INSANE: 10 | Vintage Vibes

“Something you’ll hear a lot of is, ‘Oh, you didn’t earn that relicing.’ But people who like it aren't thinking of it like that”: The real reason why relicing is so popular, according to a Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder

The pre-worn fad is sweeping the guitar community, but why do some deride the concept as ‘stolen valor’?

Guitar World · Apr 3

Who is the most iconic Fender Telecaster player?

The Telecaster doesn’t get enough credit for its versatility – and in its 75 years of production, it’s found its way into every genre. Let us know who you think is the greatest Tele wrangler of them all

Guitar World · Apr 3

“The first time Sonic Youth went to England, people hated us: ‘Oh, you’re playing guitar? That’s so old-fashioned’”: Alt-rock icon Kim Gordon on the secret to making great music on bad guitars and why she never saw herself as a bassist

Returning with solo album Play Me – a stinging broadside against the modern age – the alt-rock talisman remembers the bad guitars andrenegade tunings of her ’80s breakout with Sonic Youth

Guitar World · Apr 3

“It’s the same, loud, high headroom amp but with a more open-sounding clean tone that boasts a little extra life”: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 30th Anniversary review

Fender celebrates 30 years of the ubiquitous Hot Rod Deluxe with an Anniversary edition that boasts a speaker change and a classy aesthetic

Guitar World · Mar 27

“You had to know somebody that knew somebody that knew him to get a hold of him”: The amp wizards who shaped the technology we use today, and gave the world great guitar tone

The designs and innovations created by Reinhold Bogner, Paul Rivera, Michael Soldano, and Jose Arredondo have shaped the amps of today, and continue to shape the amps of tomorrow

Guitar World · Mar 27

The ultimate guide to guitar amps: from vintage vacuum tubes to modeling marvels

Everything you need to know about the tech, tones, and tools that define your sound

Guitar World · Mar 26

“It quietly became the working guitarist’s secret weapon”: 10 sleeper guitar amps that deserve legendary status

From overlooked British combos to U.S. workhorses, these may not have the Plexi's prestige, but they deliver world-class tone for players willing to look beyond the obvious

Guitar World · Mar 26

“The Mega channel has played a major role in heavy guitar tones since the early ’90s”: How the Diezel VH4 conquered metal, won fans in Metallica, Tool and Muse – and impressed John Fogerty too

Launched in ’92, the almighty four-channel beast completed a banner year for the high-gain tube amp

Guitar World · Mar 26

“Some kid begged to get backstage. He had a guitar. He said it was his grandmother’s, and that she'd kept it under the bed…” Sheryl Crow was devastated when her favorite guitar was stolen – a year later, a fan gave her a life-changing gift

Its arrival coincided with Crow's breakout success and has remained at her side ever since

Guitar World · Mar 25

“They’re not just relics of the past. They are benchmarks”: The holy grail of tone – three amps that built the sound of recorded guitar

From shimmering cleans to full throttle roar, these three classic amplifiers helped shape the sound of modern music and still define what great guitar tone means today

Guitar World · Mar 24