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HISTORICAL FACTS: Guitar world - The Untold Story

“He says to me, ‘You’re a legend.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding? You’re a legend. You’re the new Leo Fender. You’re the new Les Paul. You’re the new Orville Gibson’”: Randy Bachman on the guitar builder who’s up there with the greats of the industry

And Bachman says this builder is working on an electric guitar that will weigh less than 4lbs.

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“It’s extremely bizarre. It’s made by this very strange guy, who disappeared. No one knows where he is”: The mystery pedal that became a Sean Lennon favorite

The pedal – made by an elusive pink-haired stranger from Facebook – has become the star of a new Claypool Lennon Delerium track

Guitar World

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“Jimi got it into his head that he wanted to do All Along the Watchtower. He said to me, ‘That’s the coolest song! …You want to come and do it with me?’” When Dave Mason met Jimi Hendrix and played on the greatest cover of all time

Hendrix had arrived in London, his greatness was about to come, and the late Traffic guitarist Dave Mason was there to witness it

Guitar World

“I was working on this song which he liked, and then he died, and it turned into more of a tribute to him”: How Chrissie Hynde channeled grief into The Pretenders’ classic comeback hit

And why George Harrison claimed to have inspired the song

MusicRadar

“I had a two-neck guitar, then Steve Vai came out with his three-neck guitar. My label wanted me to challenge Steve to a duel”: Michael Angelo Batio on the origin of his four-neck guitar

The Quad was designed to go toe-to-toe with Steve Vai's three-neck creation

Guitar World

“I was very fortunate to have played with so many great artists, even just for a moment”: Dave Mason, Traffic co-founder who played with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and George Harrison, dies aged 79

The English guitar great also worked with Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson across his storied career

Guitar World

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“When Ozzy approached me, there was an inner warning light that said, ‘Don’t do that’”: Why Michael Schenker turned down Ozzy Osbourne

Schenker was approached by the Prince of Darkness following the tragic death of Randy Rhoads

Guitar World

“A lot of people say he sounds like Hendrix, but to me, he doesn’t really”: Prince’s long-time bassist on teaching guitar to the Purple Rain hitmaker – and why the Jimi Hendrix comparisons are inaccurate

In 1994, Prince changed his stage name to 'O(+>' due to contractual disputes with his label, and, amid the turbulence, he granted Guitar World access to his onstage inner sanctum

Guitar World

“I was so poor. I was pushing 50 years old. I thought, ‘I might have to get a job again’”: Guitar wizard Nels Cline was about to get a day job before Jeff Tweedy changed his life and asked him to join Wilco

Cline was about to look at alternative income streams before Tweedy came out of the blue and asked him to join Wilco

Guitar World

“Every Gretsch from the mid-’90s onwards is a copy of one I had in my collection”: How Randy Bachman saved Gretsch after its factory burned down

Bachman became obsessed with collecting Gretsch guitars after his prized 6120 model was stolen in 1976

Guitar World

“I didn’t see it for 18 or 19 years. It disappeared, and it broke my heart”: Jerry Cantrell looks back on the guitar gift from Eddie Van Halen that went missing

Cantrell opens up on the nearly-two decade search to find his Van Halen Music Man

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

“It was like, ‘Here’s what we need.’ They said, ‘But you have to use Fender parts.’ I said, ‘Alright, I’ll see you guys later’”: Steve Morse on why his ill-fated Fender signature guitar never got off the ground

Before partnering with Ernie Ball Music Man for his now-iconic signature, Morse was courted by Fender – but the project didn’t get far

Guitar World

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“I said, ‘We gotta re-record this. This is terrible. I cannot allow this to happen’”: How Linda Perry saved 4 Non Blondes’ ’90s classic What's Up? from certain doom

Released in 1992 as the second single from their sole studio album, What's Up? became 4 Non Blondes' biggest and most enduring hit

Guitar World

“All of a sudden, I heard, ‘Morgan!’ I went outside, and I was like, ‘Oh my god! It’s Kim Deal!’” Morgan Nagler on the time Kim Deal showed up on her driveway – and they wound up writing songs together

The Haim and Phoebe Bridgers collaborator started out as an actress, moved on to the Californian indie project Whispertown, and is now stepping out on her own

Guitar World

“It can be at least as fast as straight flatpicking, if not faster, and also easier to do”: Used by everyone from Brad Paisley to Buckethead, hybrid picking makes impossible-sounding licks a reality – here's how to introduce it into your lead playing

In his inaugural Guitar World column, the great Corey Congilio demonstrates how all players can benefit from a technique borrowed from country players

Louder

"I'd come back from the unemployment office when the phone rang. Jimi said 'Hey, what you doing? We'd like for you to come up and join us.'" The story of the Jimi Hendrix guitarist who was written out of history

When Jimi Hendrix played Woodstock, old friend Larry Lee played guitar beside him - but his contributions were scrubbed from the movie

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Guitar World

“This guitar has been on albums that sold probably eight or nine million copies, and I bought it for about $200!” Steve Rothery on the guitars that changed his life – and why you don't have to spend big to find the guitar of your dreams

The longtime Marillion guitarist on why his Squier Strat might be the bargain of all-time, and the unique custom builds behind his prog sound

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

Before he went solo, Ronnie James Dio had already worked with two guitarists etched onto heavy metal’s Mount Rushmore. But players can also learn plenty from the oft-overlooked shredders who anchored his solo band

From a 17-year-old prodigy to a future stadium-conquering guitar superstar, Ronnie James Dio had a dream team of six-string sidekicks over the course of his solo career – and their contributions to his catalog should be essential listening for any aspiring metal guitarist

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

“I thought it was a bit too bizarre, but you all went crazy for it”: The hottest new guitar gear releases of March 2026 – according to Guitar World readers

The five biggest gear drops of the past four weeks, as voted for by you

Guitar World

“I didn’t expect this to inspire me so much”: Jackson finally releases Misha Mansoor’s Surfcaster – one of the most anticipated offset guitar releases of the modern era

Almost two years after the Periphery maestro first showed off his baritone Surfcaster, Jackson has made it available as a limited-edition custom shop model

Guitar World

“On our earlier recordings, we experimented with low tones that only dogs can hear”: Sunn O))) on the challenge of working with 130 guitar tracks and why their live shows are like jumping into a frozen lake

Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson on the drone pioneer's Sub Pop debut, the restorative but draining power of volume and the gear behind their sound

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