Welcome to the Guitarist Annual 2026, packed with the finest guitar features from 2025, including legendary players, in-depth features on vintage instruments, plus the hottest new gear. Inside, we have an audience with the world’s most inspiring players, from Brian May and Chrissie Hynde, to Molly Tuttle, James Dean Bradfield and Joe Bonamassa. Check out the 30 best guitar pedals on the market today, ready to transform your tone – and look back as we examine historic Stratocasters from the pre-CBS era and vintage examples of Epiphone’s Riviera model. Join us as we take a journey into the colour and craft of Fender’s revered Custom Shop, explore the mischief and makers involved in the rich history of Japanese electric-guitar making, and marvel at the mastery of Gibson’s stunning new Murphy Lab Heavy Aged Acoustic Collection. The Guitarist Annual 2026 is this year's essential read for any guitar player or collector.
A Year In Guitar
Guitarist Annual
Molly Tuttle • With her diverse new album full of amazing playing, there are changes afoot for the Grammy Award-winning acousticguitar virtuoso as she takes a few steps away from her bluegrass roots
PARTNERS IN CRIME • FOR A HALF-CENTURY AND COUNTING, THE THIN LIZZY SOUND HAS BEEN FORGED AND RECAST BY SCOTT GORHAM AND THE GREATS WHO PARTNERED HIM ON DUELLING LES PAULS, INCLUDING THE LATE JOHN SYKES. GORHAM LOOKS BACK ON THE HIGHS, LOWS, JOY AND PAIN OF HIS CLASSIC PARTNERSHIPS
BRIAN ROBERTSON 1974-1978
ART ATTACK! • Scott showcases his latest artworks
JET SETTING • Midge Ure, the Live Aid orchestrator and Ultravox synth-pop pioneer, looks back at his trial by fire with Thin Lizzy – and why he told Phil Lynott: “I’m not the guy you should be asking”
SOUND AS A BELL • When the Irish band were a folksy blues three-piece, it was Eric Bell who defined Thin Lizzy on their 1971 self-titled debut and early 70s follow-ups, Shades Of A Blue Orphanage and Vagabonds Of The Western World
GARY MOORE 1974, 1977, 1978-1979
JOHN SYKES 1982-1983, 1996-2009
THEY ALSO SERVED • Scott Gorham on four more Lizzy guitar partners
JOE BONAMASSA • Amid the mayhem of his European tour, Joe takes time out to give us a guided tour around his 2025 live gear, delivers the lowdown on some of his more storied guitars, and tells us why his mighty multi-amp rig has to run at breaking point in order to make the earth move and those riffs resonate…
LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS
BATTLE ROYAL • For 51 years, Queen’s self-titled debut album was the cult curio of their fabled catalogue. Now, as the new Queen I boxset drags these lost songs into the daylight, Brian May tells us about poverty, parental disapproval, the Red Special’s first run-out – and the perils of playing through Jimi’s stack
BOXING CLEVER • Brian May on the newly remastered and expanded Queen I boxset
MISSION CRITICAL • Manic Street Preachers’ new album, Critical Thinking, is by turns vitriolic and graceful, its sense of drama and unflinching portraits of modern life powered in no small part by the superb playing of guitarist James Dean Bradfield. We join him in the band’s studio to hear how they crafted their sweeping sound the old-fashioned way in an era of throwaway content
PRE-CBS SUNBURST STRATOCASTERS • Five Stratocasters, all sunbursts and all different – so what is the best vintage if you’re craving a classic?
EPIPHONE RIVIERA • From the New York jazz clubs of the 1920s, through the emergence of 50s electric blues in the late 50s, to today’s vibrant, diverse scene, Epiphone has seen twists and turns but has been an enduring force – and the Riviera semi-acoustic is one of its greatest models
ABOVE AND BEYOND • Fender’s Custom Shop may have opened its doors in the late 80s, but, in some ways, it was an...