If you play a digital piano or MIDI keyboard, the right sustain pedal can make the difference between a performance that flows naturally and one that feels choppy and disconnected. I have spent years testing keyboard pedals across home practice, studio recording, and live gigging setups, and I can tell you firsthand that not all … Read more
Ring modulation is the wildest effect on any pedalboard. It takes your guitar signal, smashes it against an internal oscillator, and spits out metallic, robotic, otherworldly tones that can transform a boring riff into a sci-fi soundtrack. If you have ever wanted your guitar to sound like a malfunctioning android or a vintage Dalek, this … Read more
Finding the best amp modelers used to mean choosing between a handful of expensive rack units that only touring pros could afford. I remember lugging a 50-pound tube amp to every rehearsal and wishing there was a lighter way to get the same tone. Today, amp modeling technology has reached a point where a device … Read more
Walk into any recording studio, rehearsal space, or stadium venue around the world, and you will likely see a Marshall amplifier stack leaning against the wall. Since Jim Marshall opened his drum shop in London in 1962 and built the first JTM45, the Marshall name has been synonymous with the sound of rock and roll. … Read more
Fender has been shaping the sound of modern music since 1946, and their amplifiers are every bit as legendary as their guitars. When guitarists talk about “that Fender clean tone” — the bell-like clarity, the glassy highs, the warm spring reverb — they are talking about a sound that defined genres from surf rock to … Read more
Finding the best player pianos in means cutting through a lot of confusing terminology. Some people mean self-playing acoustic pianos with solenoid systems like the Yamaha Disklavier or Steinway Spirio. Others mean digital pianos with weighted hammer action keys that replicate the feel of playing an acoustic instrument. This guide covers both, with a heavy … Read more
If you have ever tried to do a volume swell by twisting the knob on your guitar with your pinky while playing, you already know why the best volume pedals exist. A volume pedal gives you hands-free control over your signal level, letting you create smooth violin-like swells, kill your output for silent tuning between … Read more
Small tube amps are worth every dollar if you crave authentic tube saturation without waking the entire neighborhood. Unlike solid-state amps, tube circuits produce even-order harmonics that sound warm, touch-responsive, and naturally musical. The best small tube amps on the market today let you push tubes into sweet breakup at manageable volumes, making them ideal … Read more
Finding the best grand pianos for your home, studio, or stage can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack of 88 keys. Our team spent three months comparing digital grand pianos across every price tier, testing everything from hammer-action key feel to speaker projection, so you do not have to guess. Whether you … Read more
I have spent more time than I care to admit chasing the perfect guitar tone. I swapped pickups, bought boutique cables, and tweaked amp knobs until my fingers hurt. But the single biggest tone upgrade I ever made cost less than a set of strings in some cases. It was adding an EQ pedal to … Read more