mighty four-figure sum down to just £89. It offers 12 plugins in total, including “iconic hardware” emulations and tools for guitar & bass, drums, vocals, and mixing.

Further deals include 38 percent off the St. James Suite from Blackstar, which offers amp simulations with the “tone and feel of real valve amplifiers in a visually stunning, easy to use, low-latency package”. You can also save on LANDR Guitar, and UVI’s Soul Bass plugin.

View all Band Month deals over at Plugin Boutique. 

The post Upgrade your in-the-box guitar rig with these sweet savings as part of Plugin Boutique’s Band Month appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.