Guitar players are better off now than in the previous generation [Video]

Matteo Mancuso feels modern guitarists are better off compared to previous generations of rising stars, thanks to the power of social media.

28-year-old Mancuso – who was raised in Palermo, Italy – grew his career via YouTube, though he first started performing live at age 12. Through his expressive finger-style technique, he’s garnered the praise of players such as Dweezil Zappa, Joe Bonamassa, and Steve Vai.

• READ MORE: “Don’t spend a lot of time finding the right fretboard wood or the right pickup combination – they are all secondary things”: Matteo Mancuso says expensive equipment is less important than “knowing your gear well”

Speaking to Guitar Worldfor its new January print edition, he explains, “Social media impacts the community a lot. The information you can find sometimes influences us in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. If you gain a lot of followers on Instagram or grab somebody’s attention and make people …