Samuel Martin

There is nothing about the Gibson Les Paul that hasn’t been said already. Got my hands on a used 2020 Standard 50s in vintage cherry sunburst and it looks, plays and sounds like a dream. Plug it into a Marshall at full volume and you will sound, look and feel like a rock god.

Of all of my soon-to-be ten guitars, this is easily one of my favorites! It may look plain, but don't let its "bare bones" nature fool you. This is a fantastic entry level Gibson SG, marked at a reasonable price (by Gibson's standards; I was lucky enough to get this for just $650 new during a Labor Day sale!). I have a Les Paul Standard now so this one does get sidelined now (largely because this one’s at home and my Les Paul is at my apartment with me) but this guitar has been a trusted and reliable instrument ever since I got it almost a decade ago!

With electric guitar being my primary instrument of choice, I must admit that my knowledge on acoustic guitars is not great. However, this is one of the finest and is the most expensive of all the guitars I own and for good reason. It is absolutely clear, resonant, and articulate, being able to do some bends that a lot of other acoustic guitars could never be capable of doing. After having it for a few years now, I’ve noticed that it sounds its best when fingerpicking. That’s not to say that it sounds bad when strumming with a pick (it has great volume!), but it can sound a little boxy and maybe even the wrong kind of clear at times. But when you’re fingerpicking, it sounds so warm and full, it’s like a glass of whiskey then. Who needs gloss finishes, neck binding, and pin inlays when you have a guitar that can play like a Martin D-18? Just an all-around exquisite guitar.

So I don’t have it YET but I’m buying a used one for just under $400 next weekend with some Christmas money and I’ve already played it, so it’s kinda like I already one! That said, it plays and sounds GREAT! Beatles, Zeppelin, Rush, Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Eagles, Byrds, Masayoshi Takanaka, power pop, new wave… super versatile and sounds **great** for a Squier! Like I said, it **feels** great, too! Not TOO heavy, doesn’t dive terribly in any direction, the neck feels great (love that gloss finish), great accessibility on the fretboard (might be a bit narrow for those who haven’t played a 12 string before)… But the biggest crown jewel is its price. A new one costs **just** over $500, which is phenomenal for an electric 12 string. Really, my only problem is that tuning is kind of a pain, but that’s to be expected from a 12 string.

I got mine used at a local pawn shop for $350. After a new nut, and then a new neck entirely and action adjustment, I've been incredibly happy with it! It tends to be the first guitar of my ten that I pick up when I write songs. The only drawback for me is that it can be a bit fussy when it comes to the amps it's plugged into. My main amp is a Marshall Origin 20 combo and even with everything cranked and my boost pedal on, it stills sounds held back, both in volume and especially tone. But when my friend has plugged into his massive Peavey, it sounds great. I'd personally reccommend an American or Japanese-made Telecaster, but if you don't want to break the bank and still want that authentic Fender Telecaster sound and playability, this is definitely the guitar for you!

I got this guitar (albeit lightly used) and it is one of my favorites! Has a nice, maneuverable neck and fret board, great gloss finish, and awesome, warm Gibson humbucker pickups that go GREAT with distortion and/or fuzz! My only minor qualm with this guitar is that it can get heavy at times. This a great guitar for gigging, jamming, entertaining... you name it, this guitar is sure to deliver!

I recently acquired this guitar from my late great-grandfather, and it is a wonderful guitar. The action is pretty high from several decades of the neck warping and the guitar itself not being regularly played during that time, but the intonation is much better than that of my other acoustics. Plays and sounds great!

I got this guitar for Christmas when I was only about four or five years old. I am sure that my review has some nostalgia-infused bias, but this is a decent little beginner guitar, one that I still have today. The tuning gets a bit wonky if not attended to every now and then and it has a tinny tone, but it is a children's beginner guitar after all. You can get some decent bending notes out of this guy (honestly better than my other three acoustics!). It's a cheapo guitar, but it could make a little kid very happy. It certainly made me a happy kid.

This is the first bass I've ever gotten. I've been looking for a Jazz (specifically in a sunburst color with a tortoise pickguard like John Paul Jones) for the better part of a year and was lucky enough to stumble upon a used one yesterday for only $600 out in town. I snagged it without even realizing it was actually a Deluxe Active, let alone still not entirely knowing what active pickups are. As I've been getting deeply engrossed in Thin Lizzy over the last few months, I am happy to report that I've gotten some tones on there incredibly close to that of a Precision bass! But fret not (no pun intended); you're able to go back to a Jazz sound courtesy of the onboard EQ. It obviously sounds great playing Zeppelin and it also sounds exactly like Paul McCartney’s Jazz bass on The White Album when you mess with the aforementioned onboard EQ (that’s the most important part for that specific tone). I don’t know if it’s the amp (I just got a cheap $60 Fender bass amp) or if it’s the bass itself, but I’ve found that it sounds better plugged into an audio interface than my amp. When recording, you’re able to get a lot more subtlety and warmth from it (which is the exact opposite of when I do the same with guitars). I'm honestly more happy to finally have a bass to record with than I am bothered to find any gripes on this.

Cream, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, Stooges… you ask and it delivers! Sounds as phenomenal on blues and British Invasion pop rock as it does hard rock, metal and punk. Another massive bonus is the output switch. That’s what sealed the deal for me on this. A wonderful addition to have when in the company of those who prefer quieter volumes or in a quieter setting.

This is my first overdrive pedal and I absolutely LOVE it! Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, The Stooges... this pedal can do it all! It's hard to believe that I got such an incredible pedal for only $100! It also makes for a great boost in a pinch if you know what to set it at!

I got this out at Haggerty's Musicworks in Rapid City, South Dakota (highly recommend checking them out) and it's... fine, I guess? The guy who helped me get it said he mostly played worship music and from the sound of this pedal, I'm guessing he's more of an ambient player because this is absolutely an ambient player's pedal. Part of me wants me to trade it in but I also kinda don't mind it. It's not the best for what I play but I recognize a good pedal when I hear one. Not the best for classic rock songs with more subtle reverb (subtlety is this pedal's weakest suit) but it sounds absolutley great on spacey and chimey rhythm and lead parts. Finding a more subtle reverb on this thing is like trying to split an atom but when you find it, it's Heaven.

After first hearing The Stooges more than half a decade ago, I have finally found my coveted vintage fuzz. Always works great on stuff by The Stones and others. Absolutely phenomenal little pedal. I will say that this is an incredibly niche pedal built to emulate a very specific tone. The best way I can describe on this fuzz maxed out is “shrill” and “nasal.” Works wonders on songs where fuzz was in its infancy but not as versatile as a Big Muff or even a Swollen Pickle. It’s definitely much more of a lead guitar pedal than it is a rhythm guitar pedal. This pedal is more or less like coffee; you either like it or you don’t.

This, a Gibson and a Marshall are a match made in Heaven. It is THE way to go for Hendrix, Zeppelin, Cream, Stooges, Thin Lizzy, Sabbath and all other hard rock and metal! So happy to finally have one of these in my collection. A must-have for guitarists who love the classics!

**Super** super bare bones, but that makes it great for any player of any level to use! Might not be the most versatile pedal (that's what you get for sacrificing fine tuning for user-friendliness), but it's a great starting-off point for new pedal users and it sounds great for the price, you're getting what you're paying for. Works great for Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, Rush, power pop and new wave.

Super user-friendly, great for beginners and DIY pros. The single XLR port is not ideal for drummers but can do the job if you know what you're doing or do overdubs instead. Does require a USB hub if you're running a mobile device through it (brand new or reliable cords cannot be recommended enough if you're going this route) but that also means you won't drain the battery either so that's nice. All in all, definitely a beginner's interface but it is absolutely reliable.

Requires nowhere near as many cords as my FocusRite does, all you need is a USB-C and an XLR and you're good to go. It doesn't need an additional power source, which is either good or bad depending whether you're using a tablet or phone instead of a laptop and how bad the battery on either of those is. A little bit of gain goes a long way, which will be important to keep in mind if you're using this to record music instead of podcasts as this was intended for. All in all, a solid and incredibly user-friendly interface.

I inherited one of these from my Grandpa after he cleared out a friend's storage unit. I am really surprised by how hi-fi the quality of this thing is considering it's a nearly 50 year-old tape recorder. I'm almost disappointed how great the quality of this unit is all things considered... ALMOST. And you are able to digitize the tapes with an audio interface and/or any sort of recording software easily enough, which is pretty darned cool!

Crazy as it sounds, I've used this far more as a guitar amp than a mic PA. As a mic PA, it does advertised albeit super sensitively. As an amp with an overdrive pedal going through it? Sounds **identical** to Link Wray or The Kinks. It is unreal how unusually great this thing is as an amp!

I got this at a pawn shop for a little over $20 just last weekend. It's a solid lil' pedal (despite having a plastic case) that's simple and fun to use. It's a nice pedal to get your feet wet in the waters of distortion.

I got one of these at a thrift store for $10. Granted, four of the keys don't work, but other than that, it's a pleasant surprise of a keyboard. My favorite part of this keyboard is the audio jack input on the back, where you can plug it into an amp or even an effects pedal. All in all, it's a decent older keyboard.