Players employed two-handed tapping before Eddie Van Halen came along (and legend has it that Eddie got the idea from watching Jimmy Page playing the open-string pull-off licks in the “Heartbreaker” solo). But in much the same way that Frank Gambale developed, refined and popularized sweep picking, Van Halen explored the creative possibilities of what tapping could offer more thoroughly and idiosyncratically than any other player before him.

Acoustic guitar models rarely attain iconic status, but in the case of the Gibson J-200, that designation is well-deserved. Introduced in 1937, the ‘King of the Flat-Tops’ boasts a lineage of players unrivalled by any other acoustic six-string. Distinguished cosmetically, by its Moustache® bridge, tortoise pickguard and unique shape, the J-200 also projects a beautiful tone that’s made it a favorite for both studio work and live performance. Below are 10 noteworthy artists who’ve embraced the J-200 as their go-to guitar.

When he arrived on the London music scene in 1962 as a member of Alexis Corner’s pioneering Blues Incorporated, he was playing upright bass and mixing the tang of jazz into his driving lines. A year later, Bruce was in a new, higher profile group, the Graham Bond Quartet, which featured guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Ginger Baker. He’d also found a new instrument for the band’s aggressive electric sound – the Gibson EB-3 bass, which was first produced in 1961.

The rise of the Indian rock scene has run parallel with the ascendance of the Indian guitarist. Over the last two decades, India’s guitar players have gone from cult local heroes to boundary-crossing stars. As Indian guitarists have built their reputations and fame, one man has been alongside them every step of the way. While the average music fan may not have heard of him, India’s finest axemen have Sunil Shinde on speed-dial. For musicians like Ehsaan Noorani, Warren Mendonsa, Randolph Correia, Kalyan Baruah, Karl Peters and more, Sunil Shinde is the go-to guy for all things guitar-related.

In our first installment of this series, we caught up with musicians including Mahesh Tinaikar (Indus Creed), Sanjeev Thomas (A.R. Rahman) and Biswarup Gupta (Undying Inc) to find out about their favorite India-based venues to perform at and memories associated with those venues. Today, we bring you Part II of the series, in which we talk with Paresh Kamath (Kailasa, Hipnotribe), Arjun Dhanraj (NerveRek), Nikhil D’Souza, Levin Mendes (Bombay Bassment), Tipriti Kharbangar (Soulmate), Baiju Dharmajan (ex-Motherjane) and Abhishek Mathur (Advaita).

Say “Gibson Les Paul” to most guitarists, and they’ll immediately think of two (or even three) pickups – whether they are retro P-90s or roaring humbuckers. But, to some, a single pickup Gibson is the ultimate rockin’ machine. Gibson has been producing single p’up Les Pauls for decades, and the stripped-back, raw appeal remains. Here’s a quick guide to the most lauded Gibson Les Paul “singles”…

DJ Ashba is brimming with creativity. Not only does he play lead guitar with Axl Rose in Guns N’ Roses and Nikki Sixx in Sixx: A.M., but Ashba also runs Ashba Media, Inc., a graphic design and marketing agency, and Ashbaland Studios, where Ashba writes, composes and produces various musical projects.

As the summer blockbuster season rumbles through cinemas across the country (is there anyone who hasn’t seen The Avengers?), we started thinking about the relationship between music and movies. For almost a century now, filmmakers have used the power of music to enhance the drama and storytelling of some of the greatest film classics.

The year’s most Gibson-tastic moment came at April 14’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony when Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks and Billy Gibbons stood shoulder-to-shoulder on stage paying homage to inductee Freddie King with a brain-frying version of King’s signature number “Goin’ Down.”

A year and a half ago, Motherjane’s fretboard wizard Baiju Dharmajan dropped the proverbial bombshell on Indian indie with the announcement of his departure from the Southern rock veterans. After over a decade and two seminal albums with the band, Dharmajan’s guitar playing was synonymous with the Motherjane sound.