News ReviewsOwners Lessons Latest news, reviews and lessons updates from Ultimate-Guitar.Com. en-US Copyright 1998-2026 Ultimate-Guitar.Com. All rights reserved. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/all_updates.xml.php Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:04:54 -0400 Fri, 03 Jul 2026 21:56:44 -0400 60 Ultimate-Guitar.Com https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/static/_img/logo_trans.png https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/all_updates.xml.php 144 44 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/almost-no-band-is-safe-major-labels-will-sign-artists-they-intend-to-shelve-187370 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/almost-no-band-is-safe-major-labels-will-sign-artists-they-intend-to-shelve-187370 Features: A major label will sign an artist, only to shelve them and do nothing. No albums, no promotion. So why do they bother signing them?]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:04:54 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/slash-steve-vai-tim-henson-and-guthrie-govan-are-on-the-same-album-and-nobody-saw-it-coming https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/slash-steve-vai-tim-henson-and-guthrie-govan-are-on-the-same-album-and-nobody-saw-it-coming Trends: Award-winning composer Bear McCreary's new concept album "The Singularity: Eklepsis" brings together an impressive roster of veritable rock royalty.]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 03:34:58 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/mastodon-goes-on-record-about-split-with-brent-hinds-and-the-grief-of-losing-him-troy-sanders-read-him-a-letter-hinds-walked-out-halfway-through-thats-the-last-time-i-ever-saw-him https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/mastodon-goes-on-record-about-split-with-brent-hinds-and-the-grief-of-losing-him-troy-sanders-read-him-a-letter-hinds-walked-out-halfway-through-thats-the-last-time-i-ever-saw-him Music News: "I thought there would be that time... that turnaround, just like a thousand times before, where we meet, we hug, we apologize, and say I love you. But I was fucking wrong."]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 02:07:39 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/genesis-1991-i-cant-dance-sparked-a-roger-waters-feud-and-collins-didnt-hold-back https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/genesis-1991-i-cant-dance-sparked-a-roger-waters-feud-and-collins-didnt-hold-back Trends: While the feud was sparked by Genesis having a bit of fun, it was never really about the song.]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:04:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/even-critics-assumed-ron-strykert-played-men-at-works-overkill-guitar-solo-but-a-new-book-reveals-it-was-colin-hay-all-along-187397 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/even-critics-assumed-ron-strykert-played-men-at-works-overkill-guitar-solo-but-a-new-book-reveals-it-was-colin-hay-all-along-187397 Features: "I think that the force of the songs themselves and his singing can really overshadow that he's an accomplished instrumentalist, as well."]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:09:23 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/bone-nut-vs-tusq-no-tone-difference-on-electric-guitars-but-acoustics-are-a-different-story https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/bone-nut-vs-tusq-no-tone-difference-on-electric-guitars-but-acoustics-are-a-different-story Gear: As we try to keep all the nut jokes to ourselves, it turns out bone and Tusq sound identical on electric guitars once properly cut and lubricated. Acoustic guitars are the one place where the material earns a little more say, though the saddle still does most of the tonal work.]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:09:25 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/the-cults-ian-astbury-called-billy-duffy-in-87-and-said-theres-this-band-called-guns-n-roses-theyre-really-good-i-think-we-should-take-them-on-tour-appetite-hadnt-even-clicked-yet https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/the-cults-ian-astbury-called-billy-duffy-in-87-and-said-theres-this-band-called-guns-n-roses-theyre-really-good-i-think-we-should-take-them-on-tour-appetite-hadnt-even-clicked-yet Music News: "We became very enmeshed. There were lots of shenanigans. It was like you can imagine, you know? Whatever you can imagine, it was pretty much like that!"]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 03:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/guitar-center-ceo-confirms-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-used-to-be-banned-in-stores-even-though-metallicas-master-of-puppets-is-the-most-overplayed-riff https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/guitar-center-ceo-confirms-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-used-to-be-banned-in-stores-even-though-metallicas-master-of-puppets-is-the-most-overplayed-riff Gear: "I think people got scared to play 'Stairway'… and so almost nobody played 'Stairway' anymore."]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:43:39 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-actual-origins-of-the-maiden-gallop-steve-harriss-influences-arent-so-obvious-187289 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-actual-origins-of-the-maiden-gallop-steve-harriss-influences-arent-so-obvious-187289 Features: The galloping rhythm under "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills" traces back to prog bands like Wishbone Ash, whose "Argus" album Harris has called the blueprint for Maiden's harmony-guitar lines.]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:30:53 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/why-you-turn-the-radio-down-to-park-cognitive-science-says-your-brain-is-reallocating-focus https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/why-you-turn-the-radio-down-to-park-cognitive-science-says-your-brain-is-reallocating-focus Trends: People think it's just a quirk, but turning down the volume while parking is something everyone does, and for a good reason.]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:18:37 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/bruce-kulick-kiss-fans-didnt-always-want-hits-paul-stanleys-rule-didnt-apply-to-unplugged https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/bruce-kulick-kiss-fans-didnt-always-want-hits-paul-stanleys-rule-didnt-apply-to-unplugged Music News: "Some of those songs, I was familiar with them, but I didn't realize how amazing they were and how well we could interpret them."]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:41:41 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/gojiras-christian-andreu-lists-kirk-hammett-as-his-guitar-hero-at-metallicas-m72-finale-hammett-played-seek-amp-destroy-on-andreus-signature-jackson-rhoads https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/gojiras-christian-andreu-lists-kirk-hammett-as-his-guitar-hero-at-metallicas-m72-finale-hammett-played-seek-amp-destroy-on-andreus-signature-jackson-rhoads Gear: "Dreams come true."]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:17:03 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/simon-mcbride-uses-a-quad-cortex-for-most-deep-purple-stuff-despite-the-cries-of-blackmore-fans-no-hes-using-digital-stuff-but-its-brilliant https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/simon-mcbride-uses-a-quad-cortex-for-most-deep-purple-stuff-despite-the-cries-of-blackmore-fans-no-hes-using-digital-stuff-but-its-brilliant Gear: "I had to change my sound a bit because you're dealing with Don Airey, who plays keys, the Hammond and Leslie, and a Marshall head and cabinet."]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 23:42:49 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/what-amp-biasing-actually-means-and-why-ignoring-it-can-damage-your-amp https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/what-amp-biasing-actually-means-and-why-ignoring-it-can-damage-your-amp Gear: Bias is the DC voltage sitting on the power tubes' control grid, and running it too cold causes thin, scratchy crossover distortion while running it too hot ages tubes fast and risks redplating. ]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:18:55 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/purple-rain-at-42-how-princes-bass-less-when-doves-cry-rewrote-the-rules-of-the-1980s https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/purple-rain-at-42-how-princes-bass-less-when-doves-cry-rewrote-the-rules-of-the-1980s Trends: Four decades on, the missing bassline on Prince's biggest hit still gets cited by producers deciding what to leave out. A look back at the chart run, the studio gamble behind it, and the album that crossed radio formats nobody expected to mix.]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:44:34 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/frank-hannon-on-tesla-sharing-a-name-with-the-car-brand-its-actually-brought-more-awareness https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/frank-hannon-on-tesla-sharing-a-name-with-the-car-brand-its-actually-brought-more-awareness Music News: "We named ourselves Tesla after Nikola Tesla, the greatest electrical inventor of all time."]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 11:44:56 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dave-mustaine-names-his-last-supper-of-guitar-heroes-page-for-layering-gilmour-for-note-selection-and-blackmore-for-being-metal-as-f--k-when-there-were-no-metal-guitar-players https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dave-mustaine-names-his-last-supper-of-guitar-heroes-page-for-layering-gilmour-for-note-selection-and-blackmore-for-being-metal-as-f--k-when-there-were-no-metal-guitar-players Music News: "I am not a fan of the keyboard, so I could have had them be a little bit lighter shade of Purple and gotten rid of the keyboard player."]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/kirk-hammett-bought-neal-schons-57-les-paul-for-half-its-value-then-called-schon-to-offer-it-back-no-man-you-keep-it https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/kirk-hammett-bought-neal-schons-57-les-paul-for-half-its-value-then-called-schon-to-offer-it-back-no-man-you-keep-it Gear: "I felt kind of bad about it because I should have paid a fair price, but I paid a price that was lower than it should have been."]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:24:05 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/how-pete-townshend-started-smashing-guitars-and-what-it-first-cost-the-who-187385 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/how-pete-townshend-started-smashing-guitars-and-what-it-first-cost-the-who-187385 Features: Pete Townshend smashed his guitar in an angry accident, and it became an integral part of The Who's shows. However, it wasn't cheap.]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 02:02:03 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/sylosis-josh-middleton-uncovers-why-his-esp-signature-guitar-confuses-people https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/sylosis-josh-middleton-uncovers-why-his-esp-signature-guitar-confuses-people Gear: "They're always my favorite guitar brand, so it's a dream come true to have a signature model." ]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2026 01:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/guitar_of_the_week/james-trussart-steeldeville-the-single-cut-thats-made-of-real-rusted-steel https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/guitar_of_the_week/james-trussart-steeldeville-the-single-cut-thats-made-of-real-rusted-steel Guitar Of The Week: Trussart builds the entire body from welded steel rather than using metal as a top or accent, then leaves it out in the weather for weeks in a process Billy Gibbons nicknamed "Rust-O-Matic." Prices start above $5,000, and each guitar is built to order in Los Angeles with a wait tied to the engraving and rusting work.]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 23:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-last-quiet-album-before-grunge-took-over-tom-pettys-into-the-great-wide-open-after-35-years-187202 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-last-quiet-album-before-grunge-took-over-tom-pettys-into-the-great-wide-open-after-35-years-187202 Features: Within months of its release, the entire rock landscape reorganized around Seattle, and Tom Petty briefly became the kind of artist nobody wanted to be caught caring about.]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 21:23:16 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/guitars-are-tuned-eadgbe-because-of-a-16th-century-fingering-shortcut-187361 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/guitars-are-tuned-eadgbe-because-of-a-16th-century-fingering-shortcut-187361 Features: How guitarists spent three centuries accidentally agreeing on a tuning that isn't even internally consistent.]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:41:36 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/how-superstition-went-from-a-jeff-beck-collab-to-a-no-1-stevie-wonder-smash-and-a-2009-reunion https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/how-superstition-went-from-a-jeff-beck-collab-to-a-no-1-stevie-wonder-smash-and-a-2009-reunion Trends: The original deal had Beck releasing the song first with his new group, Beck, Bogert & Appice. Motown's release schedule beat him to market instead, and Wonder's version hit No. 1 months before Beck's version arrived in 1973.]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 14:03:27 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/frank-zappa-didnt-like-any-guitar-solos-that-have-ever-been-released-on-a-record-for-him-a-solo-was-me-against-the-laws-of-nature-i-dont-know-what-im-going-to-play https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/frank-zappa-didnt-like-any-guitar-solos-that-have-ever-been-released-on-a-record-for-him-a-solo-was-me-against-the-laws-of-nature-i-dont-know-what-im-going-to-play Retrospective: "I have a basic mechanical knowledge of the operation of the instrument, and I got an imagination. And when the time comes up in the song to play a solo, it's me against the laws of nature."]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 02:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/small-guitar-builder-hit-by-fenders-cease-and-desist-says-it-doesnt-hate-fender--but-thomann-taking-fender-to-court-has-filled-it-with-hope https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/small-guitar-builder-hit-by-fenders-cease-and-desist-says-it-doesnt-hate-fender--but-thomann-taking-fender-to-court-has-filled-it-with-hope Gear: "We'd love nothing more than for them to exist and do what they do for people that want to own their products to support their legacy. But it has to happen the right way."]]> Sat, 04 Jul 2026 23:25:57 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/the-hate-really-weighs-on-my-heart-yungbluds-message-draws-thrash-legends-support https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/the-hate-really-weighs-on-my-heart-yungbluds-message-draws-thrash-legends-support Trends: Scott Ian of Anthrax and Gary Holt of Exodus & Slayer voiced their support of Yungblud as the British icon addressed a recent emotional on-stage moment.]]> Sat, 04 Jul 2026 21:08:14 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/the-moment-night-ranger-lost-creative-control-kelly-keagy-recalls-thats-when-we-knew-we-were-sunk https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/the-moment-night-ranger-lost-creative-control-kelly-keagy-recalls-thats-when-we-knew-we-were-sunk Music News: "We didn't have a say so anymore."]]> Sat, 04 Jul 2026 16:10:57 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/dave-mustaine-left-jackson-after-they-endorsed-a-drummer-then-tried-to-buy-the-company-three-times-he-also-cant-believe-his-first-king-v-was-listed-for-193000 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/dave-mustaine-left-jackson-after-they-endorsed-a-drummer-then-tried-to-buy-the-company-three-times-he-also-cant-believe-his-first-king-v-was-listed-for-193000 Gear: "I said, 'I would never pay that for that guitar. I would never pay that much money for that guitar – unless I physically came with it!'"]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 22:40:22 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/america-turns-250-how-the-star-spangled-banner-strands-singers-but-not-guitarists-and-how-hendrix-proved-it-in-1969 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/america-turns-250-how-the-star-spangled-banner-strands-singers-but-not-guitarists-and-how-hendrix-proved-it-in-1969 Tab Spotlight: The national anthem's melody spans an octave plus a fifth, which is why singers often run out of range by the final line. However, the tab keeps that same stretch within a few frets on the guitar.]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 21:56:44 -0400