Guitar news
What happened in the guitar world, sourced and dated. New strings, new gear, artist rigs, and the sets you can actually buy.
Latest · Report · September 24, 2026
Polyphia's Be Not Afraid lands October 23: the album, the tour shift, and the strings behind Tim Henson's sound
Polyphia's new record arrives October 23. If the instrumental-prog duo's clean, tapped, hyper-precise tone sends you shopping, the throughline is light strings, and Tim Henson has his own set.
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Report · September 22, 2026
TAMA unveils Anika Nilles's first signature snare, a 14x6.5 seamless aluminum drum built for deep low end
Two years in the making, Anika Nilles's first signature snare is a 14x6.5 inch seamless aluminum drum built around deep low end, clear snare-wire definition, and a vintage look. It lands while she holds one of the most storied chairs in rock.
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Report · September 22, 2026
Erra's Silence Outlives the Earth: the 2026 djent record and the extended-range strings behind the sound
Erra's seventh record puts them back in the progressive metalcore and djent conversation. If it sends you chasing that low, tight, extended-range tone, the gear question starts with one thing: the strings.
Report · September 22, 2026
Ibanez drops a surprise September signature collection: new Vai, Satriani, and Nita Strauss guitars
Ibanez used the start of September 2026 to drop a surprise signature collection headlined by Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Nita Strauss. Here is what landed, and the far cheaper way to get closer to how these players actually feel: the strings.
Report · September 22, 2026
Green Day's Mike Dirnt gets his own Epiphone Grabber signature bass
Green Day's Mike Dirnt now has a signature bass built around the 1970s Gibson Grabber he made his own. We love Green Day, so here is the bass, the rig, and the strings that hold up his P-bass thump.
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Report · August 27, 2026
Beartooth's Pure Ecstasy Drops Friday: Periphery's Misha Mansoor Helped Write It
Caleb Shomo writes and records every Beartooth track himself, but this time a genuine djent icon was in the room. Here's the ESP signature guitar, the tuning, and the strings behind it.
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Report · August 26, 2026
AXTY Release Fourth Album The Pain Made Me Who I Am, Their Napalm Records Debut
AXTY's fourth album marks a new chapter on Napalm Records, built on down-tuned riffing, hip-hop-flecked samples, and lyrics that turn personal pain into resilience, with guitarist Jonathas Peschiera calling it the band's most unified record yet.
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Report · August 26, 2026
Jackson and Charvel Unveil Sleep Token's First Signature Guitar and Bass
Sleep Token's guitarist and bassist have played Jackson and Charvel behind the masks for years. Now their exact stage instruments, whole-octave-down tuning and multi-scale bass included, are production models anyone can order.
Report · August 26, 2026
Rush's Fifty Something Tour: The Neil Peart Tribute, and the Drummer Who Followed Him
Two sold-out Philadelphia shows, two Neil Peart tribute collages a night, and a touring drummer who spent a year learning roughly 43 songs to earn her seat. Rush's Fifty Something tour is deep into a run that's already sold more than half a million tickets.
Report · August 25, 2026
Dolly Parton, country music legend, dies at 80
The Queen of Country, who wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You and built an empire from a one-room Tennessee cabin, has died at 80. We remember her, and the small guitars she played for six decades.
Report · August 25, 2026
DOWN Announce New Album Volume V, Out November 20 on Nuclear Blast
DOWN, the New Orleans sludge metal supergroup built from Pantera, Crowbar, and Corrosion of Conformity veterans, announced Volume V on August 24. It lands November 20 via Nuclear Blast Records, with a King Diamond feature and a headlining tour already in progress.
Report · August 25, 2026
Fender Custom Shop Recreates George Harrison's 1967 Bass VI
Fender's Custom Shop just recreated the sunburst Bass VI George Harrison used at Abbey Road. It ships with a different string spec than his original ever had, and no Bass VI, vintage or new, takes a normal guitar or bass set.
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Report · August 25, 2026
John Page Guitars Launches a Noah Levine Signature Baritone
Earlier this month, John Page Guitars introduced a signature baritone built with Noah Kahan's touring guitarist Noah Levine: a 27-inch scale DL model in four relic finishes, priced at $5,995 with pre-orders shipping January 2027.
Report · August 25, 2026
PRS Unveils the Astryx: Dany Villarreal's First Signature Guitar
Her new PRS ships in plain standard tuning at a 10-46 gauge, a contrast worth noting from a guitarist who runs her baritone Stratocaster through a tuning she says she doesn't recommend to anyone.
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Report · August 25, 2026
Signs of the Swarm Turn Rob Zombie's 'Dragula' Into a Deathcore Breakdown
The Pittsburgh deathcore band marked the one-year anniversary of To Rid Myself of Truth with a down-tuned cover of Rob Zombie's classic, then packed the video with cameos from Lorna Shore, Dying Fetus, August Burns Red, and skateboarder Bam Margera.
Report · August 25, 2026
Spector Launches the Euro 4 Rex Brown Signature Bass
Rex Brown's new signature Spector ships strung exactly like his Thunderbirds, the first confirmed proof his Cobalt string choice follows him across every brand he plays.
Report · August 25, 2026
Stephen Perkins Opens His Drum Archive for a September Auction
The ArtistFirst sale spans a 1992 Porno for Pyros-era kit through a 2011 custom finish, plus congas, road cases, and more: three decades of Stephen Perkins' touring life told through the gear that lived it.
Report · August 24, 2026
Jonathan Fortson Wins Guitar Center's Drum-Off 2026 as Tré Cool Judges
Guitar Center's Drum-Off returned last Thursday for the first time since 2016, and Jonathan Fortson walked away with the $25,000 title. Green Day's Tré Cool sat on the judging panel, Metallica's Robert Trujillo played bass behind every finalist, and Van Halen's Michael Anthony closed the night in a one-off power trio.
Report · August 24, 2026
Green Day's Mike Dirnt Is Selling Three Decades of Bass History on Reverb
Green Day's Mike Dirnt is clearing out three decades of stage and studio history through a new Reverb shop launching September 9. The lineup highlighted so far includes two American Idiot-era signature Precision Basses, the Fender he used to record Nimrod, and instruments that survived Tré Cool's onstage pyro finales.
Report · August 5, 2026
Epiphone Launches Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior in Radiant Red
Epiphone's new $649 Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior puts Green Day's stripped-down punk formula, one pickup, two knobs, no distractions, in a bright Radiant Red finish. It's the affordable half of a two-part Armstrong gear year that also produced his Marshall 1959BJA signature amp.
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Report · July 18, 2026
Under Auburn Skies Release New EP 'Diminisher Of Hope,' Share 'The Pale King' Video
Denver metalcore band Under Auburn Skies dropped their new EP, Diminisher Of Hope, on July 17, continuing the darker, heavier direction they previewed with lead single 'The Pale King.' The six-track release lands ahead of a November 14 support slot for Fear Factory and Darkest Hour.
Report · July 17, 2026
Anna Cara: Alice Cooper's guitarist, her gear, age, and story
Guitar World and GuitarPlayer both published deep-dive features this week on Anna Cara, the 23-year-old Newcastle guitarist who has spent 2026 filling Nita Strauss's touring chair in Alice Cooper's band. Here's her story, and the gear behind it: Ibanez Xiphos guitars and a S.I.T. Strings .010-.052 gauge.
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Report · July 17, 2026
Fender Counter-Sues Thomann Over the Stratocaster Shape, Cites 500,000 Strats a Year
Fender has filed its own copyright infringement lawsuit against Thomann, striking back after the German retail giant sued Fender in June over its Stratocaster cease-and-desist campaign. The countersuit, filed in the same Dusseldorf court that ruled for Fender in March, names Thomann's Harley Benton brand directly and puts hard sales numbers on the record for the first time.
Report · July 17, 2026
Kiss announces an all-star Ace Frehley tribute concert for the 2026 Kiss Kruise
Ace Frehley died in October 2025 after complications from a fall at his home. Thirteen months later, his three surviving Kiss bandmates plus current guitarist Tommy Thayer will each perform a song they personally picked from his catalog, a one-night, one-time-only tribute at this year's Kiss Kruise. Here is what is planned, and the Gibson gear that made Frehley's sound in the first place.
Report · July 17, 2026
The Edge's Mirror-Tiled Les Paul Auction Closes Today, Bidding Already Past $80K
A mirror-tiled Gibson Les Paul that The Edge played throughout U2's PopMart tour, and that all four band members signed in 1999, is back on the block. Bidding had passed $80,000 as of July 16, against a $100,000 to $150,000 estimate, when the auction closes today.
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Report · July 16, 2026
Fender's Cease-and-Desist Campaign Just Hit Yamaha, the World's Biggest Guitar Maker
Yamaha has confirmed it received a Fender cease-and-desist letter over the Stratocaster's body shape, the largest company yet pulled into a fight that already hit PRS, LSL Instruments, and Thomann. Whatever the courts eventually decide about the shape, none of it touches the strings on your guitar.
Report · July 16, 2026
Gibson Reissues the 1971 Flying V Medallion, the Guitar Kirk Hammett Coveted as a Teenager
Gibson Custom just reissued one of its rarest 1970s guitars: the 1971 Flying V Medallion, limited to roughly 350 originals and closely tied to Michael Schenker's tone. Kirk Hammett, who grew up staring at Schenker's example on an album cover, now owns that actual guitar.
Report · July 16, 2026
Mastodon's First Album Since Brent Hinds' Death Features a Surprise Geezer Butler Bass Cameo
Troy Sanders asked Geezer Butler to guest on Mastodon's first album since Brent Hinds' death, half-expecting a no. Instead the Black Sabbath legend sent back a bass solo Sanders calls the record's defining low-end moment. Marrow Deep lands August 28.
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Report · July 16, 2026
To The Grave Announce New Album 'Liberation Front,' Share Single 'Nail Mary'
Sydney deathcore band To The Grave announced Liberation Front, their newest album and first for new label BLKIIBLK, arriving October 2. The announcement came with a new single, 'Nail Mary,' and a 25-date North American tour this fall.
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Report · July 15, 2026
Cleartone Strings Signs Selectron as Its New UK & Ireland Distributor
Selectron UK Ltd just became the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Cleartone Strings and Star Picks, taking over from Strings & Things. Here's what actually changes, and a refresher on the No-Feel coating tech if you've never tried a set.
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Report · July 15, 2026
D'Addario Launches the Fret Cleaner & Buffer, a $14.99 Fret Maintenance Kit
D'Addario's new two-step fret kit skips the chemicals: dual-sided foam pads strip oxidation and grime, then polish. The brand's own case for it is direct, cleaner frets mean less string friction, and that means your strings last longer too.
Report · July 15, 2026
Green Day Share New Song 'I'm Never Gonna R.I.P.' From the Nimrods Soundtrack
Green Day's first new song since 2024's Saviors arrived July 7: a rockabilly-flavored blast tied to Nimrods, the band's own coming-of-age comedy hitting theaters August 14. The tone is pure Armstrong, the same crunchy Plexi-and-Slinky setup CYS covered yesterday.
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Report · July 14, 2026
Periphery's Jake Bowen Leaves Ibanez, Joins Strandberg's Headless Guitar Roster
Periphery's Jake Bowen has signed with Strandberg after a decade with Ibanez, becoming the headless-guitar builder's newest signature artist. He's already been touring on 6-, 7-, and 8-string Strandbergs, extended-range territory that overlaps with Periphery's low Drop tunings.
Report · July 14, 2026
Marshall Launches Billie Joe Armstrong's 1959BJA Signature Amp
Marshall's first artist signature amp in 14 years puts Billie Joe Armstrong's Dookie-era crunch on a store shelf: a hand-wired 100-watt plexi in baby blue, on sale July 21 for $3,999.99. His actual touring rig and guitar strings haven't changed.
Report · July 11, 2026
Boundaries Preview Yearning: The Unbeautiful After Ahead of July 17, Produced by Drew Fulk
Connecticut metalcore band Boundaries release their fourth album, Yearning: The Unbeautiful After, on July 17 via Sumerian Records, produced by Drew Fulk (Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills). An early review this week calls the guitars "dirty, down-tuned" and dissonant, the band's heaviest register yet. The record features guest spots from Make Them Suffer and The Plot In You's Landon Tewers.
Report · July 10, 2026
Alabama Shakes Announce New Album, I Must Be Dreaming, and the Gibson SG Behind Brittany Howard's Tone
Ten years after Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes are back with I Must Be Dreaming, out August 28, and a new single today. Here's the Gibson SG and the string gauge behind Brittany Howard's tone.
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Report · July 10, 2026
DevilDriver Release Strike and Kill, and the D'Addario NYXL Strings Behind New Guitarist Gabe Mangold's Rig
DevilDriver's eleventh album lands today, the first to feature new guitarist and producer Gabe Mangold since he replaced 20-year member Mike Spreitzer. Here's the album, the reshuffled lineup, and the D'Addario NYXL strings behind Mangold's drop-tuned rig.
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Report · July 10, 2026
Distant Announce New Album Into Despair, Premiere 'All Will Be (N)One' Featuring Suffocation's Ricky Myers
Rotterdam-and-Bratislava deathcore band Distant announced their next album, Into Despair, out November 6 via Century Media Records, this week, alongside a new single featuring Suffocation vocalist Ricky Myers. Guitarist and co-founder Nouri Yetgin's signature VanderMeij Fleshweaver, a limited-run 7-string built for extreme low tunings, is the string angle worth knowing.
Report · July 10, 2026
Jack White's Frozen Charlotte Is Out Today, and His 2026 Tour Opens in DC
White's seventh solo album drops the same day his 2026 world tour opens in Washington, DC, and the reviews are already calling it his most guitar-obsessed record in years.
Report · July 10, 2026
The Rolling Stones Release Foreign Tongues, and the Open-Tuning Interplay Behind Richards and Wood's Guitars
The Rolling Stones' 25th studio album is out today, produced by Andrew Watt and carrying one last recording from Charlie Watts before his 2021 death. At the album's launch, Ronnie Wood explained how his open-E guitar interlocks with Keith Richards' famous open-G five-string rig: the ancient form of weaving.
Daily roundup · July 10, 2026
Today in guitar: Jack White's Frozen Charlotte arrives, and Alabama Shakes announce I Must Be Dreaming
Jack White's seventh solo album arrives the same day his 2026 world tour opens in Washington, DC. Alabama Shakes announce their first new album in over a decade, with Brittany Howard's Gibson SG once again doing the talking. DevilDriver release Strike and Kill, their first album with new guitarist Gabe Mangold. The Rolling Stones release Foreign Tongues, their 25th album, with one last Charlie Watts recording and Ronnie Wood breaking down his open-E-against-open-G weave with Keith Richards. And deathcore band Distant announce Into Despair, with a new single featuring Suffocation's Ricky Myers and a gear angle in guitarist Nouri Yetgin's VanderMeij Fleshweaver 7-string.
Report · July 9, 2026
Epiphone launches Eric Church's Hummingbird Dark signature acoustic, with a Gibson-tonewood whiskey
Church's square-shouldered Hummingbird Dark brings his higher-tier Gibson signature down to an Epiphone price point, and it ships alongside two whiskeys finished with toasted maple offcuts left over from Gibson guitar production.
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Report · July 9, 2026
Kiesel unveils the Antares: a 6/7/8-string guitar, and what strings actually fit it
Kiesel's newest body shape ships in 6, 7, and 8-string configurations across three scale lengths, and like every Kiesel, it leaves the factory with no strings specified at all. Here's what actually fits each build.
Report · July 9, 2026
Martin and Shawn Mendes launch two new signature acoustic guitars: the 000-28 and 000-10E
Four years after his first Martin signature, the 000JR-10E, Shawn Mendes is back with two full-size 000 acoustics: an 88-guitar limited run built to match his own stage guitar, and a Road Series model built for everyone else.
Daily roundup · July 9, 2026
Today in guitar: Martin and Shawn Mendes's new signature acoustics, and Epiphone's Eric Church Hummingbird Dark
Martin and Shawn Mendes announce two new 000-body signature acoustics, four years after his debut Martin collaboration. Separately, Epiphone launches Eric Church's Hummingbird Dark, with a whiskey made from Gibson's own tonewood scraps.
Report · July 8, 2026
Billie Joe Armstrong's strings and gear, and his Ramones tribute supergroup Cretin Family
Cretin Family is a one-off: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Rancid's Tim Armstrong, Blink-182's Travis Barker, and former Ramones bassist C.J. Ramone play a single charity show 50 years after the Ramones' debut LP, a few hundred feet from where two of the band are buried.
Report · July 8, 2026
Dinosaur Jr. announce new album There Near, and J Mascis's string setup hasn't changed in over a decade
There Near is Dinosaur Jr.'s sixth studio album since reuniting, chased on a vintage amp J Mascis just bought to relive the sound of their first record. His guitar strings never needed relitigating: same .010 Ernie Ball gauge he's played since he started, just in Cobalt now.
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Report · July 8, 2026
Ernie Ball to acquire Source Audio: its first move into effects pedals
The company behind Slinky and Cobalt strings is buying its way into premium effects for the first time. Source Audio keeps its own name and lineup, but Ernie Ball's distribution muscle is now behind it.
Daily roundup · July 8, 2026
Today in guitar: Ernie Ball acquires Source Audio, and Deep Purple's Simon McBride goes digital
Ernie Ball makes its first move beyond strings and volume pedals by agreeing to acquire effects maker Source Audio. Also this week: Deep Purple's newest guitarist explains why he traded a tube stack for a modeler, Strymon doubles down on its decade-old Timeline delay with a bigger MX version, Dinosaur Jr. announce their sixth album, There Near, and Billie Joe Armstrong fronts a new Ramones tribute supergroup, Cretin Family.
Daily roundup · July 7, 2026
Today in guitar: Kirk Hammett plays a Gojira signature Jackson at Metallica's tour finale, Jim Root's Telecaster goes gold, and Jackson unveils a 27-fret Brandon Ellis signature
Metallica closed its mammoth M72 World Tour with two London Stadium shows, and Kirk Hammett marked it by playing a brand new guitar: Gojira guitarist Christian Andreu's own Jackson signature model. Fender also brought back Jim Root's signature Telecaster in a new Shoreline Gold finish, Jackson gave Cannibal Corpse touring guitarist Brandon Ellis a reworked 27-fret signature Kelly, and Walrus Audio brings its glitchy Lüm Texture Engine pedal back from the dead.
Report · July 6, 2026
John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the guitar string gauge debate: what actually changes your tone
Guitar World republished a John Mayer quote this week that has been sitting in its archives since 2010: the string-gauge debate, he said, is about the silliest thing a guitarist can engage in. Mayer's own signature set says otherwise, or at least says it more carefully. So do the three guitarists Guitar World measures him against. Here is the real spread, from a .007 high E to a .058 low E, and what each player's choice actually tells you.
Report · July 6, 2026
SRV's Torn Calluses: Why Stevie Ray Vaughan Super-Glued His Fingers
Stevie Ray Vaughan played some of the heaviest strings in recorded blues history and picked hard enough to wear quarter-inch holes straight through his fingertips. His guitar tech's field fix, confirmed by Vaughan himself, was as unglamorous as it was effective: pack the hole, seal it with super glue, and get back on stage.
Daily roundup · July 6, 2026
Today in guitar: John Mayer's string-gauge philosophy resurfaces, Kirk Hammett's $87,500 guilt trip, and Guild brings back the S-300
A quiet week for breaking string news turns up a good debate instead, plus one genuine string tie-in. Guitar World dug up a decade-old John Mayer quote on string gauge and tone that is worth settling properly, Kirk Hammett is still feeling guilty about a bargain 1957 Les Paul, Guild brings a cult-classic offset back in two new finishes, and Martin marked July 4th with a 250-guitar tribute strung in its own Lifespan 2.0 phosphor bronze. Here is the week's guitar news, and the string underneath it.
Report · July 1, 2026
Eric Clapton's lost Cream-era Les Paul, the Summersburst, resurfaces after 60 years
For six decades, guitar historians have obsessed over Eric Clapton's stolen 'Beano' Les Paul, the guitar on the Bluesbreakers album cover that vanished from a London rehearsal hall in the mid-1960s. Almost nobody talked about the other 1960 Les Paul Standard Clapton bought right after, the one that actually recorded Cream's Fresh Cream. Paris dealer Matthieu Lucas just brought it into public view for the first time in nearly 60 years, botched headstock repair and all.
Report · July 1, 2026
Julian Lage, jazz guitar's quiet virtuoso, has joined Bob Dylan's touring band
Bob Dylan has never explained a lineup change in his life, and he is not starting now. In late June, jazz guitarist Julian Lage, a player better known for Blue Note records and rig rundowns praising his one-Telecaster restraint than for backing a Nobel laureate, turned up in Dylan's touring band with no press release and no warning. Six shows in, nobody outside the tour bus knows if it is permanent. What we do know, because it is some of the best-documented gear in guitar journalism, is exactly what Lage plays and strings his guitars with.
Report · July 1, 2026
Michael Angelo Batio's Manowar comeback: inside the Kings of Metal Fighting the World Tour
Manowar has started rolling out dates for Kings of Metal Fighting the World Tour, its next arena run heading into 2027. The band's guitarist since 2022 is Michael Angelo Batio, the instrumental shred pioneer who invented the Double Guitar and Quad Guitar decades before most of Manowar's newer fans were born. Here is the tour news, his own account of the gig, and the Dean-to-Sawtooth gear story behind it.
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Report · July 1, 2026
What strings does Rodrigo y Gabriela play? The D'Addario nylon set behind two decades of thrash-flamenco
Rodrigo y Gabriela just announced OurHome, their most acoustic record in years. Here is the nylon string behind two decades of thrash metal played on classical guitars, why it is normal tension and not hard, and what to buy if you want to feel it yourself.
Daily roundup · July 1, 2026
Today in guitar: Rodrigo y Gabriela come home on nylon strings, Gibson's changing of the guard, and a $399 hybrid joins the wave
Rodrigo y Gabriela ended a creatively stuck stretch with a trip to Japan, a manga collaboration, and their most acoustic record since 2023, and it is a nylon-string story from top to bottom. Gibson's Cesar Gueikian steps back from the CEO chair. Guitar World's weekly gear roundup adds a $399 hybrid nylon-electric to the wave Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi started, shred pioneer Michael Angelo Batio gets a tour date and a gear story of his own with Manowar, a 1960 Les Paul Eric Clapton played on Cream's debut album resurfaces in Paris after 60 years, jazz guitarist Julian Lage turns up unannounced in Bob Dylan's touring band, and the Rolling Stones inch closer to July 10. Here is the day's guitar news, and the string underneath every story.
Report · June 30, 2026
What strings does Billy Strings use? The coated medium set behind the flatpicking
Billy Strings announced his most personal album this morning, and it lands him back on the road within days. Here is the string he actually plays, why it is a heavy coated set, and what a real flatpicker needs before the shopping cart.
Daily roundup · June 30, 2026
Today in guitar: Billy Strings' grief-stricken new album, Polyphia's dance djent, and Jamerson's flatwounds return
Billy Strings turned his grief into his most personal record and heads back on the road this week. Guitar World's June Editors' Picks crown Polyphia's heaviest single yet and two gorgeous nylon releases, while the bass desk delivers a Fender Jamerson reissue strung with La Bella flats and John Myung's surprise return to four strings. Every one of these stories is a string story underneath. Here is what matters, and what to play.
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Report · June 27, 2026
Bass string gauges, explained: what the numbers mean and which to pick
Victor Wooten is back on the road this summer, playing a set most bassists would call shockingly light. His gauge choice is the perfect way into the question every new bassist asks: what do the numbers on a bass string pack mean, and which set should you actually buy?
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Report · June 27, 2026
Do old guitar strings sound better? The case for not changing them
Fresh strings sparkle. Broken-in strings settle into something warmer, and a whole school of players chases that worn voice on purpose. A guide to the great old-versus-new strings debate, the physics under it, and the limit where dead becomes just dead.
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Report · June 27, 2026
Down-tuned bass strings, explained: heavier gauges, the low B, and staying tight
Russian Circles and Sleep just reminded everyone how heavy a low end can get. That crunch is a string choice as much as an amp setting. Here is how to string a bass that lives below standard.
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Report · June 27, 2026
Flatwound electric guitar strings, explained: the warm tone behind Julian Lage's Telecaster
Julian Lage just slipped into Bob Dylan's band, and it has put a spotlight on how he gets a singing, vocal tone out of a bright Telecaster. The answer is flatwound strings. Here is what they are, and whether they belong on your guitar.
Daily roundup · June 27, 2026
Today in guitar: the morning after Prime Day, Wooten hits the road, and Russian Circles go heavy
Prime Day wrapped overnight, but the discounts rolled straight into early Fourth of July sales. Victor Wooten and the Wooten Brothers play Maine tonight, Russian Circles announce their heaviest album in years, and acoustic master Peppino D'Agostino explains why he traded steel strings for nylon. A flagship Furch acoustic gets the dream-guitar treatment, too. Here is what matters, and what to buy.
Report · June 27, 2026
What strings does Victor Wooten play? The DR Pure Blues set behind the tone
Wooten and the Wooten Brothers play Maine tonight. Here is the documented string he actually uses, why the gauges are so light, and the part no string can sell you.
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Report · June 27, 2026
Warm strings or bright strings? What your string material does to your tone
An acoustic master just traded steel strings for nylon to chase a warmer sound, and named the reason out loud: brightness. That decision is the whole story of string material. Here is the warm-to-bright spectrum, alloy by alloy, and how to land on the right one for your guitar.
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Report · June 27, 2026
Why guitar strings break, and how to stop it
A breaking string is almost always the guitar telling on itself. Read where it snapped, smooth the rough spot, and the problem stops. A tech's field guide to the six places strings fail and the fix for each.
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Report · June 27, 2026
Why your guitar won't stay in tune, and the cheap fixes before new hardware
A new $349 bridge promises next-level tuning stability. It might help. But for most players the fix is far cheaper, and it starts at the strings.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Acoustic string gauges by body shape: what to put on a parlor, a dreadnought, and everything between
Body size is the first clue to the right acoustic gauge, but it is not the last word. Here is the chart that gets you close, and the player habits that fine-tune it.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Baritone guitar strings and gauges: how to string a 27-inch neck (B to B)
Fender's new 27-inch Jaguar Baritone is the latest reason to ask the question a baritone always raises: what do you actually string it with? The short answer is heavier, and the long answer is here.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Stringing for doom: the gauges that make a down-tuned guitar crush, not flop
Monolord and Dunable just launched a doom signature guitar and bass. It is a good excuse to answer the question every down-tuner eventually asks: what gauge keeps a detuned string tight instead of floppy?
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Report · June 26, 2026
Elixir Attune strings, explained: the coated set that wants to feel uncoated
Elixir's newest acoustic line is a bet that players want the long life of a coated string without the slick, synthetic feel. Here is the honest read on what Attune changes, and what it does not.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Fender turns 75: what scale length does to your strings, from the Nocaster to the new 27-inch baritone
The 1951 Nocaster, a 27-inch Player Fusion baritone, and a Floyd Rose Tele all land this anniversary year. Each one changes the string conversation, because scale length does.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Fender's James Jamerson tribute bass, and the flatwound tone behind Motown
Fender's collector tribute honors the most recorded bass in history. The sound it chases lived in worked-in flatwound strings, not the instrument, and you can string it up for the price of a set.
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Report · June 26, 2026
The 5-string guitar and DAEAD tuning, explained: Jacob Collier's symmetrical system
Jacob Collier took a string off a guitar and built a mirror. Here is what DAEAD tuning actually is, and how to play with it without buying a new instrument.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Gibson brings back the ES-330: the strings that make a hollowbody sing
A fully hollow P-90 archtop is the most acoustically alive electric Gibson makes. Its tone lives in the wood and the strings. Here is what to put on one, and how to get the sound without the boutique price.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Guitar string gauges explained: what the numbers on your strings mean
The number on every string pack, decoded. What gauge measures, the same sizes in millimeters, the standard sets for electric, acoustic, and bass, and how to choose the gauge that fits you.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Höfner survives bankruptcy: what the Beatle Bass rescue means for your tone
The most recognizable bass in popular music has a future again. Here is what actually happened, and the part that matters most for players: the tone was never really about the bass.
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Report · June 26, 2026
How to change classical guitar strings without the knot slipping
Nylon strings tie on instead of clipping in, and the knot is the whole skill. Here is how to tie the bridge, wind the post, and settle a new set, step by step from a tech's bench.
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Report · June 26, 2026
How to change flatwound bass strings without breaking the set
Flatwounds install differently from the roundwounds most players know, and the wrong move can snap a fresh set on the first wind. Here is the whole job from a tech's bench: the one rule, the cut, and the break-in.
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Report · June 26, 2026
How to make your guitar strings last longer
Strings do not usually break. They die slowly, from the sweat and grime you leave on them. Here is the tech-bench routine that doubles the life of a set, and how to tell when one is actually done.
Report · June 26, 2026
Keith Richards plays five strings, not six: the open-G setup behind every Stones riff
The Rolling Stones launched a podcast this week. It is a fine excuse to revisit the most copied, least understood string trick in rock: pull off the low E, tune to open G, and play five.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Nylon and classical guitar strings, explained: tension, materials, and the steel-string trap
Classical and flamenco guitars run on nylon, not steel, and the rules are different. Here is how classical strings are sized, what they are made of, and the one mistake that can crack your guitar.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Orangewood's Melrose Retro acoustics are here: the strings to put on a new acoustic
A new acoustic is only as good as the strings on it. Orangewood just launched three classic shapes at once, so here is how to gauge each one.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Amazon Prime Day 2026 is live: the guitar strings worth stocking up on
Strings are the rare gear you are guaranteed to buy again. That makes a sale a stock-up decision, not a shopping spree. Here is how to play it.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Rickenbacker's new 3030 ships with flatwounds: what a super-short scale does to your strings
A limited boutique Rickenbacker is the headline. The lesson underneath it is bigger: scale length is one of the strongest levers on how a bass feels and sounds, and it decides which strings you can even fit.
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Report · June 26, 2026
How to string a 7-string guitar: the extended-range strings guide
The only hard part of stringing a 7-string is the low string. Here is how to size it to your tuning, your scale, and your pickups.
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Report · June 26, 2026
String gauges by tuning: what gauge to use for Drop D, Eb, Drop C, and lower
Pick your tuning, then pick the gauge that keeps it tight. Here is the whole ladder from standard down to the basement, with a set for every rung and the deeper charts when you need the math.
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Report · June 26, 2026
Tapewound bass strings, explained: the third path to a warm low end
Ernie Ball's new Tapewound set ships this summer. It is a good moment to explain the bass-string family most players skip past: what a nylon wrap does, who it is for, and how it sits next to flats and rounds.
Daily roundup · June 26, 2026
Today in guitar: Prime Day is live, Fender turns 75, and Gibson plans a hand-off
Prime Day deals are running, two long-awaited Ernie Ball signature string sets are on shelves, Fender marks 75 years, and Gibson lines up a leadership change. Here is what matters, and what to buy.
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Report · June 26, 2026
12-string guitar strings, explained: octave courses, lighter gauges, and the sets that fit
A 12-string is six pairs of strings, and the pairs are the whole trick. Here is how the set works, why it runs lighter than you expect, and what to buy for an acoustic or an electric.