Guitar Workbench 90
The Capo: Open Mic Night and Beyond
A lot of guitarists tend to look down on the capo. It is often viewed as some sort of cheat for singer-songwriters to not have to learn the fretboard and easily change keys. But the capo is actually a really useful tool, even outside of open mic night. The capo is used on acoustic and […]
A Guide to Basic Melody Writing
What is a melody? Chances are you already know, even if you don’t know the dictionary definition. If you have listened to music, then your instincts will tell you while you are listening, even if subconsciously. The great thing about melodies are that they can come from the voice or an instrument, making them an important part of […]
Your Guitar Cabinet Recordings Deserve More Love
Are you lost as to what actually sounds good anymore when it comes to tracking guitar? Do you prefer to D.I. a guitar track and re-amp it with effects? Or maybe you’d rather live track the whole band and overdub? And what about how your room even sounds? Is there a plug-in for that? Well […]
Radial EXTC Stereo: A Tool for Creating Truly Unique Sounds
The new Radial EXTC Stereo is an update to the older EXTC model with — you guessed it — stereo functionality! For all the fellow engineers out there, this is truly a game changer when it comes to signal processing. After all, two is better than one, eh? So, What Does the EXTC Stereo Do? […]
Five Alternate Guitar Tunings to Spice Up Your Strumming
After years of playing guitar, it can be hard to find new things to play. There’s something great about learning the fretboard and constantly discovering new chord voicings and scales. After a while, many of us get stuck using the same chords, and struggle to find something new and exciting on the instrument. One really […]
Fuzz Worship: Can Fuzz Be Used as an Instrument?
Fuzz as a guitar effect has made its way into rock & roll history with greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Its incredible power, long sustain and ability to elevate the average riff to a face-melting experience is well known and documented. But the fuzz pedal and effect in general can be […]
Big Little Victories
Victory amplifiers are some of my favorites as of late. Most amps can’t beat their versatility, raw tone, and ease of use. When the UK brand began releasing compact pedal versions of their amps I knew I had to try them, and they did not disappoint. If you’re curious about the differences (and similarities) of […]
Martin DJr-10E Review
One of Martin’s newest offerings is the compact and comfortable DJr-10E. Don’t be fooled by its size — this guitar sounds a lot like its bigger counterparts in the Martin dreadnought range. The DJr-10E is given the Streetmaster treatment with a broken-in feel, which inspires you to play a little differently from how you’d play […]
MXR Dyna Comp: Get the Most From Your Compressor Pedal
Before buying the MXR Dyna Comp compressor pedal, I did what any musician would do: I scoured the Internet for reviews of all kinds. I came across a few demo videos on YouTube and noticed something interesting: This pedal was only being shown in one light. The people demoing the Dyna Comp were using it […]
