The Latest Breaking News from Leo Fender

“I think Leo Fender sort of got it wrong, and Jimi Hendrix corrected it”: Richard Fortus explains how Hendrix and Joe Perry improved the Stratocaster’s tone by flipping it upside down

Back to front or upside down, whichever way you look at it, Fortus says Hendrix's reverse approach is the secret to “piano-like low-end” and Aerosmith's Perry was paying close attention

MusicRadar · Jul 26, 2024

The guitar riff changed the course of popular music in the 1950s and remains a powerful force today – we chart its development over the decades, and what you can learn from its evolution

From Chuck Berry to Dave Grohl via Johnny Marr, Jimmy Page and more, this rhythm guitar masterclass offers a decade-by-decade study in the evolution of the riff

Guitar World · Jul 21, 2024

“You can hear the influence of those riffs on Guns N’ Roses, but I’m sure it’s not a conscious thing. It’s in our subconscious, ingrained in our DNA”: Richard Fortus on how Aerosmith changed his life, and what he and Slash learned from Joe Perry

The GNR guitarist and Aerosmith super-fan explains what makes Joe Perry one of rock guitar's GOATs and the influence he and Brad Whitford had on him, sonically and sartorially

Guitar World · Jul 16, 2024

“The entire audience in the room could hear the tonal difference”: Guthrie Govan has held tonewood tone tests in guitar clinics – and the results were unanimous

To prove his point, The Aristocrats' Guthrie Govan has two different models of his signature Charvel, identical in every way except for the tonewood

Guitar World · Jun 20, 2024

“When Fender and Gibson embrace new tech, it’s usually not well received. It’s better to work with a young, disruptive company who wants to break the rules”: Inside Cream Guitars, the no-copy Mexican brand shaking up guitar with color-changing finishes

How a doctor (who also sidelined in designing suits for firefighters) ended up creating Cream Guitars, one of the most groundbreaking new brands in the industry

Guitar World · Jun 18, 2024

“It was more than a guitar, it was a statement. The Rampage became an icon of Seattle’s grunge rock sound”: The G&L Rampage – the guitar beloved by Jerry Cantrell – is officially making a return

The rebooted Rampage 24, due later this year, will revive one of grunge's most influential instruments

Guitar World · Jun 12, 2024

“Leo wanted me to be partners with him, for it to be the Fender guitar – the Les Paul Fender”: Les Paul was once approached by Leo Fender to work together on a solidbody electric guitar

Before Gibson finally decided to work with Paul, the guitar innovator was sounded out by one of the firm's biggest competitors

Guitar World · Jun 11, 2024

“You kept asking for more and the time has finally come”: Grunge’s favourite S-style is making a comeback as G&L Guitars announces the return of the Jerry Cantrell-approved Rampage

“Get ready for the next era of the rampage,” says G&L supremo David McLaren, as the Fullerton-based brand bows to public demand to resurrect the classic electric

MusicRadar · Jun 11, 2024

Fender currently makes over 100 Stratocasters – here’s how to choose the Strat that’s right for you

Stratocasters explained: from pickups to bodies, necks to hardware, this is what you need to consider when buying a Fender Strat

Guitar World · May 30, 2024

“If we lose the amp-making business, we lose everything. We’ve got to go back and show the guitarist community that Marshall truly cares about them”: From digital amps to modelers and mods – Marshall’s new CEO has big plans to win back guitar players

Jeremy de Maillard has gone from Marshall headphones to the head of the iconic amp firm – now he’s tasked with raising a sleeping giant

Guitar World · May 28, 2024