Should you record your music at home or in a ‘proper’ studio?

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Technology has given us musicians the freedom to record our masterpieces from home, and for little money. With nothing more than a guitar, amp, microphone, computer and a few connectors, it’s possible to bring whole pieces of good quality music to life from the comfort of your bedroom. What’s more, this home recording lark is […]

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How to get the most out of playing at home without annoying the neighbors

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If you don’t live in a large, secluded house in the country – and most of us these days certainly don’t – then when you play your guitar through your amp at home, chances are that multiple neighbors are going to hear you. Even if you really rock, this can be a bad thing, so […]

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Combo amp or head and cab combo?

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It’s a common scenario for guitarists: you’ve joined a new band that calls for a new sound, or you simply want to change things up a bit – yes, it’s new amp time! But once you’ve decided which sounds you’re after, there’s another question to answer, and it’s this one: do you want the combo […]

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Five easy ways to look after your gear offstage so you can rock better on it

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If you’ve just come off stage to roaring applause, the band delivered perfectly and the crowd are on their feet wanting more, then chances are that every technical aspect of your show went as well as the rockstar bit. But what might have looked easy and well-rehearsed to your audience probably needed – and this […]

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Case study: how to overcome onstage sound problems at your outdoor gig

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A few weeks ago, we wrote a blog about what you can do to sound great at your outdoor gigs. Not long after that, one of our esteemed colleagues played an open air punk rock festival and was duly beset with onstage problems of axe-smashing proportions (and he swears he reads this thing!). Said colleague […]

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Do you really need a tube amp to record the best guitar tones?

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Technology has made this recording lark easy. These days, pretty much every guitarist has his or her own home studio, and, thanks to the growing affordability of usable digital modelling gear, we’re now all able to churn out some fairly decent sounds without having to worry about where our next meal is coming from. But […]

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Festival season: how to sound great at your outdoor gig

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“Have fun, take sunglasses, and be prepared for your tone to suck.” This acidic three-pronged statement of advice/warning succinctly sums up the sentiment among many guitarists who have braved the notoriously unpredictable world of the open air gig. Now, fun and sunglasses are right up our street: no problems here. But tone-wise, it doesn’t have […]

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