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Last month, rumours began to swirl about a potential Metallica residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.

According to Vital Vegas, the thrash metal legends were ready to “ink a deal” with the Sphere, following successful residencies by the likes of U2 and Dead & Company at the venue.

Now, in a conversation with Howard Stern, drummer Lars Ulrich has spoken more about the potential residency, and where exactly things are in talks.

• READ MORE: “There’s lots of laws against me selling my invention”: Robert Keeley has made a drive pedal that doubles as a weed vape – but don’t get too excited

“I’m not going to confirm anything, because there’s nothing to confirm,” he says [via NME] “But I’m not going to deny it, because we’re all such fans of this venue.

“All of our managers and our production people have been there and looked at it. It’s something that we’re considering, [but] nothing is etched in stone or green-lit. It’s something that we’re looking at at some point when the 2026 tour is done.”

He continues: “I would fucking love to do it, let there be no question about it. It’s not signed, sealed and delivered, but speaking to me and asking my opinion, I would fucking love to do it.”

Metallica – whose members are all over the age of 60 – show no signs of slowing down, or even stopping playing some of the world’s biggest stages. 

Aside from their ongoing M72 World Tour – which sees them stop at some of the biggest stadiums on the planet, Lars Ulrich also suggests the band would be keen to play at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, given the opportunity.

“Fuck yeah, of course we would,” Lars tells Howard Stern. “First of all we would do it. Second of all, to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit… 

“Certainly as somebody who’s represented San Francisco all over the world and shouted for decades about San Francisco and our love for the Bay Area, that part of it is the right fit. Ultimately it’s not our decision.”

We’ll keep you updated on the status of the potential Metallica residency as we know more. Again, we stress that nothing is signed yet. But the prospect is certainly exciting…

You can check out all of Metallica’s upcoming M72 dates via their official website.

The post “I’m not going to confirm anything – but I’m not going to deny it”: Lars Ulrich on Metallica’s rumoured Las Vegas Sphere residency appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Robert Keeley – founder of Keeley Electronics – has apparently invented a drive pedal that doubles as a weed vape. Only trouble is, he’s not allowed to sell it online due to restrictions on vaping products and, of course, weed.

In a conversation in the new issue of Guitar World, Keeley details the cleverly named Vapor Drive, an overdrive stompbox which, somehow, also serves as a vape.

• READ MORE: “I got fired because I couldn’t get it!”: Eric Johnson relives his most disastrous studio session

“I have a pedal that you can smoke/vape weed/THC out of,” he explains. “It’s the first rechargeable pedal, and it produces the most amazing distortion.

“It charges at five volts through a USB or the standard nine-volt battery, but I can’t sell it on Amazon, eBay or Reverb because it’s a tobacco or vaping product. There’s lots of laws and barriers against me selling my invention.”

As a consequence, the Vapor Drive looks like it’ll be perpetually stuck in the prototype phase, but Keeley’s not losing any sleep over it: “I scratch my head and take a toke from my cordless Vapor Drive pedal!” he jokes.

So, unless the widespread easing of restrictions on weed and vaping products happens, don’t bet on your ability to get a Vapor Drive of your own any time soon.

Robert Keeley and Keeley Electronics have staked a huge claim in the effects pedal market, with highlights including the Keeley Compressor – used by Noel Gallagher, Matt Bellamy and John Mayer, to name a few – and the Katana Clean Boost, which also forms part of John Mayer’s pedalboard.

And it looks like there’s plenty more where that came from. “I don’t plan on selling my company,” Keeley tells Guitar World. 

“There may have been a time in the past, but this is what I love doing. I like the idea of creating a manufacturing business that can sustain generations of employees. Martin, Gibson, Fender, Dunlop and Electro-Harmonix have done it; maybe Keeley can.”

View Keeley’s latest product lineup at Keeley Electronics.

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Andrew Watt has shared a moving tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, describing their close friendship as “the greatest gift of all”.

Osbourne passed away last month at the age of 76, leaving behind an enduring legacy as the Prince of Darkness and frontman of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath. Tributes have poured in from fans and fellow musicians around the world, honouring his decades-long influence and singular voice that helped define an entire genre.

• READ MORE: “The bond we shared with him ran far deeper than music”: Pantera cancel tour dates as Zakk Wylde says they need “time to grieve” Ozzy Osbourne’s death

In a new Instagram post, Watt opens up about the grief of losing his close friend and collaborator. “Still processing saying goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne,” the producer writes. “Someone said ‘Grief is the price of love’. I say that to myself everyday but at the end of the day I just miss my friend so much. There is a new hole in my heart, something I will learn to live with.”

“The music is obvious. How lucky I was to share in a little of Ozzy’s magic, but the friendship was the greatest gift of all. I will miss laughing with you forever Boss. Do you want a kick in the balls?”

Accompanying the post are photos of the pair hanging out on and off stage, along with a video of Ozzy having fun with a harmonica in Watt’s studio.

Watt produced Ordinary Man, Osbourne’s 2020 solo album, and remained a close musical ally in recent years.

“Ozzy and I have a connection that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced,” he told Guitar World in June. “We made some music together that we really love, and we’ll continue making music together forever. More importantly than that, we talk every day and we’re really close friends.”

The producer also took the stage at Back to the Beginning, the all-star tribute show that featured Steven Tyler, Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt and Chad Smith celebrating Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s legacy.

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You wouldn’t think it, but even Grammy-winning guitarists have been fired from studio sessions. Just ask Eric Johnson.

Speaking in a new interview with Guitar World, the Cliffs of Dover icon looks back on some of his earliest and most humbling experiences as a session player, and the one time he got sacked mid-session by a country singer because he simply couldn’t come up with the goods.

• READ MORE: Eric Johnson says “there’s so much option anxiety” when buying new gear in today’s market

“He was a pretty famous guy,” Johnson recalls. “But the piano player had played almost every fill in-between the vocals. Like, he was doing a thing between every vocal, you know?

“So, the producer wanted me to put something in there besides chords, but I couldn’t find any room to put anything in there or play it.”

In order to contribute meaningfully, he says, he would’ve had to learn “every single lick the piano player did” to “either harmonise, or double it, or come up with a continual part” – a task that proved impossible at the time.

“It was taking me forever,” Johnson says. “And I just got fired from the session because I couldn’t get it.”

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the last time Johnson found himself struggling in the studio.

“I was working on a session for Donald Fagan, and that didn’t work out too well, either,” the guitarist recalls. “Not because of him, he was just looking for a certain thing, and I don’t think that I came up with it immediately.”

“Like, sometimes, I guess you want to go with that first impulse. But I guess the first thing that I came up with wasn’t good enough. So, those two things were learning experiences, or some examples of times that it just didn’t work out.”

Not that any of that had slowed him down. If anything, those tough sessions were just part of the long road toward the tone and artistry he’s now celebrated for – a reminder that even guitar heroes have bad days at the office.

The post “I got fired because I couldn’t get it!”: Eric Johnson relives his most disastrous studio session appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Paul Weller has said that he won’t be watching Oasis’ reunion shows – not because he’s not a fan, but because he hates “big gigs”.

Much as the ongoing Oasis tour will go down in history as a “big cultural moment,” the ex-Jam frontman says that even his friendship with Noel Gallagher isn’t enough to get him through the gates of a massive arena.

• READ MORE: Here’s how to build your own version of Noel Gallagher’s touring pedalboard – without rock star money

The Gallagher brothers launched their long-anticipated Live ‘25 tour with two shows at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium last month, before returning to their hometown of Manchester for five nights at Heaton Park, then playing five (of their seven) planned dates at London’s Wembley Stadium.

But despite being one of Noel’s closest mates, Weller is giving the whole thing a pass.

In an interview with Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2, he explains, “I’ve not been to see them, no… I’m not a big fan of big gigs, I said to Noel, a few weeks or months ago: ‘Are you going to do any warm-ups?’ which he wasn’t, but, I’d go and see something like that in a smaller venue, but I just don’t like big gigs. It doesn’t matter who it was, really.”

For Weller, anything beyond the front row just isn’t worth it.

“Inevitably, it doesn’t matter too much where you’re sitting unless you’re right in the front row, you just end up watching the screens,” he says. “It kind of spoils a bit for me because I want to see whoever is playing or singing, and I want to be able to see them.”

That said, the musician insists he’s thrilled the band is back, and sees the reunion as more than just nostalgia.

“You know how it’s going to go for him, it’s going to be mad,” says Weller. “I said to him that it’s going to be a cultural moment because the amount of people I speak to just out on the street, not necessarily who you’d think would be an Oasis fan, but they are all going to it, and it’s a big cultural moment, I think that will be remembered forever.”

“There’s probably not too many bands like them [Oasis] at the moment, y’know, kind of guitar music,” he adds. “I can’t think of any, not from the UK anyway, maybe Fontaines DC is different and people like that. So, I think it’s definitely a younger audience who missed out on that ’90s thing.”

And while that younger crowd is getting a crash course in what made Oasis so iconic, gearheads are being treated to something special, too.

Gibson recently revealed the story behind Noel’s Oasis reunion Les Paul. Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial, Marketing & Cultural Influence at Gibson EMEA said that the guitar took “at least 18 months” to come together and that it wasn’t even designed specifically for the Live ‘25 tour at first.

“It really came from a conversation around creating a Les Paul that would accommodate P-90s (which Noel was playing a lot with NGHFB at the time, favouring Epiphone USA Casinos) at high volumes, without compromising on the sound and tone of the pickup,” Bartram said.

The post The bizarre reason Paul Weller is refusing to watch Oasis’ reunion shows – despite being good friends with Noel Gallagher appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$1,049/£949, fender.com

Let’s face it, most of us have at some point modded one of our electric guitars, indeed for many of us, part of the fun in a journey with a guitar is modding it to make it our own, whether it’s a total re-finish, parts swap, or the quest to expand the tonal palette of a particular instrument with some choice pickup substitution.

• READ MORE: Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose review: “you may have just found your soul mate”

In today’s frenzied world of binge-watch TV boxsets, instant food deliveries, and endlessly scrolling social media, lots of us think we need everything yesterday. Scouring forums, reading reviews, sourcing parts, waiting months for work or refinishing, whilst fun for many, can be a time-consuming and costly process. What if we could buy the guitar with the mods already done right out of the box?

Well that’s just what Fender has done in this expansion of its already impressive Player II series, adding a bunch of modern amenities to the classic recipe in the shape of the new Player II Modified Stratocaster.

Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster – what is it?

The Player II range represents some of the finest guitars to come out of Fender’s Ensenada, Mexico factory to date – the reviews of the various Strats, Teles and Jazzmasters that launched last year were suitably effusive in that regard. But they were unquestionably guitars spec’d with the classic accoutrements of Leo Fender’s legendary masterpieces at heart.

The impressive fundamentals of the Player II guitars have already made them popular modding platforms for more experienced and partial players, who know that a quick swap of hardware or pickups could elevate an already impressive instrument into something that was very much pro-ready.

The Player II Modified range basically takes the strain of all that for you. So in the case of the Strat we have here, it means we get a set of Fender’s all-new Noiseless single-coil pickups, short-post locking tuners, a Tusq nut, and two-point floating trem with block steel saddles, plus a chamfered trem block for increased travel. Under the hood there’s also an enhanced wiring package that lets you add the neck pickup into positions one and two with the pull up of the volume pot, and like the Mike McCready signature Strat, there’s also a treble bleed circuit. In essence, it’s a lot closer in spec and intention to Fender’s American Professional II range, which will cost you an awful lot more.

Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster – build and playability

The first thing I notice upon picking up the guitar is its nice weight out of the box, and a gorgeous feeling one-piece maple neck. The modern C profile and factory-rolled fingerboard edges are retained from the impressive vanilla Player II, and combined with the beautiful smooth satin finish, slick action and jumbo frets, it’s a remarkably easy and fluid guitar to play.

The presence of locking tuners and a Graph Tech Tusq nut should enhance the solid tuning stability of any Strat, and so it is here – combining with that two-point Tremolo to offer a smooth and expressive performance that always returns to pitch.

The Sunshine Yellow finish here might not be to everyone’s taste, but I think it pairs rather nicely with the black pickguard to give a modern Strat twist on the classic ‘blackguard’ Tele colour scheme. If it’s not your bag, then I’m sure one of the Olympic Pearl, Harvest Green Metallic, Dusk or Electric Blue options will take your fancy… or there’s always the more ubiquitous 3-Colour Sunburst option.

Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster – sounds

The best description of the sounds this guitar produces is to think of a traditional Strat, but in higher definition. Bigger, crisper, cleaner, no hum – almost a ready-produced tone that players who use digital modellers or record direct will appreciate.

The Player II Fender Noiseless Strat pickups here read a touch hotter than standard Strat pickups, all seem to be in the 10-12K range on my meter. But when combined with rolling off the volume control, the tremendously useful treble bleed cap brilliantly retains top-end clarity. The Player II Modified dishes up a superb and broad palette of classic Strat sounds.

Most revelatory compared to my usual reference maple-necked Strat, even with higher-gain settings, is the almost unnerving absence of 60-cycle hum from the Noiseless pickups – a bonus not to be discounted for playing loud stages or working in front of computer monitors in a studio.

The bridge pickup is punchy without being abrasive, offering powerful classic twang snarl with gain and plenty of snap to low notes with cleaner sounds. The oft underused, but my personal favourite, middle position is perfect for singing sweet melody lines and strumming chords. The neck position gives us the classic flutey lead tones that Gilmour and Hendrix revelled in, but there’s more here. These pickups can handle more gain than a classic Strat set without extraneous noise becoming an issue – giving it a broader palette to work with across the board.

There is a modern hi-fi sheen to the top-end voice of the guitar that I’d put down to these Noiseless pickups, and it sits perfectly for indie jangle and pop and retains clarity under serious gain even into digital modellers and pedal-laden boards. Stepping on my favourite high-gain fuzz pedal with a splash of chorus sets us firmly in shoegaze heaven.

Plugging into a high-gain modern rock setup, the Player II Modified Strat retains impressive clarity and note definition. Rolling down the volume control retains top-end detail thanks to the well-tuned treble bleed circuit, and adds greater breadth to an already versatile guitar.

Setting your amp or drive pedal gain a touch higher for lead sounds and then playing most of the time at 6-8 on the volume control before jumping to 10 for leads and riffs to cut through in a band mix is a super way to get so much more from your setup.

It shouldn’t be underestimated how useful a mod the push-pull switching is here. Having the ability to add the neck pickup to the bridge in position one takes us squarely to Tele land, albeit with the Strat’s calling card of tactile top-end sweetness. It’s the kind of mod I wish I had on all my Strats – and it’s going to be a huge selling point for these guitars in a guitar shop playtest setting, no doubt.

Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster – should I buy one?

Many Strat fans will prefer the characterful idiosyncrasies of a classic set-up, and Fender caters very well to those players with the Vintera II and American Original lines. Nobody’s going to take your microphonic pickups and bent steel saddles away from you just because this thing exists.

But for more contemporary spec-inclined players who work in noisy venues or record regularly with screens and other sources of audio interference as challenges, the range of classic and modern tones on offer here is hugely compelling.

It’s also nice to see a gigbag included (Fender ditched them from the base Player II range) but the basic Fender bag remains a somewhat non-reassuring thing – it would have been better to see that get a bit of modification love too. But that aside, Fender has created what is a superbly professionally-spec’d guitar that gives its US instruments a run for their money – and the biggest winner when that happens is us players.

Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster – alternatives

If you want some genuine Leo Fender pedigree, then G&L’s Tribute Legacy ($649/£545) could be classed as the man himself’s final word on the S-type, with a similarly modded feel. PRS also has taken a stab at bringing the Strat into the 21st century with the SE Silver Sky ($849/£849) – its sounds are very much rooted in the classics, however.

The post Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster review: “it gives Fender’s US instruments a run for their money” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Looking back on some of his fondest gig memories from his storied six-decade career, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has detailed one unfortunate incident during a show in London in the late ‘60s.

Specifically, the show took place at Royal Festival Hall on 14 April, 1969, and during rehearsal, Gilmour suffered an electric shock due to a “wiring error” with some of the equipment.

• READ MORE: “For someone to do it better than him, they’re gonna have to reinvent the guitar all over again”: Kirk Hammett thinks no guitarist will ever eclipse Eddie Van Halen

In the afternoon rehearsal there had been a wiring error, and I got electrocuted,” he recalls in the new issue of Record Collector. “I flew over the drum kit and landed on the floor on the other side, missing Nick’s head by inches.”

As he explains, “The shock stays in you for a long time, and my fingers were still shaking all through the concert.”

Gilmour doesn’t pinpoint exactly what piece of equipment was responsible for the electric shock, but notes that the band had a “reputation for using new electronics”.

“In Pompeii, we were asked, ‘Do you control them, or do they control you?’ Well, let them control you and see what happens. There was a moment when there was a lot of that electronic gear coming at us, partly because we were friends with Peter Zinovieff, who owned Electronic Music Systems [EMS] in Putney.

“I would go round his house and into his big shed where he would be looking to miniaturise electronics into a briefcase. The VCS3 was a big wooden thing and the Synthi AKS was pretty much the same, with extra electronics.

Elsewhere in the interview, Gilmour reflects on his latest solo album. “I love Luck and Strange,” he says. “I would venture to suggest it’s my best solo album. Maybe it’s my best album. I’m really satisfied with the way it came out with the team of people that came together to make it.”

Mentioning, specifically, vocalist and collaborator Polly Samson, he continues: “My main ally in all this is Polly, who is a brilliant lyricist and has ideas about every part of it.”

The post “I flew over the drum kit and missed Nick’s head by inches”: David Gilmour on the time he suffered an electric shock during a 1969 Pink Floyd rehearsal due to a “wiring error” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Guitarist Zakk Wylde believes that an artist should never forget where they came from – and one of the easiest ways to do that is to hang on to your early gear.

Despite making a name for himself as Ozzy Osbourne’s chief axeman and fronting Black Label Society, the guitarist has never forgotten the instrument that started it all – a 1981 Gibson Firebrand SG in Pelham Blue. “I still have it,” he reveals in the latest issue of Guitar World. “I sold it but managed to buy it back, which was an amazing feeling”

• READ MORE: Halestorm pick their five most underrated rock and metal bands

“I think it’s important to keep your early gear if you can; there’s something special about picking up a guitar years later and thinking about the hours you put in,” he explains. “Those first guitars are what set you off on the path. I have friends who say they wish they still have some old toy or something, and I always say just go and hunt one down on the internet! Reconnect yourself, you know?”

What was so special about Wylde’s Firebrand SG in particular? Well, as the guitarist explains, it was the “first real ‘quality’ guitar” he ever got his hands on. “I did so much of my learning on it,” he reflects. “I bought it at Red Bank Music [in New Jersey] back in the day. There was a lot of publicity for these models at the time; I remember the Gibson ads saying, ‘A Firebrand for under a grand’. It was a fantastic guitar, though, and a major step up for me.”

“Before I got it, I had a bunch of guitars that weren’t anywhere close to the SG,” he continues. “There was a copy of a Gibson L6 with action that was about 10 feet off the neck. I had a Fernandes and a couple of Electras in crazy shapes and some other stuff that was pretty crappy. The ones I didn’t hang on to, I tried to pick up in later years on eBay or Reverb; some I managed to buy back from the guys I’d sold them to, so I have all my childhood memory guitars one way or another.”

As Wylde explains the history behind his first ‘quality’ guitar, it’s clear why it’s so important to him. It not only symbolises his novice years, but it also reminds him of the people and shows that helped him progress along the way. “My guitar teacher at the time, Leroy, recommended the guitar to me,” he says. “He was a fan of SGs; he thought the double cutaways and access to the top frets would suit the stuff I wanted to play. I wasn’t really playing shows when I got it, more parties and jamming in the basement. I spent a ton of time woodshedding…”

“I never changed a single thing on it – it’s completely stock,” he insists. “I still pull it out from time to time at home; it’s a bit of a lost classic in the Gibson range. Another thing about it was the colour, which I liked so much that I’ve used it on a few guitars since then as well as on some of my own Wylde Audio fiddles.”

Wylde has spoken out about never selling your first guitar in the past. During an interview with the Musicians Institute back in 2019, he said: “It doesn’t matter if the guitar is the biggest pile of garbage on the planet, it’s the connection that you have with that guitar… It has a life of its own.”

While Wylde is precious about his Firebrand SG, he has happily sold other guitars that hold less emotional significance to him over the years. Back in 2023, Wylde was flogging signed, road-used guitars while filling in for Dimebag Darrell on the Pantera celebration tour. Fans who opted for a VIP package were entitled to a Wylde Audio Barbarian guitar in Orange Buzzsaw, Genesis Bullseye or Purple Blizzard finishes, as well as a meet and greet with the guitarist.

The post “There’s something special about picking up a guitar years later and thinking about the hours you put in”: Zakk Wylde says you should never sell the gear you started with appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Aside from his other-worldly chops, Carlos Santana has a deeply spiritual connection to his guitar playing.

With an illustrious career now spanning 60 years, the Mexican-American guitarist has won 10 grammy awards and sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and he credits this success with making listeners feel what’s coming from his soul as a guitar player.

• READ MORE: “For someone to do it better than him, they’re gonna have to reinvent the guitar all over again”: Kirk Hammett thinks no guitarist will ever eclipse Eddie Van Halen

He explains that to best convey emotion and soul, guitarists should practice improvisation.

“Anybody can practice scales up and down,” he explains in the new issue of Guitar World. “But there’s something about coming down a water slide. You don’t know how you’re going to land; it might be on your head or on your feet. That’s what happens when you deviate from the melody.”

In Santana’s view, a guitarist should seek to evoke the same emotions in a listener as a vocalist would.

“I don’t care who you are, whether you are Al Di Meola or not, I’d recommend this to any guitar player. If you spend even one day learning how to play and phrase like those lady soul singers, you will become a better musician. This is the truth. This is genuinely the most important part of the interview – right now.

“The only thing people will remember about your music is how you made them feel. They are not going to remember all the fast scales and ‘Look at what I can do!’ moments. But they will remember those three notes that made the hairs stand on the back of the neck and tears come out of their eyes, even if they don’t know why. That’s a whole other element, one I call spirit. Some people don’t know how to play with spirit, heart and soul.”

Santana explains that choosing the right notes when constructing a melody is “like putting your fingers in water and sprinkling someone’s face with water, or if you take a spoon to grapefruit and it squirts”.

“Those are the good notes,” he explains. “A lot of people don’t know how to squirt their best notes!”

“I learned this stuff from Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Albert King and Freddie King. If you don’t know how to squirt, everything is contained, and it can get boring after a while. I like being squirted in the face by music because it makes me feel alive.

He concludes: “The goal of any guitar player, whatever the style may be – from funk and flamenco to heavy metal – is to make the listener feel alive. A good guitar solo should sound like an orgasm. I can hear it in Eddie Van Halen’s playing, and the same goes for Jimi Hendrix. I live for the juicy notes.”

In the same interview, Carlos Santana reveals he once had a dream in which Stevie Ray Vaughan visited him and told him to convince his brother Jimmie to borrow his Dumble amp.

“He wanted to utilise my body and hands because he missed playing guitar,” he says.

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Will there ever be another guitarist who changes music quite like Eddie Van Halen? Metallica’s Kirk Hammett isn’t convinced.

As Hammett explains in a new interview with Consequence – in which he lists 11 albums every guitarist should own – EVH “reinvented the guitar”, and for anyone to make the same impact, they’d need to do the same.

• READ MORE: Ariel Posen on his new Fender Custom Shop signature Stratocaster: “I felt like my sound was right there immediately!”

Of Van Halen’s entire catalogue, Hammett contests that every guitarist – nay, “everyone” – should own the band’s 1978 debut album, Van Halen I. This album featured the likes of Eruption, You Really Got Me, Runnin’ With The Devil and Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.

Speaking specifically on Eddie Van Halen’s style on this album, Kirk Hammett explains: “[He] never really went into harmonic minor or anything like that, or augmented scales or diminished stuff. Black Sabbath does it, we do it, tonnes of bands do it.

“Eddie’s riffs were kind of just like major-sounding riffs. Sometimes he had minor sounding stuff, too, but that says a lot in terms of how Van Halen’s music sounded. A lot of Van Halen sounds like good-time party music because that’s just the way that Eddie Van Halen wrote the guitar riffs. And it’s a beautiful thing in itself because he was able to write all sorts of songs that had all sorts of emotions and feelings.”

Of course, if there’s one technique Eddie Van Halen was best known for, it was two-handed tapping.

“There are people doing a right-hand technique on the neck, but not like Eddie,” Hammett explains.

“Eddie blew it open and hands down was the best guy in doing all that stuff. Absolutely the best guy in creating those amazing tapping licks and harmonic licks and crazy sort of note patterns. He was the king of all that stuff. No one did it better.

“For someone to do it better than him, they’re gonna have to reinvent the guitar all over again ‘cause Eddie reinvented the guitar. There wasn’t anyone who did that since Jimi Hendrix. And then Eddie did it.”

Elsewhere, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale recently waxed lyrical on Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang, even going as far as to say he’ll “save rock ‘n’ roll” with his band Mammoth.

“He’s a humble kid, there’s none of that ‘I’m a rock star’s kid’ stuff,” she said. “I’ve met quite a few of those guys that think that they’re better than everybody else because their dad was famous. That’s never been Wolfie.”

The post “For someone to do it better than him, they’re gonna have to reinvent the guitar all over again”: Kirk Hammett thinks no guitarist will ever eclipse Eddie Van Halen appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

If you’ve spent any time in the presence of Ariel Posen playing guitar – whether online or in the flesh – you’ll know that he is one of the most expressive and spellbinding guitar players on the scene right now.

• READ MORE: Halestorm pick their five most underrated rock and metal bands

It was entirely fitting then that the Canadian guitarist teamed up with Fender Custom Shop to create a limited edition signature instrument. But Posen’s signature Strat has certainly turned heads – even among those who aren’t fans of the 39-year-old – not just because it’s drop dead gorgeous, because that’s a given for the Custom Shop, but because it was a very unique and unconventional take on a Strat.

So instead of the classic recipe of three single coils and a synchronized tremolo, Posen opted to spec his guitar with a pair of P-90s, a hardtail bridge and even the knob layout was streamlined – with just a single master volume and tone for both pickups.

“I’ve been digging the two-pickup set up on a Strat-style guitar for a long time,” Posen explains of his decision. “I found after years and years of playing Strats, I think I just don’t connect with the three single coils as much. I find I don’t play like myself as much.”

Usually the default for a two-pickup guitar is to rock with humbuckers, but Posen’s experience playing a Jazzmaster sold him on the benefit of two single coils.

“I didn’t want to do two humbuckers as I really like low-output pickups,” Posen adds. “I knew I loved the sound of a Jazzmaster neck pickup (and the neck pickup in my Strat is wired to the spec of my actual JM). So when we started talking about the bridge pickup, the suggestion of P-90s came up and traditionally, I wasn’t always gravitating towards them, but decided to try it again and immediately connected with it. The way it complimented the JM-derived pickup was beautiful and I felt like my sound was right there immediately!”

The pickups themselves are unique to this guitar too, and were created for Ariel by Fender’s pickup guru Tim Shaw.

“Tim was amazing to work with,” Ariel gushes. “I said what I didn’t like, and said what I loved, and he kind of gave me an ‘anything is possible’ perspective. Lots of calls back and forth to discuss. It’s hard to describe sound with words, but we managed to do it and when the first set was ready in the prototype, it was just ‘it’.”

One For The Road

The prototype Ariel mentions is a guitar that Ariel has been seen a lot with over the last couple of years – it was here that all the important stuff of the final guitar was tested and refined.

“That was the prototype for the signature,” he confirms. “I had been messing around with some Strats, throwing different configurations of pickups in them. Each time I would talk to my friend at Fender, I’d talk about my experimenting and eventually they just said, ‘What if we just did a model?’ That kept the experimentation going.

“It took about two and a half years from originally chatting – these things take a while! So yeah, the Custom Shop Strat you’re referring to was the first official prototype. We kinda nailed it right on the first try, minus some cosmetic stuff. But the core elements and the sound was there first try.”

The cosmetic stuff he mentions were pretty minor, but they all add up. “The Lake Placid Blue on the first was a little ‘too’ blue,” he admits. “I also decided not to go matching headstock. That was based on the look of my Jazzmaster, and while it looks great on that, I just never connected with the look of it the same way on the Strat! Much happier with what I ended up going with.”

If you’ve seen Ariel at shows in recent years you’ll notice that he has a thing for blue guitars, in addition to his Jazzmaster, he also owns a blue Mule Mulecaster…

“I do like blue!” he chuckles. “If you’re gonna do a signature model, it should represent your aesthetic. My other Strat that the neck of this guitar is based on is a beautiful sunburst with a heavy relic but I feel like it’s the most common looking finish on a guitar, especially a Strat. I just wanted to lean into what was true to myself and authentic. I also think it looks nice!”

Hard Lines

Perhaps the other biggest departure from the traditional Strat recipe on Ariel’s signature is the lack of vibrato – a decision that’s been borne out from hard lessons learned on the road.

“I love vibrato-equipped guitars; however, as a touring musician and someone who’s in the studio a lot, or other higher pressure situations, I didn’t want to lean on a guitar that had a floating system of any kind,” he explains. “I used to love having the whammy on a Strat but every time I’d break a string, the guitar becomes unusable. In the middle of a show, you’re kind of stuck. It was a decision out of necessity, and maybe this is crazy, but I feel like there’s a little more resonance in the sound of the guitar where it’s hard-tailed. Maybe I made that up, but I’ve just been digging that set up more on Strat the last few years!”

Another thing that you won’t find anywhere on Ariel’s signature Strat is… well… a signature… “Honestly, I didn’t even discuss it,” he explains of the lack of his name anywhere on the guitar. “It’s not a big deal to me. They would have put it on if I asked! The guitar is unique and people will know that it’s my model, but also, I’d love for people to want to use it as a tool and not just play it because it is or isn’t a signature model of someone!”

That’s not to say that Ariel is taking this moment in his career lightly however, far from it – he understands what a moment it is for any guitar player to have a signature Fender guitar.

“I can’t say it was something I planned on doing,” he admits. “Sure, it’s a dream, but not something I was actively chasing with anyone. In fact, I never assumed I’d have this opportunity, so when it came up, I was just as surprised as anyone else would be.

“I truly believe that it is a really great and solid instrument, and a really fresh take on something that has been done the same way so many times before. I can’t say enough how grateful I am – I definitely don’t take the opportunity for granted. It’s not something that everyone gets to do and I’m incredibly grateful to be able to experience it! A milestone indeed.”

Find out more about the Ariel Posen Strat at fender.com

The post Ariel Posen on his new Fender Custom Shop signature Stratocaster: “I felt like my sound was right there immediately!” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler says he probably wouldn’t be able to play some parts of their 1985 Brothers In Arms album today, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic slowed him down.

The classic album, which marked their fifth studio release, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. It featured hits like Money For Nothing and became the first album to sell one million copies on CD. Knopfler isn’t too stressed about the pandemic’s impact on his playing though, as he’s actually looking forward to improving again.

• READ MORE: “Everybody shouted at once, ‘No! Don’t touch it!’”: How a microphone mishap led Mark Knopfler to finding the perfect guitar tone for Money For Nothing

In a Guitar World interview, Knopfler says, “It’s tempting just to say, ‘Oh, it’s nothing’ and downplay it, but thinking about Brothers in Arms now, it seems like that record meant so much to so many people”

He adds, “The CD had just been invented and they decided it would be a super idea to push Brothers In Arms in hi-fi shops. That’s where a lot of people first heard it. Then the singles made it in different countries and it became a worldwide thing. Next thing you know, you’re in the eye of the storm.”

Asked if he would play the guitar parts on the record differently today, he replies, “I probably wouldn’t be able to play them so well now. But I’m hoping to put my head down and really get back into some proper playing in the near future. Covid slowed me down a lot. I’ve had it three times.

He continues, “If you’re away from the guitar for a while, your pads get softer and you lose your facility a little bit. So I’m really looking forward to improving. I think what happens is, you develop lazy techniques. I’m forever doing that. You know, half-chords, these little semi-shapes. It wouldn’t make a teacher very happy.”

A deluxe 40th anniversary edition of Brothers In Arms is out now – find out more or order it now via Mark Knopfler’s official website.

The post Mark Knopfler admits he “probably wouldn’t be able to play” parts of this classic Dire Straits album now appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Joe Bonamassa is embracing his difference as a modern blues player, and says he’d much rather put his own spin on the genre than appease the purists.

The blues is drenched in history, with so many greats having paved the way for artists like Bonamassa to come along, from B.B. King to Buddy Guy. With so many inspiring players having shaped its early beginnings, there are many out there who believe it’s a genre that should be honoured and left unchanged.

• READ MORE: “Maybe some young kids will be like, ‘Wow, I saw that movie. I like what he played. I wanna try that’”: Buddy Guy’s cameo in Sinners was to “help the blues”

In JoBo’s case, he’s done with trying to please this community of blues lovers, and feels his superpower as a player is in his personal touch on a genre that so many of us respect.

He tells Guitar World, “What I interpret the blues as is different from what other people interpret the blues as. I’m long past the point of caring. There’s nothing I can do to change people’s opinions about me, nor do I wish to.”

He adds, “It doesn’t matter, because when I look at our last set of gigs and I see full arenas, I think, ‘We did something right, and the music struck a chord with a large number of people.’

“So do I placate the minority of folks, or do I play an arena gig with blues songs that nobody else is doing? I’d rather do the latter. Why do I have to impress 10 people when a thousand people are saying, ‘Hey, man – I dig this’?”

Even while doing things his own way, there’s no doubt that Bonamassa pays his respects to the guitar greats. Back in early July, he wrapped a trio of shows in Cork, Ireland paying tribute to the legendary Rory Gallagher.

After the shows, he reflected on what he called “the biggest honour and greatest challenge” in a post on Instagram. He wrote, “I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and to have conquered my own self-doubt in accepting this incredible honour and responsibility.

“I hope we all did Rory right and played these shows in his spirit. I hope he would have been proud to see the love from his hometown carrying his legacy on. An honour of a lifetime for that I will never forget. Thank you Donal, Daniel, Eoghan and the entire Gallagher family for your trust.”

Joe Bonamassa’s new album Breakthrough is available to buy or stream now. He is also currently on tour in the US.

The post “Why do I have to impress 10 people when a thousand people are saying, ‘Hey, man – I dig this’?”: Joe Bonamassa is done with criticism from blues purists appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Blackstar has unveiled Polar Go, a “pocket-sized” two-in-one audio interface and stereo recorder.

Designed to “meet the needs of modern creators”, Polar Go has all the features you’d expect in a streamlined portable audio interface, including a combo XLR/ ¼” mic, line and instrument input – with +48V phantom power for condenser mics – a 3.5mm headphone output and dual USB-C ports for power and data.

Where Blackstar looks to set the Polar Go apart from its competitors, though, is in the addition of built-in ProCapture stereo mics.

• READ MORE: The PRS SE Silver Sky is now available in four new finishes – inspired, according to John Mayer, by “traditional American fashion”

The company claims these built-in mics are fit to capture both vocals and instruments with “stunning depth and clarity”.

Additionally, the Polar Go has a companion app – available on both iOS and Android – which ties in to Blackstar’s content creator target audience.

Features of the app include built-in video recording – so you can sync video captured using your smartphone with audio captured through the Polar Go’s stereo mics – as well as a “simple, intuitive UI made for creators”.

There’s also a Magic Wand tool for auto-enhancing audio with a single tap, and presets for vocals, guitar, podcasts and more.

The Polar Go also has a rechargeable battery with up to six hours of battery life, and is compatible with GarageBand, BandLab, and all major recording apps.

“Polar Go is more than a mobile interface; it’s a complete, pocket-sized studio designed for the modern creator,” says Blackstar. 

“With a built-in stereo mic system powered by Blackstar’s exclusive ProCapture technology, Polar Go delivers  crystal-clear, professional-grade sound straight from your phone, tablet, or laptop, no studio or experience required. 

“Whether you’re a singer-songwriter, podcaster, livestreamer or filmmaker, Polar Go transforms your audio from  phone-quality to studio-ready instantly. Just plug in and create, anywhere, anytime.”

The Polar Go is priced at £79. Learn more at Blackstar.

The post Blackstar launches Polar Go – a “pocket-sized” audio interface with built-in stereo mics appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Is it possible to pinpoint the birth of heavy metal? Obviously, many generally agree that the genre is the handiwork of Black Sabbath, but according to author and music journalist Jason Schneider, it was actually Jimi Hendrix who got the wheels in motion.

In a new interview with Booked on Rock, Schneider – who just released his new book That Gun in Your Hand: The Strange Saga of ‘Hey Joe’ and Popular Music’s History of Violence – contests that The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1966 version of Hey Joe could be where metal first found its footing.

• READ MORE: “He said, ‘Carlos, where I am, I don’t have any fingers’”: Carlos Santana says Stevie Ray Vaughan came to him in a dream and told him to borrow his brother Jimmie’s Dumble amp

“People have debates all the time about the origins of hard rock or heavy metal,” he says [via Ultimate Guitar]. “But I think going back to that time, 1966, when Jimi and bands like The Who were just first starting to make records, they wanted volume. And of course Cream, Eric Clapton: the birth of the Marshall amplifier.

“I think all of that just, if you want to trace the origins of heavy metal back to anything, I think that’s where I would go.”

As Schneider points out, the recording sessions for Hey Joe saw Hendrix fighting against the engineer to reach the loud, high-gain sound he was used to.

“Jimi approached it as if you were on stage, so he instinctively just cranked his amp up to maximum,” Schneider explains. “And that’s something that the studio engineer had never experienced before.

“So, all of a sudden, here’s Jimi playing at top volume, and all kinds of things are rattling around the studio. But Jimi refused to turn down. And that was the sound, so they had to kind of eventually work out a compromise.”

Of course, it was Black Sabbath’s arrival in 1968 and their massively distorted riffs which truly set the foundations for what would become the heavy metal genre we know today. 

But did Hendrix, Clapton and other guitarists who loved cranking the gain on their amps pave the way for them? Jason Schneider certainly thinks so, and we can totally buy it.

Watch the full interview below:

The post “If you want to trace the origins of heavy metal back to anything, that’s where I would go”: Music journalist says this Jimi Hendrix song gave birth to metal music appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Carlos Santana certainly has a spiritual side, and says he often gets “visitations” from other musicians both dead and alive.

One particular visit came from legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who asked Santana to borrow his treasured Dumble Steel String Singer amplifier from his brother Jimmie, so he could play guitar through it once again through Santana’s physical body.

• READ MORE: What kind of maniac brings a Dumble to a guitar retreat – and lets everyone play it? Robben Ford, apparently

In an interview for Guitar World’s latest print issue, he explains, “I call them visitations. I get visitations from Miles Davis sometimes, as well as B.B. King. You don’t have to be dead to visit me. Sometimes a dream is not a dream; someone has come back to communicate with you.”

He adds, “I feel very honoured that these people come to me. Sometimes I feel like I’m like [John F. Kennedy International Airport] and all these musicians are landing on me and sharing things. I have to figure out what it all means.”

This may all sound a little crazy to those who aren’t so spiritual, but according to Santana, he’s not the only one who has these dreams. Apparently, SRV’s guitar tech had the exact same dream Santana did regarding the revered boutique Dumble amp.

“With Stevie, he was saying, ‘Carlos, where I am, I don’t have any fingers; I am only spirit.’ He missed putting his fingers on a guitar and making the speakers push air. He told me to call his brother Jimmie [Vaughan] and ask him to lend me his amp, the #007 Dumble, and then play it with a Strat so he could feel it through me.

“You know that Ghost movie with Whoopi Goldberg? There’s a part where a ghost comes into her body so he can feel. That’s what Stevie was doing. He wanted to utilise my body and hands because he missed playing guitar.”

He continues, “Jimmie wasn’t sure at first. Fortunately, Stevie’s tech, René Martinez, had the same dream and called Jimmie, which is how we convinced him to lend me the amplifier. The last person to borrow it was John Mayer. Let’s just say Jimmie doesn’t loan that thing out very easily.”

After cancelling some shows earlier this year after contracting Covid, Carlos Santana is back healthy, and is touring across Europe this month. He then kicks off his House of Blues residency in Las Vegas in September.

View a full list of his upcoming dates via his official website.

The post “He said, ‘Carlos, where I am, I don’t have any fingers’”: Carlos Santana says Stevie Ray Vaughan came to him in a dream and told him to borrow his brother Jimmie’s Dumble amp appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

PRS has refreshed its SE Silver Sky guitar by introducing four new colours, created in collaboration with its signature artist John Mayer.

The finishes, which are available for the first time on any PRS model, are almost crayon-like and nostalgic, with three primary colours and an added dark green hue. They are: Derby Red, Trad Blue, Laurel Green, and Dandy Lion (yellow). Each is available in a left-handed format too.

• READ MORE: Paul Reed Smith says there’s “nothing more important” to guitar making than this

The models have all the typical features of the SE Silver Sky, which launched in 2022 as a slightly more affordable alternative to the original John Mayer signature released in 2018. The SE has a poplar body, bolt-on maple neck, and rosewood fretboard with PRS’ trademark, instantly recognisable bird inlays.

It offers a 22-fret, 25.5” scale length featuring the original 635JM carve and an 8.5” fretboard radius. It’s anchored by three single-coil 635JM “S” pickups, a two-point steel tremolo, synthetic bone nut, and vintage-style tuners.

“The new Silver Sky SE lineup features four new colours inspired by traditional American fashion. These are time-tested hues that have been popular through decades, and I’m excited to share them with the world as the latest SE colourways,” comments Mayer.

Take a look at the new finishes below:

The Maple version of the SE Silver Sky is also being updated alongside this new launch, with two new finishes previously offered on the rosewood-equipped model. The SE Silver Sky Maple now introduces Moon White, Stone Blue, Summit Purple, and Nylon Blue. The Maple model landed in 2023 following the first SE launch, and both models earned a 9/10 in our respective reviews.

PRS Guitars is continuing its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025, with more new gear and limited-edition guitars coming throughout the year in honour of its 40th Anniversary.

To find out more or locate a dealer for the new SE Silver Sky Rosewood colours, head to the PRS Guitars website.

The post The PRS SE Silver Sky is now available in four new finishes – inspired, according to John Mayer, by “traditional American fashion” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

£235/€279/$295, crazytubecircuits.com

If you’ve ever watched old footage of Angus Young bouncing across the stage with his SG, you might have noticed that he never trips up his bandmates with a gigantic snaking cable. That’s because, as far back as the late 70s, he was using the wireless Schaffer-Vega Diversity System. While modern wireless units are prized for their transparent nature, the Diversity certainly added its own tonal colour to proceedings – but to Angus’ mind this was no bad thing. In fact, he liked what the wireless unit did to his signal so much, he started using it in the studio as well.

• READ MORE: The Gear Used By Angus Young and Malcolm Young on AC/DC’s Back In Black

So you can see what Crazy Tube Circuits’ designers were thinking when they set out to create the ultimate drive pedal for AC/DC fans: fiery Marshall amp tones are one thing, but why not include the Schaffer-Vega bit as well? Thus, the Heatseeker overdrive and preamp/enhancer.

Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker – what is it?

CTC has been going big on dual gain pedals of late, and this one follows the usual template, with drive on the left footswitch and the boosty business on the right; you can run the latter into the former, or use each on its own, and there’s an effects loop for any other pedals you might want to put between the two.

Key to the overdrive part of the deal is a three-way toggle switch for choosing between Marshall JTM45, Super Lead and Master Volume sounds. You also get a three-way tonestack along with presence, preamp volume (gain) and output level, plus a ‘wall of sound’ switch that can be engaged to “increase the soundstage” – whatever that might mean.

All these tonal toys mean the left side of the pedal is more than slightly crowded – manipulating those little toggles is like performing keyhole surgery on a squirrel – but over on the right we find just two controls: boost level (up to 15dB) and a larger second knob to “enhance dynamic response and harmonics”. Hmm, intriguing.

It’s all JFET-based, and the circuit is boosted internally to 27v for a more amp-like feel. So I guess this is literally high-voltage rock’n’roll?

Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker – what does it sound like?

Every time you add something to this pedal it sounds bigger, brighter and better – but it would be a mistake to overlook the simple charms of the mid-gain JTM45 tone with all the knobs at halfway. It’s rich, smooth and tight, and a strong starting point for any journey into Plexi-land.

The tone controls are solid, and the presence knob works at least as well as it does on the average Marshall amp, but it’s the two toggles that really bring this unit to life. The three amp types sound markedly different in terms of top-end friskiness and saturation, but are all equally good – and a flick of the switch to engage the wall of sound adds depth and ‘bigness’ in a way that makes it hard to turn off again.

Hit the other footswitch and you soon know you’re not dealing with a standard boost circuit. It’s bright and peppy, but somehow more integrated into the tone than an all-out treble booster. There’s also some extra compression in there, which just adds to the sense of excitement.

It’s ironic, though, that the biggest knob on the pedal is the one that has the least effect. I had some real “Is this thing working?” moments with the enhance dial, which is so subtle that you might well wonder why they bothered. And of course, if they hadn’t bothered, that would have opened up some much-needed room for the overdrive controls…

Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker – should I buy it?

I’m wary of enhancers in principle. If your tone is so flat and lifeless without one, doesn’t that mean you have a more fundamental problem to fix? So let’s focus on the left side of the pedal – this is a fine Marshall-voiced overdrive with a lot of really useful tone-adjusting features, and the enhancer is just one of them: a powerfully biting boost that’s best reserved for solos. Think of it that way around and the Heatseeker looks like an excellent option for those about to rock.

Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker alternatives

Our galaxy is home to billions and billions of Marshall-emulating overdrive pedals, many of them with a built-in boost. Another Greek-made option is the Tsakalis AudioWorks Room #40 (€240), and I’m a big fan of the DryBell Engine (€340). But if it’s just the sound of that old wireless system you’re after, try the SoloDallas Schaffer Replica Classic (€269).

The post Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker review: “You don’t need to be an AC/DC geek to be thunderstruck by the range of hard-rocking tones on offer here” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Earlier this July, Noel Gallagher presented possibly the greatest gift to any Oasis gear-obsessive: a complete photograph of his entire pedalboard for the band’s Live ‘25 reunion shows, and even a shot of his amp set up too.

The band are currently amid the first leg of the global tour, which kicked off in Cardiff on 4 July and marked their first live performance together since their infamous split in 2009. With both Gallagher brothers in good spirits and bucket hats back in fashion, now is the perfect time to brush up on your britpop guitar work.

The good news? Most of Gallagher’s pedals are actually pretty cheap and cheerful, and you could easily grab one from a guitar store or online retailer. The bad news? His more boutique selections are pretty much impossible to track down, and would cost you an arm and a leg if you did manage to stumble upon one. One of his pedals is even on ‘borrow’ from Paul Stacey, and when we say borrow, we mean he’s never getting it back.

So with that in mind, we’ve tracked down some of the best low-cost alternatives for the most rare and expensive pedals in his collection, and we’ve also found a few handy swaps for some of the more accessible items too, just in case they’re not of interest to you, or you just want an excuse to buy more pedals.

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Rarity: SIB! Echodrive

We’re starting with the toughest out of them all – the coveted blue SIB! Echodrive. This pedal has been a mainstay on Gallagher’s board for years now, and has been used across his gigs with both Oasis and his High Flying Birds band. It’s a 12AX7 tube-driven overdrive and delay pedal all in one. Gallagher never really uses it for the latter function, but is a huge fan of its drive.

We say this pedal is the toughest one to duplicate out of all of Gallagher’s units because it’s notoriously known that there is no faithful emulation of it on the market right now, and other drive pedals are often said not to come close to its revered tone. Just to give you an idea on how much this one might cost you, its similarly rare Fatdrive sibling retails for over £1,000 second-hand. However, we have found one cheaper option you could certainly give a go:

Alternative: Keeley Electronics DDR

The Keeley Electronics Drive Delay Reverb features, as you’d maybe expect, drive, delay and reverb. Both the time-based and overdrive sides of the pedal are completely independent, so you can choose to purely crank up its drive capabilities similarly to Gallagher’s approach. And for an extra bit of reassurance, we rated it a glowing 9/10 in our 2019 review, and you can hear it in action in our very own demo. You can get this one for £198 via Thomann.

Rarity: Pete Cornish SS-2

Moving on to the next rare gem, we’ve got the Pete Cornish Soft Sustain 2. This handwired overdrive is the pedal that’s on loan from Paul Stacey, but back in a 2023 episode of That Pedal Show, Gallagher essentially said that he is never getting it back  – and just like Stacey, we’re also going to have a hard time getting our hands on this one.

The legendary Pete Cornish has worked with a plethora of high-profile guitarists including Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, and David Gilmour. There are some great budget-friendly replacements for this one, and we’re starting with our top, most-suited pick first:

Affordable alternative:  MXR Distortion+

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Despite its name, this pedal’s circuitry is essentially the same as many other overdrives. Originally designed back in the 1970s, it’s been used by guitarists like Randy Rhoads and Jerry Garcia. The modern M104 is still on the market, and its germanium diode clipping emulates tube-driven warmth. .

Affordable alternative: Boss OD-3

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It’s simple, it does the trick, and it’s £98. This one is possibly the most versatile overdrive out of our choices, so if you want a pedal that you can get plenty of use out of outside the Oasis rig, this one is not a bad option. Boss says that its “dual-stage overdrive circuit offers a level of sustain and compression unmatched by any overdrive pedal”. It’s great for lead sounds, so crank this one up for your solos..

Affordable alternative: Tube Screamer Mini

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Tube Screamers are loved by many, and this mini version is only £64. It has just three simple controls for tone, level, and drive. It might not be the closest replication of SS-2 tone, but it’s still a solid option for a tight budget, or those with a small pedalboard due to its nano chassis.

Rarity: Finest Treble Booster Model OR

This pedal is sadly no longer being produced, and it was based on an orange-coloured (not Orange branded) treble and bass booster used by David Gilmour in Pink Floyd: the Colorsound Power Boost.

Bernd C. Meiser, the owner of BSM, sadly passed away in 2024, and the company has since closed down. Your next best bet to get a pedal like this would be to look for an emulation of the original Colorsound pedal that inspired its creation. We’ve found some that match up fairly well:

Affordable Alternative: Crazy Tube Circuits HI-Power

A match made in heaven, the HI-Power is quite literally branded as a “homage to David Gilmour’s guitar sound from the Wish You Were Here album”, and its right side offers a “faithful reproduction of a Coloursound boost and overdrive” – great news! However, reaching just over £200, it might still be a little out of budget for some. If you’re looking for the closest pedal you can buy, this is it, so saving your pennies for this one might be worthwhile, and you can get it right now from Thomann.

Affordable alternative: Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

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Gallagher isn’t opposed to a nifty Boss gem, and at £92 you can’t really go wrong. The BD-2 is a well-loved overdrive ideal for bluesy and vintage tube amp sounds that’s reactive to nuance in-play. In fact, we rate it a flawless 10/10.

Affordable alternative: Electro-Harmonix LPB-3 Nano Linear Power Booster

A neat and tiny unit, this Electro-Harmonix boost pedal is also a sturdy option – it hosts an active three-band EQ with treble and bass knobs to control highs and lows. Its boost dial sets the overall output of the pedal, and there’s a ‘max’ switch to toggle between 20dB and 33dB of maximum boost. It retails for $129 at Sweetwater.

The normies

The cheapest pedals on Gallagher’s board are the TC Electronic Polytune 3, Keeley Compressor Plus, and the Dunlop Cry Baby Mini. We recommend sticking with these if you want to closely re-create his board, all while keeping costs to a minimum. Gallagher also uses two Boss pedals – a Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay and a Digital Delay DD-3 – both of which are accessible and not too costly.

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However, the ZVEX Lo-Fi Looper, Empress Effects Echo System, Kingsley Page Tube Boost, plus the Strymon Timeline and El Capistan all sit at more of a mid-range price point. While they’re readily available, these may also be unaffordable to a vast number of players. The best alternatives we have found for Gallagher’s mid-range priced pedals are as follows:

ZVEX Lo-Fi Loop Junky: Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy (this pedal can recreate its warbling tones, and you could chuck a cheap looper into your signal chain like the TC Electronic Ditto for the full effect)

Empress Effects Echosystem and Strymon Timeline: Line 6 DL4 Delay

Strymon El Capistan: Catalinbread Belle Epoch BOS (or an even cheaper option, the JHS 3 Series Tape Delay)

Kingsley Page Tube Boost: Keeley Katana Clean Boost

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The post Here’s how to build your own version of Noel Gallagher’s touring pedalboard – without rock star money appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Last year, Kiki Wong beat out 9,999 other applicants to the vacant position of Smashing Pumpkins guitarist left by Jeff Schroeder in 2023.

As for what made her stand out among the hordes of other guitarists going for the spot, frontman Billy Corgan reveals all in a new interview with Guitar World.

• READ MORE: “They all started having kids and getting married, and nothing was getting done”: Why Metallica’s Load and Reload were split into two albums

Recalling the audition process, Corgan says: “I had to give some sort of filter to it because the response was so overwhelming, and that filter was, ‘Send me anybody with a professional resume.’ If they’ve done anything – play a casino in Vegas, tour with any band that’s got a recording history, anybody who would remotely qualify – send them to me.

“I would say there were easily, gosh, 500 or 600 of those, I had to go through all of those responses and whittle them down.”

“The thing I remember very distinctly, obviously given the result, was when I saw Kiki’s name, I kind of stopped and thought, ‘Wait, I think I follow her on Instagram.’ Then I went to Instagram to confirm this, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s that person I really like.’”

Corgan says the fact he knew of Wong already meant he already had a “positive impression” of her, which remained in his head as he mulled over other candidates.

“There were a lot of other people who had very impressive resumes,” he says. “I would go to their Instagrams and look at the way they stood or the way they played or the way they talked about music – even just the pictures they posted. But I kept thinking, ‘This person has no idea what kind of band I’m in.’”

He later adds: “A lot of people played well, but once we talked to them I thought, ‘They’re not really going to fit into our world,’ We’re a bit of a weird lot. [laughs] We’re kind of picky in our own way. Maybe every band is, but I know the way we’re picky.

“Kiki was just who she was. She wasn’t trying to be someone else. She wasn’t trying to be a flatterer. She was just herself. And it was like, ‘OK, this person can hang in our world.’ After that, for the next three hours, nobody who followed Kiki could beat her.”

On the other side of the story, despite making a lasting impression on the Pumpkins for simply being herself, Kiki Wong wasn’t hugely optimistic about her chances when she submitted her application.

“My brain is wired in a way that makes me on the verge of being a pessimist – slightly pessimistic but closer to a realist,” she says.

The opportunity also came just a few months after she had given birth to her baby.

“There’s always this voice in my head, like, ‘When am I going to quit the dream and be just a person? How long can I keep hammering at this thing and constantly being let down?’ Now I had an actual reason to think that way, which was to take care of my kid.

Wong says she had “just thrown the resume in there”, adding: “I was like, ‘There’s no way. There’s probably 4,000 people already.’

As for what Kiki Wong brings to the band, Billy Corgan says it’s her penchant for all things heavy.

“She’s got that [James] Hetfield/Kerry King downstroke thing that I could never do, whatever the fuck that is. That Master of Puppets thing – I have to cheat that shit… Hetfield and Kerry King would tell you the same. So would [Dave] Mustaine. The only way to play that way is you gotta do all downstrokes.

“There’s a belief that the attack of the downstroke is better than if you pick up-down, up-down. To me, when I see somebody who can do that with the downstrokes, I’m like, ‘Fuck, I can’t do that!’”

The post “She’s got that Hetfield downstroke thing that I could never do. That Master of Puppets thing – I have to cheat that s**t”: Billy Corgan on what Kiki Wong brings to the Smashing Pumpkins appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.