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The Latest Breaking News from Phil Barker

The Last Editor: The musical life of Chris Bird, the final Editor of Total Guitar

The musical life of Chris Bird, the final Editor of Total Guitar

Guitar World

“We can see this dividing opinion more than almost any guitar we’ve reviewed”: Atkin JH3001 review

What happens when charmingly bonkers rockstar Justin Hawkins is given free rein to design his own guitar? Guess what? He comes up with something charmingly bonkers!

Guitar World

“Brings the sound of the gods down to the volume-restricted reality of us mere mortals”: Marshall 1959 Modified & JCM800 Modified review

The gatekeepers at Marshall have finally unlocked beastmode, releasing two brand-new Modified high‑gain amps. Time to plug in!

Guitar World

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
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“The catalog proclaimed the instrument to be: ‘For the young artist with a flair for showmanship!’”: Guild Starfires appeared in the hands of The Kinks’ Dave Davies and Jerry Garcia, and shook up the electric guitar scene in the early '60s

By the late '50s, rock ’n’ roll was in full swing – and so for Guild, a ‘jazz guitar’ maker, it was time to catch up. Enter the Starfire electrics…

Guitar World

“That’s one of the first things Phil said to me, ‘You’re in, but we gotta change that guitar’”: Scott Gorham may have passed his Thin Lizzy audition – but his budget Les Paul copy certainly didn’t

The Irish rockers finally found their man after auditioning 24 hopefuls when Gorham turned up for his turn – but Phil Lynott was left underwhelmed by his choice of instrument

Guitar World

“I love my Strat; I’m a Strat guy through and through, but I just needed a guitar with humbuckers”: Cory Wong on the making of his signature StingRay and how Vulfpeck just, y’know, made an album during a show

The funkmeister guitarist is back with a whirlwind of new recording projects in his wake, and a fresh new signature guitar by his side

Guitar World

"With a little patience and dedication to experimenting, you’ll unlock a satisfying range of serviceable sounds": Harley Benton DNAfx GiT multi-effects pedal review

Harley Benton's budget multi-stomp looks to deliver the building blocks of tone, but it requires you to tweak the presets on a molecular level

Guitar World

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"A versatile jack-of-all-trades, with some excellent displays of mastery at times": Fender Player II Modified Precision Bass review

Fender’s workhorse-series P-Bass gets some performance-enhancing additions, as well as a tone control that works in passive mode

MusicRadar

Played by everyone from Magic Sam and Otis Rush to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robbie Robertson, Noel Gallagher, and Robben Ford, the Riviera remains Epiphone's semi-hollow superstar

The Riviera played a crucial role in Epiphone's evolution through the New York jazz clubs of the 1920s, '50s electric blues, to today’s vibrant, diverse scene – and it might be the brand's GOAT

Guitar World

“What blew me away was that everyone wanted the curly maple top. People were calling, saying, ‘I’ve got to have the bird inlays’”: Paul Reed Smith on raising the Standard 24, finally cracking the noise-free guitar and why John Sykes is a tone hero

We take Paul Reed Smith back to the start of his 40-year-old company to discuss the new Standard 24 and quite a bit more

Guitar World

“Among the most sought-after of all rhythm guitars… a power and projection unsurpassed by any other archtop”: Stromberg has made a long-awaited comeback, and we got our hands on its new Master 400 – a holy grail archtop with a price to match

The big-bodied archtop is a notorious powerhouse but its return – even at a hair under eight grand – has us tempted. Here's what the fuss is about...

Guitar World

“Sonically excellent… we found that it could be a viable substitute for our vintage 1970s pedals”: Hamstead x That Pedal Show Redwing Analogue Stereo Modulator review

A collaboration with That Pedal Show, Hamstead’s Redwing is an all-analogue modulation monster that captures the best of vintage Boss and EHX tones

Guitar World

“For years, the only 12-string acoustics I got my hands on, the necks always pulled off after a bit. I earned a lot of money replacing them!” Why one of the UK’s most prolific luthiers is a bolt-on acoustic die-hard

With the trio of upgraded Faith Eclipse acoustics now on the marketplace, we talk to the designer behind the brand, Patrick James Eggle

Guitar World

“Finely tuned instruments with effortless playability and one of the bestvibratos there is”: PRS Standard 24 Satin and S2 Standard 24 Satin review

It’s not an official 40th Anniversary model, but the new Standard 24 Satin takes us right back to where this unique story started. It’s also the most affordable Core model that PRS has released for nearly a decade

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“I wanted to play more, and it was inappropriate with Eric or Roger. I was not the lead guitarist, and I wanted to be”: Clapton, Waters, Satriani and me – Andy Fairweather Low on his greatest collaborations and finally taking center stage

As pop idol, hit-making solo artist, and with the most star-studded CV of any sideman, the affable Welshman offers up his latest release, The Invisible Bluesman, and reflects on his storied career

Guitar World

“While the odd corner has clearly been cut, these are true Gibsons with all the individuality that this brand exhibits”: Gibson J-45 Special and Hummingbird Special review

USA-made Gibson acoustics for under two grand, with solid timbers, nitro finish and an LR Baggs pickup. Too good to be true?

Guitar World

“Ibanez and Japanese brands in general were irritating the hell out of Gibson, Fender and other US companies targeted by copyists”: From copies to innovations – the origin and rise of Japanese electric guitars (and the truth about ‘lawsuit’ guitars)

We dig into the Japanese guitar industry of the 1960s and ’70s and find notable brands, mischievous copies, diligent makers and original designs that led to the instrument’s renaissance in the 1980s and beyond

Guitar World

“We go and look in the garage – it was there. It hadn’t been looked at for 20 years and was sad and falling apart. It was like, ‘Help me!’” James Dean Bradfield on unearthing his rare “birthright” guitar, gear epiphanies and why Robert Smith is underrated

Manic Street Preachers' new album, Critical Thinking, had Bradfield reconnecting with guitars new and old, Nicky Wire unleashing on the title track, and it is a typically unique work from the Welsh rock institution

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Guitar World

“The most convincing acoustic tone from an acoustic electric that we’ve yet heard”: LR Baggs AEG-1 review

This cutting-edge electro from LR Baggs has a plywood body frame, torrefied spruce top, rosewood back and studio-quality electrics – and we can’t wait to plug it in…

Guitar World

“The tuning did not need tweaking for the entire time we spent trying to avoid playing Stairway To Heaven”: Faith Eclipse Venus E/Cutaway & Neptune E/Cutaway 12-String review

“Designed as the ultimate stage guitars, with workhorse reliability and maximum performance capability,” theselook the part, but how do they deliver in terms of quality and tone?

Guitar World

“A fully fledged Lowden that will relish everything from sofa noodling to professional gigs, once the pickup of your choice is installed”: Lowden F12 review

A new model from Lowden is something of an event, and when that instrument involves a reimagined neck joint, we’re instantly intrigued

Guitar World

“If you thought Godin only did lower-end ‘functional’ guitars, this might make you think differently. We certainly did”: Godin 5th Avenue TL Gold Foil and Lerxst by Godin Grace review

Few, if any, major guitar manufacturers offer Godin’s extensive range of guitar styles. We catch up with a couple of new additions that couldn’t be more different

Guitar World

“It began as a sharp abdominal pain. A decade later I received the shock diagnosis – I had ‘Telecaster Rib’”: I spent thousands trying to identify the source of my pain – it turned out to be my Fender Telecaster

Medical experts took the money but couldn’t stop the pain until the real culprit revealed itself

Guitar World

“There’s something about handling a Martin that’s about to celebrate its 100th birthday that is absolutely terrifying”: Getting up close and personal with a 1928 Martin 00-42 – a pre-war, small-bodied vintage unicorn of an acoustic guitar

Martin has become synonymous with dreadnoughts and OM models, and there were rich pickings in the small-bodied pre-war era, too. We take a closer look – and get Chris Buck’s thoughts on it, too

Ideal Home

How to clean a microwave with lemon — the natural cleaning hack you need to know, no scrubbing required

3 simple steps to loosen food splatters and banish grease

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