Latest articles by Matt McCracken
Best electric guitars 2026: 10 top-rated guitars for every budget and style
From beginner-friendly Squiers, gig-ready Fenders, and premium Gibsons, our gear experts look at the finest electric guitars on the market right now
Best acoustic electric guitars 2026: get the best of both worlds with my top picks
Get yourself gig-ready with the best electro acoustics from Taylor, Martin, Fender, and more
Best pedal amps 2026: power up your pedalboard with an amp simulator pedal
Save on visits to the chiropractor with my pick of the best amp modeling pedals
Best bass guitars 2026: low-end tones for any budget
Whether you're tracking at the home studio or regularly gigging, my top bass guitars will deliver tone, feel, and flexibility
Best overdrive pedals 2026: saturate your guitar tone
Push your sound to break-up with the best OD pedals from Boss, TC Electronic, JHS, Ibanez and more
Best acoustic guitars 2026: my pick of the very best beginner, intermediate, and top-end acoustics
From high-quality entry-level models to top-of-the-range collector’s pieces, I look at the best acoustic guitars available today
Guitar Center just slashed up to 25% off high-velocity shred machines, iconic guitar amps, and legendary guitar pedals in this epic sale
The latest sale over at Guitar Center delivers seriously good deals for guitar players
We review the Mesa/Boogie Mark VII 1x12 Combo tube amp
Mesa's all-encompassing 3-channel tube monster delivers Fender cleans and Mesa high gain in a gig- and studio-ready 1x12 combo
Best electric guitars under $1,000 in 2026: find your perfect guitar for less than a grand
Here are my top picks of the best electrics below $1,000 from Fender, PRS, Jackson, and more
Best beginner electric guitars 2026: start your guitar journey with our pick of guitars for beginners
From Squier to Ibanez, here's our expert selection of the best electric guitars for beginners
10 mega sales in this weekend's massive 4th of July guitar blowout with discounts hitting up to 60% off
I've found all of the best sales for guitarists to help celebrate the 4th of July weekend
Best electric guitar strings 2026: freshen up your sound with some new guitar strings
Get your guitar playing to its potential with our pick of the best strings for electric guitar
Best delay pedals 2026: my top picks from slapback to space-age soundscapes
Make your tone massive with our pick of the best delay stompboxes from Line 6, Boss, Strymon, and more
Missed out on the Prime Day deals? Here are 26 guitar gear deals that are still live right now
If you were out of the loop for Prime Day, there are still some great deals you can pick up
Prime Day guitar deals 2026: cut through the final day chaos with expert-picked deals from Amazon, Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, and more
Your last chance to take advantage of price drops on guitars, amps, pedals, and more, guided by Guitar Player's gear experts
I never play a gig without these 8 essential tools – build your own guitar first aid kit from just $8.99 in the Prime Day sales
These guitar tools are an essential purchase for any player looking to make sure their guitar plays its best
Best tube amps 2026: my top valve amplifiers for home, studio, and stage
From low-wattage bedroom-friendly rigs to gig-ready classic combos, I’ve personally tested these six awesome guitar amps to find the ultimate tube tone for serious players
Calling all flat-top fanatics! Guitar Center just launched the ultimate acoustic guitar sale with an impressive 30% off super strummers from Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Yamaha, and more
Time to save big on acoustic guitars with the awesome sale over at Guitar Center
Best looper pedals 2026: my top guitar loop stations for practice and live performance
Check out the top looper pedal choices, including the Boss RC-5, TC Electronic Ditto 2, and the Boss RC-600
I’ve tracked down an amazing $599 saving on a legendary Gibson J-45 and $250 off a PRS SE Silver Sky as Guitar Center officially launches its huge 30% off Memorial Day sale
Treat yourself to a gear upgrade with some massive savings over at Guitar Center for Memorial Day
With discounts hitting up to $600 off guitars, there’s no need to wait for Memorial Day because Fender just kick-started the sales early - here’s the 5 sweetest deals with $230 off an all-solid acoustic and $74 off a fuzz pedal
Fender just got the Memorial Day party started with some sweet deals on guitar gear
Best clip-on tuners 2026: expert picks for accurate guitar tuning
From precise strobe tuners to discreet clip-ons, we give you the best clip-on guitar tuners from TC Electronic, D'Addario, Peterson, and more
Best multi-effects pedals 2026: do-it-all multi-FX for all styles and budgets
Expand your guitar-playing horizons with these multi-fx options from Line 6, Kemper, Neural DSP and more
