Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
“I’m watching this genius develop right in front of me”: Joe Satriani on what it was like to teach a teenage Steve Vai
Here's this "goofy" Ace Frehley fan with big hands and he keeps coming back for more... Satch says it wasn't long before he recognised Vai's potential
“A couple of the lyrics turned out to be AI-generated… I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll go for it’”: How Paul Gilbert accidentally wrote a song using an AI hallucination
Gilbert's first vocal album since 2016, WROC finds him adapting George Washington's "rules for civility" into lyrics for rock songs. But what happens when AI injects itself into the process?
Marshall launches membership scheme and pledges percentage of online sales to support grassroots music venues
Sign up to Marshall's Amplify scheme and the British amp giant will use one per cent of members' web store purchases to support independent venues
![Robben Ford [left] wears a dark suit jacket and v-neck t-shirt as he plays a blonde Telecaster onstage. Photographed in 1975, Joni Mitchell [right] plays her Martin dreadnought live onstage at Wembley Stadium.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VcVHS39qQMWdPw9okeyQx-840-80.jpg.webp)
Robben Ford reveals the Joni Mitchell tone tricks that helped him nail his guitar sound in the studio
Ford has fond memories of touring and recording with the “wonderful” Mitchell, who has a producer knows exactly how she wants a guitar to sound – and how to get the tone
Geddy Lee on honouring Neil Peart and why he and Alex Lifeson are getting back together as Rush
Rush will to the stage once more to celebrate the life and legacy of the late, great Neil Peart. Lee explains how wellness clinics, fun jams and "unfinished business" made the "R" word easier to say
Living Colour’s Vernon Reid on NYC epiphanies, unsung heroes and the emotional power of a sample
The visionary guitarist walks us through the memories, sounds and people who shaped him as a player – and the sounds we hear on his bravura solo album, Hoodoo Telemetry
Gibson unveils Murphy Lab replica of Mick Ronson’s Bowie-era 1968 Les Paul Custom
With the ebony finish stripped to reveal its two-piece plain maple top, mismatched controls, custom-wound pickups, this limited run reproduction is the spitting image of Ronson's original
Geddy Lee on how he and Alex Lifeson chose Anika Nilles to fill the late, great Neil Peart’s role in Rush reunion tour
After a tip from his tech, the Rush frontman/bassist says there was only one drummer in his mind, and Nilles nailed the material. But she's going to need a bigger kit...
Love hotrodded Plexi crunch and Mesa high-gain drive? Wampler’s Golden Jubilee serves up both in one sparkly green stompbox
Wampler is calling it a “complete gain solution” and who can argue with that…
![A black-and-white portrait of Rush's Geddy Lee [left] and Alex Lifeson as they announce their reunion tour.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UBkXGCbCXZ4DWbUUFrCSbJ-840-80.jpg.webp)
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are bringing the Rush reunion tour to the UK, Europe and South America
The 50 Something Tour will see Rush play two epic sets culled from 40-plus tracks – tickets for the newly announced 2027 dates go on sale at 10am on 27 February
How Josh Middleton crushed his inner elitist to unleash a brutal Sylosis album for the kids in the pit
The New Flesh finds the UK metal stalwarts “regressing” to their teenage selves and Middleton taking a leaf out of Obituary and Deicide’s book with hench riffs you can hum, grooves you can move to
Paul Gilbert on why it can be so hard to resist the urge to shred
Gilbert says shred can sometimes be the easy way to give his audience what they want, but their expectations only make him want to work harder on his melodies
Could the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor be a serious rival to the Quad Cortex?
Line 6's new flagship amp modelling platform not only has to live up to the Helix's reputation, it arrives when the competition has never been steeper. But it has features, lots of 'em...
“You can have a great amp but if the speaker sucks it won’t sound good”: Sylosis' Josh Middleton on the most important link in your signal chain
The secret to great tone? Don't forget the speaker cabinet matters, too
Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
The 21st-century blues king pays dues to his hero with a stunning limited edition Cobra Burst ES-355, fresh from the Custom Shop
![Vernon Reid [left] wears a brightly patterned suit and plays his signature Reverend onstage; [right] a still of the late great Arthur Rhames performing.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sjkugqBND4ekbX32UwgeaF-840-80.jpg.webp)
“I was scared to say it – but he played at the level of John McLaughlin!”: Vernon Reid pays tribute to a lost genius
“He should have been much more known than he was”
Gibson unveils the $449 Murphy Lab aged humbucker set that will make your Les Paul sound like ‘Greeny’
Limited to 100 units worldwide, exclusive to Gibson, these are aged by the Murphy Lab to look just like the real thing
Harley Benton’s 2026 mega-drop: Metallica makeovers, fresh colours and a baritone SC Custom III, all-solid acoustics for under $250 and more
The budget gear giant rings in the changes with eight new electrics, one ‘thunderous’ retro beginner bass, and a pair of acacia bodied Custom Line acoustics… All at ridiculously low prices
Harley Benton just dropped an 8-string for southpaw players that has a multi-scale fretboard, high-gain humbuckers and offers change from 300 bucks
The R-458MN is a tidy-looking multi-scale eight-string that treads djently on your budget but will put some weight on your riffs
Billy Corgan says virtuosic guitar solos mean nothing in the social media age – and argues guitar influencers need to make a bigger impact on popular music
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman sees virtuosos everywhere but he would like to see these talents being applied in the next generation of great alt-rock and metal bands
The Beatles-approved J-160E makes its return as Gibson unveils a trio of Original Collection flat-tops celebrating the golden era of acoustic guitar making
It's time to tap up the new Originals, as the LG-2 50s, SJ-200 60s and the J-160E '60s join the present-day Gibson catalogue
Amp modelling titan Fractal Audio unveils its first guitar plugin suite
The ICONS series is created using the same algorithmic magic as Fractal's Axe-Fx modelling units, and its debut Fullerton Collection features a range of models inspired by vintage Fender
Billie Joe Armstrong debuts new signature ‘Dookie’ Marshall amps during Super Bowl LX show
Is Marshall about to make the legendary Dookie mod go mainstream? BJA's Super Bowl backline, finished in a very familiar shade of 'Blue', suggests it is
![Zakk Wylde [left] plays a lightning blue electric guitar live on the Pantera tribute tour. Randy Rhoads [right] plays his iconic polka-dot V.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VxG8nkYuwUSxReTVYbe4a9-840-80.jpg.webp)
“Without Ozzy as a foil, Randy would have never been able to do it": Zakk Wylde's favourite Randy Rhoads solo
Plucked from Quiet Riot, Rhoads was the transfusion of virtuosity Ozzy needed to launch his solo career. But Wylde says it goes both ways, and the Prince Of Darkness was the "perfect foil" for Rhoads' classically trained style
Dimmu Borgir’s Silenoz on playing a guitar inspired by a shark – and why you can be black metal and still love the blues
The symphonic black metal trailblazer offers us a tour of his signature Okkultist, expresses a deep appreciation of W.A.S.P. and stakes out the limits of a musical education