The Year in Guitar
Total Guitar|January 2023
The return of the mega-gig. The rise of the guitar synth. Amazing new music, surprise comebacks and mindboggling new gear. The story of 2022 has all this and more...
The Year in Guitar

If 2021’s silver lining was the barrage of new albums from artists with nothing to do except record, 2022 was the year all those acts hit the stage. We all knew it would be a gig bonanza, but ticket demand exceeded expectations. It’s also been a year of unexpected successes. Snarky Puppy, a 25-piece funk/jazz/rock combo, headlined Wembley Arena. The industry didn’t know what to do with Nova Twins, but they’ve been breaking out on the independent Marshall Records anyway. Tash Sultana’s ‘unplugged’ MTV gig, featuring Strats, shouldn’t have worked but somehow became a streaming phenomenon. And two octogenarians, Paul McCartney and Buddy Guy, turned in standout performances when some assumed they were past it.

We also saw the results of our massive Greatest Guitar Album poll, with readers choosing their favourite from each decade since the 1960s. We would never call you a predictable bunch, but it’s unlikely anyone spat out their coffee on learning you’d voted for Hendrix, Zeppelin, Van Halen, and Metallica. The 2000s and 2010s polls were harder to call, but Alter Bridge and Greta Van Fleet took the tape respectively.

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"THERE WILL BE A LOT OF GREAT GUITAR PLAYING AT THESE SHOWS!"

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"THE WHOLE LINE-UP IS STELLAR!"
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"WHEN YOU HEAR THAT TONE, YOU KNOW IT'S HIM"
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"WHEN YOU HEAR THAT TONE, YOU KNOW IT'S HIM"

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“IT'S ALL THE SAME CHORD CHANGES.MORE OR LESS THE SAME NOTES.BUT IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES HOW pos a im TO PLAY THEM.THAT IS WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT BLUES GUITAR...”
Total Guitar

“IT'S ALL THE SAME CHORD CHANGES.MORE OR LESS THE SAME NOTES.BUT IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES HOW pos a im TO PLAY THEM.THAT IS WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT BLUES GUITAR...”

The rock icon finding new inspiration in deathless blues standards. The guitarist synonymous with the Les Paul now mixing up his Gibsons with a Strat and a Tele. This is Slash as you've never heard him before...

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"I'M VERY GOOD AT NOT FOLLOWING RULES!!!
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"I'M VERY GOOD AT NOT FOLLOWING RULES!!!

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"PEOPLE SAID, "WOMEN AREN'T REALLY SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.SO WE WERE VERY LOUD!"
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"PEOPLE SAID, "WOMEN AREN'T REALLY SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.SO WE WERE VERY LOUD!"

Flying in the face of sexism in the '70s, Heart made it big with some of the most powerful and beautiful rock songs of that era. In turn, Nancy Wilson became one of the most inspirational female guitarists of all time. Now, on the eve of a UK tour, she tells TG: “You have to feel proud of your gnarly hands!\"

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