GUITAR NEWS
The latest guitar, gear, rock and music-industry news, reported by The Guitar Plugged.
Keith Richards Isn't Ready to Tour Again — Ronnie Wood Reveals What's Holding Back The Rolling Stones
Ronnie Wood says Keith Richards is "a bit road weary" and doesn't want to tour for now, leaving the Rolling Stones' Foreign Tongues without live dates — and 2027 up in the air.
Fender and Loog Shrink the Precision Bass and Telecaster for Kids, and Loog Finally Builds a Bass
Loog's first-ever bass is a three-string Fender Precision Bass for kids, joined by a Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster for the 75th anniversaries. Specs, prices and what parents should know.
Blackstar Beam Control and Beam Mini Wireless Rig: The Cable-Free Practice Setup, in One Case
Blackstar's new Beam Control footswitch adds wireless foot control to the Beam range, and the Beam Mini Wireless Rig packs amp, Airwire i58 and Beam Control into one case. Here's what you get and whether the bundle saves money.
Crossroads 2? Steve Vai Could Return as Jack Butler in Sequel to Legendary Guitar Film
Screenwriter John Fusco and Ralph Macchio say they have a plan for a Crossroads sequel. Steve Vai is ready to bring Jack Butler back for revenge. Here's what we know — and why that 1986 guitar duel still matters.
Seymour Duncan Unleashes Janick Gers Signature Pickups — Bringing Iron Maiden's Legendary Strat Tone to Your Guitar
Seymour Duncan's new Janick Gers Signature Strat set puts JB Jr. humbuckers in the neck and bridge with a Hot Rails in the middle — the Iron Maiden shredder's own Strat recipe — at $319 for the set and $419 for a loaded pickguard.
Billy Gibbons and Brian May Plugged Into Satriani's Rig and Still Sounded Like Themselves. Here's Why That Matters for The Sea of Emotion
In a new Guitar World conversation, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai remember Billy Gibbons and Brian May plugging into their G3 rigs and sounding exactly like themselves. It's the best case yet that tone lives in the hands, just in time for SatchVai's plugin-built The Sea of Emotion on November 6.
Julian Lage Is Back in Bob Dylan’s Band — and the Guitar Chair Just Got Interesting Again
Jazz guitarist Julian Lage is back with Bob Dylan after Zurich and Milan — why the Never Ending Tour guitar chair matters to players.
Behringer Teases 200–300 Pedals at $10–$15 — What It Means for Your Board
Behringer teases 200–300 all-metal pedals at $10–$15. What that means for players — and the boutique vs BOSS vs clone fight.
Aerosmith’s Hollywood Bowl Finale: Run-DMC, Dream On, and “Cockroaches”
Aerosmith closed California, Dream On night two at the Hollywood Bowl with Run-DMC on Walk This Way, a Beatles cover, and Tyler’s cockroaches jab at Bill Burr.
Fractal Axe-Fx III Firmware 33: NAM A2 and TONE3000 Land in the Rack
Fractal’s Axe-Fx III firmware 33 adds a NAM Player block for NAM A2 captures plus TONE3000 browsing in Axe-Edit — free update, Cygnus X-4, and Mark I cab-bank warning.
An Unheard Jimi Hendrix Riff Just Became a New Song: Orianthi’s Power of 3 Drop “Taxi”
Orianthi found an unreleased Jimi Hendrix riff in the vault. With Cindy Blackman Santana and Rhonda Smith, the Power of 3 built “Taxi” around it — album due Dec. 11.
Fender Confirms NAM A2 Is Coming to the Tone Master Pro: What It Means for Amp Modeling
Fender confirms NAM A2 support is coming to the Tone Master Pro — captures load like any amp block, with touchscreen and app control. No release date yet.
Troy Van Leeuwen’s Blameshifter Is Real: QOTSA Joke Pedal, Severed Finger, Dual-Amp Chaos
Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen and Dr. No Effects turn a decade-old QOTSA rehearsal joke into the TvL Blameshifter — a severed-finger switching pedal, on pre-sale now.
Fender Japan’s Pokémon Guitars Are Real: Red Strat, Green Tele, Push-Knob 8-Bit Sound
Fender Japan and Pokémon Center drop Made in Japan Red Version Stratocaster and Green Version Telecaster for Pokémon’s 30th — pixel art, push-knob 8-bit sound, Japan lottery Nov 19–24.
Pete Townshend’s Smashed 1969 Gibson SG Returns: Met Opera Throw, 56 Years Later, Paris Stage
Pete Townshend’s cherry 1969 Gibson SG Special, cracked at the Met Opera in 1970 and caught by fan Binky Philips, is headed to Matt’s Guitar Shop in Paris.
Epiphone Rebuilds the Prophecy Series: First Victory, 27" Les Paul Baritone, Custom Fishman Fluence
Epiphone's rebuilt Prophecy Series adds a first Victory FR and 27" Les Paul Baritone with custom Fishman Fluence pickups at $1,499. Full specs, finishes and who it's for.
Boss Fills the Katana Gap: Katana-25 Is a $199.99 Home Combo With 60+ Effects and Bluetooth
Boss unveils the Katana-25: a compact 25W 1x8 home combo with six amp characters, 60+ effects, Bluetooth, USB-C recording and 0.5W power control for $199.99.
Polyphia’s ‘With Eyes to See’: Tim Henson, Scott LePage and the Long Road to Be Not Afraid
Polyphia’s newest single With Eyes to See, Tim Henson’s nylon-string style, Scott LePage, and the band’s path from Plano to Be Not Afraid.
Fender's Kim Gordon Jazzmaster Gets a Seymour Duncan JB
Fender has announced a limited edition Kim Gordon signature Jazzmaster with a Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker, a Jazzmaster neck pickup and Mustang saddles. It costs $1,099.99 in the U.S.
JHS Pherb: A $99 Phaser-Reverb Pedal Built in 35 Hours
JHS says it decided, designed, prototyped and approved the 3 Series Pherb in 35 hours. It's a $99 lo-fi reverb running into a four-stage phaser, with a bitcrushing BREAK mode for noise players.
Gibson's Tom Petty Flying V Marks 50 Years of the Heartbreakers
Gibson is celebrating 50 years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with a 250-piece Flying V in five finishes. Here are the specs, the price, why it's a V, and where to find one.
Tony Iommi's From the Dark Is Out: First Solo Album in 21 Years
Tony Iommi's first solo album since 2005's Fused arrived Friday on BMG. Here's what's on it, who plays on it, what the first reviews say about the guitar, and the Eddie Van Halen story Iommi told the same week.
Sophie Lloyd Unleashes Horror-Inspired Guitar Cover of Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare"
Sophie Lloyd's Nightmare cover turns Avenged Sevenfold's 2010 hit into an instrumental guitar shred, with a horror video filmed in a former UK Cold War bunker.
PRS Tekton Is Here: Inside the Four-Model Bolt-On Family Built for Modern Players
PRS has launched Tekton, a four-model family of USA-made bolt-on guitars with stainless steel frets, a 16" radius, thinner necks and new Stylus humbuckers voiced for tube amps and modelers. Here are the specs, the prices and how it fits the PRS lineup.
Joe Bonamassa Broke a String on the First Bend at Buddy Guy's 90th. He Finished the Solo Anyway
Joe Bonamassa snapped a string on the first bend at Buddy Guy's 90th birthday show at Radio City and finished on five. What happened, how pros like SRV handle it, and how to stop strings breaking.
Neko Wants to Put Your Whole Rig, a Stem Splitter and a Songwriting Partner in Your Pocket
Neko Engineering's pocket wireless guitar rig runs LALAL.AI stem separation on its own chip, with no cloud or app. NAM A2 Full tones, tabs, riff recorder and AI Arranger; $399 on Kickstarter, shipping April 2027.
Even the Shred Gods Went DI: How Steve Vai and Joe Satriani Made The Sea of Emotion on Plugins
Steve Vai says he and Joe Satriani tracked The Sea of Emotion mostly on plugins (Neural DSP, SansAmp, Tonex) after Satch's Elephants of Mars changed his mind. Here's why plugins aren't cheating.
Fender's New American Professional: What Actually Changed, and Why It Matters
Fender's new American Professional series drops the 'III', adds V-Mod III pickups, redesigned bridges and push-push tones, and starts at $1,799, $100 under AmPro II.
Zoom’s Neurig Puts Neural Amp Modeling in Reach — But the Fine Print Matters
Dual touchscreens, community amp captures and a Japanese price around $300 by conversion: Zoom’s new pedal has an ambitious spec sheet — and some important caveats.
Joe Bonamassa's First Digital Signature Amp: Fender's Tone Master '59 Twin-Amp JB Edition
The blues-rock guitarist whose vintage collection borders on a museum just put his name on an all-digital amplifier — and says it's tighter, punchier and better than his originals.
Fender Unleashes Three New John 5 Telecasters — Including a $6,000 Custom Shop Phantom
The Mötley Crüe guitarist's latest Fender collection brings high-output DiMarzio pickups, Floyd Rose-equipped performance, and his unmistakable visual style to three signature instruments.
Fender's CEO Calls the Stratocaster "the Sum of Its Parts" — and Says the Legal Campaign Won't Stop
Fender's CEO admits the S-style cease-and-desist campaign could have been handled differently — then defines what he believes makes a Stratocaster a Stratocaster.
Fender Says It Has Solved Single-Coil Hum — But Did It Change the Sound That Made the Strat Famous?
Fender's new passive, battery-free Silent System promises authentic Stratocaster and Telecaster single-coil tone without the hum.
Yamaha Unveils Matteo Mancuso's Signature Revstar — and It's Built for More Than Fusion
The $1,599.99 RS20MM brings Mancuso's custom Revstar design to a production guitar, with DiMarzio PAF pickups, five-way switching and a chambered body.
PRS and Land Rover Team Up for Eight New John Mayer Silver Sky Colors
Eight new Silver Sky finishes drawn from Land Rover Defender paint jobs, hand-picked by John Mayer — including one color that has been sitting in his own driveway for nearly two decades.
Donner's HLX-500 Wants to Make Headless Guitars Affordable
A 24-fret, HSS headless guitar for around $330–$350. Donner's HLX-500 is a budget build with premium ambitions.
Gary Clark Jr. Brings Crossroads Home: Why This Weekend in Austin Belongs to Him
Antone's co-owner, Gibson signature artist and Austin's bridge between old blues and new — Gary Clark Jr. plays Crossroads in his own city this weekend. Here's why it matters.
Chad Gilbert, New Found Glory's Guitarist and Pop-Punk's Quiet Engine, Dies at 45
New Found Glory's founding guitarist died on September 20 after a years-long cancer battle. He was 45 — and he spent nearly three decades writing the riffs that taught a generation what pop-punk guitar sounds like.
Gibson's DES Series Is the Most Aggressive Modern Gibson in Years
Six body shapes, Ghost Burst nitro, Super Split Block inlays, compound-radius ebony boards and Alnico 8 humbuckers. Gibson has built a limited run aimed squarely at the modern technical player — and priced it accordingly.
Mike McCready Plugged In, Faced the Flag, and Gave Seattle Its Hendrix Moment
One guitarist, one Strat, one stadium full of people who grew up on Seattle guitar. McCready's anthem at Lumen Field was a straight line back to Hendrix — and it landed.
Gibson Breaks a 70-Year Habit: The ELEV8 Is Its First Alnico 8 Humbucker
For seventy years Gibson humbuckers have run on Alnico 2, 3, 4 and 5. The new ELEV8 series finally reaches for Alnico 8 — and it is aimed squarely at high-gain players.
Eric Clapton Revived a Song He Hadn’t Played in 51 Years — And Now It Looks Like It’s Staying
The 1974 deep cut “Give Me Strength” disappeared from Clapton’s concerts after 1975. Now he’s played it on consecutive nights — 51 years later.
KISS Have Recorded a New Paul Stanley Song—and Ace Frehley’s Guitar Legacy Still Looms Large
Tommy Thayer confirms fresh studio activity as KISS move beyond their farewell tour. It’s also a moment to revisit the guitarist who helped make the band essential listening.
The New TONEX Board Puts a Complete Rig at Your Feet for $999.99
IK Multimedia brings touchscreen control, AmpliTube effects, and dual-amp routing to its newest floorboard. For guitarists, the real question is how much simpler it makes getting through a gig.
Tony Iommi Opens Up About His Final Conversation With Ozzy Osbourne: “I Still Can't Get It in My Head”
The Black Sabbath guitarist says Ozzy was exhausted after the band's emotional farewell — but determined to give fans one final show.
Ibanez Just Dropped New Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Nita Strauss Models—Plus Its Most Extreme Iceman Yet
Ibanez has refreshed its flagship signature line with the hand-painted Steve Vai PIA77BON2, the Sustainiac-loaded Joe Satriani JS2470-CS and Nita Strauss' Torch Red JIVA10R—then weaponized the Iceman with a 7-string multiscale build.
Gibson Just Recreated Billy Gibbons’ Legendary “Pearly Gates” Les Paul—But Only 30 People Can Buy One
Gibson Custom has recreated Billy Gibbons’ fabled 1959 Les Paul, Pearly Gates, in a 30-guitar Collector’s Edition—but owning one also means showing up for an unforgettable night with the ZZ Top legend himself.
Steve Vai and Joe Satriani Finally Announce Their First Studio Album Together
The Sea of Emotion arrives November 6, ending a 53-year musical buildup between two of guitar’s most important modern voices.
Tony Iommi Says Brian May Is the Only Guest Guitarist on His New Solo Album—And the Reason Says Everything About Their Friendship
The Black Sabbath architect is returning with his first solo album in 21 years. Queen's Brian May gets the lone guest slot, but he reportedly turned down the chance to take over more of the record.
Marshall Brings Hendrix's Plexi Era Down to Earth With New 20-Watt JMH Studio Edition
Marshall's latest Hendrix anniversary release turns a 1969-inspired Super Lead into a UK-built, hand-wired 20-watt half-stack — complete with the cosmic purple visual treatment.
Slash Says Young Guitar Players Are ‘Blowing My Mind’ — Maybe Guitar Isn’t Dying After All
For years we’ve been told the guitar is losing its place in popular music. Slash appears to be seeing something very different.
Fender's Strat Crackdown Is Already Changing Guitar Design — Is This What the Next S-Style Will Look Like?
LsL Instruments has shown its first new electric guitar since confirming it received a cease-and-desist tied to Fender's Stratocaster enforcement campaign — and the redesigned Saticoy 24 raises a much bigger question: if boutique builders can no longer lean on the Strat silhouette, does electric guitar design finally move again?
Ritchie Blackmore Rejoins Deep Purple Onstage — 33 Years After Walking Away
Thirty-three years after his final departure, Ritchie Blackmore stepped onto a Deep Purple stage again — for one song, one night, and one more glimpse of a guitar chemistry that helped invent hard rock.
Slash Says Guns N' Roses Are Moving Toward a New Album — But the Bigger Story Is That the Reunion Survived
Slash says the next Guns N' Roses record will be "all new original stuff." No title, no date, no track list — but after a decade of a reunion most fans assumed would collapse inside a year, that sentence carries real weight.
Does Any Guitarist Really Need 27 Frets? Solar's New ACS Makes the Case
Solar Guitars has put 27 frets on its new carved-body ACS models — a six-string at 25.5" and a seven-string at 26.5", both with stainless super-jumbo frets, Gotoh 1996 tremolos and set-thru necks. Here are the verified specs, plus the design question nobody in the launch coverage is asking: what do frets 25, 26 and 27 actually give a player, and what do they cost you further down the neck?
D'Addario's AI Guitar Controversy Is Bigger Than One String Demo — It's About Trust
D'Addario says no generative AI wrote or played the music in its NYXL HD string demo — but it has admitted the track was over-produced and that AI-assisted mastering tools were used. The row exposes a deeper problem: when a product's selling point is sound, how much production is too much before the demo stops being useful to players?
Tony Iommi Announces From the Dark — His First Solo Album in 21 Years
Tony Iommi has confirmed From the Dark, his first solo album in 21 years, arriving October 23 via BMG with Jørn Lande on vocals, Brian May guesting, and lead single 'World Alone' out now. Why a new Iommi record still matters to guitar players.
Rush Returns to Madison Square Garden as Geddy Lee Turns 73 — And Alex Lifeson Still Sounds Massive
Rush is back at Madison Square Garden, Geddy Lee has just turned 73, and Alex Lifeson is still making a three-piece band sound like an orchestra. A guitarist's look at why Lifeson remains one of rock's most quietly radical players.
Bruce Springsteen Joins Bon Jovi On Stage at Madison Square Garden — A New Jersey Rock Moment for the Ages
Bruce Springsteen's surprise appearance during Bon Jovi's Madison Square Garden show was more than a guest spot — it was a full-circle New Jersey rock moment featuring Jon Bon Jovi, Phil X, and the enduring shadow of Richie Sambora.
Sammy Hagar Extends an Olive Branch to David Lee Roth — Could Van Halen Fans Finally See the Unthinkable?
For decades, Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth kept one of rock's most famous feuds alive. Now, after Roth canceled most of his remaining 2026 tour dates, Hagar has done something almost no one expected: publicly wished him well and invited him onstage at the Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency.
Fender Refreshes the Player II Series with Bold New Color Options
Fender has refreshed the popular Player II lineup with bold new finishes that give its best-selling guitars and basses an exciting new look while keeping the same modern playability players love.
After 40 Years, King Diamond's Guitar Partnership Is Over — And Gus G. Is Stepping Into the Fire
Andy LaRocque has left King Diamond after nearly 40 years. Gus G. — the Firewind founder and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist — is stepping in to compose, record and tour, opening a genuinely new chapter for one of metal's most important bands.
Billie Joe Armstrong's New Epiphone Les Paul Junior Proves Simplicity Still Rules Punk Rock
One pickup, one volume, one tone — and one of the most recognizable rhythm guitars in modern rock. Epiphone's new $649 Billie Joe Armstrong signature Les Paul Junior is a reminder that punk was never about gear.
Keith Richards Isn't Ready to Close the Door on the Rolling Stones Live—But Touring May Never Look the Same
Keith Richards has raised the possibility of Rolling Stones residency-style shows as traditional touring becomes more demanding. With Foreign Tongues topping the UK chart, the Stones may not be finished with the stage yet.
Rik Emmett Never Thought Triumph Would Tour Again—Then the Guitar Heroes Came Back
After decades away from a full-scale tour, Triumph returned to the stage in 2026. For Rik Emmett, it meant confronting the passing of time, adapting to a different kind of band—and discovering that the music still had some unfinished business.