Last year, what started as a friendly Jam rapidly progressed into rehearsals and, on the 28th Feb 2026, the first gig for my(our) new band: The ZX80s Who are The ZX80s? The ZX80s are a North Shields-based 3-piece band playing a mixed bag of 80s Covers. What songs do The ZX80s Cover? Queen, Bryan Adams, […]
Introducing: The ZX80s! Read Post »
Famously, guitarists don’t exactly need much encouragement to stock up on gear and guitar accessories, however, much of the time it actually makes good sense (honest)! So many guitar accessories out there are designed to make things quicker, easier, safer, and more efficient. Some are necessities, some are (very desirable) luxuries, and some sit in
Guitar Accessories: 10 you’ve got to have Read Post »
As a Queen (and Brian May) fan, the fabled Red Special was always beyond criticism… until the day I bought the Brian May Guitars Red Special. The Brian May Guitars Red Special is, of course, an ‘affordable’ version of the real thing, not even comparable to the ‘Supers’, let alone the official copies made by
Brian May Red Special Review Read Post »
Exploring the differences between the two most common guitar fretboard (or fingerboard) materials. Maple and Rosewood. Looks It depends on the Guitar. I’ve seen some gorgeous maple guitar fretboards with a little flaming, but a lot of them, particularly at the cheaper end of the spectrum, are just too anemic/plain looking. Up close, the darker
Guitar Fretboard: Maple vs Rosewood Read Post »
YouTube has brought a new realm to music lessons. While it is easy to access and plentiful, it will never replace private lessons with an in-person teacher. Why? While social media does have an interactive aspect, leaving comments and questions on a YouTube video will not necessarily make it fully interactive. When I was growing
Online Lessons Teaching Music: A How-To! Read Post »
Transporting a guitar can be stressful. Whether you’re moving across town, heading to a gig, or shipping it to a buyer, the last thing you want is to arrive with scratches, broken strings, or a warped neck. Guitars are delicate instruments, and even minor mishandling can lead to costly damage. Here’s a practical guide to
How to Safely Transport a Guitar Without Risking Damage Read Post »
Before investing in an expensive set of new guitar pickups, learn how to upgrade your existing guitar pickups in a few simple steps with a few simple tools. The Problem First off, let me point out that the Seymour Duncan Designed P90 guitar pickups in my Squier Telecaster Custom are fantastic! I only have two
Guitar Pickups: How to Upgrade them for FREE! Read Post »
My take on the age-old debate over guitar amplification. Valve vs Solid-state/Modelling. The case for and against valves. The Case for Valves Tone Tone is, of course very difficult to describe and highly subjective. In my experience, all my A/B comparisons have resulted in the valve amp coming out on top. Valve amps just sound
Valve vs Solid-State/Modelling Guitar Amps Read Post »
Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? One day you might be walking down the street and find yourself humming your favorite tune, wondering what it is that makes that song so catchy. Chances are this part was the chorus of the song, the part that sums up the meaning and gets
5 Tools For Writing A Catchy Chorus Melody Read Post »
