Matt McCracken
Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping guitarists find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.
A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and writing and recording in bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the UK in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When he's not holed up in his home studio recording new songs or tweaking pedal settings, you’ll find him making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.
Latest articles by Matt McCracken
A personalized Fender and a $400 saving? Count us in! Fender's Mod Shop is currently offering free upgrades for a limited time
By Matt McCracken published
Get free upgrades on Fender bodies, necks, pickups, hardware, and more when you buy a Mod Shop guita
Best combo amps 2024: the best all-in-one amps for every budget
By Matt McCracken last updated
The ultimate tube, solid state, and modeling combo amps for every genre, from Motown to metal and everything in between
Best metal guitars 2024: hell-raising electrics for shredders on any budget
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
From extended-range guitars to Flying Vs, here's our pick of killer metal guitars from Jackson, ESP, Ibanez, and more
Fender Mustang Micro vs Mustang Micro Plus: is it worth upgrading?
By Matt McCracken published
We put Fender’s two headphone amps for guitar in a room together to duke it out
Guitarists, the Amazon Big Deal Days are all about accessories - here's 7 essential picks for you
By Matt McCracken last updated
Streamline your practice and performance with these cheap deals on guitar accessories
Mooer's massive up to 30% Amazon Prime Day effects sale includes Devin Townsend's formidable Ocean Machine II
By Matt McCracken published
If you’re after some cheap guitar pedals there are loads of great deals in the Amazon Big Deal Days event
Get ahead of the Black Friday game with the Beat the Rush sales event on Reverb– up to 44% off guitar gear
By Matt McCracken published
Forget Amazon Big Deal Days, all the best deals for guitarists are over on Reverb
“The perfect online guitar lessons platform if you’ve already got some playing under your belt”: Til review
By Matt McCracken published
We check out the guitar lessons platform that does things the old way for the new generation
Neural DSP Quad Cortex vs Nano Cortex: Which should you choose?
By Matt McCracken published
We put Neural’s flagship hardware units in a room together to deep dive into all the capabilities and features
Best baritone guitars 2024: pick up the slack with these long scale guitars
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
Get low with our expert pick of the best baritone guitars from PRS, Gretsch, Chapman, Jackson, and loads more
Best ukuleles for beginners 2024: top picks from soprano to tenor
By Simon Fellows last updated
The best beginner ukuleles from Fender, Epiphone, Martin, Kala, Gretsch and more – prices starting from $30
Best guitars for jazz 2024: smooth swinging options for jazz cats
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
From archtops to solid bodies, these are the best jazz guitars on the market today from top brands like D’Angelico, Gibson, Squier, and more
Best MIDI foot controllers 2024: seamless transitions for amps, pedals, rack effects, and more
By Joe Dean last updated
Our favorite MIDI controllers for guitar cover all levels and budgets, with models from Gig Rig, Fender, Boss, Electro-Harmonix, and more
Fender Player 1 vs Player 2: should you upgrade?
By Matt McCracken published
We put Fender’s most popular model head to head with its successor and find out whether or not the sequel really is superior to the original
Single coils vs humbuckers: Which pickup type is right for you?
By Matt McCracken last updated
They both offer a unique flavor of guitar tone, but is one pickup really better than the other? We deep dive into the debate
“Very much the upgrade that was needed for one of the most popular headphone amps for guitar”: Fender Mustang Micro Plus review
By Matt McCracken published
Fender’s teeny-tiny portable practice amp gets a significant upgrade
Best guitar strap locks 2024: Safeguard your axe
By Chris Schwarten last updated
Our pick of the finest fasteners from Schaller, Loxx, Jim Dunlop and more
Best tremolo pedals 2024: 8 top pedal choices, from old-school vibe to chopped-up tones
By James Farmer last updated
The best tremolo pedals on the market right now, from the likes of TC Electronic, Electro-Harmonix, Boss, Strymon and JHS
With all eyes on the Spark 2, now's the time to get the original 5-star Spark amp for way less in the Positive Grid Labor Day sale
By Matt McCracken published
PG also has fantastic deals on amps, wireless guitar systems, software, and more this Labor Day weekend
Shop exclusive deals and up to 50% discounts in the massive Guitar Center Labor Day sale
By Matt McCracken published
Make your Labor Day weekend more musical with huge savings on electric guitars, bass guitars, acoustic guitars, guitar pedals, and more
Best basses for metal 2024: our selection of the best basses for heavy music across all budgets
By Chris Corfield last updated
From Rickenbacker to Ibanez and Schecter, our picks of the best metal basses will help you sound heavier than ever before
Best laptops for music production 2024: portable computers for recording guitar
By Chris Corfield last updated
Our pick of capable machines for tracking guitars, creating demos and more, from brands including Apple, Dell, Microsoft and Asus
“The pinnacle of that most utilitarian of accessories”: Peterson Stroboclip HDC review
By Matt McCracken published
We get our hands on an $80 clip-on tuner. Worth it? Read on to find out
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