
Matt McCracken
Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar Player. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping guitarists find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for many music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar World, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.
A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and writing and recording in bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the UK in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When he's not holed up in his practice space jamming new songs or ogling yet another guitar, you’ll find him making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.
Latest articles by Matt McCracken

Fender's patch cable kit is so heavily-discounted for Prime Day you'll only pay $3 per cable – now there's no reason not to organize your pedalboard
By Matt McCracken last updated
With almost $105 in savings at the Fender shop, now's the time to get that messy 'board in order - add another $5 item and they'll even ship your gear for free!

Prime Day guitar deals 2025: It's day 2! Here's all the best Prime Day deals on guitars, amps, pedals, accessories, and more
By Chris Barnes last updated
Day 2 of Prime Day 2025 has arrived and the GP team is gathering all the best deals on guitar-related gear in one place

I just spotted the pedal deal of the year with the Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen octave fuzz slashed to just $39.60 for Prime Day
By Matt McCracken published
Guitar Center continues to take the fight to Amazon with its Prime Day-rivalling savings – 60% off the EHX Lizard Queen is the perfect cheap Prime Day pedal deal

One of my favorite sub-$500 guitars just dropped to an even sweeter price with $136 off – here’s why I think it's the ultimate affordable workhorse
By Matt McCracken published
I didn’t think this Squier Tele could get any better for the price, then Guitar Center knocked 27% off for Prime Day

I'm not saying these 8 guitar accessories will change your life, but they will save you some serious hassle and they're all discounted in the Prime Day sale
By Matt McCracken published
My pick of guitar accessories isn’t going to make you a better guitar player, but they will save you time, hassle, and most importantly, money

Whether you've got $200 or $2,000, the Fender Summer Sale is still going strong with up to $550 off guitars – here are my top 3 picks for any budget
By Matt McCracken last updated
Fender’s Summer Sale is one of the best around, with some massive discounts on Fender and Squier guitars

Guitar Center just cranked their 4th of July sale to a wild up to 60% off, including a massive $850 off Music Man guitars
By Matt McCracken last updated
Guitar Center has pumped up the discounts in their 4th of July sale, offering even more superb savings on guitar gear

My go-to Tele for recording and gigging just dropped by $240 in the Fender Summer Sale – here’s why I use it every day
By Matt McCracken published
My favorite Tele just got a massive discount in the Fender summer sale

I’ve scored some of my best used guitar gear finds at Reverb, and right now there's up to 66% off in their summer sale
By Matt McCracken published
To celebrate being independently owned again, Reverb is offering up to 66% off new, B-stock, and used gear

Best jazz guitars 2025: Great jazz guitars for traditional and modern players
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
My pick of the best electric guitars for jazz from Ibanez, D'Angelico, Fender, Gibson, and more

Best distortion pedals 2025: Dirty up your tone with my top choices
By Alex Lynham last updated
It's time to get heavy with my top-rated distortion pedals for metal, rock, bass, and more

Best beginner acoustic guitars 2025: start as you mean to go on
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
My pick of tried-and-tested beginner acoustics from trusted brands including Taylor, Fender, Epiphone, and more

Best overdrive pedals 2025: Saturate your guitar tone
By Connor Godfrey last updated
Push your sound to break-up with the best OD pedals from Boss, TC Electronic, JHS, Ibanez and more

Best Klon clones 2025: unobtainium overdrive tone for the masses
By Connor Godfrey last updated
Get killer Klon-tones from these excellent and affordable adaptations, including clones by Wampler, Warm Audio, Way Huge, and more

If World String Change Day isn’t enough to convince you to change your strings, how about 25% off D’Addario XS packs at Guitar Center?
By Matt McCracken published
Dead string begone with this awesome deal on D’Addario XS coated guitar strings

Best pedal amps 2025: Power up your pedalboard with an amp simulator pedal
By Matt McCracken last updated
Save on visits to the chiropractor with my pick of the best amp modeling pedals

Sweetwater is skipping the Memorial Day sale this year - but you can still get up to 50% off guitar pedals and amplifiers
By Matt McCracken published
There might not be a Sweetwater Memorial Day sale this year but for guitarists, there are some great deals to take advantage of

Best PRS Guitars 2025: PRS models for every playing style
By Daryl Robertson last updated
From the iconic Custom 24 and top-of-the-range signature guitars to budget-friendly SE models

Best electric guitars 2025: top quality electrics for all budgets
By Daryl Robertson last updated
My pick of the finest electric guitars at every price point from the likes of Gibson, Fender, PRS, Reverend, Music Man, Jackson, and more

Best acoustic guitars 2025: My pick of the very best beginner, intermediate, and top-end acoustics
By Matt McCracken last updated
From high-quality entry-level models to top-of-the-range collector’s pieces, I look at the best acoustic guitars available today

Musician’s Friend is leading the charge for guitarists with up to 50% off for Memorial Day – get $450 off a Gibson Les Paul and over $1,000 off a Taylor acoustic
By Matt McCracken published
From premium acoustic guitars to budget-friendly offsets, Musician's Friend is the place to be if you want an early Memorial Day deal on guitars

Best tube amps 2025: My top tube amps for the ultimate guitar tone
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
Whether you're a tube traditionalist or chasing a more modern sound, these are the best tube amps from Fender, Marshall, Vox, and more

Fender just fired up its Memorial Day sale early with up to 20% off – these are the 5 best guitar and accessory deals I’m grabbing
By Matt McCracken published
Grab an early deal well ahead of Memorial Day with this excellent sale over at the official Fender shop
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!