
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

Superstar guitar influencer accused of using other people's music and passing it off as his own
By Jonathan Horsley published
Turra releases an apology video but denies selling tabs using other artists' material

“A beautiful, well-executed Les Paul”: Gibson Les Paul Standard ‘50s Double Trouble review
By Jonathan Horsley published
Looking for a collectible Gibson electric without the Murphy Lab price tag? This limited edition model is a compelling twist on the current Les Paul Standard with the subtle whiff of vintage mojo
![James Hetfield [left] and Kirk Hammett harmonise solos as they perform live with Metallica in 1988. Hammett plays a Jackson Rhodes, Hetfield has his trusty white Explorer.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mpZgd7e7YSCLwb7LuqPpbi.jpg)
How Metallica wrote the ultimate metal ballad and took thrash into the mainstream with One
By Jonathan Horsley published
The sound of Metallica in full command, One would prove to be the ultimate thrash metal power ballad

Pigtronix’s Gas Giant is a high-gain fuzz pedal with a FET-driven onboard noise gate
By Jonathan Horsley published
This Big Muff-style fuzz pedal comes with two switchable voicings, switchable internal noise gate, and a simple three-knob layout

Harley Benton's Nashville Nylon might just be the most affordable electro-acoustic nylon-string yet
By Jonathan Horsley published
Nylon-string electro acoustics have been having a moment ever since Polyphia released Playing God, but at just $270 this might be the most affordable one we've seen yet

Gibson expands finish options on its J-45 Standard and SJ-200 Standard
By Jonathan Horsley published
The paint room at Gibson's Bozeman, Montana facility has been busy as it presents even more options for two of its most-popular acoustics

Jackson and Revocation’s David Davidson unveil 2025's hottest metal guitar so far, the Warrior WR7
By Jonathan Horsley published
We've got G.A.S. for those Ferrari-inspired paint jobs on this radical, weaponised seven-string electric

Mythos and That Pedal Show team up for the Argo Boost Deluxe – an octave fuzz with switchable boost
By Jonathan Horsley published
Who couldn't use a COB-style octave-fuzz and boost with a bright red dial for the boost?
![Chris Hayes [left] wears a purple checked shirt and plays his 1957 Stratocaster in the studio; Michael J. Fox tears it up onstage as Marty McFly in the 1985 blockbuster Back To The Future.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nWZUSbFAwA6EqQdruLmXXh.jpg)
How Chris Hayes wrote Huey Lewis and the News’ Back To The Future hit Power Of Love in his pyjamas
By Jonathan Horsley published
The Power Of Love scored Huey Lewis and the News their first number one and an Oscar nod but as Hayes remembers it he just “threw together” the guitar parts from the comfort of his couch

Martin recreates Eric Clapton’s MTV Unplugged acoustic for limited edition 30th anniversary run
By Jonathan Horsley published
These two versions of Slowhand's pre-war 1939 acoustic were announced on his 80th birthday and celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first signature Martin

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.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.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
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.