Guitarist (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Guitarist is a monthly music making magazine published by Future Publishing
in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing technique that are accompanied by tablature
.
The magazine covers both electric and acoustic guitar playing and each month has a comprehensive reviews section that aims to cover the definitive guitars and gear that have released that month. While regularly covering both low- mid- and high-end products, Guitarist's main review will often be of an expensive and rare instrument. In addition to the guitars, amplifiers and accessories, the magazine regularly reviews electric basses
. Guitarist's slogan and mission-statement is "The Guitar Player's Bible".
Musically, Guitarist has traditionally focussed on classic rock
, blues
, and folk
, but in recent years has come to incorporate alternative rock
and heavy metal
, featuring artists such as Tony Iommi
, John Mayer
and Kirk Hammett
on the cover.
Guitarist was launched in 1984, making it the longest-running guitar magazine in Europe. In 2008 the magazine celebrated its 300th issue and in late-2009 it celebrated its 25th Anniversary
Once a year, Guitarist replaces its CD with a special DVD which as well as the usual CD contents will also feature a large amount of DVD video on a specific subject. These have included a guide to using effects and most recently 'The Beginner's Guide To Tone' explaining how the various aspects of guitar equipment and technique affects guitar sound.
website, along with all of the company's other music making website. This meant that for the first time an archive of Guitarist's old reviews are now available online.
Future Publishing
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...
in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing technique that are accompanied by tablature
Tablature
Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....
.
The magazine covers both electric and acoustic guitar playing and each month has a comprehensive reviews section that aims to cover the definitive guitars and gear that have released that month. While regularly covering both low- mid- and high-end products, Guitarist's main review will often be of an expensive and rare instrument. In addition to the guitars, amplifiers and accessories, the magazine regularly reviews electric basses
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Guitarist's slogan and mission-statement is "The Guitar Player's Bible".
Musically, Guitarist has traditionally focussed on classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, but in recent years has come to incorporate alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, featuring artists such as Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
and Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
on the cover.
Guitarist was launched in 1984, making it the longest-running guitar magazine in Europe. In 2008 the magazine celebrated its 300th issue and in late-2009 it celebrated its 25th Anniversary
CD/DVD
Every month Guitarist comes with a cover-mounted CD, or occasionally a DVD. The CD features backing tracks for all of the style lessons that are featured in the magazine itself, as well as audio demonstrations of the most important products that are reviewed that month.Once a year, Guitarist replaces its CD with a special DVD which as well as the usual CD contents will also feature a large amount of DVD video on a specific subject. These have included a guide to using effects and most recently 'The Beginner's Guide To Tone' explaining how the various aspects of guitar equipment and technique affects guitar sound.
Current Editorial Team
- Editor: Mick Taylor
- Features Editor: Jamie Dickson
- Gear and Reviews Editor: Dave Burrluck
- CD and Multimedia Editor: Simon Bradley
- Operations Editor: Paul Robson
- Production Assistant: Josh Gardner
- Senior Art Editor: Mark Thomas
- Deputy Art Editor: Rob Antonello
- Senior Music Editor: Jason Sidwell
MusicRadar
From 2008 onward, Future made Guitarist part of their MusicRadarMusicRadar
MusicRadar is a website for musicians. It covers information pertaining to artists and music, special features, product news and reviews, music lessons and a social network service in the style of Facebook and Myspace...
website, along with all of the company's other music making website. This meant that for the first time an archive of Guitarist's old reviews are now available online.