
Jonathan Horsley
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley

“One of my favourite forgotten Gibson designs of all time”: The cult RD Custom is officially back
By Jonathan Horsley published
Gibson president and CEO Cesar Gueikian loves them, so too the Nameless Ghouls of Ghost, and this oft-slept on model becomes the first core Gibson Custom electric with a 25.5" scale length

Fender unveils Player II refresh with the Strat, Tele, P and Jazz Basses in Sparkle 3-Color Sunburst
By Jonathan Horsley published
The new-look models have all the same Player II features – rosewood fingerboards with rolled edges, Alnico V pickups, high-ratio Classic Gear tuners and a Modern C profile neck

Alex Van Halen and and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather are reportedly working on a new Van Halen album
By Jonathan Horsley published
Reports in Dutch newspaper say a new Van Halen album is happening with the Toto guitarist filling in for the late Eddie Van Halen

Warren Haynes’ Gibson Les Paul Standard is here and it’s a plain-topped beauty with an onboard boost
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Gov't Mule frontman has gone for a set of Billie Joe Armstrong favourite pickups, a fat ‘50s profile neck, an onboard clean boost and no pickguard
![Ben Eller wears a black Dunlop Tortex T-shirt [left] and holds a double-cut electric guitar; [right] Troy Sanders and Bill Kelliher perform onstage with Mastodon.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8HfaUNyCy7anC4ZXA2TJwR.jpg)
Ben Eller makes Mastodon debut after Brent Hinds’ exit – but what’s next for the prog-metal titans?
By Jonathan Horsley published
Hinds is out. Eller is in for now. Brann Dailor has a black eye. Palace intrigue notwithstanding, “all 2025 touring plans will remain intact,” says the band

“You can sweep pick on this thing”: Tosin Abasi issues update on Abasi Concepts nylon-string
By Jonathan Horsley published
Abasi says Fishman is designing the pickup for what promises to be a groundbreaking acoustic electric. In other Abasi Concepts news, fresh Legion Series models in Deep Sage drop today

Steve Vai has some good advice for players who are unhappy with their tone
By Jonathan Horsley published
Before swapping out your amp or guitar, pay close attention to how you are playing. Vai says a complete rethink of his picking style helped him find his tone in the '80s

Aclam unveils Go Rocky Go, a Vox Conqueror in a stompbox for nailing White Album-era Beatles tones
By Jonathan Horsley published
Aclam promises a super-accurate replica of the solid-state Vox amp's sounds but with some added extras

Punk icon Brian James, founder of the Damned, has died aged 70
By Jonathan Horsley published
James electrified the nascent UK punk-rock scene and fired its first salvo with the Damned's era-defining single, New Rose

Richard Patrick says NIN’s 1991 Lollapalooza run broke his body – and trashed $40,000 of guitars
By Jonathan Horsley published
And Henry Rollins wasn't best pleased to see good guitars turned into kindling

How many necks are too many necks? Hutchins’ epic six-neck “Beast” is up for auction
By Jonathan Horsley published
If the six-necked Beast is too much, Hutchins’ five-necked electrics might be what you are looking for – but they're no cheap trick

Harley Benton's ST-Modern HH is a rock-friendly S-style with Tom DeLonge vibes for under $200
By Jonathan Horsley published
Roasted Canadian maple neck, rolled fingerboard edges, high-output humbuckers with coil-splitting, locking tuners and a fuss-free hard-tail, the ST-Modern HH looks serious fun for £149
![Gibson Special Acoustics [l-r]: the J-45, L-00 and Hummingbird get the Special treatment, with satin finishes and a stripped-down but pro-quality instrument that's ready for the stage.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mAn3C7fE9MKzbx3zciUG5.jpg)
Gibson gives three of its most-iconic acoustic guitars a Special makeover
By Jonathan Horsley published
The L-00, J-45 and Hummingbird Specials come hot out of Bozeman, Montana, with satin nitro finishes, LR Baggs pickups, all-solid builds and a more affordable price tag

Wampler Pedals promises classic fuzz sounds and glitchy madness from the all-original Cryptid Fuzz
By Jonathan Horsley published
Brian Wampler designed the Cryptid from the ground up to give you all the things he wants to hear from a fuzz pedal

EarthQuaker Devices and LCD Soundsystem join forces for a “one-of-a-kind” fuzz pedal
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver is a three-knob fuzz with a tone bypass switch and it sounds pretty awesome for bass and guitar alike

Gibson resurrects a vintage unicorn with the return of the Firebird Platypus
By Jonathan Horsley published
Gibson's Jim DeCola describes it as a "best of" Firebird and it comes loaded with a pair of "historically accurate" Firebird mini-humbuckers

Mark Sampson, Bad Cat’s legendary amp guru and Matchless co-founder, has died
By Jonathan Horsley published
One of the great pioneers of US high-end tube amps, Sampson co-founded Matchless and had recently returned to Bad Cat after a two-decade absence

Jimmy Page slams UK Government AI policy proposals, saying it’s a “free pass” to exploit creativity
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Led Zeppelin guitarist argues that the government’s proposed opt-out system for artists is a “sham” and said legislation must ensure “explicit consent and fair compensation” for training AI

Steve Vai’s favourite amp brand Synergy unveils a 20W “preamp module platform” with onboard IRs
By Jonathan Horsley published
Swap preamp modules in and out and pair them with onboard American-style clean channel for a compact three-channel powerhouse for stage and studio

The Tunerette is the headstock tuner that looks like a smoke – ideal for Clapton and Keef fans
By Jonathan Horsley published
And to think that some people find tuning their guitar to be a drag...
![Joe Bonamassa [left] and the late Irish blues-rock legend Rory Gallagher. Bonamassa is pictured playing Gallagher's Strat in 2011. Gallagher is playing it in 1975, in an archive live shot criss-crossed with stagelights.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mwyXrqDg4sQpJriitgVwnf.jpg)
Joe Bonamassa is now the proud owner of the treble booster that blew Brian May’s mind
By Jonathan Horsley published
Gallagher's number one Dallas Rangemaster was up for auction. But the late Irish blues-rock icon's family kept it back and gifted it to Bonamassa

GigRig is now making pedalboards to create the ultimate integrated 'board and switching system
By Jonathan Horsley published
Built for players looking for an integrated pedalboard with a switching system, GigRig's 'boards are available in three sizes, with single-tiered and two-tiered options

Steve Vai shows us just what's needed to play '80s King Crimson in tour of his custom-built BEAT rig
By Jonathan Horsley published
If the Fractal Axe-Fx III is doing the heavy lifting for the effects, Vai's indomitable tech, Doug MacArthur is the power behind the tone
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