Matt McCracken

Matt McCracken

Junior Deals Writer

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

Give your pedalboard the glow up it deserves with over $100 off this Fender patch cable kit – pay just $3 per cable and save 65%

By Matt McCracken Published

An organized pedalboard means less time fiddling and more time playing, now for even less with this awesome Prime Day beating deal

Pedalboards
If I was starting guitar again today, this is the first deal I’d jump on – get $1,000 worth of content for just $125.65 with Guitar Tricks' Summer Black Friday

By Matt McCracken Published

Thinking about buying new gear? Investing in your technique is a much better way to spend your money

Lessons
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

Electric Guitars
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

Guitar Gear
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

Electric Guitars
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

Guitar Pedals
Close up of the locking tuners on a Music Man Luke III headstock
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

Guitar Tuners
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

Guitar Strings
A Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET6 lying on some acoustic foam
“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

Electric Guitars
TC Electronic Ditto 2
"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

Effects & Pedals
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

Accessories
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

Acoustic Guitars
Positive Grid Spark Mini
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

Combo Amps
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

Guitar Gear
A Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose lying on a concrete floor
"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

Electric Guitars
The body of a Fender Player II Modified Telecaster lying on a rug
“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

3 Comments
Electric Guitars
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

Guitar Gear
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

Guitar Gear
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

Guitar Gear
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

Guitar Gear
Two Yamaha Pacifica 112Vs on blue background
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

Beginner Guitars
Jackson S Series Dinky JS11
“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

Electric Guitars
Best Strat-style guitars 2025: Our choice of the finest S-style guitars for all budgets and players

By Matt McCracken Last updated

Don’t want a Fender? Here’s our expert pick of the top Strat-style electric guitars from the likes of Ibanez, Yamaha, G&L, PRS and more

Electric Guitars
A Submarine Pickups Subsix on a PRS guitar
“One of the most genuinely unique guitar tones I’ve ever heard”: Submarine Pickups Subsix review

By Matt McCracken Published

A hexaphonic guitar pickup allows you to process each of your guitar strings individually, but is it a superpowered creative tool or a niche gimmick?

Guitar Pickups
I spent way too long looking through all 372 deals in the Thomann Easter sale – here are the 5 I’d buy

By Matt McCracken Published

Save up to 50% off guitar gear in the Thomann Sweeter Than Chocolate Easter sale

Guitar Gear
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