Honest, hands-on guitar gear reviews
Buyer’s guides, reviews and comparisons for guitars, amps, pedals, pickups and recording gear — tested and rated by working players.
Buyer’s guides
Our “best of” roundups — ranked and explained by players who use the gear.
GuitarsThe Best Intermediate Electric Guitars (2026)Ready to step up from your first guitar? The mid-priced electrics that deliver real build quality, tone and versatility for $450–$900.
GuitarsThe Best Guitars for Metal (2026)Fast necks, hot pickups and tuning stability for the heavy stuff — the metal guitars we'd actually gig, from budget shredders to pro machines.
PedalsThe Best Reverb Pedals (2026)From a simple spring to vast ambient washes — the reverb pedals we'd actually put on our boards, ranked for every budget and style.
AmpsThe Best Tube Amps Under $1000 (2026)Real valve tone you can afford — the best tube combos under a grand for blues, rock, metal and everything in between.
PedalsThe Best Delay Pedals (2026)Warm analog echo, pristine digital repeats and studio-grade multi-engine machines — the delays we'd buy at every budget.
PedalsThe Best Fuzz Pedals (2026)From wall-of-sound sustain to gated chaos — the fuzz pedals we'd actually put on our boards, ranked for every style and budget.
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Latest from the team
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Bass through a guitar amp: why it never quite worksPlugging bass into a guitar amp seems harmless until the speaker starts farting out. Here's the actual physics of why it struggles, and what to do about it.By Sheildon- Miking a cab vs. amp-sim: getting a clean DI tone that sits rightWhy clean archtop and jazz tones often translate better through amp-sims than high-gain does, and how to set levels so your DI tone sits in a mix properly.By Marc
Why fan-fret and multiscale necks actually matter for low tuningsMultiscale necks aren't a gimmick for drop-tuned players. Here's what fan frets actually fix, and when a straight scale is still the smarter buy.By Daz- Comping technique: why your left hand shapes your tone more than gearYour comping hand controls voicing clarity, dynamics and tone more than any pedal or amp setting. Here's how I actually practise it.By Marc
- Why a bass amp's wattage number lies to youWatts on a bass amp don't mean what they mean on a guitar amp. Here's why headroom, speaker size and valve vs solid-state design matter more than the number.By Sheildon
Bass fuzz without the mud: how to keep low end under gainMost fuzz pedals were voiced for guitar and strip your bass of fundamental. Here's how to pick, blend and EQ fuzz so the low end survives.By Sheildon
The team
All contributors →- DazHigh-Gain & Modelling EditorBirmingham, UK
- DougAcoustic & Fingerstyle EditorAsheville, USA
- JezAmps & Valve Tone EditorManchester, UK
- MarcJazz & Clean-Tone ContributorNew York, USA
- MartinPedals & Effects EditorBristol, UK
- RobBeginner Gear & Teaching EditorBrisbane, AU
- SheildonBass & Low-End EditorMelbourne, AU