What is the best part of being the editor of Total Guitar?
So many things! Working on Total Guitar has meant that I’ve travelled to places and met people that I never dreamed I ever would. Interviewing people whose music you admire, and in some cases, changed the shape of popular music in general is an absolute privilege. It’s something I’ll never grow tired of. Then there’s the constant flow of checking out new gear…
Tell us about the Total Guitar redesign…
Total Guitar has continuously evolved over the past 22 years. The new look magazine is all about making it quick, easy and fun to learn the guitar and figure out what gear you need to buy. We’ve packed it full of lessons, how-to features, advice and interviews with top guitar players and informative, trustworthy gear reviews. We want Total Guitar to be for ‘real world’ guitar players: people who want to get better, love music and love playing, but don’t necessarily want – or have the time – to get bogged down with the minutiae that can come with a lot of hobbies. Each issue of the magazine comes with a lot of lessons, plus we have our free Guitar Skills audio CD. Total Guitar gives its readers more songs to learn, complete with full soundalike play-along tracks than any other guitar magazine. At £4.95, it’s the best value guitar mag out there!
What are the challenges of being a magazine editor?
It is a challenge. Editors today are managers, budget holders, content creators and outward facing ambassadors for their brand. There isn’t a lot of time to sit still!
Even outside of people’s ‘music time’ there is a lot of competition for the hours in the day, from social media to streaming services to other guitar related content. That said, I think everyone still has that point in their day or week where they need a break from the noise or the glow of a screen, and that’s where magazines like Total Guitar come in. If you provide great content, created and compiled in a way that engages your audience, presented in a package that represents value, people will want to consume it.
What is your greatest tip for a budding guitarist?
Play with other people. I’m self-taught, and picked up the guitar in the mid-90s when grunge was still big, Britpop had emerged and nu-metal was starting to creep in. I taught myself to play from reading Total Guitar, learning songs, and would jam with mates at school. I also play the drums, so with the help of a four-track recorder, I was able to get comfortable with jamming along to live instruments. The best thing about playing music with other people is that you’ll develop timing, a musical intuition and you’ll discover different ways of doing things that might not occur to you. Don’t worry about your ability level – find some likeminded people, learn some songs and get in a room. You’ll never look back!
Who are your top five guitar icons?
It’s hard to choose the ‘icons’ of electric guitar without mentioning giants like Slash, Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Clapton etc. but with only five to choose, we’ll take them as a given. Jimi Hendrix is pretty much the inventor of everything. It’s crazy to listen to his output and imagine what it must have been like to witness at the time, let-alone the fact that it’s still mind blowing today. Then you remember that he did it all by the age of 27!
Kurt Cobain is where it all started for me, then Noel Gallagher, who both made playing the guitar/being in a band seem achievable. John Mayer is amazing too - he makes really difficult things sound easy, writes great songs and seems to have total respect for the heritage of the instrument. Tom Morello is one of my favourite players. He gets a bit of a kicking online sometimes these days, but he’s got the perfect balance of riffs, shredding lead technique and sonic experimentation.
What guitar do you covet?
Working on a guitar magazine where there’s always new review gear coming and going, this changes frequently. I tend to go in phases, some pass, but others keep coming back! I’d love an ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom. My favourite guitar that I own, though, is a Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar. It’s a replica of Kurt’s famous 1965 Jaguar.
The backstory to the original guitar is very interesting. Kurt bought it from an unknown seller during Nirvana’s Nevermind sessions. It had a number of modifications and came in a touring flight case which suggested it had been used professionally before he bought it. For over 20 years there was a mystery surrounding who owned the guitar prior to him, It turned out to have once belonged to Martin Jenner – a session guitarist for Cliff Richard and The Everly Brothers.
The replicas were released in 2011, and we had the first one in the country for review. I couldn’t afford one at the time, but I ended up getting a used one for a bargain price a few years later. The level of detail they’ve recreated is incredible. It’s the one I’ll never sell (famous last words).
Are there any bands/artists we should be looking out for?
Lonely The Brave are a favourite in the Total Guitar office. They’re a band from Cambridge who released their second album this year. They combine everything that was great about 90s alternative rock guitar, with lush post-rock soundscapes in a way that is very current sounding. They’ve got the all-important addition of having an amazing singer, with brilliant songs too. They’re supporting Biffy Clyro on their European tour, check them out! 
What is your favourite way to relax once an issue is completed?
The wheels keep turning! Luckily, our deadlines seem to hit towards the end of a week at the moment, so it’s quite nice to have the downtime at the weekend straight after. I play in a ska covers band, so I’ll often be doing that, but otherwise drinking, eating, socialising, sleeping. I’m trying to walk a little bit more too.
What can subscribers expect from future issues? Why subscribe?
Total Guitar will continue to deliver the best package of monthly guitar tuition, songs, artist and gear coverage out there! We’ve got some killer tabs lined up for the year ahead, always with the best audio playalongs on the market. Our subscriptions packages save money on the cover price, and they’re delivered straight to your door thirteen times a year.
If you want to set the world on fire with your Squier subscribe to Total Guitar
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