Instruments & Gear Reviews & Tutorials

Learn the difference between a tube amp and solid state amp and decide which best meets your needs as a guitar player.

Is Squier a good guitar brand? This review takes a look at Squier by Fender and lays out the good, the bad and the ugly.

Which guitar players have the best tone? Here are a few who knew what it takes to get some amazing sounds out of an electric guitar and amp.

Tonewoods are a key selling point for electric guitars, so why do some guitar players say they don’t even matter?

Bob Dylan's earliest recordings were made using a small all mahogany Martin 00-17 guitar. This guitar is no longer in production, but the very very similar Martin 00-15 is inexpensive and available.

When it comes to vintage American guitars the big three will always come to mind. Now, everyone has heard of the big three American automobile companies, but we Americans have a big three for guitars as well, Martin, Gibson, and Fender. C.F. Martin...

Check out the best acoustic guitars under $300! Perfect for beginners and intermediate guitarists, but good enough to impress the veterans!

John Fogerty is one of the greatest of all American songwriters, and he's penned numbers which will transcend centuries, and become folk songs. Hundreds of years from now, his songs will live on. He primarily played those songs on a Gibson Les Paul Custom.

A pair of spoons can be used as a folk and percussion instrument. A variety of playing techniques are possible and a range of rhythms and sounds can be produced.

Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster? Read this review to help decide which guitar is best for you and your playing style.

Find out what to look for when choosing a distortion or overdrive pedal in this guide for beginners. Learn the difference between distortion and overdrive as well as what different types of pedals can do for your sound.

Compare the Fender Mexican (MIM) and American (MIA) Stratocasters and decide which guitar is better for you and your budget.

Small bodied acoustic guitars with mahogany tops were the guitars of choice for most during the great depression. Well, they sound great today too. Here are five of the best mahogany top small bodies.

Read my hands-on review of the Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded T electric guitar and decide if this affordable instrument is right for you!

Find out how Marshall, Fender and Peavey, three kings of the guitar amplifier world, stack up against each other. Learn which amps are best for which genre and level of guitar player.

Billy Gibbons, of that little band from Texas, is one of the world's finest living blues-rock guitar men. ZZ Top and Billy are still rocking hard, and though Billy doesn't always play a Les Paul, he most often does. Here is the rest of the story.

If you're looking for the best guitar amp under $500 check out these 5 great options, all with plenty of power for gigs and rehearsals.

All mahogany dreadnoughts offer a great counterpoint to the typical spruce top guitars. They have a unique voice too. They are most especially great for a singer songwriter who loves to play rhythm.

If you’re trying to choose between the Gibson SG and Les Paul this article can help you sort out the differences and decide which is better for you.

David Gilmour's glassy Strat tone has been a part of over two hundred and fifty million albums sold world wide. Here's what you need to know if you're attempting to get a Strat with that exact sound.

The Gibson Les Paul Studio is a great guitar, but how does it match up with the Les Paul Standard or Epiphone Les Paul? This review explains all!

These are five top notch and less expensive solid wood alternatives to a Martin D-28. Rosewood and spruce in a dreadnought design is something very desirable, but not all can afford a D-28.

Check out five of the best hollow-body jazz guitars for under $1000. If you’re looking for the ultimate jazz box start your search here!

Discover the top ten electric guitars that are best for beginners, all under $200 and from big names in the guitar world.

Compare the top electric guitars that are best for intermediate players and guitarists who are just beginning their climb to the top.

Here's a detailed list of the 33 best guitar brands. Anyone looking for the top electric or acoustic guitars in 2018 will find this guide useful.

Check out this review of Jackson’s best guitars: The King V, Soloist, Rhoads, Dinky and Kelly. If you're metal, how do you choose only one?

Compare the best small guitar amplifiers and find the top amp for home use and practice. Beginners and pros alike love these little powerhouses.

Check out the best Yamaha acoustic guitars, top-rated instruments perfect for beginners but good enough for intermediate and advanced guitarists.

Find out which guitars besides the Epiphone Les Paul are among the best affordable alternatives to the Gibson Les Paul.

What's the fastest and easiest way to memorize a piano song? Is it a good idea, and if so, what benefits will it bring? Look inside to find out more.

Check out this review of the Jackson JS32 Series. They're affordable versions of classic designs such as the Rhoads, King V, Dinky, Warrior and Kelly.

Here’s a review of the Fender American Special Stratocaster and Telecaster, affordable American-made instruments with classic vibes.

We can't all afford a $1500 Les Paul Standard, but with a bit of time and money, we can make a cheap guitar sound less... cheap.

Compare 5 of the best bass amps for beginners, top-rated amplifiers from some of the biggest brand names in the bass guitar world.

Recording software is notorious for costing even more than some instruments, but that doesn't have to be the case. Here are five digital audio workstations under $100 that will do the job just fine.

Joe Perry, formerly a toxic twin, and one of the two guitarists in US rock super-group, Aerosmith, is a legend of rock and roll. His primary guitars are Gibson Les Pauls, and here's the rest of the story.

The Les Paul guitar by Gibson is a iconic electric guitar. But they make so many different ones it can be hard to know which is best. Here are 5 of the best across a range of price and style.

Here’s a list of the top guitar effects brands, along with some of the analog and digital effects pedals that made them so famous. Effect pedals, stomp boxes and digital effects processors can be a key part of a guitar player’s sound.

Here's my list of best bass guitars for under $500. If you are a bassist on a budget here are the top basses for the money. They're affordable, they sound great and they are made by some of the best bass guitar companies of all time.

Check out this list of best bass guitar brands for 2018 and get help finding an instrument that’s perfect for you.

This Fender Standard Jazz Bass review takes a look at a Made-in-Mexico (MIM) version of a classic instrument.

Martin M series guitars such as the M 36, the M 38, and the M 42 are simply different body style guitars than Martin's more famous dreadnoughts. Martin M series guitars have a larger lower bout, but a shallower depth - and this causes these instruments to have different tonal characteristics than the more famous dreadnoughts. These guitars were originally designed to provide less feedback when miked on stage.

Everyone loves a Fender Telecaster, but not all Teles out there are made by Fender. Here are 5 of the best makes of Tele out there which are not Fender guitars.

Discover which bass guitars are best under $300. Find a bass that keeps you under budget but still sounds amazing!

These 5 inexpensive solid body electric guitars represent several styles and genres of guitar building and styles of music they were built to accommodate for players. All go for less than 1K dollars.

The Epiphone vs Gibson Les Paul debate has been going on for years. This review will help you decide which guitar is better for your budget and needs. Here you can compare construction, quality and sound between Epiphone and Gibson, and even learn a little history.

Find out if expensive guitars are worth it and if you really need high-end gear to be taken seriously as a guitarist.

This beginner's guide to EZ Drummer will help you get started on that virtual percussion fix you so dearly crave.

The Martin D 18 acoustic guitar is less expensive than the Martin D 28, D 35, and D 45 - it's FAR less expensive than the D 50 or D 100 - but the Martin D 18 may very well be a BETTER guitar than any of it's more expensive cousins.

At some point or another most people who are into music wish to play an instrument, or see if they can - and the guitar is the most common instrument found in modern music. Here are five of the very best acoustic guitars for under five hundred dollars. These guitars are all very good instruments that won't need to be replaced until a musician reaches a higher skill level, and even then these are guitars that are keepers for a lifetime if they are properly cared for.

The best metal and hard rock guitar has to not only look the part, but sound amazing too. Here are a few guitars that make the cut.

These five small body acoustic guitars are outstanding instruments of tremendous value, but they are instruments for the serious amateur or professional only.

Conch shells come from large sea snails and are used as wind instruments. The shells are played at ceremonies and in jazz. They produce a loud and eerie sound.

The Telecaster has always been associated with country and western music, and in the mid-1960s, country rock. There is no limit to what music can be created with one.

Here’s a review of the Fender Standard (MIM) Telecaster. This guitar might be made in Mexico, but the MIM Tele is a real Fender through and through.

The Gibson Les Paul is known as one of the greatest guitars in the world and with good reason. Here are 10 of those reasons!

Learn more about the Standard Precision Bass by Fender, a quality Mexican-made version of a classic bass guitar.

Check out my review of the Marshall DSL40C guitar amp. It’s a powerful, versatile tube combo from a legendary name in the guitar world.

Check out this list of the best acoustic guitars for under $1000, eight amazing instruments from the top guitar makers in the world.

Discover the best heavy metal guitars under $300, great options from brands like Jackson, Dean, Schecter and B.C. Rich.

Learn about the pros and cons of the Floyd Rose tremolo bridge, one of the most significant inventions in the history of electric guitar.

The Gibson SG Standard is an amazing guitar, and no question about it. But if you want an SG's vibe, but something just a bit different, then here are your five very best options or alternatives.

Radio station managers know that sound quality is part of everyday operations. But what is the audience actually hearing? Poor sound and shoddy production may lead to lost messages.

When you are a serious guitarist, but your day job requires you to travel, you need a guitar you can take on the road. Here are five of the best travel guitars.

Learn the difference between classical and acoustic guitars and discover the pros and cons of each for beginners.

In this review you'll discover why the Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster is among the top electric guitars for the money.

The mbira is a traditional African instrument that is played in North America. An instrument based on the mbira can be used to detect the presence of counterfeit medicines.

The hydraulophone is a tubular musical instrument. Pressurized water moves through the tube and out of a series of holes. Placing a finger over a hole produces a sound.

Review and compare 5 of the best bass combo amps under $500 from some of the biggest names in the industry and find the perfect amp for your needs.

Every guitarist needs an acoustic/electric which is good enough to use in the studio and on stage. But a working musician also requires affordability in their road worthy guitar. Here are five.

Learn to choose the best guitar strings for electric and acoustic guitar, plus get tips for beginners on changing strings and guitar maintenance.

It doesn't take a lot of money to find a top quality budget turntable these days! This article takes a look at four of my favorite cheap vinyl record players, and offers pros and cons for each one.

Check out the best acoustic guitars for beginners, all under $200 and from some of the top brands in the guitar world

Jumbo sized acoustic guitars were created for folks who wanted even more volume out of their acoustic guitars than the large dreadnought design could offer. These are some of the best of the best.

Check out the top rock guitar builders, companies that have proven themselves as the best of the best over the decades.

Learn the difference between a maple or rosewood fretboard for guitar and decide which is better for your sound.

A Gibson Les Paul Custom with 3 pickups is forever an extremely desirable and also expensive guitar. Here are 5 of the best available.

Learn how many watts you need for a guitar amp based on your goals. Get advice on amplifiers for home use, playing in a band, recording and more.

The Gibson Marauder and S-1 guitars were crossover instruments where Gibson tried to steal some market share from Fender. These are somewhat rare birds, but very fine instruments should you find one.

Dreadnought guitars crafted from Brazilian rosewood are highly sought after, very expensive, and absolute treasures to own and enjoy. Here are my pics for the best of the best of them.

The world of the acoustic steel string guitarist is totally in love with the Martin D-28 Herringbone guitars. It has been this way since the 1930's, and it will be this way for long to come. While there are many different varieties, makes, and models of the high X D-28 from various and sundry manufacturers, this article examines five of the best without trying to encourage breaking the bank and spending someone's inheritance

A step by step guide on the best way to clean your trumpet or cornet. Keeping your trumpet clean will keep instrument playing its best and will help avoid slides becoming stuck.

If you've always wanted to own a Telecaster, and have a maximum of five hundred dollars to spend, then this information is for you. Here are 5 of the single best options.

Compare the 10 best electric guitars under $500 and decide which top-rated instrument is right for you. These are affordable instruments for intermediate players, but good enough for the pros.

The best portable guitar amp combines cool features with great sounds in a small, battery-powered package. Here are 5 awesome choices.

In the 1970s Gibson guitars relaxed their quality standards and sold some things they should not have. The Japanese took notice and started building Les Paul copies. Here are five of the best brands.

Confused by guitar specs when it comes to buying your first beginner guitar? Read this guide to basic terms and definitions.

These 5 essential guitar effects pedals are classic must-have stomp boxes, found on the pedal boards of some of the best guitarists in history.

Check out the best acoustic guitar brands for intermediate players. These are companies with reputations for making quality instruments with amazing sound.

Choosing an electric guitar with the right type of bridge for your needs is a key part of getting the sound you want from your instrument.

Compare five of the best electric guitars under $750 and decide which top-rated instrument is perfect for you and your style.

Learn whether a beginner should choose an electric or acoustic guitar when starting out, and discover the differences between each type of guitar

Learn about the difference between the Epiphone Les Paul 100, Special II and Studio and find out which electric guitar is best for you.

Learn how to buy a bass guitar in this guide to choosing a bass for beginners. Get advice on setting a budget, understanding pickups, strings, scale length and more.

All over the world mahogany body dreadnought guitars are sought after for their bright, woody tonality. These are the cream of the crop in mahogany body dreadnought guitars.

Compare 10 of the best electric guitars under $1000 in this guide to the top instruments for under a grand, all from big names in the guitar world.

Compare and review the best electric guitar starter packs for beginners, affordable kits from the most respected names in the guitar industry.

Here are 5 of the best Fender Stratocaster models available. 4 are signature series or Artist series. Hendrix is dead, you know - and one is the new HSS Shawbucker, something desired widely.

This article tells you what kinds of equipment is needed to start your own home studio. It will explain what the equipment is used for and why you need it.