Guitarist

You can definitely plug a set of headphones into your electric guitar or bass, but not much will happen. Luckily, there are plenty of other compact and less-compact solutions if you want to hone your playing technique while wrapped in the privacy of a set of headphones. Read on to find out how it’s done!

Performing out in the open can be challenging when it’s windy. Not only can wind literally carry the sound of the band in the wrong direction and make it harder to hear, but a light gust can easily send your sheet music flying. Luckily, there are a few simple solutions to tackle the latter, no matter what kind of music stand you use.

Boss pedals are probably the most popular in the game and are a piece of gear we’ve all had on our pedalboards at least at some point in our guitar journey. Their wide range of different effects, all in colorful cases, paired with the professional quality that characterizes the brand has earned them a deserved spot in guitar-head culture. In this article, Ramiro Somosierra from GearAficionado will tell you everything you need to know about the Waza Craft line, Boss’ take on boutique pedals.

Of course, your best guitar sound can only happen with the aid of your favourite amp and a stack of pedals, but let’s face it: it’s not always necessary. Say you just want to practise some riffs or noodle around with some scales in your living room. Why would you need, or even want, to lug in a sofa-sized amplifier? Especially since there are so many super-compact solutions out there to help shrink down your rig and set you up with a neat rehearsal setup. Here, we take a look at seven of them.

There are so many hardware and software-based effects that you might be wondering which ones are actually useful. To help laypersons in the world of music production and mixing make sense of it all, we’ve started a blog series on audio effects. Today, we’re taking a close look at the delay effect.

In our previous instalment, we took a look at the best-loved distortion effects going: distortion, fuzz and overdrive. But, since you can get way more out of an electric guitar than just chewed-up, dirty sound, here we’ll take a look at the three most popular modulation effects: the chorus, flanger and phaser. Combine one, two, or all of these mod effects with a distortion pedal to really set the sound alight, or just use them on their own; combined with each other or blended with time-based effects to weave dreamy tapestries of sound.

What if there was a tool that allowed you to get lost in your own guitar-world? You know, that wonderful world where carefully perfected tone can be turned up to eleven without bothering anyone? Enter the BOSS Waza-Air wireless headphones.

Have you ever wondered what pop music would’ve sounded like if the electric guitar had never been invented? Used in practically every other pop tune, this massively popular instrument has allowed many musicians to reach a legendary status. If you’re wondering who some of those famed and influential guitarists are and what it takes to become one of them, then simply dig into this humble article and read up on the history, sounds and various playing techniques of the electric guitar.

The fact is, there’s no right or wrong way to wear a guitar strap. But, if the length of your strap doesn’t match up with the way you play, it can have a pretty negative effect. In this wee blog, we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of a super-long, super-short, or somewhere-in-the-middle guitar or bass strap.

A ‘loop’ is what happens when you take a short (or long) snippet of music and repeat it again and again – on a loop. So, you can take a drum or guitar part and loop it. You can even sing a line and loop it. In fact, using a looper; as long as you can record it in, you can loop it. And, you can not only loop snippets of music, but record and stack endless ‘overdubs’ over the top. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the history of the loop pedal and find out exactly what you can (and can’t) do with these magic boxes.

There are so many different guitars available these days, so if you’re a complete beginner looking for your first study-buddy, you might be asking yourself: how many strings does a ‘normal’ guitar actually have? What’s a ‘normal’ guitar anyway? And if I want to start lessons, how many strings should my guitar have?

Everyone has their own associations upon hearing the sound of a certain instrument. Without doubt, most of us will link the sound of a resonator guitar (also known as a dobro) with the rocky landscapes of the American South – the place where the resonator guitar found its home in bluegrass, country, blues and other styles characterised by the authentic sound of this steel-stringed instrument.