Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
![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-840-80.jpg.webp)
Joe Bonamassa is now the proud owner of the treble booster that blew Brian May’s mind
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
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
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
Gibson takes Certified Vintage programme into ‘80s with release of unique prototypes from the vault
Is it just us or are vintage guitars getting younger every day?
A Starmaster is born: Fender Japan sticks Starcaster headstock on a Jazzmaster for new hybrid offset
Coolest hybrid ever or oddball offset experimentation gone wild?
Strymon launches the EC-1, a tape-echo emulator based on a vintage EP-2 modded by SRV's tech
All the mojo of a vintage tape echo, none of the servicing – and the EC-1 is typically feature-packed, with Strymon giving us true stereo, tap tempo and 300 presets
“This Jag is one of the coolest cats around”: Fender Player II Jaguar review
Fender's cult-classic offset is remodelled again and could well be one of the most fun offsets we've played in recent memory
![Nuno Bettencourt [left] of Extreme wears a star-patterned vest and plays his Washburn N4 electric guitar onstage; Teen prodigy Taj Farrant plays his Kiesel singlecut during an afternoon slot at Lollapalooza 2024.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/arRqcm7XEDN9EmEpn2JTsJ-840-80.jpg.webp)
Nuno Bettencourt describes Aussie teen blues-rock phenom Taj Farrant as SRV meets EVH
Game recognises game...
Origin Effects unveils Cali76 Stacked Compressor, promising studio-quality dual-stage compression
The latest Urei 1176-inspired compressor from Origin ups the internal voltage from 9V to 24V and features a pair of FET compression stages each with its own controls
Joe Bonamassa and Gibson’s Tom Murphy join pro panel for video showing how to spot a fake Les Paul
Robert Baker puts a lot of guitar knowledge in one room to run the rule over a cheap and nasty counterfeit Gibson
Ken Lawrence on how he became James Hetfield's luthier and made some of his most iconic guitars
How did a specialist in custom-built bass guitars end up making some of the Metallica frontman's most-famous electrics? As it turns out, with a twist of fate and his Mesa/Boogie connection
Fender’s Justin Norvell on the $599 Standard Series and why it's not a Squier with a different decal
Fender’s EVP of product on who its new Indonesian entry-level series is for, what its critics are getting wrong, and why this is (probably) as affordable as the Acoustasonic is going to get
“Pat Metheny is one of the best composers”: Matteo Mancuso – 10 albums that changed my life
The Sicilian virtuoso salutes Jimmy Page's stylistic adventurism, the compositional genius of Pat Metheny and Al Di Meola, and declares Jaco Pastorius “the Jimi Hendrix of bass”
Gibson unveils Murphy Lab replica of Eric Clapton’s “Disraeli Gears” 1958 Les Paul Custom
The Cream of the crop for collectors, this forensic reproduction ships with a second pickguard signed by Slowhand and Lee, a custom Duck Brothers case and a lot of mojo
Steven Wilson promises no less than the reinvention of the “extended classic rock solo” on new album
The prog visionary says Randy McStine's solo is one of the highlights of an album that's animated by a grand musical ambition in the vein of Mike Oldfield and Pink Floyd
Johnny Marr says satin finishes have no business being on a guitar neck
Gloss is boss in Marr's book as he reveals his six-string pet peeve
The $14,999 “urban myth” amplifier co-designed with Joe Walsh is finally available to order
But with no sound samples online, when will be able to hear G-Craft Audio’s built-to-order GC-1 3 Band Opto Compressor Amplifier?
Joe Bonamassa and Seymour Duncan put pre-CBS tones on the menu with “Greenburst” Strat pickup set
The hottest mod of the year? These replicate the same gray-bottomed single-coils in the ’64 Stratocaster that stopped Bonamassa in his tracks at Norman’s Rare Guitars
Plini shows us his modded signature Strandberg Boden, but what’s that hiding in the tremolo springs?
Plini was hanging around at ArcTanGent 2024 waiting for his set to start. We asked him what was new with his Strandberg, pointed a camera at him, and this is what he told us....
Meris has unveiled the Enzo X – is this “fully polyphonic monster” a game-changer for synth pedals?
It's not cheap but with five modes, polyphonic pitch detection, 99 user presets, and transformative sounds with no special pickup required, it might be the synth pedal you've been waiting for
Paul Reed Smith loved his own Charcoal Phoenix so much that it is now available to buy
This collectible stunner was inspired by the John McLaughlin Private Stock signature model and has been thoroughly road-tested by the PRS Guitars founder
Brian May says it was “illegal” to have a guitar at his school but played during lunch hour anyway
May was reminiscing about the early days of learning on acoustic as he presented his new signature SJ-200 12-string at the Gibson Garage London and performed with Arielle
JHS Pedals expands mega-value $99 3 Series with Tape Echo, Rotary Chorus and Oil Can Delay
The Kansas stompbox company presents vintage analogue sounds for your pedalboard without the expense
