The Slash Guitar Technique

At BeginnerGuitarHQ, we want to make sure you have the best grasp over the guitar from every possible angle. This includes getting you the right guitar gear and the best playing style to suit your needs. However, sometimes, we just want to imitate our heroes. As such, every now and again, we put together a

Can You Play An Electric Guitar Without an Amp? 

Traditionally, amplifiers were a must-have accessory. They were invented in the 1930s to help electric guitarists play as loudly as other musicians in big band orchestras. Even today, they’re an inescapable feature at jam sessions and gigs. But with a heavy build (and an even heavier price tag), many players are questioning whether or not

Types of Electric Guitars – Definitive Guide

Beginner Guitar HQ is helping you understand everything you need to know about the different types of electric guitars there are. We’re going to keep this as simple as possible: instead of deep and theoretical stuff, we’re going to explain everything we say with guitar examples and additional guitar reviews. Stay with us if you’re

Best Country Music Guitar

Country music is one of the oldest genres of music to use the guitar. Many new players prefer to learn rock and roll guitar, classic rock guitar, or other styles like blues guitar and indie guitar. However, country music features plenty of great guitarists. Whether you’re a country music fan or just want to improve

The Best Electro-Harmonix Pedals

Electro-Harmonix is one of the most famous companies ever to make the best guitar pedals. Founded in the 1960s by legendary engineer Mike Matthews, EHX has produced some of the most famous effects ever for the guitar. Pedals like the Deluxe Memory Man, Big Muff, and Small Stone have influenced generations of guitarists and created

Sterling S.U.B. Bass Review

Recently, we chose the Music Man Sterling StingRay 5 as the best overall 5-string bass you can buy right now. Now, we’re reviewing the Sterling S.U.B. bass guitar, a mid-level model that’s worthy of all of your attention. The original Music Man Sterling is one of the best basses ever created. It’s been present amongst

ESP LTD-EC 1000 Review

Today we’re reviewing the popular LTD-EC 1000 “Les Paul” type guitar. A quick look at this ax is enough to realize it’s made for metal. But, in classic ESP fashion, this is a metal guitar with a surprising amount of versatility. In particular, the LTD series of electric guitars is known to be a great

Epiphone Les Paul Special II Review

We’ve highlighted and praised Gibson’s little sister Epiphone. However, we’ve never fully reviewed an Epiphone electric guitar, so we thought we could change that by reviewing the Epiphone Les Paul Special II electric guitar for beginners. I’m writing this guide for the total beginner because I understand this is the kind of guitar first-timers are

11 Best Pickups for Metal

Here we review the best guitar pickups for metal. My top 11 pickups for metal include humbucker and single-coils as well. All of these items pair great with metal amps and metal distortion pedals. If you’re looking to build yourself a great guitar gear to jam along with Ghost and Alter Bridge tunes, you’d want

Top 20 Best Bass Pickups Reviews

Time has come to finally talk about bass pickups here at Beginner Guitar HQ. We’re always guiding you towards the best tools and musical gear to start or continue your journey, so it’s only natural for us to share the top 20 best bass pickups you can buy right now. Now, electric bass pickups are

Best 5 String Bass Guitars

Today’s article is guiding you towards the top 10 best 5 string bass guitars you can buy right now. Our selection is about the best 5 string basses you can buy for the money: they all offer top value for its price.  This is not a beginner’s guide. If you’re looking for a 5-string bass

BC Rich Warlock Metal Guitar Review

A couple of years ago, Praxis Musical Instruments signed a worldwide contract with Hanser Music Group to own the B.C. Rich brand. And perhaps you’ve never heard of B.C. Rich, but I can assure you that you’ve seen one at least once in your life. And it caught your eyes. Hanser has owned B.C. Rich

Best Bass Amp

In the realm of electrified string instruments, electric guitar often gets most of the attention when it comes to the diversity of tones that classic amps can bring to the table. But a player choosing the best bass amps to suit their needs is just as important for bass guitarists as it is for any

DigiTech RP55 Review – An Affordable Multi-Effects Pedal

Sooner or later, every electric guitarist faces the same dilemma. You’ve learned all your chords, mastered your pickups, and now you want to take your sound to the next level. Only with hundreds of effects pedals on the market, how do you know which ones are right for you? Do you go with a fuzz

Best Synthesizer

Musicians have always needed to infuse various sounds in their compositions. With the limited number of traditional musical instruments available, some of the creative sounds needed cannot be obtained even with metal pedals, which is why many musicians rely on the creativity that technology offers in synthesizers. Getting a synthesizer opens up another universe of

David Gilmour Gear Guide

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour is one of the most influential guitarists in the history of the instrument. Over four decades of work, he’s expanded the possibilities of the instrument and shaped the minds of thousands of young players. Whether you’re just starting to learn guitar or you’re a seasoned pro, you can learn a lot

Fender Mexican Stratocaster Review – A Popular Mid-Level Electric Guitar

Aside from the Gibson Les Paul and Fender Telecaster, there’s no electric guitar quite as iconic as the Fender Stratocaster. Ask your non-musical friends what image comes to mind when they picture an electric guitar––chances are, they’ll describe the solid-bodied, double cutaway-shaped and white pickguard-ed image of a Strat. Since 1954, the Stratocaster has been

How To Play The Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar

At BeginnerGuitarHQ, it’s our mission to teach you how to play the guitar as well as possible. One of the most important parts of a guitarist’s toolbox is the humble scale. You’ve probably become rather used to standard major and minor scales, but were you aware of the different types of minor scales that can

Best Rock Guitars

Today’s guide reviews the 10 best rock guitars you can buy right now. These are the options you need to try if you’re on a rock guitar hero path, and I’ll be sure to list models suiting all budgets. Likewise, we’re covering as much ground as we can in our best rock guitars selection. Some

Vox AC4 Electric Guitar Amp Review

Today, we’re looking at one of the only modern amps capable of delivering the same Top Boost and British Drive tone musicians loved so much about the AC30. We’re reviewing the AC4 Classic Limited Edition, also known as the Vox AC4C1-12. The Vox AC4 family of tubular electric guitar amps are the compact, available, and

How To Use The Locrian Mode

At BeginnerGuitarHQ, it’s our mission to teach you how to play the guitar as well as possible. One of the most important parts of a guitarists toolbox is the humble scale. You’ve probably become rather used to standard major and minor scales, but were you aware of the basically endless possibilities modes afford you? They

Dean Vendetta Electric Guitar Review 

Dean Guitars dukes it out against the likes of Squier, Epiphone, Peavey, Ibanez, and Washburn in the entry-level instruments branch. But there’s something truly special about what they sell: their guitars and basses are not Fender copies, they are original designs packing Dean’s DMG pickups. Its lineup of products includes acoustic guitars, solid-body electric guitars,

Ibanez GRX20 Electric Guitar Review

A no-regrets budget metal guitar Common knowledge says Ibanez guitars are built for metal. Some models, like our recently reviewed Ibanez SR250 bass guitar, have an expanded versatility that goes beyond what the bell tolls. The Ibanez GRX20 electric guitar follows the same path but stays within reach of Hangar 666. The GRX20 is a

The Magic of the Mooer Tender Octaver

The octave pedal market is, albeit well saturated, not sufficiently appreciated. That’s because most models are unnecessarily advanced and complex. In an effort to try their best to pack as many features as they can in a small octave pedal, manufacturers often forget performance, price, and ease of use.  Mooer knew this, apparently, as they

Orange O Bass by Orange Review 

The British music company is known for its top-value Orange amps for guitar and basses. We at Beginner Guitar HQ have constantly chosen Orange for our top amp reviews, like our recent top combo amps list or the prior best amps for metal selection. The brand provides professional and amateur musicians honest solutions for their

Ibanez SR250 Bass Guitar Review

Japanese music company Ibanez has pioneered bass development for over 40 years. They have pushed the boundaries of what budget basses can offer time and time again. Their designs appeal to worldwide bass players of all ages, all budgets, and all genres. The possibilities to express yourself on an Ibanez bass are limitless. Such spirit

Squier Standard Telecaster Review

We at Beginner Guitar HQ have reviewed some great Squier alternatives. We’ve listed the Classic Vibe Series, the Squier Jaguar models, and the Squier Bullet Stratocaster. Time and time again, we find that Squier has grown so much from its early “cheap instruments that are trash” reputation. Right now, Fender’s subsidiary Squier is the top

Best Single Coil Pickups

Beginner Guitar HQ is helping you upgrade your guitar with a new set of tapers. We’ve compiled the list of the top 10 best single-coil pickups you can buy right now. Brands include Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, EMG, Fender, and more. The truth is you no longer need to buy a new guitar to drastically improve

Best Acoustic Guitar Pedals

Guitar pedals are essential for acoustic guitar players performing live. The best acoustic guitar pedals can add a solid foundation to your tone and fix every issue you could ever imagine. This guide by Beginner Guitar HQ is showing you the top 12 acoustic guitar pedals and preamps. We’re discussing how these pedals can add

Vox Wah Review – The Classic Wah Pedal

What do Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour have in common? They’re master guitarists, of course. And they’ve all used Vox wahs to help create their iconic sounds. In 1967, Vox teamed up with Thomas Organ to release the first ever wah pedal. It quickly became a must-have stompbox for guitarists

10 Best Jazz Guitar Amplifiers

At BeginnerGuitarHQ, we’re just as keen on helping you craft your tone as we are your playing style. Some guitarists want to learn how to shred through a speedy metal solo, while some want to strum some chords gently on an acoustic guitar, but there are some that want to fill their repertoire with extended

Best Combo Amps for Electric Guitar 

Beginner Guitar HQ is helping you select your new combo amp from our selection of the top 7 combo amps you can buy right now. There’re tube, solid-state, hybrid, and all-digital modeling amps in our guide. The important factor we considered was how much quality each amp delivers for the amount of money they cost.

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Review

Fender has a decades-long reputation as a top leading guitar maker. They share their throne with the likes of Gibson Gretsch and LTD. Everyone knows Fender means high-quality and standards. I’m here to talk to you about Fender’s budget Telecaster guitar, the made-in-China Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus. As I said, this is an affordable

Schecter Omen 6 Electric Guitar Review

Beginner Guitar HQ is reviewing the Schecter Omen 6 electric guitar. Schecter Guitar Research is a musical company that has exploded in popularity since the last decade. Their reputation is well earned, and I can say that from experience. They put out quality instruments for reasonable prices. Furthermore, their alternative represents powerful tonalities and looks

Fender Mustang 1 Review

Digital technologies have allowed some major improvements regarding what solid-state guitar amplifiers can provide. The old adage saying “tube amps are always better” might no longer be true. More so, tube amps are commonly twice or 3 times the cost of a solid-state amp, so you wouldn’t find a true budget alternative on this particular

The Best 7 String Guitars

At BeginnerGuitarHQ, we’re just as used to guiding you through equipment as we are actually teaching you the guitar. Once you’ve picked up some basic skills on a six-string guitar, you might find that what you want to be playing actually requires you to have a seventh string available to you. In this important guide,

Best Humbucker Pickups

Humbuckers are perhaps the most heard and most used guitar pickup of all time, and there’s good reason for this. The best humbuckers pickups give players a whole set of tones that simply are not accessible through other pickup combinations, whether it is the thick warmth of a vintage style humbucker or the high output

Jackson JS22 Review – The Budget-Friendly Metal Guitar

Everything about Jackson guitars is aggressive. The tone is as dark as their colors, and the price is good enough for regular musicians. The JS22 Dinky is the electric guitar that made Jackson popular for the common musician. Even though the company’s influence has slowly faded over the years, their guitars evenly compete against top

Best Metal Pedal

Mean, loud & dirty. We’ve seen the best metal amps for electric guitar before on the site and found out how the right amplifier can work miles towards getting you the metal sound you’re looking for. We also searched the best 15 metal guitars because without the right ax you won’t really achieve an aggressive

Epiphone Thunderbird Bass Guitar Review

Gibson doesn’t have many models. In fact, Gibson doesn’t build much variety in terms of musical gear…what they do build, they do it perfectly. And because I said that, I can now name the two Gibson series that are so special they practically don’t need to sell anything else: the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar;

Silvertone Bass Guitar Review

Silvertone is an almost forgotten brand. But know-it-all musicians have heard the name once or twice. And back in the ‘50s, this was a popular, beloved brand that revolutionized the bass and guitar world with a couple of amazing affordable instruments. But their time is almost gone, and their instruments are often a thing for

Best P-90 Pickup

The vintage sound in a small soap-bar. There’s a time at the point of every guitar player’s music career when they feel they have to improve their old guitars with newer pickups. So, if by any chance you’re looking to give your guitar that raw early rock’s sound, boy, you’re in the right place. I

American Special Telecaster Review 

Is it worth the money? Us mortal guitar players have heard over and over how good the American Fender instruments are. If you’ve done some digging, you’ve also seen how expensive the American Special Telecaster can get. Every musician, even beginner musicians, has some context on the quality of Fender. Even so, we might wonder:

The Boss Metal Zone MT-2 Review

Boss is the No 1 go-to brand for guitar effects pedals. They have dominated the market for decades, offering a diverse and high quality array of effects for guitar players of all genres. From distortion, to loops, to chorus and multi-effect units, they have it all. When you buy a Boss pedal, it’s for life:

The Squier Bullet Strat – Squier Bullet Series review

When we think of budget guitars, Squier always comes to mind. Squier by Fender is one of the kings of entry-level guitars, as they build instruments with the excellent Fender bodies and fits them with quality electronics and pickups. With great values in design, sound, and body, you can go wrong with the Squier Bullet

The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster – Squier Classic Vibe Series review

Both Squier and Fender produce the Classic Vibe series, a very popular lineup of bass and electric guitars conserving the vintage feel, look and sounds of the original Fender instruments. There’s a twist, though. Fender and Squier add some modern retouches to these instruments, distinctive features that turn the Classic Vibe into such an attractive

Best Overdrive Pedal

In this ultimate guide we review the best overdrive pedals for electric guitars you can buy right now. The best overdrive pedals on our list can fit all budgets: there entry-level options, mid-level options, and professional, costly options that can take your sound to another level. Are you thinking vintage and powerful? Well, the overdrive

Best Chorus Pedal

BeginnerGuitarHQ brings you a new guide scoping the best chorus pedals for electric guitars you can buy right now. We’re detailing both analog and digital alternatives, and we’re covering prices that can fit all budgets. In my humble opinion, I suggest chorus pedals as one of the 5 essential effects for all guitar players: Delay,

How to Play Guitar Like Mark Tremonti – Gear, Technique, Tone, Tips

Mark Tremonti is a Grammy-winning guitarist/songwriter, and one of the most influential rock musicians of the 21st century. He is a lead guitarist of Alter Bridge and his solo project, Tremonti, and has been formerly known as the lead guitarist of Creed. He released 14 studio albums from 1997 until now, with the three mentioned

Behringer Super Fuzz Review: SF300 Super Fuzz Pedal

Behringer is known for creating superb, affordable guitar effect pedals, probably the best in the market. Because of that, we’re going to review the superb, easy to use, and affordable Behringer Super Fuzz. First of all, though, let’s understand what fuzz is, and then I’m sharing my review of my favorite affordable fuzz, a guitar