Latest Guitar News
Fresh updates from trusted gear and music news sources.
“I didn’t really think about it. I did my best guitar work there without thinking. I just emptied my head!” How Frehley’s Comet sent Ace Frehley’s post-Kiss career into orbit
🗓️ January 07, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
In his final interview for Guitar World magazine (conducted in early 2025 and not published until now), Ace Frehley looks back on the 1987 album that brought him back into the limelight
“That would be a huge undertaking. It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth’”: Dave Mustaine says he won’t reunite with former Megadeth members on the band’s farewell tour
🗓️ January 07, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Don't expect Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro, Chris Poland or any other ex-Megadeth guitarist to make a cameo
“A supremely versatile platform that blurs the line between solidbody and semi”: The PRS 40th Anniversary Special Semi-Hollow Limited Edition is $6,990, impossibly beautiful, and they’re only making 280 of them – but here’s why we want one
🗓️ January 07, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
PRS Guitars has been releasing eye-popping limited-run instruments month after month but this do-it-all high-end electric might just be the pick of the litter
Lollipop Star: Lick Me, and You’ll Hear Exclusive Songs Through Your Teeth!
🗓️ January 07, 2026 | Source: Gear News
A cute CES gadget is a lollipop that plays music! The Lollipop Star transmits music directly to your head through vibrations. The post Lollipop Star: Lick Me, and You’ll Hear Exclusive Songs Through Your Teeth! appeared first on gearnews.com.
Victory Amplification MKX Lunchbox Head: 50 Watts, Flagship Sound, Compact Size
🗓️ January 07, 2026 | Source: Gear News
Legendary Sound like the MK series but without taking out a new mortgage? The Victory Amplification MKX Lunchbox Head is set to carry on the legacy of the legendary MK amps. These handcrafted premium amps, introduced in 2024 and priced at over €5,000, bore the signature of Martin Kidd, chief designer at Victory Amps and […] The post Victory Amplification MKX Lunchbox Head: 50 Watts, Flagship Sound, Compact Size appeared first on gearnews.com.
Last Call: How Record Labels Survived the Digital Apocalypse
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Premier Guitar
As we gather ’round the fire and stare at the ashes of what used to be the record business, I’m reminded of Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel (and later, movie) High Fidelity. In one iconic speech straight from the book, John Cusack says: “But the most important thing is … what you like, not what you’re like. Books, records, films—these things matter. Call me shallow, it’s the fuckin’ truth.”Commercial record stores first appeared in the 1920s, but mass marketing did not kick in until 1948, when Columbia...
"If you want a bass that hits the sweet spot of Fender’s heritage, sound, practicality and price, this Precision checks all the right boxes": Fender American Professional Classic Precision Bass review
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Fender's new entry-point into US-made instruments finds the sweet spot between old and new
Guitar Journal: Harley Benton Infinity Mirror Guitar!
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
We check out the Harley Benton Infinity Mirror Guitar and some NAMM 2026 teases ahead of the show The post Guitar Journal: Harley Benton Infinity Mirror Guitar! appeared first on gearnews.com.
“He told me, ‘Come in closer, I’ll tell you the secret of playing electric guitar”: How Television’s Richard Lloyd ended up playing with one of the blues’ all-time greats
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Pre-Television, Lloyd rubbed shoulders with many guitar stars, and had a rather memorable encounter with John Lee Hooker backstage at one of Boston’s premier jazz venues
“We have tried about 800 different types of solos and we cannot get it right”: Some of the world's greatest guitarists are all fighting it out to get their solo on this track
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Johnny Franck of Bilmuri has issued a call-out for a solo – and some high-profile names have already submitted their entry
“I said, ‘Man, where’s my audition?’ They said, ‘You got the gig.’ So I got my job just by warming up”: How Dave Mustaine landed the gig with Metallica
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Mustaine looks back at the audition (or, should we say, non-audition?) that landed him the Metallica spot all those years ago
Vengeance-Sound, Tone2, Universal Audio: 3 Ultimate Software Deals!
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
Big names, small prices: This week, Vengeance Sound, Tone2, and Universal Audio are offering the most exciting plugin deals of the year. The post Vengeance-Sound, Tone2, Universal Audio: 3 Ultimate Software Deals! appeared first on gearnews.com.
Speed bursts are the path to Shred Heaven: boost your rock chops with 6 jaw-dropping examples (that won't break your fingers)
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Learn how short and fast sequential patterns favoured by legends such as Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and Zakk Wylde can be connected to create blazing solos
Fender Audio ELIE Speakers and MIX Headphones
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
Launched at CES 2026, the Fender Audio ELIE Speakers and MIX Headphones offer new ways to enjoy music or practice your instrument. The post Fender Audio ELIE Speakers and MIX Headphones appeared first on gearnews.com.
Cort KX600 Infinite: High-Gain Metal Axe With A Boutique Vibe
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
The two ST models from Cort KX600 Infinite offer high-quality components and an exciting look. Available in black or orange! The post Cort KX600 Infinite: High-Gain Metal Axe With A Boutique Vibe appeared first on gearnews.com.
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation Appoints New Chief Executive Officer
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Premier Guitar
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Edward “Bud” Cole as Chief Executive Officer and member of the FMIC Board of Directors. Cole will serve as CEO-Designate effective January 19, 2026, and will officially assume the CEO role on February 16, 2026. He succeeds Andy Mooney, who will retire from the company following a decade of transformative growth and innovation. Cole currently serves as President of Fender Asia Pacific (APAC) an...
Chuck Berry: The Original Rock 'n' Roller with Jason Sinay
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Premier Guitar
Singer-songwriter Jason Sinay, maybe best known for his work alongside Mike Campbell in Dirty Knobs, joins us to talk about the most foundational rock ’n’ roll guitarist of them all, the man who started the ball rolling, Chuck Berry. When it comes to his guitar playing, his influence can be heard across all styles. Without his licks, his songs, his vocal phrasing, who knows what path the electric guitar would have taken! While we’re at it, we get some cool Keith Richards and Neil Young stories f...
“There’s nothing here that’s radical, let alone modern. But that’s in its favor – it’s a considered design that irons out some of Gretsch’s historic quirks”: Gretsch Electromatic Jet review
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
With plenty already in the lineup, Gretsch has released a new range of both Electromatic and Streamliner Jets that appear modern-aimed and very affordable. What’s new?
CoolGeek VS-01 Inspires Design Fans: Vinyl in Portrait Format as an Art Object
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
With the VS-01, every record becomes a showpiece. CoolGeek delivers a design masterpiece for true vinyl enthusiasts. The post CoolGeek VS-01 Inspires Design Fans: Vinyl in Portrait Format as an Art Object appeared first on gearnews.com.
With Electro-Harmonix pedals from just $53.95 at Sweetwater, it's time to kick off 2026 with a proper tone upgrade for your 'board
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Sweetwater is kicking off the year with epic price drops on a range of our favorite EHX stomps
“2026 is going to be in the record books as one of the most exciting years for Fender”: Fender has announced its new CEO – what does it mean for the future of the iconic guitar brand? We met Edward ‘Bud’ Cole to find out
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Fender’s new CEO pioneered the firm’s most talked-about projects. Now he’s taking his innovative Fender Japan ethos global
“It ain’t gonna sit well with people, but he might be better than George Harrison”: Why John Mayer might be better than a Beatle, according to producer Don Was
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
The famed producer has worked with Mayer on three studio albums, and has highlighted the overlooked aspects of his musicianship
“He said the first guitar was an accident of God. By the fifth one he said, ‘OK, you’re a guitar maker’”: Carlos Santana was one of Paul Reed Smith’s earliest champions – but he thought his first guitars were too good to be true
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Smith looks back on his early partnership with Santana in Guitar Center CEO's new 'Inside the Noise with Gabe Dalporto' podcast
Audio-Technica AT-LP7X: Old-school Simplicity
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
The Audio-Technica AT-LP7X is a premium belt-drive turntable with a classic design inspired by the Audio-Technica turntables from the 1960s and '70s. The post Audio-Technica AT-LP7X: Old-school Simplicity appeared first on gearnews.com.
“If it sounds heavy on a classical guitar, then it will sound even heavier once I’m plugged in”: Foam swords, steel riffs – and medieval raga? Meet the queen of fantasy doom metal guitar, Castle Rat’s Riley Pinkerton
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Who can stop the irresistible rise of underground heavy metal’s most theatrical troupe? Pinkerton, the self-styled Rat Queen is taking no prisoners
Techno Beats in Ableton Live Made Easy!
🗓️ January 06, 2026 | Source: Gear News
Building your own techno beats sounds pretty straightforward at first. Here are a few tips and tricks to add even more groove! The post Techno Beats in Ableton Live Made Easy! appeared first on gearnews.com.
“For the Love of God, written by Steve Vai and performed by my 14-year-old son Roman”: Tom Morello says “there is hope” as his son shreds Steve Vai's For the Love of God
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
He’s been saying his son can “shred circles” around him for years – this might just prove it
The Best Modeling Amps 2026: From Versatile Beginner Model to Pro-Level Beast
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Gear News
If you're looking for your first amp or a solution for practicing at home, these five best modeling amps will get you started! The post The Best Modeling Amps 2026: From Versatile Beginner Model to Pro-Level Beast appeared first on gearnews.com.
“One of the most expressive effects ever conceived”: Cliché or pedalboard essential? How the Cry Baby wah pedal changed electric guitar – and why it’s still (kinda) underrated
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Popularized by Hendrix and Clapton, resplendent on some of guitar's greatest tracks, the wah pedal might divide opinion, but it has transformed the instrument
“Everybody looks at him as Mr. Tap and Mr. Shred. That’s just a flavor of what he did”: Wolfgang Van Halen on one the most overlooked and underrated aspects of Eddie’s playing
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Eddie Van Halen’s talents reshaped the guitar scene in the 1980s, but his son says there’s far more to his craft than tapping
“Kirk Hammett’s in front of me with a guitar trying to teach me stuff. They’re like, ‘Get your stuff. You’re flying on the private jet with us’”: Daron Malakian on the time he saved a Metallica gig – and ended up filling in for an injured James Hetfield
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Malakian stepped up to sub for Hetfield at the last minute while on tour – and stuck around until he was fully recovered
“Transcribing Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass really helped me on my journey. You can see the amount of joy they were bringing to the music”: How Italian maestro Andrea Rinciari is reinventing the great American jazz guitar songbook
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
Soho Sessions is the sound of Rinciari cutting loose and putting his own stamp on the classics, with the help of his one-of-a-kind Fibonacci Ambassador
Set the World Afire: Dave Mustaine on Megadeth's Final Album and a Lifetime of Riffs
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Premier Guitar
Dave Mustaine didn’t think he’d make it this far. Not the 40 years, not the 17 albums, certainly not the moment he’d be sitting down to talk about Megadeth’s final studio record. But here we are, more than four decades removed from that first gig at Ruthie’s Inn in Berkeley, California (February 17, 1984, to be exact), where the ceiling was so low “you could touch it from the stage,” and Mustaine was still figuring out if he even wanted to be a singer.Could he have imagined that, in 2025, Megade...
“It’s one thing to be a visionary, but it’s another thing to have the gift to pull off the vision”: Why Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins collaborated with Yungblud
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
The alt-rock legend has become the latest big name to link up with Yungblud
“The chord shapes are a little different than normal, but therein lies the beauty of an open tuning”: Charlie Starr’s open G slide soloing masterclass
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
In his latest GW column, the Blackberry Smoke guitarist shows us how open G frees us up from the same tired old note choices
“I bought this on Craigslist at a parking lot in Nashville. Some random guy met me in this weird van”: How Stephen Wilson Jr. bought his workhorse, ride-or-die nylon-string guitar
🗓️ January 05, 2026 | Source: Guitar World
The country rock star stumbled across his forever guitar thanks to a chance Craigslist find