Although, frankly, being a metalhead will help.

Guitar World is the heavy metal companion to Guitar One. Each 180-or-so page monthly issue will run you $4.95 at the newsstand, a 12-month subscription will cost you $19.95, and that's a bargain, considering what you get.

As I said, the focus of this mag is heavy metal and hard rock. Not much acoustic or jazz stuff here. Moreover, if the mag has a defect, it tends to be rather easy on its subject matter. That is, there's not an awful lot of criticism directed at the various guitarists here, unless it's their older work that gets panned (never the new stuff). The editors could use a little help here on that.

Aside from that minor rumbling, this mag is indeed a bible for head banging guitarists and for rock guitarists in general. After an opening editorial and letters to the editor section, there's usually 7-8 pages of short articles on matter of topical interest, often fairly obscure bands. Naturally, their gear is always identified. There are also short book, DVD, and CD reviews.

Then follow a few single page articles that addresses questions to favorite axmen or describe how they wrote a particular song, usually one of current interest. This is quite useful to cover bands

Four or five feature length articles then follow, each between 2 and 5 pages long. Besides bits and pieces of "75 DVD's You Must Own" and compilation lists like that, there'll be in depth coverage of bands that are either on the verge of breaking through to fame or are in the process of touring or releasing a new CD. Again, the focus is largely on the hard rock/heavy metal side of things.

Each issue includes three or four pages of lessons written by famous guitarists, e.g. Kerry King of Slayer, or Zakk Wylde (they come and go). These contain very useful technical tips, if you can find your way through the very conversational tone and the profanity.

There are typically six or seven full song transcriptions. Again, these tend to be hard rock and heavy metal, although occasionally you'll find some more off key stuff by bands like The Cure, Coldplay, and more classic stuff by the Stones, Who, or Beatles. You will NOT find the kind of jazzy stuff that Guitar One occasionally publishes.

For me, one of the most important parts of Guitar World are the equipment reviews, which include guitars, effects, and amps. They are well written, informed, and extremely useful to prospective purchasers. If you're in the equipment market on even an occasional basis, the mag is worth it for the reviews alone.

Aside from a few other short columns (e.g. "A Vulgar Display of Power" discusses a guitarist's live set-up each month), the rest of Guitar World is advertising, something that any gear head will pay a lot of attention to, even if it's just a question of looking like a kid peering through the window of a candy store.

For twenty bucks a year, Guitar World is well worth the price. It can be rather pedestrian on occasion, the writers have a lamentable tendency to use profanity, and they could be more critical of their subjects, but this mag delivers value for the dollar. I don't think it's quite as good as Guitar One, but I read it month cover to cover, and even if you're not a metal head, you'll get a lot out of it.

Find out more at www.guitarworld.com

buffoonery’s magazine and newspaper reviews:

Wall Street Journal
Commentary
The Economist
National Review
The Nation
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sun-Times
First Things
The American Spectator
The New Republic
Guitar World
Guitar World Acoustic
Guitar One
Guitar Player


Recommended: Yes

Favorite Type of Music: Rock 'n' Roll