Guitarist

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine. You'll find authoritative gear reviews, artist interviews, technique lessons and advice. Plus, Guitarist's digital edition now includes all of the same audio and video content as the print edition; available to download from a special area of the Guitarist website!

Not-So Horrible Histories

Editor’s Highlights

Guitarist

Class Act • Upholding the craft of the luthier, Patrick James Eggle’s latest build is another reason to look closer to home if you want the best

Red Alert • Blackstar created this fire-breathing signature head for guitar icon Doug Aldrich. But does it rock our world?

Jazz & Beyond • Bringing a brand with a 100-year heritage back to life, Stromberg’s Hanover Street Monterey combines traditional style with modern ease

Living Legend • Keeley’s Manis is a Klon-type pedal with a twist, where you get the option of transistors or diodes

Shining Example • A practical pedalboard asset is the focus of our first look at a Diamond pedal since the brand’s relaunch

the Wishlist • Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...

Gas Supply • Our pick of the month’s most delectable and wallet-bothering new gear

Fretbuzz • A monthly look at must-hear artists from all corners of the guitar world, from the roots of their sound to the tracks that matter most

Albums • The month’s best guitar music – a hand-picked selection of the finest fretwork on wax

Tones Behind The Tracks • A residential studio experience with its access to vintage kit has shifted gears for Robert Jon & The Wreck on their latest release

Big Apple Pie • Neville Marten recalls a once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York featuring a missed encounter, a magical gig and a whole bunch of Clapton photos

Trust The Process • Alex Bishop begins three new guitar builds, guided by a lesson drawn from playing the instrument itself

Tailored Tone • Ariel Posen talks Jamie Dickson through the creation of his new signature Strat that thinks it’s a Jazzmaster

Second Inversion Chords • This month Richard Barrett demonstrates how changing the order of the notes in a chord can open up a lot of harmonic possibilities

Feedback • Your letters to the Guitarist editor. Drop us a line at guitarist@futurenet.com

DON FELDER • On The Vault – Fifty Years Of Music, the ex-Eagles guitarist marks a career milestone by bringing lost demos to life and re-recording the hard-cruising Heavy Metal. But Felder is clear that this is no swansong: “I’m going to rock till I drop”

THE BIG DEAL • 1965 – the year that the giant CBS Corporation bought Fender. For many, that moment marks the start of rot setting in at California’s finest electric guitar maker. But is that judgment fair? A fresh look at the early years of CBS ownership, 60 years on, reveals a more nuanced picture, one that helps us properly understand Fender’s place at the eye of the rock ’n’ roll hurricane that was transforming American culture. We join historian Tony Bacon and guitar restorer Huw Price to learn why post-CBS Fenders deserve more kudos than they sometimes receive…

RISING TIDE • During its long history, Fender has navigated several tricky turning points, but 1965 marks for some the start of a decline from the standards set by Leo’s original company. Is that view still justified?

SLOW BURN • If you always believed the CBS takeover transformed Fender guitars overnight, then think again because there were fewer changes than you might have imagined

SPIRIT OF ’65 • If you don’t want to deal with the real thing, here’s a selection of current Fender and Squier production models that will give you that ’65 to ’70 flavour

THE BOY CAN PLAY • 1985’s Brothers...