On JJ Cale: “He would buy a $100 guitar, then if he messed it up by drilling holes, it was okay. That was the cost of educating himself” By Henry Yates Cale's widow and bandmate Christine Lakeland reflects on his career and gear
John Petrucci: “The last thing you want to do is be complacent or just have ‘okay’ guitar parts and uninspired solos” By Henry Yates The DT man talks Distance Over Time, six-string evolution and guitar-player camaraderie
Robert Fripp: The Crimson King returns By Henry Yates On the countdown to three rare UK dates from his prog giants King Crimson, we look back at the seismic career of a “difficult” genius…
How Takamine acoustics became the hardest-working guitars in music By Jamie Dickson, Henry Yates We head to Japan to study the roots of the luthier
Stereophonics’ Richard Jones: “I always had an affinity with the bass” By Henry Yates The Welsh bassist on Andy Fraser, ‘filling-in’ and five-strings
Lance Lopez: “Texas guitar playing is the attitude of putting everything behind each note” By Henry Yates Championed by Billy Gibbons. Mentored by Johnny Winter. Shattered by addiction. The Texas gunslinger tells his story
Then play on: the story of Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan By Henry Yates Bernie Marsden, Jeremy Spencer and more reflect on the underrated six-stringer
James Hunter: “I think guitar playing needs to acknowledge what kind of record it’s on. A solo shouldn’t disappear up its own arse” By Henry Yates We talk to the UK soul star
Steve Lukather: “I’m a journeyman guitar player. And I’m proud to be that. I’m the guy you call to fix s**t” By Henry Yates The session ace looks back on 40 years of Toto
James Valentine and Sterling Ball: “Building a guitar is not like writing a song. You’re creating a three-dimensional tool” By Henry Yates The Maroon 5 star and Ernie Ball Music Man head honcho discuss the making of the Valentine signature model
Gibson: how did we get here? By Henry Yates Charting the troubled guitar giant's decline and how it can rise once more
Def Leppard's Phil Collen: “We worked. We went somewhere. I came out of Hysteria a better player” By Henry Yates 30 years on, the guitarist revisits a classic album
The history of the Gibson Black Beauty By Henry Yates Hackett, Hawkins and Heafy on the be-suited 'Beauty's origins and evolution
Mike Oldfield: “It’s the age-old story. Out of suffering comes beauty” By Henry Yates When Oldfield’s world fell apart he found salvation through music that channelled the spirit of his '70s work
Steve Vai tells the story of the Ibanez JEM By Henry Yates "I had no expectations. I thought I was just designing a guitar for myself"
One for the road: Black Star Riders By Henry Yates Killer live tales from Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson
Laurence Jones and Mike Vernon on why Take Me High is "the future of blues" By Henry Yates Exploring the burgeoning British guitarist's latest
Eric Gales' 11 tips for guitarists By Henry Yates Covering Hendrix, winging solos and playing guitar in prison
Nick Johnston talks technique, gear, Guthrie and Gilbert By Henry Yates The Canadian instrumentalist on his 'atomic rock'
Steve Morse's 12 tips for guitarists By Henry Yates Deep Purple and Flying Colors man reflects on 50 years of guitar playing
One for the road: Zakk Wylde By Henry Yates Black Label Society man talks trashing hotel rooms with Ozzy and live guitar sound
Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil on new album Ellipsis and beating writer's block By Henry Yates "I don't think there's anything that can compete with a guitar"
5 minutes alone: Billy Duffy By Henry Yates The Cult guitarist on first guitars, Gretsch and being a "two-trick pony"
