The most iconic guitars of all time are still made by guitar giants, Fender and Gibson. When a guitarist is asked to think of a well-known single-cut model, they’re probably going to be thinking of the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Telecaster. When you ask them to name the first double-cut they can think of, it’s probably going to be a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson SG. Gibson’s daughter company, Epiphone, also make versions of legendary Gibson models while Fender’s daughter company, Squier, does the same with their iconic models.

Practice may make perfect but when it comes to drumming, practice also makes a lot of noise. As such, not every neighbour, house mate or family member is going to be equally appreciative and understanding. To meet those that are slightly annoyed with your new hobby in the middle, we’ll give you 5 tips you can use to turn down the volume a little.

“When do I need to change my guitar strings?” While this question comes up a lot, there’s no clear-cut answer that will suit every guitarist. Many famous guitarists actually change their strings completely after every gig, but for most … less-famous guitarists, this might be a bit much. So, how regularly should you be changing your strings? Every month? Every year? Only when one of them breaks?

So, you’ve finally decided to take a hammer to your piggy bank and got yourself a brand new trumpet, trombone or other brass wind instrument. It only makes sense that you want it to last you a decade or two so, in this blog, we’ll provide you with a little maintenance manual that includes five tips to keep your instrument as fresh as the day you bought it.

The ukulele has grown enormously popular over the last couple of years. This little string instrument is easy to play, doesn’t cost as much as a guitar and is a lot easier to carry. All of that doesn’t mean the ukulele isn’t a fully-fledged instrument, though. Say you’re looking to buy your first ukulele or want to upgrade to a more professional model – what size ukulele best suits your needs: the sopranino, soprano, concert, tenor, baritone, bass or the guitalele? In this blog, we’ll go over all the different options so you can more easily see the forest for the trees.

So, you’ve already decided that you want to start playing the acoustic guitar, but how are you supposed to know what kind of acoustic guitar you want and which is actually the best to start learning with? In this here blog, we aim to offer all beginner guitarists a basic explanation of the differences between steel-string guitars and classical or Spanish guitars, to hopefully leave you fully equipped with the information you need to make the right decision. The first thing we’ll say is, maybe check out your favourite band or artist and see what they’re playing first. There’s a pretty big chance that they’re making the sound you want to hear and playing the kind of guitar that you want.

Your local drive-in DJ, the next-door neighbour or even your best friend bragging about their new sound system might sound familiar to you. There are plenty of times when I’ve heard them say: “My new speakers are off the charts man, they’ve got 1,500 Watts of power!” This goes to show that a lot of people assume that more power means more volume, but really, it’s not that simple.

People often ask our humble helpdesk how they can connect a microphone to their computer or laptop. It’s not a weird question since, you simply don’t know what you don’t know and, if you’re a little afraid of damaging your pristine MacBook, or you don’t want to just randomly order some gear, it’s more than understandable. Luckily, there are a number of ways to do it and it doesn’t even have to cost that much.

Taking a little time out from working his show, The Polarizer, globetrotter and experienced podcaster, Dick Hoebee shares some tips and recommends some gear to help you make what’s fast becoming the new radio-show format and prove that anyone can start podcasting, no matter the budget.

It seems like a fairly simple question: how can I connect my electric or acoustic guitar to a computer, like a PC, Mac or laptop, smartphone or tablet? It may or may not be a surprise to hear that our helpdesk get asked this question a lot, and quite right, since this kind of stuff is not always as straightforward as it seems. In this blog, we cover all the ways and means you can hook up your guitar and start playing and recording.

Sometimes, something happens that means you can’t play any shows for a little while. This not only makes the life of a musician or band a little bit boring, it also messes with that delicate relationship you’ve built with your devoted fans. To keep the love alive, you could easily live-stream a gig from the comfort of your living room or rehearsal space and you can even do it with great sound quality!

An appealing website, social media presence, a solid portfolio and press kits are, needless to say, no unnecessary luxury for up-and-coming bands and musicians. This includes great photographs and I don’t mean a band photoshoot but spectacular live action photos taken at your own gigs. Since most bands don’t have the budget to hire a professional, photographer Gerard Burgers is here to offer you a crash course on how to shoot impressive concert photos.