Rules of engagement

Amid the mayhem of his European tour, Joe takes time out to give us a guided tour around his 2025 live gear, delivers the lowdown on some of his more storied guitars, and tells us why his mighty multi-amp rig has to run at breaking point in order to make the earth move and those riffs resonate…

Few guitarists are loved as equally for their acoustic work as their electric playing but such is the unique talent of Richard Thompson . We meet him to find out how he’s preparing to go head-to-head with Tommy Emmanuel, chat about the end of his touring days, and talk alternative tunings

With their 2022 debut album, Cardinal Black showed the world how the budding guitar hero in their ranks could thrive in a band environment. Here, Chris Buck explains how its follow-up has taken his playing and songwriting to the next level

Lloyd Baggs is the genial genius behind the mighty LR Baggs acoustic pickup company that today supplies some of the biggest artists and guitar brands in the business. We joined him earlier this year to hear how slide legend Ry Cooder inspired him to get the whole thing started – and learn why his new AEG-1 guitar may be a game-changer

SEEMINGLY OUT OF nowhere, the Darkness swooped out of Suffolk, England, and onto the international music scene in 2003 with their high-voltage debut, Permission to Land. At a time when hipster bands i

Taking cues from Steely Dan but bringing their own unique vibe to the 70s AOR genre, Young Gun Silver Fox have grown a devoted fanbase. We join guitarist and co-founder Shawn Lee to see how rare, oddball and collectible guitars have powered their sound