Articles

Where you put a fuzz in your signal chain changes how it sounds and responds. Here's how to think through the options clearly.

A good setup transforms how an electric guitar feels and sounds. Here's how to work through action, neck relief and intonation at home.

Fuzz on bass sounds huge — until it eats your fundamental. Here's how to pick the right fuzz, set it up, and keep the groove sitting where it should.

Wood moves with the seasons. Doug explains how to protect your acoustic from humidity swings, how to clean it properly, and what to watch for year-round.

Recording guitar direct doesn't mean compromising on tone. Here's how to think through your DI and amp-sim signal chain and get results that hold up.

From parlour to jumbo, acoustic body shapes change how a guitar feels under your arm and how it reproduces low-end. Here's what to listen for.

Where and how you pluck the string changes your bass tone more than most gear swaps. Sheildon explains why technique should drive your equipment decisions.

Not every amp flatters an acoustic-electric. Doug walks through what to look for — and what to avoid — when you need to amplify a plugged-in acoustic.

The way you strike the string does more for your tone than most gear swaps. Jez explains how picking dynamics interact with valve amps.

Confused about using an overdrive as a boost rather than a distortion? Rob explains the technique in plain English — no jargon, just results.

How to know when your first guitar is holding you back — and what a step-up instrument actually gets you for the money.

Active vs passive pickups, fast necks, and the hardware that keeps you in tune through drop tunings — what actually matters in a metal guitar.

Spring, room, hall, plate, shimmer — what the reverb modes on your pedal actually do, and when to reach for each.

Wattage, channels, attenuators and pedal-friendliness — a plain-English guide to buying your first valve amp without overspending or over-volume-ing.

Scale length changes how a guitar feels under your fingers, how it sounds, and how well it holds tune in drop or extended range. Here's what you need to know.

Warm and dark or clean and precise? The real differences between analog and digital delay, and how to pick the right one for your sound.

The oldest dirt sound in rock, demystified — what fuzz actually does, and how the two great fuzz families differ.

Solid vs laminate tops, body shapes, and the setup that makes or breaks a beginner guitar — a friendly walkthrough to buying your first acoustic.

The three families of guitar amp explained in plain English — how they sound, what they cost to run, and which one is right for you.

Three flavours of “dirt”, three different jobs. A plain-English guide to the pedals that make your guitar growl — and when to reach for each.

Signal chain order, power, patch cables and the mistakes everyone makes first time. A friendly walkthrough to building a board that actually works.

The two great pickup families, and how they shape everything about your tone. A clear, practical guide to choosing the right voice for your playing.

Why a 100-watt amp isn’t twice as loud as a 50, why valve and solid-state watts aren’t the same, and how much power you really need at home and on stage.