About Cal
I am Cal Whitaker, a guitarist and guitar teacher in Asheville, North Carolina. I bought my first electric at sixteen with money from a summer of mowing lawns, and I still have it, refretted twice and wearing a third set of tuners. Since then I have played in bar bands up and down the Blue Ridge, done a fair amount of session and pit work, and spent most weeknights of the last twenty years teaching lessons in the back room of a small music store downtown.
That back room is where this site happens. There is a bench along the wall where I set up and repair guitars for my students: fret levels, nut slots, pickup swaps, the works. Anything I review goes across that bench first, gets played clean and driven, then goes to a lesson and, when it makes sense, to a gig. I write down what I notice while playing, not what the brochure says. Ratings cover six areas, and the overall score always takes the price and the intended player into account.
There is no shop and no brand behind me. Some product links on this site are affiliate links: if you buy through one, the retailer pays the site a small commission. Your price does not change, and the commission never touches a rating or a verdict.
How I test
Every piece of gear takes the same route: onto the bench for a look at the build and the setup, then through a clean amp, then with some gain, then to a lesson or a gig when that makes sense. I take notes while playing, not while reading the spec sheet. Scores cover six areas: tone, playability, build quality, versatility, hardware and value for money. The overall score weighs what the gear costs and who it is meant for. A $300 guitar is not held to the standard of a $3,000 one, but both have to deliver on their own promise.
Loaner gear goes back after the test. Manufacturers and stores do not read anything before it is published, and commissions never change a score.