Instruments & Gear Reviews & Tutorials

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.

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.

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.

The Martin J-15 is a discontinued model from historic C.F. Martin & Company. Here is the rest of the story.

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

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

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

This article will help you choose between a combo amp and a head and cabinet setup for guitar or bass. There are pros and cons to each whether you play at home or in a band, and one or the other is likely the best option for you.

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

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.

Discover the differences in the roles of lead guitar and rhythm guitar in a band and learn more about the skills required for both styles.

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.

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

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

Are you a heavy metal guitarist, a shredder or riff master? These Super Strat guitars are the heavy metal virtuoso's dream come true.

Compare the best acoustic guitars under $500 and learn why you don't need to spend a fortune to land a great instrument!

Learn what to look for when choosing an electric or acoustic guitar for beginners and get step-by-step advice on how to pick out your first guitar.

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.

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.

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.

Here's a review of the Squier by Fender Vintage Modified Jazz Bass '70s and a look at some if the other basses in the VM Series.

Learn the difference between the Ibanez RG and S Series and decide which guitar is better for you and your music.

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.

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

Pete Townshend is one of the most influential rock guitarists from one of the most influential rock bands. For about a decade he played Schecter PT guitars almost exclusively. Here's the story.

Review and compare 5 of the best bass combo amps under $500 for small gigs and practice, from some of the biggest names in the industry.

The Martin D-19 and the Martin D-17m are both all solid wood dreadnoughts with solid spruce tops, but the tops are stained to look as though the guitars are made entirely of mahogany. Here's the rest of the story.

Check out this list of the 10 best sounding acoustic guitars for under $1000, amazing instruments from the top guitar makers in the world.

The Gibson Les Paul is one of the most copied guitars in the world. Here are ten great ones, some more exact copies than others, from ten different manufacturers of electric guitars

Kurt Cobain was a hot burning star that went supernova. As a parting gift he gave us the MTV Unplugged concert. Here's the story of his guitar, and what similar guitars are available today.

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

Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster? Read this review to help decide which guitar is better for you based on sound, quality and differences.Learn about affordable versions of each and how to choose between them.

Which guitar brand is best for metal: Jackson, Ibanez, ESP LTD or Schecter? Compare construction, quality, sound, specs and more.

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

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?

Here's a detailed list of the 36 best guitar brands. Anyone looking for the top electric or acoustic guitars in 2019 will find this guide useful.

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.

Yamaki brand acoustic guitars aren't so easy to find, and the reason is that some of them are every bit as good as the high-end American makes that they copied. Some of these Martin copies deviate from the norm with Redwood or Western Red Cedar tops and they have abalone inlays as well. I've never played one that I didn't like.

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

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.

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!

Check out this list of best bass guitar brands for 2019 and get help finding an instrument that’s perfect for you.

Mystical and mysterious, the life and death of Robert Johnson are legendary. He became the king of the delta blues, and inspired countless singers and guitarists. Did he make a deal with the devil? You be the judge. He played a Gibson L-! guitar, and here is the rest of the story.

In live situations, you may prefer to use a pitch shifting pedal for drop tunings rather than bringing along an extra guitar. That’s where the DigiTech Drop Polyphonic Drop Tune Pitch-Shift Pedal comes in.

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.

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.

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.

Looking for a Stratocaster guitar but want to stay away from Fender? Here are five of the most well thought of non Fender Stratocaster manufacturers.

Learn the pros and cons of a modeling guitar amp when compared to a tube amp or solid-state amp and find out how digital modeling technology can help you grab the sounds you are looking for.

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.

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.

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.

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

Iconic, back-breaking, sustaining, brash and pricey, the Gibson Les Paul is a one of a kind guitar. Just don't stumble and lose your head.

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

Jake E. Lee once had the toughest job in metal music, he had to replace Randy Rhoads in Ozzy Osbourne's band. DeMartini was a first class guitar gunslinger in the band Ratt. Here are their guitars.

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.

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

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

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

This guide can help you find the best guitar amp for the money. Beginner or pro, you need the right amp for your budget and style.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson are both monster guitarists from Texas. They also each have Fender Artist Series Stratocaster guitars made after and for them. Here's a close look at both.

Compare the 10 best electric guitars under $500 and decide which top-rated instrument is right for you in 2019. These are affordable, budget guitars for intermediate players, but good enough for the pros.

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 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!

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

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.

Here is a list of the top 20 guitars for metal.The best heavy metal and hard rock guitar has to not only look the part, but sound amazing too. Learn which instruments made the cut, and how to choose the right guitar for metal.

Check out this review of the Epiphone Les Paul Custom PRO. Compare to Gibson and discover if it's the right guitar for you.

Check out some of the best little mini acoustics. These small-bodied guitars are great for travel, kids and adults with small hands, and jamming when space is limited or just for having fun.

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.

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...

The Fender Telecaster was born perfect. The design is timeless and utilitarian bliss. Here are 5 of the very best Fender Telecasters anywhere.

There are a lot of distortion pedals out there, but not every one of them is a classic. These five are what I consider to be the five true classics.

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.

Compare the Epiphone G-400 PRO to the Gibson SG Standard when it comes to sound, construction and value and find out which SG is right for you!

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.

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

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.

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.

Check out the 12 best guitar amps under $500, with top picks in the solid-state, tube, and modeling amp categories.They're affordable amplifiers for gigs, practice, or just jamming at home.

Martin 16 series dreadnought guitars offer all the great play-ability and tones of far more expensive models at less cost. These all solid wood Martin guitars are bluegrass cannons.

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

Knowing the difference between the Squier and Fender Stratocaster will help you decide which guitar is right for you and your budget.

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

If you play electric guitar and want to start building a pedal board, here are some tips on where to start.

In this buying guide you’ll learn how to choose the right guitar for extreme metal, hard rock, classic metal and shred. Get advice on 7-string guitars, pickups, tonewoods and more.

A great parlor guitar will always be small, and never be cheap. These are not backpacking or travel guitars, but fine fine small acoustic guitars for serious players and consumers.

Discover the best heavy metal guitars under $300, great options from brands like Jackson, Schecter and Ibanez.

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.

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.

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

Learn about the difference between single-coil and humbucker guitar pickups and decide which is better for your sound.

Capturing a good guitar sound goes beyond simply just hitting record. Guitar production can get very complex, so here is a good introductory guide to recording and mixing electric and acoustic guitars.

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.

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 what to look for when buying your first acoustic guitar in this comprehensive guide for beginners.

You’ve heard headroom is important for bass and guitar amplifiers. Find out how it affects your sound as a bassist or guitarist, when you should care about an amp’s headroom, and when you shouldn’t.

You always want an all solid wood construction dreadnought if you can afford one. Mahogany is a bright tonewood with a very woody sound, excellent for all styles of music. Here are 5 of the best.

The best and most famous Fender Stratocaster players in rock history played Strats as unique as the guitarists themselves.