
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

“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

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 laptops for music production 2025: 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

9 AI guitar amp features we predict will revolutionize the way you interact with your amp
By Matt McCracken published
What does the future look like for our precious guitar amps, and how will AI shape your guitar tone

"Delivers on all fronts heavy and looks phenomenal whilst doing so": Jackson X Series Rhoads RRX24 review
By Matt McCracken published
A purebred shred machine with a Floyd Rose and Seymour Duncans, all for less than a grand

“A ravishing instrument”: Taylor 50th Anniversary GS Mini-E Rosewood review
By Matt McCracken published
Taylor's compact top-seller gets the 50th Anniversary makeover treatment and it has never looked – or sounded – better

“Delivers a stunning sound with bags of sustain and a complex tonal profile”: Sheeran by Lowden W05 review
By Matt McCracken published
Ed Sheeran's collaboration with Lowden brings us a comfortable acoustic guitar made in Northern Ireland

Best acoustic bass guitars 2025: Unplug and play with our pick of top acoustic basses
By Chris Corfield last updated
Our expert guide to the best acoustic bass guitars will instantly boost your low-end game, and enable you to play at home or on the go

Best bass compressor pedals 2025: our pick of pedals to get your low-end in line
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
We look at the best compressors for bass, from some of the biggest names around including Origin Effects, Empress Effects, Boss, and more

Best 12-string guitars 2025: our pick of 12-string acoustic and electric guitars
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
Our expert guide to the best 12-string guitars from Taylor, Rickenbacker, Fender, and others

Best acoustic guitar pickups 2025: electrify your acoustic with our expert picks
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
Whether it be for performing live or recording at home, the best acoustic guitar pickups from LR Baggs, Fishman and others will help you enhance your tone

“It is more evolution than revolution, but Positive Grid have delivered everything guitarists have been asking for and more”: Positive Grid Spark 2 review
By Matt McCracken published
PG’s groundbreaking desktop amp finally gets an update, and we got our hands on it pre-launch

Best Precision Bass 2025: P-Basses from Fender and beyond
By Chris Corfield last updated
Our top picks of the most recognizable bass in history, including models from Fender, Sire, Sterling by Music Man and more

Best high-end electric guitars 2025: the finest guitars money can buy
By Simon Fellows last updated
If money were no object, this is the all-star list of high-end axes from Gibson, PRS, Fender, and more that you’ll want in your collection

These 5 easy upgrades will supercharge your Strat – and they're all on sale for Amazon Prime Day
By Matt McCracken last updated
Take your Stratocaster to the next level with these 5 essential mods

Accessorize your guitar playing with these 5 cheap early Prime Day deals
By Matt McCracken published
Streamline your practice and performance with these cheap deals on guitar accessories

“Right up there with the big-name brands”: Soloking MS-1 Custom review
By Matt McCracken published
A great-value guitar looking to clash headstocks with the big boys. Stainless steel frets, roasted maple neck, Wilkinson hardware and coil-splitting humbuckers? Where do we sign up?

Forget waiting for Prime Day to start, here are 5 massive savings on guitar pedals available right now at Amazon
By Matt McCracken published
Don’t wait around to get your hands on a good deal, we’ve spotted some excellent deals on Catalinbread, MXR, Way Huge, and more

Best ukuleles 2025: Acoustic and electric ukes for all budgets and playing styles
By Chris Corfield last updated
Get started with our pick of the best ukes from Mahalo, Martin and Cordoba, plus a cool Fender Jazzmaster ukulele

“Two stone-cold classics that provide effortless playability and iconic guitar tones at a pretty reasonable price”: Fender Player II Stratocaster & Telecaster review
By Matt McCracken published
Fender's best-selling Player Series guitars receive a much-awaited update, but is it revolutionary or evolutionary?

Best Martin guitars 2025: we rank the legendary acoustics of an industry icon
By Matt McCracken last updated
Our expert pick of the best Martin acoustics from one of the oldest instrument makers on the planet
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