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2019 Issue 05 May
$2.50Premier Guitar May 2019: DIY projects to turn three entry-level axes into secret weapons. Interviews: Clementine Creevy, Gary Clark, Jr., Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, and Joe Morris. Reviews: Carvin, EHX, EarthQuaker Devices, Gretsch, Strymon, Orange, Reverend, HeadRush, Wampler, and more.
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2019 Issue 04 April
$2.50Premier Guitar April 2019: NAMM 2019 gear-show recap. Interviews with Sarah Longfield, Steve Gunn, and Kurt Vile, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and John Myung, Charlie Sexton, and Rush’s Geddy Lee. Thirteen gear reviews: Friedman, EHX, One Control, Adventure Audio, MXR, Schecter, IK Multimedia, Source Audio, Fender, Jext Telez, 3 Leaf, and Aguilar.
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2019 Issue 03 March
$2.50Premier Guitar March 2019: Stompbox junkies going into withdrawal since last year’s Pedal Issue should feel significantly sated this month, as we’ve both rounded up 16 pro pedalboards from across the stylistic spectrum that wowed us during our last year of Rig Rundowns, and collected photos and specs on 13 impressive boards from PG fans. In addition, our features section has talks with Jeff Tweedy and Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan, as well as a profile of the late Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton. Meanwhile, our gear-review section takes in-depth looks at Bogner’s Ecstasy Blue Mini, Rocket Surgeon’s Codename: Black Hat, the Ashdown Tone Pocket, Way Huge’s Purple Platypus, the Heritage H-137SC, Third Man & Mantic’s Flex, the Balthazar Film Noir 50, Peavey’s MAX 150, the Takamine EF360SC TT, Damnation Audio’s Ugly Twin, Hughes & Kettner’s Black Spirit 200, the Komet K.O.D.A., and Trickfish’s Trilobite. Lastly, in the print edition (only), we have tablature transcriptions of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” Lamb of God’s “Redneck,” and the Hellecasters’ “The Claw.”
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2019 Issue 02 February
$2.50Premier Guitar February 2019: Our cover story this month takes a look at the fascinating journey of Ergon Guitars’ luthier Adriano Sergio from being a kid obsessed with woodworking to being an in-demand bassist, then a Navy SEAL, then touring road tech for metal giants, and, finally, to luthier of exquisite handmade instruments. Artist interviews this month include Muse’s Matt Bellamy, Richard Lloyd, John Butler, and Jack Pearson. Meanwhile, our gear-reviews section is packed with in-depth looks at the Electro-Harmonix Triangle Big Muff, Asher’s Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel, SoloDallas’ TSR4 Schaffer Replica Classic, the Zorg Small Basstar, Caparison’s Horus-M3 CC Courtney Cox signature model, BC Audio’s Bel Air 40, the Korora Audio Spira, ESP’s LTD GB-4 bass, Death By Audio’s Total Sonic Annihilation 2, the Breedlove Pursuit Concertina E, Dusky’s Hypatia, the Zeppelin Design Labs Quaverato, and Free the Tone’s Black Vehicle BV-1V. In the print issue (only), we also have tablature transcriptions of three tunes: Queen’s “Keep Yourself Alive (Live),” Lenny Breau’s arrangement of “Cannonball Rag,” and Coheed and Cambria’s “Here We Are Juggernaut.”
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2019 Issue 01 January
$2.50Premier GuitarJanuary 2019: Our cover story this issue is an interview with Adam “Nergal” Darski, frontman for influential extreme-metal outfit Behemoth, whose new albumI Loved You at Your Darkestis making waves for building on the band’s legacy of brutal music while also bucking trends held perhaps a bit too dear by the genre’s more hardcore adherents. In addition, we’ve also got in-depth talks with heavy-hitters such as Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power), MC5 legend Wayne Kramer, Slash and Myles Kennedy, and Larkin Poe’s Megan and Rebecca Lovell. On the gear front, we’ve got an in-depth look at the history of the mighty Tone Bender fuzz, as well as 13 guitar and bass reviews: Seymour Duncan’s Fooz Analog Fuzz Synth, MXR’s 5150 Chorus, the Carr Telstar, the Squier Contemporary Jazz HH, Ananashead’s Meteorite, Sadowsky’s MetroExpress, the Boss TU-03, Hotone’s Binary Eko, the Dophix Nettuno, Eastman’s V64 semi-hollowbody, Dunable’s SplatterBlaster, the Tone King Sky King, and the Mattoverse Electronics Inflection Point. In the print edition (only), we’ve also got full transcriptions of The Sword’s “Winter’s Wolves,” Joe Bonamassa’s “Love Is a Gamble,” Tommy Emmanuel’s rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
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2018 Issue 12 December
$2.50Premier Guitar December 2018: Heralding the end of another killer year in gear, this month we recap the 78 guitar and bass products that blew our minds in 2018—from instruments and amps to stompboxes, rack gear, pickups, accessories, and more. We’ve also got feature interviews with heavyweights like former Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello, garage-rock icons Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney, Sleep and High on Fire frontman Matt Pike, and Reeves Gabrels talking about the late great David Bowie’s request for Gabrels to re-record the 1987 Bowie album, Never Let Me Down. We also talk to bass virtuoso MonoNeon about the string of sessions fueling his rising star—including his work with Prince before the legendary bandleader’s untimely 2016 death. New guitar and bass gear reviews this month include a look at the 2019 Gibson Les Paul Standard, the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx III, Vox’s Mini Superbeetle, Acoustic’s B100C bass combo, the Chase Bliss Audio Thermae, the Paradox Effects Terran, Fano’s JM4 Standard bass, Cusack Music’s Resound Reverb, the Fishman Matrix Infinity Blend, Mackie’s FreePlay Live, the String Theory EFX KE/64, and more. In the print edition (only), we’ve also got tablature transcriptions of Avenged Sevenfold’s “Roman Sky,” Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and Buddy Guy’s “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues.”
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2018 Issue 10 October
$2.50Premier Guitar October 2018: It’s baaaaack! Our annual Pedal Issue—always the most anticipated of the year—is here again to blow both your mind and bank account with a trove of expert reviews on tone treasures for every taste. In all, it’s 31 stomps ranging from overdrives and decadent fuzzes to modulation marvels, delays, ’verbs, weird stuff, and even a few bass stomps. We’ve got mainstream brands like Electro-Harmonix, Fender, MXR, Boss, Ernie Ball, Aguilar, Ampeg, ZVEX, Line 6, and Way Huge, as well as up-and-coming outfits like Southampton, Terry Audio, OnkartGromt, Stacks FX, Escape Plan, Wilson Effects, and Tsakalis Audioworks. We’ve also got reviews of Milkman Sound’s The Amp, the Cort CJ Retro Jumbo, and Eastwood’s Airline Pocket Bass. Meanwhile, our feature section serves up chats with Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, Neko Case, Peter Buck and Joseph Arthur, and Grammy-winner Fantastic Negrito. We’ve also got complete song tabs (print edition only) for Julian Lage’s “Splendor Riot,” Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove,” and the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.”
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2018 Issue 08 August
$2.50Premier Guitar August 2018: Our annual Amp Issue is stacked to the chassis with killer amplifier info for everyone from beginners to expert players, including a comprehensive explanation of how tube-amp gain stages work and how cabinet components and construction affect tone, in addition to reviews of four hot new amps. Artist features this month include interviews with former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus, Captain Sensible and Paul Gray from legendary punk band the Damned, and Nigerian Tuareg guitarist Almeida from Tal National. We also find out about the very first guitars played by 12 pros—including Nita Strauss, Marissa Paternoster, Mark Arm, Al Di Meola, Joey Landreth, Paul Gilbert, and more. Meanwhile, this issue’s gear-reviews section takes a hard listen to the EVH 5150III 6L6, Paul Reed Smith’s Mark Tremonti MT15, the Sound City SC30, Blackstar’s Unity 500, the Pigtronix Octava Micro, the Jext Telez Jonathan’s Wilson Canyon Climber, Music Man’s 2018 StingRay 4-string, Spaceman’s Mercury IV, the Dwarfcraft Devices Grazer Sample Slice Repeater, Lounsberry’s Amp Rescue, Elite Guitar’s Cling On acoustic pickup, and the TC Electronic AEON sustainer.
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2018 Issue 06 June
$2.50Premier Guitar June 2018: For our cover story this month, we tapped U.K. studio guru and vintage-gear dealer Tony Miln to scour the outlands of outboard gear to examine 20 unusual spring reverbs that promise ultimate ambient power. In our artist-interview section, we talk to Blur’s Britpop legend Graham Coxon, slide master Ry Cooder, Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean and Robert DeLeo, Kittie’s Morgan Lander and Tara McLeod, and Nashville twanger Guthrie Trapp. We also serve up a Forgotten Heroes piece on krautrock icons CAN. In gear reviews, we’ve got a roundup of short-scale basses—Fender’s JMJ Road Worn Mustang, Spector’s Bantam 4, and Supro’s Huntington II—in addition to outings with the Orange Brent Hinds Terror, the PRS Silver Sky, Source Audio’s Ventris reverb, Blackstar’s HT Club MkII, the Cort GB75JH 5-string, Fender’s the Bends compressor, Dusky’s Mandorla, the Lovell Shakey tremolo, Land Devices’ HP-2, the Meris Polymoon, Hü Tonelabs’ Psychlone Jr., and Ampeg’s Opto Comp. In the print edition, we’ve also got full transcriptions of three tunes: Jeff Beck’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” Django Reinhardt’s “Honeysuckle Rose,” and Imagine Dragons’ “I’m So Sorry.”
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2018 Issue 04 April
$2.50Premier Guitar April 2018: This month we take you inside the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California—the year’s biggest gear show—to recap the 27 products that wowed us most, from acoustic, electric, and bass guitars to amps and effects. In our artist interviews, we talk to Umphrey’s McGee’s Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss, the Darkness’ Justin and Dan Hawkins, Khruangbin’s Laura Lee and Mark Speer, Converge’s Kurt Ballou, Johnny Hiland, and Jim Campilongo. Meanwhile, our gear reviews include in-depth looks at the Mesa/Boogie Rosette 300 Two:Eight acoustic combo, PureSalem’s Mendiola solidbody, the Yellowcake Lida Machine, Sire’s Marcus Miller P7 bass, Miura Guitars’ M2 compressor/limiter, the Cusack Tap-A-Delay, the Neunaber Iconoclast, Red Hawk Effects’ Raven germanium/silicon Fuzz Face clone, the Mythos Pedals Chupacabra, Todd Sharp’s JOAT 20, the Matthews Effects Chemist, Sublime Guitars’ Chieftain Deluxe, and the Peterson StroboClip HD tuner. We’ve also got tablature transcriptions of three killer tunes (print only): Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “I Know a Little,” James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” and Umphrey’s McGee’s “Looks.”
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2018 Issue 01 January
$2.50Premier Guitar January 2018: Our cover story this month is a true treat for longtime fans of Radiohead: After decades of avoiding guitar interviews, Ed O’Brien steps out of the shadows to gratefully ruminate with PG about his journey in one of modern rock’s most celebrated—and confounding—bands. We also talk to funk bassist extraordinaire Bootsy Collins, blues badass Samantha Fish, Bloodclot’s Todd Youth (formerly of Danzig) and Nick Oliveri (previously of Queens of the Stone Age), and—in a double-whammy treasure—avant-garde guitarist Elliott Sharp interviews storied producer Peter K. Siegel about his work recording with Doc Watson and Roy Buchanan. On the gear front, this issue we have a feature all about the ins and outs of guitar necks—materials, construction, profile shapes, etc.—as well as 13 guitar and bass reviews, including the Gretsch Players Edition Broadkaster, Wooly Coats’ Spanky MkII, the Mayones Hydra, Baroni Lab’s Mini Amp 50, Traveler’s LTD EC-1, the Grez Mendocino, KHDK’s Abyss, Old Blood Noise Endeavors’ Fault, the Serek Midwestern 2, Mid-Fi Electronics’ Magick i, the RainSong CH-WS, and Rocket Surgeon’s Boris. In our print edition (only), we also have transcriptions of Van Halen’s “Mean Street,” Doc Watson’s “Blackberry Blossom,” and King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man.”
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2017 Issue 09 September
$2.50This month we recap the 23 instruments, amps, stomps, and accessories that twisted our heads around at Summer NAMM in Nashville—the biggest gear show of the season. We’ve also got insightful interviews with influential artists like bassist Peter Hook (New Order, Joy Division) and Juliana Hatfield, as well as Addi Tryggvason from Icelandic post-metal quartet Sólstafir, and Sandra Petrova and Dafne Macías from Mexican avant-garde outfit Descartes a Kant. On the gear front, we’ve got an exhaustive reference piece detailing everything you need to know about electric-guitar pickups, and reviews of the Line 6 Variax Shuriken, Rocket Surgeon Labs’ Seratone bass fuzz, the Elektron Analog Drive, MXL’s DX-2 dual-capsule mic, the BSM Supreme, BYOC’s Crown Jewel, the Victory V40 Deluxe, Tanglewood’s Java TWJP parlor guitar, J. Rockett Audio’s I.Q. Compressor, David Norschow Amplification’s DNA-800 bass head, the Friedman Dirty Shirley, Italia’s Maranello Cavo bass, and the Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace. Tablature transcriptions this month (print magazine only) are Radiohead’s “2+2=5,” John Mayer’s “Neon,” and Steely Dan’s “Josie.”