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Sponsored by Taylor Guitars: Ben Harper is connecting with his new Taylor guitar. Find out why the Ben Harper Gold Label 512e responds to every touch with warmth and clarity, delivering the tone, feel and performance that inspires Harper’s distinctive musical expression. Designed in partnership with Taylor, this special-edition Grand Concert features a deeper body for […]

EHX releases Big Muff Pi 2 with Tone Wicker

Press Release

Source: Adrenaline PR

The Song of Hiawatha: The Life and High Times Of The First Black Hippie is a feature-length documentary chronicling queer political activist and musician of African-American and Native-American ancestry, Hiawatha Bailey, recognized as the first black hippie.

The film traces Hiawatha’s path as part of the African-American “great migration” from the Deep South to Detroit in the 1950s, “turning on” to LSD and joining a commune in 1965, becoming the only Black member of a revolutionary cadre known as the White Panthers in 1968, serving a four-year prison term, starting a musical outfit in prison, and forming the Cult Heroes, a punk rock band, in 1978.

The cast includes a select array of rockers and activists (two were on the FBI 10 Most Wanted List): Hiawatha Bailey, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Wayne Kramer, John Sinclair, Cheetah Chrome, Niagara Detroit, Ron Ashton, Pun Plamondon, Professor Judson Jeffries, Leni Sinclair, Genie Plamondon, David Fenton, Lawrence Livermore, John Brannon, Maxie Chanel, Jennifer Holiday Chanel, and Deniz Tek. Documents include a letter from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, a landmark Supreme Court decision, a contract signed by John Lennon, and many never-before-seen photos dating back beyond the 1960s. The soundtrack features music by The MC5, The Rationals, Cult Heroes, John Brannon’s pre-Negative Approach band Static, and African-American punk rockers Pure Hell, with additional scoring by Elan Portnoy (Fuzztones).

The Song of Hiawatha floats along in a psychedelic haze as it touches on sensitive issues of race, rock, radicalism, sexual identity, prison life, and antiquated drug laws, so smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Can you dig it?

“This film has the potential to tell a different story about the American rock counterculture than the one we are used to hearing.” – James Sclavunos, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

“This film will illuminate fundamental questions about past events by offering a particularly fresh look at the New Left and its complex relationships to culture and society. So doing, it will beckon audiences to join in understanding the complex configuration of elements that compose the American experience.” — Professor Ira Katznelson, History and Political Science, Columbia University

“The film chronicles the activities of the Black Panthers, the White Panthers, FBI surveillance, and how it all came together to shape the character of one counterculture punk rocker.” — Ann Arbor Observer

STEVEN BLUSH got his start in the 1980s promoting hardcore punk rock shows in Washington, DC. He published the award-winning Seconds Magazine and served as music editor for the late, great PaperMagazine, where he became the first writer to cover both rock and hip-hop.

His journalism has appeared in over 25 publications, including: Spin, Details, Interview, The Village Voice, and The Times of London. Blush has written ten books about rock and pop culture, culture — American Hardcore (2001), American Hair Metal (2005), .45 Dangerous Minds (2006), American Hardcore: Second Edition (2010), Lost Rockers (2016), New York Rock (2017), American Hair Metal: Can’t Get Enough (2023), and the trilogy of When Rock Met Disco (2023), When Rock Met Reggae (2024) and When Rock Met Hip-Hop (2026) — as well as Bustin’ Balls (2010), about Billie Jean King’s rebel tennis league, currently in television development. He wrote and produced the critically acclaimed, theatrically released, Sundance-premiered documentary film American Hardcore  (Sony Pictures Classics, 2006).                

JEFFREY WENGROFSKY has made ten short films about figures in the cultural underground of his native Lower East Side of New York, from the Warhol superstar Taylor Mead and anarcho-theater director Judith Malina, to hippie noise lords The Godz. Wengrofsky is also the author of The Wolfboy of Rego Park (Far West Press). The Song of Hiawatha is his first feature film.

 

Imagine having the ability to visually customise your very own Mesa Boogie amplifier online before ordering it? Now, at Sweetwater, you can.

Thanks to a new partnership between the retail giant and legendary amp maker, a new interactive Custom Amp Configurator lets customers do exactly that, creating one-of-a-kind amps that “reflect their personal style and creative vision”.

At launch, Sweetwater’s Mesa Boogie configurator features over a dozen different amp models, with more amps and custom options to come “soon”.

• READ MORE: Epiphone unveils the all-new Futura Series – seven classic Gibson shapes with metal-ready pickups and colour-shifting finishes

Customers can choose from a range of base models, including combos like the Fillmore 50, Mark Five and Mark Seven, heads including the ‘90s Dual Rectifier, Triple Crown 100 and even the JP-2C John Petrucci Signature, plus a range of cabinets.

From there, choose your material – there’s some pretty out-there options aside from the classic black or monochrome, including red or orange… – then top panel colour, grille, piping, corners and handle. You can pick any combination of colour options for each of these, with “millions of possible combinations available”, according to Sweetwater.

“The goal of the configurator is to let people truly visualise the Mesa Boogie amp they’ve been dreaming of,” says Matt Duncan, Vice President of Merchandising Operations at Sweetwater.

“When customers visit Sweetwater, they can customise their amp in real time by selecting model, custom details, and colour, and instantly see an amp that inspires them to create more music.”

“At Mesa Boogie, we’ve been crafting custom amplifiers from the very beginning, and partnering with Sweetwater allows us to elevate that tradition in an exciting new way,” adds Barry Staller, Amplifier Business Development Manager at Gibson (Mesa Boogie’s parent company).

“Our new configurator empowers players to shape their dream amp with ease and creativity. Sweetwater has always championed Mesa Boogie, and we can’t wait to see the remarkable custom builds musicians imagine.”

Check out the Mesa Boogie Custom Amp Configurator at Sweetwater, and start designing your own right now…

The post This Custom Amp Configurator from Sweetwater and Mesa Boogie lets you design the amp of your wildest dreams appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Matteo Mancuso doesn’t like to think too much—not when he has a guitar in his hands, which seems to be most of the time. “The less I think, the better,” he says. “I like to be instinctive, especially when I improvise. Most of my music is centered around improvisation, so I need to feel very free. Otherwise, I’ll be second-guessing each move I make and I’ll be judging myself.”

He cites one of his favorite quotes, this one from drummer Vinnie Colaiuta: “Thought is the enemy of flow.” “I agree with that 100 percent,” he says. Which isn’t to suggest that Mancuso can blank his mind entirely. There are times when he’ll stop and listen to where his nimble bandmates—bassist Riccardo Oliva and drummer Gianluca Pellerito—are going, and if they’re headed in a cool direction, he’ll take right off with them. “That’s the beauty of playing with some very creative musicians,” he says. “They’ll usually present you with some good ideas if you just give yourself a moment to listen.”

Conversely, he reasons, should he ever find himself headed down the wrong musical path or boxed in a corner, he can always lay the blame on his bandmates. “That’s the most important part—the band leader never makes a mistake,” he says with a laugh. “It’s always the rhythm section’s fault.”

​Matteo Mancuso’s Gear

Guitars

• Yamaha custom Revstar (with DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary humbuckers)
• Yamaha custom Pacifica (with DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary humbucker and two DiMarzio Area 61 single-coils)

Amps & Modelers

• Line 6 Helix Stadium XL
• Fractal FM9
• Marshall JCM800
• Mesa/Boogie Mark IIA
• Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Strings, Picks, & Cables

• Dogal strings (.009–.042, for electrics), (.010–.046, for acoustics)
• Fender medium picks
• LAB Audio Technology cables

Things have been moving pretty fast for Mancuso since the release of his knockout 2023 debut album, The Journey, and they’re bound to accelerate even faster now that he’s finally gotten around to issuing a more-than-worthy follow-up, Route 96. His development and swift rise are already becoming the stuff of legend: Born in Palermo, Italy, he picked up the guitar at age 10 and was mentored by his musician father, Vincenzo. His rapacious musical appetite—everything from Angus Young to Django Reinhardt—was equaled by his preternatural skills, and it wasn’t long before he refined a lightning-fast, pickless fingerstyle that left many in the guitar community speechless.

Even before he graduated from music school (he studied jazz guitar at Palermo Conservatory of Music), videos of Mancuso and his one-time trio SNIPS signaled that something big was afoot. The band’s breakneck, chops-a-plenty cover of Pee Wee Ellis’ “The Chicken” went viral (it’s now at over three million views), and soon he was receiving huzzahs and hosannas from some of his idols. Steve Vai called him “the future of electric guitar.” Joe Bonamassa weighed in, saying that Mancuso had “reinvented the instrument.” And Al Di Meola went so far as to write him personally to say, “Matteo, what are you doing? You’re killing us!” In time, the young guitar star would jam—and hold his own—with all three admirers.

The praise has continued from all corners, but Mancuso is doing a good job of keeping his feet on the ground and his head on his shoulders. “I try not to pay too much attention to that stuff,” he says, adding, “but you know, I’m human. The point is, the best judge of what you’re doing is you. Whenever I see people saying these things, I try to keep everything in perspective. I don’t consider myself the best guitar player in the world. Believe me, I know what my strengths and weaknesses are.”

“Most of my music is centered around improvisation, so I need to feel very free.”

Asked to name a few of those weak spots, he answers without hesitation: “I’d like to follow my ear more during improvisations. Sometimes that can be hard if you know a lot of things on the guitar, because you’re relying on muscle memory. Another thing is timing—I always like to work with a metronome. It’s not necessarily a weakness, because I think I have a good feel for time, but it’s something I need to do every day. If you don’t keep up with it, your skills can degenerate pretty quickly. I also like to keep up with comping. I’m soloing most of the time, so it’s good to be able to comp with people.”

Whatever his perceived shortcomings, Mancuso is still operating at a vertiginously high level. He understands that there’s a portion of his audience looking to have their minds blown at every turn, but it hasn’t become a burden. “I guess there’s that ‘wow factor’ in my music, and I know when I’m doing that sort of thing,” he says. “The point is to express myself in a genuine way. I try to catch myself, like when I’m playing a solo and I’m doing everything I know—here’s a crazy tapping section, and here’s an alternate picking section—because I know people will go, ‘Whoa, that’s great.’ The temptation is to force myself to do complicated things, even if there’s no need to. I’m aware of it.”

Because he’s such an accomplished instrumental virtuoso (he can hit ferocious speeds like Di Meola or Van Halen, but also slip into violin-like legato phrasing like Eric Johnson at the drop of a hat), Mancuso’s compositional skills can go overlooked. The Journey offered heavy-duty prog-rock with a classical edge (“Silkroad”), supple-smooth jazz-swing (“Polifemo”), groove-filled jazz blues (“Blues for John”), and metallic rock (“Drop D”). The beauty of it all, and this is one of Mancuso’s greatest strengths, is how he managed to keep each song accessible but not predictable. There seemed to be an unsettled quality in one musical passage to the next, just long enough to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering where he would go next.

“That’s what it’s all about,” he says. “My goal is to always have an element of surprise, that feeling where you don’t always know how a song is developing, but it keeps heading toward something new. That’s what keeps things interesting. I think it’s very hard to achieve, but that’s what I’m trying to do most of the time.”

“My goal is to always have an element of surprise.”

A self-described “lazy guy” when it comes to composing, Mancuso put off thinking about a new album as long as he could. Eventually, his record label put the hammer down and imposed a deadline on him, forcing him to start working on new material. “I don’t even know if I’d have a new album if I didn’t have a deadline,” he says. “I don’t want to be as prolific as my label would like. I just want to play guitar.” Once he got with the program, new tunes started to reveal themselves, and little by little, Mancuso started to have fun with the process. “We played a lot of the new songs on tour, and that made a big difference. We’d been playing the same music for, like, three or four years, so it felt nice to change our setlist.”

One such tune was the aptly named “L.A. Blues One,” an easy-breezy shuffle that showcases the luscious combination of Mancuso’s clean, bell-like rhythm tone and his stinging, elastic soloing. “I really wanted to write something that was missing in our concerts—something simple with a stable groove,” he says. “For so long we’d been playing songs with all of these fast parts, so ‘L.A. Blues One’ is an important change of pace. It’s got a nice vibe, a blues shuffle, and the melody isn’t too busy. It’s a good song for people to settle into.”

By contrast, “Fire and Harmony,” a stunning blend of acoustic flamenco-tinged jazz and ripping electric fusion, has a lot going on, and in less capable hands it could fall apart. But Mancuso stitches each thread together like a master storyteller. “I knew I wanted to do something with both electric and acoustic soloing, so I started to develop the song based on that,” he says. “If you listen to the harmony in the intro, maybe you can hear the inspiration of Frank Gambale. I listened to his album Thunder from Down Under a lot as a kid.”

Thus far, Mancuso hasn’t taken part in a G3 Tour, but the ripsnorting, smart-alecky rocker “Black Centurion” gives you a pretty good idea of what he would sound like duking it out in a finale with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. “It’s something I always like to do with the more rocking songs—get a catchy riff and take it from there,” he says. “It’s very energetic. I’d say it’s got a Satch vibe.”

The album title, Route 96, refers to the year of Mancuso’s birth, as well as the 96kHz audio sample rate Steve Vai suggested he record at. “Most musicians record at 44 kilohertz, but Steve said that 96 gives better quality,” Mancuso explains. “It’s almost like the frames per second in filmmaking. The more frames you have, the smoother the film will look.”

Through the wonders of remote recording, Vai himself turns up in big, splashy, hi-beam form on the gonzo fusion-rock gem, “Solar Wind.” After laying down the tune’s main rhythms and some elegant leads, Mancuso emailed the file to Vai and waited to see what he would do. “I didn’t tell Steve what I was looking for, and I didn’t give him any kind of restrictions,” he says. “What he sent back was remarkable. It was pretty amazing, because he was touring with the SatchVai Band and BEAT at the time. He’s such a busy guy.”

“I would love to have a pop hit, but I don’t know if I’m able to do it.”

On a pair of bewitching cuts—“Warm Sunset” and “Isla Feliz”—Mancuso dips into a Latin-flavored mode. Both tracks follow the same framework: Start out gentle, then explode in a fireball at the end. Originally, he envisioned “Isla Feliz” as a purely acoustic piece, but he ultimately included sections of distorted electric soloing, while leaving plenty of room for his guest, gypsy-jazz star Antoine Boyer, to do his thing. “I think it’s a great combination—gypsy guitar, electric guitar, classical,” Mancuso says. “I gave Antoine the longer solos because that’s my general philosophy when I invite someone to play on one of my songs. I don’t want them to add just a tiny bit. Besides, you’re buying an album that has me playing lots and lots of solos. I like to keep it fresh.”

Gear-wise, Mancuso relied on his favored Yamaha Revstar and Pacifica custom models that he ran through different amp modeling processors, either a Line 6 Helix Stadium XL or a Fractal FM9. The only time he rocked out on real amps was for the song “Black Centurion,” on which he utilized a Marshall JCM800 for rhythms and a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIA for leads, both of which were paired with a Marshall 4x12 cabinet.

He stresses that the number one factor in his sound is his fingers—or, more precisely, his nails. “If my nails are too short, the sound is too muddy and dark no matter what pickup or amp I use,” he says. “If they’re too long, they get in the way while I’m playing. It’s very important to me that I have the right length to achieve the clarity and attack I like.”

Asked how he deals with chips and breaks, he holds up his right hand and waves around his index, middle, and ring fingers. “You see that? They’re fake,” he says. “I use acrylic nails on those fingers because natural nails don’t last long with an electric guitar. I remember last year they were completely broken, and I had to go to a nail salon in Tucson."

In all likelihood, Mancuso could play with a boxing glove and still come up with some incredible sounds. With his devastating gifts and mastery of so many musical styles, he could very well be the most versatile and fully formed young guitarist on the scene today, a status that affords him a host of options. He could record an all-out metal album and produce a monster. Or he could go pop and really flip people out. He isn’t ruling anything out.

“I would love to have a pop hit, but I don’t know if I’m able to do it,” he says. “The thing is, I’m not able to sing—that’s the key to that kind of success. George Benson is a great example. He made a lot of incredible music—“Breezin’,” “Weekend in L.A.”—but while he could sing, he also had tunes with no singing. There’s just a good song and a good melody. Maybe that’s a direction I’d like to have. The important thing is that I’m free to do the music I want. I’m open to every musical aspect.”

Last month, Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood announced a rare solo show at Amsterdam’s Paradiso, to take place in September. The gig sold out in minutes, and when he added a second night due to the phenomenal demand, so, too, did the second.

Now, due to the continued demand, Ronnie Wood has added a pair of new dates to his 2026 touring itinerary, with a show at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum on 21 August and Cologne’s E-Werk on 3 September.

• READ MORE: Ronnie Wood remembers living with “sweet man” Jimi Hendrix: “He’d just sit back and play right-handed or left-handed – that blew my mind”

Described as an “opportunity to see one of the world’s most iconic guitarists outside of his stadium performances with the Rolling Stones”, the shows will mark the first full live solo sets Ronnie Wood has played in over 16 years.

Joining Ronnie Wood and his band on the dates will be his close friend, Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May, who he’s collaborated with numerous times on record, plus live, including at the 2023 Jeff Beck Tribute Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“I’m looking forward to kickin’ ass with my back catalogue and some new songs – look out, London!” Ronnie says.

Elsewhere, Ronnie Wood has a new book coming out this year, Fearless: The Anthology, in which he’ll chart some of the most defining moments of his career, from performing in London clubs with The Birds in the ‘60s to his five decades with the Rolling Stones. The new edition will also open up Ronnie Wood’s instrument archive, showcasing a selection of his legendary guitars and rare instruments via special photography.

In an extract exclusively shared with Guitar.com, Ronnie remembers living with guitar icon Jimi Hendrix in the late ‘60s, saying he was a “quiet flatmate”.

“He’d just sit back and play right-handed or left-handed guitar – that ambidextrousness blew my mind. If I try to play left-handed it’s like giving a child a guitar.

Ronnie Wood’s Fearless: The Anthology is available now for pre-order. Tickets for his new London and Cologne shows go on sale this Friday, 24 April at 10am local time.

Credit: Ronnie Wood

The post Ronnie Wood announces new UK and Germany solo shows due to overwhelming demand appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Looking for a cheap and cheerful guitar to use at home? Or maybe you’re a beginner and you’re looking for a budget-friendly model to get you started? Well, look no further than Guitar Center’s Guitar-A-Thon sale, where over 20 Squier models are currently reduced.

All of the Squier models that are reduced online are below $700, with the cheapest coming in at $149.99. From Stratocasters to Telecasters, and even Mustangs and Jazzmasters, there’s something for all players, and you can even save on handy bundles including soft cases, straps, and mini amps to get you started.

[deals ids=”1C7yitDz0bZnLLRzpNGQUS”]

Just one one of the highlights is the limited-edition Squier Sonic Stratocaster in a Surf Green finish. This model is now reduced to $187.49, and offers a slim C-shaped neck profile and a thin, lightweight poplar body for comfort. It’s loaded with a trio of Squier ceramic single-coil pickups and has a five-way pickup switch, master volume and two tone controls for sound shaping.

• READ MORE: Epiphone unveils the all-new Futura Series – seven classic Gibson shapes with metal-ready pickups and colour-shifting finishes

Another Sonic model, exclusive to Guitar Center, is the uber-cool Squier Sonic Mustang in Graffiti Yellow, completed by a laurel fingerboard and a thin, lightweight body, a pair of Squier single-coil pickups, and a short 24” scale length. And speaking of short scale length, be sure to check out the limited-edition Mini Stratocaster, which is perfect for small players and is now $149.99.

Credit: Guitar Center

If you’re looking for something with humbucking power, the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster HH is currently reduced as part of the Guitar-A-Thon in an open-box deal. It offers a slim C neck and maple fingerboard, and two humbucking pickups featuring an open-coil design for a “brighter, tighter tone”, according to Guitar Center.

If you’re a complete beginner looking to get all the basic necessities to start playing, including amps, cables and plectrums, then there are four bundle deals included in the sale. These are:

• Sonic Stratocaster limited-edition model in Arctic White
• Sonic Stratocaster limited-edition model with Maple fingerboard, in Sonic Blue
• Sonic Stratocaster in Black
• Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster in Black

To view the full range of Squier deals in the Guitar-A-Thon, head over to Guitar Center.

The post These budget-friendly guitars just got even cheaper – check out all the Squier deals in Guitar Center’s Guitar-A-Thon sale appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

If you’re looking to play shows in dimly lit environments, you’d better know your guitar’s fretboard inside out. And how’s best to get to that point? As Billy Corgan would tell you, by practicing at length in total darkness.

In a new conversation on the And The Writer Is… podcast [via Guitar World], the Smashing Pumpkins frontman recalls his unusual practice regimen of practicing for four hours a day in the dark.

• READ MORE: Iron Maiden aren’t attending their Rock Hall induction ceremony – but not for the reason you might think

“I was the type of guy who would have a record on eight hours a day. I was literally that guy,” Corgan says, before elaborating on his decision to develop an obsessively strict practice schedule.

“I was like, ‘Okay, if I’m going to do this, I’m really going to do it.’ I made this weird decision that day: I’m going to play four hours a day. I don’t know why I picked four hours a day. I would time myself, and I would get up in the middle of night, play it in the middle of the night, in the dark, no light, and just learn how to play the guitar without seeing it.”

Corgan ultimately set a goal to practice guitar for four hours a day for four years in a row, and as you might predict, stuck to his goal.

“When I hit the four-year anniversary, I was like, ‘I’m good.’ I still practiced, but not like I did.”

So what do you think – is practicing at length in pitch-black darkness a smart way to get to know your guitar inside out, or a little overkill? We might give it a go and find out…

In the same interview, Billy Corgan touches on AI, and outlines his staunch opposition to the technology in music.

“You didn’t ask me, but I’m gonna make a declaratory statement,” he says. “I refuse, refuse, patently refuse to use AI in my music creation. Because, to me, it’s a deal with the devil. Simple. Whether it’s the Promethean fire myth or whatever, to me you’re literally leaning into the thing that will destroy you. Period.”

Watch the full podcast episode below:

The post Why Billy Corgan practiced guitar for years in total darkness appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

If you’ve ever listened to The War On Drugs, you’ve probably guessed that frontman and guitarist Adam Granduciel likes his effects pedals. But you only have to broach the topic with him for a moment before it becomes apparent that he doesn’t just like pedals – he loves pedals.

• READ MORE: Courtney Barnett on Kurt Cobain Jaguars, writing for the song, and why she’s learned to push down the feeling she’s “wasting everyone’s time” to nail her guitar solos
  

“I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard,” he explains. “And I have so many pedalboards everywhere. I love that feeling of when you plug into one and just think, ‘Oh, that’s amazing!’”

The wonderfully dense, effected soundscapes that Granduciel has crafted to Grammy Winning-success across The War On Drugs’ discography is also notable for how heavily he leans not into the modern world of boutique effects, but the everyman excellence of the humble Boss pedal. Indeed, such is his love of Boss pedals, when we catch up with him backstage at the 2026 NAMM Show, he’s about to be honoured by Boss with a lifetime achievement award for his enduring and abiding love of the brand’s pedals – both new and old. It was a subject he was very keen to talk more about…

When did you first become aware of Boss pedals?

“I feel like, before even getting my own guitar, I was aware of Boss, because any picture you’d see when I started playing, of any band, on the floor you’d see like, yellow square, red square, purple square… y’know?

“Around this time, my friend Jeff’s dad, he had a red Washburn, a Boss RT digital effects system and a huge Peavey or whatever. And he encouraged me to play it. And the first time I played it, I couldn’t believe what I had experienced. All this chorus and distortion! So from the first time I played, I was just like I’ve got to get that sound. So I think pretty quickly I was aware of the gear that was making those things.

“I think I got my own guitar maybe a year later, and I bought Boss Flanger, and I borrowed someone’s DS-1. And then you know how it is, someone else has some other Boss pedal and so you plug into that and it’s amazing.

“And multi-effects were big then too – and they had an expression pedal! Man, I wanted one of those. But my mom was like, No, that’s too many! Just get one! So I got a flanger and maybe a wah. Boss is just one of those things that is synonymous with electric guitar playing for me.”

Obviously you could use anything at this point, what is it about Boss pedals that keeps you sticking with them?

“The sounds are just the best. I like an original 70s chorus, and then there’s an 80s one I use all the time, the pink Digital Dimension pedal, which I use on keyboards, guitar, and for re-amping. And then there’s the Slow Gear, which I use all the time, and the Dynamic Filter, which is like an auto-wah – there’s so many.

“Boss stuff, it’s all incredibly easy to figure out how to use. I was just thinking that because, [Adam starts playing around with a Roland drum machine on the desk in front of him] I can get this cooking in like, nine seconds, and it’s all just very intuitive. And that’s just the same with the Boss pedal. It just makes sense immediately, what you’re doing with it, yeah? And it’s always just been the most reliable thing, you know? Even the Boss tuner. If it’s not a Boss tuner, I don’t really trust it!”

You’re a guitar player who uses effects in such an involved but considered way, why do you love them so much?

“I’m not a guitar player who can just plug straight into a Marshall and that’s all I need – that’s not how I got into guitar. I’ve always been more into playing with like, delay and reverb. Or being like, ‘Oh, what does this modulation do?’ My style is about finding textures and ways to express myself with a guitar that feels like it’s an extension of my voice.”

Has that always been the case?

“Even when I started recording myself, it was on a Boss recorder that had all the effects sounds built into it. So I had a mic, and I would just plug the mic into the input and play the acoustic and through the headphones, it would sound like a rock guitar!

“You could add all the shit to it, and start coming up with worlds, you know? And it was a way of recording that, for me, was way cooler than, like a cassette four-track, because I didn’t have much gear. It was just like a guitar and recorder, really.”

You must still love the experimental side of pedals too…

“I have one rig at home that’s just like, seven chorus pedals with a wah at the end! Just to be like, ‘Maybe this could be something cool’. And then the studio, there’s all these different boards around. And always if I get bored, or the engineer’s like doing a mix, I’ll just start building a board! You know, get the Dual Lock! I don’t know, at this point, it’s just a way of life, you know?”

Is that experimentation maybe turning into a new The War On Drugs album?

“Yeah I’m almost done making a record, and we’re close to the end. I wanted to do something that’s not different, necessarily, in terms of the way it sounds, but something that’s trying to get back to the first couple of records I made.

“So it’s basically fully homemade. I mean, people always joke because I’m like, ‘I want to make a homemade record’. And they come to my house and my studio is like, vintage API and all my Neve stuff… and they’re like, ‘This is a homemade record?!’

“But the only way I could do this record is if I had all the time and the access to be able to do it the way I want. So, it’s coming along, but I just work on it all the time. It still sounds like a band, but there’s all sorts of stuff.”

Are there any new pedals that are heavily featuring on the new record?

“It’s always similar ones, like the Digital Dimension. I did get a Bi-Phase recently, a vintage one, so I put that on everything! I traded a whole bunch of stuff to a kid for a Bi-Phase!”

Finally then, if you could only have one Boss pedal, which one would it be?

“Oh, the Digital Dimension from the 80s. I put it on everything. It’s usually always on. I’ll have one at one setting and another one after a different setting. It just adds a glassiness. It’s not like a wobbly chorus, it’s like a very high-end shimmer. It just has something. It’s only four knobs, you know – but sometimes all of them are all the way up!”

The post “I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard” Adam Granduciel on his love of effects and the next The War On Drugs album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Keeley RK2000 Funk Siren is based on a vintage Ibanez DM2000



Guitarist Michael Daves and mandolinist Jacob Jolliff join us this week to talk about their latest project, ‘We Like Jim & Jesse!’ The album, a tribute to Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys, features 10 tracks by the famed bluegrass duo.

During our conversation, we talk about the magic of Jim & Jesse McReynolds, some of the unique quirks of their performance style (including Jesse’s wild fingernail routine), how Michael and Jacob recorded this tribute and more.

https://michaeldavesjacobjolliff.bandcamp.com/album/we-like-jim-jesse

Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal print magazine here.

The post Podcast 546: Michael Daves and Jacob Jolliff on Jim & Jesse first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Many of the world’s most influential guitar players have had statues made in their honour commemorating their enduring impact. And the ones that don’t are regularly at the heart of fierce campaigns to have them recognised.

In November, it was revealed that a campaign to erect a statue in Belfast in tribute to blues icon Gary Moore had been successful, and that creation was underway.

Now, Ozzy Obsourne’s once-right-hand man Randy Rhoads is the centre of a campaign to get his statue erected in his hometown of Burbank, California.

• READ MORE: Iron Maiden aren’t attending their Rock Hall induction ceremony – but not for the reason you might think

The Randy Rhoads Memorial Project – started by musician and Randy Rhoads fan Bill Lonero – already has the backing of Randy’s sister, Kathy Rhoads D’Argenzio, as well as former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley, music photographer Neil Zlozower and Rhoads’ former Quiet Riot bandmate, bassist Kelly Garni.

At the time of writing, a petition to make the Randy Rhoads statue a reality has amassed 5,200 verified signatures on Change.org.

“Randy Rhoads is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in rock history,” says Bill Lonero. “His groundbreaking work with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot reshaped heavy metal, inspired generations of musicians around the world, and set new standards for guitar performance and composition.”

“Burbank is not just where Randy lived, it’s where he grew, where he taught, where he inspired, and where his legacy truly began,” the petition adds. “Honoring him there is more than appropriate, it’s personal. It’s meaningful. It’s home.

“If there is any place in the world that deserves to celebrate Randy Rhoads and preserve his legacy for future generations, it is the city of Burbank. Now is the time to make that recognition permanent.”

To add your signature to the petition, head over to Change.org. You can learn more at the Randy Rhoads Memorial Project.

The post A petition has been started for a Randy Rhoads memorial statue in Burbank – and it’s gaining momentum fast appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Over his years playing in Deep Purple and Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore has crossed paths with plenty of musicians – but that doesn’t mean he got on with all of them.

In a recent Instagram live to celebrate his 81st birthday, the guitarist reveals that, behind the scenes, he’s been quite disappointed by his guitar-playing peers. “Most guitar players aren’t nice people,” he jokingly admits.

• READ MORE: Ritchie Blackmore on how Jeff Beck would wrestle with self-doubt: “He was always reaching for something he couldn’t find”

However, that doesn’t extend to Tommy Bolin, the guitarist who joined Deep Purple in 1975 to replace Blackmore. “He was such a nice guy that I couldn’t believe he was a guitar player…” Blackmore says. “I would go around his house, and we’d often have fun just talking to each other.”

Though, he does note one flaw with Bolin’s approach to guitar. “I said to Tommy once, ‘When did you last change your strings?’ ‘cause they were so caked in dirt and grit,” he says. “And he looked at me, like, ‘I should change them?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ And he said, ‘Well, probably about five years ago!’ He was a brilliant player, a great player, but he never changed his guitar strings!”

View this post on Instagram

Regardless, Blackmore stands by Bolin’s skills and the value of his friendship. He concludes by saying: “There was never ever any envy, no competition whatsoever.”

Those themes of “envy” and “competition” seem to be at the centre of Blackmore’s “guitar players aren’t nice” claim; considering the rockstar ethos can come with a side of ‘ego’, it makes sense that a sense of competition and envying others might impact how nicely an artist treats their peers.

There’s plenty of competitiveness within the guitar world, with Exodus recently declaring themselves “faster” than thrash rivals Metallica and Megadeth. However, plenty of artists are trying to cut down on the toxic mindset of guitar-playing being a “competitive sport”.

Back in 2024, Swedish star Yngwie Malmsteen took to Instagram to encourage people to stop focusing on guitar rivalries and competitiveness. “Even if you are making a career out of it, if you play with the thought that I’m going to compete with another guitar player or another musician, you will be miserable,” he wrote. “Competition is for sports and athletes, not for guitar playing, period. [Guitar playing is] not a competition. The instrument of the guitar is to be played and enjoyed at any level.”

Last year, Mateus Asato shared similar reflections in his Guitar.com cover story. “After I won a guitar contest, I realised I never want to mix those things again in my life…” he said. “I understood that if I didn’t win, that would have probably sent me down a very melancholic road where I’d have probably decided that I did not want to play guitar any more… I know now that it’s not about competition.”

The post Ritchie Blackmore claims “most guitarists aren’t nice people” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

While the Foo Fighters aren’t known for having outwardly political lyrics, frontman Dave Grohl has previously stated that it’s “pretty easy to figure out where [he falls] on the map”. Consider the band’s response to Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign, which saw him using the track My Hero without permission; the band denounced the usage, then donated all the royalties to Democrat Kamala Harris’ rivalling campaign.

In a new interview with the Irish Times, Grohl allows another glimpse into his political leanings, reflecting on how divided America is in its current state. “It’s hard not to feel political living in America, where we’re deeply divided,” he says. “There’s injustice, and there’s so much hate and fear, and it’s such a drag.”

• READ MORE: “I’d go back to my mother’s house and sleep in my childhood bed and feel like life is still real”: Dave Grohl on coping with Nirvana’s sudden mainstream success

“I try to love everyone, because I think that’s what you’re supposed to do – and I do,” he continues. “But there needs to be change in that direction, and it’s been hard to find in the States.”

While it’s unclear whether the upcoming Foo Fighters record, Your Favourite Toy, is set to explore more political themes, Grohl takes a moment to praise Neil Young’s candid political lyricism. “Fucking Neil Young is angrier than ever – jeez, Louise,” Grohl says.

Not only has Young previously pursued legal action against Trump for using his music without permission on presidential campaigns, but Young also released a track aimed at the US President just last year. Big Crime was directed squarely at Trump, with the rocker proclaiming: “Got to get the fascists out, got to clean the White House out… No more ‘great again’”

Back in 2017, following Trump’s first political win, Grohl voiced similar fears, noting how a “conservative wave” had washed over America. “I’m looking at a candidate that has blatant disregard for the future environmentally [or] when it comes to women’s rights,” he told Kerrang! magazine. “I have three daughters that are going to survive me for decades – how are they going to get on unless there’s some positive and progressive change?”

Grohl isn’t the only musician critiquing Trump at the moment. Just a few days ago, Jack White was hot on Trump’s tail following the President seemingly likening himself to Jesus Christ, posting an AI-generated image of him ‘healing’ veterans.

“How did so many millions of people fall for this conman?” White ponders in an Instagram post. “He’s already got worst President in the history of America on lock, but I’m gonna go ahead and take the honour of pronouncing Trump ‘Worst American of All Time.’”

The Foo Fighters’ new record, Your Favourite Toy, drops Friday 24 April.

The post “There’s so much hate and fear – it’s such a drag”: Dave Grohl speaks on the state of American politics appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

After many years of fans believing Iron Maiden were entitled to a place, the British metal icons are finally set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year. 

It turns out that Maiden won’t be attending the ceremony in November, but not for the reasons you might immediately think.

• READ MORE: “I wanted to give Ozzy one last hug, but I realised I probably wasn’t needed”: Gus G on his omission from Black Sabbath’s final concert
  

In the past, Bruce Dickinson – as well as bassist and bandleader Steve Harris – has spoken repeatedly about his disinterest in joining the Rock Hall, even calling the institution an “utter and complete load of bollocks” during a spoken word tour in 2018. He even said he’d “refuse” an induction if offered, according to the Jerusalem Post.

But their snub of the 2026 ceremony has nothing to do with their previous distaste for the institution, but rather due to scheduling conflicts, as the band will be in Australia on their Run For Your Lives tour.

“As the most observant have already noticed, the band will be on tour in Australia around the November date of the Induction ceremony for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles,” Maiden manager Rod Smallwood tells Billboard [via Louder]. 

“In accepting, Iron Maiden made it very clear to the R&R HoF that the fans always come first and that the shows will of course go on.”

“We would like to assure all our fans in Australasia that the Australian and New Zealand dates will remain unaffected, and we look forward to bringing the Run For Your Lives Tour to them on the penultimate stop of our 50th anniversary celebrations.”

Smallwood thanked the Rock Hall for Iron Maiden’s induction last week, saying: “Iron Maiden have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades. However, having said that, it’s always nice to be recognised and honoured for any achievements within the music industry too!”

Also among the list of 2026 Rock Hall inductees are Oasis, Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan, Joy Division/New Order and Phil Collins.

Like Iron Maiden, Oasis have shared similar less-than-positive takes on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the past, with Liam Gallagher writing on X after the announcement of Oasis’s induction last week, somewhat sarcastically:

“I wanna thank all the people who voted for us. It’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about one day being in the RnR hall of fame. It’s true what they say, anything is possible if you have a dream.”

I wanna thank all the people who voted for us it’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about 1 day being in the RnR hall of fame it’s true what they say anything is possible if you have a dream LG x

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) April 14, 2026

This year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on 14 November.

Learn more at rockhall.com.

The post Iron Maiden aren’t attending their Rock Hall induction ceremony – but not for the reason you might think appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

From Metallica, to Guns N’ Roses, to Slayer, the Back To The Beginning line-up was certainly star-studded. However, not everyone was fortunate enough to receive an invite – including Ozzy Osbourne’s ex-guitarist, Gus G.

Despite serving as Ozzy’s lead guitarist between 2009 and 2017, Gus reveals that he was never asked to attend Black Sabbath’s triumphant farewell show. Speaking on the Signals From Mars podcast, he explains: “I would’ve definitely loved to be there. I really wanted to see Ozzy one last time, to give him one last hug.”

• READ MORE: “We wanted to do something a bit more fun. Keep people on their toes” Enter Shikari on surprise dropping their new record, and the importance of real live music

However, Gus doesn’t hold any resentment over his lack of invitation. Plenty of killer guitarists were in attendance, including his predecessor Zakk Wylde (who proved to be his eventual successor, when he reclaimed his role in Ozzy’s band in 2017). “I realise that I probably wasn’t really needed there – there were so many other people!” he admits. “So, it didn’t really bother me in that sense.”

Instead of ruminating on how he wasn’t able to attend, Gus instead focuses on how impressive the event was. “My mindset was more as a fan,” he explains. “When I saw the press release, I was like ‘Oh, cool! Ozzy’s finally doing his last show! He really wanted to get back on stage… and he’s gonna go out in the biggest way possible!’”

The excitement surrounding the gig was also somewhat overshadowed by one of Gus’ own personal milestones – the birth of his first child. “I had my kid the day before the show in Birmingham…” he smiles. “Wven if I was invited, I probably would’ve had to sit out of the rehearsals… I just came to the realisation that I had something much more important that I should be attending.”

While he may not have performed alongside Ozzy last July, nothing can take away Gus’ impact on Ozzy’s career. Even if we consider Nuno Bettencourt’s involvement in Back To The Beginning, the Extreme guitarist famously auditioned for Ozzy’s band and was ultimately turned down – Gus, in contrast, was Ozzy’s right-hand man for 8 strong years.

Not only is Gus is one of a small handful of guitarists to have served in Ozzy’s band, he also had the honour of appearing on Ozzy’s 2010 record, Scream. With all that in mind, Gus feels pretty positive about things. Whenever someone focuses on the “pity” of him not attending Ozzy’s last show, he believes that to be “looking at it from half-empty glass” perspective.

“You hear all these stories from all these incredible legendary players [about] how they auditioned… and then those guys never got the gig…” he reflects. “I’ve read a lot of those stories since Ozzy’s passing… and think ‘Wow, they must have auditioned everybody in Hollywood’. Just by putting all these stories together, [I can tell] how rare it was.”

“What were the chances of a guy like me – a kid from Greece, not even from America, that has really no history in heavy metal – to even get to that level,” he continues. “[To have the chance] to be there in that room with them and to get the stamp of approval. So, to me, that means everything. It’s like one of those stamp of approvals that is for life.”

He also expresses gratitude over just how long he was able to stand by Ozzy’s side. “It’s incredible that I got to do a whole album [with Ozzy], because I was originally signed to do an album and a tour, and I ended up being with the Osbournes for about seven years,” he explains. “I got a lot more time with Ozzy on stage and off stage than I was offered originally. So, I have no complaints.”

The post “I wanted to give Ozzy one last hug, but I realised I probably wasn’t needed”: Gus G on his omission from Black Sabbath’s final concert appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Grateful Dead have opened up their vast live archive with the launch of a dedicated streaming app, offering fans unprecedented access to decades of recordings pulled directly from the band’s vault.

Launched in partnership with live music streaming platform nugs.net, the new Play Dead app arrives with a sizeable initial offering of over 400 full live shows and 20 previously unreleased performances.

• READ MORE: Violet Grohl thinks male musicians of her generation have “attitude problems”: “It’s time that they sit down, be quiet and play their music”

For long-time listeners and collectors, the app aims to centralise material that has previously been scattered across formats, releases, and archival drops – including recordings that were previously only available on CD, now presented in higher-than-CD quality for the first time.

New content will continue to roll out weekly, curated by David Lemieux, the band’s longtime archivist and legacy manager, with two new releases arriving every Tuesday. Fans will also get to enjoy previously released live recordings presented in both hi-res and chronological order by performance date, a first in Grateful Dead history.

“Play Dead is the most complete way we’ve ever been able to share the vault,” says Lemieux. “These recordings capture the band’s journey night by night, and bringing them together in chronological order, with newly transferred and mastered audio, gives fans an entirely new way to experience this music. There’s always more to discover in the vault, and I’m excited to share something new every Tuesday.”

Credit: Play Dead

According to nugs founder and CEO Brad Serling, the project also represents a major undertaking in live music preservation and audio restoration.

“Play Dead kicks off the largest tape transfer project in the history of rock ‘n roll. We are pulling tapes off the shelf of the vault and transferring them at their highest resolution to date, and mastering in the studio for the first time,” says Sterling.

“These tapes were in the room with the band each night, and Play Dead will be the official hi-res streaming home of the vault, browsable chronologically in the order the music was performed. Working with Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino, we are giving listeners unprecedented access to 30 years of live recordings, via one of the greatest live archives ever assembled, with new discoveries coming every single week.”

The app is available as a standalone subscription ($9.99/month or $99.99/year) or as part of a bundle with nugs.net, with pricing tiers designed for both new listeners ($17.98/month or $169.98/year) and existing subscribers ($4.99/month or $49.99/year).

Learn more at Playdead.

The post “The largest tape transfer project in the history of rock ‘n roll”: Grateful Dead’s new streaming app boasts over 400 live shows, rare vault recordings, and weekly drops appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

€349/£349 (€399/£399 with ‘It’), bluefxdevices.com

Fuzz pedals have been around for an awful long time – did you know there’s a MkII Tone Bender in the Bayeux Tapestry? – so it’s only right that modern makers should be playing around with the formula in search of something new.

• READ MORE: DOD Badder Monkey review: much-memed pedal gets a bananas reissue

In the case of Blue FX Devices and the Fuzz Fields, that means combining JFET-based clipping with a synth-style filter section to create dramatically focused voicings, envelope-following swoops and – with a bit of external assistance – fuzzy tremolo, vibrato and phaser effects. You can see why it’s billed as ‘the ultimate modulated fuzz’.

Image: Richard Purvis

Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields – what is it?

This pedal is hardly a lip-smacker in aesthetic terms (and it isn’t even blue!), but it does present an appetising array of knobs and switches for those who like to get hands-on with their noisemongering. In fact, there’s so much going on here that I’m going to have to breeze through the highlights and let you check the online manual if you want the full picture.

Hit the bypass footswitch once and you’ve got a simple fuzz, controlled by the big knob in the middle. ‘Filter’ cuts treble to the left and bass to the right, with a toggle for mid-scooped mode, and ‘gate’ lets you get spluttery. Now hold down that footswitch for a second and you’ll engage the envelope follower, which sets the filter frequency to track the level of the signal coming into the pedal.

Image: Richard Purvis

There’s more, including a bonkers self-oscillating feature that you can awaken with the left footswitch, but the only other thing you really need to know about is ‘It’ – an optional module that plugs into the CV input to give you the aforementioned tremolo, vibrato and phaser sounds with its depth and speed knobs.

Yes, the Fuzz Fields is a complex and potentially confusing piece of kit – and I really wish the status LEDs were further away from the switches, to stop them being obscured every time a foot comes near – but it takes less time than you might think to get the hang of basic navigation.

Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields – what does it sound like?

If I had to cut this section down to a single word, that word would be ‘huge’. Two words would be the same preceded by an expletive. For Big Muff fans who like to bathe in oceanic fuzz, the scooped mode on this pedal is an instant triumph, but what’s really impressive is the way it stays just as smooth and pleasing with the mids pushed instead, and at virtually all filter settings. It’s a fluffy, cuddly monster of noise.

Image: Richard Purvis

The envelope thing sounds great too – somewhat more complex and textural than the all-out swooshy arc of a typical filter fuzz – but let’s not overlook the gate, which can be used for subtle tone-tightening, full-on spitty squishing or classic on/off noise-killing. Gated fuzzes can be tricky to work with; this one somehow just does whatever you want it to do.

The left footswitch’s ‘gravity’ and ‘freq’ options are both interesting – the latter is the self-oscillating mode I mentioned earlier, and it can generate some truly wild octave-down glitching – but many players will prefer the more conventional modulation effects offered by the cute little module. These range from slow phasing to robotic ring-modulation, via some almost Hendrix-y Uni-Vibe pulses. If you can spare the extra pennies, you should definitely go for It.

Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields – should I buy it?

There are clear reasons not to buy this pedal – mainly the price and the fact that it’s complicated, perhaps more so than it really should have been – but those reservations might just evaporate as soon as you hear what the Fuzz Fields can actually do.

The bottom line is, it sounds gorgeous. The added dynamic features are cool, but set those aside for a moment and what you’re left with is a big, sweet, grainy fuzz that’s up there with anything wielded by the venerated knights of ye olde rock’n’roll.

Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields alternatives

This pedal’s two closest rivals might be the Collision Devices TARS (€332.50/£299) and Death By Audio Crossover Fuzz ($320/£329). The much cheaper Dreadbox Disorder (€123/£130) makes some wicked filter-sweep noises, while the Stone Deaf Rise & Shine (£218) offers a range of unique fuzz and tremolo tricks.

The post Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields review – your new playground for modulated fuzzy adventures? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Diamond Pedals introduces Diamond Phase

This blues guitar lesson will show you how you can build a complete blues solo, starting from just one good blues lick.

It was very much inspired by Albert King, so we’ll use the “Albert King Lick” to start us off and we’ll work from there…

The TAB is at HERE if you want to download it, but make sure to watch the video through a few times first.

If you dig this lick and this style of soloing, don’t forget to check out my “How To Solo Like Albert King” course. He’s one of my all time favorites!