FORGOTTEN HISTORY: 23 | History Defined

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the era of Sexy Djent”: June 2026 Guitar World Editors' Picks

This month's hottest guitar tracks, all in one place

Guitar World · Jun 30

“While the 6-string is my comfort zone, I missed the physical freedom of the 4-string bass”: Ernie Ball and Fender top this month's low-end releases with signature models celebrating two of the bass world’s most influential voices

John Myung’s new artist model kicks off another stacked month of bass releases, alongside an eye-catching Squier, a semi-acoustic Rickenbacker, and a raft of player-friendly upgrades

Guitar World · Jun 30

“I clicked on it and honestly was kind of freaked out”: AI guitar YouTubers? Rhett Shull issues warning after finding AI versions of his content

As AI-generated content continues to be churned out at a rapid speed, guitar players and content creators are bearing the brunt of a system that does little to safeguard their interests

Guitar World · Jun 30

“The label president said, ‘Angelo, I thought you were fast?’ I was taken aback. Then he said, ‘I want you to overplay all the time.’ He wanted the record to be abrasive”: Michael Angelo Batio tells the story of Nitro, hair metal’s most extreme band

Michael Angelo Batio became known as shred's most OTT virtuoso. He explains why the critics were kind of right about Nitro, the magic he cooked up with Wayne Charvel, and why he's living the dream with Manowar

Guitar World · Jun 30

“Just about every blues show I attended in the ’80s and ’90s started with an uptempo shuffle like this”: Joe Bonamassa on the Eric Clapton classic that’s essential learning for any blues soloist

Written by Memphis Slim, covered by Slowhand with John Mayall, Steppin’ Out is one of the tracks that all blues players should know. Bonamassa teaches you how to play it

Guitar World · Jun 30

“The label says, ‘We need five more Wait and Bleeds.’ I was like, ‘We're really not that band. You sell our records and we'll make them, okay?’”: Mick Thomson reflects on Slipknot's Wait and Bleed, label pressures – and sticking to their own guns

In a 2014 GW interview, Thomson revealed his disdain for melodic choruses, and how he fought hard for the band to maintain their artistic integrity post-Wait and Bleed

Guitar World · Jun 29

"It’s easy to see why Baum has seemingly emerged from nowhere when it’s delivering guitars this good": Baum Guitars Carve review

Is this Danish-designed, P-90-equipped double cut the ultimate retro-modern rock machine for under $1,000?

Guitar World · Jun 29

The ultimate drop-tuning pedal? Solar Guitars reckons the Chug Capo can outdo DigiTech and Boss

The digital pitch-shifter promises low latency and ultimate tone quality preservation

Guitar World · Jun 29

“I’m a firm believer that if you put a truss rod in a guitar, it sucks the tone out of it”: Simon McBride has a hot tone take you’ve probably never heard before

The Deep Purple guitarist prefers guitars that forego truss rods – here's why

Guitar World · Jun 29

“It was a nightmare. My only experience was playing in my room where I was alone”: Laura Cox on the challenges of transitioning from YouTube to the studio – and how to conquer them

The French guitarist made her name with classic rock videos on YouTube, but when it came to cutting her teeth in the studio, Cox admits it was another story altogether...

Guitar World · Jun 29