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Gallery: Riot Fest 2019

Chicago’s three-day, punk-rock carnival was host to Slayer, Jawbreaker, Raconteurs, Patti Smith, Rise Against, Bob Mould, Rancid, Bikini Kill, Lucero, the Struts, and more. Here are our favorite guitar-related moments from the 15th annual gathering.

Slayer’s Tom Araya

The bass-hammering, metal-screaming leader of the metal juggernauts Tom Araya primes Chicago-land with one final howl as they perform their last show in the area. About the bass, we found this about his No. 1 during a Rig Rundown: “Unless something goes wrong, bassist Tom Araya relies on one bass—his signature ESP model. It includes active EMG pickups, an alder body, and an ebony fretboard. His current main has an EMG HB in the bridge and a P in the neck, while his backup has a set of single-coil Ps. After Tom’s recent neck surgery, his brother and tech Johnny created a custom harness that connected to the back of the bass to support most of the weight. He uses standard Jim Dunlop Heavy .050–.110 strings on all his basses.”

The original Sabbath lineup will reunite on July 5 in Birmingham, England, and be joined by Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, and more.

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The shredder and son of legendary artist Frank Zappa gives a tour of his up-to-date gear, including a complex stereo switching system, four racks of pedals, and some of his father’s favorite guitars.

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Kepma Guitars introduces the new Fenix Series of Grand Auditorium acoustic guitars, offering premium features at an entry-level price, plus their new travel-sized FC Mini Series.

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The moe. frontline from left: Chuck Garvey (guitar), Rob Derhak (bass), Al Schnier (guitar), and Nate Wilson (keyboards). In the mist behind them is Jim Loughlin (percussion) and Vinnie Amico (drums).

Photo by Paul Citone

The two guitarists are known for their sympathetic 6-string interplay. They remain as tight as ever, despite setbacks, as they deliver the buoyant, vibrant Circle of Giants, the long-running jam band’s 14th studio record.

Thirty-five years ago, a group of University of Buffalo students gathered in a basement, drank a lot of beer, and played some tunes. They had no goal other than to have fun and party. But it wasn’t long before they headed into a studio housed in an apartment above local guitar shop Top Shelf Music to record the debut moe. album, Fatboy. Slowly, the band built a devoted fan base, crisscrossing the country in a van. As they persevered, the band and their audience grew up together, and now it’s the fans’ children who are discovering the group.

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