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

Great Eastern FX’s Focus Fuzz Deluxe has got boost, drive, octave, fuzz... everything
By Jonathan Horsley published
One of our favourite fuzz pedals just got expanded but can we call it a fuzz-box when it does so much more?

Gibson remixes the Les Paul Special with mini humbuckers
By Jonathan Horsley published
Available with dual mini humbuckers or with a P-90/mini humbucker combo, these Tobacco Burst singlecuts are available exclusively from Gibson direct

Yngwie Malmsteen on why guitarists should look beyond the guitar for inspiration
By Jonathan Horsley published
Plenty of players have impressed Malmsteen, but it was a solo violin performance that would have the biggest influence on his lead style

“This is the only tremolo pedal in the world that lets you plot your own waveform shapes using controls you first got to grips with as a child”: SoundLad Sketchy review
By Jonathan Horsley published
Don’t let the fun Etch A Sketch-inspired retro design fool you, this is a serious tremolo with serious capabilities

Bigsby wobble, rock ’n’ roll mojo for $699? Gretsch unveils trio of limited run Streamliner models
By Jonathan Horsley published
It doesn’t get much cooler than Cadillac Green, Midnight Sapphire and Riviera Blue paint jobs with gold hardware, Big Block inlays and those G-Arrow knobs

Harley Benton’s new entry-level electric is a stylish S-style with a $140 price tag and onboard FX
By Jonathan Horsley published
The ST-JAMster has five core sound modes with reverb, overdrive, and distortion, it's super-cheap, and it kind of looks like something Alex Lifeson would play

TC Electronic’s Ditto 2 Looper is as simple as looping gets – but there is more than meets the eye
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Ditto 2 has a redesigned magnetic footswitch, colour-coded LED display, a LoopSnap feature to correct timing mistakes and Bluetooth
![Jackson American Series Soloist SL2 DLX: The latest US-made S-style from the high-performance guitar brand offers the Soloist with a Floyd Rose or Hipshot hardtail bridge, and [from left] in Porsche Grey, Black, Lemon Ice and Snow White finishes, with colour-matched headstocks.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/s3oxYdFPnKaybptS4DKzdG-320-80.jpg)
Jackson expands American Series with the SL2 DX, a top-tier shredder with Floyd Rose or hardtail
By Jonathan Horsley published
This US-made speed machine has a Seymour Duncan JB and ’59 humbucker pairing, a neck-through build, and that Lemon Ice finish is speaking to us
![Justin Hawkins [left] of the Darkness plays an open G on his offset electric and closes his eyes as he performs onstage; soul-reggae icon Johnny Nash [right] frets a chord on his acoustic and wears a patched denim jacket.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hWzCjD9ZWQiPPjMtTWiFfa-320-80.jpg)
How Darkness’ Justin Hawkins learned diminished chords from a reggae-soul icon
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Darkness frontman says the late, great Johnny Nash dared to step outside of standard studio chord progressions and broadening a young Hawkins' musical vocabulary in the process

Seymour Duncan unveils the Jazzmaster Silencer, drop-in pickups to soup-up your offset
By Jonathan Horsley published
Step on that fuzz pedal and fear not about the the noise thanks to Seymour Duncan's patent-pending triple-coil design. The Jazzmaster Silencer is offered in Vintage and high-output Hot editions

Old Blood Noise Endeavors’ Black Fountain is a oil can delay emulation packed with modern features
By Jonathan Horsley published
Available in three different colourways, this expands the Black Fountain to stereo operation and offers presets, MIDI connectivity and every knob can be assigned to an expression pedal

Gibson’s Les Paul Standard Double Trouble is a limited edition run with that ’59/’60 Golden Era vibe
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Double Trouble Les Pauls arrive in '50s and '60s variations, have uncovered pickups with double-white bobbins and a faded nitro finish. And they are only making 500 of each

A YouTuber asked AI to tab a bunch of Metallica songs for guitar and got some really crazy results
By Jonathan Horsley published
On this evidence, tab books and sites are safe for now…

Lollar’s Super-Caster pickup set is here – three single-coils to rule the world?
By Jonathan Horsley published
Has Lollar just dropped the Stratocaster mod of the year?

Ernie Ball Music Man shakes up Steve Lukather signature series with new pickup options and finishes
By Jonathan Horsley published
But if these high-end electrics are a bit out of your price range, Sterling By Music Man has you covered with its $649 Lukather signature model in all-new finishes

Seymour Duncans, ebony fingerboards? Fender launches Player II Advanced Telecaster HH and Strat HSS
By Jonathan Horsley published
Available now from select retailers, these rock and metal-friendly FSR models sport a hot-rodded vibe with black hardware, locking tuners, and hard-tail bridges as standard

Catalinbread’s Talisman Ghost is a reverb that simulates two EMT 140 plates in “modulated tandem”
By Jonathan Horsley published
This Ghost with the most yields a chorusing effect to your reverb trails

Kirk Hammett and Gibson team up for epic book documenting Metallica guitarist’s guitar collection
By Jonathan Horsley published
Available in Standard, Deluxe and Custom Editions, this weighty 400-pager is essential for Metallica gear heads and tells the story behind Hammett's most-famous guitars

Affordable retro mojo: Fender expands American Vintage II series with fresh finishes and new models
By Jonathan Horsley published
Described as “a near 1:1 comparison” of the original models that inspired them, these box-fresh new electrics and bass guitars give you that old-school tone and feel without the vintage price tag

PRS unveils limited edition SE Exotic Veneers range, updates SE Swamp Ash Special with 5-way switch
By Jonathan Horsley published
Four classic PRS SE models are given the exotic wood treatment with Poplar Burl, Laurel Burl, and Burled Ash veneers and thoroughly classy finish options

Mooer Audio packs the features into its tiny, touchscreen equipped Prime M2 multi-FX pedal
By Jonathan Horsley published
The latest super-compact multi-effects from Mooer features 194 effects models, 80 presets, 80-minute looper plus drum machine, tuner, and you can download and share tones across the cloud too

Revv Amplification and Joey Landreth join forces for a signature take on the D25 tube combo
By Jonathan Horsley published
Landreth's D25 might be a single-channel affair with old-school aesthetics but with six onboard virtual cabs, MIDI connectivity and switchable 25W/5W power it is all about modern functionality

Xotic’s AC Booster v2 is an overdrive pedal with switchable boost and touch sensitivity as standard
By Jonathan Horsley published
Now with a second footswitch for applying a clean boost, plus DIP switches for quick EQ adjustment, the AC Booster V2 could well be your pedalboard's hardest-working overdrive

Country star Margo Price and Gibson team up for stunning double-guard signature J-45 acoustic
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Margo Price J-45 slims down the Gibson workhorse’s body depth, equips it with L.R. Baggs electronics and applies an exquisite ‘50s style double pickguard with red-tailed hawk graphic
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.