Australian Guitar – Volume 169 2026

Summary

Plini talks dream collabs with John Mayer and high-BPM workouts, David Bowie's comrades-in-arms Adrian Belew and Carlos Alomar open up about Ziggy Stardust, and the Fender John Osborne Telecaster leads nine gear reviews in Australian Guitar Volume 169, 2026.

Australian Guitar Volume 169 2026 fronts with a David Bowie cover feature (Ziggy Played Guitar) featuring exclusive interviews with Adrian Belew and Carlos Alomar. Plini discusses An Unnamable Desire and the creative process behind his latest work. Little River Band reminisces about their catalog. Mike Campbell, Jared James Nichols, The Pretenders' Elliott Randall, Angine de Poitrine, Kim Thayil and Brian Setzer all contribute interviews. The Signature Guitars feature traces iconic artist models through the decades. Nine gear reviews cover Fender, Epiphone, Ibanez, PRS, EVH, Cort, JBL, Electro-Harmonix and Strymon. The Australian Recording Technique section covers DAW sample buffers and recording with INXS. The Rock the 80s lesson runs 10 pages across four styles.

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Content Guide

Cover Feature

p.20 · Ziggy Played Guitar — David Bowie
Adrian Belew and Carlos Alomar open up about recording and touring with David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust era. The feature covers specific sessions, gear used, and the improvisational approach that defined Bowie's band leadership. Guitarists can identify the exact effects chain Alomar used on the Young Americans sessions.

Interviews

p.6 · Plini
The Australian djent virtuoso on dream collaborations with John Mayer, high-BPM practice routines, and the inspiration behind An Unnamable Desire. He describes imagining a cello player in an empty concert hall playing a difficult arpeggio — the mental image that started the album. Practice the arpeggio pattern he describes for a direct line into his compositional approach.

p.10 · Little River Band
Graeham Goble and the band look back at Reminiscing and the songcraft behind their biggest hits. The article discusses the harmony arrangements that defined the Australian soft-rock sound.

p.12 · Mike Campbell
The Heartbreakers guitarist discusses his Telecaster technique and songwriting partnership with Tom Petty. His advice on serving the song rather than the solo is quoted directly.

p.59 · Kim Thayil
The Soundgarden guitarist on his approach to alternate tunings, feedback control and the Seattle sound. Specific drop-tuning configurations are named for reproduction at home.

p.64 · Brian Setzer
The Stray Cats and rockabilly revivalist on his signature Gretsch sound and the balance between authenticity and modern amplification.

Features

p.48 · Signature Guitars Through the Ages
A deep dive into the history of artist signature models, from the early Fender and Gibson collaborations through modern Ibanez and PRS offerings. The article traces how artist endorsements evolved from simple badge-engineering to genuine design partnerships.

Reviews

p.88 · Fender John Osborne Telecaster
p.90 · Epiphone Futura RD Custom
p.91 · Ibanez Iron Label AZ41B1
p.92 · PRS SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone
p.93 · EVH 5150 III Hypersonic 6L6 2×12
p.94 · Cort GB-Short Scale
p.95 · JBL BandBox Solo
p.96 · Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2
p.97 · Strymon Canoga Vintage Silicon Fuzz

Lessons

p.66 · Rock the 80s
A 10-page extravaganza covering four guitar styles from the 1980s. Technique breakdowns with tablature and backing track references are included. The Gary Moore-style bending exercise alone is worth the page count.

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Editor's Take

The David Bowie cover feature with Belew and Alomar is the clear highlight — these are not the usual interview subjects for a Bowie retrospective, and their perspectives on the Ziggy sessions add genuine archival value. The nine gear reviews give the issue practical density, covering budget (Cort GB-Short Scale) through premium (Fender John Osborne Telecaster) options. The Rock the 80s lesson section is generous at 10 pages. Weaknesses: the Plini interview text is thin in the available content — the published version may read deeper but the profile leans heavily on his existing biography. The Angine de Poitrine feature lacks context for readers unfamiliar with the French stoner-rock scene. Brian Setzer's interview covers territory his previous interviews have already explored.

Strengths
• Bowie cover feature with Belew and Alomar gives genuine new perspective
• Nine gear reviews span budget to premium price points
• Rock the 80s lesson section offers practical tablature

Weaknesses
• Plini interview lacks depth in available text
• Brian Setzer interview covers familiar ground

Verdict: Recommended — Buy for the Bowie feature and the gear review section; guitar collectors will find the signature models article worth the price.