Today, we’re reviewing the ESP F-104 model, an active bass guitar of the budget-friendly LTD series. It’s an entry-level instrument that aims to deliver a professional experience to intermediate and beginner bass players. ESP is a Japanese musical instrument company. They produce bass guitar and electric guitars in Japan, as well as in Burbank, California
Getting up on stage and singing can be a pretty daunting experience, for beginner and experienced vocalists alike. Not only are you singing live, in front of a full audience (hopefully), but you don’t have the comfort of post-production tools like reverb and autotune to help round out any mistakes. And you sure as hell
Despite solid-state and even digital modeling amps having been around for several years now (and sounding pretty damn good), we guitarists just can’t seem to get enough of that vintage tubey goodness. Maybe it just can’t be beaten, maybe there’s a bit of snobbery going on (to be honest, it’s probably a bit of both),
Mic placement, vocal technique, and acoustic treatment are only part of the recipe for creating a modern, professional vocal sound. Though the general goal is to capture the best take during recording (and not to ‘fix it in the mix’), it is true that most sound engineers actually apply a significant amount of post-processing to
Kramer Guitars is the lesser-known Gibson subsidiary. They create electric guitar and basses, and although their name doesn’t harness the greatest popularity, the Kramer Baretta Special has a well-deserved cult following. They began their operations in the 1970s and made themselves different by using aluminum or wooden necks on their guitars and basses. Moreover, Kramer
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
Vox, the reputed British amplifier company, has more to offer aside from expensive tubular solutions. In this particular bracket, we found the Vox Pathfinder 10, a solid-state guitar amplifier. Right out of the bat, we find it packs a lot of bang for the buck. Coming from one of the top amplifier manufacturers, this is
Let’s start by saying congrats: By making it this far, you’re well on your way to building an epic home studio. You’ve probably already got some gear locked down, with a decent DAW and a nice audio interface set up in your studio. But there’s one piece of the puzzle missing, and it’s a pretty
If you’re diving headfirst into the world of recording and professional audio production, you’ll be realizing pretty quickly that the learning curve is steep. There’s just so much tech involved that doesn’t exist in any other circles, and it can be pretty tough to get your head around it all, especially if your musical and
Bugera is one of the first, and one of the single manufacturers still producing budget tubular guitar amplifiers. The Bugera Trirec is not an example of what the brand usually offers, though. Whereas Bugera lives as a budget-minded builder of hand-made tubular amps, the Trirec model falls into the boutique category. It has everything going
Today, we’re taking a look at the Boss CS-3 compressor and sustainer pedal for electric guitar. The CS-3 is one of those models that grant Boss such a high reputation, and we’re going to see why. Boss is one of the top-tier companies regarding guitar and bass pedal effects. Their reputation doesn’t come with a
Squier is perhaps everyone’s favorite budget guitar manufacturer, and Gibson’s subsidiary Epiphone is its only rival, in terms of sheer popularity. The appeal of a budget Stratocaster or Stratocaster guitar is simply too much. Among all of Squier’s incredible offers, we find the Squier ‘51 Stratocaster guitar. Originally, the guitar is part of Squier’s Vintage
We’re here to take a look at the MXR Fullbore pedal, one of the most popular and sought-out stompboxes for metal genres. MXR is a New-York-based pedal effect manufacturer that began its operations in 1972. Nowadays, it’s a Jim Dunlop trademark company, continuously producing top tier effect pedals for rock genres. The Fullbore is about
Few people know that Boss is Roland’s subsidiary. Given that Boss has such a reputation in the music industry, there’s no wonder why people don’t know they actually respond to someone else. The Boss Ve-8 is an example of why the brand is so revered. It showcases the consistent advancement the company makes in sound
Japanese guitar maker ESP is one of the biggest names in Asia. Their guitars are generally pricey to export to the rest of the world, though. As a result, ESP is not quite as big in America, but affordable models like the ESP LTD EC-256 have certainly made a dent in the industry. The LTD
I know what you’re thinking, we’re reviewing yet again another Epiphone guitar. This time, we’ve got the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro acoustic model, and we’re here to see if it’s worth it. As we usually say, Epiphone is Gibson’s subsidiary. Other than making affordable Les Paul alternatives and whatnot, Epiphone has a fair deal of original
We’ve seen many Epiphone electric guitars on our reviews. Often, they present themselves as alternatives to the very expensive Gibson Les Paul. And with a mere fraction of the premium price, guitars like the Epiphone Les Paul Standard are solid, reliable, and quite impressive. The history of Epiphone and Gibson are intertwined. Both brands have
Power chords are the key to unlocking many iconic guitar songs across genres and decades –– from Buddy Holly to Black Sabbath to Blink-182. The best part is, they’re not even that hard to play. They’re nowhere near as finger-cramping as barre chords. They’re even easier to fret than some open chords (looking at you,
If you read “Fender” on the brand, you know it’s something good. Add 60-watts of tubular power and you’ll end with a pricy, premium item. As such, the Fender Hot Rod Deville is a top-tier offering by the legendary musical gear brand. We’ve reviewed many Fender guitars, and we even named Fender as one of
Marshall, as the creators of the first 100-watts combo amplifier, knows a thing or two about guitar loudspeakers. But we’re not here to talk about their meanest and biggest models: Instead, we’re discussing the best Marshall mini amps you can buy right now. There’s nothing sweeter than plugging your guitar into the loudest amp you
Orange amplifiers come from the UK. As such, you can expect the creamy British Invasion rock coming out of their loudspeakers. That said, we’re reviewing the modest Orange Crush 12, an entry-level solid-state guitar amplifier that serves as a first-timer gear. The brand’s amplifier range has a top-tier reputation. That’s because legendary rock players have
Despite the name of our site, there’s more to talk about around here than guitars. One of our goals is highlighting top-value musical gear in every market segment, from premium to budget alternatives. The latter is where the Blackstar HT1 comes into play, as an affordable combo amplifier for electric guitars. The Blackstar company is
Instead of reviewing mid-level and budget musical gear as we normally do, we’re going all-in. You’re in luck if you’re looking where to spend your hard-earned money on a professional guitar. The Schecter Hellraiser C-1 is a dream made electric guitar for metal genres. Schecter Musical Research is an American company. It needs no introduction.
So you want to sound like Jack White. You’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll show you all the gear that Jack White’s guitar rig is made up of, as well as the gear that is readily available in today’s market to help you sound like him. Since the White Stripes released
ESP doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Often their guitars go unnoticed, branded as nothing more than Gibson Les Paul copies. Here we have the ESP Viper electric guitar, another member of their affordable LTD line of modified, metal-oriented “Gibson copies.” Don’t be fooled, though. As per usual, the ESP LTD line offers some serious
When it comes to blues and blues rock, it’s impossible to ignore Stevie Ray Vaughan. A legendary guitar hero, made all the more mythical by his short time in the spotlight, he was famous for his raw edge and aggressive playing and sound as well as his on-stage appearance. Stevie Ray Vaughan rescued blues in
Let’s start by saying “blues” is a near-extinct musical genre. At least regarding commercial success. Various decades have passed since blues musicians have topped the charts or hit the radio. Why would you need the best blues amp, then? We know the answer. You’re looking for perfection, as you are a bluesman or a blueslady
We’ve reached the crown jewel of solid-state amplifiers. The Roland JC 120 is the definitive sound of the ’80s rock era. With maybe the best clean in the music industry, the “Jazz Chorus” guitar amp traveled across many stages. It’s part of the main gear for artists James Hetfield, John Frusciante, Andy Summer, Eddie Vedder,
When reviewing the best solid-state amps for electric guitar, we’ve always mentioned the ID: Core series. Now, we’ve got the smallest entry of the lineup, the Blackstar ID: Core 10 watts. Blackstar Amplification is a UK enterprise. Their amplifiers come with wide tonal ranges to help you “find the sound in your head.” In music-industry
The Japanese music instrument maker has a straightforward idea. “Our instruments are for playing metal,” they would say, and that’s precisely what the Ibanez S521 stands for. It’s not the ultimate, definitive metal guitar, though. It’s not Ibanez’s most premium model either. Still, it’s a testament to their core philosophy. Ibanez is the go-to brand
Behold, the mother of quality amp manufacturing: hand-wired valves. The VHT Special 6 is a hand-wired guitar amplifier series. In particular, you might be looking for the guitar head & cabinet; or the combo amplifier. We’re talking about both options in this article, as they share similar threads. In specific, we’re looking at hand-wired valve
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
Are you building a home studio? Then you need a good condenser microphone. We’re here to review the MXL 990 cardioid condenser mic. The item stands as one of the most popular options on online retailers due to its price tag vs. value proposition. Condenser mics are better at picking up extra detail, accuracy, and
It’s time to create a shorter guide on the best jazz bass pickups. These single-coil pickups for bass are better known as J-pickups. Why do we know them as J-pickups? Well, that’s easy. Fender invented these bobbins when they introduced the first Jazz bass in 1960. In essence, it’s a bigger single-coil, or, at least,
At BeginnerGuitarHQ, we want you to be able to approach music from just about every angle. While we have a lot of guides covering genres like metal and jazz, blues might be the ultimate entry-level guitar playing genre. It’s often simple, yet incredibly effective. One of its key elements is the blues scale. In this
At BeginnerGuitarHQ, we want you to have the biggest grasp over the guitar as you possibly can. This includes everything from crafting the tone perfect for your needs, to learning to become a virtuosic performer. One of the most important things about learning guitar, is choosing your instruments. As such, we’ve provided you with a
The $1,000 price mark is the perfect spot. Is where you’d find most top-tier options from most brands. These are the things you would never think to exist if you’ve always been a low and mid-level instrument user. That’s why I’m helping you find the best electric guitars under 1000 dollars. Overall, we’re searching for
At BeginnerGuitarHQ, it’s our mission to get your guitar tone sounding as good as your playing. There are a few steps to this, including choosing the right guitar and guitar amp, but once you’ve done that, you can start work on your pedalboard. The vibrato pedal is something that can add a really unique flair
While everybody loves to jam with their friends and play gigs to sold-out crowds, ultimately guitar players spend most of their time practicing on their own. And if you want to get the most out of your practice sessions, it’s important to have a dedicated guitar practice amp. Amps designed for playing loud, like big
Fuzz is one of the oldest and most popular effects in the guitar world. First introduced in the 1960s with Germanium units like the Fuzz Face, fuzz remains a standard effect across lots of genres. Whether you want to play garage rock, psychedelic, or even experimental noise rock, a great fuzz pedal should be indispensable
We’ve reviewed many instruments here at Beginner Guitar HQ. Yet, we’ve never listed the best expensive electric guitars before. Making justice to our name, most of our listings include budget options and amateur alternatives. Beginner and intermediate musicians are not looking to waste their savings on a single piece of gear. It’s what we do.
It’s time to build the home studio. Great. Right after we choose our home studio laptop, the next step is going for an audio interface. Enter the Behringer UMC1820 Audio Interface, a different kind of beast. In short, this is an affordable and well-built 8-input model. If you’re looking for an audio interface with plenty
Today’s article reviews the Bugera G5 Infinium Head Amp. The Infinium head is a bedroom amp with plenty of tricks on a simple case. The G5 packs the size and the weight for maximum convenience. More so, it favors budget musicians with an affordable price tag. Bugera is known for vintage aesthetics on their amps.
At BeginnerGuitarHQ, we make sure you get a detailed and accurate grasp over every element of guitar playing. This includes some of the more complex, dissonant aspects of music theory which will enhance the way you play, write and improvise with your guitar. In this important guide, we’ll guide you through the use of the
The world of guitars is vast, and there are a lot of amazing brands out there! Whether you’re a new player or a seasoned pro, sometimes it can be difficult to evaluate which of the best guitar brands are great for your style, and which aren’t suited as well to your playing. While many brands
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
Are you about to open your own Fuzz Workshop? This guide will walk you through the key factors you should consider when choosing a fuzz pedal. Alongside distortion and overdrive, fuzz is the most common effect for electric guitar. It’s also the most diverse, which is why you probably need help to invest your money
Today, we’re reviewing the PRS SE 245, the first-ever 24.5’’ long-scale electric guitar from a brand that prefers building bulky all-rounders. This is a mid-level perfection wearing two humbuckers and featuring a wide range of tones. Whereas PRS guitars are quite expensive, the SE series is made in Korea, and so SE-series guitars are more
The Epiphone Wildkat semi-hollow guitar is one of those original Epiphone models. You see, aside from making affordable Gibson-designed instruments, Epiphone also manufactures original designs that date the company’s origins. The times where you choose an Epiphone instrument simply for its Gibson aesthetics are over. Gibson’s subsidiary is now much more than that. They have
Today’s article is reviewing the famous Ibanez Talman TMB100 budget bass guitar for beginners. We’ve chosen an Ibanez bass or electric guitar on most of our top 10 charts, so I think it’s time to dedicate another review to this revered brand. We already choose the Talman TMB100 as one of the best bass guitars