Graph Tech expands its clamp-free Un-Lock Nut system to 7-string guitars
Two Black TUSQ XL models bring full-time machine-head access and faster string changes to 7-string instruments with double-locking tremolos.
Sep 30, 2026
Mr. Black rebuilds a classic high-gain idea for the limited CAT Distortion
The Portland builder’s 48-unit analog run keeps the familiar raunch but adds far more output, lower noise and a low-impedance output for modern pedalboards.
Sep 30, 2026
Strymon turns vintage tape saturation into the all-analog La Brea drive pedal
The second Series A pedal blends multi-stage tape-style saturation with an in-phase dry path, switchable high-frequency contouring and enough gain to reach fuzz territory.
Sep 30, 2026
Crossroads closes with Mayer and Trucks trading leads, Marcus King meeting Sierra Hull and a stage full of unlikely pairings
The festival's second night turned its lineup into collaborations that ranged from bluegrass and jazz to Derek and the Dominos.
Sep 29, 2026
Billy Strings joins Pearl Jam for an acoustic singalong and a Mike McCready guitar duel at Ohana
The unannounced guest spot moved from “Elderly Woman” to the Neil Young-era “Throw Your Hatred Down” during Pearl Jam's festival-closing set.
Sep 29, 2026
Neil Henderson, early Bay City Rollers guitarist and Middle of the Road songwriter, dies at 73
The Scottish guitarist helped shape the Rollers' first chart breakthrough before writing and playing with Middle of the Road.
Sep 29, 2026
Olivia Rodrigo opens the Unraveled Tour with a hand-built heart guitar and a stripped-down Jazzmaster
A small East Los Angeles workshop needed five prototypes to turn the heart-shaped concept into a comfortable stage instrument.
Sep 29, 2026
Aguilar puts DB 751 tube character into an 11-pound, 700-watt DB 700 head
The new hybrid bass amp combines a dual-12AX7 preamp with Class D power, cabinet-IR loading and tour-ready universal mains.
Sep 29, 2026
Guitar Summit 2026 closes with Darryl Jones, Devin Townsend and a full day of workshops
The Mannheim show's final day paired artist clinics and gear demos with a tube-amp panel and the debut of a dedicated Guitar Summit Academy stand.
Sep 28, 2026
Manuel de la Luz roots De Raíz in flamenco guitar, then orchestrates a rare waltz
The Huelva guitarist's eight-piece album moves through minera, rondeña, sevillanas and tangos before reviving the seldom-used flamenco waltz with orchestration.
Sep 28, 2026
Kyle Bobby Dunn turns a prepared electric guitar into a 50-minute drone study
Recorded in 2005-06 and reprocessed this year, the album uses household objects and altered pickups on a 1968 Fender Jazzmaster to stretch the instrument into slow-moving texture.
Sep 28, 2026
Bill Murray sings 'Crossroads' with Clapton as the festival opens in Austin
Night one at the Moody Center moved from Clapton and Sonny Landreth through Joe Bonamassa, John McLaughlin and Julian Lage to a closing jam with Tedeschi Trucks Band and John Mayer.
Sep 28, 2026
Harley Benton launches VegaTrem-equipped Superstrats and refreshed HB-35 semi-hollows
The ST-Modern Plus HH Vega pairs a floating vibrato system with Harley Benton's budget Superstrat, while new HB-35TL colorways and a 6-position rotary HB-35 Plus round out the semi-hollow line.
Sep 28, 2026
OctaKing's Burstphonic PAF pedal chases a specific 1959 Les Paul, not a generic vintage tone
The analog pedal is voiced to Joe Bonamassa's 'Holy Grail' 1959 Les Paul and a Gary Moore-style 'Greeny' tone, with switches for pickup type and an out-of-phase mode.
Sep 28, 2026
Makeev Guitars builds Victor Smolski a full-scale folding signature guitar
The $1,398 Victor Smolski Signature swaps a headstock for Makeev's Easy Fold hinge, promising stage-guitar feel in a bag small enough to carry on.
Sep 28, 2026
Fender CEO says the S-style cease-and-desist campaign should have been handled differently
Bud Cole says Fender should have talked with builders before sending letters, while the company continues defending its Stratocaster-shape strategy.
Sep 28, 2026
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Chris Stapleton leads the Heartbreakers' first full original-lineup reunion in 24 years
Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair reunited at the Americana Honors, with later members joining for a second part of the set.
Sep 28, 2026
Ashdown makes Guitar Center and Musician's Friend its exclusive U.S. retail partners
The British amp maker says the deal puts its widest American range yet into 300 Guitar Center stores and online through Musician's Friend.
Sep 28, 2026
Thai guitarist Nene Royal wins America's Got Talent Season 21
The 16-year-old from Phuket became the show's first Thai winner after a run built around guitar-led rock performances.
Sep 28, 2026
Fender turns Lee Sklar's heavily modified studio workhorse into a production Precision Bass
The $3,499 signature model combines dual active EMG P pickups, mandolin frets, a Jazz Bass-profile neck, Hipshot extender and Badass II bridge.
Sep 28, 2026
Martin refreshes the 16 Series with new body shapes, bold finishes and stage-ready electronics
The Nazareth-built acoustic-electric range now spans compact 00L models, a short-scale slope-shoulder dreadnought, jumbos, a Grand Performance cutaway and a 12-string.
Sep 28, 2026
Cornerstone's cavernous Nucleo reverb, inspired by a decommissioned nuclear plant, comes to the computer
The Paul Davids-designed pedal's Zwentendorf-inspired Reactor mode and Freeze effect are now available as standalone software, not just hardware.
Sep 27, 2026
Hughes & Kettner's Puretone 50 brings switchable-wattage tube tone back to the amp market
The 50-watt head switches down to 5 watts and covers everything from Marshall-plexi crunch to high gain, with a built-in noise gate.
Sep 27, 2026
Cornerstone revives its Dumble-style Gladio pedal as the MKIII, with per-channel compression
The reissued double preamp — discontinued since 2022 — adds separate Deep and Ratio controls and lets both channels chain in either direction.
Sep 27, 2026