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EXPLAINED: John sykes - The Real Truth

"We had a plan but, Jesus Christ, are you kidding?" How David Coverdale used glamour and bombast to turn Whitesnake into international superstars

Between 1984 and 1987, Whitesnake underwent a transformation like no other – and it paid off

Louder

My favourite Thin Lizzy song, by James Hetfield, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Suzi Quatro, Joe Elliott, Francis Rossi, Mick Box, Johnny Van Zant and more

Everyone has a favourite Thin Lizzy song, right? So we asked a load of famous folks to pick theirs and tell us why

Louder

“I discovered that it would be harder to try to replicate his tone than anybody else”: Steve Vai has followed in the footsteps of many guitar greats – this was the hardest one to nail

He’s filled the shoes of Eddie Van Halen and Robert Fripp, but Vai says this particular gig was even harder

Guitar World

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“Belying its stately, muted aesthetic, this is surely the most vicious artist series model in the Gibson catalog”: Gibson Mark Morton Les Paul Modern Quilt review

Lamb of God riff-master Mark Morton's Les Paul has been years in the making, subject to brutal road-testing, featuring a hot custom-wound humbucker pairing, but it's finally here

Guitar World

“Though Gary was capable of great delicacy and accuracy on the instrument, this solo was inspired by his more fiery moments”: How to let it rip like the late, great Gary Moore

Time to show the Marshall amp no mercy and engage the Tube Screamer – this solo lesson works mid '70s Thin Lizzy into Parisienne Walkways and Still Got The Blues and doesn't hold back

Guitar World

Watch Eric Bell, Richard Fortus, and a 45-piece orchestra star at Phil Lynott tribute show in Dublin

The all-star assembly gathered in Ireland to mark the 40th anniversary of Lynott’s passing

Guitar World

“Who knows? It was worth pursuing. They did okay without me”: Adrian Smith on the time he auditioned for Def Leppard

He lost out to former Dio man Vivian Campbell, as well as another classic rock star...

Guitar World

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“Each of them impacted the instrument in their own way, as luthiers, hitmakers, session players, or air guitar-inspiring soloists”: Remembering the guitarists we lost in 2025

2025 has been a big year for the guitar, but we've also had to sadly say goodbye to dozens of guitar greats, from many eras, and every imaginable genre. Here, we recognize those guitarists, and their contributions to the instrument

Guitar World

"It was weird just being in the same room as him": The story of the Ronnie James Dio classic assembled from other bands' spare parts

Rainbow In The Dark a highlight of Holy Diver, an album Ronnie James Dio said was “one of the proudest things I’ve ever done”

Metal Hammer

“I’m waiting for the right player. I don’t want to break the chain of great guitarists coming through”: Scott Gorham on the future of Thin Lizzy – and how the late John Sykes gave them some thunder when they needed it most

Gorham remembers John Sykes, the player who stepped in and stepped up, breathing new life into Thin Lizzy with the super hard rock sound of his Les Paul Custom

Guitar World

Can you keep up? 6 minor pentatonic licks that go FASTER!

Turbo-boost your pentatonic lead playing by learning from Nuno Bettencourt, Joe Bonamassa, Jimmy Page and more

Guitar World

“I wanted to say, ‘There’s nobody out there. We gotta walk away from this.’ But I couldn’t. He was a great player”: The guitarist who saved Thin Lizzy – and made their last album hit like a “sledgehammer”

Scott Gorham pays tribute to the player who breathed new life into the band

Guitar World

Their ranks have included blues-rock luminary Bernie Marsden, shred god Steve Vai, and journeyman virtuoso Reb Beach – here's the ultimate guide to the A-team guitarists that have shaped Whitesnake's blockbuster, stadium-conquering sound

David Coverdale’s revolving door of talent has included some of the finest rock guitarists of all time. This is how they each contributed to the many-times-platinum band's legacy

Guitar World

“I’m waiting for the right calibre of player. I can’t just pick somebody off the line”: Scott Gorham doesn’t rule out a future for Thin Lizzy – but he’s biding his time to find the perfect guitar foil

Lizzy’s most faithful guitarist, Scott Gorham, has left the door open for a potential return of the iconic band – but only under the right circumstances

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“A little thunder and lightning”: Slash dons a Gibson SG as Guns N’ Roses pay tribute to John Sykes with rampant cover of a Thin Lizzy classic

The Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist passed away in December last year

Guitar World

“I always used it with Whitesnake, which was perfect because it sounded like John Sykes' Les Paul”: Doug Aldrich on how Randy Rhoads’ inspiration helped him find a “killer” Les Paul – that was owned by the man who co-wrote Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven

Gear regrets? Aldrich has had a few – the ’73 Goldtop, the Tele – but he's also had some victories, like when he chanced upon a ’78 Les Paul Custom previously owned by Clapton collaborator Will Jennings

Guitar World

“He combined the passion of Gary Moore with riffs inspired by Zeppelin and Deep Purple, plus unexpected melodic twists like Ritchie Blackmore”: He was one of ’80s rock’s great journeymen – and his searing hot lead work inspired Marty Friedman

Exploring the lead guitar style of John Sykes, a player who – like Page, Blackmore, and Moore – balanced flair with power

BANG Premier

Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden and The White Stripes to join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden and The White Stripes are among the artists set to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the class of 2025.

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Guitar World

“What blew me away was that everyone wanted the curly maple top. People were calling, saying, ‘I’ve got to have the bird inlays’”: Paul Reed Smith on raising the Standard 24, finally cracking the noise-free guitar and why John Sykes is a tone hero

We take Paul Reed Smith back to the start of his 40-year-old company to discuss the new Standard 24 and quite a bit more

Guitar World

“I was in a frenzy about it being trapped and burnt up. I knew I'd never be able to replace it”: After being pulled from the wreckage of a car crash, John Sykes ran back to his burning vehicle to save his beloved '76 Les Paul

What would ~you~ do for your favorite guitar?

Guitar World

“He didn’t sound like any other previous Whitesnake guitarist. His thumbprint is an indelible part of that record”: Remembering John Sykes, the journeyman virtuoso who made his mark on both Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake

Cruel timing and clashes with David Coverdale kept Sykes from rock’s super-league but he was a top-tier player with a sound all his own

The Independent UK

Mariah Carey goes viral with reaction to bad lighting at awards show

‘I don’t like bad lighting,’ said ‘Obsessed’ singer

Louder

Sex! Jazz! LSD! The Doors' Robby Krieger and John Densmore on their extraordinary ride - only in the new issue of Classic Rock

Also in this issue: Elton John, John Sykes, Jethro Tull, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, The Wildhearts, Twisted Sister, Bon Mould, Black Spiders, Ice-T and more

Guitar World

“The Boys Are Back in Town is at least as memorable for its guitar breaks as for its chorus”: Thin Lizzy inspired Metallica, Iron Maiden, and the Cure, practically invented twin lead guitar, and have had 15 guitarists. Here’s your guide to all of them

Thin Lizzy are tough enough for punks, heavy enough for metalheads, poetic enough for romantics – and their catchy riffs and licks have been played by some of the finest guitarists on earth

Louder

"A glossy heavy metal album that doesn't quite have the songs to make it stand out from the crowd, despite the talent of the players": John Sykes, Carmine Appice and Tony Franklin conjure up a cult favourite on debut Blue Murder album

After being let go by Whitesnake, John Sykes returned with supergroup Blue Murder and a debut album that failed at the box office

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