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DARK SECRETS: 16 - The Real Truth

“This wasn’t a guy who got better every six months or every week; this was a guy who got better every 60 seconds”: Randy Rhoads became a legend with Ozzy Osbourne, but his incredible playing was evident long before then

Kelly Garni, Rhoads’ brother in arms in Quiet Riot, recalls the guitarist’s early days – and how he developed his iconic tone, in spite of his unorthodox gear

Guitar World

“I’ve never been one of those guys who will go into a guitar store and play Stairway to Heaven…’” Jim Babjak reveals he once bought a ’70s Les Paul without even trying it – and how it would go on to shape one of The Smithereens' biggest hits

The guitarist reveals that he's “kind of embarrassed” when it comes to trying out guitars in a music store – but his faith in his engineer was well-placed

Guitar World

“Someone sent me a picture and was like, ‘Isn’t this your guitar?’” That time Diamond Rowe saw her signature guitar on stage with one of her biggest influences

Fellow Jackson artist Christian Andreu took Rowe’s history-making axe for a trip with French metal heavyweights Gojira during their joint tour with Korn

Guitar World

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“He started playing rhythm stuff and asked me to play lead. I said, ‘Pete, it’s your album’”: How Snowy White ended up working with Peter Green on In the Skies – the comeback album that lifted the blues rock legend out of obscurity

Green spent most of the 1970s out of the limelight, but a phone call to Snowy White helped get his career back on track

Guitar World

“I said, ‘Give me a mop and some cleaning supplies.’ I scrubbed that bathroom and I made it spotless”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto is on a mission to raise store standards – and says he’s not above scrubbing restrooms

Dalporto took a trip to assess the on-scene situation at one of his stores – and ended up getting hands-on with the cleaning

Guitar World

“A first in the history of electric bass guitar”: Stephen Malkmus is using his bass string as a guitar strap onstage with his new supergroup – and it looks uncomfortable

Your shoulder might not thank you, but it’s certainly a novel way of repurposing old strings

Guitar World

“The boys and I had just gotten off tour. We got a call from our booking agent…” How a “fluke accident” led to Lzzy Hale playing at Dio’s last-ever show

Halestorm saved the day when they were unexpectedly called upon to open for Heaven & Hell

Guitar World

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“One of the most hotly anticipated gear releases of the modern era has finally landed – and it still managed to sneak in a few surprises”: Here is all the new gear that has caught my eye this week – and, yes, that's a pink Jazzmaster

A blockbuster drop from Line 6 and a raft of new instruments from the Fender family of brands headline a busy week in the world of guitar gear

Guitar World

“I went, ‘I’m sorry we all couldn’t do it.’ Tom Morello goes, ‘Well, Dan and Maynard are playing with these people.’ I went, ‘I didn’t know that…’” Adam Jones on why Tool weren’t originally going to take part in Ozzy Osbourne’s last-ever show

In case Tool fans were wondering why the band wasn’t part of the original lineup...

Guitar World

“With my wrist, the arthritis and everything, that would be very challenging”: Everyone is expecting Jake E. Lee to play Bark at the Moon at Ozzy Osbourne’s last show – but he has his doubts

The song may be too much for the guitar icon – but he has a backup plan in mind

Guitar World

Black Sabbath! The final interview with Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – all yours in the new Guitar World

Plus interviews with Jake E. Lee, Adam Jones, Creed Bratton from The Office, the guys from Goose, former Jethro Tull man Martin Barre, K.K. Downing, Zakk Wylde, Jerry Cantrell, Tom Morello, Lzzy Hale, Billy Duffy, Robben Ford and more

Guitar World

“I had no idea you could get a sound like that”: The player that almost convinced The Office star Creed Bratton to give up guitar altogether

Away from his starring role in The Office, Bratton is an accomplished guitarist – but one blues icon almost made him rethink his relationship with the instrument

Guitar World

“He goes, ‘You’ve got to put a battery in the back.’ I was like, ‘A battery? What are you talking about?’” Zakk Wylde on how a student introduced him to a pickup pairing that would end up defining his sound with Ozzy Osbourne and beyond

It was a revolutionary moment for the guitarist – and he’s never looked back since

Guitar World

“I was broke. I only had $200 and we booked a gig. There was this guitar at a pawn shop that had been there for years...” How George Thorogood stumbled across the Gibson that became his go-to guitar – a week before his first gig with the Destroyers

Thorogood recounts how he originally opted for a now-discontinued hollowbody – with a little inspiration from the Beatles and Keith Richards

Guitar World

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Guitar World

Guitar World Discussion: What’s your greatest guitar hero encounter?

Ever bumped into your favorite player at the grocery store, or crossed paths with your six-string hero at the guitar store? We want to hear all about it – and don’t spare us the details

Guitar World

“There was nothing challenging about it in any way whatsoever”: Robben Ford spent months touring with George Harrison – but the experience didn’t stretch his guitar chops

The Beatle’s music may not have put the fusion star’s guitar skills through their paces, but the tour proved the making of him in other ways

Guitar World

“To scare Randy, I pulled the gun and fired it into the ceiling, thinking that would make him leave. He charged right at me”: Kelly Garni on how a drunken fight with Randy Rhoads spelled the end of his Quiet Riot career

Rhoads became an integral part of Ozzy Osbourne's sound and legacy, but his earlier stint with Quiet Riot – the band he co-founded with Garni – was marked by tension

Guitar World

“He’s gesturing wildly to us and finally he gets the courage to come over. He says, ‘You guys are sitting on the pyro!’” The time Ozzy Osbourne almost blew up Tom Morello and Slash

The two guitar heroes had signed up to play some classics with the Prince of Darkness – but nearly got more than they bargained for

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Guitar World

August 2025 Guitar World lesson videos and more

The one where Joe Bonamassa shows how Eric Johnson connects his mind-blowing lead phrases and Muireann Bradley performs Candyman at GW HQ

Guitar World

“Nike tried to go direct and pull back from retailers. It got crushed”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto may be facing new competition from Fender and Gibson in the retail space – but it isn’t fazing him

New Gibson and Fender stores on three continents present fresh challenges for the store, but Dalporto says “bring the competition on”

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 was just like, ‘This is a sign, man, because this situation blows right now”: The moment that Andrew Watt dived into production – after starting out his career as a recording musician

From shredder to super producer, Watts looks back on the car-crash that forced him into production

Guitar World

“I only asked them to play on my album because the record company thought a few well-known names would be a good selling point”: Snowy White tells the story of his 1994 collaboration with Gary Moore and David Gilmour

The album is packed with notable players who offer solos, slide, and plenty more, but the former Thin Lizzy man would have happily pushed on without them

Guitar World

“We’re heartbroken, and we’re asking for their safe return”: Nancy Wilson says two “irreplaceable” instruments have been stolen ahead of Heart’s tour

A custom-made baritone Tele and a vintage Gibson mandolin have been taken from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City –and the Heart camp is offering a reward for their return

Guitar World

“There are so many musicians that, live, you could be blown away by, but once they get into the studio, they can’t come up with parts that will last”: Andrew Watt on the essential studio skill that’s enabled him to work with rock gods and pop icons alike

He's worked with and played guitar for the likes of Bruno Mars, Pearl Jam, and Ozzy Osbourne, but there’s one player he believes nails his catch-all approach

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