"YOU CAN'T JUST DO A CIRCULAR RIFF-BECAUSE IT MIGHT NOT MEET UP WHERE YOU NEED IT TO!"

None of what you’ll hear on Yard Act’s thrilling and stylistically audacious sophomore album is what you could call conventional, but on occasion it borrows from convention, perhaps just to leave armchair musicologists with a little mud to grapple around in in search of a label to pin on them. Those we had are out of date.

“WE LIKE HEAVY SOUNDS ON GUITAR!"

Alt-rock trailblazers Sleater-Kinney were making bassless records long before The White Stripes and The Black Keys came along. As co-leader Carrie Brownstein says: “The power comes from the conversation that the two guitars are having with each other…”

"I'M THE PRESIDENT OF OVERDUBS 'R' US!!

As one of the best session players in the business, Marc Ribot has recorded with Tom Waits, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and many more. And when he's creating his own music, anything goes...

KING EDWARD

40 years ago this month, Van Halen had their first and only US number one single with Jump.

"MY GUITAR IS MORE LIKE THE ICING ON THE CAKE"

THE SIX-STRING VIRTUOSO WHO WRITES ON PIANO

"I Wanted to Go Weirder"

Singer-songwriter Grace Potter is putting a new spin on rootsy Americana – with famous friends, oddball gear and a borrowed vintage Martin she wanted to steal…

"It was always going to be extremie..."

A Biffy Clyro and Slayer supergroup? You’d better believe it. Dave Grohl is already a fan of Empire State Bastard – Simon Neil and Mike Vennart’s “mortally raging” metal side project

"The strat sound is the most inspiring”

The Lemon Twigs' power-pop has a new sense of refinement - plus some classic guitar heroics

Foo Fighters: But Here We Are-track by track

"Jangly layers, crunching fuzz, epic sounds..."

JAMES AND THE COLD GUN

Picture the scene: two ultra cool young musicians - both named James - are brought together under one roof during a surreal detention of global proportions and spend the next 18 months writing songs in their garage, cranking their amps and waiting not so patiently to be allowed out to play.

FENDER LTD ED.TOM DELONGE STRAT & STEVE LACY PEOPLE PLEASER STRAT

Fender serves up a heavy dose of pop-punk nostalgia as well as a forward-thinking take on the iconic Stratocaster

MARSHALL STUDIO JTM ST20H HEAD

£1075 - Marshall channels the vintage warmth of iconic JTM amps in its Studio range

TONE PROS - NUNO BETTENCOURT

The Extreme virtuoso weighs in on why, when it comes to tone, your personality always comes first

TONE TIPS - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PICKUPS

Today, it's harder than ever to describe the sonic characteristics of pickup types - there are so many configurations, both stock and after-market, that blur the lines of each core design.

TONE TIPS JARGON BUSTER

Get the lowdown on the most important terms in all things tone related

BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TONE

Get the basics of your rig sorted with these fundamental tone-shaping tips

"WE LOVE THE INTENSITY AND THE AGGRESSION!"

The new album from rising stars Saint Agnes is an all-out sonic attack– created by two guitarists with an unorthodox approach to tone

ultra Q

When your dad is one of the most influential figures in punk rock history, it's unlikely that you're going to grow up aspiring to hold down a normal nine-to-five. But, for Jakob Armstrong -youngest son of Green Day's Billie Joe - the moment of realisation that he was destined to follow the family trade didn't arrive until he'd already sampled a more conventional path.

"It's more guitar focused this time"

On their first number one album, Nothing But Thieves mix guitars with synths and prog-rock influences with danceable beats. It’s a sound they call “retro-futuristic”…

"THE GUITAR IS A SHIELD AND A WEAPON!"

INTRODUCING GIBSON'S FIRST MARQUEE ARTIST: ABRAHAM ALEXANDER

"I'm on a journey as a guitarist to achieve perfection"

Heavy rock heroes Greta Van Fleet are on a mission to explore new territory. For guitarist Jake Kiszka, this means different techniques, random guitars and all-improvised solos. "Stagnation," he says, "Is a form of death."

Wolfgang Van Halen – "I said I was pushing the boundaries. Well, here you go!"

With a growing sense of confidence- and an onslaught of tapping-Wolfgang Van Halen is taking his playing to a whole new level...

"It sounds like a cyborg hungover and vomiting!"

Inside the 'sonic craziness' of punkmetal project Mutoid Man

"FLYING Vs ARE AS METAL AS IT GETS!"

You’ve read the review! Now MEGADETH main man Dave Mustaine talks us through the design and specs for his latest signature Flying Vs

Acoustic Gig Tips

Get gig-ready with TG’s guide to creating the perfect onstage acoustic guitar set-up

"I'M AS SELF-TAUGHT AS YOU CAN BE IN THE 21ST CENTURY"

How NAT MYERS made a beautiful old-school blues album - with help from Dan Auerbach, and just one acoustic guitar

"THE FIRST STEP FOR ME IS FINDING THE GUITAR TONE THAT SPEAKS"

For rising star MEHRO, every song begins with an acoustic. His method, “Being open, being in tune and channeling the inspiration”

“THE INABILITY TO PLAY MUSIC WAS JITE FRIGHTENING'

BEN HOWARD feared the worst after suffering two mini-strokes. Now he returns with his most adventurous album to date. \"The guitars,\" he says, \"are doing weird things...\"

The Iconoclast

How Jimmy Page redefined the role of acoustic guitar in rock

The 50 Greatest Acoustic Guitar Songs Of All Time

AS VOTED BY TOTAL GUITAR READE