Johnny Marr has sung the praises of Neil Finn, recalling a moment during one of his shows where he and Elvis Costello agreed had a “God-given gift for melody”.  READ MORE: “We’re supposed to go along with the idea that they’re good”: Johnny Marr takes aim at We Will Rock You and other jukebox musicals A new interview appears with Finn himself in the new issue of MOJO, but within it, Marr is also interviewed about the specific moment when he realised what a talent the Crowded House guitarist is. “I was at the Concert For Linda in 1999, watching Neil soundcheck Don’t Dream It’s ..read more

Between lacklustre crowd reactions to Blur’s Girls & Boys performance and Grimes’ DJing mishap, there’s never a dull moment during Coachella season. Last Sunday, Indo-Canadian artist AP Dhillon delivered a smashing show (literally) on the festival’s Sahara stage, rounding off his set with the destruction of his metallic gold ESP LTD Kirk Hammett V guitar. The display has sparked the outrage of many online and Dhillon has since responded to the backlash with a post on Instagram, seemingly comparing himself to late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. READ MORE: “I disagree with their fundin ..read more

“Aaron Dessner if you ever need a kidney you have my number.” Such is the sentiment expressed by one Taylor Swift fan – or Swifties as they’re collectively known – over The National guitarist’s contributions to the pop star’s new album, The Tortured Poet’s Department. READ MORE: “Cannae beat a bit of AC/DC man”: Watch soccer commentator lose his mind when stadium PA starts playing Hells Bells Just in case you’re living under a rock, the world’s biggest artist earlier today dropped her 11th studio record. The release, in which Swift, Dessner, and longtime producer Jack Antonoff share pr ..read more

Soccer legend Ally McCoist is apparently quite the rock fan, or so it seems judging by his reactions to AC/DC’s Hells Bells being played at Munich’s Allianz Arena ahead of a Champions League quarter-final match earlier this week. The Scottish commentator and host for talkSPORT couldn’t hide his enthusiasm the moment those iconic bells chimed through the stadium PA, gushing immediately: “It can’t be AC/DC! If a guitar comes in here in a minute, it’s gonna be unbelievable!” READ MORE: “You can’t have everything 120 BPM. It’s obvious that’s a radio tempo”: Dave Mustaine was “unhappy” with ..read more

Dickey Betts, legendary guitarist and co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band, has died at the age of 80. Betts’ death was confirmed by his family via an announcement on his Instagram page: “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that the Betts family announce the peaceful passing of Forrest Richard ‘Dickey’ Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) at the age of 80 years old. The legendary performer, songwriter, bandleader and family patriarch passed away earlier today at his home in Osprey, FL., surrounded by his family. Dickey was larger than life, and his loss will be felt world-wid ..read more

$199/£149, fender.com It’s easy to forget that before Kurt Cobain made Fender Mustangs eternally cool, they were meant to be student instruments – the best beginner guitars that the Big F had made, and the first rung on the ladder for aspiring artists. READ MORE: Squier Sonic Stratocaster HSS review: is Fender’s most affordable Stratocaster a viable option for you? Nowadays of course, it’s just as common to see a Mustang around the neck of an arena-level star like Matt Healy or Ben Gibbard as you are a young kid taking lessons in the back of a guitar shop, but that broadened appeal just mak ..read more

Youthanasia might be Megadeth’s best selling album, but frontman Dave Mustaine wasn’t happy with the choice of tempo used throughout. According to Mustaine, producer Max Norman told the band they should slow everything down to 120 beats per minute. Although he felt proud of the record’s commercial success, he argues it was “obvious” that Norman’s choice of speed “was a radio tempo”. READ MORE: “I can learn fast, jump into new situations, and be comfortable”: Teemu Mäntysaari on joining Megadeth Youthanasia landed in 1994, marking the band’s sixth album. It shot to platinum certificatio ..read more

Pete Townshend has shot down any suggestion of there being a farewell tour from The Who, saying he was “being sarcastic” when he first raised hopes about the idea. READ MORE: Pete Townshend used to break and fix his guitar four times a day: “In the end, it was more glue and string than anything else” A few weeks ago, Townshend told the New York Times he hoped to work on music and wrap up his time with The Who with one last world tour. “It feels to me like there’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die,” he said. “I don’t get much of a buzz fro ..read more

Leo Fender, despite founding one of the biggest guitar brands still in business today, wasn’t actually a believer in the differences between tonewoods. In fact, he selected woods purely based on their availability and affordability. Fender founded the brand in 1946, when he established the Fender Electric Instrument Company. Later on into his business ventures, Fender and his colleagues regularly consulted local players to find out what they wanted in a guitar, and one of them was Tim Bailey. READ MORE: Fender’s ownership history in a nutshell As Fender was setting up his last brand, G& ..read more

How far does $5 go? Well, according to Lee Anderton of UK guitar gear retailers Andertons, spending even just an extra $5 when making a budget guitar can make it as much as twice as good. Speaking to Andy Ferris, aka The Guitar Geek, Anderton discusses the economics of budget instruments, explaining that investing just a little more can have a huge impact on the quality and value of the end product. READ MORE: The 10 best electric guitars for all styles and budgets He uses Andertons’ budget guitar brand, EastCoast, as an example, suggesting that as long as the factory’s minimum orders are m ..read more