The Latest Breaking News from Mark Knopfler

“Vintage guitars that are too nice repel me – I have a 1945 Martin, and it sounded good, but it was like sunlight to a vampire”: Brian Fallon on what makes for guitar greatness, and the most fundamental lick

With new solo album Not Bad For New Jersey out next month, the Gaslight Anthem frontman checks in and discusses his love for the Telecaster, and Keith Richards

Guitar World · Aug 22

From Hendrix’s pyrotechnics to Cory Wong’s hot-buttered funk, for 72 years the Strat has revolutionized how we play guitar. These are the 25 players who wrote – and burnt – the playbook

The Fender Stratocaster would just be a glorified carpentry project without the players who danced across its neck and gave it life. Here we celebrate 25 of the best

Guitar World · Aug 2

Celebrity guitar auctions: teenage dreams or billionaire boys’ club? How A-list gear sales became the hottest ticket in town

From Johnny Marr to Mark Knopfler, big-name guitars seem to have become so valuable that even their owners don’t want to play them anymore…

Guitar World · Jul 1

"He thought that the band should be a democracy, and it was more like a brutal dictatorship": The tangled story of Dire Straits, the million-selling band who quit at the height of their fame

How Dire Straits went from the pubs of London to become one of the biggest bands of the 1980s

Louder · Jun 9

“He would often arrive at sessions with two banners, which he placed either side of his kit while recording, reading ‘You done hired the hit-maker’”: From the Purdie shuffle to its extended jazz chords - analysing Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters

A track that took 274 attempts to mix must’ve been worth it in the end, right?

MusicRadar · Apr 25

“Mark Knopfler, he's soloing kind of all through the record. And that's what I did, too”: Bruce Hornsby explains why a classic Dire Straits song is a “kindred spirit” to his biggest hit

He also reveals which hip-hop interpolation of The Way It Is he likes the best

MusicRadar · Apr 23

This album was the 1980s poster-boy for CD – but I massively prefer it on vinyl

A digital masterpiece intended to be heard on compact disc; but how does Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms compare to vinyl forty years on?

What Hi-Fi? · Apr 15

“There were no frets left on it. I’d never seen anything as horrible!” How a new recruit turned Swedish adventure rockers Hällas into a band of gearheads

The latest addition to the ever-quirky prog outfit's lineup, guitarist Rickard Swahn made an impact at his first rehearsal among worn-out frets, weird pickup choices, and crumbling amps – and saved a song that was too Mark Knopfler for them

Guitar World · Mar 20

“I’ve gone after three Soldanos. Eric Clapton’s, Mark Knopfler’s... and finally Gary’s came up”: Joe Bonamassa test drives Gary Moore’s iconic Soldano amp – which has been unplayed for 20 years

Bonamassa bought the historic amp head at auction last year

Guitar World · Feb 4

"Sprawling. Atmospheric. Cinematic. Enthralling": Chris Rea finds friends among fans of Mark Knopfler and J.J. Cale on The Road To Hell

The Road To Hell fuses Chris Rea's weather-beaten blues instincts with serious songwriting smarts and a sharp-eyed sense of social unease

Louder · Jan 12