I am often asked by those interested in learning to play guitar if it’s possible to teach themselves. And the answer is a resounding yes! With the right resources, effort, and dedication, you can teach yourself how to play the guitar. But even when you plan to be self-taught, it’s still important to have rock-solid …
Eddie Van Halen took the ergonomic playability and lightweight body of the Fender Stratocaster and introduced the aggressive, broad tone of the Gibson Humbucker pickup. He re-routed the guitar’s cavities, placed a quarter under the tailpiece to assist in his whammy bar abuse, and bypassed every control on the instrument except a single volume knob. …
Fingerstyle guitarists leave the pick in the case and make incredible multi-part musical compositions by picking individual strings with their fingers. Since it’s a bit more difficult to pick with your fingers than a real guitar pick, some guitars are better suited for fingerstyle than others. If you’re ready to ditch the plastic pick and …
Whether you’re shaping the tone of your guitar onstage, mixing drum tracks in your recording software, or processing live vocals, delay and reverb are two invaluable effects to have at your disposal. Although delay and reverb are often grouped when discussing audio effects, there are many significant differences between them. Indeed, they both affect the …
Large stompboxes with an array of controls and features are undeniably useful, but sometimes mini guitar pedals make the best additions to a pedalboard. Many of the most popular full-sized effects pedals have been redesigned into more compact devices by manufacturers so that guitarists can access more options when shaping their tone. In this guide, …
Acoustic guitar pedals are often overlooked in comparison to their electric guitar equivalents. Over the years I’ve tested dozens of them, and in this article, I’ll be sharing my favorites at each price point. The list is broken down into effects categories, and there are options to suit all playing styles and budgets. Let’s get …
The electric guitar is one of the most popular instruments of all time, and there is no denying the fact that the entire 20th century belongs to it, at least when we’re speaking in purely musical terms. It has propelled rock ‘n’ roll into the stratosphere, as well as its many offshoots, such as punk, …
Soundproofing a room is no easy task, as many homeowners and musicians already know. With so many products out there claiming to be effective at preventing sound from being transmitted to the outside world, it can be difficult to know where to start. Soundproof curtains are one of the simplest solutions, however, their effectiveness varies …
The rotary effect is based on the popular Leslie speaker design. It is amongst the most unique modulation tools you can add to your pedalboard. Whether you’re looking to add a sense of motion to a chord sequence or create textural sounds which add a new element to your live performances, using a rotary speaker …
P-90 pickups are often categorized as the tonal bridge between humbuckers and single-coil pickups. Originally produced by Gibson before the inception of the humbucker, P-90s offer a player a tone that is warm and also raspy when driven, yet tend to be brighter than a humbucker. Many players see this as a combination of the …