Guitars guides & articles

When it comes to punk music, Gretsch is not really the first guitar brand you think about. And yet, Tim Armstrong, Rancid's famous guitar player, chose the US brand for his signature model. Overview …

If you are interested in guitar stompboxes, you must choose between two different worlds: you've got the mass-produced effect pedals that use more or less average-quality components for cost savings …

British amp and stompbox manufacturer Blackstar is known among guitar players for its Artisan Series of hand-wired amps that crunch, and its One Series, a line of hi-gain models for metal freaks. The…

When famous guitar amp developer Mike Soldano is leading a fully new brand of affordable tube amps it is hard not to pay attention. We tested the characterful and very affordable 20-watt amplifier he…

When it comes to guitar tuner pedals innovations don't come by everyday, so when TC Electronic announced the PolyTune, a pedal that allows you view all at once which strings are out of tune,we got cu…

Digidesign surprised the world last year when they brought out a guitar amp simulator for Pro Tools called Eleven. They have now launched Eleven in rack format for applications in the studio and on s…

The POD inventor comes back - for the fourth time - with its Spider modeling amp range. This time around we deal with the small, 15-watt combo which offers six effects, four amp models and some nice …

Everybody knows how to change strings on an electric guitar. Elementary, no? Still it's an entirely different task when it comes to changing strings properly on different types of bridges.

The Vypyr Series was born out of Peavey's attempt to compete with the Line6 Spider Series and take a bite out of the modeling amplifier market. Today we will review the Vypyr 75. Could the viper beat…

The large Ibanez RG family starts to be å regular among AudioFanzine's editorial staff. We first received the RG2610 with its single pickup, then the RG420EG-SBK "spider axe." Today, it's the turn of…

After having detailed how he records drums, Michael Wagener tackled guitars in this episode.

What's an impatient guitarist to do when looking for a guitar that's been worn and aged through years of playing and gigging, but who doesn't want to wait for time to do its thing? Two options: buyin…

Even from childhood, in his native Germany, Reinhold Bogner was already skillfully wielding his soldering iron to create his own guitar amps. After he moved to Los Angeles, his models and amp modific…

In the beginning, Leo created the Telecaster. Keith and Bruce were happy. On the second day, Leo created the Stratocaster. Jimi and Eric were in ecstasy. On the following days, Leo created the Jaz…

After releasing their POD X3 and X3 Live in 2008, worthy descendants in their own right of the Pod XT, Line 6 felt it necessary to update the POD Pro. So, it's no surprise they’ve come up with a POD …

Squier has been making low-cost guitars based on Fender designs since 1982. Because their early guitars have now become collector items for some, Squier is seeking to regain some of that magic with …

Though not as well known for their pedals as they are for their guitars and basses, Fender has been making classic pedals for more than 50 years. Following the recent re-issue of the Fender Blender …

It’s no secret that many guitarists like effects and that some are even addicted to their pedals. But of course there comes a time when it becomes necessary to make all these small boxes easier to tr…

Making tubes more accessible seems to be the trend these days: in the wake of Fender’s big hit with their 5-Watt entry-level amp, the Champion 600, and Line 6’s collaboration with Bogner to warm up i…

Line 6 has been so strongly associated with their Pod that one almost overlooks the fact that their other line of products, stomp box modelers, have long been part of many guitarist’s (some of them f…

It’s already been 25 years. You wouldn’t think so, but the RG model from our Japanese friends, Ibanez, first appeared a quarter of a century ago, and has since made its way into the Metal and shredde…

Determined not to let Roland’s Micro Cube and Vox’s DA5 be the only contenders for portable-amp champ, Line 6 has entered the ring with its Micro Spider.

Fender has added some new features to a few of its classic instruments and announced the New American Standard series. Here’s a great occasion to come face to face (or body to body) with two of rock’…

When Radial engineering, who has a reputation for making quality gear, branches out into acoustic instrument pre-amps, the result is the Tonebone PZ PRE, a pedal with two high-impedance inputs, a boo…

Even though the look of a guitar is a big factor in one’s desire to play this instrument, there are other things to consider when choosing a guitar. Here are some things to keep in mind when looking …