The Latest Breaking News from Vito Bratta

The former White Lion axe-slinger on how a newfound love of the hi-tech – and a desire to stand apart from Eddie Van Halen –led to an all-new guitar that found its way onto the cover of Guitar World in 1989

Writing shreddiest record yet, Mantras, was like a debut album experience for Corso. He reveals why he’s reveling in building his own guitars, loves surprising audiences with Strandbergs, and the guitar lessons he learned from Stone Temple Pilots’ DeLeo brothers

The virtuoso doesn't harbor too many fond memories of White Lion's 1985 LP Fight to Survive, and that's partly because of the guitar tracks that made it onto the final album

West's 100-watt Mountain Marshall is still owned by Bratta, who got his hands on the fabled Strat through Al Kooper – who was gifted the guitar by Hendrix himself

Also featuring new interviews with Vito Bratta, Warren Haynes and Jake Kiszka, plus Sevendust, Opeth, Dirty Honey, and a review of the new Boss SDE-3000 EVH Dual Digital Delay

The virtuoso behind White Lion’s platinum rock sound pays dues to the players who showed him what to do on guitar (and what not to do), and recalls an emotional encounter with Eddie Van Halen

"I got a lot of s**t from people who said I was aping his style," the White Lion legend told Guitar World in a recent interview. "He didn’t agree"