Guides: get the basics right first
This is what twenty years of teaching has taught me about buying gear: how to choose a first electric that will still be in your hands in five years, what to look at in an amp, how to order the pedals on a board, and how to set up a guitar so it plays the way it should. No brands, no sales pitch.
01 How to Choose Your First Electric Guitar A guitar teacher explains what matters when picking a first electric guitar: body shape, neck feel, pickups, budget bands and what can wait until later. 02 Single-Coils, Humbuckers and P90s: What Really Changes What actually changes between single-coil, humbucker and P90 pickups: sound, hum, genres, mixing them, and how to test them in a store or a demo. 03 Tube, Solid-State or Modeling Amp: Which One Fits How You Play Tube, solid-state and modeling guitar amps compared on feel, volume, upkeep and price, with plain advice on what suits home and what suits the stage. 04 How Many Watts Do You Really Need A practical look at guitar amp wattage for bedroom practice, rehearsals and small clubs: headroom, breakup, and why more watts is rarely the answer. 05 Building Your First Pedalboard: Signal Chain Order Explained Where the tuner, drive, modulation and delay pedals go on a first pedalboard, why the order matters, and the basics of buffers and power supplies. 06 Guitar Setup Basics You Can Do at Home How to check neck relief, string action, intonation and the nut on an electric guitar, which tools you need, and when the job belongs with a repair tech. 07 String Gauges and Tunings: A Practical Guide Electric guitar string gauges explained: tension, feel, drop tunings, how scale length changes the equation, and how to change gauge safely. 08 Ordering Guitar Gear From Overseas: Shipping, Duties and What to Expect What to expect when ordering a guitar or amp from a European retailer: shipping times, import duty and the de minimis rule, returns and warranty. 09 Semi-Hollow vs Solid Body: When the Hollow Wins Semi-hollow and solid body electric guitars compared on feedback, weight, tone and genres, with honest advice on who should skip the hollow. 10 Understanding Scale Length: 24.75 vs 25.5 Inches and Why It Matters What scale length means on an electric guitar, how 24.75 and 25.5 inches change tension, feel and tone, and where short-scale and baritone guitars fit in. 11 Buying a Guitar Online Without Playing It First: A Checklist A checklist for buying an electric guitar online without trying it: specs to read, what photos reveal, return policies and what to check on arrival. 12 Budget Electric Guitars: Where the Money Goes and Where It Doesn't What cheap electric guitars get right today, where they cut corners, and which inexpensive upgrades actually make a difference on a budget instrument.
Guitar Gear Reviews