Last month, we ran Part 1 of our interview with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and guitarist Jeff Schroeder, featuring guitar talk about the band’s choice Les Pauls. This month, we continue with Part 2, offering a glimpse into what Corgan was looking for in a guitarist when he brought Schroeder into the fold and how to get that classic Smashing Pumpkins tone. Check out the interview below, and go here to read Part 1 of our chat.

Many players who use standard tuning exclusively are interested in learning how to use a slide, but are discouraged by the prospect of absorbing the multiple new maps of the fretboard that employing open tunings requires. The good news is that standard tuning is also a very effective platform for slide.

The Gibson SG has been a much-loved classic for 50-plus years now. But the guitar was born of adversity. The SG only came about because single-cut Gibson Les Pauls were failing to sell well in 1960.

Les Paul, guitar guru, was also an amazing inventor from his legendary “log” to eight-track recorders to his his unique Paulverizer

It’s hard to think of another couple whose personal and professional lives were as intertwined – and successful – as those of Les Paul and Mary Ford. On the surface, their partnership looked ill-fitted from the start, but for most of their 15 years together – 20, if you include their five-year courtship – the relationship between Paul and Ford was a storybook tale.

Distortion makes everything sound better. Well, maybe not jazz - unless you count fusion. And maybe not classical - unless you could neoclassical (and why wouldn't you?). But it definitely makes rock music sound better.

Les Paul is not only one of the world’s greatest guitarists; he’s among its finest storytellers. In an interview in 1992, I asked Les how he got on the road to success. What follows is his verbatim answer, an entertaining trip from his childhood in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to the big time in New York City playing with Fred Waring’s band the Pennsylvanians.

So you wanna play guitar like Mr. Dave Evans, aka The Edge of U2?

Like many devoted rock fans, Thomas Scott McKenzie papered the walls of his bedroom with posters of his guitar heroes when he was a child. Unlike most fans, McKenzie decided as an adult to seek out and make personal connections with some of those very same musicians.

It’s been another fascinating week in the world of rock and roll. Jimmy Page has been remastering Led Zeppelin Albums, Johnny Marr’s debut solo album will appear February 2013, and Melody maker loving Joan Jett was honored by PETA. Rumor abound that a new Van Halen album is imminent while Axl Rose promised the new GNR album sooner rather than later. Finally, Bon Jovi slashed concert ticket prices. Now that’s Rock and Roll!