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DARK SECRETS: 7 | Rare Historical Photos

“The record label hid my name in a very small font size behind the CD. It took a long time to find!” You may not know who played guitar on some of Avril Lavigne’s biggest hits. It was Corky James

The self-confessed late developer was in his 50s when his career hit its stride. He explains how he wound up working with Liz Phair, Demi Lovato, and more, and reveals the gear that got him there

Guitar World

“I love it and it’s my friend forever. If I had to, I’d f**k it”: Keith Richards on his enduring love affair with the guitar, the effects of arthritis on his playing, and why he’s still learning the instrument at 82

The Rolling Stones icon reflects on life as a rhythm guitar hero, the size of his collection, and how the restriction of five-strings and open tunings blew his mind

Guitar World

“A unique symbol of punk’s emergence in the UK”: The Damned frontman Brian James’ iconic Gibson SG, the guitar that defined the sound of early UK punk, already set to exceed estimate at auction

The 1964 SG soundtracked the Damned’s first two records, and featured on the first punk single to ever be released in the UK

Guitar World

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“I thought I’d got over my Mk.gee-inspired Jaguar hype, but Fender has sent me spiraling down the rabbit hole again”: All the guitar gear that caught my eye this week – including the most futuristic Epiphones ever created

Big drops from Fender, Gibson, Marshall and more headline the round-up this week

Guitar World

"Modeling tech has gotten so good I doubt many guitarists would be able to tell the difference": Analog vs. digital rig build challenge - here’s how two very different players would spend $2,500

One player puts his stake in tubes and pedals; the other in IRs and FRFRs. We gave them both $2,500 to build the ultimate mid-tier rig

Guitar World

“Sometimes you’ve gotta use popsicle sticks and put it on some low-budget scaffolding to get it to work”: Joe Bonamassa on how best to set up P-90s – and what sets them apart from humbuckers

Bonamassa has explained the difference between humbuckers and P-90s, as more big names are drawn towards the “best of both worlds” option

Guitar World

“For King, there was nothing particularly special about the show… It would go on to rank among the best live albums of all time”: The life and times of B.B. King

To celebrate the King of the Blues' centenary, we rewind the reels of a life story that’s equal parts pain and redemption…

Guitar World

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One of our favourite Les Pauls just got more affordable as Gibson gives limited run Double Trouble the Studio treatment – but is it the more versatile guitar?

Okay, so you lose the body binding and the case is soft, but the Double Trouble Studio has Ultra Modern weight relief, push/pull coil-taps, and there is a considerable saving to be had

MusicRadar

“The essential Les Paul concept, refreshed for today’s musicians who want something more personal”: Gibson gives the Les Paul Studio the Double Trouble treatment

Following last year’s Les Paul Standard Double Trouble, the pickup covers are off for a gorgeous workhorse

Guitar World

“Woodstock ’94 was overwhelming… I was in awe at how many famous people were in one place”: From touring with Aerosmith and Metallica, to filling Geddy Lee’s shoes, they were the ’90s Seattle band that did it all –without taking the grunge tag

Candlebox guitarist Peter Klett owns up to having a big ego in the early days, recalls hitting the road with Rush, and the magical demo session for Far Behind

Guitar World

“Bold by design, built for modern guitarists”: Epiphone gives Gibson designs a fierce and affordable modern makeover with all new Futura series

Stainless steel frets make their Epiphone debut alongside new ProBucker Ignite humbuckers and color-shifting finishes, as Epiphone offers modern specs for $899 apiece

Guitar World

“I thought, ‘That’s the guitar Mike Bloomfield played…’ I just had to buy it”: The mistake that led Robben Ford to buy his first great instrument –and how Miles Davis and Jeff Beck took him to the Strat

As Ford returns with Two Shades of Blue, the Californian guitar legend drops by for a video lesson and to talk all things guitar, from his adventures with big-box jazz models to Strats

Guitar World

“She had no idea this was going on. They came out with this guitar case and said, ‘Close your eyes.’ We opened it up, and she turned beet red”: Joe Perry on how the most romantic thing he has ever done involved a custom-painted guitar

The Aerosmith icon tells GW about the time he surprised his wife, Billie, with a Lucille inspired by WWII fighter pilots

Guitar World

“A piece of rock and roll history”: Guitars gifted, played and modded by Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Keith Richards are all going to auction – and expected to sell for more than $1,500,000

Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas acoustic also features the lot expected to smash into a seven-figure total

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“The SG sound is very unique – it forces you to play to what you’re hearing”: Warren Haynes on the mid-’90s SG behind his early Gov’t Mule tone

It was July 1994, and Haynes was on the cover of GW with Dickey Betts and an early '90s '61 SG Reissue. He explains what happened to the guitar – and why he had it in the first place

Guitar World

“A guitar that sits at the intersection of love, collaboration and some of the most influential songwriting of the late 1960s”: The 1913 Gibson used to write Here Comes the Sun and Let It Rain – owned by Eric Clapton – is now up for auction

Alongside the Clapton/Harrison acoustic, one of Ace Frehley’s Les Pauls from Kiss’s peak popularity era is also included in the auction

Guitar World

“It’s a workhorse guitar. Say a producer in Nashville needs an SG, and they pick that thing up; this will do anything they want”: Sadler Vaden’s new signature SG is a working player’s guitar – and it could be Gibson’s 2026 sleeper hit

The longstanding Jason Isbell collaborator teams up with Gibson for a sweet signature replica of his 2005 SG Standard

Guitar World

“I’ve never been a real hot player, and a lot of kids are hot players. I’m slow because I walk slow, talk slow, sing slow”: B.B. King in his own words – the blues’ greatest guitarist on heroes, influences and his philosophy

The King of the Blues on amp choice, T-Bone Walker, how he got his vibrato and more

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Guitar World

“A friend of mine called me up and said, ‘I’ve got a couple of guitars you might be interested in…’” Joe Bonamassa’s storied Lazarus Les Paul, which was once brought back from the dead, has been bought by a pop-punk guitar hero

Lazarus was reissued as a Bonamassa signature Epiphone a few years ago – now it has a new owner

MusicRadar

“Always a pleasure to host BFG in my office, and even better when he decides to take one of my CEO builds on tour!” Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has made a stunning custom Explorer – and Billy Gibbons is playing it onstage with ZZ Top

And the Gibson CEO also given us a sneak peak of the forthcoming DES lineup in the shape of a Ghost Burst SG?

Guitar World

“If I can help wake up a new generation of African or female players, that makes me twice as proud”: Fatoumata Diawara on Hendrix’s genius, the making of her Epiphone SG – and the message she wants it to send

With its Malian-inspired graphic finish and expanded switching options, Diawara's signature model is one cool guitar

Guitar World

“There are really good ’Bursts, average ’Bursts and some that are not that good at all”: What this pristine 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard tells us about the myth of the ’Bursts

A so-called Double-O, this 1960 Les Paul was made from ’59 parts, and is a bona-fide grail. But this was not always the case. Back in the day, players just didn't get the appeal

Guitar World

“We would roll into, say, Portland, and go to the pawn shops. You could find a ’57 Les Paul for $200!” Melissa Etheridge learned more from a grouchy old man who’d lost his fingers than she did at Berklee

The veteran hitmaker charts her evolution from acoustic to electric and back again and explains how she went digital, how she keeps her classic songs fresh, and how her family deal with her incredible guitar collection

Guitar World

“I just remember thinking, ‘I can’t play this thing’”: Why Steve Vai struggled to play Brian May’s iconic Red Special

Vai was just a youngster when May invited him to a Queen rehearsal – and offered him the chance to play the legendary six-string

The Independent UK

Slash sale: Guns ‘n’ Roses star’s guitar to fetch up to £300,000 in music auction

Exclusive auction will see rare Slash, Queen, and Beatles memorabilia go up for sale in April

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