Guitarist
Good Ol' 55
Inspired by the Gibson Les Paul Junior – and a great song by Tom Waits – Eastman’s SB55 is a tribute to a 66-year-old guitar that just refuses to retire
6 min |
September 2020
Guitarist
DION
Coming up on the Bronx’s mean streets as the poster boy of 50s doo-wop was just the start for Dion DiMucci. Spared from the 1959 plane crash that killed tour-mate Buddy Holly, then seduced by the blues, his six-decade path has led through treacherous Southern juke joints, crippling addiction, rebirth and his late-period status as a rock ’n’ roll founding father. Now, with the release of new solo album, Blues With Friends – its all-star tracklisting featuring guitar luminaries from Jeff Beck to Joe Bonamassa – the 81-year-old New Yorker’s influence and legacy are beyond doubt.
10 min |
September 2020
Guitarist
Cort & Spark
An all-solid OM acoustic that comes Fishman-powered and feature-packed. And the price won’t break your heart, either…
6 min |
September 2020
Guitarist
Communication Breakdown
Two classic ‘tone-bending’ fuzz flavours side by side
4 min |
September 2020
Guitarist
LESS CAN BE MORE
It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world reckons Dave Burrluck (via Ray Davies). When did cheap guitars get so good? We put one under the Mod Squad microscope…
8 min |
September 2020
Future Music
GLXY
She Sings for Me ft. DRS Shogun Audio, 2020
6 min |
September 2020
Future Music
Audeze LCD-1 headphones - £399
The high-end headphone brand dips under the £500 barrier for the first time. Si Truss takes a listen
3 min |
September 2020
Future Music
Mousse T. Gourmet De Funk
Peppermint Jam, 2002
9 min |
September 2020
Future Music
Sub Focus & Wilkinson
To develop their drum & bass collaboration, Sub Focus and Wilkinson retreated to Peter Gabriel’s iconic Real World Studios. Danny Turner discovers how the genre-defining album took shape
10+ min |
September 2020
Future Music
Output Thermal - £134
This multi-stage distortion has the potential to really heat up your tracks, as Si Truss discovers…
3 min |
September 2020
Future Music
BJ Burton
LA-based producer and mix engineer BJ Burton is best known for working with Bon Iver and Sylvan Esso, plus fruitful collaborations with Eminem and Kanye West. Danny Turner discusses his career to date
10+ min |
September 2020
Future Music
Audient EVO 4 - £99
With such an abundance of simple audio interfaces around, Jon Musgrave is interested to find out if this new one from Audient has anything special to offer
3 min |
September 2020
Future Music
Arturia AudioFuse Studio - £839
The prolific French developers’ latest audio interface promises high flexibility – was Simon Arblaster en-Fused by it?
3 min |
September 2020
Future Music
Amnesia Scanner
With second LP Tearless, the Berlin duo add ominous vocal effects and metal-influenced riffs into the mix with their ‘avant-EDM’ sound. Si Truss quizzes them on their creative process...
6 min |
September 2020
Future Music
Garage Music
Forgive us the sweeping generalisation, but we reckon it’s fair to say that most musical styles are invented by musicians and producers first before being adopted by labels, DJs and journalists. Garage music – at least in its original form – is an extreme outlier. Not only can we trace the sound back to one club, it also comes back to one DJ: Larry Levan.
4 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
In The Woodshed
This month Charlie Griffiths shows us how adopting arpeggios over your blues turnarounds can help you break out of Pentatonic Prison.
3 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Altered Scale
This month Jens Larsen of Fundamental Changes examines a great scale for adding tension and release over Dominant chords.
2 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Play Tastier Licks!
John Wheatcroft adds the musical equivalent of furry dice and go-faster stripes in this feature showing you how to jazz-up your blues, rock or any other style...
3 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Judas Priest
This month Martin Cooper demonstrates the style of Glenn Tipton and KK Downing of the mighty West Midlands metal band, Judas Priest.
2 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
INSTRUMENTAL inquisition!
Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. We asked some top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month: guitarist and producer with American prog-rock icon Kansas: Zak Rizvi.
8 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Jeff Beck
Phil Short feasts on the unmistakable style of this multi-Grammy-winning instrumentalist and gold-plated legend of blues and rock guitar.
2 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Blur
Simon Barnard looks at one of the original purveyors of the Cool Britannia scene, and the individualistic guitar musings of Graham Coxon.
2 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Chromaticism Pt 4 Delayed Resolution
Shaun Baxter looks at ways of creating melodic interest by embellishing and prolonging your chromatic journey to any given target note.
3 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
All-Star Blues Jam
John Wheatcroft has got a serious case of the blues, but in a really good way as he presents this epic All-Star blues jam.
3 min |
September 2020
Guitar Techniques
Richard Smith Interview & Masterclass
David Mead caught up with the nylon-string maestro during one of his all-too-rare visits to the UK for a lively conversation about all things acoustic and a very special video masterclass…
9 min |
September 2020
Guitarist
MIKE LANDAU
He’s played with artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Phil Collins, Miles Davis and Pink Floyd – but he still mourns the ’61 Strat that got away…
5 min |
Summer 2020
Guitarist
FIRST CLASS
With a third album replete with impeccable funk and richly embroidered guitar sounds from around the globe, Khruangbin are fast becoming one of the most exciting trios working today
10+ min |
Summer 2020
Guitarist
Built For Speed
Combining old-school curb appeal with modern performance, this silver dream machine from the kings of rockabilly offers that new-car smell for the price of an old banger
5 min |
Summer 2020
Guitarist
Shine On
This month Alex Bishop confronts every luthier’s most feared topic – the elusive art of guitar finishing
3 min |
Summer 2020
Guitarist
Playing Tribute
Larrivée’s new Tommy Emmanuel tribute guitar is already sending out shockwaves across the acoustic world. We speak to Tommy and Jean Larrivée to find out more
5 min |