News, reviews and articles about musical gear and accessories.
NEWS – Eleven years ago, I purchased a Loog guitar kit. It was one of their original 4-string guitars that you had to assemble yourself. Years later, they started offering pre-built guitars, and we were able to review the Loog Pro Electric Guitar. Their newest offering is the Loog Piano, which will ship in October. […]
Loog is back with a piano! Read More
REVIEW – I recently reviewed the Synido MIDI Keyboard Controller Beat Maker Machine and the Synido TempoPAD P16 Portable Beat Pad and have thoroughly enjoyed noodling around and making music with both tools since those reviews. Out of the blue, Synido reached out wondering if I’d like to check out their new Synido TempoPAD Z-1
Synido TempoPAD Z-1 MIDI Controller Beat Maker review – more pads equals more fun Read More
REVIEW – Thanks to various Gadgeteer reviews I’ve been amassing the various pieces I’ll need to make my DJ debut during my midlife crisis. I haven’t picked a DJ name yet, but I’ve definitely enjoyed noodling around with the Synido MIDI Keyboard Controller since I reviewed it a few months ago. When Synido asked if
Synido TempoPAD P16 Portable Beat Pad review – a great little beat pad controller Read More
REVIEW – Cable can be one of the most annoying things to manage as a musician and when the opportunity came up to check out the Spark Link Wireless Guitar system I wanted to see how it performed. What is it? The Spark Link Wireless Guitar System consists of two small wireless devices the size
Spark LINK wireless guitar system review – Freedom to move! Read More
REVIEW – Like many middle-class American kids, I was forced to learn piano growing up. Even though I hated this at first, I eventually came around and also elected to play in the school band, and have loved to learn and play new instruments ever since. I mostly noodle around randomly and make up things
NEWS – Last week I wrote about a violin-like bow for guitar players and that article went nuts and is still getting over 2000 views per day. The success of that post has me on a quest to find even more interesting guitar accessories and today I want to show you the SamJam. It looks
Add a snare drum directly on your guitar Read More
NEWS – Did you get a guitar as a holiday gift this year? If so, you’ll probably want some guitar picks and I think these picks from Bog Street are worth looking at for their unique features. As you can see, the picks have a hole in the center as well as specially engineered contoured
If you got a guitar for Christmas, check out these picks! Read More
REVIEW – Tickling the ivories is a skill that I do not possess. My lovely wife, however, has the ability, therefore, we have a piano. One thing that is crucial for playing is decent lighting, both on the keyboard as well as on the sheet music. The light needs to do its job without blinding
EASINE piano lamp with metronome review – shining the light and bringing the beats Read More
NEWS – Fretting notes and chords on the fingerboard is the most important skill when it comes to playing the guitar. Without that skill, you won’t be able to play your favorite songs. Practicing with an actual guitar is obviously the best way to improve your playing but for those times when it’s not convenient
Improve your guitar playing skills without even making a sound Read More
REVIEW – Guitarists of all types want an amp at some point. Acoustic players want to be heard above the other instruments or voices they may be playing with. Electric players want to just hear the actual sounds, but also usually want to add some effects to the bare sound, which, until the age of
Positive Grid Spark mini battery-powered amplifier review Read More
REVIEW – Do you still own CDs—like, a lot of CDs? I do. I own between 300-400 compact discs. And even though I now stream most of my music—I’m stubborn and not willing to give up music I physically own. I’m not parting with my CDs. So, if you own a bunch of CDs and
REVIEW – One of the many hobbies I picked up during my pandemic downtime is the bass guitar. I’ve played guitar since I was a kid but was always a bit intimidated by the bass. Having been in the same band for about twenty years now (insert shameless Spotify plug here) I’d frequently pick up
Donner DBA-1 15W Bass Guitar Amplifier review – Big sound in a little package Read More
REVIEW – Victrola joins the ranks of “Worlds Firsts” again by injecting their deep history with vinyl into a 21st century device: the Revolution GO Portable Rechargeable Record Player. Let’s give it a turn! What is it? The Victrola Revolution GO is a portable, rechargeable battery powered record player, capable of playing all manner of
Victrola Revolution GO portable rechargeable Bluetooth record player review Read More
REVIEW – When I was very young, I discovered the music books that my mom had used when she took piano lessons as a child. I used those books along with very minimal help to teach myself to play a few songs on the Baldwin piano that we had in our living room. I later
REVIEW – Guitar news typically focuses on the artists themselves (and why shouldn’t it) or the core equipment (guitars, amps, strings, pedals). However, there is an unsung component that rarely gets mentioned… the guitar pick. It could be that it’s just taken for granted, relegated to band merchandising or that everyone assumes a pick is
Acoustik Attak review – Technical guitar picks that add unique qualities to your sound Read More
REVIEW – Learning to play guitar, and getting to a point where others might want to listen, can be a very large gap. Even when you sound really good, the required repetition to nail a lick can take a toll on anyone listening. Headphones have long been a great solution for this, but without good
Fender Mustang Micro guitar amp review – Your guitar’s new best friend Read More
NEWS – If you’re a guitar player then you know that it’s hard to compete with the feel and sound of plugging into and playing through a good amp. Maybe you don’t have room for a 2x cabinet amp, or perhaps just want to minimize your gear. You might want to check out the Jamstack
Jamstack 2 – Does your amp mount on your guitar? This one does! Read More
REVIEW – When you play stringed instruments, you spend a lot of time tuning their strings before you can even start making music with them. I’m all about efficiency and saving time, so is there a way to make tuning stringed instruments faster and more accurate than using a pitch pipe (do people really use
Roadie 3 automatic instrument tuner review – Tightens and loosens strings for you Read More
REVIEW – I like to use YouTube to learn new songs on my ukulele, but it can be a pain to take my hands off my uke to rewind a video to see a certain section again. That’s where something like the Vidami Video Looper Pedal comes in so handy. It lets you control Youtube
UD Vidami hands-free video looper pedal review Read More
REVIEW – Have you always marched to your own beat? Are you intrigued by the idea of being a rockstar drummer, but for any of various reasons (space limitations, too-close neighbors, non-understanding spouse), setting up the skins just isn’t in the cards? AreoBand might have the answer you’re looking for with their new PocketDrum wireless
AeroBand PocketDrum wireless drumsticks review Read More