NICK GUPPY

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April

- Dave Burrluck

December 1958 to April 2024

Nick contributed his detailed, authoritative amp reviews in almost every issue of Guitarist for well over two decades. He came onto our radar after writing a letter to then Guitarist editor, Neville Marten, wondering if we needed someone to write about amplifiers. He included a review he'd written and, hugely impressed, Neville commissioned him on the spot.

Born in December 1958, Nick caught the rock 'n' roll bug early on, and although he attended Cheltenham Grammar School (like a certain Rolling Stone), his long-time friend Cos remembers him as "a bit of a rebel". Neville remembers him as a "monster" guitar player, too, and he served time with many local bands, not least The Detonators during the 80s, toting his self-built guitar based on a Gibson SG. "Nick actually wanted to be a session player," but, remembers Cos, "punk rock ruined that his words."

He's remembered by all who knew him as a humble, modest man, but "give him a guitar or anything to do with amps... that's all he talked about", Cos tells us, a recurring theme among the tributes we've received.