
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

Players who deal in big gnarly riffs might need to add the Way Huge Smalls Doom Hammer to their ‘board ASAP
By Jonathan Horsley published
Inspired by a modded '78 op-amp fuzz, with tighter low-end, the awesomely named Doom Hammer Fuzz is a simple but versatile three-knob stompbox with a wide range of gain

PRS uses wood felled in a Category 5 hurricane for the S2 Special Semi-Hollow Reclaimed
By Jonathan Horsley published
The S2 Special Semi-Hollow Reclaimed is a limited edition electric guitar like no other, literally, with each instrument unique, and it uses exotic tonewoods salvaged and lovingly repurposed

Positive Grid unveils BIAS X, an AI-powered plugin allowing players to design tones using text and “music-to-tone” prompts
By Jonathan Horsley published
The BIAS X AI-powered guitar tone platform lets you to type in what kind of sound you like, then it designs it, and allows you to refine it. Have we officially entered the era of Chug GPT?

Electro-Harmonix adds switchable clipping, bias control and Fat switch to a stone cold fuzz classic
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Bender Royale allows players to choose LED or germanium clipping, and has expanded EQ controls to help you dial in a wicked fuzz tone

Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X shares details about upcoming signature Gibson – an SG like no other?
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Drills frontman and lead guitarist for the New Jersey rock legends says he is on Prototype #3 – does this suggest that we could be close to seeing the finished article sometimes soon?

Derek Trucks on the unlikely triumph of Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell’s “intense” Mad Dogs & Englishmen set
By Jonathan Horsley published
TTB and Leon Russell's Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited set at LOCKN' 2015 was a historic moment as the key players from the 1970 tour reunited for the first time. With the live album out now, Trucks tells us how it all went down

Derek Trucks is one of the greatest slide players of all time – here’s how he decides when to use it
By Jonathan Horsley published
Trucks says you can be just as lyrical playing fretted – just look at what Jeff Beck did with his Strat

“Look for one that says ‘80’s Icon on the case”: Johnny Marr says UPS has lost his guitars
By Jonathan Horsley published
The indie guitar icon takes aim at the courier company on Twitter/X

All Rhoads lead to California as Jackson brings one of its most-iconic metal guitars home for a high-end upgrade
By Jonathan Horsley published
A classic Jackson with a Seymour Duncan JB and ‘59 humbucker pairing, the American Series Rhoads RR24 is equally vicious with or without a Floyd, as Brandon Ellis and Jeff Loomis demonstrate...

Misha Mansoor teams up with Neural DSP for Archetype plugin that nails his Periphery tone – but does so much more
By Jonathan Horsley published
Neural DSP's most ambitious plugin yet? Archetype: Misha Mansoor X collects three amps, virtual stompboxes, from the everyday to exotic granular and pitch-shifting effects, CabSims, EQs and more

“Players have asked us to push further – into more adventurous, exploratory delay and reverb”: Source Audio dials up the ambience with the Encounter – six reverbs, six delays, one tricked-out pedal for “deeply immersive soundscapes”
By Jonathan Horsley published
Not your garden variety delay/reverb, Encounter is described as a "fully-loaded vessel of atmospheric discovery" with presents players with presets, tap tempo, deep edits via the app and more
![Joe Bonamassa wears a blue suit and plays his P-90 loaded Epiphone signature Les Paul [left] and BB King cups his hand to his ear to ask for some more from his audience at a 1991 show in Chicago.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pGzJdAHFic3RJjgCi33Ejh-320-80.jpg)
Joe Bonamassa announces all-star album celebrating life of BB King on the King of the Blues’ 100th birthday
By Jonathan Horsley published
BB King’s Blues Summit 100 is out Feb 6 and features guest spots from Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, George Benson, Eric Gales and more

Gibson teams up with Loog for child-friendly 3-string versions of its most famous electric guitars
By Jonathan Horsley published
Designed for kids aged three and above, these are super-accessible first guitars to give young players a start on the instrument

Fender’s Vintera II Road Worn series has Golden Era vibe, tone and feel with era-correct pickups and aged nitro finishes
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Vintera II '60s Stratocaster, '60s Telecaster, '50s Jazzmaster and '60s Precision Bass get the aged treatment for a limited time only

Warren Haynes on the Allman Brothers, Woodstock ’94, and finishing what Gregg Allman started with Derek Trucks’ help
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Whisper Sessions finds the Gov't Mule frontman paring his solo album back to its essence, and here he talks about how it all ties in with seminal experiences with David Allan Coe and the Allmans

“These guitars empower metal artists with the authentic, crushing tone that built Jackson’s legendary reputation”: Jackson takes us back to the heyday of shred with the Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – and what about that Two Face finish?
By Jonathan Horsley published
Here's a collection of S-styles that take us back to the era of coin-op arcade machines, the arms race of technicality, and to the early days of an LA guitar brand that was weaponising electric guitar

Gibson expands acoustic Murphy Lab collection with five Light Aged classics – including a Nick Lucas 1929 reissue
By Jonathan Horsley published
Gibson's newest Murphy Lab arrivals include a 1963 Dove, a 1955 J-45, pre and post-war SJ-200s, and a Nick Lucas Special from 1929 in Argentine Grey

“I don’t think it found its true voice until now”: Revived, refreshed, PRS adds the Mira 594 to the S2 range
By Jonathan Horsley published
The all-mahogany Mira has been in and out of PRS production since the original 2007 model, but reborn as this super-versatile S2 model. is it finally here to stay?

Walrus Audio’s Canvas Power USB is the super-compact device for powering your rig with a laptop charger
By Jonathan Horsley published
Designed to work with Walrus Audio's modular pedalboard power supplies, the Canvas Power USB can be used for a wireless rig or as a single-pedal power supply for desktop use

Derek Trucks says Tedeschi Trucks Band have completed new album and have been sneaking in some of the tracks live
By Jonathan Horsley published
Trucks says TTB has “the best collection of tunes” they have written to date, with 17 in the can, an Atmos mix – and the crowd are liking what they are hearing when they've dropped them in the set

Seymour Duncan celebrates Spinal Tap sequel with custom pickup that has an “eye-watering” 111K DCR
By Jonathan Horsley published
But what will this monster one-off pickup sound like – and will we ever see it in production?

David Gilmour shares an essential tone tip for guitarists using a whammy bar with a delay pedal
By Jonathan Horsley published
The king of gourmet delay sounds shows us how vibrato works in cahoots with your repeats

Gibson gives the “King of the Flat-Tops” a whole new meaning with the $99,999 SJ-200 Monarch #100
By Jonathan Horsley published
Gibson just made its 100th Monarch and this one-of-one jumbo has real gold binding and hardware, actual diamonds, and it might just be the most opulent acoustic guitar it – or anyone – has made
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.

