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Last updated on April 28, 2022

So-called "cowboy chords" have been fundamental to the guitar since its invention. In this lesson, we'll look at easy ways to spice up these everyday grips so they'll add interest to your playing, improve your rhythm, and liven up even the most predictable of progressions.

What is a Cowboy Chord? 

Speculation abounds regarding the origin of the term "cowboy chord," but here's an explanation that makes sense to me: In many 1940s movies, such actor-musicians as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry portrayed cowboys who played guitar and sang. In these musical scenes, the actors strummed first-position, open-string chords and seldom strayed beyond the 3rd fret.

However they earned this nickname, cowboy chords remain essential to all guitarists—from beginners to pros. Unfortunately, many players rarely get past the most basic shapes shown in Ex. 1. That's a pity because by just moving a finger or two—or sometimes simply lifting a finger off the fretboard—you can add color, tension, movement, and zest to your playing. Let's make that happen now!

Cowboy Chords Ex. 1

Just Move a Finger

These days it seems like every other hit song features the prosaic I–VIm–IV–V progression. Now there's nothing wrong with the progression itself. In fact, the reason we hear it so frequently is because it sounds good, and it has been used masterfully by everyone from George Gershwin to the Rolling Stones and the Police. But the aforementioned songwriters knew that to make the everyday unique, you need to add some spice.

That's exactly what we've done in Ex. 2. This example demonstrates two basic concepts: The first is that you can add color to the most basic chords, in this case C–Am–F–G, by moving, removing, or adding a finger to each voicing. This second concept is particularly interesting because even though we keep moving the same notes on the 2nd string against the first three chords, the quality of these chords keeps changing. For example, when you let the 2nd string ring open on a C chord, it becomes a Cmaj7, but when you let the same string ring open on an Fmaj7 chord it becomes the much more sophisticated Fmaj7#4. Now that's spice.

Cowboy Chords Ex. 2

Ex. 3 uses the same progression (I–VIm–IV–V), this time in the key of G, but now all the movement happens on the 1st string. Once again, we find ourselves with some very elegant harmonies. The Gmaj7 in measure one is particularly noteworthy because it sounds quite mournful, as if longing for something. Lost love perhaps? Maybe that's why the Smiths, Jim Croce, and the Sundays have all used it to complement melancholy lyrics.

Cowboy Chords Ex. 3

Ex. 4 expands upon the "move a finger" idea by moving several fingers to create a melodic motif in the D and G chords. It also gives movement to the A7 chord by shifting shapes up and down the neck. We'll expand upon the latter idea in the next example.

Cowboy Chords Ex. 4

Spice Up Your Blues

Ex. 5 appears to be a common 12-bar blues, and form-wise this is true, but the uncommon movement we've applied to the E7 and A7 shapes adds considerable harmonic sophistication with very little effort.

Cowboy Chords Ex. 5

Going Outside the Key

Up to this point, all of the examples have been completely diatonic, meaning all the notes we've added to the basic triads have been in the same key as the chord progressions. But what happens if we add some notes that are not in the home key? Well, now things get really spicy, though no more difficult to perform. Ex. 6 is an ingenious example of how to add variation when you're stuck on one chord for more than a measure or two. Notice how tense the progression becomes when you play the Em#5 and yet completely relaxes when you conclude on the Em. This particular progression, both descending (as shown) and ascending (just play in reverse order) was used numerous times by the Beatles, most notably in "Eleanor Rigby," "Hey Bulldog," and "Savoy Truffle."

Cowboy Chords Ex. 6

Speaking of the Beatles, Ex. 7 is a progression they learned from "Don't Ever Change," written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded by the post-Buddy Holly Crickets. Once again, the tension created by the D augmented chord resolves very nicely into the D6 on the way up, and into the D triad on the way down. By the way, if you just play the D to Daug over and over again, you'll find yourself playing the verse to Eddie Money's "Baby Hold On."

Cowboy Chords Ex. 7

Add Some Bass

So far, all our examples have focused on movement and color in the higher registers, but you can also add spice to the bass notes. Ex. 8 is a folk and folk/rock staple, used by everyone from Simon and Garfunkel to Led Zeppelin and, despite the obvious chord names that are written here, it's relatively complex harmonically. You see, in this folk context, it is best to name the chords using the bass-note slash, i.e., Am/G–Am/F#–Am/F. But in different contexts, particularly in jazz, those last two chords could be named F#m7(b5) and Fmaj7, suggesting that adding a bass note can radically alter—and enhance—the harmonic quality of any given chord.

Cowboy Chords Ex. 8

Ex. 8 featured a descending bass line, but in Ex. 9 we'll turn that around and have the bass ascend while we're playing an Em chord. Notice how we've included a non-diatonic note, Bb, at the end of the progression. This adds tension that's released by the final Em.

Cowboy Chords Ex. 9

Be Judicious

These exercises have been specifically designed to get you into the habit of adding variation to your everyday cowboy chords. They're also, as good exercises should be, rather formulaic. While you play through them, remember that when making up your own progressions, you don't need to add movement to every chord. Maybe you insert movement in the verse but not in the chorus, or vice versa. There's no need to overdo it: A little spice can go a long way toward making your songs and arrangements a lot more inventive.

This article was last updated on May 17, 2021

A 21st-century bluesman raised in the heart of the Mississippi Delta carries with him both instant credibility and the burden of an illustrious history. Growing up in an environment so saturated with the imposing spirits of America’s musical past, a person might, you’d think, find it hard to pick up a guitar and even consider making a career with it. But Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, born 26 years ago in Clarksdale, Mississippi—the legendary stomping ground of Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, memorably depicted this year in Ryan Coogler’s hit movie Sinners—doesn’t seem to have paid much mind to any of that. For him, the blues has simply always been a part of his everyday life.

“Muddy Waters and B.B. King were the first two bluesmen that I learned about at an early age, before I even got to proper schooling,” Ingram said in a recent Zoom interview. “My dad showed me a PBS documentary on Muddy Waters and he showed me B.B. King doing a cameo on an episode of Sanford & Son. I remember those two things very well. And not only that, I lived right next to a blues band. Being around them definitely made me want to do what I’m doing now.

”Getting from there to here—“here” being the position of critically lauded, internationally touring Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and guitarist—involved a mixture of raw talent, good genes (Kingfish comes from a musical family; the late great Black country star Charley Pride was his mother’s first cousin), and a supportive cultural infrastructure. Not long into his elementary school years, Ingram got involved in the music education program at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Starting out on drums in his church group at age six, he switched to bass by 11 and guitar by 13.

“When I started learning about the blues, I wanted to get on guitar,” he recalls, “but I felt like my fingers were too big for the strings, so I moved to bass and that became my primary instrument. And when that phase went away, I switched to guitar. First I would do some of my bass fills and lines [on guitar], and next thing you know, my teachers at the museum taught me how to use the first two high strings, and once I started learning a couple of chords, I took it from there.”

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram's Gear

Guitars

• Fender Kingfish Telecaster Deluxe signature
• Banker Custom V
• 2001 Gibson Memphis ES-335
• Gibson ES-339
• Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster
• Custom Michael Chertoff Les Paul-style electric
• Fender Acoustasonic
• Fender Redondo

Amps

• Two Fender ’65 Twin Reverb reissues

Effects

• Dunlop Cry Baby Mini Wah
• Marshall ShredMaster
• Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
• Boss TU-3W Chromatic Tuner
• Strymon power supply

Strings, Picks, & Accessories

• Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings (.011–.048)
• Dunlop Jazz III picks
• Shure BLX4

That he did. Within a couple of years, Ingram was gigging locally and, thanks in part to his Delta Blues Museum connections, gaining national notoriety. At 15, he performed with the museum’s band for Michelle Obama at the White House. The emotional authority of his guitar playing in particular astonished listeners. Veteran bluesman Eric Gales told Blues Rock Review that Kingfish was “killin’ from day one … It’s a beautiful thing to see such a vibrant, intense, very skilled artist.” (Gales and Ingram have since become close comrades, referring to each other as uncle and nephew.)

“Muddy Waters and B.B. King were the first two bluesmen that I learned about at an early age.”

Ingram’s superb 2019 debut album Kingfish, the recording of which was financed by no less an elder statesman than Buddy Guy, turned plenty of heads in the music world; its crunchy opening track, “Outside of This Town,” remains an excellent introduction to the Kingfish style. Its 2021 follow-up, 662, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and 2023’s fiery Live in London consolidated his status as a major modern blues force. His latest collection, Hard Road, presents a markedly different picture, though. No longer a Clarksdale resident, Kingfish now makes his home in Los Angeles, where he moved three years ago. “Sometimes I miss the simplicity of Mississippi,” he acknowledges. “But out here in California I definitely have more resources, more opportunities, and more ways to work.”

That new reality is reflected in the songs on Hard Road, which were the product of collaboration with 11 songwriters and 12 musicians, recorded with three producers in 11 studios spread across two states—a level of ambition, and logistics, that dwarfs any of Ingram’s prior work. For five songs cut at various locations in Nashville, Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Susan Tedeschi), who’s been working with Ingram since the start of his recording career, took the reins. Patrick “Guitar Boy” Hayes (Usher, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole) helmed sessions for four songs in L.A., Hollywood, and Irvine, California, while up-and-comer Nick Goldston oversaw two songs in Santa Monica and Memphis.

As you’d expect, it took a while to put all this together. Ingram at first estimates a gestation period of three to four years, then reconsiders. “Probably even longer than that, because some of the songs that we used were from the 662 sessions,” he says. “But it was really when I came out here to L.A. and was working with Guitar Boy in the studio week after week when I wasn’t on the road that this project was born. I was a little scared, making a project with all these different genres. I didn’t want it to sound like a random jukebox thing, you know? I just wanted to do more music that showcased a lot of other things about my talent: the vocal range, the writing, stuff like that.”

“Sometimes I miss the simplicity of Mississippi. But out here in California I definitely have more resources, more opportunities, and more ways to work.”

Hard Road certainly achieves that goal. Riff-powered rock and luscious R&B coexist comfortably with more traditional-sounding electric and acoustic blues turns. “Nothin’ But Your Love,” for example, is an irresistible slow jam recalling Prince in his ’80s prime that keeps the focus squarely on Ingram’s rich baritone. “That was one of the songs we’d been sitting on since 2021,” Kingfish reveals. “A young man out of Nashville by the name of Dylan Altman came to us with it, then we added a verse and switched some things around. We recorded that in Memphis at Royal Studios, and for the solo I was using my Custom Shop Strat with just a little bit of gain on a [n Ibanez] Tube Screamer, going through a Sunn amp. I remember that session because I don’t play Strats that often, except in the studio—live it’s all [guitars with] humbuckers.”

As Ingram’s comment makes clear, Hard Road’s stylistic diversity doesn’t mean an absence of guitar solos. For further proof, check out his slippery-smooth funk excursions on “Bad Like Me” or his psychedelic scorcher on the downright Hendrix-ian “Crosses.” Moments like these also demonstrate Kingfish’s multidimensionality as a player. Sure, he can lean into a gut-punching bend with the best of them, but his ear for melody and sophisticated sense of harmony are what really set him apart.

“The Covid era was a little good for me,” Ingram says, “because I was able to sit back and [wood]shed and learn more about music theory. I was always into it, but I just wasn’t figuring out a way to play it. I’m still learning, but now I definitely know the numbers, and I can explain a bit of what I play. Shout out to a couple of guitar players outside the blues, like Isaiah Sharkey and Jerry Mosey and Uncle Kevin Wilson in the gospel realm. These are players that I listen to who are fluent in that area, that I can borrow stuff from and pull into my blues. Josh Smith, too, who’s one of my favorite blues-fusion players.”

Of course, when showtime rolls around, the time for shedding is over and Ingram lets the spontaneous phrasing instincts that he’s cultivated for years take charge. Most of the time, he says, it’s not a process that involves the conscious mind. “For my live show, there are definitely spots in certain songs where I feel like a certain lick needs to go there, because it just sounds good on top of that progression at the time, so I do think in that way. But as far as soloing goes, it’s all improv.”

“I was a little scared, making a project with all these different genres. I didn’t want it to sound like a random jukebox thing.”

Another noteworthy fact about Hard Road is that it’s Ingram’s first release on Red Zero, the record company he recently co-founded with his manager, Ric Whitney (all previous Kingfish albums were issued by the respected blues label Alligator). According to Ingram, Red Zero is no mere vanity imprint. He and Whitney intend to build a significant stable of artists in the months and years ahead, inspired in part by SAR Records, the indie label founded by Sam Cooke in 1959 that was an early home to artists such as Bobby Womack, Johnnie Taylor, and Billy Preston.

“My manager and I formulated this idea,” Ingram explains, “because we saw a lot of talented artists out there who aren’t being shown in a proper light. We wanted to give them an opportunity. Sam Cooke gave some people a shot who hadn’t been lucky like he was. So that’s pretty much all I’m trying to do. And me owning my records, of course we thought about that as well. But for me, the bigger picture was just shining a light on a lot of young and old and middle-aged talent, in the blues and outside the blues.”

Early Red Zero signings include Texas guitarist Mathias Lattin, winner of the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and St. Louis soul singer Dylan Triplett. “We have a lot of guitar slingers these days,” Ingram says, “but we don’t have much of a Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland type of thing going on, and that’s what Dylan has. We’re starting with the blues because that’s our forte and we want to take care of family first, but Ric and I are both lovers of music and we can definitely see ourselves venturing out into other genres.”

Before that happens, Ingram will be venturing out on the road once again, where he’s starting to like what he’s seeing. “Man, I think the blues is thriving,” he says. “And in a sense of young artists coming out of the woodwork, like the ones I just mentioned, Mathias and Dylan [both of whom are joining Kingfish on tour], and Stephen Hull and bands like Southern Avenue. It’s all out there—artists that are honoring the tradition but also creating a new sound and bringing that sound to a broader audience.”

Artists, in other words, like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

A 21st-century bluesman raised in the heart of the Mississippi Delta carries with him both instant credibility and the burden of an illustrious history. Growing up in an environment so saturated with the imposing spirits of America’s musical past, a person might, you’d think, find it hard to pick up a guitar and even consider making a career with it. But Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, born 26 years ago in Clarksdale, Mississippi—the legendary stomping ground of Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, memorably depicted this year in Ryan Coogler’s hit movie Sinners—doesn’t seem to have paid much mind to any of that. For him, the blues has simply always been a part of his everyday life.

“Muddy Waters and B.B. King were the first two bluesmen that I learned about at an early age, before I even got to proper schooling,” Ingram said in a recent Zoom interview. “My dad showed me a PBS documentary on Muddy Waters and he showed me B.B. King doing a cameo on an episode of Sanford & Son. I remember those two things very well. And not only that, I lived right next to a blues band. Being around them definitely made me want to do what I’m doing now.

”Getting from there to here—“here” being the position of critically lauded, internationally touring Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and guitarist—involved a mixture of raw talent, good genes (Kingfish comes from a musical family; the late great Black country star Charley Pride was his mother’s first cousin), and a supportive cultural infrastructure. Not long into his elementary school years, Ingram got involved in the music education program at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Starting out on drums in his church group at age six, he switched to bass by 11 and guitar by 13.

“When I started learning about the blues, I wanted to get on guitar,” he recalls, “but I felt like my fingers were too big for the strings, so I moved to bass and that became my primary instrument. And when that phase went away, I switched to guitar. First I would do some of my bass fills and lines [on guitar], and next thing you know, my teachers at the museum taught me how to use the first two high strings, and once I started learning a couple of chords, I took it from there.”

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram's Gear

Guitars

• Fender Kingfish Telecaster Deluxe signature
• Banker Custom V
• 2001 Gibson Memphis ES-335
• Gibson ES-339
• Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster
• Custom Michael Chertoff Les Paul-style electric
• Fender Acoustasonic
• Fender Redondo

Amps

• Two Fender ’65 Twin Reverb reissues

Effects

• Dunlop Cry Baby Mini Wah
• Marshall ShredMaster
• Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
• Boss TU-3W Chromatic Tuner
• Strymon power supply

Strings, Picks, & Accessories

• Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings (.011–.048)
• Dunlop Jazz III picks
• Shure BLX4

That he did. Within a couple of years, Ingram was gigging locally and, thanks in part to his Delta Blues Museum connections, gaining national notoriety. At 15, he performed with the museum’s band for Michelle Obama at the White House. The emotional authority of his guitar playing in particular astonished listeners. Veteran bluesman Eric Gales told Blues Rock Review that Kingfish was “killin’ from day one … It’s a beautiful thing to see such a vibrant, intense, very skilled artist.” (Gales and Ingram have since become close comrades, referring to each other as uncle and nephew.)

“Muddy Waters and B.B. King were the first two bluesmen that I learned about at an early age.”

Ingram’s superb 2019 debut album Kingfish, the recording of which was financed by no less an elder statesman than Buddy Guy, turned plenty of heads in the music world; its crunchy opening track, “Outside of This Town,” remains an excellent introduction to the Kingfish style. Its 2021 follow-up, 662, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and 2023’s fiery Live in London consolidated his status as a major modern blues force. His latest collection, Hard Road, presents a markedly different picture, though. No longer a Clarksdale resident, Kingfish now makes his home in Los Angeles, where he moved three years ago. “Sometimes I miss the simplicity of Mississippi,” he acknowledges. “But out here in California I definitely have more resources, more opportunities, and more ways to work.”

That new reality is reflected in the songs on Hard Road, which were the product of collaboration with 11 songwriters and 12 musicians, recorded with three producers in 11 studios spread across two states—a level of ambition, and logistics, that dwarfs any of Ingram’s prior work. For five songs cut at various locations in Nashville, Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Susan Tedeschi), who’s been working with Ingram since the start of his recording career, took the reins. Patrick “Guitar Boy” Hayes (Usher, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole) helmed sessions for four songs in L.A., Hollywood, and Irvine, California, while up-and-comer Nick Goldston oversaw two songs in Santa Monica and Memphis.

As you’d expect, it took a while to put all this together. Ingram at first estimates a gestation period of three to four years, then reconsiders. “Probably even longer than that, because some of the songs that we used were from the 662 sessions,” he says. “But it was really when I came out here to L.A. and was working with Guitar Boy in the studio week after week when I wasn’t on the road that this project was born. I was a little scared, making a project with all these different genres. I didn’t want it to sound like a random jukebox thing, you know? I just wanted to do more music that showcased a lot of other things about my talent: the vocal range, the writing, stuff like that.”

“Sometimes I miss the simplicity of Mississippi. But out here in California I definitely have more resources, more opportunities, and more ways to work.”

Hard Road certainly achieves that goal. Riff-powered rock and luscious R&B coexist comfortably with more traditional-sounding electric and acoustic blues turns. “Nothin’ But Your Love,” for example, is an irresistible slow jam recalling Prince in his ’80s prime that keeps the focus squarely on Ingram’s rich baritone. “That was one of the songs we’d been sitting on since 2021,” Kingfish reveals. “A young man out of Nashville by the name of Dylan Altman came to us with it, then we added a verse and switched some things around. We recorded that in Memphis at Royal Studios, and for the solo I was using my Custom Shop Strat with just a little bit of gain on a [n Ibanez] Tube Screamer, going through a Sunn amp. I remember that session because I don’t play Strats that often, except in the studio—live it’s all [guitars with] humbuckers.”

As Ingram’s comment makes clear, Hard Road’s stylistic diversity doesn’t mean an absence of guitar solos. For further proof, check out his slippery-smooth funk excursions on “Bad Like Me” or his psychedelic scorcher on the downright Hendrix-ian “Crosses.” Moments like these also demonstrate Kingfish’s multidimensionality as a player. Sure, he can lean into a gut-punching bend with the best of them, but his ear for melody and sophisticated sense of harmony are what really set him apart.

“The Covid era was a little good for me,” Ingram says, “because I was able to sit back and [wood]shed and learn more about music theory. I was always into it, but I just wasn’t figuring out a way to play it. I’m still learning, but now I definitely know the numbers, and I can explain a bit of what I play. Shout out to a couple of guitar players outside the blues, like Isaiah Sharkey and Jerry Mosey and Uncle Kevin Wilson in the gospel realm. These are players that I listen to who are fluent in that area, that I can borrow stuff from and pull into my blues. Josh Smith, too, who’s one of my favorite blues-fusion players.”

Of course, when showtime rolls around, the time for shedding is over and Ingram lets the spontaneous phrasing instincts that he’s cultivated for years take charge. Most of the time, he says, it’s not a process that involves the conscious mind. “For my live show, there are definitely spots in certain songs where I feel like a certain lick needs to go there, because it just sounds good on top of that progression at the time, so I do think in that way. But as far as soloing goes, it’s all improv.”

“I was a little scared, making a project with all these different genres. I didn’t want it to sound like a random jukebox thing.”

Another noteworthy fact about Hard Road is that it’s Ingram’s first release on Red Zero, the record company he recently co-founded with his manager, Ric Whitney (all previous Kingfish albums were issued by the respected blues label Alligator). According to Ingram, Red Zero is no mere vanity imprint. He and Whitney intend to build a significant stable of artists in the months and years ahead, inspired in part by SAR Records, the indie label founded by Sam Cooke in 1959 that was an early home to artists such as Bobby Womack, Johnnie Taylor, and Billy Preston.

“My manager and I formulated this idea,” Ingram explains, “because we saw a lot of talented artists out there who aren’t being shown in a proper light. We wanted to give them an opportunity. Sam Cooke gave some people a shot who hadn’t been lucky like he was. So that’s pretty much all I’m trying to do. And me owning my records, of course we thought about that as well. But for me, the bigger picture was just shining a light on a lot of young and old and middle-aged talent, in the blues and outside the blues.”

Early Red Zero signings include Texas guitarist Mathias Lattin, winner of the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and St. Louis soul singer Dylan Triplett. “We have a lot of guitar slingers these days,” Ingram says, “but we don’t have much of a Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland type of thing going on, and that’s what Dylan has. We’re starting with the blues because that’s our forte and we want to take care of family first, but Ric and I are both lovers of music and we can definitely see ourselves venturing out into other genres.”

Before that happens, Ingram will be venturing out on the road once again, where he’s starting to like what he’s seeing. “Man, I think the blues is thriving,” he says. “And in a sense of young artists coming out of the woodwork, like the ones I just mentioned, Mathias and Dylan [both of whom are joining Kingfish on tour], and Stephen Hull and bands like Southern Avenue. It’s all out there—artists that are honoring the tradition but also creating a new sound and bringing that sound to a broader audience.”

Artists, in other words, like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

PRS Guitars today announced the 40th Anniversary Special Semi-Hollow Limited Edition. Limited to just 280 pieces worldwide, this special edition features PRS McCarty III treble and bass pickups with a proprietary PRS Narrowfield in the center position, along with an artist-grade figured maple top, black limba back and neck, and Honduran rosewood fretboard and headstock veneer. Each guitar features the pre-factory eagle on the headstock and includes a 40th Anniversary certificate hand signed by Paul Reed Smith.

The PRS Special Semi-Hollow delivers twelve pickup combinations to players, thanks to the three-pickup configuration paired with a 5-way blade and two mini-toggles. Roll back the tone control for added growl, turn it up for some shimmer. The volume level between the humbucking and single-coil settings remains even, and the semi-hollow body provides airiness and depth to the guitar’s tone.

“This has been an incredible year of releasing special limited-edition guitars to celebrate our anniversary. The 40th Anniversary Special Semi-Hollow Limited Edition is the culmination of this year’s anniversary lineup. With a dozen pickup combinations, the ability to summon both humbucker and single-coil sounds, and beautiful woods, this instrument will inspire you to play. Have fun exploring this versatile tonal palette," said PRS Guitars Director of Marketing, Judy Schaefer.

PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Of all the factors of a guitar’s build, fingerboard radius is a common one guitarists wax lyrical about. But there’s one thing players can adjust themselves which has more of an effect on their playing than that, at least according to John Mayer.

Speaking in a new interview with Guitar World, the guitar legend reflects on the making of his now-legendary PRS Silver Sky signature model, and how he “didn’t understand what neck radius meant” before making the guitar.

• READ MORE: “Not many people want to watch a band stand in front of their amp line”: Metallica guitar tech thinks ditching real amps helped the band improve spectacle of their live shows

“I just looked at the guitars I loved the most, and they were 7.25 inches” he says, speaking about the Silver Sky’s 7.25”-radius fingerboard. “That was my measuring stick. Now that I know the math behind it, I still don’t think about it. The difference between 7.25” and 9.5” is less significant than your strap being an inch higher or lower. I’ll fight anybody on that.”

It’s certainly true that how high you choose to have your guitar while playing standing has an enormous impact on your ease in playing across the fretboard. But what’s Mayer’s reasoning?

Image: Jeff Kravitz / Getty Images

“Every guitar is different and has about 100 points of variation,” he says. “Neck profile helps sort out neck profile, which is only one of many details. So the only way to truly compare radii is to build two molecularly exact copies of the same guitar with just that difference.

“But we have to try and organise these details in some less-chaotic way, which is why we debate 7.25” vs 9.5”. I can do everything on this neck that I could do on a 9.25”. If the guitar is set up correctly, if the frets are level – which these are – you can do anything you want in regard to bending strings on this neck radius.”

Recently, John Mayer revealed he’s written enough songs to put together a new album, but explained why it’s not on the agenda for him at this stage.

“I’ve been going around making music, touring, making music, touring…” he said. “It makes sense at this stage in my life to take a breather.”

The post John Mayer thinks fretboard radius makes less of a difference on your playing than strap height: “I’ll fight anybody about that” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Press Release

Source:  PRPR 

The long-running punk quartet pick prototypes, P basses, and Pauls for their latest live shows.

On tour supporting their 12th full-length record, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, California rockers AFI rolled through Nashville’s Marathon Music Works in October. After first running down their rigs in 2017, PG’s Chris Kies linked up again with guitarist Jade Puget and bassist Hunter Burgan to see how their gear has evolved in the past eight years.

Brought to you by D’Addario.

Off the Wall

Puget found this Les Paul Standard hanging at Guitar Center 15 years ago, and it’s still his go-to live guitar. A surprisingly light specimen, it’s had a Seymour Duncan pickup swapped in, and it’s strung with Ernie Balls—usually .010s.

Throughout AFI’s set, Puget switches between tunings: D sharp, drop C sharp, D standard, and E standard.

Silver Surfer

This new Schecter, a prototype made for Puget, is his first ever silverburst, which saw service in the music video for “Holy Visions.” It’s loaded with a Sustainiac system in the neck position.

Willing and Ableton

Puget has experimented a lot to get his rig to this point. His signal runs through a pair of rack-mounted Line 6 Helix units in a stereo configuration, and also through a computer running Ableton that triggers the exact sound designs he created while recording. The RJM Mastermind and Effect Gizmo are programmed to control all pedals, the Helix, and Ableton.

Jade Puget’s Pedalboard

Most of Puget’s effects come from the Helix, but he also runs a few pedals in his rack, including an MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive and Carbon Copy, Boss DC-2W, RV-2, and BF-2, and a Keeley Compressor.

Another board carries a Boss TU-3, TC Electronic Mimiq, EHX The Clone Theory, TC Electronic Arena, MXR Echoplex, and L.R. Baggs Venue DI.

Blackout

In live contexts, Burgan uses Fender P basses exclusively. This is his No. 1, which he’s had since 2012.

Pinky

This dazzling Fender P was made custom for Burgan before this tour.

Triples is Best

Burgan runs this trio of Ampeg SVT Classics.

Hunter Burgan’s Rack Setup

Burgan uses a RJM Mastermind GT to control his in-show switching. In his backstage rack, there’s an EHX Bass Big Muff, Micro Synth, Satisfaction, Nano POG, Bass Clone, and Graphic Fuzz, and on a second shelf, there’s the rest of the collection: a Bass Soul Food, Battalion, Lizard King, Neo Mistress, and Memory Toy.

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Ernie Ball Strings

Line 6 Helix

MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive

MXR Carbon Copy

Boss DC-2W

Keeley Compressor

Boss TU-3

TC Electronic Mimiq

MXR Echoplex

LR Baggs Venue DI

Ampeg SVT Classic

EHX Bass Big Muff

EHX Micro Synth

EHX Satisfaction

EHX Nano POG

EHX Bass Clone

EHX Bass Soul Food

EHX Battalion

EHX Lizard King

EHX Neo Mistress

EHX Memory Toy

Guitar pedals! Those wonderful boxes of tone that can do seemingly anything to your guitar sound, from light overdrive to wild fuzz – from a little bit of slapback to insane, incredible ambience. No matter your tonal tastes, there’s a pedal for you – likely more than one.

Yes, in reality the pedal market can be a little intimidating, even for a season effects junkie. But over the years we’ve taken a look at more than our fair share of pedals, and so we’re here to help you pare down the rather intimidating universe of stompboxes into something a little more manageable with a list of our favourite overdrives, fuzzes, phasers and more.

At a glance:

• Best overdrive: Boss SD-1
• Best distortion: ProCo RAT 2
• Best fuzz: Great Eastern FX Co Focus Fuzz Deluxe
• Best muff-style fuzz: Evil Eye FX Warg
• Best analogue delay: Boss DM-101
• Best digital delay: MXR Joshua
• Best big-box reverb: Strymon BigSky MX
• Best compact reverb: Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star Stereo
• Best phaser: Beetronics Larva
• Best chorus: Mythos Pedals The Fates
• Best multi-effects: Neural DSP Nano Cortex
• Best compact amp pedal: Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1
• Best beginner effects: Fender Hammertone
• Why you can trust Guitar.com

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Best overdrive: Boss SD-1

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The Boss SD-1 is an utter overdrive classic. The brand’s take on a Tubescreamer-style mid-hump soft-clipping overdrive, the SD-1’s asymmetrical diode layout and versatile fequency response make it a great choice for players in any genre who need a bit more grit.

Need more? Read our Boss SD-1 review.

Best distortion: ProCo RAT 2

The RAT 2

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And speaking of versatile classics – the Pro Co RAT 2 is an amazingly wide-ranging box of chaos that can go from gentle overdive sounds to chugging distortion to all-out overblown fuzz. It’s found on pro boards from across the world of music, which ain’t bad for an affordable and simple little unit!

Need more? Read our ProCo RAT 2 review.

Best fuzz: Great Eastern FX Co Focus Fuzz Deluxe

Image: @mydeargear

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This awesome boutique fuzz from Great Eastern FX is more than just a fuzz pedal – it has some killer drive and boost sounds on tap, too, but thanks to some revamped circuitry and a return to germanium transistors, there’s a bigger, well, focus on the fuzz side of things. Not least because of the addition of some wild octave-up sounds accessibe by a second footswitch. It’s a thick and throaty fuzz sound with a balanced tonality and plenty of muscle in the mids. And the unique focus control can take you anywhere from a subtle tightening-up to something like a superpowered Tube Screamer.

Need more? Read our Great Eastern FX Co Focus Fuzz Deluxe review.

Best muff-style fuzz: Evil Eye FX Warg

The Warg Fuzz. Image: Evil Eye FX

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The Evil Eye FX Warg is based on an old Ace Tone Big Muff clone, with the addition of a midrange-flattening switch to temper the circuit’s propensity for getting lost in a mix. It’s a slighty lower-gain variant of the pedal, but rather than being underpowered this instead means it has a mean snarl on it, perfect for downtuned sludgy dirges.

Need more? Read our Evil Eye FX Warg review.

Best analogue delay: Boss DM-101

Credit: Boss

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This pedal brings all the delay gratification most guitarists will ever need, with twelve modulatable delay modes (six of them stereo-compatible), some very good presets, tap tempo and a MIDI input. Such comprehensive functionality is remarkable in an analogue delay.

What’s even more impressive is how this unit sounds. Our reviewer particularly enjoyed the Ambience, Reflect and Pan modes, which respectively sound solo-thickening, rockabilly-ready and expansively spacey. Don’t be put off by the pedal’s plethora of controls – it’s great fun adjusting them to create all sorts of analogue delay sounds.

Need more? Read our Boss DM-101 review.

Best digital delay: MXR Joshua

Controls on the MXR Joshua. Image: Adam Gasson

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It’s a mixed blessing to own a 1980s rackmount delay unit. There’s a good chance it’ll sound exceptional – but how are you going to store and transport the unit, without a massive 80s hairdo within which to stow it?

The MXR Joshua seeks to give you the best of both worlds, racking up a motley crew of authentic 1980s delay tones in a great-sounding, feature-packed pedal that’s just as neatly proportioned as most other MXR effects.

Sure, the Joshua’s highly musical repeats lend themselves well to U2-like walls of chiming sound – but there’s plenty here for other ambient experimentalists too, including options to modulate, syncopate and add octaves to your signal.

Need more? Read our MXR Joshua review.

Best big-box reverb: Strymon BigSky MX

Strymon BigSky MX. Image: press

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Creating an even more expansive horizon than the original, the Strymon BigSky MX is a comprehensive revamp and expansion on Strymon’s world-moving big box.

With our ambient hats jauntily cocked atop our heads, we’d say the most significant upgrade here is the MX’s capability to run two reverb algorithms at once, routed in series, parallel or split. This gives you the scope to arrange those classic BigSky reverb sounds into new and idiosyncratic constellations.

It’s a little cleaner cut and more utopic than, say, the Meris MercuryX, but the BigSky MX is a powerful, premium option to flavour your guitar sound with the infinite.

Need more? Read our Strymon BigSky MX review.

Best compact reverb: Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star Stereo

Image: Richard Purvis

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Old Blood Noise Endeavors have always been ones for ambient oddness, and the Dark Star Stereo is no different. A very modern update of their classic ambient reverb, the Dark Star stereo comes with a ckiller new enclosure, extra control, presets and, of course, stereo functionality – all in a relatively compact package. Is it a bit of a one-trick pony? Perhaps, definitely more so than the workstarations like the BigSKy MX, but that one trick is damn impressive.

Need more? Read our Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star Stereo review.

Best phaser: Beetronics Larva

Beetronics Larva. Image: Adam Gasson for Guitar.com

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Beetronics always gets points for uniqueness – this phaser isn’t just a normal phaser, no – it’s a warpng phaser!. What does that mean? Well, it means you can ramp from one preset to another – a bit like the acceleration of a real leslie! This can create some awesome dynamic shifting across your playing, even more so than a regular phaser, and it helps that the actual sounds that you’re warping too and from are all damn lovely by themselves, too.

Need more? Read our Beetronics Larva review.

Best chorus: Mythos Pedals The Fates

Mythos The Fates

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For a unique take on the much mythologised Boss CE-1 chorus, go whither The Mythos Fates calls. This boutique clone repackages pleasing CE-1-like sounds with some innovative controls and features, including a JFET buffered input/bypass stage and a tweaked vibrato option that reins in the chorus’s warblier tendencies.

We reckon The Fates is at its best with the rate knob at noon and the depth set slightly higher, which brings out a beautiful responsiveness. The vibrato section is a great option to have, too, especially for tone minimalists who like their modulation to sit a little behind their guitar’s signal.

Need more? Read our Mythos Pedals The Fates review.

Best multi-effects: Neural DSP Nano Cortex

Neural DSP Nano Cortex. Image: Adam Gasson

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When the Nano Cortex first arrived, it was not without controversy. Not just because of Neural DSP’s propensity for confusing marketing videos – but also because people were kind of expecting a full-blown Quad Cortex at half the price and size. We didn’t get that – however, NanOS 2.0 brought us pretty close. With expanded signal chain flexibility and countless quality-of-life improvements, the Nano Cortex is an extremely powerful capture engine and compact multi-effects unit all in one.

Need more? Read our Neural DSP Nano Cortex review.

Best compact amp pedal: Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1

Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1. Image: Adam Gasson

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Ever since digital modelling became powerful enough to be “good”, there’s been a product category that aims to bring an entire amplifier simulation to what would otherwise be just another slot on your pedalboard. Perhaps the best of these, in 2025, is the MkII update of the Walrus Audio ACS1. With three discrete amplifiers per ear to choose from, custom IR loading and

Need more? Read our Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1 review.

Best beginner effects: Fender Hammertone

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Fender’s range of budget effects stompboxes is a great place to start with effects. Not only are the pedals all very affordable, they all also offer a good overview of their chosen effect, often with multiple operating modes. For example the fuzz offers both standard speaker-ripping fun as well as an octave-up mode. The reverb and delay also offer unique operating modes, and the flanger is a particularly versatile standout. In short, these are pedals that will absolutely get you started on the right foot with their respective sounds, and will be more than happy to stay in your rig as you grow as a player.

Need more? Read our Fender Hammertone 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 effect pedals for all styles and budgets appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

New Releases from September and October 2025 feature acoustic guitars at every end of the spectrum

Those of us immersed in guitar culture love to see the gear a band is using front and centre when they’re performing onstage, but what about the average fan?

Sure, a wall of amps at the back of the stage was, for decades, part of the spectacle of seeing a heavy metal band perform live, but with the increasing prevalence – and quality – of digital amp modellers, many bands are opting to shun the logistical burden of heavy amplifiers, and instead reach for more compact modellers for their live tones.

According to Chad Zaemisch – guitar tech for Metallica frontman James Hetfield – fans don’t really miss the presence of physical amps from a visual point of view, either.

• READ MORE: Kirk Hammett is auctioning his silver Gibson CEO4 SG from Black Sabbath’s farewell show – plus more than 150 guitars from his collection

In an interview in the new issue of Guitar World, Zaemisch reflects on Metallica’s transition from physical amps to digital amp modellers, as the group remain one of the top live forces in the world, still in the midst of their massive M72 World Tour.

As is often the case with the adoption of new technology, there was a single event which sparked Metallica’s transition to amp modellers. And that came with their one-off Freeze ‘Em All concert in Antarctica in 2013.

“We were kind of forced to come up with a solution for playing a show in Antarctica where we couldn’t have speakers,” Zaemisch reflects.

“For environmental reasons, they didn’t want any noise pollution. We had a lot of help right off the bat. Matt Picone from Fractal came and got all our sounds started. It was definitely a learning curve for us and the band, but once we got through that, everybody started to look at how convenient it was.”

Zaemisch credits James Hetfield’s open-mindedness with Metallica’s eventual adoption of digital amp modellers.

“James wants to know all of the different ups and downs of things and, you know, he can play through whatever he wants,” he continues.

“The fact that he chose to kind of say, ‘Well, maybe we’re the ones to embrace this and use it to its fullest extent,’ I really had to hand it to him because we were excited to use this stuff.”

But outside of sound, removing walls of physical amps from the stage presents new opportunities in terms of stage design, and according to Zaemisch, most fans don’t really care anyway.

“The people in set design realised that if we don’t have this wall of speakers anymore, we have all of these other things available to us.

“Everybody’s all about content these days, and not a lot of people want to watch a band stand in front of their amp line with nothing else going on. Now we can use large video screens. It opens up a lot more opportunities to do different things.

View a full list of Metallica’s upcoming live dates via their official website.

The post “Not many people want to watch a band stand in front of their amp line”: Metallica guitar tech thinks ditching real amps helped the band improve spectacle of their live shows appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$299/£289, beetronicsfx.com

Guitar pedals skulk on the floor like rats and their only job is to sound good, so it really doesn’t matter how pretty they are… but holy guacamole, the Beetronics BeeBeeDee is a looker.

• READ MORE: Gamechanger Audio Auto Delay review – a dynamic delay that lets you wire it up how you want it

Resplendent in metallic green, this is the California firm’s first venture into the world of delay, and it promises to unlock a range of sounds far beyond anything you might expect from an analogue pedal. The only question is, can it possibly sound half as delectable as it looks?

Image: Press

Beetronics BeeBeeDee – what is it?

They love their ‘bee’ puns at Beetronics – and as this is a bucket-brigade device, or BBD for short, the name must have pretty much written itself. There’s a modulation section for the repeats, so the obvious reference point is the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man; but with six knobs, two footswitches and two three-way toggles, you know this isn’t going to be a simple DMM clone.

First up, there are three operating modes: ‘classic’, with vintage-style modulation; ‘lo-fi’, with tape-like wobbliness and randomised tone filtering; and ‘pitch’, with repeats that skitter up and down at intervals of up to two octaves. Then there’s the second footswitch, which can be assigned to set the delay time, turn the modulation on and off, or switch to double speed.

All that’s on top of the usual array of controls – including one for tone, with the repeats turning murky to the left and thinning out to the right – while the bypass footswitch can be held down to max out the feedback. That’s good news if you fancy having a mess about with the Karma Police ending; maybe not such good news for the neighbours.

Image: Press

Beetronics BeeBeeDee – what does it sound like?

Analogue delays tend to be hissy, and this one is no different – and while you can turn the trails off, there’s no true-bypass option, so unless you use a loop you’re stuck with a bit of background noise even when the pedal isn’t on. But if you can live with that, you’ll be rewarded with some truly luscious delay tones.

The basics are sound, with the tone control offering everything from mushy washes to crisp-edged slapback, while the chorus-like modulation of an old DMM is super-easy to dial in – and even easier to switch off with a foot-tap if you’re in danger of being overcome by the heady perfume of its prettiness.

Switch to lo-fi mode and that vintage wobble is replaced by something really very interesting: Beetronics calls it ‘unpredictable’ and that’s exactly what it is, with a real sense of fragility to the repeats as they flutter in and out of the darkness. It takes some getting used to, but it’s strangely likeable.

You might find the pitch-shifting mode less easy to get on with, but at least you have a wide range of intervals to play with – and here’s where the second footswitch really excels, letting you turn the weirdness on and off at will. It’s also worth trying this switch set to its ‘2x’ function, so you can tap or hold to enjoy a momentary octave leap as the tempo doubles.

Image: Press

Beetronics BeeBeeDee – should I buy it?

When it comes to true analogue delays that build on the Memory Man formula, the BeeBeeDee is actually one of the more affordable options out there – and as well as nailing the sweet tones of the original, it adds something genuinely worthwhile in terms of both sound and functionality. And yes, looks-wise it is a total snack.

Beetronics BeeBeeDee alternatives

If you just want analogue delay with controllable modulation, you might as well get a DMM – specifically the Electro-Harmonix Nano Deluxe Memory Man ($213/£180), which is bang tidy. Beyond that, your options range from the Jam Pedals Delay Llama Xtreme (€349/£349) – the BeeBeeDee’s closest rival in terms of features – to the eminently tweakable Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 ($397/£419).

The post Beetronics BeeBeeDee review – analogue delay pedals aren’t supposed to be this much fun appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.



Grateful Shred co-founder Dan Horne joins us for a chat about the making of the band, his love for the Dead (of course), and the tribute group’s 2025 album, Might As Well. We also talk about growing up in the Bay Area, Alembics and other gear, and so much more.

Check out Grateful Shred on tour and see what all the fuss is about: https://www.gratefulshredmusic.com/

Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it.

Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. 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).

Above photo: Matthew Reamer

The post Podcast 523: Grateful Shred’s Dan Horne first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Harness the same tight low-end and attack Duff is known for with a pickup combination sure to inspire anyone looking for an aggressive bass tone without the hum.

Seymour Duncan is proud to offer this special pickup set featuring:

• Combines a Hot Stack Jazz Bass Bridge with a Quarter Pound Precision Neck
• Hum Cancelling
• Fits most standard PJ routs.
• Hand-built in Santa Barbara, CA

Since the mid-1980s, Duff McKagan’s bass lines and songwriting have powered hits from Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and his other highly influential projects. On classic performances like “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Slither”, and “Welcome To The Jungle” his weapon of choice was a Fender® PJ bass loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups. Now you can harness that same tight low-end and sharp attack Duff is known for with the Duff McKagan Signature PJ Pickup Set.

Great bass players know that a PJ pickup combination can give you the punchy, thunderous tones needed for rock, punk, funk and beyond. Chasing that flexibility, Duff used his first record advance to buy a Fender Jazz Bass® Special with a Precision® split-coil pickup in the neck position and a Jazz bass pickup in the bridge. The original single-coil bridge pickup was swapped out for a Seymour Duncan Hot Stack Jazz bass® pickup, nixing the hum in all positions while also adding some extra output.

Years later, Duff was gifted a bass with the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P-Bass® pickup in the neck. The large diameter alnico 5 magnets and high output coils gave Duff an exciting new dimension to his sound, and he began to pair it with the Hot Stack Jazz Bass bridge for a powerful pickup combination with plenty of grit, low end, and attack. This pairing became Duff’s signature sound, and he’s used these pickups on hit recordings and world tours ever since.

Seymour Duncan has partnered with Duff to offer these two pickups as the Duff McKagan Signature PJ Set, bearing his distinctive skull & crossbones logo. This combination is sure to inspire anyone looking for an aggressive bass tone without hum, perfect for stage and studio. Load these high output pickups into your PJ bass to achieve Duff’s trademark sound – noise free and with plenty of attitude.

Harness the same tight low-end and attack Duff is known for with a pickup combination sure to inspire anyone looking for an aggressive bass tone without the hum.

Seymour Duncan is proud to offer this special pickup set featuring:

• Combines a Hot Stack Jazz Bass Bridge with a Quarter Pound Precision Neck
• Hum Cancelling
• Fits most standard PJ routs.
• Hand-built in Santa Barbara, CA

Since the mid-1980s, Duff McKagan’s bass lines and songwriting have powered hits from Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and his other highly influential projects. On classic performances like “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Slither”, and “Welcome To The Jungle” his weapon of choice was a Fender® PJ bass loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups. Now you can harness that same tight low-end and sharp attack Duff is known for with the Duff McKagan Signature PJ Pickup Set.

Great bass players know that a PJ pickup combination can give you the punchy, thunderous tones needed for rock, punk, funk and beyond. Chasing that flexibility, Duff used his first record advance to buy a Fender Jazz Bass® Special with a Precision® split-coil pickup in the neck position and a Jazz bass pickup in the bridge. The original single-coil bridge pickup was swapped out for a Seymour Duncan Hot Stack Jazz bass® pickup, nixing the hum in all positions while also adding some extra output.

Years later, Duff was gifted a bass with the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P-Bass® pickup in the neck. The large diameter alnico 5 magnets and high output coils gave Duff an exciting new dimension to his sound, and he began to pair it with the Hot Stack Jazz Bass bridge for a powerful pickup combination with plenty of grit, low end, and attack. This pairing became Duff’s signature sound, and he’s used these pickups on hit recordings and world tours ever since.

Seymour Duncan has partnered with Duff to offer these two pickups as the Duff McKagan Signature PJ Set, bearing his distinctive skull & crossbones logo. This combination is sure to inspire anyone looking for an aggressive bass tone without hum, perfect for stage and studio. Load these high output pickups into your PJ bass to achieve Duff’s trademark sound – noise free and with plenty of attitude.

Are you ready to join an unforgettable guitar experience led by Nuno Bettencourt and an all-star faculty including Steve Vai, Rick Beato, Eric Gales, Mateus Asato, and Richie Kotzen? Dreamcatcher Events is proud to present the Six String Sanctuary taking place in Las Vegas from January 16-20, 2026.

We’re giving away a full Nuno Bettencourt prize package including one of his brand-new signature guitars, a commuter ticket to the Six String Sanctuary, and a Positive Grid Spark 2.

The prize package will include::

• Full access to every masterclass, workshop, breakout session and concert.
• Late-night jam sessions, one-of-a-kind recording opportunities, and networking with fellow guitarists and music lovers.
• The chance to dive deep, learn from the best, play alongside peers and level up your guitar game.
• A brand-new Nuno signature guitar (specific model is to be determined).
• A Positive Grid Spark 2 Amp.

This isn't just another "watch a concert" ticket — this is an immersive, high-energy music camp where you'll participate, create, and connect. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned pro, the vibe is inclusive, electric, and designed to build community, not competition. Four days and nights surrounded by passionate players, expert instructors, unforgettable performances—with YOU in the middle of it all.

Plus, you'll get one of Nuno's signature guitars and a Positive Grid Spark 2 amp. Learn at the Sanctuary, then keep shredding with pro-level equipment that's yours to keep.

About Positive Grid Spark 2

Take your guitar experience to the next level with the 50W Spark 2 smart guitar practice amp/Bluetooth speaker. Get ready for jaw-dropping sound, new HD amp models and smart features that make your guitar time addictive. Use the built-in looper to turn riffs into songs, or explore endless tone options with Spark AI. From daily practice to jam sessions or spontaneous songwriting, this compact powerhouse will be your new go-to creative companion. And, with optional rechargeable battery power (sold separately), your music can go anywhere you do.

Nuno Bettencourts Six String Sanctuary Giveaway from Dreamcatcher

Elliot® introduces the Trace Acoustic® Clarity™ effects pedal. Designed for use with most acoustic-electric instruments, the pedal is designed to enhance the acoustic sound qualities of an instrument when amplified. The pedal is now available worldwide via online and local retailers.

The Trace Acoustic Clarity is a frequency expansion device consisting of two proprietary variable filters, controlled by separate LOW and HIGH pots, to enhance the existing undertones in both low and high frequencies of an acoustic electric instrument. With input and output fixed at unity, combined with a bipolar 18V internal supply from a standard 9VDC supply or battery, the Clarity delivers dynamic acoustic tones throughout any instrument's acoustic range. The pedal is to be used in line, between an instrument and any PA system, instrument amplifier, or pedalboard setup.

For more information, please visit www.traceelliot.com

Street Price: $199.99 USD

If there’s any company you’d expect to understand the delicate relationship between pickups and pedals, it’s Seymour Duncan. The company’s Pickup Booster Mini, an evolution of the Pickup Booster that’s been around for roughly two decades, certainly reflects a less-is-more philosophy about what you should stick between a good pickup and your amplifier. But while the Pickup Booster is simple, it’s far from inflexible, nor, in most cases, does it sound very “mini.”

Friend to the Single Coil

The Pickup Booster Mini’s versatility is most evident in its resonance control. These shifts are clear when you use the pedal with single coil pickups at the front of a pedal chain—in fact, the resonance switch works only when the Pickup Booster Mini is the first stomp in a line. The differences between settings are also apparent when used with a clean amp. So yes, Fender-oriented players, with their single coils and high-headroom amps, get a fatter share of the fun when using the Pickup Booster Mini, as well as a greater sense of the pedal’s transformative power.

For all its single-coil bias, the Pickup Booster Mini is still a good buddy to humbuckers.

I tested the Pickup Booster Mini’s interaction with different pickups using two contrasting rigs—first between a Fender Jaguar and black-panel Deluxe Reverb, then an SG and the Marshall 18-watt setting on a Carr Bel-Ray. To widen the stylistic disparity between these surfy- and AC/DC-sounding setups, I deliberately set up the Jaguar/Deluxe tandem for fairly anemic output, with the amp volume just past 2. Without the Pickup Booster Mini the combination was thin and lifeless. With an assist from the pedal, the previously absent low- and low-midrange became quite prominent—and not in a fashion that just added mud to the equation. Instead, it lent sustain and a warm, discernible glow to overtones while maintaining the Jaguar/Deluxe combination’s sunny essence. Could I have generated the same tone by turning the amp volume up, the guitar down, and adding some bass? Not easily with the Jaguar’s 1k pots. But even a Telecaster with a finely tapered volume control couldn’t always match the low-mid punch the Pickup Booster Mini added at lower amp volumes.

For all its single-coil bias, the Pickup Booster Mini is still a good buddy to humbuckers. In the more AC/DC-like SG/Carr set up, the Pickup Booster Mini worked best as a lead boost. And in terms of creating bolder tone contrasts, I had good luck with the pedal’s resonant peak 2 setting which, while ostensibly ideal for making single coils sound like high-gain humbuckers, can lend an almost cocked-wah like focus to leads.

You don’t have to use the Pickup Booster Mini at the front end of a pedal chain. Its buffer also means you can use it at the end of long cable runs to make up for the associated tone loss. You lose the flexibility of the resonance switch, but it still sounds fantastic and can work as an almost compression-like glue to meld overtones and artifacts from delay, reverb, and modulation units.

The Verdict

If, like me, you’re always looking for ways to shrink your pedalboard, the Pickup Booster Mini makes an appealing ingredient in a compact setup. Though it doesn’t excite the treble spectrum quite as much as some boosts and overdrives, it restores the fullness often lost when using single-coil pickups at low amp volumes, making it a simple, cost-effective cure for one of many performer’s most common challenges.

If you’ve ever wished your phone could look as cool as your guitar, a Japanese luthier has made that dream a reality.

T. Sato of Moonshine Craft & Custom is handcrafting smartphone cases that mimic the bodies of iconic vintage guitars with astonishing realism – and the internet is losing it over them.

• READ MORE: Legendary Leo Fender-founded guitar brand G&L reportedly shutting down – with Fender acquiring its intellectual property

Moonshine Craft & Custom’s cases aren’t just prints slapped on plastic. Each one is inspired by a real guitar, from relic’d Stratocasters and Telecasters to Gibson SGs and Les Pauls.

There are sunburst finishes, pickguard edges, and even a faded TV Yellow model that’s straight-up retro vibes. Some even come complete with rusted screws and flaking paint, giving the illusion of a well-loved instrument in miniature.

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Sato, a one-man workshop handling guitar repairs and custom builds, stumbled onto the idea after his own phone case fell apart. He crafted a replacement and shared it on Instagram, where the response was immediate and overwhelming.

“I’m truly delighted to have received such an overwhelming response through news sites and elsewhere for these smartphone cases crafted by a guitar maker,” he writes. “I handle guitar making, repairs, and custom work all by myself. In my spare time, I strive to create smartphone cases with the same care and dedication, hoping to share the joy with everyone.”

The cases, compatible with both iPhones and Androids, cost around £50 ($67) each. And with each case handcrafted, demand has far outstripped supply, with every listing on Sato’s Mercari store currently sold out and a 2-3 month wait for new orders. Guitars Japan has even been drafted in to help fulfill requests.

Moonshine Craft & Custom continues to take orders, so if you want a phone that’s as striking as a vintage guitar, now’s the time to act.

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The post Japanese luthier creates phone cases that look like miniature Strats, Les Pauls, and Teles – and the internet can’t get enough appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Few guitarists have left a mark quite like Jeff Beck. The late Yardbirds icon was the kind of player other legends looked up to – your guitar hero’s guitar hero. Even now, his influence looms large, and the staggering $1.33 million sale of his 1954 “Oxblood” Les Paul earlier this year is proof of just how deep that legacy runs.

But according to Ritchie Blackmore, Beck didn’t always see himself that way. In fact, the Deep Purple legend says the late guitarist was often blind to his own brilliance.

• READ MORE: “I said to him, ‘Why don’t you use a pick?’”: The hilarious real reason Jeff Beck didn’t use a pick, according to Hans Zimmer

Speaking in a new interview with Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern, Blackmore opens up about his longtime friend and their shared history, recalling both Beck’s brilliance and his quiet struggle with imposter syndrome.

“Jeff was a great guitar player. That was a big blow – him going,” he says. “I mean, he’s vegetarian and he didn’t take drugs particularly or anything. I was very shocked to hear about him dying that way. That was terrible.”

The pair first crossed paths back in the mid-’60s when they were both working as session players, even appearing together on a track produced by Jimmy Page, who’d soon go on to form Led Zeppelin. Blackmore says he always made a point of catching Beck live whenever he could.

“He had a very special way of playing. It was so different from anybody. I always used to go and see him play, because I found him very refreshing.”

Still, for all the admiration Beck inspired, Blackmore says the guitarist was rarely satisfied with his own work.

“He would always put himself down,” Blackmore recalls. “I’d say, ‘How is your latest record, Jeff?’ And he’d go, ‘Oh, it’s a lot of rubbish.’ He would always say that about anything he put out. He was always reaching for something he couldn’t find.”

Jeff Beck passed away in January 2023 at 78 from a sudden case of bacterial meningitis, leaving behind a storied career that continues to inspire guitarists worldwide. And earlier this year, his personal archive – including 130 guitars, amps, and other gear – went under the hammer at Christie’s, fetching nearly £9 million.

The post Ritchie Blackmore on how Jeff Beck would wrestle with self-doubt: “He was always reaching for something he couldn’t find” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Marshall has joined forces with Music Venue Trust (MVT) to support the UK’s grassroots scene with a new nationwide gig series.

Together, the pair are set to deliver more than 20 gigs across the UK, each shining a spotlight on emerging talent and the local communities that support them.

• READ MORE: Why the crisis in grassroots venues and small festivals is impacting guitar bands

Dubbed Marshall Nights, the series will feature over 60 breakthrough artists performing across the UK’s most dedicated grassroots venues, starting with Brighton’s Green Door Store, Cardiff’s Fuel, Glasgow’s The Rum Shack, and Sheffield’s Yellow Arch.

The campaign builds on Marshall’s longstanding support for grassroots music. In 2024, Marshall co-founder Terry Marshall and his wife Leslie made a personal donation of £100,000 to MVT’s ‘Own Our Venues’ campaign – a project that has already raised £2.88 million to secure five grassroots music venues by placing them into community ownership. That same year, Marshall also supplied backline equipment to more than 20 grassroots spaces.

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“Grassroots Music Venues are the lifeblood of the UK’s music ecosystem, they are where artists take their first steps, and where fans fall in love with live music,” says Denzil Thomas, partnerships manager at MVT. “We’re proud to partner with Marshall, a brand that embodies the sound and spirit of live performance, to keep these vital spaces alive.”

Kevin Penney, Marketing Director at Marshall EMEA adds, “Marshall was born from the live stage, and that’s where we belong. Grassroots venues are where every great band starts, and we’re proud to help keep those stages alive for the next generation of artists and fans. This isn’t just about sound, it’s about community, creativity, and giving back to the music that made us.”

Beyond the live shows, Marshall and MVT will also collaborate on a series of live sessions, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content, spotlighting the artists, venues, and communities that make up the beating heart of UK music communities.

The partnership arrives at a critical time. According to MVT, 2023 was the worst year on record for UK grassroots venue closures, with 125 shutting their doors within just 12 months – a stark reminder of why initiatives like Marshall Nights matter more than ever.

The post From Brighton to Glasgow: Marshall and Music Venue Trust team up on new gig series championing 60+ local artists in UK grassroots venues appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.