FOR THE ROSES

Ivison Guitars has only been in business for six years, but its Dakota model has already headlined Glastonbury with Guns N’ Roses star Richard Fortus. We meet founder Neil Ivison to find out how he's making new electrics that evoke the raw spirit of retro tone

Vibe 'n' Drive

Eventide's latest dot9 series pedal combines two independent effects for some classic vintage-rock sounds

Face Lift

Flattley releases an upgraded 1960s-style silicon fuzz with a buffer and extended tonal options

Standard Shimmers

Back in 2023, revitalised Brit-maker PJD rejigged its range to start with the new solidbody hardtail Standards. Need a vibrato? No problem: here comes the Standard Plus

Golden Brown

Last year we were mightily impressed when we looked at builder Rich Jones' Parlour and Orchestra acoustics. This time it's the turn of his entry-level, all-mahogany dreadnought

150 Years Of Epiphone

Luxury archtop maker, budget brand, rock icon. Epiphone has been so many things to so many people over the years that discovering its true soul as a guitar maker is a difficult task. That's why, as Epiphone celebrates a century-and-a-half in business, we've enlisted the help of vintage-guitar experts, leading artists and Gibson's own archivists to tell its harlequin history. For, when you look beneath the patinated surface of the brand's heritage, there is much that shines

In The Mix

Mixing speakers is relatively common - but mixing speakers of different sizes is a different ballgame. Paul Gough of Zilla Cabs checks out the pros and cons

SOUND OF THE SOUL

John McLaughlin said of Debashish Bhattacharya that \"he has no equal\" on slide guitar. High praise indeed but fully justified by his 28-album career of serenely virtuosic guitar. We meet the master himself to talk about the hard road he took to pioneer Indian classical music on guitar, the deep spiritual connections between American blues and the rāgas, and his sublime new album, The Sound Of The Soul

Track Mate

It's not a pedal, but the latest from Walrus Audio can still help change the sound of your guitar

Slap Happy

Electro-Harmonix resurrects a rare pedal from 1978 and puts it into a modern, 'board-friendly format

Modern Icon

EVH adds a compact newcomer to the affordable Iconic series with this 15-watt 1x10 combo

Back To The Source

Marshall adds another amp to its popular Studio collection, alongside compact recreations of classic designs such as the 25/50 Silver Jubilee, JCM800 and 1959SLP

DISTORTING HISTORY

These days, players can choose from hundreds of replacement pickups. But back in the early 70s Larry DiMarzio single-handedly kickstarted the entire industry with his hot-output Super Distortion humbucker. We met NYC's king of tone to find out more

Top Notch

We talk to Dana Bourgeois about the new Touchstone range, the importance of tuning in a guitar top, and what lies in the future for the series

Back In Black

While PRS has been making its mark on the bolt-on market, we finally get a new Core model, the shapeshifting modern Eagle V. But is it really new?

JIMMY PAGE NON-REVERSE c.1968 GIBSON FIREBIRD III|

A 'Bird in the hand could be worth more than you think - especially if it has a colourful history involving a Led Zeppelin drinking game. We ask vintage specialist Mike Long of ATB Guitars about the provenance of this Page-owned beauty and the buoyant market for Gibson's underloved cult hero

HEAVY TRIP

Bare Knuckle MD Tim Mills on the breakthroughs and bumps in the road behind Rabea Massaad’s seismic new Triptych Strat single coils

VINTAGE ICON

David Davidson of Well Strung Guitars talks us through an experimental 1967 Semi-Hollow Fender Stratocaster Prototype from Fender's R&D department made with zebrawood

IN THE NAME OF LOVE

When it came to remaking 40 classic U2 tracks for Songs Of Surrender, The Edge was guided by his heart and one grand idea - \"to make intimacy the new version of punk rock\"

Under The Knife

As a last resort, Alex Bishop prepares to operate on a vintage Yamaha acoustic - but will it recover from the ordeal?

Tones Behind The Tracks

The latest album from jazz guitarist and composer Ralph Towner enchants with beautiful playing on new pieces and jazz standards

Fretbuzz

A monthly look at must-hear artists from all corners of the guitar world, from the roots of their sound to the tracks that matter most

the Wishlist Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...

Fender Mod Shop Telecaster £2,179

Royal Flash

A highly anticipated signature version of Vox’s unique Nutube micro head, approved by Brian May himself

Top Drawer Tone

Emprize combines two coveted vintage Fender voices, authentically capturing brown-panel lead tones and black-panel rhythm sounds in one amp

Go For Gold

When is a Telecaster not a Telecaster? When it comes with a pair of mini-humbuckers, a mahogany body and ebony fingerboard like this one!

PLAY TO WIN

Fender's acclaimed Player Series is celebrating its fifth anniversary and to mark the occasion it's receiving some brand-new colours. Allen Abbassi shares the history behind the best-selling range

STEVE LUKATHER

The top sessioneer and Toto stringsman recounts his early six-string experiences and an epic deal on a rare Vox 12-string

Messin WITH THE RIG

Three decades since his death, Rory Gallagher remains the ultimate road warrior. As we rebuild the exact rigs from the late Irishman's most famous live periods, using historic gear loaned by his estate, Daniel Gallagher looks back over his uncle's lifetime on the boards

CAROL KAYE

If you’ve ever wondered what connects Frank Zappa to Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach to The Beach Boys or Ray Charles to The Righteous Brothers, the answer is simple: Carol Kaye. We discover the story behind the legendary bassist’s iconic sound