Premier Guitar

Before you can run, you gotta walk, and playing guitar is no different. This year, big names like Doug Aldrich, Devin Townsend, Andy Timmons, Eva Gardner, Matt Heafy, and others detail their earliest, biggest influences.

This year’s quick-hit interviews revealed that Phil Collen sees a connection between your vibrato and ego, how a short-scale Strat is rocking Neal Schon’s world, Halestorm hates “Instagram guitar” faces, and Steve Vai’s secret weapon.

Sure, perennial big hitters like Gibson, Fender, PRS, and MXR dazzled with fresh offerings, but one surprising stunner earned the most clicks.

Initially intimidated, the French rocker slowly worked out the Southern-fried chicken pickin’ guitar crash course and picked up multiple techniques—hammer-ons, pull-offs, ghost notes, double-stops, and open strings—that still feed her need for speed.

From Robin Trower to Eric Johnson to Tom Morello, Joe Bonamassa, the Edge, Green Day, Eric Clapton, and more—10 S-Styles that’ll give you 6-on-a-side envy!

A pre-war Martin D-45 is a hallmark of design, craftsmanship, and sound. Learn about its history and watch John Bohlinger demo the 1942 gem.

From the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to Joe Bonamassa, Jason Isbell, Greta Van Fleet, and more—10 Gibson guitars like no others.

Premier Guitar

John Bohlinger demos an “adaptive” drive that yields classic TS-style tones—with the option to dial out the midrange hump.

But Glenn Nichols still wouldn’t turn down a time machine to get one of his stunning Retrograde Guitars into the late bluesman’s hands.