“If I can play that well when I’m that age, I’ll be happy. People should look at it for what it was – a magical night”: Deep Purple guitarist Simon McBride on sharing the stage with Ritchie Blackmore – and the reunion nobody thought would happen
“As soon as I started writing music with computers, I got so addicted to it”: Tom VR on his creative process, “game-changing” Ableton Live tips and the hardware synth he can’t stop talking about
“The idea came from Bowie and Star Wars”: We speak to Ash’s Tim Wheeler about the making of their beloved sci-fi love song
“We were just looking at each other like, ‘Holy crap,’ Like, he has turned back time”: Geddy Lee talks about the vocal prep he had to do for Rush’s 50 Something tour
“He heard us playing his song electric. You could see the gears grinding in his head. It was like watching a slow-motion lightning bolt”: How The Byrds reinvented a great Bob Dylan song and inspired Dylan to revolutionise his music
“We wish him the best in his future endeavours”: Slipknot confirm that Sid Wilson is no longer a member of the band
“I’m probably the only director who always has a guitar on his set”: Robert Rodriguez, the filmmaker behind From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City and Spy Kids, lifts the lid on his guitar collection – including two guitars previously owned by Stevie Ray Vaughan
“At around $69, it’s hard to think of another pedal that’s so cheap, so reliable, and that so many famous players continue to use on their boards”: Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive review
“Prince liked it loud on stage – Your head would be vibrating after those shows. Your body and your mind were shaken to the core”: We find out what it was really like being on-stage with Prince
“The studio manager came out with a guitar case and said, ‘We have something here that Jimi might have wanted you to have’”: Peter Frampton on how he ended up with one of Jimi Hendrix’s most experimental instruments
“We made a lot of decisions that really pissed off our customers”: Guitar Center CEO explains how customer feedback is helping to turn the chain around
“Playing with her taught me how it feels to situate oneself within great songs”: Phoebe Bridgers’ new album features one of the most eclectic guitar lineups we’ve seen in years – including an industrial-metal icon and the son of a rock legend
“Brian May got on the phone to me and said, ‘You have to look at what we just did’”: How a Fender Strat anniversary event led to Queen’s first world tour since Freddie Mercury’s death
“I wasn’t there to play correct notes. I was there to see old friends”: Ritchie Blackmore opens up on his Deep Purple reunion performance
“I think they actually thought I was going to die, but they never took steps to kick me out of the band, which I can’t believe”: How Mike McCready overcame his addictions to form a grunge supergroup
“My godfather played drums with Herbie Hancock, and he asked this guy to help me out on bass. Years later I found out it was Jaco”: How a chance family connection brought Raphael Saadiq a lesson with one of the greatest bass players of all time
“They’re so scarce. Fender only made 200 and the majority of them have been monkeyed with”: The Stratocaster was in constant flux during its first year of production – and these two 1954 models prove it
“Herein lies the beauty of the blues”: Joe Bonamassa explains why varying your pick attack is a fundamental part of your playing style
“Mutt said, ‘Give it a go, and if it doesn’t work get rid of the guy.’ And that’s exactly what we had to do, because Jim was less than useless!”: Why Def Leppard couldn’t make their monster hit Hysteria with Jim Steinman as producer
“I was a session guitarist for a bit, which is unbelievable because I can’t read music. I used to pretend to flip the music sheets during sessions!” Dan Hawkins says it’s a miracle The Darkness have survived so long
