Guitar World – September 2026

Summary

David Bowie gets his first-ever Guitar World cover in Vol. 47 No. 9, and September 2026 marks ten years gone with the twisted guitar legacy of Bowie, plus "Rebel Rebel" transcribed at page 94 and Mick Ronson covered as Bowie's Starman.

Guitar World September 2026 (Vol. 47 No. 9) is built on Bowie: 10 years without Bowie at 54, with "Rebel Rebel" transcribed at 94 and contributors including Earl Slick and Killerstar. The issue also runs Brian Setzer's nine lives at 36, Guitar in the key of NYC at 41, Alice Cooper's super crew at 48 and Shop Talk at 32. Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Peter Frampton and Carlos Alomar appear in new chats flagged on the cover.

Transcriptions carry Deftones "My Mind Is a Mountain" at 90 and Greg Koch "Spank It" at 98. Departments run Tune-Ups at 15, Soundcheck at 74 with the Fender John Osborne Telecaster at 74, Columents at 85 with Joe Bonamassa at 86, Performance Notes at 89 and Power Tools at 110. For guitarists the Bowie transcriptions and the Osborne Tele review are the two things worth the cover price.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story
p.54 · 10 YEARS WITHOUT BOWIE
Guitar World marks ten years since David Bowie's death at page 54, assembling the guitar players who shaped his sound, including Mick Ronson as Bowie's Starman plus Earl Slick and Killerstar. The piece names the guitars and the sessions rather than only the songs. Learn the "Rebel Rebel" riff from the transcription at 94 while the feature is fresh.

▸ Features
p.36 · BRIAN SETZER'S NINE LIVES
Brian Setzer's career gets the nine-lives treatment at 36, covering the Stray Cats return flagged on the cover and his work since. The piece names the records and the guitars. Play a Stray Cats track after reading to hear the guitar approach described.

p.41 · GUITAR IN THE KEY OF NYC
Guitar in the key of NYC at 41 looks at the city's guitar scene, tying to the New York guitarists testing new gear on the cover. The piece names players and venues. Catch a live date in the city if the players named here are touring.

p.48 · ALICE COOPER'S SUPER CREW
Alice Cooper's band gets covered at 48, with the guitarists who have played for him named. The piece covers the players and their parts. Listen for the guitar layering on a Cooper track after reading who played what.

▸ Transcribed
p.90 · MY MIND IS A MOUNTAIN
Deftones' "My Mind Is a Mountain" is transcribed at 90, giving the guitar and bass parts as printed. It is one of three full transcriptions this issue. Work through the main riff slowly before speeding it up.

p.94 · REBEL REBEL
David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" is transcribed at 94, the centrepiece transcription of the Bowie cover. The notation covers the riff that anchors the song. Play it against the original recording to check the tuning.

p.98 · SPANK IT
Greg Koch's "Spank It" closes the transcriptions at 98, with the piece notated as printed. Koch's playing sets a specific technical problem. Isolate the right-hand pattern before attempting the full tempo.

▸ Soundcheck / Gear
p.74 · FENDER JOHN OSBORNE TELECASTER
The Fender John Osborne Telecaster is reviewed at 74, covering the B-Bender mechanism the cover flags and how it performs. The review names the guitar and its spec. Try the B-Bender before buying, since it changes how you fret.

p.78 · KEMPER PROFILER HEAD MK2
The Kemper Profiler Head MK2 is reviewed at 78, covering the modelling hardware and its sounds. The review names the unit and its features. Compare it against your current amp model before switching.

p.82 · CHARVEL STANDARD SERIES SAN DIMAS STYLE 2 SD2 HH HT
Charvel's Standard Series San Dimas Style 2 SD2 HH HT is reviewed at 82, with the guitar's build and pickups named. It is part of the Soundcheck run. Check the neck profile in person, since the review describes it as characteristic of the series.

▸ Departments
p.15 · TUNE-UPS
Tune-Ups at 15 opens the departments with short gear and industry items. It names products and news. Read it for the gear news before the full reviews at 74.

p.86 · TALES FROM NERDVILLE
Joe Bonamassa writes his column at 86, under the Columents heading the magazine prints. He covers gear and the business of playing. Take one gear point from him and test it at your next rehearsal.

p.110 · POWER TOOLS
Power Tools at 110 closes with practical gear and technique advice, naming tools and methods. The column is built for working players. Add one tool named here to your kit bag.

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Editor's Take

Guitar World Vol. 47 No. 9 earns its first Bowie cover: 10 years without Bowie at 54 pulls in Mick Ronson, Earl Slick and Killerstar with real guitar detail, and the "Rebel Rebel" transcription at 94 makes the feature playable rather than just readable. That pairing is the strongest thing here. The weakness is the Soundcheck run from 74 to 84, which stacks six gear reviews into ten pages and reads like a checklist, and the middle features at 36 and 41 are competent without surprise. The cover is the best of this batch — one subject, one clear line, ten years gone — and it does not need a dozen sub-flashes to sell it. Buy this if you play Bowie or want the transcriptions; gear-only readers can wait for a stronger month.

Strengths
• Bowie cover assembled with real guitar-player detail
• "Rebel Rebel" transcription makes the feature playable
• Three full transcriptions in one issue

Weaknesses
• Six gear reviews in ten pages read like a checklist
• Middle features are competent without surprise

Verdict: Essential — Bowie feature plus three transcriptions make this the issue to buy.