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Podcast 542: John Craigie
Singer-songwriter John Craigie joins us this week to talk about his new album, I Swam Here.
We also talk about Craigie’s unique humor during his sets, his Beatles covers, album covers, and so much more.
Plus…a really exciting Fretboard Summit update. Our next Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Register today: https://fretboardsummit.org
We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout).
Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar: https://mmguitarbar.com
Above photo: Savannah Lauren
The post Podcast 542: John Craigie first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
“I’d listen to it in my bunk on my Walkman in private”: David Ellefson kept his love of Metallica’s Master of Puppets a secret from Dave Mustaine
David Ellefson has confessed that he would secretly listen to Metallica’s Master Of Puppets album away from his Megadeth bandmate, Dave Mustaine.
Mustaine was fired from Metallica in 1983, which led to him forming Megadeth. Despite Metallica ultimately being their main thrash opponents because of this, Ellefson remembers being completely wowed by their rivals’ 1986 album, which marked their third studio release and received a widely positive reception from both listeners and the media.
Speaking to Metal Hammer, Ellefson recalls, “I remember thinking, ‘These guys are really fucking doing it, man.’ You had the intensity of Battery, which really upped the thrash game, then you had Welcome Home (Sanitarium), which was this dark ballad, and then you had Orion, which could almost be on a King Crimson album.
“In a way, it was the first metal prog album. The whole thing was almost an hour long, but there’s only eight songs on it, and the songs are five, six, seven minutes long. No other thrash band was doing that at that time.” Going on to address Mustaine’s rocky history with the band, Ellefson adds: “I made it known that I liked the album, but I’d definitely change the channel when he got in the car.
“When we were on tour, I’d listen to it in my bunk on my Walkman in private. I studied that record and what they were doing: ‘Fuck man, we need to do that. How do we do it?’ We were never going to sound like them, but it really upped the game for me when it came to songwriting.”
Ellefson played bass for Megadeth until 2021 when he was let go following allegations of sexual misconduct after explicit videos were shared online. Ellefson denied any wrongdoing and filed a ‘revenge porn’ lawsuit against the person who uploaded the videos to social media.
Though Megadeth are now retiring, Ellefson won’t be returning to the band or joining them on their farewell tour, as Mustaine has said he wouldn’t want their shows to feel like “puppet show Megadeth”.
Mustaine has also honoured his background with Metallica by recording a new version of Ride The Lightning for Megadeth’s final and self-titled album. Though many first believed it to be a roast of the band that let him go all those years ago, he has clarified that it was done out of respect.
The post “I’d listen to it in my bunk on my Walkman in private”: David Ellefson kept his love of Metallica’s Master of Puppets a secret from Dave Mustaine appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The best desktop amps for portability and uncompromising sound quality
Using a combo amp for practice at home is like bringing a paving slab to a pillow fight. For fewer ruffled feathers in your vicinity, you’d be better off using a desktop amp. This relatively new category of amplifiers can give you excellent sound while keeping the volume respectful(-ish), and many of them offer a wide range of digital amp models and effects to help you find your sonic sweet spots.
Desktop amps are usually even smaller than a classic practice amp, with neat enough proportions to live on your desk. You can even carry one along to a jam session, where many models will run cordlessly after a thorough charge-up.
But what really sets the best desktop amps apart is their on-board smarts. Driven futurewards by innovations from the likes of Positive Grid and JBL, cutting-edge models fold in capabilities to help with practising, recording and writing music with your guitar at home. With the right desktop amp, you can tap into AI-powered backing tracks, tuners, metronomes, smartphone operability and Bluetooth connectivity, all from a little box on your desk. Equally, there are simpler desktop amps from the likes of Boss, Orange and Earthquaker Devices that prioritise excellent sound in a neat package.
Headphone amps – another sub-category of practice amps – offer similar advantages to a desktop amp, so we’ve included a few of these supremely portable and neighbour-friendly amplifiers among the potted reviews below.
At a glance:
- Our pick: Positive Grid Spark Mini
- Best for automated accompaniment: JBL Bandbox Solo
- Best affordable desktop amp: Boss Katana-Mini X
- Best pocket-sized amplifier: Fender Mustang Micro Plus
- Best analogue headphone amp: EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening
- Best budget desktop amp: Orange Crush Mini
- Best all-in-one headphones: Positive Grid Spark Neo
- Best premium desktop amp: Yamaha THR10II
- Best FRFR desktop amp: HeadRush FRFR GO
- Why you can trust Guitar.com
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Our pick: Positive Grid Spark Mini
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A truly portable desktop amp, the Positive Grid Spark Mini has a pint-sized form that’ll comfortably find a spot on your workstation, or even inside a backpack. It’s louder than it looks, with a 10-Watt pair of 2-inch drivers behind the grill, and a base-integrated passive radiator which enlists the surface beneath it as a bassy sounding board.
There’s masses to love about this miniature amp: excellent adjustability via the minimal on-unit controls, practice-friendly features including Bluetooth pairing and ‘Smart Jam’ backing tracks, outstanding app operability and – most importantly – stunning sound quality across 30 amp type presets. We believe it’s one of the best practice amps ever made.
Need more? Read our Positive Grid Spark Mini review and our review of the Steve Vai variant.
Best for automated accompaniment: JBL Bandbox Solo
Credit: JBL
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Trust a smart speaker brand to create one of the cleverest practice amps on the planet. You might still be peeking at it mistrustfully from behind your Vox AC30, but the JBL BandBox Solo is a potential game-changer for solo practice sessions and desktop creativity.
It has the sort of smarts we’ve come to expect from a feature-packed desktop amp, including a good range of presets for guitar (as well as for vocals and bass guitar), adjustable on-board effects, looper, drum machine, tuner and metronome – but what’s really revolutionary about the BandBox Solo is its play-along possibilities. Connect your chosen audio via Bluetooth, and you can use the amp’s ‘Stem AI’ processor to remove the guitar, vocals or other instruments from the mix, creating a custom backing track. If you have songs to learn, this amp is uniquely equipped to help you do it.
Best affordable desktop amp: Boss Katana-Mini X
Boss Katana-Mini X. Image: Press
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If you like the form factor and impressive sound quality of the best desktop amps, but not so much the app-heavy user experience or the pricing, then this one’s for you. Loud, versatile and affordable, the Boss Katana-Mini X is more of a ‘familiar’ guitar amp than many of the others featured here (though it does double up as a Bluetooth speaker, which can’t hurt).
Our reviewer was impressed with the Katana-Mini X’s clear tones, ample tweakability, generous selection of on-board effects, and its power, which proved a match for busking or a campfire singalong. It’s genuinely portable, too, with a carry strap and up to ten hours’ runtime on a single USB charge.
Need more? Read our Boss Katana-Mini X review.
Best pocket-sized amplifier: Fender Mustang Micro Plus
Delay Level on the Micro Plus. Image: Adam Gasson
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This tinier-than-pocket-sized headphone amp is the height of portability, cramming a great selection of sounds (25 amp models and 25 effects!) into the smallest ever Fender amplifier. Keep one inside your guitar case, combine with some decent headphones, and you can enjoy excellent amplified sound wherever you may be. It allows easy control via the dial and display, or finer adjustment via the Fender Tone app.
We were blown away by the sounds on offer here, from classic tweed and black-panel tones to oddities including Super Sonic and Excelsior amp models. The effects include some superb Fender pedal emulations, and you can combine these with your favourite amp sounds to create your very own presets.
Need more? Read our Fender Mustang Micro Plus review.
Best analogue headphone amp: EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening
Image: Press
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An ultra-simple amp simulator with tone based on the Fender Deluxe Reverb, the EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening is ideal for guitarists who like their desktop amps simple and sweet-sounding. Don’t expect bells and whistles; do expect excellent tone.
Like the Fender Mustang Micro Plus, this is a headphone amp – so you’ll need to plug in some decent cans to experience the Easy Listening at its best. The reward for making this small effort is clear, clean, tonally balanced sound, right up and down the pedal’s single adjustable parameter: volume. The Easy Listening won’t give you a full amp experience, let alone the bells and whistles some desktop amps offer – but it’s a great little option to have kicking about.
Need more? Read our EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening review.
Best budget desktop amp: Orange Crush Mini
Mmmmmm, Orange Crush. This distinctively-hued line of amplifiers is famed for its warm tone and juicy amp overdrive – and the Orange Crush Mini gives you a taste of that sweet signature sound in a concentrated, 3W format.
Eschewing the connected features you’d get from the likes of Positive Grid and Blackstar, this is a straightforward mini practice amp with standout on-board drive. There are some handy extras including an aux input and a built-in tuner, but you’ll spend most of your time playing with the shape, gain and volume controls on the top panel, creating sounds that punch above this amp’s negligible weight.
Need more? Read our Orange Crush Mini review.
Best all-in-one headphones: Positive Grid Spark Neo
Image: Press
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A headphone amp in the truest sense, the Spark NEO magicks Positive Grid’s sounds and smarts into a pair of wireless over-ear headphones – with far better results than we ever heard from forerunners like the Vox AmPhones.
These cans connect to the peerless Spark app, which gives you access to 33 amps, 43 effects, and over 100,000 community-made presets in the ToneCloud user library. (Side note: it’s also abnormally straightforward to set up.) Plug the supplied dongle into your guitar, pair up the headphones and you’ll be rewarded with midrange punch, clear high-end and thumping bass response, in myriad tonal flavours to suit your taste.
Need more? Read our Positive Grid Spark Neo review.
Best premium desktop amp: Yamaha THR10II
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Yamaha is widely considered to have pioneered the desktop amplifier category with its THR5 and THR10 models, both of which launched in 2011.
This newer installment, the THR10II, carries the same industrial-chic design DNA as those early models but adds new musical possibilities, with an expanded selection of digital amp models, Bluetooth playback for easier play-along practice, and plug-in-and-play recording via USB.
With two speakers pushing out a combined 20W, this is a beast compared to the average desktop amp. It’s dreamily easy to use at home, offering the rare advantage of wireless connectivity to your effects chain via a Line 6 G10TII transmitter (sold separately). Admittedly, you pay a premium for these little luxuries.
Need more? Read our Yamaha THR10II review.
Best FRFR desktop amp: HeadRush FRFR GO
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For real, for real, the only trouble with amp pedals – like the EarthQuaker Devices model featured above – is that you can’t hear them out loud. Here’s where an FRFR (flat frequency, flat response) amp comes in. These workhorses push out an unvarnished guitar sound, so you can hear the tone of your chosen amp modeller as the maker intended it.
This HeadRush model is a great desktop example, with good sound, excellent cordless runtime and approachable pricing. Modestly sized and equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and basic EQ controls, it’s the perfect solution for hearing or rejigging your digital modelling setup at home or in the studio.
Need more? Read our HeadRush FRFR GO review.
Why You Can Trust Us
Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.
That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
The post The best desktop amps for portability and uncompromising sound quality appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Marshall protein powder and AI-powered gloves that play for you: These are the best guitar April Fools hoaxes we’ve seen this year
It’s that annoying day of the year again – when you feel you can’t trust anything you see online.
However, April Fools Day does spring up some funny content across the guitar community, and the team here at Guitar.com have tasked ourselves with finding the best and most creative hoaxes from across the internet.
This year, we’ve seen AI-powered guitar gloves, shit-stained relic’d guitars and even Marshall-branded protein powder. Come to think of it, it’s probably best that the minds behind these wacky ideas are not left to their own devices more than one day a year…
We stress again that these are not real.
Marshall Gainz
It takes muscle to lug around a Marshall combo, and so the legendary amp builder has come forward with its own protein powder, Marshall Gainz. It comes in a single “Vintage Vanilla Plexi” flavour, in a 2kg tub which “goes to 11 servings”. That’s a hefty serving size of over 181g… “I used to hate hauling amps around all day. Now, with Marshall Gainz, I can’t get enough,” says muscle-bound rockstar André Vaillant, who’s tasked with being the face of the launch…
AI-powered guitar gloves
“AI plays. You take the credit.” That’s guitarguitar’s promise with its new AI-powered guitar gloves, which auto-pluck and auto-fret so you, the human guitarist, don’t have to do anything at all.
“Using cutting-edge AI technology as well as groundbreaking mechanical components, the AutoPluck & AutoFret allows you to program any song or style to play instantly,” guitarguitar says.
“Wanna sound like your favourite player? Don’t Fret, we’ve got it! With “artist packs” (sold separately) you can take the right hand of your favourite strummer, as well as the dexterity of your favourite fretter and mix and match the profiles of some of the greatest guitarists in history.”
Strandberg Arc REACH – a two-foot tremolo arm
Headless guitar purveyor Strandberg has always been on the cutting edge of guitar design, and it continues that philosophy with the all-new Arc REACH Tremolo system, which consists of a two-foot-long tremolo arm, enabling use by “picking hand, fretting hand, teeth, toes, or any other performance-ready point of contact”. REACH, of course, stands for Range Extended Articulation Control Hardware.
“Arc REACH opens the door to a new level of ergonomic expression. From subtle vibrato to dramatic divebombs, it is designed to reduce the distance between player intention and tremolo response for faster, more intuitive control,” says Strandberg.
Victory MKXXL
Celebrating the success of its MKX amp head, Victory has conjured up an XXL version – the MKXXL – with “double the features, double the power, double the tone, and double the X!” “Today only,” the brand reiterates…
Wampler Pedalcab
On the heels of the Pedalhead – a pedalboard-friendly 240-watt stereo power amp and IR loader unveiled during this year’s NAMM Show – Wampler has concocted the Pedalcab, a compact speaker system with two 1.2” speakers and true bypass. You can also take advantage of a killer deal – buy one get one full price – because “mono is just stereo for quitters”.
“Warning: Excessive volume can cause your pants to flap in an excited manner. Wampler will not be held responsible for the consequences of any such incidents.”
A new relicing process by Danish Pete at Andertons
In a bid to circumvent the often costly nature of relic’d guitars, the team at Andertons have devised a new method of wearing guitars in. The only thing is the camera crew haven’t been allowed to film Pete “Danish Pete” Honore’s somewhat questionable aging process. But we think we get the idea…
The post Marshall protein powder and AI-powered gloves that play for you: These are the best guitar April Fools hoaxes we’ve seen this year appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Essential Tips: How to Prepare and Bring Your Best to Every Performance
Doug Irwin, who made Jerry Garcia’s $11.5 million Tiger guitar, has died
Doug Irwin, maker of Jerry Garcia’s legendary “Tiger” guitar – which recently sold at auction for a record-breaking $11.5 million – has died aged 76.
In a statement posted to the Irwin Guitars Facebook page, tribute is paid to “a master craftsman, a visionary and someone who dedicated his life to his work”.
“His guitars were never just instruments,” the statement reads, “they were built with intention, precision, and soul, becoming part of the music and the artists who played them.
“To his family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him, Doug was more than his work. He was a presence, a character, and someone whose impact reached far beyond words.
“His legacy will live on through the instruments he created and the music they helped bring to life. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten. Rest in peace, Doug.”
Doug Irwin first met The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia while working at Alembic. As Guitar World notes, Garcia bought one of Irwin’s first Alembic builds, the Eagle – for $850 in 1972.
Irwin would go on to build several instruments for Grateful Dead guitarist – in keeping with the animal-themed nomenclature – including the iconic custom Wolf, which sold at auction in 2017 for a cool $1,900,000, and later Garcia’s main instrument, the Tiger.
That six-string – fitted with a cornucopia of additional controls and now boasting legendary status thanks to its years of use by Jerry Garcia in the Grateful Dead – became one of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction last month when it sold as part of the Jim Irsay Collection for $11.5 million. In that list, it’s now second only to David Gilmour’s Black Strat, which sold on the same day for a staggering $14,550,000.
Doug Irwin made two additional guitars for Garcia over the course of his career: the Rosebud, a development of the Wolf outfitted with MIDI capabilities; and the headless Wolf Jr.
Jerry Garcia died in 1995, and the world lost another Grateful Dead alum earlier this year with the passing of Bob Weir, who died aged 78.
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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’”
Imagine how cool it would be to walk into a bar and see one of your biggest heroes there, and have them invite you to play their most legendary guitar – this is what happened to a young Steve Vai, when he crossed paths with Queen’s Brian May.
A 20-year-old Vai had just moved to Los Angeles, and there May was in the Rainbow Bar and Grill. Not only did they chat, but May invited him to a Queen rehearsal, where Vai struggled more than anticipated with May’s famous Red Special. The guitar was built by May himself as a teenager with help from his father.
“It was bizarre because I had just moved out to LA, I was 20 years old. Just a year before that, I was in my teenage bedroom with Queen posters and Led Zeppelin all over the walls. And I walk into the Rainbow, and there’s Brian May standing at the bar. And I just thought, ‘How is this [possible]?’” He tells Q1043 New York (via Ultimate Guitar).
“He was so kind. He actually invited me to a Queen rehearsal. And I was just this unknown kid, and there I was. I was at Zoetrope, and there’s Freddie [Mercury] and all the guys, and then there it was, the Red Special. I said, ‘Is that it?’ And he goes, ‘That’s it. You wanna play it?’ And I’m like ‘Oh my gosh!’
“I just remember thinking, ‘I can’t play this thing,’” Vai admits. “The neck is like a bat, it’s got like, what, gauge .08 strings? But it was a miracle to actually have the guitar under my fingers, and he allowed that. And Joe [Satriani] and I have had a great relationship with him since.”
In January, Vai received a custom-built reimagining of the Red Special. Made by master luthier Andrew Guyton of Guyton Guitars, the instrument channels the spirit of May’s original DIY classic with the addition of Vai-approved updates, including a quilted maple top, jumbo EVO-gold frets, a mahogany neck and a translucent green finish.
Vai shared the guitar with a post on Instagram, where he also reflected on his first encounter with May’s Red Special: “After idolising that guitar my whole youth, holding it was seismic. I thought, ‘This is it, I’m finally going to sound like Brian May.’ But much to my chagrin, I didn’t of course. I sounded like me. And between the gauge .08 strings, ultra-low action, and a neck the size of a small tree, I played it like a baby giraffe on roller skates. Still, it was heaven.”
The post 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’” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Six classic Electro-Harmonix pedals are now available in plugin form
Electro-Harmonix has teamed up with MixWave to bring six of its legendary pedals to digital form across four plugins.
Created using “detailed component-level modelling”, the new plugins are said to faithfully capture the analogue circuitry of the original pedals, while able to “integrate seamlessly into modern production workflows”.
First up, EHX’s gamut of legendary Big Muff fuzz/distortion pedals – the Big Muff Pi, Ram’s Head Big Muff and Russian Big Head, have been condensed into a single plugin with the Big Muff Pi Fuzz.
“From smooth sustain to aggressive low-end punch, the plugin captures the unique response and tonal differences that made these variations so widely loved,” EHX says. “Switch between circuits to explore the full spectrum of Big Muff tones in a single plugin.”
Next up is the Deluxe Memory Man Analogue Delay, which brings the “pinnacle of BBD analogue delays” into plugin form, offering “lush chorus, expressive vibrato and pitch-warped textures”.
There’s also the Electric Mistress Flanger/Filter Matrix, a classic modulator for “dream chorus-like textures, jet plane woosh and everything in between”, and, finally, the Small Clone Chorus.
“Few companies have shaped the sound of modern music like Electro-Harmonix,” the brand says. “From soaring fuzz to lush chorus, sweeping flanger and expansive analogue delay, our pedals have defined countless recordings for generations of musicians and producers.”
In terms of availability, each plugin can be purchased as an individual download. Alternatively, you can get all four plugins at once with the EHX Classics Bundle, which has an introductory price of $109 (down from $149). You can also save 15% by signing up to the MixWave newsletter in the popup that appears when you visit the website.
To learn more about the new EHX Classics, head to MixWave.
The post Six classic Electro-Harmonix pedals are now available in plugin form appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Classic Guitar Pedals As Plugins
“Ozzy’s like, ‘I really f**king need to cut back on the calories’”: Zakk Wylde on the time an air stewardess mistook Ozzy Osbourne for Meat Loaf
![[L-R] Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, Meat Loaf](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Ozzy-Wylde-Meat@2000x1500.jpg)
Zakk Wylde has revealed Ozzy Osbourne’s hilarious reaction when he was once mistaken for Meat Loaf by an air stewardess.
In a new interview with Classic Rock – in which he recalls his experiences meeting a number of rock legends throughout his career including Lemmy, Slash and Dimebag Darrell – the Black Label Society frontman remembers joining Ozzy’s band as a young guitar player at around 19 or 20.
Wylde says despite the nerves that came with joining the band of Ozzy Osbourne – “a guy whose records I had grown up listening to,” as he puts it – the Prince of Darkness was, in fact, not a “big rock star ego guy”.
“If we ever got turned away from a restaurant because they were full, he’d never go: ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ He’d go: “[deflated] I guess they don’t like Black Sabbath.”
Wylde remembers Ozzy telling him a story about him flying on a Concorde shortly after his Sabbath departure.
“He’s sitting there, bummed out, and the stewardess is like: ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe it’s you!’ She’s giving him drinks, getting him food, and he’s just floored by it. He’s going: ‘Maybe things aren’t so bad.’
“As the plane lands, she says: ‘Can I get a picture?’ So she takes the photo, and then she goes: ‘Oh, wow, thank you Meat Loaf!’ Ozzy’s like: ‘I really fucking need to cut back on the calories.’”
Ozzy Osbourne died in July 2025 at the age of 76, just two weeks after performing at Black Sabbath’s mega last-ever show, Back to the Beginning at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
Following the show and before his death, Ozzy was texting Wylde expressing a desire to record another album, Wylde remembers.
“He was saying, ‘I want to make another record, like when you were going through your Allman Brothers/Lynyrd Skynyrd phase with No More Tears. So it’ll be heavy but melodic.’ And I said, ‘Surely you must be kidding.’ And he goes: ‘No, I’m not kidding – and don’t call me Shirley!’
“I was figuring Ozzy would do his rehab and hopefully get better, and we’d make another record and maybe Mom [Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and longtime manager] would do this gig once a year for charity and give him something to strive for.
“Every night when I’m saying my prayers I say hi to him.”
The post “Ozzy’s like, ‘I really f**king need to cut back on the calories’”: Zakk Wylde on the time an air stewardess mistook Ozzy Osbourne for Meat Loaf appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Courtney Barnett on Kurt Cobain Jaguars, writing for the song, and why she’s learned to push down the feeling she’s “wasting everyone’s time” to nail her guitar solos
When Cournet Barnett was 18, she was hopping around at open mics, performing original songs to anyone who would listen. Soon enough, however, she found herself playing guitar in her first-ever band: the gritty, Melbourne-based grunge collective, Rapid Transit.
The music was riotous, punchy garage rock that only lasted a year, with the outfit releasing a one-off self-titled cassette in December 2010. Barnett is no stranger to seamlessly slipping into new projects – from Immigrant Union to The Olivettes. But, now, as she mulls over her past on a call from LA, it’s clear that phase in her life was one she recalls fondly.
“It’s so cool that you found that,” she enthuses. “I loved that band. I love that music that we made. My friend Chris, that was his band. I joined other bands and did whatever felt fun at the time. Chris and I worked in this bar together, and he asked me to play guitar in his band, and it was so different to what I was doing with my songs, and I loved it.
“Actually, I’ve never really written like that. I didn’t even know what key the songs were in or what chords we were playing! I just remembered all my parts, but I didn’t understand absolutely any of the theory or anything that was going on.”
Image: Lindsey Byrnes
Learning Curve
There are few better ways to cement your place in the music industry firmament than getting a nomination in one of the super prestigious “Big Four” categories at the Grammy Awards, but that’s exactly what happened to Barnett a decade ago when she was nominated for Best New Artist at the 58th Grammys.
Ten years and one month later, she released her poignant, brilliant new album, Creature of Habit. Reflecting on her coming-of-age guitar moments, the Australian musician picks out a quietly confident trick.
“It’s wild to think back to that time now. I would still be scared to go into an open-mic. There’s something really nerve-wracking about it. But I was looking at all those moments as a place to learn, and that’s something I’m always trying to do,” she says. “Every step of the way, with every different-sized show, it’s always good to remember that I’m just trying to serve the song and the storytelling. It doesn’t matter what size the venue or whatever it is, I always want to do a good show.”
It’s early morning and Barnett’s dog, Rosa, is pacing around the flat, eager to get outside. In some way, there’s a similar glimmering enthusiasm of routine in Barnett’s latest full-length album. Creature of Habit emerged in the quiet of Joshua Tree, where she could experiment and chip away at her album, sticking to what felt like the right path. Wisdom, then, is something Barnett is coaxing out of all situations. She explores openly, sinking into the feelings of creative limbo, looking, searching for a moment that strikes, something that feels authentic and right.
“There’s a beauty in an in-between moment of figuring something out and capturing that sound in the studio. It’s usually a guitar solo or something like that that I would typically leave to the last minute and do it based on feeling,” she says. “I’m figuring it out in the moment, and I feel like I’m wasting everyone’s time, but then, at the same time, I think it captures something really raw; it’s right on the edge of falling apart, or you can hear me searching for the notes and I like that. It feels really, really honest.”
Image: Lindsey Byrnes
Breaking The Habit
Finding those moments and little breakthroughs is, as anyone who has tried to write a song can surely attest, is where the real magic is found. But even after more than a decade of making her own music across myriad projects, Barnett still cherishes the lessons she’s learned on the back of Creature Of Habit.
“I think my biggest lesson for this album was about finishing things, especially lyrics,” she reveals. “I left a lot of the lyrics to the last minute and, often, didn’t finish a song. I kind of thought that I’ll figure the rest out later and I’ll get around to it or in the moment, I’ll figure it out, but that just psyched me out and stressed me out.
“It’s normally a bit more structured and things would be more finished. I was experimenting, but I knew if I didn’t have a deadline, I wouldn’t get anything done. I would sit around looking at the sky and waiting for some grand idea to happen.”
One of the album’s standout tracks is Mantis, and this was another song that taught Barnett some valuable lessons in the studio – and was so impactful that the insect the song was inspired by ended up being the album’s cover.
“When I finished writing that song, I felt the album come together like that,” she reveals. “The song felt like the glue. I don’t 100 per cent know why, but it just made all of the songs make sense as a collection, instead of them just being random songs placed together.
“I couldn’t come up with the chorus. I had some random lines that didn’t really make sense. Then, one day, I was at home, and I looked up at my windowsill and saw this praying mantis. I was in a moment where I was feeling really lost and really sad, and I was really having a hard time, and this tiny little mantis felt like this weird sign from the universe. This supportive little creature was kind of telling me I was, I was going in the right direction, and so it became this symbol for me.
“Around that time, I was getting up every morning, I was making a coffee, and then I was sitting down to write, and one of the phrases I wrote one morning was something about being a creature of habit. Then, a year or so later, I was coming up with the album title at the last minute, which I always do, and I thought that line represented all the songs really nicely, both in a kind of abstract way, but also quite an obvious way.”
Tried And True
The album’s title is the sort of thing that obviously promotes discussion about Barnett’s tried and true ways of doing things, and when it comes to her captivatingly jagged and raw approach to guitar, she has a relatable process for how it all comes together – finding the familiar and then pushing beyond it.
“It’s funny how there are always little things that I fall back on,” she explains. “I always pick up a guitar and I’ll go to the same chords I learned as a kid with my guitar teacher, and the pentatonic scale. When I’m soloing or finding notes, I find myself following similar patterns, and then I have to force myself to kind of break out of that. I’ll definitely jump on the tremolo arm often, if I feel kind of lost I’ll make noise with it. But if I pick up a guitar, I go to a G-A-G, and play some kind of country-style strumming pattern – that’s my go-to.”
Fruitful collaboration has been a regular feature of Barnett’s career, and so it’s fitting that the album’s lead single, Site Unseen, sees her working with another indie-rock big-hitter in the shape of Kathryn Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee.
“I wrote that song at the last minute before we went into the studio the first time,” Barnettt recalls. “This album was recorded in a couple of different sessions, and I wrote it at the last minute. I was sitting with my girlfriend in the studio, and we were talking, but I had the guitar in my hand and the melody in my head.
“I was so distracted, because I was like, ‘Oh my god, what if I forget this song that I’ve kind of written as we’ve been talking…’ My girlfriend was saying something and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, but I need to record this song and can we just stop talking for one second?’ I did a voice memo of this song idea and then a couple of days later, I showed the band, and we tried to track the song, but I hadn’t really fleshed it out properly.
“Then, six months later, I did a different version of it that wasn’t right and then another one. Finally, it sounded right and I had this idea to get Katie. I asked her if she would be interested in singing this harmony idea that I had floating around in my head, and I thought her voice would be so perfect for it. I really love her songwriting and I think she’s such an amazing artist. I just knew that her voice would be perfect. So I texted her and asked her and she was into it. She did a vocal and it all sounded right to me, but it was a real journey. It took over a year to get it right.”
Image: Press
Going Big
For many fans, the squall of Barnett’s guitar is a magical component of her music, though it was something that took a little bit of a back seat in the sparser arrangements of 2021’s Things Take Time, Take Time. When she started talking about Creature Of Habit, she declared that the guitars would be more overt this time around – a notable thing that begs the question why she felt the need to make such a promise…
“Lots of people seemed to comment that my last album wasn’t guitar-heavy,” she says. “It seemed to be a bit of a comparison, not so much for me, but a few observations from other people. But this does feel bigger, wider and louder. I wrote Things Take Time… in a small apartment during Covid lockdowns on acoustic guitars. It was quite small, quiet and intimate. With this album, I started writing it in the desert with big landscapes and no kind of noise restrictions. I was just playing more guitars, playing electric guitar instead of acoustic on that album. I think, sonically, they’re so different.”
Speaking of playing electric guitars, it would be remiss not to chat about Barnett’s most synonymous guitar – her lefty Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar that has been a constant companion throughout her musical life, and was a key player on Creature Of Habit too.
“I’ve just been using it for so long, and I don’t have that many guitars,” she demures of the guitar’s significance. “I don’t like rotating between a lot of guitars and always come back to it like that. It feels like such a workhorse and it does everything I want it to do; I can play all my songs on it. They all sound good to my ear on that guitar. At the moment, I have that guitar and this white Strat, and they’re the two guitars that I use. I don’t really have any other ones here. I find that Jag can do everything I want it to do.”
A little over a decade on from the debut album that propelled her to global indie-rock stardom, Barnett has understandably learned and experienced a huge amount, but it’s also a career that seems to have gone by in a flash.
“It’s funny that 10 years feels so long ago, but also so like it was kind of just yesterday as well,” she agrees. “It’s such a weird way to look at a time. It feels like another lifetime. I was thinking about this album the other day and there’s always this feeling of nerves and vulnerability as you’re just about to release something. I’m so proud of it and I’m just excited to release it and to perform the songs. I have been working on this for three years, so it feels like such a journey.
“But when other people listen to the music, it kind of becomes something else. People interpret it in different ways, and often I learn more about the music once it‘s released. It’s really interesting to see how songs evolve over time and how they kind of change. Sometimes they might even change meaning or just gain a new meaning. I sat with these ideas for so long. I struggled with a lot of the lyrics. I went through a lot of emotional turmoil and I learned a lot. Now, I can let it go and I can move on with all these lessons learned and perspectives gained. It feels like I can take a breath. It’s a nice bit of closure.”
Courtney Barnett’s Creator of Habit is out now via Milk! Records
The post Courtney Barnett on Kurt Cobain Jaguars, writing for the song, and why she’s learned to push down the feeling she’s “wasting everyone’s time” to nail her guitar solos appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Supremely stupid idea – we’re going to be so emotional”: Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee look on to the opening show of Rush’s reunion tour
Rush’s Fifty Something reunion tour has to be one of the most anticipated rock tours in recent memory, as guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee – with drummer Anika Nilles in tow – head out on the road for the first time in 11 years, and since the tragic death of Neil Peart in 2020.
Speculation has swirled in recent years as to whether Rush would ever head back out on the road, and comments made by Lifeson earlier in 2025 didn’t help, when he said: “I’d rather be remembered for that legacy than return as the top Rush tribute band. Some days I wake up wanting to go out and tour again and some days I don’t.”
But the prog legends sent shockwaves round the rock world in October when they announced plans to head back out on the road once again in 2026. Demand for the shows was so high, in fact, that the band shortly after added 17 more dates.
Rush fans haven’t got long to wait now, either, with the first shows of the trek – not one, not two, but four – at LA’s Kia Forum on 7, 9, 11 and 13 June. As it happens, the venue was where Lee and Lifeson played their last-ever show with Neil Peart in 2015.
And in a new interview with Classic Rock, the pair acknowledge the emotions that will come with performing their first reunited shows at the same venue.
Likening it to “returning to the scene of the crime”, Lifeson says: “Staring at that same clock where it ended, yeah.”
“Supremely stupid idea,” Lee replies. “It’s a massively stupid idea, because we’re going to be so emotional already, that first show without Neil, and then to be in that building. What the fuck was I thinking?” Lifeson concurs: “Yeah, what were we fucking thinking?”
Later in the interview, Lee continues: “Without Neil… I’ll be frank. There are some songs you play where it kind of hits you, it’s bad, and it feels weird. And it’s appropriate that that happens. You know what I mean?
“If we just picked up and went on without feeling any tug of anything, that would be absurd, that would be a whole other thing. And there’ll be moments in both sets where we’ll pay tribute to him. We’re working hard on that, making sure that it’s appropriate.”
Noting the “emotional and logistical aspect” of deciding to reunite as Rush, Lee adds: “There was nothing about this decision that came easily, except when Al looks at me, and I look at him in the studio and we go why the fuck shouldn’t we do this?”
View a full list of dates for the Fifty Something tour at Rush’s official website.
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Hole bassist on the “public witch trial” that followed her leaving the band – and why she was “pissed” at Courtney Love “turning away”
Nearly three decades on, former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur has opened up about her tumultuous relationship with Courtney Love, and the “public witch trial” that followed her exit.
Appearing in the new issue of Uncut, Auf der Maur looks back on her five-year stint in Hole, a period that saw the band rise to mainstream success with 1998’s Celebrity Skin. The 54-year-old joined the alt-rock group in 1994, stepping in after the tragic loss of bassist Kristen Pfaff, and remained through some of the band’s most high-profile years. After leaving Hole in 1999, she toured briefly with The Smashing Pumpkins, fronted by Courtney Love’s ex, Billy Corgan.
Reflecting on the emotional fallout of leaving Hole, Auf der Maur says, “We broke our own hearts along the way. I had dutifully stayed, trying to do what we set out to do, which is put women in a male-dominated landscape. We had a Top 40 hit, we were as big as ever, and Courtney turned away and explored Hollywood and I was pissed. But that’s her journey. She was surviving insurmountable pain – not just Kurt [Cobain] and being left alone as a mother and her own struggle with addiction, but a lifetime of not being loved.”
In the aftermath, Auf der Maur adds, the band’s reputation took a hit and the narrative quickly spiralled.
“And then it became a public witch trial. The legacy of Hole was in the gutters. No one took care of it because no one took care of her.”
The drama didn’t stop when she left Hole. When asked about Love’s reaction to her move to the Pumpkins, Auf der Maur admits it was complicated.
“She was respectful, but angry that I was leaving for her ex-boyfriend,” the bassist explains. “It was a lot of drama, but I’ve long said that Hole was my Bachelors in humanity and the Pumpkins was my Masters in music. I learned in Hole about how society treats women, and then I got to basically go on vacation and be the best bass player I’ve ever been by playing with the best musicians I’ll ever play with in my life.”
Playing with Corgan, she adds, pushed her creative and technical limits like nothing she had experienced before.
“The intensity of Billy Corgan and his work ethic, and the radical dexterity I needed to have as a bass player, was insane,” says Auf der Maur. “We were playing up to three hours a night, different setlists every night. It was Olympian-style musicianship.”
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“One of the most unique guitars I’ve ever played”: This multi-scale 7-string S-type is a prog-ready monstrosity
Think you know the Stratocaster? Well think again. Prog guitarist Joshua De La Victoria and Iconic Guitars have reworked the classic S-type into a seven-string, multi-scale machine that looks somewhat familiar – but plays like nothing you’ve seen before.
Gone are the days of sticking to the classic three-single-coil formula. De La Victoria’s latest guitar blends an HSS pickup configuration, a custom offset humbucker, and an EverTune bridge with a multi-scale neck that stretches your fingers – and your imagination. Every inch of the build is designed to push the Strat into modern territory without losing the iconic charm that’s made it a legend.
Revealing the new build on Instagram, De La Victoria explains how Iconic used their Solana 7 model as a starting point, then reworked the “whole center of the body” and neck to accommodate the multi-scale layout. The team also created a custom bridge humbucker to complement the 7-string single coil configuration.
“Bet you haven’t seen this before,” De La Victoria writes. “I had a chat with Kevin [Proctor, Iconic President] a few months back about a crazy new build idea, and it’s here. For the past year, I’ve been thinking about how an S-type guitar could work with multi-scale, and I gotta say it looks and plays incredible.”
“The mix of vintage and modern has always been something that I really connect with and look for. This is probably the most extreme version of that.”
Even Periphery’s Misha Mansoor couldn’t resist commenting: “Wow. Lemme get dat.”
“Really proud of this dude and this guitar,” Proctor adds on Instagram. “Thanks to my dear friend Josh for the idea for this guitar and for trusting our team to bring this incredible Solana 7 multi-scale to life.”
In a dedicated YouTube video, De La Victoria explains the concept behind the guitar: The idea was to create “something that no one makes but that I wish they would,” he says. Growing up on S-style guitars, De La Victoria wanted something that felt “super familiar”, but with the capabilities needed for his current work.
“I’m writing a lot of music and I’m playing a lot of music. I’m out on tour playing music that uses extended range instruments. So, seven and eight string guitars,” says the musician. “I wanted something that could bridge the gap between the two… Something that’s vintage looking – so S-style – and then has the extended range and some of the modern features of extended range guitars.”
Watch the full build video below.
The post “One of the most unique guitars I’ve ever played”: This multi-scale 7-string S-type is a prog-ready monstrosity appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Metallica were the best of all of us but not anymore”: Gary Holt says Exodus now “crushes” their thrash rivals
Master of Puppets may be “the best metal album ever made” in the eyes of Gary Holt, but the band behind it is no longer “the best” today, according to the Exodus guitarist.
Speaking to Metal Hammer Spain, Holt reflects on the long-running dynamic between Exodus and Metallica, tracing it back to the early days of the Bay Area, and the very different paths the two bands took as thrash exploded into the mainstream.
- READ MORE: Gary Holt: “All I listen to is Adele”
“I think the thrash bands that came after [us] – ‘cause, obviously, the first two in the [San Francisco] Bay Area were us and Metallica – were really chasing what Metallica did,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “That’s why most of ‘em started doing ballads and they started following the blueprint a little, whereas Exodus kind of did our own thing.”
“For better or for worse, we made our own decisions,” Holt adds. “We tried our hardest not to be like Metallica.”
While Holt is quick to give James Hetfield and co. their due, he argues that the Bay Area pecking order has long shifted, with Exodus now firmly ‘crushing’ their old peers.
“Everybody makes their own musical decisions,” he says. “Metallica were the best of all of us. I mean, I don’t think so anymore – I think Exodus crushes them, but that’s my own humble opinion.”
Still, when it comes to the records themselves, Holt isn’t shy about showering praise on what he considers “the best” the genre has delivered.
“But [Metallica third LP, 1986’s] Master Of Puppets, to me, is the best metal album ever made,” says the guitarist. “I fucking love it. I’m jealous, that album is so good. It makes me jealous. Some people like [Metallica’s second album, 1984’s] Ride The Lightning better. I think Master Of Puppets is a masterpiece.”
“That album and Stained Class [by] Judas Priest are, to me, the two best metal albums of all time. [Exodus guitarist] Lee Altus likes Ride The Lightning better [than Master Of Puppets]. To me, it’s no choice. It’s, like, no – it’s fucking Master Of Puppets.”
In related news, Gary Holt recently joked he’s still waiting on royalties for Metallica’s megahit Creeping Death, claiming his lyrics from an early Exodus demo helped shape the track that later appeared on Ride The Lightning.
“It’s Kirk’s riff, it’s my lyrics,” he told Heavy Stories [via Louder]. “I’ve never been credited, so yeah, that’ll tell you how I feel. I should get paid for that shit.”
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Luthier on Luthier: Otto D’Ambrosio
For episode 112 of the podcast, I’m talking with Otto D’Ambrosio.
Otto wears two hats—as a solo luthier and Chief Designer at Eastman Guitars—and he walks us through his journey from working with legends like Flip Scipio, John Monteleone, and Carl Thompson to his role today, bridging the gap between hands-on building and production design.
We talk about how the pandemic pushed him into 3D CAD, changing the way he collaborates with Eastman’s workshops, and dive into some of his design work—including the Fullertone neck system, his boutique archtop builds, and an upcoming project comparing domestic and European tonewoods.
Links:
https://dambrosioguitars.com/
Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars and brought to you by the Fretboard Journal. This episode is sponsored by the Looth Group, Dream Guitars and StewMac.
Michael Bashkin’s Hub of Acoustics 2026 US Academy: https://hubofacoustics.com/en/#Colorado_Academy
Want to support Luthier on Luthier? Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive photos and content from Michael and his builds.
The post Luthier on Luthier: Otto D’Ambrosio first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
“His dependents became incredibly greedy”: Brian May reveals Queen are being sued by the family of the photographer who shot their most iconic album cover
Think of Queen, and we’re willing to bet the Queen II artwork is the first image that pops into your head. Shot in 1974 by photographer Mick Rock, the artwork for the band’s sophomore record has since become one of the most recognisable shots in musical history. However, following Rock’s death in 2021, his family are now pursuing legal action, arguing that Rock wasn’t properly compensated for his work.
Speaking to The Sun, guitarist Brian May reveals that the Rock family are claiming that the late photographer was allegedly not paid enough for his work. “His family is suing us at the moment for vast amounts of money,” May says. “Mick was a lovely guy, very ambitious, quite money oriented.”
Queen ensured that they “paid [Rock] very, very well for what he did”. Despite that, Rock’s family are insisting that the payout wasn’t sufficient.
Alongside its recreation in the 1975 video for Bohemian Rhapsody, the iconic snap of Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor has since become a cultural touchstone, with countless bands imitating it in photoshoots and music videos. Yet that legacy has been soured, in light of the brewing legal battle.
Perhaps alluding to the later recreation of the shot for memorabilia and in the Bohemian Rhapsody video, May alleges that the Rock family are suing on the grounds that Rock should be compensated for every way in which Queen have benefitted from the shot.
“His dependents became incredibly greedy and decided that everything was his idea,” May explains. “[They believe] we owe him millions and millions, not just in the UK, but all around the world. So they’re suing us all around… it’s a little hard for me to be objective about the thing.”
May goes on to say that, if Rock were still alive, the matter could have been settled easily out of court. “I’m sorry he’s not around because I know if he was around, we’d go, ‘Oh, come on, we’ll settle this,’” the guitarist says. “We’d shake hands and it would be done tomorrow.”
News of the legal battle comes shortly after the re-release of Queen II, with an expanded edition of the record dropping just last Friday.
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FUKKAUDIO is a browser-based text-to-tone guitar tone generator
With the increasing power of AI-driven LLMs, it was only a matter of time before digital guitar tones created from a single text prompt were made possible.
Positive Grid really spearheaded the movement last year when it launched BIAS X, with a handy text-to-tone AI assistant that turns the tonal ideas in your head into reality. Now, the concept is available in a browser-based format courtesy of FUKKAUDIO.
Text prompt guitar tone creation, in theory, circumvents the often-tedious process of crafting the perfect signal chain yourself, essentially offering a faster route from the sound in your head to a sound you can actually use.
Unlike Positive Grid’s BIAS X – which can be used as a standalone application or as a plugin within a DAW – FUKKAUDIO is an entirely browser-based guitar tone generator, with no installation required.
So how does it actually work? Simply plug your guitar into your computer via an audio interface – input and output device dropdown lists are front and centre in the user interface – then enter your prompt, like “tight modern rhythm” or “sparkly clean that makes chords feel expensive”, and FUKKAUDIO will do the rest.
FUKKAUDIO doesn’t have quite the same post-prompt customisability as BIAS X, which formulates a full signal chain based on your prompt, after which you can swap out amps and effects to your heart’s content. Understandable, of course, considering FUKKAUDIO is a free browser application.
FUKKAUDIO does, however, grant controls for FX Intensity, Drive and output level, which can be tweaked to further refine your prompted sound.
“The focus is on getting to a usable tone quickly, especially for home players working with a laptop or simple setup,” the Finnish brand tells Guitar.com.
“That shift – from presets to plain-language tone – is the core angle. It turns guitar tone into something you can reach immediately instead of something you have to construct.”
Try FUKKAUDIO for yourself now.
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Wolfgang Van Halen says his father was “right” to start him out playing drums instead of guitar: “I play guitar like a drummer”
With Van Halen blood running through his veins, it’s no surprise that Wolfgang Van Halen knows his way around a guitar. However, Wolfgang’s father Eddie Van Halen was in no rush to teach his son guitar – in fact, he didn’t buy him his first acoustic until he had first become proficient on the drums.
In a new interview with Rick Beato, Wolfgang reflects on how this drum-first approach has helped him as a musician. “I think my dad was right to start me on drums,” he explains. “It’s a really good place to start rhythmically. You just understand music from that dynamic first, and you kind of grow from there.”
As Wolfgang notes, his foundational understanding of percussion is something he utilises across his now-multi-instrumental arsenal. “I play guitar like a drummer, I play bass like a drummer,” he says.
“Everything I start with is the rhythm of it,” he adds. “The rhythm section is tight because it’s my instincts.”
Wolfgang Van Halen is a proficient multi-instrumentalist, but explains how it’s “always drums first”. And that approach stems from how he was taught by his father.
In a 2023 interview with MusicRadar, he revealed drums were the only instrument Eddie properly taught him, and he was largely left to his own devices while learning guitar. “Other than [drums]… there was never a moment where Dad sat down like, ‘I’m gonna teach you how to do this,’” he revealed.
“I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I like how I was able to teach myself from looking at guitar tabs on the internet and just trying to replicate every one of my favourite songs.”
Back in 2023, Wolfgang also told the Talk Is Jericho podcast that his dad only got him a guitar after he has mastered the drums. “He had magazines on the table and was like, ‘do this and do this’… the second he saw I could do that he bought me a V drum kit and for my birthday the next year got me an acoustic kit,” he said.
In the same podcast, Wolfgang also praised Tool’s drumming for “expanding” his musical knowledge. “Tool was a big band for me… I noticed I became a better drummer when I learned how to play Tool songs,” he explained.
The post Wolfgang Van Halen says his father was “right” to start him out playing drums instead of guitar: “I play guitar like a drummer” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Mike McCready says using a digital amp modeller has pushed him to play better than ever: “I just felt more confident”
For every guitarist who isn’t yet a digital amp modelling convert, there’s another who’s made the switch. Recently, the Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson spoke of his hesitancy around amp modellers, admitting that “they’re getting close” to the real thing, but noting the “symbiotic relationship” a guitarist has with their analogue amplifier.
But on the flip side, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready has readily adopted a digital guitar rig, even admitting that doing so has made him a “better guitar player”.
Speaking to Guitar World in a new interview, McCready shares that he used a Fender Tone Master Pro – which we gave a strong 8/10 in our 2023 review – while touring Pearl Jam’s 2024 album Dark Matter, and it also makes up part of his home rig.
He does, however, admit that he’s still very partial to analogue gear – it’s just about striking the right balance.
“It’s a mixture of modelling and real amps, so I keep both the analogue and digital worlds,” McCready says. “I love the Tone Master… I play on it every day. I can pick up any kind of pedal on that thing and it sounds pretty great.”
On Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter tour, McCready ran the Tone Master Pro through Fender Tone Master FRFR (full range, flat response) cabs. He says his current rig – newer digital technology combined with classic analogue gear – has made him a sharper guitar player.
“I know there’s purists that probably aren’t into that, but I felt like my amp modelling system along with the old analogue stuff has made me a better guitar player,” he continues.
“It was the consistency of the amps over the Dark Matter tour that pushed me to play better than I have ever done. I just felt more confident.”
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