Guitar & home-recording gear guides

Find your first guitar, shape your sound or put together a recording setup at home.

Guitars

Start with your first acoustic or electric, or find a guitar that travels well.

Best acoustic guitars for beginners
Body shapes, construction and options for playing amplified.
Best electric guitars for beginners
Pickups, bridges and starter packages for a first electric.
Best acoustic guitars under 500
Body sizes, tops and pickups at a mid-range budget.
Best travel guitars
Compact instruments for carrying, practice and smaller spaces.
Best guitars for metal
Compare pickup layouts and hardware for heavier playing.

Find amplification for your practice space or an acoustic performance.

Best practice amps
Compare compact amps, tone controls and practice connections.
Best acoustic guitar amps
Compare guitar and mic inputs, portability and output options.

Choose a single effect, a looper for practice or a multi-effects setup.

Best reverb pedals
Compare reverb modes, controls and connections.
Best distortion pedals
Compare gain and tone controls for heavier sounds.
Best delay pedals
From straightforward echoes to pedals with several delay modes.
Best looper pedals
Compare looping controls and the ways to build up a part.
Best multi-effects pedals
Amp modelling and effects in a single unit.

Choose inputs and speakers for recording at home.

Best budget audio interfaces
Compare inputs, monitoring options and included software.
Best budget studio monitors
Connections, speaker size and controls for a home setup.

Already have a model in mind? Look at its features, connections and setup requirements.

Squier Affinity Telecaster review
Guitar construction, controls and pickup layout.
Positive Grid Spark 2 review
Practice-amp features, connections and app requirements.
BOSS GT-1 review
Effects, foot controls and setup options.
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen review
Inputs and monitoring for a small recording setup.
Arturia MiniFuse 2 review
Connections, controls and software for recording at home.
Yamaha THR10II review
Desktop amp features, connections and power options.
MXR Timmy overdrive review
Clipping choices, tone controls and power requirements.

Work through the differences before choosing a piece of gear.

Tube amp vs solid state
Compare the two amp types before choosing your setup.
BOSS Blues Driver vs Tube Screamer
Two overdrive approaches for your pedalboard.
Audio interface vs mixer
Decide how you want to connect and record your sources.

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