Watch Matt Pike and Russian Circles’ Mike Sullivan give Van Halen’s Unchained a heavy makeover

While Mötley Crüe prepare to head out on tour with new live guitarist John 5, Mars has continued putting together his premiere solo record with the help of Cory Marks. Mick Mars, who announced his official retirement from touring late last year, was recently in the studio working on his long-awaited debut solo album.

The four guitar heroes joined forces at Satriani's G4 V6.0 Experience, and treated attendees to a scorching 15-minute fretboard throwdown. Last month, Joe Satriani hosted his G4 V6.0 Experience – a star-studded guitar camp for which he recruited Steve Lukather, Eric Gales, Mateus Asato and many more A-list electric guitar heroes for five days of tuition workshops and jams.

War Pigs, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Iron Man and five other Sabbath songs will soundtrack the new three-act dance show – which might feature a Tony Iommi cameo. In one of the more surprising guitar-related news stories of the week, Black Sabbath’s music is being turned into a new ballet, which has been dubbed the “world’s first heavy metal dance experience”.

Gibson has teamed up with Keb’ Mo’ once again to release the blues guitar veteran’s latest signature guitar, the “3.0” 12-Fret J-45. Marking the third time the two have teamed up, the “3.0” acoustic guitar looks to be a particularly player-friendly creation, featuring a 12th fret neck joint that supposedly contributes to a “rounder, more full-bodied tone."

Even in the midst of those rehearsals – the first of which was described by Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx as "fucking epic" – and preparations, the guitarist has still found time to work on solo material, as evidenced by today's premiere of a hard-hitting new solo song called Strung Out.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to those who have made “creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording”. It was a successful evening for guitar-based artists at the 65th Grammys ceremony this past Sunday (February 5), with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Bonnie Raitt, Edgar Winter, Wet Leg, Madison Cunningham and Molly Tuttle all scooping awards.

One of metal's wildest guitarists shares stories from his rise, fall and miraculous recovery – and explains why he's still waiting for a call from Glenn Danzig. In the wake of the cult horror punk band the Misfits' dissolution, crooning frontman Glenn Danzig quickly formed Samhain as a new vehicle for his musical exploits. Indeed, the New Jersey-bred punk's reputation preceded him; as such, he knew that he needed to put together a stout band to back him up.

Unique in its beautiful Sapphire Blue transparent lacquer finish, the signature guitar also stands out sonically, with its trio of Seymour Duncan Cory Wong Clean Machine electric guitar pickups. We’d love to stay in touch, sign up for The Pick team to contact you with great news, content and offers....

The blues-rock guitar dynamo discusses her move from Strats to Epiphone Les Pauls, fooling purists with her Kemper, and why she chose – just three years after its release – to re-imagine her album, Joy. Whether you're a blues fan, more into straightforward rock or just a tone-hound,...

The Zeta supposedly aims to “take the most iconic electric guitars of the past and make them current with a more minimal and clean aesthetic” – with an interesting result. From no-cuts, single-cuts and double-cuts all the way to angular body shapes with eye-catching spikes, it’s fair...

Learn how to play Dire Straits' biggest riff – and how to nail its distinctive tone. Dire Straits’ iconic 1985 MTV-conquering anthem is the British rock outfit’s biggest single and one of guitarist Mark Knopfler’s defining riffs – all of which makes learning how to play Money for Nothing on guitar a rite of passage for aspiring rock players.

The move brings Córdoba's portfolio, which includes Guild, DeArmond Pickups and HumiCase, into the Yamaha fold. The Yamaha Guitar Group, a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation, has announced the acquisition of the Córdoba Music Group, which owns Córdoba Guitars, Guild, DeArmond Pickups and several other brands. “We’re...

We unpack the magic of the Jazz Chorus, which has been producing reference-quality clean tones and sublime chorusing for everyone from The Police to Metallica since its introduction in 1975. In recent years, advances in digital modelling amps have, at last, offered a variety of non-tube amps that most of...

Chris Moyles – a host for Radio X – mentioned he was “very much looking forward” to the record, before quickly moving the conversation elsewhere. A new Foo Fighters release might be on the horizon, according to Chris Moyles, a DJ on the UK’s Radio X, who – either unwittingly or incorrectly – announced a new album on his breakfast show yesterday (February 7).

If you want to imitate the sound of the Beatles by acquiring the exact same models and vintages of gear that they used, good luck. The guitar and amp models the Beatles played are some of the most collectible and expensive items on the vintage market today, especially items that match the same exact years, like their 1962 and ’64 Gibson J-160E acoustic-electrics, 1957 Gretsch Duo Jet, or a 1963 Rickenbacker 325.

The first thing anyone would have noticed upon arriving at Accor Stadium on Thursday night would have noticed the generational divide between punters. Mixed in between die-hard Red Hot Chili Peppers fans were an almost equal split of younger fans more excited to watch opening act Post Malone. It’s not to say the younger weren’t also fans of the legendary LA rock band, but Post Malone’s inclusions may have been successful in drawing a broader audience to the Chili Peppers when you consider the overall lack of recognisable hits they performed on the night.

The hard-rock survivor on what links Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen – and why you should never underestimate the rhythm playing of Keith Richards. As a founding member of New Jersey hard-rock outfit Skid Row, Scotti Hill has been thrashing around the tri-state circuit for over 30 years. Perched alongside Dave 'Snake' Sabo, Hill has aided in the creation of more than a few nasty riffs to remember.

Walter Trout explains and demonstrates why he doesn't use pedals: it's all in his volume control and pickup selection. Welcome to a Pedalpocalypse with a difference, as Walter Trout shows us exactly why he doesn't need pedals. "What I use for pedals is my vintage Mesa/Boogie Mark IV," he says. "I just don't see any need for pedals. I have this theory that if you get a kickass amplifier, why would you put it through a $100 pedal?

The Uriah Heep guitarist mourns the loss of a Telecaster and champions his signature Carparelli guitars. Uriah Heep’s return with Chaos & Color, their 25th studio album of a recording career that stretches back to 1970's seminal ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble, was as good an excuse as any to grab 30 minutes with its founding member and ever-present guitarist, Mick Box, and to talk about the gear behind his sound.

A great challenge for exploring new soloing ideas is to play improvised lines up and down a single string. There are a variety of benefits to this approach: primarily that it pushes one out of playing “learned” positional lines and patterns based on muscle and visual memory. We’d...