Amit Sharma

Amit Sharma

Amit has been writing for titles like Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World for over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences. He's interviewed everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to Slash and Jimmy Page, and once even traded solos with a member of Slayer on a track released internationally. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handling lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3).

Articles by: Amit Sharma

Photo of Martin LOPEZ and OPETH and Martin MENDEZ and Mikael AKERFELDT and Peter LINDGREN

Mikael Åkerfeldt reflects on Opeth's Damnation album: “Maybe we helped show people that experimentation isn’t necessarily a horrible thing – you should take your guard down when it comes to creativity”

By Amit Sharma published

Ahead of the reissue to mark its 20th anniversary, the Swedish band's 'mellow' album is rightly remembered as a brave and successful step forwards: “It was like starting from scratch with lots of experience and no distortion!” its mastermind tells us

Jackson American Series Virtuoso

Jackson American Series Virtuoso review

By Amit Sharma published

  • £1999
  • €1949
  • $2299

The Fender-owned shredder-friendly guitar brand unveils its latest model for high gain thrill-seekers

Billy Sheehan performing in 2020

Billy Sheehan's 6 top tips for bass players: “Listen to any great band and think about how the bass and drums work together, like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, or Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain"

By Amit Sharma published

“Speed is just one of many tools you can use to create music”

Warm Audio ODD Box V1 Hard-Clipping Overdrive Pedal

Warm Audio ODD Box V1 Hard-Clipping Overdrive Pedal review

By Amit Sharma published

  • £111
  • €129
  • $119

The Texan company pays tribute to one of the most legendary overdrives ever made

Richie Faulkner

Judas Priest and Elegant Weapons guitarist Richie Faulkner on Painkiller and the 10 albums that changed his life

By Amit Sharma published

“That is an album that changed my life in more ways than one because it almost killed me!”

Gurus Echosex 3º Steve Lukather Delay

Gurus Echosex 3º Steve Lukather Delay review

By Amit Sharma published

  • £389
  • €449
  • $429

The legendary Toto guitarist releases his own signature delay inspired by the legendary Binson Echorec

Eric Gales

Eric Gales interview: “I asked Stevie Ray Vaughan for an autograph and he said ‘Only if you sign one for me first!’”

By Amit Sharma published

Best of 2022: We talk jamming with guitar icons and becoming one with a player in his prime: “It takes guts and fortitude to even attempt the blues,” he tells us

King's X

Ty Tabor on the new King's X album, his greatest riffs, how he picks differently to most guitar players and why he uses solid state amps

By Amit Sharma published

Guitar Showcase 2022: "I prefer the gear I use to sound the same from the beginning to the end of the night… or tour. I can’t get that from tube amps"

James Bay

James Bay talks Fender and his 10 tips for guitar players

By Amit Sharma last updated

The songwriter on sounding bigger with one guitar, string choice and why it's all about the right hand for him

Electro-Harmonix Canyon delay pedal on wooden floor

Best delay pedals 2023: add dimension to your tone with pedals from Boss, Strymon, Electro-Harmonix and more

By Amit Sharma last updated

Explore the best analog and digital delay pedals for all budgets

PRS SE Mark Holcomb electric guitar on top of a flightcase

Best metal guitars 2023: 13 riff machines for any budget

By Amit Sharma last updated

Top-tier tones and build quality from the best metal guitars that are tailor-made for world-conquering heaviness

Blackstar St James

Best metal amps 2023: get juggernaut tones with these heads and combos

By Michael Astley-Brown last updated

Tube, solid-state and digital guitar amplifiers... these are the best amps for metal from Mesa/Boogie, Orange, Peavey and more

Best 7-string guitars: the top pro and cheap 7-string guitars

Best 7-string guitars 2023: Extend your range with the top pro and cheap 7-string guitars

By Amit Sharma last updated

Tap into the world of low-end with the best 7-string guitars, from pro level to cheap 7-string guitars that still sound the business

Michael Romeo

Symphony X shredder-in-chief Michael Romeo’s 5 tips for guitarists: “Keep speeding up those patterns you’re working on. That’s the way to build up speed… there are no shortcuts”

By Amit Sharma published

With the neoclassical shred maestro returning with War Of The Worlds, Pt. 2, he stops by to share hard-earned wisdom, and give props to Shawn Lane, Randy Rhoads, Yngwie and more

Best guitar effects pedals: our pick of effects in every pedal category

Best guitar effects pedals 2022: Our pick of effects in every pedal category

By Amit Sharma last updated

Looking for the right delay, reverb, fuzz, flange, or overdrive for your pedalboard? We’ve rounded up the best of everything

Mark Lanegan

Mark Lanegan: 9 albums that changed my life - "If any record ever truly saved me, it was this one"

By Amit Sharma last updated

In memoriam: Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age alt-rock giant on Bowie, Iggy, Kraftwerk and more

Billy F Gibbons: 10 guitarists who blew my mind

By Amit Sharma published

ZZ Top's guitar legend names the blues players who changed his life

Geddy Lee

Rush's Geddy Lee: 10 bassists who blew my mind

By Amit Sharma published

Best of 2021: "…he was quite possibly the greatest rock bassist of all time. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that"

Steve Cropper

Steve Cropper‘s 5 tips for guitar players: “I always look at my guitar before playing and say, ‘If you don’t play good tonight, you’re firewood in the morning!’“

By Amit Sharma last updated

Best of 2021: The Stax Records six-string legend shares 60 years of music-making wisdom, reminding us that tone is always in the hands

Dream Theater

5 songs guitarists need to hear by… Dream Theater

By Amit Sharma last updated

Best of 2021: Premium Petrucci

Ron Anderson

"I’ve worked with so many people but I have to say Axl Rose’s voice is amazing, truly one of a kind" – remembering late vocal coach legend Ron Anderson with this 2019 interview

By Amit Sharma published

Anderson taught artists including Myles Kennedy, Janet Jackson, Ozzy Osbourne, Seal, Alicia Keys and even Tom Cruise

Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde on stepping up for Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears: "It was like taking all the crayons out of the box, leaving myself just four to play with and seeing what I could draw with that"

By Amit Sharma published

Interview: "If you don’t wanna sound like Eddie, don’t do any taps, harmonics, divebombs or whammy bar stuff.”

Phil Collen

Phil Collen interview: the Def Leppard guitarist talks Jackson, taking Eddie Van Halen's advice and why he's not a pedal guy

By Amit Sharma published

"I did it because Eddie told me to do it!"

Dave Mustaine

"You can’t have a Plan B in this business and expect to be successful" – Dave Mustaine's top 5 tips for guitarists

By Amit Sharma published

To celebrate the Megadeth thrash legend's 60th birthday, we revisit his wisdom from this 2015 interview

Dean DeLeo

Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo chooses the 10 players who blew his mind

By Amit Sharma published

We celebrate the versatile guitarist's 60th birthday by revisiting this tribute to his own heroes

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