
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 punks Never Better.
Latest articles by Matt McCracken

With deals starting from below the $200 mark, Fender's Summer Sale is the place to bag yourself a new guitar with up to $550 off Fender and Squier guitars
By Matt McCracken last updated
If you're looking to buy a new Fender axe, then check out up to 20% off at the official Fender shop

Guitar Center just transformed its 4th of July sale into one of the biggest of the year, with an increase of up to 60% off and a massive $170 off my favorite PRS SE
By Matt McCracken last updated
Guitar Center has upped the game with their 4th of July sale, adding bigger discounts and more deals

My favorite Telecaster just got a massive $240 discount in the Fender Summer Sale – this is why it’s my go-to for recording and gigging
By Matt McCracken published
My regular gigging guitar is available with a huge discount in this summer sale at the official Fender shop

I’ve been buying used pedals for years and with up to 66% off, Reverb’s summer sale is the first place I’d look right now
By Matt McCracken published
Reverb is an independent company again, so it's time to celebrate with some stonking deals on guitar gear

Best locking tuners: improve your performance with these powerful upgrades
By Matt McCracken last updated
Keep your guitar playing consistently with our top locking tuner picks from Fender, Schaller, Sperzel and more

Guitarists, it’s time to change those strings – bag 25% off D’Addario XS at Guitar Center in celebration of World String Change Day
By Matt McCracken published
Tone dragging you down? Guitar Center’s 25% off D’Addario XS deal is the deal you’ve been waiting for

“A precision tool for modern metal and a well-honed surgical blade for the studio”: Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 review
By Matt McCracken published
Jackson's latest collab with prog-metal royalty Misha Mansoor results in a double-cut powerhouse with a difference

"Even if you’ve never used a looper before I’d wager it wouldn’t take most guitarists more than 5 minutes to get up and running with it": TC Electronic Ditto 2 Looper review
By Matt McCracken published
TC Electronics's ubiquitous compact looper gets a well-deserved update - I find out whether it's kept up with some stiff competition

Best baritone guitars 2025: pick up the slack with these long scale guitars
By Matt McCracken last updated
Get low with my expert pick of the best baritone guitars from PRS, Gretsch, Chapman, Jackson, and loads more

I’m a professional gear reviewer and my go-to guitar wireless system just got a generous 20% off – here’s why I use it daily
By Matt McCracken published
I couldn't live without my Positive Grid Spark Link and now you can get yours at a reduced price

I’ve been watching acoustic guitar prices all year and Guitar Center's up to 35% off sale is the best I’ve seen – especially if you want an A-list model
By Matt McCracken published
Get your hands a top-level acoustic guitar for less with this awesome sale over at Guitar Center

Positive Grid Spark Mini review
By Rob Laing last updated
The Spark 40 has got a smaller 10W sibling and it offers a similarly audacious range of sounds and functions in a non-more-portable format – and [spoilers] it sounds huge

Don't sleep on these massive second-hand bargains in Reverb's Memorial Day sale – save up to 66% on used, B-stock, and new gear
By Matt McCracken published
Reverb's huge Memorial Day sale proves you don't always need to buy new with huge savings on used and B-stock gear

"If you want an instrument that’s versatile enough to cover the guitar-playing styles of EVH and nail Nile Rodgers’ classic funk tones, then look no further": Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose review
By Matt McCracken published
Fender looks to put its stamp on the super-Strat with this gassed-up take on its classic double-cutaway

“Already a versatile instrument, the addition of the series circuit makes it even more of a multi-role guitar”: Fender Player II Modified Telecaster review
By Matt McCracken published
Fender's latest Tele puts a decidedly modern twist on an all-time classic. I get hands-on to find out if it's worth the upgrade or not

I couldn’t believe there was no Sweetwater Memorial Day sale this year – until I saw up to 50% off guitar pedals and amps
By Matt McCracken published
While I’m surprised there’s no big sale at Sweetwater this weekend, you can still grab great deals on pedals and amps – here's 6 of the best

Fender’s Memorial Day sale has up to 20% off 132 items – here are 5 sweet guitar and accessory deals I’d grab
By Matt McCracken published
Get in on the Memorial Day weekend sales action with big money off over at the official Fender shop

Best Memorial Day guitar sales 2025: Epic early deals on acoustic and electric guitars, amps, effects and more
By Chris Barnes last updated
Explore all the best Memorial Day weekend guitar discounts in one place – make massive savings at Fender, Musician's Friend, Guitar Center and more

There’s no need to wait for Memorial Day because Musician’s Friend is already offering over $1,000 off a Taylor acoustic, $450 off a Gibson Les Paul and up to 50% off elsewhere
By Matt McCracken published
From boutique Taylor acoustics to the affordable Player II series guitars, the Musician's Friend Memorial Day has some of the best early deals around

I wasn’t expecting Fender’s Memorial Day sale to drop this early – here are 5 sweet guitar and accessory deals I’d grab with up to 20% off
By Matt McCracken published
Get in on the Memorial Day sales action early with this surprise sale over at the official Fender shop

Best guitars for beginners: epic entry-level acoustic and electric guitars
By Chris Corfield last updated
Start playing today with our pick of great beginner guitars from Squier, Ibanez, Yamaha and more

“Does a damn good job of delivering searing metal tones that go far beyond what you’d expect from the price point”: Jackson JS Series Dinky JS11 review
By Matt McCracken published
I put Jackson’s cheapest electric guitar to the test to see if it really does chug

Best modeling amps 2025: get iconic amp tones at your fingertips with these top picks
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
I break down the best modeling amps available, covering a range of budgets, brands and sizes
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