Ernie Ball

Rig Rundown: Tori Ruffin

January 20, 2021

Morris Day and the Time’s lead axeman gets funky with Prince-influenced Schecters, JCM900s, and stomps that range from simple to sophisticated.

Rig Rundown: Be Well’s Mike Schleibaum

January 6, 2021

Perry Bean

Darkest Hour's cofounding guitarist details his brand-new signature ESP V and offers up sound secrets gleaned from producer/singer Brian McTernan.

It may be the understatement of the century, but this year was weird. Even so, the killer gear kept coming. Here are the goods that stood out as extra-great amongst our annual haul of Premier Guitar reviews.

Rig Rundown: Thelma and the Sleaze

December 16, 2020

Chris Kies

Punk-rock riffin’, patriarchy-smashin’, struttin’ shredder LG introduces us to her custom axes—a "Fancy" SG & skateboard Tele—and fave signal agitators.

Rig Rundown: Strike Anywhere

November 18, 2020

Perry Bean

Matt Smith’s setup might appear frail, but his disheveled ’82 SG and a half-powered JCM800 ignites a powder keg of melodic hardcore.

Rig Rundown: Spirit Adrift

November 11, 2020

Chris Kies

Nate Garrett's mystical brand of metal mixes morose modulation with nods to EVH and James Hetfield.

Rig Rundown: Charlie Parra Del Riego

October 28, 2020

Perry Bean

Capcom and Kramer both wanted a piece of this South American shredder and mash-up master. Travel below the equator to see his studio setup.

Idles—to the Max, on Ultra Mono!

September 21, 2020

David Von Bader

Guitarists Lee Kiernan and Mark Bowen shove the envelope on the band’s new album, stomping in sonic mud puddles and mashing electronic music and hip-hop as they abandon their comfort zone.

Rig Rundown: Caspian's Phil Jamieson

September 2, 2020

Chris Kies

The self-proclaimed “midrange mattress” makes a post-rock bed with an “Excalibur” Jazzmaster and some up-the-sleeve Strymon settings.

All Souls Antonio Aguilar Totimoshi Rig Rundown homepage

Rig Rundown: All Souls' Antonio Aguilar

August 12, 2020

Chris Kies

Strats with presto-chango pickguards power folk and flamenco flourishes mingled with kerranging rock and Melvins-esque metal.

Rig Rundown: Chicano Batman's Carlos Arévalo

July 22, 2020

Chris Kies

Primo Jags and ace Ernie Ball axes help the funkateer channel Eddie Hazel grooves through a prism of Tropicália rhythms.

Rig Rundown: Butch Walker

July 15, 2020

Chris Kies

The big-hit producer (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and guitarist opens his RubyRed Productions to catalog his custom creations from the West and Far East. Plus, he reveals how Keith Urban forever changed his guitar-playing world.

Rig Rundown: The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die’s Chris Teti

July 1, 2020

Perry Bean

The guitarist/producer reveals how an EHX Pitch Fork downsized his touring guitar boat, and admits the difficulties of cherry-picking stomps for the band's spiraling, atmospheric odysseys.

rig rundown best of most iconic bass guitars homepage

Rig Rundown Best-Ofs: Most Iconic Basses

June 26, 2020

Premier Guitar

Verdine, Flea, Sheehan, Josephine and six other legends show us their favorite earth-rumblers!

Jim Ward At the Drive-In Sparta Rig Rundown1

Rig Rundown: Jim Ward

June 24, 2020

Chris Kies

The former At the Drive-In renegade talks about using a Jazzmaster for his “humble workhorse” rhythm role, growing as singer-songwriter within Sparta, and making "solos" with three digital delays.

Rig Rundown: Mt. Joy's Sam Cooper

June 17, 2020

Chris Kies

“Astrovan” took him from lawyer to soulful indie-pop headliner on the back of his rewired, ragged ’69 Jag and a bed of shimmering ’verbs and reversed delays.

Can’t Blame the Tools If You Don’t Have Any homepage

Five Guitar-Tool Sets You Should Check Out

June 15, 2020

Rich Osweiler

Whether for maintenance, repair, or setups, you're bound to get stuck between a rock and a hard place without the proper implements on hand.

Rig Rundown: Emily Wolfe

May 27, 2020

Chris Kies

How “Hot for Teacher,” a homemade mic, and a B.B. King-inspired signature axe factor into a repertoire that mixes Queens of the Stone Age sizzle with modern pop hooks.