SABBATH/GW FIRSTS

VOL. 46 | NO. 8 | AUGUST 2025

SOUNDING BOARD

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RANDOM PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Tears for Fears guitarist Roland Orzabal [ left

READER ART OF THE MONTH

AND GET THE LATEST GUITAR NEWS, INSIDER UPDATES, STAFF REPORTS AND MORE!

DEFENDERS of the Faith

David Robbins AGE: 69 HOMETOWN: Charleston, SC

G&L

Leo Fender called G&L Guitars the best instruments he ever made. Forty-five years later, the firm remains, albeit with the cachet of Leo’s name lingering above. As we learn from Steve Araujo, G&L’s jack of all trades, the future looks bright and hyper-fixated on quality

CREED BRATTON

From living it up in the Summer of Love to starring in NBC’s The Office , the former Grass Roots guitarist has had a career like no other.

Goose Is Cookin’

GUITAR WORLD AUGUST 2025

SONGS FROM THE WOOD

GUITAR WORLD AUGUST 2025

FADE TO BLACK

PART 1: THE LAST HURRAH

THE SUPPORTING CAST

FADE TO BLACK PART 2

Jake E. Lee

“Tom Morello said, ‘I can’t see this going on without Jake E. Lee in there somewhere’”

Lzzy Hale

How Halestorm wound up playing Ronnie James Dio’s final show

Scott Ian

“I’ve been flipping out. It’s hard to believe it’s real”

SATAN LAUGHING SPREADS HIS WINGS!

FADE IN BLACK PART 3

Black Sabbath

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: June 1, 1970 PRODUCER:

Paranoid

s LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: January 7,

Master of Reality

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: August 6, 1971 PRODUCER:

Vol. 4

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: September 30, 1972

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: November 1973 PRODUCER:

Sabotage

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: July 28, 1975 PRODUCER:

Technical Ecstasy

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: October 22, 1976 PRODUCER:

Never Say Die!

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: September 29, 1978

Heaven and Hell

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: April 18, 1980

Mob Rules

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE DATE: November 4,

Born Again

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: September 9, 1983

Seventh Star

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: January 28, 1986

The Eternal Idol

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: December 8, 1987

Headless Cross

LABEL: I.R.S. U.S. RELEASE: April 17, 1989

Tyr

LABEL: I.R.S. U.S. RELEASE: August 20, 1990

Dehumanizer

LABEL: Reprise U.S. RELEASE: June 10, 1992

Cross Purposes

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: January 31, 1994

Forbidden

LABEL: Warner U.S. RELEASE: June 5, 1995 PRODUCER:

13

LABEL: Republic U.S. RELEASE: June 10, 2013 PRODUCER:

Blues Worth Keeping

WIDELY HAILED AS ONE OF IRELAND’S BRIGHTEST EMERGING STARS, 18-YEAR-OLD MUIREANN BRADLEY IS PROUD TO CHAMPION MUSIC THAT’S NEARLY A CENTURY OLD

MY PEDALBOARD

STEVE STEVENS

IN MEMORY OF John Sykes

REMEMBERING THE POWERHOUSE ROCK JOURNEYMAN WHO BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO WHITESNAKE AND THIN LIZZY

LOST CLASSICS: Bob Marley & the Wailers

GUITARIST JUNIOR MARVIN TAKES US INSIDE THE MAKING OF MARLEY’S PERPETUALLY UNDER-THE-RADAR 1979 ALBUM, SURVIVAL

MY LIFE IN THREE GUITARS: Billy Duffy

THE TRIO OF AXES THAT HAVE MEANT THE MOST THE VENERABLE CULT GUITARIST

The Harrison/Ford Experience

BLUES/JAZZ MAESTRO ROBBEN FORD ON THE UPS AND DOWNS OF TOURING WITH GEORGE HARRISON IN THE FALL OF 1974

Ben Lechuga

AS A RECENT CONVERT TO FRETLESS ELECTRICS, THE CHILEAN GUITARIST IS NOW OPENING MUSICAL DOORS HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW EXISTED

A Thing of Beauty

TETRARCH’S DIAMOND ROWE AND JOSH FORE TAKE YOU BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE VETERAN METALERS’ LATEST, THE UGLY SIDE OF ME — AND WHY DIAMOND’S MOM’S OPINIONS WEIGH SO HEAVILY WITH THE BAND

SOUND CHECK

PRS Archon Classic head PRS HAS DULY noted

Fender Player II Modified Telecaster SH

TELE PLAYERS HAVE modified their Telecasters by installing

John Page Signature The DL

JOHN PAGE CLASSIC GUITARS ALTHOUGH HE ISN’T related

Xotic AC Booster V2

XOTIC’S RANGE OF AC and RC Booster pedals

Warm Audio Fen-Tone WA-FT ribbon microphone

EVEN THE MOST modest home studio should have

FOLLOW THE GROOVE

TAICHI NISHIMAKI GET DOWN! The merits of

TALES FROM NERDVILLE

JEFF FASANO/GUITAR WORLD CONNECTING FLIGHTS How to

ONE GUITAR WOMAN

MARK ABERNATHY BLUES YOU CAN USE, PART 3

HARDWIRED

DAVID McCLISTER KING ALBERT The influence of

Performance Notes

HOW TO PLAY THIS MONTH’S SONGS

DIGITECH WH-1 WHAMMY

1989–94 CATEGORY: EFFECT PEDALS

“CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE”

Black Sabbath

“SUFFOCATE”

Knocked Loose (ft. Poppy)

“THE FISH (SCHINDLERIA PRAEMATURUS)”

Yes