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Gretsch has launched two new guitars offering alluring and modern takes on two classic designs.

Both reimagined versions of designs dating back to 1958, the C6134TG-58 Limited Edition 1958 Custom Penguin and G6136TG-58 Limited Edition 1958 Custom Falcon arrive as real lookers, sharing a dark Emerald Night finish, plus Bigsby tailpieces and TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity Filter-Tron pickups.

• READ MORE: This Sex Pistols 50th Anniversary Marshall stack might be the most punk guitar amp ever
  

These TV Jones pickups are made according to the personal notes and designs of late Filter-Tron inventor Ray Butts, and are said to produce a tighter bass response and slightly more top end than modern Filter’Tron pickups, while the absence of wax potting “results in a more open, three-dimensional sound”.

Both models share similar spec sheets, with a Space Control bridge with a pinned ebony base, gold hardware, Standard U neck profiles and 22 medium jumbo frets. As a forward-thinking appointment, both guitars feature Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side dot fret markers, plus gold plexi pickguards with their respective birds etched in.

In terms of where they diverge, the Penguin has a mahogany solid body and neck with a Bigsby B3GP String-Thru vibrato tailpiece. Its body is chambered just like the Duo Jet, making it lighter and more resonant than most solid-body guitars.

The Falcon hollow body has a maple body and glued-in neck, and it has a Bigsby B6GP String-Thru vibrato tailpiece. The body was constructed with 1959 trestle bracing, running 2.75” deep.

“Both models deliver rich vintage tone with elevated playability,” Gretsch writes. “These rare birds are crafted for players who want a classic Gretsch feel with standout performance.⁠”

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Both guitars are available now, with the Penguin priced at £3,739, and the Falcon at £4,339.

Head to Gretsch for more information.

The post These limited-edition Emerald Night Gretsch Penguin and Falcon guitars are real lookers appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Dave Mustaine has spoken about the influence he feels he’s had on the guitarists in his Big Four co-members, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax.

In a new interview with São Paulo, Brazil’s 89 FM A Rádio Rock, the Megadeth frontman explains the effect his guitar playing had on his thrash metal contemporaries. “I’ve been very invested in the metal community,” he says [via Blabbermouth].

• READ MORE: “I’d listen to it in my bunk on my Walkman in private”: David Ellefson kept his love of Metallica’s Master of Puppets a secret from Dave Mustaine

“Kerry [King, Slayer guitarist] and I played together [during the early days of both bands], and I showed him how to play Megadeth songs, which was before [Slayer] started having all their pivotal records. Kerry and I had a really great time together.”

He continues: “And I wrote music in Metallica and I wrote music in Megadeth. So I’ve been very influential with the guitar with these three bands.”

Dave Mustaine was Metallica’s lead guitarist between 1981 and 1983, before he was fired from the band for alcoholism, drug addiction and personal conflicts. He helped write a number of songs on the band’s debut album Kill ‘Em All – which was ultimately recorded with Kirk Hammett who joined in ‘83 – as well as Ride the Lightning, from the band’s sophomore album and covered this year on Megadeth’s final album.

“And when I met Scott [Ian, Anthrax guitarist] and the guys in Anthrax out in New York,” he goes on, “the same thing happened.

“Their first record was very different from the record they made after they met me and the guys in Metallica. So I think that’s great. I love all those bands.”

Though tensions have died down in the decades following their split, Dave Mustaine continues to reflect on his past with Metallica in interviews. Recently, he claimed that Megadeth’s success was, in part, due to the motivating factor of Metallica “trying to hold me back”.

“And it wasn’t just Metallica, it was everybody. For a long time, it very much was me against the world. It was like, okay, if you’re not with me, you’re against me,” he said.

Megadeth released their final album earlier this year, and are embarking on a massive world tour for the rest of 2026.

For a full list of dates, head to megadeth.com.

The post “Their first record was very different to the record they made after they met me”: Dave Mustaine on how he has influenced Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Jack White and Donald Trump have never quite seen eye-to-eye. From filing a lawsuit over the usage of Seven Nation Army in a 2024 Presidential campaign video, to branding Trump a “disgusting, vile, egomaniac, loser, child” in December, the White Stripes man has always been very vocal about his distaste for the US President.

Now, White has criticised Trump for likening himself to Jesus in a since-deleted Truth Social post. The controversial image in question was an AI-generated depiction of Trump in a white robe ‘healing’ veterans, surrounded by a holy, halo-like glow – something he told reporters was merely intended to show him as a “doctor making people better” [via the BBC].

• READ MORE: Jack White never wanted to use a Stratocaster because they were “overused” and “indicative of white boy blues”

In light of the image, White took to Instagram to voice his disdain. His thoughts centred around the seemingly blasphemous nature of the AI-image, questioning how devout Christians continue to support the US President. “Hey evangelical Christians?” the guitarist writes. “Remember that anti-Christ you been squawking about all these years and how he’d present himself as Christlike and bring about the end of days with a final war in the Middle East involving Jerusalem? Well…check out your boy now!”

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He goes on to question why Catholic supporters continue to stand by Trump in spite of his multiple “attacks [on] the character of their Pope”, with Trump recently labelling Pope Leo XIV “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” [via The Independent]. White also included a second AI image of Trump depicted as the Pope from May last year, to further cement his point.

“How did so many millions of people fall for this conman?” White continues. “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.’”

In more positive news, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year for White. The garage rocker is set to host his first ever UK art exhibition, These Thoughts May Disappear, opening in May, as well as confirming a slew of dates for a 2026 world tour.

The tour will see White swinging by the UK in August, too. His UK run will include two gigs at London’s Eventim Apollo on 25th and 26th August, as well as shows in Bristol, Newcastle, Belfast and Dublin.

White has also teased fans with two new tracks, G.O.D And The Broken Ribs and Derecho Demonico. While nothing else is confirmed, here’s to hoping White is gearing up for a new album.

For more information on Jack White’s upcoming tour, head to his website.

The post Jack White brands Donald Trump the “Worst American of All Time” in light of the US president seemingly likening himself to Jesus Christ appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Punk may pride itself on breaking rules, but Violet Grohl thinks some of its male musicians are still playing by old ones. The 19-year-old, daughter of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, has criticised what she describes as “attitude problems” among male artists of her generation.

Speaking to The Forty-Five ahead of her debut album Be Sweet To Me, Grohl outlines her frustrations with the current state of punk and hardcore scenes, particularly when it comes to how women are treated within them.

On her track Cool Buzz, she points to what she sees as a disconnect between the progressive image some male musicians project and the reality of their behaviour.

• READ MORE: “It was the perfect choice to make fun of guitar heroes”: The story behind Angine de Poitrine’s ridiculous double-neck guitar

“It still feels like an exclusive scene,” says Grohl. “Especially when you wanna listen to really hardcore shit and run around and mosh, there’s a lot of ‘Oh, you’re too delicate, you’re too feminine, this isn’t your place.’ But I do wanna be in that space and I know there are a lot of other girls who want to be there too. So I think more girls should make punk music, if these spaces aren’t gonna allow it.”

While she’s found a sense of community among female artists – including close friend Persia Numan, daughter of Gary Numan, and collaborator on What’s Heaven Without You – Grohl is far less charitable when it comes to her male peers.

“I don’t like male musicians my age,” she says bluntly. “I don’t care. They have attitude problems. They’ve been saying this about us for so fucking long – it’s time that they sit down, be quiet and play their music.”

As a woman in rock, Grohl says learning to set boundaries has been as important as finding confidence in her voice.

“The best advice I’ve been given is that it’s OK to say no or that you don’t want to do something,” she says. “For a lot of women, it took them a really long time to accept and implement that into their lives. It’s inspiring to be around the kinds of people who don’t give a fuck and will say whatever they feel.”

Be Sweet To Me arrives on 29 May. Check out Grohl’s latest single 595 below.

The post Violet Grohl thinks male musicians of her generation have “attitude problems”: “It’s time that they sit down, be quiet and play their music” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Between viral live sessions, a rapidly growing cult following, and even a recent co-sign from Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Angine de Poitrine’s rise has been hard to ignore. But for a band that looks and sounds this intense, their core idea is surprisingly tongue-in-cheek.

In a recent chat with Cult MTL, guitarist Khn de Poitrine reveals that the project didn’t begin as some grand artistic statement, but as an inside joke that spiralled into something much bigger.

“This project is a culmination of a lot of years of inside jokes,” says Khn. “The names were our alter egos in a 10-minute free jazz project, where I was just fooling around on saxophone and (Klek) was on drums.”

• READ MORE: Slipknot’s Jim Root explains why Fender Telecasters are like sunglasses

That playful, slightly absurd energy also shaped the band’s iconic masked personas, which were originally conceived as a kind of experiment in anonymity.

“At first, the idea for the costumes was to play more shows and play a bit of an Andy Kaufman-esque joke on the crowd and say, ‘Hey, can we start a band without anybody knowing who we are?’ And who is it behind the masks?” drummer Klek de Poitrine explains.

What started as a gag, however, has since become something more practical.

“There’s a comfort to feeling, ‘Oh, I’m this on stage,’ but after that, I’m a normal person,” Klek adds. “We can avoid the, ‘Oh, this is the drummer’ talks, where everyone swarms you after a show when I just want to drink my water.”

Musically, the duo’s sound is just as unconventional. Before releasing their debut single Sherpa in 2024, the band’s signature microtonal approach began with a DIY experiment.

“I took two guitars, and I took the frets from one board, which was kind of rusty and fucked up anyway, and I put them on a second fret board,” Klek recalls.

Early performances saw Khn juggling between a microtonal guitar and bass while looping parts live. But it didn’t take long before the pair began thinking bigger – and stranger.

“We thought it would look fucking sick, and for 15 seconds, we were like, ‘Oh, that’s a funny joke.’ But it became clear that it was a good idea,” Klek says of the now-signature double-neck build.

After fielding eye-watering quotes from luthiers – including one that came in at $12,000 per fretboard – the instrument was eventually built by a “professional friend” of Angine de Poitrine. And it quickly became central to the band’s identity.

“The whole idea of the band was to assume a bit of a satirical approach to rock music in general,” says Khn. “We wanted an exaggeration, so the double-neck guitar was the perfect choice to kind of make fun of guitar heroes.”

“We will have short musical statements in the songs that are actually just jokes, like, this is the boomer lick, and just shout (distortedly) ‘Hail Santana!’ into the microphone. Obviously, we love Santana. It’s a love statement, but also a caricature, because you’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself and say, ‘What we do is ridiculous.’”

The post “It was the perfect choice to make fun of guitar heroes”: The story behind Angine de Poitrine’s ridiculous double-neck guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$129, ehx.com

When you think of Electro-Harmonix, you may not think weird, at least, not weird effects. Magnetospheres and cigars aside, EHX’s sonic focus is for the most part gain and utility pedals. But every once in a while, the brand passes what we’ll call the “Chase Bliss Event Horizon” and makes something entirely dedicated to bleeps and bloops, the sort of pedal you’d see in an old Knobs review. The latest effort from EHX in this particular direction is the Atomic Cluster, a “spectral decomposer” – what does that mean? Let’s get into it.

• READ MORE: Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante review – a dual dirt pedal that’s faster than the speed of light

What does the Atomic Cluster do?

The Atomic Cluster is, kind of, the filter equivalent of an arpeggiator. It isolates the component frequencies of your signal – the note’s fundamental and its overtones – and then rhythmically steps through them.

Controls include a volume and wet/dry blend, along with two knobs specific to this kind of effect: speed, which determines how quickly the effect steps through the discrete frequency bands, and atoms, which determines how many bands the pedal is chopped into. You also get a mode switch, which decides whether the transitions between the frequency bands are sharp and choppy or smoothed over.

These controls are packed into EHX’s pico form factor. There are undeniable benefits to the Pico platform, mostly in terms of saving pedalboard space – but you may find the controls fiddly to turn, and, as with all mini pedals, they can end up not saving quite as much space as you might hope, as ultimately you still need to leave room for patch cables, and to actually hit the footswitch.

Does the Atomic Cluster sound good?

My initial experiences with the effect are, sonically, pretty hard to square with anything anyone would want to use in any musical setting. In isolation, with an otherwise clean and dry sound, I find the Atomic Cluster fairly useless. The harsh filtering is just kind of unpleasant rather than interesting, and the steps between the atoms are pretty jarring, even on ‘smooth’ mode.

However, as the pedal works using overtones, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that putting a clean guitar sound into the front of the Atomic Cluster is going to be a tonal disaster. The signal that comes straight out of a guitar pickup has a strong fundamental compared to its harmonics – and so the resulting chopped-up sound, with the Atomic Cluster isolating these harmonics, is an unbalanced mess.

Hence, the next thing I do is get a distortion pedal placed ahead of it – this gives a more complex sound for the pedal to work with, a block of full-frequency sound to chop into slices. I then also turn on some reverb and delay – as well as helping evoke a more soundscapey vibe, these effects also help mask the crunchy artefacting from the digital filtering.

With these extra effects engaged, the sound is a lot more intriguing. It kind of sounds like my playing is being automatically accompanied by a weird, complex modular synth setup, pseudo-arpeggiating through the sounds of sustained chords. It does very little to augment the sounds of more traditional shreddy or bluesy playing, but you already knew that. Instead, I spend some time making loops and picking out some sparse, slow chord changes – the Atomic Cluster does indeed add a dimension of interest and depth in this musical mode.

As some people have pointed out in the comments of EHX’s official demo, the Atomic Cluster comes alive best on a synth, and indeed when I plug in a hardware synth I have a much easier time finding strange, crystalline worlds within its tonal universe. This isn’t too surprising, especially with more complex, multi-oscillator sounds, as these provide a fuller-frequency basis for the pedal to work with.

For guitar, though, it does feel like I at the very least need some compression, if not distortion, before the pedal to have it functioning properly – and indeed, this is actually recommended in the pedal’s manual. Which slightly begs the question as to why some compression or distortion weren’t included as part of the effect’s digital signal chain. Perhaps it would have brought the price up too much, or been too much of a lift given its miniscule form-factor and four knobs. However, we’re now in a world awash with all-in-one ambient-in-a-box pedals – which, even if they’re weird and unique effects, can function without too much help from a wider board.

And so the Atomic Cluster remains a difficult pedal to enthusiastically recommend to anyone other than EHX completionists, or those who are happy to compensate for its limitations. Sure, it’s a unique character effect, but it’s so unique and so characterful you may find yourself wrangling your playing – and your signal chain – to be in service of it. This can be cool for bedroom sound-scaping – but it’s a harder sell outside of that context. The good thing about it is its price – it is luckily not a lot of money for a pedal that needs a little signal-chain help.

Electro-Harmonix Atomic Cluster alternatives

The first thing it reminds me of is my dearly departed EQD Arpanoid, which is a more traditional arpeggiator that pitch-shifts your sound rather than slices it up. For a more in-depth and perhaps easier to use lo-fi filter thing, you’ve got a lot of options, of course, but the Old Blood Noise Endeavours Float comes to mind, being a controllable and weird set of filters.

The post EHX Pico Atomic Cluster review – is this whacky and weird filter effect worth it? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Press Release

Source: The Green Room PR

Reba McEntire will begin releasing music capsules each month, thematically curated songs from throughout her career paired with brand new recordings that spotlight the road ahead for the iconic entertainer. The first release, ONE NIGHT IN TULSA, centers songs around her home state and will be released this Friday, April 17 via MCA and is available for pre-save HERE.

On April 9, McEntire previewed the project during a special performance at her restaurant Reba’s Place, where she debuted a new song and title track of the first capsule “One Night In Tulsa.” Written by Neal Coty, Kylie Frey and Thom McHugh, the song marks a return to the ’90s country ballads that cemented McEntire’s place as one of the genre’s most definitive voices of heartbreak.

ONE NIGHT IN TULSA

• “One Night In Tulsa”
• “Tulsa Time”
• “Oklahoma Swing”
• “Does The Wind Still Blow In Oklahoma”
• “No U In Oklahoma”

Each digital music capsule pairs a newly recorded song with carefully selected tracks that trace the evolution of one of country music’s most enduring and influential voices. In tandem with each music capsule, tailored playlists will launch to further illuminate the defining eras of McEntire’s career. Beginning May 1 with “The Making of Reba,” the first playlist captures a young McEntire finding her voice through classic country heartbreak, laying the foundation for everything to come. The playlists serve as a companion piece, offering fans a deeper, more expansive look at the moments, milestones, and music that shaped her legacy.

About Reba McEntire: 
Multi-media entertainment mogul Reba McEntire has become a household name through a successful career that includes music, television, film, theater, retail and hospitality. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Bowl member has more than 50 award wins under her belt, earning honors from the ACM Awards, American Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards, CMA Awards, GRAMMY® Awards and GMA Dove Awards. Reba was also a 2018 Kennedy Center Honors recipient, in addition to multiple philanthropic and leadership honors. Reba has celebrated unprecedented success, including 35 career No.1 singles and more than 58 million albums sold worldwide. Reba earned her 60th Top 10 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, extending her record for the most Top 10 hits among female artists. Reba’s Top 10 success spans five straight decades, landing her in the singular group with only George Jones, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton who have the same achievement. Most recently, her latest single, “Trailblazer,” featuring Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert, garnered an impressive 2.6 million on-demand streams in its first week, marking a new personal best for Reba in the streaming era. The Oklahoma native and Golden Globe® nominated actress has multiple movie credits to her name, a critically-acclaimed lead role on Broadway in Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, and starred in the 6-season television sitcom Reba. Reba has also proven to be a savvy entrepreneur, with longstanding brand partnerships including her Dillard’s clothing line and western footwear collection REBA by Justin. She has even added restaurateur to the list with Reba’s Place, a restaurant, bar, retail and entertainment venue in Atoka, Oklahoma. Her book Not That Fancy landed on the New York Times bestseller list. For more information, visit www.Reba.com.

Marshall is celebrating 50 years of the punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols with a limited-edition pink-and-yellow JCM800 Half Stack.

Inspired by the pink-and-yellow colour scheme of the band’s seminal – and only – album, 1977’s Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, the Sex Pistols 50th Anniversary JCM800 was developed in close collaboration with guitarist Steve Jones.

It offers up 100W of raw British valve tone, and comprises a JCM800 head paired with a 4×12 1960A cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers, helping capture the “aggression and clarity that defined the band’s sound”.

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

Each unit is built at Marshall’s Bletchley, UK factory, and comes clad in the same pink-and-yellow colourway as that landmark Pistols record, and features a custom 50th Anniversary badge, making it “as much a collector’s piece as a stage-ready weapon”.

“The JCM800 became a defining voice of British punk,” says Steph Carter, Culture Marketing Director at Marshall. “Working with Steve to reimagine this amp for the band’s 50th Anniversary has been a powerful tribute to the sound that changed everything.”

“I’ve been using Marshall for a long time now and the 800 series for me are my workhorse – always reliable, always consistent,” adds Steve Jones. “I like to keep things simple, as the saying goes. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll.”

Matt Young, President and CEO of Bravado, the Sex Pistols longtime merch partner that was a key driver of the collaboration, adds: “With Never Mind the Bollocks, the Sex Pistols embodied the zeitgeist of punk rock’s sound and aesthetic in a game-changing way. 

“This collaboration with the band and Marshall celebrates that moment in a loud and irreverent way and we think musicians and collectors all over the world are going to love it.

Available from 17 April 2026, the Sex Pistols 50th Anniversary JCM800 Half Stack is limited to just 81 units worldwide.

Learn more at Marshall.

The post This Sex Pistols 50th Anniversary Marshall stack might be the most punk guitar amp ever appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Yuichiro Yokouchi, founder of Japanese instrument manufacturer FujiGen – one of the world’s largest guitar manufacturing firms – has died aged 98, a statement on the brand’s social media confirms.

Since its foundation in 1960 – first as Fujigen Gakki Seizo before rebranding as FujiGen in 1989 – Yokouchi’s company has been an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for some of the world’s largest guitar brands, including Fender Japan, Ibanez, Orville by Gibson and Greco.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our founder, Yuichiro Yokouchi, at the age of 98,” reads the statement on the official FGN Guitars Instagram page.

“With the ambition to become Japan’s finest guitar manufacturer, he named our company after Mt. Fuji – an enduring symbol of the highest standard. Through his dedication and vision, he realised that ambition, laying the foundation for our company to become a world-class guitar manufacturer representing Japan.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers and players around the world for their continued support, which has been an essential part of our journey together. We remain committed to honouring his legacy through our craftsmanship and pursuit of excellence.”

Born on September 18, 1927 – and raised in a farming family with no formal training in music or business – Yuichiro Yokouchi’s introduction to the music world came when a friend, Keikichi Watanabe, and businessman Yutaka Mimura, invited him to manage an ailing violin company in Kiso, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

“I’m planning to acquire a company affiliated with the Suzuki Violin Company in Kiso, Yokouchi, would you be willing to manage it?” Mimura asked Yokouchi [per Fuzzfaced.net].

The business plan ultimately fell through, but it planted the seed in Yokouchi’s mind that an instrument company was where his future lay.

Yokouchi subsequently partnered with Mimura to start a musical instrument company, reaching out to violin maker Shiro Suzuki, brother of Shinichi Suzuki, founder of the legendary Suzuki Method of music education.

Encountering difficulty pinning down an affordable factory space in Matsumoto, Yokouchi had the idea to repurpose a 100-square-meter cow shed from his family’s farm. To make this happen, he had to sell his cows. “I had to sell all my cows from this farm to start this business,” he once said in a NAMM interview.

Yokouchi started as Vice President, later becoming President in 1969, and then Chairman of FujiGen in 1986. Steering the ship, he nurtured the company into a guitar manufacturing juggernaut. According to Guitar World, his OEM factory was producing over 15,000 guitars per month.

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The post Yuichiro Yokouchi, founder of Japanese guitar manufacturing giant FujiGen, has died aged 98 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

By Carlos Martin Schwab

Following the death of Musikmesse (which was more significant than NAMM for many years), several guitar trade shows emerged in Europe. Guitar Summit is the most important one. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Organized by the German magazine Gitarre & Bass since 2017, this fair was designed as a 360° event that combines a trade show with a music festival, workshops, and masterclasses.

Over time, the fair has continued to grow: in its 2025 edition, it welcomed over 11,300 visitors, featured more than 470 international brands spread across the venue’s different levels, and hosted over 100 workshops, masterclasses, and live concerts during the three-day event (September 26–28).

The fair is usually divided into themed areas that help organize the large number of booths. The booths are spread across four floors, including specific areas for electric guitars, acoustic guitars, basses, and the popular “Pedal Show.” In 2025, innovations in digital modeling and the presence of independent luthiers in the Boutique section stood out in particular.

Silent Fair

This trade show describes itself as a “Silent Show.” This concept is one of its cornerstones and sets it apart from traditional music trade shows (such as the former Frankfurt Musikmesse or NAMM), where the constant noise can often be overwhelming. Here’s how it works in practice:

Equipment testing with headphones: The golden rule for exhibitors is that open-volume amplifiers are not allowed at the trade show booths. If you want to test a guitar, bass, or pedal, you do so almost exclusively through high-quality headphones. This allows you to hear the instrument’s true nuances without being distracted by noise from the neighboring booth and lets visitors hold conversations at a normal volume without having to shout.

Silent stages: Even the workshops and demonstrations held in the middle of the exhibition halls use this system. The audience receives wireless headphones as they approach the stage, and the musician plays and speaks through a monitoring system, so that only those wearing headphones can hear the performance. This allows multiple stages to operate simultaneously on the same floor without acoustic interference.

Soundproof rooms: For those who need to feel the sound pressure of a real amplifier, the event offers specific solutions: Ampfinity, a special area where you can test selected amplifiers and speakers using a professional switching system, often in isolated booths, and soundproof cabins installed at some large booths where you can close the door and play at full volume for a few minutes without disturbing others.

Nighttime concerts (the exception): The Silent concept applies primarily to the exhibition area during the day. At night, the event moves to the Mozartsaal, where rock, blues, and metal concerts are held using traditional sound systems at festival volume.

The “Silent” concept aims to protect attendees’ hearing health (preventing tinnitus after 3 days at the show) and ensure that the focus remains on sound quality and technical discussions between manufacturers and musicians.

Musicians I saw there: Andy Timmons, Tosin Abasi, Misha Mansoor, Plini, Alex Skolnik, Mike Dawes, Billy Sheehan, Michael Weikath & Sascha Gerstner (Helloween), Sacha Dunable (Intronaut), Mattias Eklund (Freak Kitchen), John Browne (Monuments). It’s also common to run into Europe’s most popular guitar YouTubers.

Some of the items on display that caught my eye:

Fretlook: Fret markers, neck side markers (glow in the dark) and body decals – fretlook.com

Franck Bichon: Removable shoulder pad for guitar strap – https://bgfrance.com/en/bg-rocks-straps-and-guitar-accessories/461-comfortableremovable-shoulder-pad-for-guitar-straps.html

Dan’s Guitar Store: Precision playing picks – https://www.dansguitarstore.com/precision-guitar-picks-explained

Plick The Pick: Ergonomic picks – plickthepick.it

Tonewood Amp: A device that uses an acoustic guitar’s own body and soundhole to create a range of enhancement effects – tonewoodamp.com

Valeton: GP-5 pedal multi effects processor – valeton.net/product/gp-5

Maytrem: Fully customizable guitar vibrato system that can bend chords in harmony – maytrem.com

More info at guitarsummit.de/?lang=en

It’s been a long road, but British heavy metal veterans Iron Maiden have finally been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bruce Dickinson and co are part of the 2026 cohort of Rock Hall inductees, which also includes Oasis, Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan, Joy Division/New Order and Phil Collins. 

While many have argued for Iron Maiden’s induction for years – owing to the indelible mark they’ve placed on the world of heavy metal for the last 50 years – the band themselves have repeatedly alluded to the fact they’re not bothered about receiving the commendation.

• READ MORE: Fender celebrates 50 years of Iron Maiden with new signature guitar collection – including an $11,000 Masterbuilt Strat for Dave Murray
  

Speaking to The Telegraph in 2023 after Maiden were snubbed from the Rock Hall inductions, frontman Bruce Dickinson said: “We don’t give a monkey’s. Because the people that get us are not the people that run the music business establishment, whatever that is. Because that is largely run by people that can’t make a living doing anything else.”

“I don’t want to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Dickinson added.

And on a spoken word tour in 2018, Dickinson had even stronger words. “I actually think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete load of bollocks, to be honest with you,” he said [via Consequence of Sound]. He even told The Jerusalem Post in 2018 that he’d “refuse” an induction if offered.

But despite the band’s prior criticism of the institution, 2026 is finally Iron Maiden’s year.

“We’d like to thank the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for including us (and former members who were all part of our story) in the 2026 roll call of inductees,” says Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood.

“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!”

He goes on: “It also seems appropriate for the band to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year as we continue our 50th anniversary celebrations with our Run For Your Lives World Tour visiting the Americas and beyond. 

“We would also like to congratulate our fellow 2026 inductees and extend our gratitude as ever to our fans for their loyalty, perseverance and support for over 50 years now! See you all, somewhere on tour.”

But Iron Maiden aren’t the only 2026 Rock Hall inductee with members sceptical of the institution. Oasis – who made waves in the music world in the past couple of years with one of the most widely anticipated tours ever – also join the Rock Hall this year.

But in a new post on X – which we read as ever so slightly sarcastic – Liam Gallagher writes: “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

The 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on 14 November.

For more info on this year’s inductees, head to rockhall.com.

The post Iron Maiden have finally been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Epiphone has unveiled its all-new Futura Series, pairing “iconic shapes with all-new attitude”, offering up a number of “killer new features not yet seen before in the Epiphone or Gibson lineup”.

The lineup comprises seven models spanning Gibson/Epiphone’s classic body shapes – there’s a Flying V, SG, ES-355, Firebird, Explorer, Les Paul and an RD – each sporting a striking new Chromashift colour-shifting finish, plus newly developed ProBucker Ignite pickups.

• READ MORE: Slipknot’s Jim Root explains why Fender Telecasters are like sunglasses

Those fresh ProBucker Ignite humbuckers appear to be aimed squarely at metal players, offering “clarity and punch for lead and rhythm without ever getting muddy”. They’re also wired for push/pull coil splitting plus additional phase options, meaning a “huge range of tones” is available via the Futura Series.

Further features present on each Futura Series guitar include ebony fingerboards with Super 400-style pearloid inlays, bound Modern C neck profiles and 10”-14” compound radius fingerboards for “super-smooth playability across all positions” of the neck.

Each guitar also sports Grover locking Rotomatic tuners with kidney buttons, a LockTone bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece, and Posi-Lok strap buttons. All Futura Series guitars feature a 24.75” scale length, but the RD Custom bumps that up to 25.5”, thus increasing string tension and positioning it as a great instrument for drop tunings.

Also, by going for a Futura RD Custom you could follow in the footsteps of a line of rock and metal greats, including Dave Grohl, Lee Malia of Bring Me The Horizon, Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, and the Nameless Ghouls of Ghost…

“The Futura Series opens new worlds of possibility for players who don’t stand still – they’re built to move, pushing feel, sound, and style forward in a way that’s undeniably bold by design,” says Lewis McKinney III, Brand Manager of Epiphone.

There’s a variety of colour-shifting finishes on offer, too:

• Epiphone Futura Les Paul Custom – Twilight Shift, Firestorm Shift, Midnight Ember Shift
• Epiphone Futura RD Custom – Midnight Ember Shift, Twilight Shift, Firestorm Shift
• Epiphone Futura Explorer Custom – Dragonfly Shift, Firestorm Shift
• Epiphone Futura SG Custom – Nitro Shift, Midnight Ember Shift, Dragonfly Shift
• Epiphone Futura Flying V Custom – Solaris Shift, Quicksilver Shift
• Epiphone Futura ES-355 – Firestorm Shift, Dragonfly Shift, Midnight Ember Shift
• Epiphone Futura Firebird Custom – Firestorm Shift, Quicksilver Shift, Midnight Ember Shift, plus Guitar Center-exclusive Glacier Shift

Each Futura Series guitar is priced at $899 / 849. For more information, head to Gibson.com.

The post Epiphone unveils the all-new Futura Series – seven classic Gibson shapes with metal-ready pickups and colour-shifting finishes appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Press Release

Source: Song Cage PR

Song Cage – A new browser-based tool gives songwriters one place to capture lyrics, chords, melody, and song structure, with context-aware chord reasoning, a modulation panel that maps the way back home, and built-in tools for breaking writer’s block.

Song Cage, a new browser-based songwriting app, launched this week with a distinctive design philosophy: no generative AI anywhere in the product. Every chord suggestion is deterministic music theory, labeled by its functional role and explained in plain language given the surrounding chords and the melody underneath.

Song Cage is designed for the pre-DAW phase of writing, the space where a songwriter sits with an instrument and a notebook, developing an idea before any recording begins. The app combines four layers (lyrics, chords, melody, and song structure) on a single canvas with two interchangeable views. Sheet view feels like a notepad, letting words flow naturally. Timeline view snaps every word onto a beat grid with syllable-level precision, so prosody can be shaped directly on the grid.

Key features include:

Context-aware chord suggestions. Every suggestion is labeled by its functional role (diatonic, borrowed from a parallel mode, secondary dominant, tritone substitution) and hovering reveals the reasoning for why it works given the surrounding chords and the melody beneath. Named progression patterns such as the Pop progression, 50s progression, and Andalusian cadence are flagged automatically.

Modulation with return routes. The modulation panel includes a Key Map showing harmonic distance to every key, pivot chords for smooth transitions, and full cadential routes (V-I, ii-V-I, tritone substitutions, extended paths). Unique to Song Cage, the panel also surfaces return routes, so the songwriter can take a harmonic journey into a distant key and find the way back home without getting stranded.

Lyric writing tools for writer’s block. A Words panel that follows the cursor offers rhymes grouped by syllable count, slant rhymes, synonyms, a Word Collider that pairs words from two semantic pools via a random bridge word, and semantic drift chains for wandering through an idea space.

Multi-user collaboration. Songs can be shared with up to five editors via email invitation or share link, with background sync across devices.

Guitar-first design. Real chord shapes on a mini fretboard, capo awareness, voicing carousel, and strum preview on every chord block. Piano voicings include voice-leading optimization.

“I built Song Cage for the thing I actually do with an instrument in my lap, before I hit record,” said Steve Canfield, founder and developer of Song Cage. “Nothing in this tool generates music for you. Every suggestion is real theory, and everything is aware of everything else. Change a melody note and the chord rankings reshuffle. Place a chord and the suggestions for the next slot recalculate. The craft stays in the user’s hands; the tool just makes the reference books live in the same canvas as the writing. The UI is designed for quickly getting ideas out without friction.”

A native iOS and Android capture companion, for recording voice memos and sending lyric and chord fragments to an inbox in the desktop app, is in development and expected for release later in 2026.

Song Cage is available at songcage.com. Free and paid tiers are offered, priced in line with comparable songwriting tools.

ABOUT SONG CAGE
Song Cage is a browser-based songwriting canvas for the pre-DAW phase of music writing. Designed and developed by Steve Canfield, it combines lyrics, chords, melody, and song structure on one grid, with built-in writer’s-block tools, context-aware chord reasoning, and multi-user collaboration. Song Cage is the no-AI alternative in a category dominated by generative tools.

While many metal guitarists might reach for a Jackson, Charvel, or an ESP, Jim Root has consistently made the case that Fenders also belong in the metal conversation. A longtime Fender signature artist, the Slipknot guitarist currently has a signature Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster to his name, all loaded with EMG pickups and characteristically minimal, metal-ready spec sheets.

And as he explains in a new video, it was precisely the fact Fender guitars weren’t typically associated with metal that drew him to the brand in the first place.

• READ MORE: Fender’s Vintera III Series has landed, with “a targeted focus on iconic moments in Fender history”

“The aesthetic of seeing all these legendary rock icons with a Telecaster, sort of mixed with… wanting to go against the grain of being in a band that was labelled as nu metal or metal…” he says.

“But I thought it would be cool to have something that’s just not even close to being associated with metal in a band like that. There’s sort of a juxtaposition to that, that to me is kind of like a ‘Fuck you.’

“…And that’s kind of the whole metal, punk rock, rock and roll attitude. It’s anti, and going against the grain. And if somebody tells you to do something, you’re gonna do the opposite.

“Everybody thought I should be coming out with some pointy metal guitar that’s got 12 points or whatever. No, how about we just do a classic slab iconic guitar? Guitars, in my opinion, are like sunglasses. The classics never go out of style. They’ll always be there. People will make their version of it, but there’s only one Fender Telecaster.

In 2026, Fender is celebrating 75 years of the Telecaster, after the now-legendary model was launched back in 1951. In fact, the Telecaster started life in late 1950 as the Broadcaster, but due to a trademark conflict with Gretsch over its Broadkaster drum kit, the Broadcaster was renamed the Telecaster the following year.

Just last month, Fender unveiled its line of limited-edition 75th Anniversary Telecasters, comprising five models across the brand’s Player II, American Professional and American Ultra II ranges, and including a Cabronita model.

The post Slipknot’s Jim Root explains why Fender Telecasters are like sunglasses appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Just last year, Mason Stoops was on a manhunt for his stolen vintage gear. Unfortunately, it seems like his misfortune is colouring 2026 too; the Californian guitarist has had two of his most important guitars stolen from the back of his van.

Stoops shares the shocking news across a number of Instagram stories, explaining that his favourite 1965 Fender Jazzmaster and an ultra-rare 1961 Gretsch Corvette are “long gone”. The thief has also swiped a pair of Highland Dynamics Delta 4-7 mini preamplifiers, a 1970s Guyatone Wah-Fuzz and Stoops’ favourite green hat.

• READ MORE: The Real Riot Women: the Gen Xers discovering punk and embracing guitar

The guitarist isn’t taking the loss lying down, however. He’s shared plenty of specific details about each guitar to sabotage any plans of the culprit selling on his gear. “Pretty please keep an eye out for these stolen guitars, last seen in Highland Park Neighbourhood, Los Angeles,” he writes, before sharing a slew of photos of his cherished guitars.

In terms of the Jazzmaster, the guitar is already a pretty unique, thanks to its shellac ‘snake-fly green’ finish. Stoops also notes that it has a Mastery bridge, a broken rhythm switch, as well as a “cute lil’ apple sticker” on the headstock. The serial is 110229, while the neck is stamped with 4OCT64B.

“I used on nearly every record I’ve been part of over the last five plus years,” he adds. “It’s a very good Jazzmaster that I will miss very much.”

Then, there’s the “mega rare” Gretsch Corvette, which Stoops explains was “used extensively on the most recent Mumford & Sons tour”. The guitar has a Fink Instruments steel bridge, as well as a ‘Mason’ branded sticker by the control knobs. The series number is 42736.

Stoops has asked anyone with information to come forward. And he’s being supported on his mission to reunite with his lost guitars; Joe Bonamassa has also shared the news of Stoops’ loss, urging his followers to keep an eye out.

“Los Angeles!” Bonamassa writes. “Let’s help our friend Stoops get his two beloved guitars back. This 65 Fender Jazzmaster and 61 Gretsch Corvette were stolen in the Highland Park area this morning… Please share because time is of the essence.”

View this post on Instagram

The post “Pretty please keep an eye out for these stolen guitars”: Mason Stoops is on a hunt for a stolen Jazzmaster and Gretsch Corvette following robbery appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Fender’s vintage-inspired Vintera line just got a major overhaul with the introduction of the sprawling new Vintera III Series.

Like the previous Vintera and Vintera II lines, the new lineup captures the sounds, aesthetics and playability of ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s-era instruments, while this time zeroing in more precisely on specific periods and models from within those decades.

“Designed for players seeking true vintage character, the Vintera III Series introduces an all-new philosophy: a targeted focus on iconic moments in Fender history,” the brand says.

• READ MORE: Massive trove of random rock memorabilia – including Eddie Van Halen’s 6th grade history homework – headed for auction

This refined direction, Fender says, marks a “significant evolution” from the previous Vintera and Vintera II lines, this time focusing on “distinct, era-defining designs”.

Each instrument in the range is made with “painstaking attention to detail”, capturing period-correct aesthetics and colours, and implementing carefully reconstructed necks and pickups.

Those faithfully recreated necks include classic V and D shapes of the mid- and late-’50s to the comfortable medium C profiles of the early ‘60s, plus the slimmer C shapes of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

The pickups in each Vintera III guitar were created by Fender’s in-house engineers, who revisited the brand’s original archives for an accurate, period-correct tone.

Finally, each model is complete with an era-specific headstock, decals, fingerboard inlays, stamps and finishes.

“With the Vintera III Series, we set out to capture the defining moments that shaped Fender’s legacy,” says Max Gutnik, Fender’s Chief Product Officer.

“Rather than broadly representing entire decades, we focused on the most iconic specifications that players continue to seek out today. By zeroing in on these historic designs – from era-correct pickups and neck profiles to period-accurate aesthetics – we’re giving today’s musicians an authentic connection to the instruments that helped define modern music.”

The Vintera III Series is made up of 14 models in total: 10 electric guitars (four Stratocasters, three Telecasters, and a Jaguar, Jazzmaster and Mustang); plus two Jazz Basses, a Precision Bass and a Bass VI. Price-wise, they range between $1,249 and $1499. Take a look at a full list of models on offer below:

• Vintera III Late ‘50s Stratocaster
• Limited Edition Vintera III Late ‘50s Stratocaster
• Vintera III Early ‘60s Stratocaster
• Vintera III Late ‘60s Stratocaster
• Limited Edition Vintera III Early ‘60s Custom Telecaster
• Vintera III Late ‘50s Telecaster
• Vintera III Mid ‘60s Telecaster
• Vintera III Mid ‘60s Jazzmaster
• Vintera III Mid ‘60s Jaguar
• Vintera III Mid ‘60s Mustang
• Vintera III Early ‘60s Jazz Bass
• Vintera III Early ‘70s Jazz Bass
• Vintera III Late ‘60s Precision Bass
• Vintera III Early ‘60s Bass V

Learn more about the all-new Vintera III Series at Fender.

The post Fender’s Vintera III Series has landed, with “a targeted focus on iconic moments in Fender history” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Press Release

Source: Guitar International PR

Yesterday’s guitar donation to Guitars 4 Veterans (G4V) was very special. The guitar an all-solid body Gruene Saratoga with Honduran mahogany b/s, Alpine spruce top (aged 15 years), maple binding, natural abalone inlay with a headstock torch donated by Gruene guitars owners – John  and Peggy Byers of San Antonio, Texas.

(L-R) Rick Landers presents a Gruene Saratoga dreadnaught to Robert Grealy| G4V Chapter Coordinator | Washington D.C. Region.

John retired from the U.S. Coast Guard and donating this to G4V’S was chosen to support and honor our military veterans. John had provided a few of his fine guitars to a local veterans’ group before he passed away from cancer.

At the most recent graduation of veterans who successfully completed G4V’s free guitar lessons program, Rick Landers, publisher/editor, Guitar International magazine, served as an intermediary to present the guitar to Robert Grealy, Washington, D.C. Region Coordinator, of the outstanding veterans support organization.

The high end guitar will be sold by the support organization with proceeds to go to buying entry level guitars for the novice guitar playing vets, many disabled and working hard to meet their challenges, and learning to play has been a huge, sometimes life saving success!

CHECK OUT GUITARS 4 VETERANS HERE!