Rob Laing

Rob Laing

Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar. I've currently set aside any pipe dreams of getting anywhere with my own songs and I am enjoying playing covers in function bands. 




Articles by: Rob Laing

Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe perform onstage during The Stadium Tour at Nationals Park on June 22, 2022 in Washington, DC

Mick Mars claims he barely played guitar on the last three Mötley Crüe albums

By Rob Laing published

The fallout between the guitarist and his former band continues to be messy – "How can you fire Mr. Heinz from Heinz ketchup?"

Harley Benton 25th Anniversary Firemist

Harley Benton's 25th Anniversary guitars and basses get a funksome demo

By Rob Laing published

Every new model gets an airing in this showcase performance from Funky Times

Rory Gallagher Strat

Barry Cadogan plays Rory Gallagher's iconic guitar and amp rigs – including that '61 Strat!

By Rob Laing published

The Little Barrie man proves a wonderful choice to demo the late blues legend's gear

Beetronics

There's going to be a lot of buzz about the new Beetronics Octahive V2 High-Octave Fuzz pedal

By Rob Laing published

See what we did there? Sorry.

Aaron Rash aluminum guitar design

Nirvana fan tries to recreate Steve Albini's aluminum Veleno guitar that Kurt Cobain used on In Utero

By Rob Laing published

It's very ape, and very nice

Squier

Wait, is the new Squier Strat-O-Sonic guitar fitted with an Epiphone wrap-over bridge?

By Rob Laing published

This unusual Strat truly is like a marriage of Fender and Gibson if it's true

Guitarist/singer Eric Johnson performs onstage during the Experience Hendrix concert at City National Grove of Anaheim on October 09, 2019 in Anaheim, California

Eric Johnson is experimenting with Neural DSP's Quad Cortex but explains why he's not going down a rig 'rabbit hole' anymore: "The gear's really secondary – I wish I could say I always ascribed to that belief"

By Rob Laing published

"I would say to anyone chasing that; don't go so deep in the rabbit hole that you just analyse too much"

John Frusciante

"I played a blues scale as fast as I could and he said, 'That's not fast, you're not a good guitarist'" – John Frusciante on his depressing encounter with a guitar teacher, and his teenage heroes Steve Vai and Adrian Belew

By Rob Laing published

A new extensive interview with bandmate Flea reveals the iconic Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist's roots

Paul Rodgers performs onstage at the 2023 CMT Music Awards held at Moody Center on April 2, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Paul Rodgers proves class is permanent on new single Living It Up and announces first solo album for nearly 25 years

By Rob Laing published

The Free and Bad Company vocal powerhouse is back with Midnight Rose

Guitarist Tom Bukovac

Tom Bukovac demoing a vintage Gibson Les Paul and Strat in a guitar shop is the best sales pitch we've heard

By Rob Laing published

A '55 Gold Top and '66 Strat in very good hands

Metallica

Metallica fan recreates James Hetfield's Ride The Lightning guitar tone with a Marshall JCM 800 and Tube Screamer

By Rob Laing published

LambChopper678 delivers again – with some added details

Revv Chat Breaker pedal

Revv designed its new Chat Breaker overdrive pedal with AI via Chat GPT

By Rob Laing published

Man and machine collaborate

L-R: Albert Collins, Jaco Pastorious and Eddie Martinez performing live onstage in 1985

Session guitar ace Eddie Martinez breaks down his parts on Robert Palmer, Run-DMC and Steve Winwood hit songs

By Rob Laing published

The player behind Addicted To Love, Higher Love, King Of Rock and Simply Irresistible

Boss DM-101

Has Boss just unveiled the must-have delay pedal for analogue fans with the DM-101?

By Rob Laing published

The Delay Machine is backing EIGHT Bucket Brigade Device ships and unrivalled stereo options for an analogue pedal

John Wines

Guitar teacher John Wines on his show-stealing America's Got Talent audition: "I knew it would go a bit crazy but I didn't think it would get this mad!"

By Rob Laing published

Interview: What it feels like to play guitar for an audience of 50 million people (including Simon Cowell)

Josh Scott

JHS Pedals' Josh Scott will teach you how to build effects in a new series

By Rob Laing published

Starting with a Fuzz Face

PRS guitars

It's official: PRS Myles Kennedy signature T-style and NF 53 guitars announced

By Rob Laing published

"It's turned out to be extremely versatile," he tells us

The Beast

The Beast is caged: Bernie Marsden has decided not to sell his Gibson '59 Les Paul Burst for $1.3 million after all

By Rob Laing last updated

He's had a change of heart but the rest of the highlights of his prized guitar collection will still be sold by the UK's ATB Guitars

Noel Gallagher onstage in 2023

Noel Gallagher fluffs the guitar solo to Don't Look Back In Anger onstage

By Rob Laing published

This kind of thing happens to all of us at some point

Mark Gutierrez Tom DeLonge Starcaster build

This guitarist doesn't want to wait for a Tom DeLonge signature Fender Starcaster so he's made his own

By Rob Laing published

Mark Gutierrez has recreated his own version of the Blink-182 man's custom Fender guitar that he used for the band's Coachella comeback

Fran Blanche

Frantone's Fran Blanche has invented a way to stop neck dive on guitars

By Rob Laing published

But it's not all good news

Michael Keaton on the set of "Batman"

Danny Elfman on scoring Batman and refusing to collaborate with Prince: "It was a miserable period of time"

By Rob Laing published

"I felt like I just blew up my own career"

Weezer

The guitarist who recorded himself playing the same Weezer solo lick for 990 days finally got to play onstage with them

By Rob Laing published

Evan Marsalli certainly put the practice in for this Buddy Holly performance

Trent Reznor

"For me, the hardest thing is the songwriting" – Trent Reznor on the future of Nine Inch Nails, his soundtrack work and a new appreciation for Dua Lipa

By Rob Laing published

He's gained admiration for (some) contemporary pop music through his five children

Noel Gallagher

Noel Gallagher says he's started recording an acoustic album, and also has songs for a "very heavily guitar-based, stadium-rock album"

By Rob Laing published

"In the lockdown I wrote about the best part of 40 songs," reveals the Oasis chief

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