Tour de Frets

Twenty-five years ago, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson launched the inaugural G3 tour, kickstarting a celebration of guitar virtuosity that remains the longest-running stint of its kind. With new albums and tours of their own. The trio sat down to recall how it all went down.

Strymon

Iridium Amp and IR Cab Pedal

The Ghost of Skip James

Washed up at age 30, James was rediscovered in 1964, just five years before his death. His impact is felt stronger than ever today in Bentonia blues.

MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS

With nearly 20 albums to his name, Eric Gales says these five tracks tell you the most about his journey.

SLIDING INTO AFRICA

Kenny Greenberg goes back to the roots of the blues for his first solo record.

How I Wrote...

Pat Travers spills out the tale behind his classic 1980 cut.

JOE'S BIG ADVENTURE

ON THE ELEPHANTS OF MARS, JOE SATRIANI GOES IN SEARCH OF NEW THEMES AND TEXTURES. THE RESULT? MORE JOE THAN EVER BEFORE.

TWO of a KIND

ERIC JOHNSON DIGS INTO HIS VAULT AND COMES UP WITH A WINNING PAIR: THE BOOK OF MAKING AND YESTERDAY MEETS TODAY.

VAPOR TRAILS

Nearly 40 years on, Dave Rusan's visionary Cloud guitar is a lasting presence in the gear world firmament.

Taylor

American Dream AD27e Flametop

With a Lot of Help

Uke superstar Jake Shimabukuro teams up with Warren Haynes, Sonny Landreth, Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Vince Gill, Billy Strings and others on Jake & Friends.

My Career in Five Songs

Alt-rock pioneer Bob Mould selects the key cuts from his 40-year career with Hüsker Dü and Sugar and as a solo artist.

Soul Captain

Luther Dickinson gives a tour of the North Mississippi Allstars’ existential party cruise on Set Sail.

Sterner Stuff

Five years after a misstep on a New York City street left him with broken bones and nerve damage in his right hand, Mike Stern perseveres one gig at a time.

Sweet Little Rock & Rollers

The sound of rock and roll began in the hands of Charles Edward Anderson Berry. Here are some of the guitars that helped him make history.

How I Wrote…“Take It Off the Top”

Steve Morse opens up about the Dixie Dregs’ long-running fan favorite.

CHANGING GEAR

FROM CHARLIE CHRISTIAN TO TOM MORELLO, THESE 25 GUITARISTS SHIFTED THE COURSE OF GUITARS, AMPS, EFFECTS AND TONE, TO BRING US WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

Strymon

Compadre Dual-Voice Compressor and Boost

ORIGIN EFFECTS

RevivalDRIVE Compact and MAGMA57

MACKIE Thrash215 Powered Loudspeaker

SINCE THE 1990S Mackie, a company founded in America’s rugged Northwest, has been designing great-sounding and reliable audio products for musicians. A good part of their success can be attributed to the thoughtful design of mixers and loudspeakers that deliver both professional quality and portability. With the debut of their new line of Thrash-powered loudspeakers, Mackie has attempted to address perhaps the most challenging constraint to producing great audio — doing it on a budget. Thrash promises more for a fraction of what other professional powered loudspeakers cost.

EASTMAN T64/v and T184MX

BOASTING A REPUTATION that grows year upon year, the Eastman String Company has long defied any “budget-brand” preconceptions normally heaped upon Chinese-made guitars, delivering instruments that punch well above their weight for build quality, tone and playability (see the “Meet Your Maker” interview with two of the company’s prime movers.

FENDER Mustang Micro

MINIATURIZATION IS THE story of the modern age, as devices keep getting smaller and more powerful. Case in point, the Mustang Micro, a very, very small guitar amplifier and effect modeling system that features a selection of tones from the Mustang series modeling amps. You can plug it directly into your guitar’s input jack, connect stereo headphones to its 1/8-inch jack, choose various amp and effect settings, and play for hours. The unit lets you jam along with tunes from your music library or streaming service through Bluetooth audio from your mobile device, tablet or computer. You can also record your guitar tones with or without a Bluetooth audio stream to your preferred recording system by using Mustang Micro’s USB-C output.

JAZZ ODYSSEY

Freedom has been on a lot of people’s minds the past two years. Jazz-fusion pioneer John McLaughlin made it the topic of his latest solo album, Liberation Time.

California Dreamin'

The new Matchless Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon amps capture classic West Coast splendor.

Catch Me if You Can

Chuck Berry brought poetry to pop and broke race barriers to become rock and roll's first guitar-playing frontman. As he recalled, it all began with some "hillbilly stuff' he revved into a rocker: "Maybellene."

Beat the Odds

Luther Dickinson reveals his technique for fingerpicking with groups of five and seven.

John Frusciante

He saved the red hot chili peppers. But first he had to save himself.

Alternative Notion

"AVA puts an elegant spin on carbon-fiber luthiery with its One First Edition electric guitars."

Fire Down Below

"Armed with just his phone and extensive network of musical cohorts, Tom Morello takes the electric guitar into uncharted territory on The Atlas Underground Fire."

ROYAL TREATMENT

Blues phenom Eric Gales returns with the album he was born to make: Crown.