Jake Kiszka

Welcome…

Welcome to the first Total Guitar Awards Issue!

CALIFORNIA STREAMING

O new song in two years - The

SLIPKNOT

The Chapeltown Rag

“I WAS HAVING TO TUNE 24/7!”

INTERVIEW

“FULL AND BEEFY!”

LINDSEY TROY OF DEAP VALLY ON HER DISTINCTIVE SOUND AND BEATLES FIXATION

“I DON’T BELIEVE IN PERFECTION”

The power of Volbeat comes from Michael Poulsen’s mighty riffs. But as a self-taught player, he admits: “I’m pretty terrible at solos!”

“I FEEL MORE LIKE A GUITARIST THAN A SINGER”

Courtney Barnett is the singer-songwriter who doesn’t identify as one. Her secret weapon: “My ‘guitarmonies’...”

“WE’RE REAL MUSICIANS NOW!”

With two guitarists experimenting with new techniques and the mother of all pedalboards, this is how Idles reinvented their sound

The Total Guitar Christmas Gift Guide

All stocking filler, no budget killer! Gifts under £100 for the guitar maniac in your life

QUICK-START GUITAR

Begin your guitar-playing journey here with our beginner’s lesson on essential chords and techniques

OPEN POWERCHORDS

Make easy changes to five chords you already know to master riff rock and classic metal

TOTAL GUITAR AWARDS 2021

Welcome to this special issue in which we

The Year In Guitar

Amazing new music. A mountain of great new gear. And the long-awaited return of gigging. These were the highlights of the year that was

Albums of 2021

With too many albums to choose from, 2021 has been a vintage year for guitar music. These are the best

Songs of 2021

Albums are an artist’s grand statement, but a truly great song will always stand out

Riffs of 2021

A truly outstanding year for heavy music saw these mammoth riffs make TG's top five

Solos of 2021

From blues battles and shredding prog metal heroics to Nigerian psych-rock, these are 2021’s finest solos..

Billy Gibbons

In a year when many legendary guitarists made fine music – from Steve Cropper to Carlos Santana – TG salutes Billy Gibbons, who dug deep in ZZ Top’s darkest hour

The 50 Best Guitarists of 2021

AS VOTED BY YOU

Gear of 2021

In our first annual Gear Awards feature, we take a look at the guitars, amps and pedals that had us GAS-ing to part with our cash in 2021. We’ll start with…

ACOUSTIC GUITARS

It’s time to go unplugged as we take a look at the year’s very best strummers

AMPLIFIERS

From mini-heads to classy combos, we’ve seen a raft of fully-featured giggable amps in 2021

EFFECT PEDALS

Guitarists still can’t get enough of stomp boxes. Here are 2021’s finest

MULTI-EFFECTS

We look the year’s best all-in-one FX units that’ll make you rethink your rig

Tash Sultana

This year saw the Australian singer-songwriter make an international breakthrough with the album TerraFirma. And yet, Tash says, “I’ve only really been recognised as a guitarist recently.”

Samantha Fish

Samantha Fish ventured out of the blues-rock box in search of new sonic territory with her genre-bending album Faster. She also found that lockdown helped her fall back in love with playing

Josh Middleton

It was a great year for the Architects guitarist, as the band scored their first number one album and his latest signature model was launched

Joe Bonamassa

The blues-rock master introduced a new, more restrained approach to soloing – and a tongue-incheek Instagram series featuring “mindless” riffs

ZZ TOP SHARP DRESSED MAN

It’s time to stop shaving and don your most dapper suit as we look at Billy Gibbons’ classic pentatonic licks and slide lines

REM EVERYBODY HURTS

Grab your acoustic and let’s take a look at Rockschool’s Grade Two arrangement of this timeless ballad

TASH SULTANA JUNGLE

Get your groove on with this looper pedal epic, complete with rhythm parts, harmony guitar riffs and two killer solos!

THE GAS STATION

REAL WORLD REVIEWS OF THE BEST NEW GEAR

START ME UP!

Five awesome new products to get your gear engine revving this month…

EPIPHONE JOE BONAMASSA LAZARUS 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD AND BB KING LUCILLE

Two signatures of blues masters... two more accessible ways to enjoy vintage class?

FINAL VERDICT

Which of these signatures is a must-have?

RAPIER 33

A forgotten gem from the 60s returns £429

LTD EX BLACK METAL £859

A solid high-gain monster with none of the frills but all of the thrills

BLACKSTAR DEPT. 10 BOOST £159

How much difference does a valve make?

FAYE WEBSTER

Photo Pooneh Ghana Faye Webster’s guitar of