Guitar amps are awesome. Whether you’re using a semi-acoustic or an electric guitar. It’s not just that they amplify the sound, or in the case of a solid body electric, release the sound. It’s that there are effects like overdrive, distortion, and reverb. And for those who have bigger amps, who hasn’t used it as
The terms overdrive and distortion are often used interchangeably. Afterall, they both create a gritty, dirty tone as opposed to a clean guitar sound. But overdrive and distortion are two different things. The way they came about are also different. How you use them, in terms of genres and feel, will differ. Overdrive vs distortion.
If you’re into DIY projects and a guitarist, building your own acoustic guitar can be a great experience. It also gives you the option of fully customizing your guitar from the color and finish, down to all the hardware. But sourcing and cutting and sanding the wood adds a lot of time and extra effort
You’ve undoubtedly heard about humbucker pickups if you’ve looked into this type of thing. Along with single coil pickups, they’re the most popular pickups. But there is another type of pickup, called the P90 pickup that looks like something in between the two, and it’s also pretty popular in certain genres. How then do P90s
Are you building your own guitar? Are you upgrading or repairing your current guitar? Or perhaps you want to buy a new guitar, but just don’t know which pickups will work best for you. There are other pickups than just humbuckers and single coil pickups. I’ll explain a bit about the other type too. But
Gone are the days when you had to buy a guitar tuner. Sure, they’re pretty helpful. If you go onstage regularly, those clip on tuners come in pretty handy for when you just quickly need to tune in between songs. You want to be sure your guitar is perfectly in tune when you’re recording, and
Guitars are beautiful. No one can deny that guitars on display are essentially, practical art. What’s more, is that if your guitar is out where you can see it, it makes you want to play it more than when it’s sitting in its case or bag. It serves a dual purpose. There are a few
Starting your guitar journey is exciting. But buying everything you need one at a time can be tedious and time-consuming. A beginner electric guitar kit is so convenient. Some even come with the smaller accessories like guitar picks too. But there are so many options and it can be pretty confusing when it comes to
When learning to play guitar, there are various methods you can use to do this. For some of us, and I include myself here, books are helpful. It was the main method I used to learn, that, and playing with other people. It’s just easier for me to process info like that. Learning to play
Among the wide selection of guitar accessories, the one that is probably the most famous is the trusty capo. As with today’s saturated guitar market, there is a colossal number of options to choose from and it can be a rather confusing task sorting the good from the bad. With this guide, we hope to
If you like to travel with your guitar a hard case is a good thing to have. It provides a lot more peace of mind if your guitar has to get stored in the cargo section of the plane or if you’re packing your vehicle full of stuff for a camping trip. If you’ve moved
If you’re ready to jump to the next experience level, then you’d better start playing with a metronome. Use it in every scenario: for practice, jams, rehearsals, songwriting, and playing live. Not every metronome is cut with the same degree of quality, though. That’s why we intend to deliver the top 10 metronomes you can
When you’re faced with all the cables in a store or online, it can be a bit daunting. I mean there are different lengths so that’s easy enough. What else could there be? Well, not all cables are made equal. I came across this revelation at college in the live sound and electronics classes. Before
When it comes to recommendations for hardware and accessories to buy for your guitar, DI boxes haven’t been at the top of the list. So it’s not surprising to go “huh?” if you hear someone mention one for the first time. The first time I heard about DI boxes, I was in college and we
Guitars mounted on the walls look great. It’s both practical and visual art. Whether you’re looking to display your guitar/s, create more space in the room, or have kids, clumsy adults, or pets that put your guitar in certain danger, using a guitar wall mount is how you make this happen. But you don’t want
If you’ve watched a lot of people play guitar, you’re pretty likely to have come across at least some of them using a capo. This is an accessory that is not only affordable, but something I strongly recommend you add to your arsenal. Perhaps you already have one, but you’re not quite sure how to
Maybe you’re an in-the-box producer looking to branch out into a bit of analog gear. Maybe you’re a hardware-only guy looking to add some beats to your production. Or maybe you own a wheat milling plant, and you were meant to search for a durum machine. If you fall in either of the top categories,
Let’s be honest: Getting your head around the different drum stick sizes is a bit of a mission. This goes for novice and experienced drummers alike. I’ve been bashing the drums for a good 5+ years now, and I still find myself a little confused and overwhelmed when it’s time to pick up some new
Vocal harmonizers are straightforward devices. They exist to enhance your singing, and while singing is fun, dubbing your voice with a pedal is even better. And that’s what we’re here to present: the best vocal harmonizers you can buy right now. These processors unlock lots of potentials, and some of them present EQ and loop
If you’re eager to upgrade your electric guitar, the cheapest piece of hardware is a set of tuning pegs. Let’s say you have a Stratocaster, a Telecaster, or any other Fender, Squier, or Fender-inspired guitar. In that case, the best option for you would be getting a Fender locking tuner. Machine heads are often forgotten
Avenged Sevenfold is working on a new studio album as we speak. The metal band says it’s “70 percent done.” While we wait for their next head-banger, we take the opportunity to talk about Synyster Gates’ guitar gear. On an Instagram Live video, the Huntington Beach band showcased their drummer, Brooks Wackerman, recording a song
Sooner or later, all new guitarists face the same dilemma when it comes to their strings. Maybe you’ve noticed some rust building up. Maybe they don’t stay in tune like they used to. Maybe they have a dull, dead sound. Or maybe they’re unravelling around your headstock. These are all telltale signs that it’s time
Most guitar players start with a classical guitar. These instruments are easier to master, more affordable, and comfortable to carry around. That said, let’s not forget a crucial element of classical guitars, which is the strings. You must change the strings twice a year if you regularly play; or once a year if you’re a
We’ve all been there before. You start to notice that your faithful old ax isn’t quite as bright and cheerful as she usually is, and you’re finding it harder to slide up and down the neck. Sounds like you need a new set of electric guitar strings. Now, hopefully, yours aren’t to the point of
Changing the guitar strings is like putting oil on your car’s engine or like putting air on your tires. It brings back your guitar to life with the crispness and brightness a new set of guitar strings delivers. And when going live, even slight improvements will yield good results. Besides, I’m not even counting how
When you buy your first guitar, you’ll soon realize that the instrument itself is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether it’s extra strings, fretboard conditioner or audio interface equipment, there’s a never-ending pile of accessories you can add to your purchase. How can you tell the difference between what accessories you really need vs.
Strings are one of the most important pieces of gear for your guitar — while they might be small, they play a big role in determining your axe’s tone, feel, and playability. Because they’re so important, many players spend a long time trying strings from different manufacturers and finding the ones that feel best to
BeginnerGuitarHQ might be designed to teach you how to go from beginner guitarist into professional shred-master, but rhythm is an important skill. In this important guide, we review the best jazz drum set and best jazz drumkit out there, carefully selected from more than 30 jazz drum sets available on the market. Learning how to
With so many options and brands to choose, it might be overwhelming to pick your first digital keyboard piano. Lucky for you, I’m here to quickly guide you through that process. This Beginner Guitar HQ guide will show you exactly what you need to look for in keyboards so you invest your money into a
Drums are essential in music, and their ability to keep regular time-locked patterns dictate to a large extent how interesting a song will be. A drum might be acoustic or electronic. However, our focus in this review is on electronic drum sets and choosing the best that suits both your style and peculiar playing situation
Waiting a couple of weeks for the guitar parts you ordered to arrive may sometimes be nerve-racking. The significance of knowing the best guitar parts to always have in the bag is usually not obvious to most guitar players until it’s sometimes too late. Playing the guitar is fun, but the fun shouldn’t stop just
Relicing guitars is a popular trend that’s only growing more common. Of course, the “natural” — and best — way to relic a guitar is to buy your axe new and simply play it for decades! Over time, it will pick up dents, dings, and scars that come together to create a stunning vintage look.
Guitar players often neglect cable management. But learning how to wrap and store your cables can lengthen their lifespan and clean up your practice space. If you want to get rid of all those tangled cables strewn around your guitar, this guide will help you do it. Benefits of Cable Management Taking the extra time
The right chair can make all the difference in your practice sessions. If all you have is a dining room chair, your tookus will not be happy. Even if you have a chair or stool that you think may work, it may not be the best option for playing guitar. So in this post, we’d
Regardless of the instrument, genre, or nationality of the music, one thing every musician can use in practice is learning how to use a metronome. We use it for the sake of practicing a song or piece of music, for sight reading, sight singing, or just hammering out those tricky rhythms. It keeps us in line
If you’ve never changed guitar strings, you will have to learn at some point. And when you do, please, for the sake of your time and sanity, get yourself a peg winder. Ask any experienced guitarists or guitar technician and they will tell you: peg winders are the best! They’ll save you time and keep
Guitar slides started as a part of Hawaiin culture and heavily influenced Delta Blues in the United States. And now, they’ve changed the faces of current blues, rock, and country music. So for a long time, people have debated what the best guitar slides are. And we’d like to enter that debate, acoustic style. Here’s
Guitar pick holders are often overlooked. A lot of performing guitarists don’t even own one. What are they supposed to do if they drop their pick? Or, as has happened to me, their pick snaps in half? These holders can be concert-savers. And your concert can be ruined if you don’t have one handy. So
The vibrato bar goes by many names: Whammy bar, tremolo bar, vibrato arm, Bigsby arm, even “floating synchronized tremolo”! Whatever you call it, the vibrato bar is a common feature on myriad different guitar models. However, many players only use the vibrato sparingly or don’t know how to properly use it at all. If you
There’s nothing worse for an acoustic guitarist than a cracked or warped guitar. It means you probably can’t play the guitar. It means you may have to spend hundreds of dollars to get it fixed, if that’s even an option. Some types of damage are unfixable. That’s why having and regularly using an acoustic guitar
What’s The Best Guitar Tuner App? Am I really going to tell you what guitar tuner app to use? Well, no but sort of yes. What I am going to do is cover four of the best guitar tuner apps, describing them and giving you the pros and cons. The point here is to help
When playing an instrument with strings, there’s a 100% chance you’ll need to change them eventually. There are various examples of alternate string changing techniques, such as that used on a Floyd rose setup, or on a nylon strung acoustic, but I’ll focus on traditional, common approaches with electric and acoustic guitars. If you need
Tuning your guitar is pretty much the first thing you’ll do when you’re about to play. If you’re not in tune with yourself, then moving between strings is not going to sound great. If you’re not in tune with your band, you’ll sound even worse! In this important guide you will learn: What Is Tuning?
The GLS Audio 10 is our pick for the best guitar cable, which is at 10 feet in length, has an OFC insulator shield and is low on capacitance. Our step-up pick is the Fender 1/4 Straight-to-Straight and it is also at 10 feet and is okay to use on many instruments. It has a
The ChromaCast CC-SAMPLE-12PK is our pick for the best guitar pick, and it is a set of 12 in one pack, containing assorted gauges and colors, all made of celluloid. Our step-up pick is the Fender Premium Sampler and is also made with celluloid, but contains 24 in one pack, all with assorted colors. The
The Top Stage Pro is our pick for the best guitar stand, which is an a-frame style with a durable lock. It is durable, lightweight and comes with rubber feet. Our step-up pick is the On Stage XCG4 and this one has a black tripod design. It is great for all kinds of guitars, including
The Protec Leather Ends is our pick for the best guitar strap, which is made with nylon and comes with a pocket for a pick. It is made with leather ends for durability. Our step-up pick is the BestSounds Soft Cotton and it is made with leather, cotton and other materials so that it is
The D’Addario NS is our pick for the best guitar tuner, which is a clip-on type and has a visual metronome feature as well. It can be used for various instruments as well. Our step-up pick is the Snark SN-8 and it provides super tight tuning capabilities and has a good pitch calibration method. The
The Xvive U2 rechargeable is our pick for the best wireless guitar system, which can reach up to 100 feet in its range and comes with a power cable, receiver and transmitter in one setup. Our step-up pick is the Line 6 Relay and it can withstand up to 200 hours of sleep time in
A digital piano is an electronic keyboard that emulates the sound and the feel of a genuine acoustic piano. It can be differentiated from its precursor instrument – the “synthesizer” – which uses electronically produced sound waves to create specifically electronic sounds. The first digital piano commercially available was produced by Yamaha in 1983. The