Planet-Friendly Player

Gimme Danger

I GREW UP THINKING of hard rock as

When It's Love

I’ve only gotten about halfway through the issue

Balancing Act

Black Stone Cherry’s Ben Wells and Chris Robertson perform a hard rock/country crossover on The Human Condition.

My Career in Five Songs

Kim Thayil never wanted his guitar playing to be about one thing. Here’s a career-spanning assortment of tracks that show him at his diverse best

High Society

CLASSIC GEAR

‘Smoke’ Machine

VINYL TREASURES

The Phantom Menace

WHACK JOB

Jeff Beck

His inventive guitar techniques and use of effects established the template for hard-rock virtuosity and tone

Pete Townshend

His combative guitar style, theatrical sensibilities and thirst for volume defined the essence of hard rock. He was also behind the creation of every hard-rock guitarist’s favorite piece of kit — the double stack

John Lennon

As a member of rock and roll’s most popular band, he helped lead the pop masses to harder fare

Jimmy page

He single-handedly established the original template for hard-rock guitar tone, production and showmanship

JIMI HENDRIX

From his gear to his sound to his style, he reshaped rock and roll and demonstrated the full scope of what could be expressed with an electric guitar

Wayne Kramer & Fred “Sonic” Smith

Combining defiant, high-volume rock with jazz and a take-no-prisoners stage show, they heralded a new level of intensity and showmanship

STONE COLD CRAZY

With In Rock, Deep Purple Mark II carved their place in hard-rock history. And it’s largely thanks to the maniacal mind and guitar mastery of Ritchie Blackmore

The classic era

As the hard-rock genre diversified and graduated from halls to arenas, these are the guitarists who defined the sounds and styles of the decade

Brian May

His harmonized, treble-boosted lead guitar lines brought tasteful refinement and pop melodicism to the genre without diminishing its potency

Joe Perry

Even at 70, the Bad Boy from Boston is still the baddest — and coolest — guitar slinger on the block

Neal Schon

As Journey’s guitarist, he’s brought a compositional approach to soloing

Tom Scholz

The Boston musician locked himself in his basement and came up with one of the most stunning albums — and guitar tones — of the past 45 years

ANGUS YOUNG

AC/DC’s head honcho is responsible for some of the most towering and enduring riffs and licks in all of rock and roll

Eddie van Halen

He didn’t just rewrite the six-string rulebook — he shredded it, changing the sound, style and look of the instrument like no artist before or since

NEVER SAY DIE

After years of being counted out, Michael Schenker is back at the top of his game and touting a new album rightly titled Immortal

Ace Frehley

He may not shred, sweep or tap, but the Spaceman launched a thousand future six-stringers

SLASH

The top Gunner reintroduced blues-based riffing and soloing (not to mention the Les Paul) to rock and roll, and is responsible for one of the most famous guitar licks of all time

GEORGE KOOYMANS

He put the boogie in hard rock with “Radar Love.”

RUDOLF SCHENKER

The Scorpions’ founder and driving force has defined European hard rock for more than 50 years

AMERICAN BAND STAND

They sold out Shea Stadium faster than the Beatles. In the early 1970s, no U.S. hard-rock act was bigger than Grand Funk Railroad

WILD, WILD WEST!

AS THE TINY AMPMAKER BEHIND GRAND FUNK RAILROAD’S POTENT HARD-ROCK SOUND, WEST AMPS WERE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

THE SHREDPLANET

A new breed of virtuoso guitarists invades hard rock, moving it further from its blues-rock origins

JOHN SYKES

The former Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist supercharged blues-based riffing and soloing, and brought it squealing, and shredding into the brand-new decade

MICK MARS

The Mötley Crüe traditionalist churned out some of the loudest, rudest and most aggressive guitar licks of the ’80s

GEORGE LYNCH

The one-time Sunset Strip peer of Eddie Van Halen blazed a unique and idiosyncratic shred path through the ’80s, and continues to today

WARREN DeMARTINI

The Ratt man came out of the cellar and rose to the top of the post-EVH shredder heap

NUNO BETTENCOURT

The funky and fearless guitar acrobat is quite possibly the truest descendent of Eddie Van Halen’s wild, boundless style

TOM MORELLO

His inventive use of effects and his activist stance place him in a league all his own

Funky Monk

Learn how to master John Frusciante’s exemplary rhythm-playing approaches on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ classic Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

Good Hangs

These three strap-button strategies can make a big difference in how your guitar plays

Epiphone

LIMITED EDITION 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD

Mesa/Boogie

BADLANDER 100-WATT HEAD

JHS

LEGENDS OF FUZZ BENDER AND SMILEY FUZZ PEDALS

Godin

MULTIAC GRAND CONCERT DELUXE

Rainger MINI BAR LIQUID ANALYSER

Guitar Player Editors’ Pick AT NAMM 2020,

MXR TREMOLO

Guitar Player Editors’ Pick IT’S ALWAYS NICE

“Blue Collar Man”

Tommy Shaw reveals the jolly green inspiration behind Styx’s 1978 hit