Latest articles by Matt McCracken
Guitar World deals of the week: get an Epiphone Les Paul for $225 less, save $70 on a J. Rockett clean boost, plus all the biggest sales ahead of National Guitar Day
Your weekly digest of the best deals on guitar gear from all corners of the web, hand-picked by Guitar World's team of musicians
Best classical guitars 2026: nylon-string guitars for every budget
From classical, flamenco and crossover, to acoustic-electric models and beyond, these are the best nylon-string guitars around right now
Best bass amps for practice 2026: top combos for working on your chops at home
Get the most out of your playing at home with one of these great bass practice amps
Best beginner bass guitars 2026: top starter basses for beginners
The best beginner basses for young players, newcomers, and the budget-conscious, picked by our experts – featuring Yamaha, Squier, Ibanez and more
Best guitar picks 2026: my choice of tried-and-tested plectrums to upgrade your playing
My expert guide to the best picks for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar covering new players through to guitar veterans
"Gives you more features than the comparable Boss and Line 6 units": HeadRush Flex Prime review
Review update with audio demos to include 5.0 Firmware - "Overall, it’s a brilliant update"
Best guitar wireless systems 2025: set your playing free, from the rehearsal room to the stage
Fed up with cumbersome cables? Here's my pick of the best wireless guitar systems for every budget
Best multi-effects pedals 2026: replace your rig
Our pick of the best multi-fx pedals from Neural DSP, Kemper, Line 6, Boss, and more
Best headphone amps for guitar 2026: silent practice solutions
You don’t need to sacrifice tone to practice quietly with my expert pick of the best headphone amps for guitar players
“For James Hetfield fans, this guitar is a no-brainer”: Epiphone Explorer 80s EMG review
Epiphone's latest Explorer delivers the ultimate unofficial tribute for Metallica fans
Best FRFR speakers 2026: transparent tone for multi-effects and amp modelers
Get the most out of your digital modeler with the best FRFR speakers, from on-the-go options to arena-filling mammoths
Best guitar amps 2026: tube, solid-state, and modeling amplifiers for all levels and budgets
These are the best combo amps and heads from Orange, Fender, Marshall, Boss, and more
Best guitar tuners 2026: my road-tested pick of chromatic, polyphonic and strobe options
Stay in tune whatever your budget, with my tuner must-buys from Boss, Korg, TC Electronic, D’Addario and more
Best pedalboard power supplies 2026: juice your ‘board with my pick of pro-grade power for every budget and size of 'board, fully tested
I put budget-spanning pedal power supplies from Fender, Cioks, Walrus Audio and more through their paces – these were my standouts
Best impulse responses: the secret sauce of great recorded guitar tone
Take your recordings to another level with these high-quality cab IRs from York Audio, GGD, Ownhammer, ML Soundlabs, and more
Best delay pedals: our pick of the coolest delay pedals for your pedalboard
Whether you prefer digital or analog delay pedals, the options in this round-up will help boost your creativity on the guitar
Best reverb pedals: from spring to shimmer, these are our top picks for your pedalboard
Take a deep dive into the cavernous world of 'verb and explore the best reverb pedals for every budget
Best amps for metal 2026: my top picks for high-gain heroes
These powerhouse metal amps from PRS, Orange, Friedman, EVH, and more will have you primed to seek and destroy
Best acoustic guitar strings: our top-rated strings for your acoustic
We pick the best guitar strings for acoustic guitar from Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Martin, and more
Best budget guitar amps under $500 2026: cost-cutting amplifiers for every player
Get great sounds and features without blowing your budget – from affordable tube amps to wallet-friendly digital modeling amps and everything in between
Best metal guitars 2026: hell-raising electrics for shredders on any budget
From extended-range guitars to Flying Vs, here's our pick of killer metal guitars from Jackson, ESP, Ibanez, Strandberg and more
Best desktop guitar amps 2026: my top choice amps for portable practice
Improve your guitar playing with my pick of the most powerful yet portable amp solutions
Best electric guitar strings 2026: our top-rated strings for your electric
Keep your axe feeling fresh with the best guitar strings for electric guitar
