Players
Guitarist and band news updated every day — new projects, collaborations, lineup changes, tours, signature gear and career developments from guitar players worldwide.
Dream Theater Begin Work on Their 17th Studio Album
All five members have reconvened at Ytse Jam Studios for the follow-up to 2025's Parasomnia.
Oct 14, 2026
John Mayer and Dave Grohl Cover Van Halen at Soundstage of Hope
Mayer used his purple Music Man Axis Custom Shop tribute to Eddie Van Halen for a benefit performance of “You Really Got Me.”
Oct 13, 2026
Stanley Jordan says a two-guitar metal album is in the works
The jazz innovator is using separate effects chains and James Hetfield’s ESP Iron Cross in a tandem-guitar setup for the project.
Oct 12, 2026
The Raconteurs Reunite Onstage for the First Time Since 2019
Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler closed White’s Nashville show with a five-song encore at The Truth.
Oct 12, 2026
Ian Hill Retires From Judas Priest After 57 Years; Davey Rimmer Takes Over
The bassist cites advanced arthritis and a shoulder tendon injury, while confirming that he recorded parts for the band’s next album before stepping away.
Oct 12, 2026
Eric Gales turns position shifts into a seven-part roadmap for freer improvisation
A new lesson breaks down how blues-scale boxes, root-note awareness and a ‘step ladder’ approach can connect distant areas of the fretboard.
Oct 11, 2026
Power Trip return with ‘Precinct 3’ and ‘Scavenger,’ their first new songs of the post-Riley Gale era
The Texas thrash band’s new double single introduces Seth Gilmore on vocals and previews a full-length album due in spring 2027.
Oct 11, 2026
Trivium Announce Crown In The Grave and Release Its Title Track
The Florida metal band’s 11th album arrives November 20, while its first full-length with drummer Alex Rudinger opens with a title track shaped by Japanese horror cinema.
Oct 10, 2026
Fender and Joe Bonamassa Launch the First Signature Tone Master Amp
The Tone Master ’59 Twin-Amp JB Edition puts Bonamassa’s high-powered tweed Twin sound into a 30-pound digital 2x12 with power scaling, convolution reverb and studio-ready IR output.
Oct 9, 2026
Slash Receives the 2026 Les Paul Spirit Award in Hollywood
The Les Paul Foundation and Gibson Gives honored Slash at Les Paul’s Hollywood recording studio with a one-of-a-kind award made from acoustic boards built by Paul himself.
Oct 9, 2026
Ernie Ball Music Man Expands the Albert Lee Line With HSS and 75-Piece BFR Models
A new HSS production model broadens the angular signature guitar’s range, while the Malibu Burst BFR pairs an okoume body and figured maple top with Axis-spec DiMarzio humbuckers.
Oct 9, 2026
Aerosmith schedules two Hollywood Bowl returns with an all-star guest roster
The October 29 and November 1 concerts mark the band's first announced full live shows since retiring from touring.
Oct 8, 2026
Guitar Mastery Live brings three days of clinics and jams to Nashville
The October 10–12 program combines masterclasses, technique correction, jam blocks and a Saturday concert for 170 players.
Oct 8, 2026
Biff Baby's Allstars returns with Petrucci, Vai, Lukather and Bonamassa
Sterling Ball's long-running off-books ensemble is becoming a self-titled covers album built around an unusually deep guitar roster.
Oct 8, 2026
Nita Strauss returns to Alice Cooper's stage after maternity leave
A three-song NFL halftime set in Las Vegas marked Strauss's first show back before her full late-November return.
Oct 8, 2026
Antequera’s Otoño Flamenco returns with Manuel Jero and María Jesús Bernal
The second edition brings the Jerez guitarist and La Puebla de Cazalla singer to Peña Luis Perdiguero on October 17, with free admission.
Oct 7, 2026
Fender gives John 5 three new signature Telecasters, from $1,299 to Custom Shop
The Phantom, Ghost and Custom Shop Phantom pair stripped-down controls with high-output DiMarzio pickups, while the two black models add Floyd Rose trems.
Oct 7, 2026
Sass Jordan, Canadian rock singer and bassist, dies at 63
The Juno-winning Canadian performer built a four-decade career across rock and blues and gave Taylor Hawkins his first major touring break.
Oct 6, 2026
Yamaha opens a 60th-anniversary guitar exhibition in Shibuya
The free Tokyo exhibition spans historic guitars, artist instruments, TransAcoustic tryouts and hands-on setup education through November 23.
Oct 6, 2026
Cristina Galietto wins the 58th Michele Pittaluga International Guitar Competition
The Italian guitarist earned first prize in Alessandria with Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and secured a recording opportunity and international tour.
Oct 5, 2026
Philip Bradatsch turns ‘Ich bin eine Bewegung’ into a stark official live performance
The German songwriter’s title track puts a battered prewar guitar and a stripped-back delivery at the center of the frame.
Oct 5, 2026
Tony Iommi sends ‘Stormwatcher’ into the dark with Jørn Lande and an animated video
The second single from From the Dark pairs Iommi’s heavy central riff with Lande’s maritime lyric and a stark animated voyage.
Oct 5, 2026
Six International Finalists Set for Uppsala’s Young Talents Guitar Competition
Players from Austria, Italy, Iran, China, South Korea and Japan meet in the October 10 final, with more than €7,000 in prizes and an audience vote.
Oct 5, 2026
Guitar Summit 2026 Recap Puts New Signatures, Modelers and Live Players Side by Side
The Mannheim show’s post-event highlights range from Matteo Mancuso’s Revstar and Eventide’s H9 Gen 2 to artist performances and boutique builders.
Oct 4, 2026
Beyond the headliners
The biggest names make the news everywhere. Players is also where Guitar Radar looks for guitarists that broader music feeds often miss: classical and flamenco players, jazz and fusion musicians, bluegrass and country pickers, session players, young competition winners, independent artists and musicians from regional scenes around the world.
A good guitar story is not measured by streaming numbers. A new collaboration, an unusual project, a major performance, an award or a breakthrough by a lesser-known player can be just as worth following as a headline involving a superstar.
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