“My Maserati does 185 ... ” That’s all you need to say and people know exactly what song you’re referring to. Many times it will lead to a spontaneous rendition of “Life’s Been Good” from 20 or 30 people ― whether you know them or not. That’s what happens when you write a classic rock song, and that’s exactly what Joe Walsh did.

There’s no greater icon of late ’60s and early ’70s British blues-rock tone than Jimmy Page, the legendary guitarist with Led Zeppelin. From huge and gutsy to atmospheric and mellow, from a ominous rhythm-guitar crunch tone to soaring, wailing lead, Page’s sonic palette was every bit as broad as his chops were versatile. Any player who stamps his signature so indelibly into the annals of rock tone becomes extremely influential to others seeking to make a big sound in their own playing, and the visual that persists alongside that sonic imprint is of Jimmy Page strutting an arena stage with a sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard or EDS-1275 Double-Neck in front of a pair of roaring Marshall amp stacks. And live, this is indeed how a major part of the tone was generated. In the studio, however, there was often a whole lot more going on—or a whole lot less—and running out to duplicate the Page live rig might not get you very close to sounding like the Page of “Dazed and Confused”, “Communication Breakdown”, “Ramble On”, or “Whole Lotta Love”.

Often the best things in life are simple, and that applies to playing North Mississippi open tuned slide guitar. Energizing that style, or any other, with soul is something you can’t get from lessons ― except maybe life’s ― but I can set you on the musical path with just a couple tips. And maybe even show you how to pull the sound in some unconventional directions that’ll encourage you to apply your own special sauce to the hill country diet.

Adam Dutkiewicz (or Adam D as he is often called) is one hell of a talented guy. Even if you don’t like the metalcore genre that Killswitch Engage is associated with, there is no denying his talent.

While many fans might imagine their favorite guitarists’ efforts in the studio being much like their playing in concert — only in an enclosed room with a lot of recording gear at hand — these two roles that a professional musician plays are often extremely different. Most experienced pros will tell you that the job in the studio is to do whatever is necessary to record an interesting sound and to make the track really stand out. Achieving this occasionally even requires them to go to unimaginable extremes, or to conduct sonic experiments that are totally off the charts. I thought it would be fun to dip into some of the interviews with major players that we conducted during my time as Editor of The Guitar Magazine in London, England, in the late 1990s and early 2000s to recall some of the more over-the-top efforts the stars have made behind closed doors. Check out these six examples of total sonic rebellion:

Like every other rock band in history, the Smashing Pumpkins had their ups and downs. Through it all, the public’s fascination with the somewhat gloomy Billy Corgan never waned. This year, Corgan is celebrating his band’s 20th anniversary by taking them back on the road. Corgan’s mix of alternative and rock music, combined with acoustic and rock guitar, produced a number of hits for the band throughout the ’90s. Unfortunately, by the time the band broke up in 2000, sales of its new material continued to fall.

More guitarists than ever before have access to high-quality digital recording facilities available in their home and project studios, but if you want the tracks you record with these to sound anything more than flat, harsh and cold — that’s to say, if you want them to sound professional — you still need to apply some old-school studio techniques to your efforts. You can have the best new 24-bit, 98kHz digital interface available, a cutting edge DAW (digital audio workstation), and the best guitars, amps and effects that money can buy. Record it without due care and consideration, however, and the results are bound to be disappointing.

If there was ever a master of guitar tone, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour’s name would have to be among those at the top of the list. Gilmour’s tone changes all the time, but it always seems to fit the album or song he is working on.

Metallica has had a long and storied career. From their early days with guitarist Dave Mustaine to today’s line-up, one thing has remained constant: James Hetfield’s biting riffs and his guitar tone.

Welcome back to Gibson’s Recording Guitars series, which I’m picking up after a gap of some weeks. We have already spent two installments discussing techniques for recording acoustic guitars in Miking Acoustics Part 1 and Part 2, but resonator guitars — which have made a resurgence in popularity in recent years — really are beasts unto themselves, sonically speaking, and demand a little further consideration.