If you are really serious about your guitar tone, it is worth investing in a boutique amp. Boutique amps are hand built and hardwired, often just by one person or a small team. They are made using very high quality components and are constructed in a way that is not possible using mass manufacturing techniques. […]

I have to admit, I was at first a little reluctant to write an article on how to sound like John Mayer. Mayer is not a traditional blues guitarist. His music is aimed at a wide audience, and as a result, a lot of it is closer to pop music than it is to the […]

I have wanted to sound like Gary Clark Jr. ever since I first heard him a couple of years ago. His massive guitar sound blew me away. It is raw, powerful and perfect if you want to play hard blues rock. Refreshingly, it is a sound that is not that difficult to replicate. Many of […]

Fuzz is one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable guitar sounds. Ever since fuzz pedals were first popularised by guitarists like Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s – they have become a key feature on pedalboards worldwide. Arguably they are more popular now than ever. For guitarists like Gary Clark Jr,  Dan Auerbach and Eric […]

I have wanted to sound like Rory Gallagher since I was about 13 years old. I had only just started to play the guitar and my parents bought me a CD called ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. It featured a collection of some of the most iconic guitar solos of all time and on it was […]

In the quest for quality tones, I think guitarists often overlook reverb pedals. Instead they favour overdrive and boost pedals. These are important – and you can find some of my top recommendations for overdrive pedals here. But if you really want a killer blues tone, you need to add a reverb pedal to your rig. […]

I don’t think there is a single guitarist in the modern era who has not wanted to sound like Jimi Hendrix at some point in their playing career. He is unquestionably the most iconic guitarist of all time, and one who has influenced every guitarist that is playing today. Most people believe Jimi Hendrix to be […]

One mistake that I have consistently made in my quest for vintage blues tones is buying the wrong amp. As a young player I was sucked in by the bells and whistles of digital modelling amps. After that, I made the mistake of buying a very large valve amp. I consistently struggled to get the […]

I have wanted to sound like Joe Bonamassa since I first became aware of him around 5 years ago. I heard songs like ‘Stop!‘ and ‘Sloe Gin‘, and became enthralled by both his playing, and the quality of his guitar tone. To my mind, Joe Bonamassa is one of the most technically skilled guitarists in […]

A number of months ago, I wrote an article about the best guitar pedals for the blues. It really got me thinking about how crucial guitar pedals are when it comes to achieving a beautiful blues tone. So I thought it would be interesting to break down my last article on the subject, and look at […]