THE INNOVATORS

THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO CAN PLAY THE GUITAR REALLY WELL. THOUSANDS PLAY WITH THEIR OWN UNIQUE STYLE, BUT THERE WILL ONLY EVER BE A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE THAT PERMANENTLY CHANGE HOW WE SEE, HEAR AND PLAY THE INSTRUMENT. TODAY, WE SALUTE THEM, AND OFFE

Music is built on in equal measure on innovation and inspiration. Every now and then, a player comes along with the perfect balance of the two: the inspiration to do something different, and the ability to pull their vision off.

The lucky ones go on to change the way the rest of us approach the instrument. It happened in the ‘50s and ‘60s when thousands of players began throwing out their low E string, shifting the remaining strings down a slot and using a banjo string for the high E, before light-gauge guitar string sets were a thing.

It happened when thousands of players realised that turning an amp up to the point of distortion was actually a positive thing, instead of something to be avoided.

And it happened when the following players brought new approaches to the instrument – approaches that were both different enough to turn heads, and accessible enough for the average player to incorporate into their own shredding.