Guitarist

While the sound of nothing but your guitar and amplifier is undeniably awesome, sometimes you might want to be able to throw in a touch more variation. By sticking a few effect pedals between your guitar and amp, you can put a whole world of sound at your feet. But do you go for a bunch of separate stompboxes loaded onto a pedalboard or would you prefer a more one-stop-style solution in the form of a multi-effects unit? In this blog, we take a look at both, so you can kit yourself out with exactly what you need, whether you’re a guitarist, or a bassist who wants to be more than just part of the rhythm section.

Re-amping is a studio recording technique that’s been picking up more and more speed. Compared to recording electric guitars, guitar amps, drums and other instruments the traditional way, re-amping offers a number of benefits which I’ll tell you all about by using guitarists, who re-amp the most out of all musicians, to illustrate the idea.

Our guitar specialists could probably spit out a thousand-and-one facts about acoustic guitars but, since no one’s got all day, we’ll stick to just five!

Pretty much any guitarist or bassist has done it: tried to flog their spare guitar or bass online via sites like Gumtree, Facebook or eBay. Sometimes, things just don’t go fast enough, or no one is really interested in your goods. All of this can change! Here, Guestblogger, Dean van der Knaap lends a helping hand with these tips and tricks to help you sell off your second-hand guitar.

It’s hard to name the one person who first thought up the guitar, but here, we’re going to try anyway. To give a good answer to the question “Who invented the guitar?” we first need to know the difference between an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar.

The first question you’re going to ask yourself when picking out a guitar or bass amplifier is: “Do I need a combo or a stack?” In short: a combo is an all-in-one solution that literally combines an amplifier and a speaker in one box, while a stack literally ‘stacks’ a separate amplifier head on top of a speaker cabinet. In this quick blog, we’ll look at the bonuses and pitfalls of both options so you can make the most informed decision.

If you’re looking for an all-rounder of a combo amplifier that delivers outstanding sound but you’re not sure if you should go for the smaller, 50 Watt edition of the Boss Katana MKII or go bigger with the 100 Watt edition – but then, what about the EX edition of the 50 Watt? In this blog, we cover the ins and outs of all three models.

Rock-‘n-roll… it’s not just a genre, it’s a lifestyle, it’s the sound of one of the most influential eras in music history and it’s… a parallel universe? Who knows? Venerable guestblogger, Teo from Chordify does know one thing for sure: how to play classic rock-’n-roll. And here, in three simple steps, he explains the basics.

If you want to be a successful band, you can’t overlook the groove. It’s what every musician should always be after and, although the groove can be elusive and mythical, there are various tips, tricks and tools that can help you catch it. So in the famous words of Sam Cooke: get in the groove and let the good times roll.

Scientists are discovering more and more about how the human brain works, and if you’re a musician that ever-increasing knowledge can be put to good use. Using vocalists for our little case study, in this blog, we’ll focus on ways musicians can use the power of repetition to reach the next level in their development.

Playing guitar with a tube amplifier at max power without the neighbours complaining – is it even possible? Well, yes. The only problem with playing through a tube amp is that it needs to be hooked up to a speaker cabinet before you flip it on. If you don’t, you risk doing irreparable damage to your amp. That’s because tube amps require a ‘load’, and that’s exactly where the loadbox comes in to replace your loud cab. Read on to learn how to use one and what it can do.

When it comes to optimising playing ease and upping the speed, most guitarists will look for a model with a ‘fast neck’. But what exactly is a ‘fast neck’? And does ‘fast’ mean the same thing for everyone? In this blog, we look at the effect that the nut width, the fretboard radius, the scale length and even the finish, the frets and neck profile can have on the feel of an electric guitar, so you can fully arm yourself with the knowledge you need to take things up a few gears.