Guitar Player

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YOU WANTED THE BEST

Guitar Player • Vol. 57 No. 13 HOLIDAY 2023

CLEAN SWEEP • With its trio of unique controls, 3rd Power’s Clean Sink MkII delivers three blendable iconic amp tones in one game-changing tube combo.

BELFAST BLUESMAN • He’s dealt with personal demons and Rory Gallagher’s ghost. On Buried in the Hail, Dom Martin shows he’s come out stronger for it.

TIP SHEET • “I try not to suck.” John Petrucci reveals the five rules that keep him at peak performance.

DREAM WEAVER • Joe Knaggs creates six-string masterpieces that ignite the senses and summon the muse.

MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS • These are the Genesis tracks that Steve Hackett regards as the best of his six-year tenure.

Top-Shelf Semi • From its bling to its stereo electronics, Gibson’s ES-355 launched the semihollow format to swank new heights.

Image Shredder • With elegance and speed, Roy Clark showed he was more than a Hee Haw sidekick.

Gross Domestic Product • Ugly, yes. But with its Masonite body and plywood pickguard, this Kay Solo King is a U.S.-made marvel.

INTERMISSION • Soundtrack composer and former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin cuts his first song-oriented solo album in 34 years. What took so long? “The time,” he says, “just disappeared.”

THE END OF THE ROAD • As Kiss bring their 50-year reign to a close, we say goodbye to a rock and roll dynasty.

GUITAR STAR • Take away the makeup and stage theatrics, and you start to see Paul Stanley for what he really is: a consummate rhythm guitarist. In this Guitar Player exclusive, he takes us on a tour of his six-string life, from his youth to the studio and the world’s stages.

JOE PERRY

BETTER CALL PAUL • Six current and former Kiss members explain what makes Paul Stanley the go-to guy for rhythm and lead guitar.

ACE FREHLEY

BOB EZRIN

RICK NIELSEN

TOM MORELLO

KISS OFF • T.J. Silljer, Paul’s End of the Road guitar tech, fills us in on the Starchild’s stage arsenal for Kiss’s final shows.

PHIL COLLEN

GENE SIMMONS’ – LAST – STAND • As Kiss bring their career to a rousing end, the Demon reflects on their 50-year journey from New York City punks to global superstars.

GOD OF PLUNDER • Kiss put John 5 on his guitar journey. Along the way, he’s amassed one of the most enviable collections of the band’s memorabilia in the world.

SIX BY 5 • John picks his favorite Paul Stanley solos.

STAR TURN • Kelley Deal was a drummer who wanted to play lead guitar. She got her chance on the Breeders’ 1993 Platinum-seller, Last Splash. Thirty years on, she reflects on making an alt-rock masterpiece.

BEYOND DJANGO • A gypsy jazz child prodigy, Biréli Lagrène grew to master a range of styles. On Solo Suites and Plays Loulou Gasté, he lets his spontaneous flights of musical fancy soar.

THE GREATEST GUITAR MOMENTS OF 1973 • Revisiting a monster year for classic album releases, 50 years later.

Holiday Spice • Learn Sonny Landreth’s “Got to Get You Under My Tree.”

GUILD • Polara Kim Thayil Signature

FENDER • Tone Master Princeton Reverb

BOSS • AC-22LX Acoustic Amplifier

UAFX • OX Stomp Dynamic Speaker Emulator

SHED • HA-59 PAF Pickups

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING • TREAT YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ON YOUR HOLIDAY LIST

How I Wrote… “No More Tears” • Zakk Wylde reveals how a studio jam — and the Randy Rhoads school of soloing —...