How to clean an acoustic guitar: A step-by-step guide
We run you through the process of getting your acoustic looking clean as a whistle, from fretboard to strings to body.
Read moreWe run you through the process of getting your acoustic looking clean as a whistle, from fretboard to strings to body.
Read moreParlor guitars somewhat fell out of fashion after being the go-to guitars for players in the late 19th and early 20th century. These days, they’re the go-to for many country and worship players. We walk you through seven of the best.
Read moreSongwriting is an art, but for many people, it starts and ends with a riff they love but don’t know what to do with. We walk you through a lot of the ways you can flesh out that riff into a full song of it’s own.
Read moreUnderstanding scale length and how it effects a guitar’s playability can be a key component of buying the right guitar for your playing style – you probably don’t want a baritone for country, or a short scale guitar for djent. We walk you through scale length and how it effects you.
Read moreWhile a noise gate isn’t necessarily the sexiest pedal on your board, it will do a ton to make your signal a lot more attractive. We go over our top choices for noise gate pedals at all price points.
Read moreOne of the most daunting steps for guitarists who want to start doing their own maintenance is dealing with the truss rod, but really you’ve got to go out of your way to mess it up badly. We go over what a truss rod is, and how to use it to fix what’s bothering you.
Read moreThere’s an interface out there for every budget, but many of them will let you sitting waiting for your signal to come through (ok, not that bad). We run you through the best audio interfaces on the market where low latency is the goal.
Read moreThe Fender Mustang I V2 has been around for years, and often gets overlooked for some of the newer modelling amps on the market. However, for the money this is still a great practice amp – as long as you steer clear of it’s weak spot. We take a look.
Read moreIf you’re in the market for a tonal upgrade to your Les Paul – be it Epiphone or Gibson – the first place to look is the pickups. While modern Les Pauls often ship with some pretty sweet pickups (hello Burstbuckers), they might not be the exact flavor you’re looking for. In this guide we cover our favorite pickups for your favorite genre.
Read moreEpiphone Les Pauls are great guitars at an awesome price, but with a few select mods can rival their Gibson counterparts. We walk you through all the mods you might consider, from bridge to nut and everything in between.
Read moreIf you’re not a thumbpick player, it can be a fun skill to add to your arsenal. Even metal players can improve their hybrid picking by spending a little time with a thumbpick. We go through when and how to use one, as well as our best recommendations.
Read moreSeagull’s S6 is making waves as a killer guitar at a very attractive price, but can it hold up to the hype? We put the guitar through it’s paces.
Read moreShort scale guitars scratch an itch for anyone who grew up pining after Kurt Cobain’s killer mustangs, but they’re also ideal for younger players looking for a comfortable first guitar. We walk through seven of the best options on the market.
Read moreWith so many guitars for sale theses days, it can be hard to know where to start. We walk you through some of the basics as far as choosing which type of guitar to start with.
Read moreBuying a guitar for a child can be tricky – trying to get the right size guitar, one that plays well, and one ultimately that will help them discover a love for guitar. We walk you through some of the key considerations when getting your child into music.
Read moreWhat makes the Taylor 214CE Acoustic Guitar so popular? Is it just another well-made guitar with a price-tag inflated by brand value? Or, do you get an instrument that is spectacular and memorable? Let’s find out.
Read moreFender has long been top of the heap for sub $200 acoustic guitars, and the CD-60 is no exception. We take a deep dive into the budget beauty, as well as looking at some alternatives if you find it out of stock.
Read moreIn an ideal world, we’d all roll to every show and every session with a full complement of amps. However, working musicians, especially the session guys, will tell you a preamp pedal is a lifesaver. We walk you through seven of the best.
Read moreThe list of things Eric Clapton gave to music is long and comprehensive, but one that probably fascinates players more than any is the fabled “woman tone”. When everyone else was going for bright and cutting, Clapton went the other way.
Read moreOne of the things that can quickly kill strings is they pick up dirt from your fingers and from the air. For that reason most people in the know will wipe down their fretboards every time they go to put their guitar away. We walk you through some of the steps you can take to extend your strings lifespan.
Read moreMore than arguably any other style of music, metal is the sound of a million different types of guitars. While of course there is no one “metal sound” (who sounds like Maiden and Behemoth?), there are guitars at all price points that will help you zero in on the sound you want. Let’s take a look.
Read moreOne of the mistakes beginners make is letting their guitar strings get dirty with finger gunk and sweat, and then wonder why their guitar sounds dull. We walk you through the factors in how often you should change strings.
Read moreIn just four years, the Boss Katana has quickly established itself as the number one choice for the budget minded guitarist. Now with the MKII series, Boss has extended the Katana’s capabilities to make it something that appeals to all. We take a look at this amazingly versitile sub $300 amp.
Read morePromoting your music can be quite a minefield as what feels like millions of other bands are treading the same path, trying to get heard. To give you a leg up, we talked with several music PR veterans to find out what actually works in 2021.
Read moreIf you’re a left handed writer thinking about picking up a guitar, you might be wondering if you should try a right or left handed guitar. While there are no left handed pianos, there are many guitars for lefties. Let’s walk through your options.
Read moreElectrical interference is annoying at the best of times, but if your guitar amp is picking up the radio, it makes it pretty much unusable. We discuss how this happens, and how to solve it.
Read moreOne of the great things about music is there are no rules, right? Well, almost. Many people think of acoustic and “classical” guitars as a close paring, but swapping out the strings can be risky business. We go over the reasons why.
Read moreChorus seems to have fallen out of fashion in the last few years, but with a resurgence of grunge and shoegazing, it’s making a resurgence. We discuss the effect (no pun) of putting it before of after your delay pedal.
Read moreSome pedal orders make total sense, and then some are really a matter of taste. EQ and compression is one of the latter, and while most go compression first, we’re going to arm you with the knowledge to decide what works best for you.
Read moreThe next in our series of pedal order articles, we look at two of the effects you’ll find most often on people’s pedal boards. As always these things are down to personal preference, but we give you the knowledge to find the sound you’re looking for!
Read moreBoasting vintage-inspired designs, modern playability, and an arsenal of unique sounds, the Fender Modern Player Series telecasters are for guitarists who want classic looking guitars that breaks the rules in a sonically pleasing way.
Read moreWhile any guitar provides a wealth of tuning opportunities, adding on a seventh string opens up a ton of doors. Few bands playing 7 strings stick to any one standard tuning, so why should you? We’ve pulled out some of our favorites to get you going on the road to 7-string domination!
Read moreIn the first of our series on individual pedal order, we look at how swapping wah and compressor in the signal chain will alter your final sound. Conventional wisdom says wah first – but what happens if you go the other way with it?
Read moreWhat happens when a gifted guitarist’s promising career is brought to its knees by an incurable degenerative disease? Does he succumb to his vegetative fate of confinement to a wheelchair? Or does he go on to write music that becomes a beacon of hope for a new generation?
Read moreThere’s a point where music is loud enough to blow your hair back, but there’s also a point where an amp is loud enough to blow your eardrums to shreds. We walk through the mechanics of loudness, and talk about the volume of some classic amps.
Read moreMany players look to change the characteristics of their amps by swapping out tubes to get a different warmth, or in some cases more headroom – or even less. We walk you through the differences between two of the more popular tubes on the market, the 6L6 and the 6V6.
Read moreWe review the amp that kicked off the mini head revolution, and allowed budget players to get some Orange tube goodness in a travel sized package.
Read moreOHSC is a common term in guitar listings – especially when you’re looking at mid four figures and up – but for newbies it can be confusing. We walk you through what OHSC means, and why it’s important.
Read moreGibson’s VOS line represents the custom shop’s passionate tribute to the golden era of Gibson guitars. We walk you through all of the aspects of the VOS line that make it so special.
Read moreThe PRS SE Standard 24 gives you the opportunity to own one of the best guitar brands out there, but for a “Student Edition” price. But does this affordable model live up to the fabled Paul Reed Smith brand?
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