Musical Instruments

Now that 2016 is here, it’s time to honour all those resolutions you made when the clock struck midnight. There’s no better time than the present, but don’t worry, we’re here to give you some support in keeping those promises. So, if your New Year’s resolution was to learn a new skill, read on for how to actually make it happen in 2016.

Arguably offering the most flexibility and ease of control, a Multi Effects unit is a guitarist’s compact answer to altering their guitar sound. In this blog I will discuss how they work, what they offer, and recap all of your options when it comes to your search for that elusive tone that will ultimately define your playing.

Notions of vanity aside, if Shakespeare were alive today I believe that he’s be a guitar player and he’d agree with me that ESP makes some of the most aesthetically pleasing guitars in the world. That is only part of the equation, however, as the playability and tones produced are virtually unrivalled. In this blog I take a look at the ESP USA Eclipse and the ESP E-II M-II. Beauties indeed.

The M-Audio BX5 and the Yamaha HS5 studio monitors boast similar studio-level features and specs. They both pack a nice size : punch ratio. You can’t go wrong with either of these little guys. I took them both for a spin, put them head to head and jotted down my thoughts.

In this blog, part 3 of a series looking at the wide variety of guitar effects pedals, the focus shifts to “pedals that modulate”. This grouping of pedals includes the chorus, flange, phase, vibrato, and tremolo pedals and I will discuss the differences between these as well as suggest some of the ways that you can use them in your effects chain to help you get the sounds you are looking for.

Best Buy has some amazing contests throughout the year. Enter for your chance to win this awesome instrument!

A guitar and an amplifier, while clearly the most important ingredients in live performing, are but two of the components in this stew. While recipes differ from player to player, this is the core set of requirements that live players require as well as those extra little things that while not requisite, are certainly appreciated. In this blog I will go over some of the accessories that can make your performance truly shine by relieving stress and providing a helping hand when one is needed.

Considering buying guitar effect pedals can be a daunting task. With a myriad of different brands, copious advertising that seems to make impossible claims, and multiple effects and their variants it can be overwhelming to sort through. In this blog I will give you a brief overview of what various guitar pedals are intended to do and help you sift through to a general understanding that should help clear the path.

If your first question is “Why would I need a guitar pedal?” then your next question invariably is “what do they do anyway?” In this blog I will lay out the different types of guitar effect pedals and begin by looking at pedals that boost and distort. I will explain what they ultimately do to your guitar’s sound so you can get a better idea of when and why you may want to invest in one (or eight).

Yamaha has packed a lot into this instrument aimed at getting people to learn and enjoy playing music. If you or you have someone in your family who looks like they’re itching to let their inner muse out, then with the PSR E253, you’ve got a very cost effective start to realizing that dream.