Latest articles by Matt McCracken
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 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
Best practice amps 2026: hone your chops at home
My tried & tested pick of the best guitar practice amps to get your playing up to speed without any noise complaints, plus video demos of my top choices
"The build quality is outstanding, and the number of features gives younger and new players plenty to grow into": Boss GX-1 review
Boss' new entry-level multi-effects delivers pro-level features on a bedroom budget
The best electric guitars under $500
Our top cheap electric guitars that deliver killer tones, slick playability, and serious bang for your buck from Squier, Epiphone, Yamaha and more
Best acoustic guitars under $500 in 2026: get more for your money
These sub-$500 acoustic guitars are ideal for everything from folk and indie guitar to blues and country
Best beginner electric guitars 2026: top electric models for new players, reviewed and demoed by experts
So you're a budding guitarist? Get started with our pick of the best beginner electric guitars from Squier, Yamaha, and Epiphone
Best looper pedals 2026: options for practice, songwriting, and live performance – tried and tested by an expert
My pick of the best loop pedals across every budget, including full reviews, in-depth testing, and buying advice
Best patch cables 2026: tidy up your pedalboard with my pick of the best patch leads
I put 14 different patch cables to the test to find out which is the perfect match for your pedalboard
Best guitars for kids 2026: top electric and acoustic guitars for children
The top kid’s guitars available today and everything you need to know to get your child started with the guitar
What's the best guitar cable in 2026? These are the tried & tested options I'd recommend to any player
There's a lot of snake oil when it comes to the top guitar cables – I'm a professional guitar gear reviewer and I've tested 11 of the best to help you find your perfect match
Best acoustic guitars 2026: 10 top options for guitarists of all ages and abilities
Guitar World’s pick of the best acoustic guitars from Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Epiphone and more
What’s your pedalboard persona? Find out with my pick of stompboxes to match your player identity
16 awesome pedals for any type of guitar player, but what does your pedalboard say about you?
"The neck really doesn’t feel all that different from my Fender Telecaster": Fender California Standard Monterey E review
An acoustic-electric for beginners that won't break the bank – or your fingertips
The Guitar World reviews team's gear of the year 2025
Platinum Award-winners, forward-thinkers and new classics from our favourite guitars, amps, effects, plugins, bass gear and more
I've been playing guitar for 24 years, and this care package is what every new guitarist needs for 2026
I've assembled the essential kit every new guitarists needs to jumpstart their playing in 2026
“A utopia of modeled guitar tones that will suit pretty much any guitarist out there”: Universal Audio Paradise Guitar Studio review
Universal Audio's debut multi-amp plugin offers effortless, world-class sound with some of the most iconic amps of all time
