Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars: The Guitarists Who Rocked the World

Sure to strike a chord with guitarists and heavy metal fans, this authoritative and photo-filled volume surveys more than 80 of the genre’s greatest axe-slingers from the 1970s to present.

From metal pioneers like Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, and Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore to today’s hottest shredders, thrashers, and riffers, Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars is your guide to the instruments and musicians that made metal. Author and guitar journalist Pete Prown presents his subjects by metal-defining eras and subgenres, including: early metal, hard rock and arena rock, prog rock, Euro metal, hair metal, shred, thrash, and more.

Prown’s knowledgeable discussions examine specific noteworthy guitars each player made famous, as well as effects pedals, amplifiers, and career overviews that include the players’ first-person revelations and insights.

Illustrated with photos of the guitarists in action, the book features an early chapter on influencers who set the stage for the genre (think Clapton, Hendrix, and Beck), plus sidebars so you don’t miss out on any of metal’s nooks and crannies, touching on grunge, math metal, nu metal, doom metal, and the genre’s roots in blues and early rock.

Guitarists profiled:

Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Jimi Hendrix
Pete Townshend
Jimmy Page
Tony Iommi
Ritchie Blackmore
Leslie West
Martin Barre
Mick Box
Johnny Winter
Joe Perry & Brad Whitford
Brian May
Robin Trower
Don “Buck Dharma” Roeser
Rick Derringer
Ronnie Montrose
Frank Marino
Mick Ralphs
Eddie Van Halen
Ace Frehley
Tom Scholz & Barry Goudreau
Nancy Wilson
Neal Schon
Angus & Malcolm Young
Pat Travers
Michael Schenker
Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson
Glenn Tipton & K.K. Downing
Rudolph Schenker, Uli Jon Roth & Matthias Jabs
Dave Murray & Adrian Smith
Randy Rhoads
Kerry Livgren & Rich Williams
Alex Lifeson
Michael Wilton & Chris DeGarmo
John Petrucci
Phil Collen & Steve Clark
Gary Moore
Joan Jett
Lita Ford
Brad Gillis & Jeff Watson
Mick Mars
John Sykes
Vernon Reid
Yngwie Malmsteen
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Vivian Campbell
Jason Becker
Paul Gilbert
George Lynch
Tony MacAlpine & Vinnie Moore
James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett
Dave Mustaine
Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman
Scott Ian
Slash
Zakk Wylde
Dimebag Darrell
Ty Tabor
Jerry Cantrell
Tom Morello
Kim Thayil
Mark Tremonti
Alexi Laiho
Herman Li
Brent Hinds & Bill Kelliher
Nita Strauss
Nili Brosh

Pete Prown began writing about guitars and music in 1985. Today, he’s a regular contributor and music editor at Vintage Guitar magazine, and his work has been featured in Guitar Player, Guitar for the Practicing Musician, Guitar One, and Car Stereo Review, among others. Prown has also written several guitar books, including Legends of Rock Guitar (with HP Newquist, 1997); Modal Riffs for Rock Guitar (1995); Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends (with Lisa Sharken, 2003); Shred! The Ultimate Guide to Warp-Speed Guitar (with Rich Maloof, 2006); Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars (2023); and The Ultimate Book of Blues Guitars (2024).