Tim Stafford to headline IBMA's 2026 business conference with 'From AI to G-Runs'
The Blue Highway guitarist will revisit three decades of change in bluegrass at IBMA's Chattanooga conference, with AI explicitly part of the keynote theme.
Sep 4, 2026
NAM 9000 v1.13 adds Stage and Studio views, MIDI-ready Scenes and three multichannel amp packs
The independent NAM-based guitar rig gets a live-performance interface, scene switching and a signal-chain view in a substantial September 2 update.
Sep 3, 2026
IK Multimedia launches TONEX Board with four simultaneous Tone Models and a 5-inch touchscreen
The new $999.99 flagship expands TONEX into a full pedalboard rig with dual signal paths, 76 effects, flexible routing and more than 1,400 preset slots.
Sep 3, 2026
Kuassa posts Amplifikation 360 v1.4.0 with NAM A2 support
The September 2 update brings Kuassa's all-in-one guitar rig host into the Neural Amp Modeler Architecture 2 ecosystem.
Sep 3, 2026
Edgar Barrera says he is producing a Santana album — and still starts almost every song on guitar
A new PRS interview reveals that the Grammy-winning Latin producer is executive-producing a Santana album while keeping guitar at the center of his writing process.
Sep 3, 2026
Nick Johnston breaks down five lead-guitar approaches in a new Mastodon-era masterclass
The newly published lesson moves from hybrid picking and legato to sweep picking, tapping and chromatic blues phrasing, with Johnston demonstrating how he connects the techniques musically.
Sep 3, 2026
Gibson Custom builds 30 forensic replicas of Billy Gibbons' “Pearly Gates” Les Paul, sold only through a private Nashville event
A 3D-scanned, Murphy Lab-aged recreation of the ZZ Top frontman's 1959 Les Paul Standard, priced at $39,999 and hand-signed by Gibbons.
Sep 3, 2026
Billy Strings trades his Martin for a Charvel to play death metal with Cryptopsy
At the inaugural Ionia Freak Fair, the bluegrass virtuoso joined Canadian death-metal band Cryptopsy for a cameo on a relic'd Charvel Superstrat.
Sep 3, 2026
TONE3000 releases a free, open-source plugin with access to more than 700,000 NAM captures
The largest Neural Amp Modeler library is now a plugin and standalone app that pulls community captures and IRs directly, with no downloading or file management.
Sep 3, 2026
LR Baggs drops the initials and rebrands as “Baggs” for its 50th anniversary
The acoustic-amplification company is changing its name and bringing in founder Lloyd Baggs' daughter, Jenny Luckett, as creative director.
Sep 3, 2026
Keeley's Tube Drive Twin Triode runs a real 12AX7 next to a Super Phat Mod circuit
A dual-overdrive pedal that pairs a genuine high-voltage tube stage with one of Keeley's best-known drive voices, built in Oklahoma.
Sep 2, 2026
Cort's new CR300MT puts active EMGs in a stripped-back mahogany singlecut
A $900 set-neck single-cutaway with an EMG 81/60 pair, aimed at players who want a classic shape with a hotter, more modern voice.
Sep 2, 2026
Ibanez quietly drops new Vai, Satriani and Nita Strauss signatures plus a seven-string Iceman
A surprise September catalogue update brings a gold-leaf PIA for Steve Vai, a fresh JS for Joe Satriani, a Torch Red JIVA for Nita Strauss and a multi-scale Iceman.
Sep 2, 2026
Blackstar's Beam amps get free Moises stem separation for practice and jamming
A no-cost app update lets Beam Solo and Beam Mini players mute or isolate guitar, drums or vocals in any song in real time.
Sep 2, 2026
Fender bottles John Osborne's Telecaster tone in a $150 signature pickup set
The Brothers Osborne guitarist gets a bright, punchy Tele set with Alnico 5 beveled magnets and an open-coil neck unit.
Sep 2, 2026
HeadRush's new FRFR CAB 8 and 12 are built to disappear behind a modeler
Two closed-back full-range cabinets, 480 and 750 watts peak, with Bluetooth and a Baxandall EQ, priced at $399 and $499.
Sep 2, 2026
Satriani and Vai finally make a studio album together: The Sea of Emotion lands November 6
The pair's SatchVai project turns from a touring band into a record, previewed by the single Mayhem.
Sep 2, 2026
An Tran's Ilumina is 13 new classical guitar works written for him
The Vietnamese guitarist's Prima Classic album collects world-premiere pieces from composers he has personal ties to.
Sep 1, 2026
Tom Morello announces his first solo rock album for September 25
Everyone Gets Everything They Want features Serj Tankian, Beartooth and Kneecap, plus five co-writes with Morello's 15-year-old son.
Sep 1, 2026
JHS shrinks the Andy Timmons signature drive into a $129 mini pedal
The AT Mini keeps the original AT V1 circuit fixed in its 100-watt voicing, dropping the AT+'s wattage toggle and boost to fit a smaller enclosure.
Aug 31, 2026
The Beatles release a 'Day Tripper' work tape from before the riff existed
A newly issued home recording of Lennon and McCartney writing the song, tied to October's Rubber Soul reissue, has the melody and structure but not yet its famous 11-note guitar figure.
Aug 31, 2026
Billy Strings turns grief into flatpicking on 'So Much For Goodbyes'
The bluegrass guitarist's fifth studio album, produced with T Bone Burnett and released August 28, was written after his mother's death and carries her artwork on the cover.
Aug 31, 2026
Mastodon release 'Marrow Deep', their first album with guitarist Nick Johnston
The August 28 record is Mastodon's ninth, their first as a five-piece, and their first since founding guitarist Brent Hinds left the band and later died.
Aug 31, 2026
Marshall adds a 20-watt JMH Studio half-stack to its Hendrix 60th Anniversary line
The hand-built Studio Vintage variant lands at $2,499.99 alongside Major V headphones and an Emberton III speaker, marking 60 years since Hendrix first plugged into a Marshall.
Aug 31, 2026