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“I went for a guitar commission with a carload of basses! I laid them all out on the floor, and he went, ‘Okay, let’s make a guitar’”: Ken Lawrence reveals how he became luthier to James Hetfield and made some of his coolest Metallica guitars

How did a specialist in custom-built bass guitars end up making some of the Metallica frontman's most-famous electrics? As it turns out, with a twist of fate and his Mesa/Boogie connection

MusicRadar · Feb 25, 2025

“George was into some crazy things. He'd tell me the D string annoyed him. The G string, too. ‘Too sweet for rock and roll,’ he'd say”: You’ve heard of AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm, but a third Young brother was responsible for a ’60s power-pop masterpiece

In George Young, guitarist for the oft-overlooked Australian band the Easybeats, Malcolm and Angus Young had a significant creative role model

Guitar World · Feb 23, 2025

Machine Gun Kelly made guitar “cool” again, claims Polyphia’s Tim Henson

“MGK got a number-one record with a guitar on the cover, which is really cool!”

Metal Hammer · Feb 21, 2025

“Alien levels of precision. You can’t believe it until you sit in front of him and you’re like, ‘Whoa’”: We asked Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi who is blowing their minds right now. They both named the same guitarist

This progressive virtuoso has already been labeled shred’s next hope – now he’s been tipped for greatness… and a Polyphia guest spot

Guitar World · Feb 17, 2025

“Guitar World was putting together this CD... I thought, ‘Guitar players are gonna try to play the most mind-blowing shredding’… So I did an acoustic piece in DADGAD”: The Cars' Elliot Easton considers this lost gem to be one of his best performances

Walk On Walden stood out in comparison to Easton's previous work with the Cars, and especially in the context of the compilation in question. Not that this was an accident

Guitar World · Feb 16, 2025

Quick! Positive Grid's huge $50 Riff audio interface discount ends today – here are 5 reasons it’s worth your money

Start recording your guitar playing for less with this amazing deal exclusively for Guitar World readers

Guitar World · Feb 15, 2025

“He told me it had a reverse headstock, but when we opened the case it turned out to be a left-handed King V”: A labor of love, Wes Borland's beloved custom Jackson King V began life as a factory floor reject

Rather than a top-of-the-line custom job involving the best of the company's best luthiers, Borland's favored King V was brought to his attention by Jackson because, not in spite of, the quirks that led to its initial rejection

Guitar World · Feb 15, 2025

“We kind of dug it, but a lot of places didn’t like Metallica. They were like, ‘What the hell is this?’” When Metallica hit the road for their first national tour, crowds weren’t convinced by their music

James Hetfield and co went on tour with British heavy metal band Raven when they came over to the States in the early 1980s – but they didn’t always win over the audience

Guitar World · Feb 14, 2025

“A lot of guitarists who can play killer leads get real sterile on their rhythm stuff – they’re all too careful about playing their chords dead straight”: Dimebag Darrell wrote 42 lesson columns for Guitar World. Here’s the best advice he shared

We’ve collected the best of Dimebag’s “Riffer Madness” columns for the ultimate masterclass in the late Pantera guitarist’s trailblazing style

Guitar World · Feb 14, 2025

“It took me a long time to feel confident about being the only guitar on stage. I always felt like I needed a rhythm guitar”: Brian May fought to add a rhythm guitarist to Queen in their early years – and several players would eventually grant his wish

While May got into the habit of playing lead and rhythm at the same time, he did sometimes get the extra helping hand he had envisioned – including from Freddie Mercury himself

Guitar World · Feb 13, 2025