Beetronics’ latest offering is described as a ‘Tropical Fuzz’, tropical in this instance relating to tropicália – a type of music from Brazil that merges Brazilian and African rhythms with British and American psychedelic rock and pop, and features l

CONTACT Blackstar Amplification Ltd PHONE 01604 817817 WEB www.blackstaramps.com 1 What have we got here, then? The ID:Core V4 combos are the latest versions of Blackstar’s award-winning programmable digital amp range, featuring the latest connectiv

For guitar players, bassists and players of pretty much any stringed instrument, tuners are just a fact of life. Off the top of our heads, the only stringed instrument without tuners that we can think of is a tea-chest bass. Some players express stro

By Vince Gill’s admission, most know him as the ‘country-rock guy’. And in all fairness, that checks out given his resume, including Pure Prairie League and a decidedly country leaning solo career spanning over 20 records. When Gill joined the Eagles

Regular readers may recall that around March of last year I began recording an album of acoustic fingerstyle pieces inspired by John Renbourn, John Martyn and 70s folk guitar at large. Chris Turpin, of the acclaimed roots-rock band Ida Mae, agreed to

It’s a case of all change for John Smith. Not only has he just released a brand-new album, he’s also reorganised his touring gear to include a specially designed thinline Fylde electro-acoustic as a one-size-fits-all solution for his acoustic reperto

Since I started writing these articles I haven’t talked much about the individual parts of a speaker and largely skipped over most of how a speaker (or driver) actually works. As we’re going to be looking at speaker cones in this article it may be sm

Tutor Richard Barrett | Gear used Knaggs SSC & Vox AC15 Difficulty | 10 mins per example TERENCE ‘SNOWY’ WHITE and his Les Paul Goldtop travelled widely in the music business, from London-based sessions to stints with Pink Floyd and Thin Lizzy, plus

LOOKING BACK Where’s Boogie Been? We asked Gibson about Mesa/Boogie’s absence, and the answer is more straightforward than you might think: one of Mesa/ Boogie’s parts suppliers closed its doors and approval in the European market is strict. So, wit

CONTACT Roland UK WEB www.boss.info 1 We haven’t seen a new Boss compact here for a while… And then, like buses, two come at once! These were both released in late 2023. 2 One looks more complicated than the other. That’s right, the Waza Craft BP-1

John Watson Jr was born in Houston, Texas, on 3 February 1935. As a child he learned piano from his father, John Sr. However, like so many young black kids coming of age in the mid-to-late 1940s, it was the mighty T-Bone Walker, best known for his ic

Artist: James Frankland Album: Fate’s Right Hand (self-released) James Frankland has made a name for himself as an instrumental guitar player who’s able to bring intricate layers into his music, as we see on his latest release, Fate’s Right Hand. How

Crazy Tube Circuits has a penchant for creating pedals that pair classic amp and drive pedal sounds. The latest is the Hi Power, which offers tones from Hiwatt amps with a recreation of the Colorsound Power Boost pedal, a combination that David Gilmo

British Grove/EMI (available 12 April) 9/10 A storied masterpiece from the sultan of song There are very few guitarists whose style manages to win a place in the ‘instantly recognisable’ club, but Mark Knopfler is certainly a fully paid-up member of