Total Guitar

Total Guitar is Europe’s best-selling guitar magazine, crammed full of songs to learn plus backing tracks. From the latest metal and indie hits to classic rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, TG has more songs than ANY other guitar magazine!. Please note: This digital version of the magazine does not currently include the covermount items or content you would find on printed newsstand copies

Total Guitar

Welcome…

X-CCEPTABLE IN THE 80s • Jackson’s affordable Dinky gets a hair-metal makeover

“IT FEELS LIKE THE AMP’S ABOUT TO EXPLODE!” • THE BLUES ROCK POWER OF JARED JAMES NICHOLS, A MAN OF MANY LES PAULS…

MAESTRO PEDALS

FENDER J MASCIS JAZZMASTER PICKUPS

ORIGIN M-EQ DRIVER

MAJOR PENTATONIC ROCK • Paul gets 80s with some big powerchords and melodic bends

TROPICAL GOTHCLUB

Wilko Johnson 1947 – 2022 • The unlikely guitar hero who had a style like no other – and wielded his Tele like a machine gun

The Best of 2022 Contents

The Year in Guitar • The return of the mega-gig. The rise of the guitar synth. Amazing new music, surprise comebacks and mind-boggling new gear. The story of 2022 has all this and more...

John Frusciante • 2022 saw the release of two monumental albums by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, in which John Frusciante demonstrated once again why he is one of the most powerful, intuitive and soulful guitar players on the planet. What’s more, he also dug deep to create a song in homage to Eddie Van Halen – a heartfelt tribute from one great player to another, with an extraordinary one-take solo that underscores why TG names him Guitarist Of The Year.Now, in a wide-ranging interview, John discusses his creative process in depth: how he finds more punch in clean tones; how an appreciation of space serves the band dynamic; how an understanding of theory allows for pure emotional expression; and how the spontaneity in EVH’s playing continues to inspire him...

The Albums of the Year • So many great albums have been released this year, including two from Jack White, two from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and five from the relentlessly brilliant King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. In TG’s top 20 there’s everything from indie-folk to instrumental tech-metal...

The Songs of the Year • Wet Leg created a breakout hit out of one chord. But there was nothing minimalist about King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s 18-minute psychedelic freakout with its cacophonous triple-guitar throwdown…

SOLOS OF THE YEAR • John Frusciante paid tribute to EVH. David Gilmour and Buddy Guy rolled back the years. But the most extraordinary solo of 2002 came from Steve Vai’s collaboration with Polyphia...

The Riffs of the Year • How to create a killer riff? Muse did it by going full-on metal, Ghost channeled their inner Def Leppard, and Animals As Leaders went where other bands fear to tread...

Play Like the Stars of 2022 • Take your pick from an Eric Gales-style blues lick, a proggy King Gizzard-style riff and much more...

The Gear of the Year • The six-strings, amps and effects pedals that have had us reaching for the indigestion tablets as the GAS takes hold...

RAINBOW SINCE YOU BEEN GONE • Learn that iconic riff, rock out and let your hair down with Rainbow’s classic rock masterpiece

METALLICA SAD BUT TRUE • TG and Rockschool explore James Hetfield’s guitar mastery in one of Metallica’s career-defining releases

OPEN-MIC SONGBOOK OASIS HALF THE WORLD AWAY • Try out Noel Gallagher’s cool arpeggios and Bonehead’s strummed acoustic chords as TG looks at one of the band’s best loved songs

THE GAS STATIONREAL WORLD REVIEWS OF THE BEST NEW GEAR • Welcome to the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome*) Station! Every issue, TG scours the market for the hottest new gear and brings you...