Brody Silver

This guitar can do it all. Jazz, rock, metal. It's a step up from what would be considered "budget" LP's, it's a set neck and there's grover tuners. The pots on mine are a little shaky, but I haven't gotten around to fixing them. The controls are straight forward, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way pickup selector. My string preference for this is currently Ernie Ball Power Slinky.

It resonates well for a budget acoustic guitar. The tuners aren't good, which is my main complaint. It's almost hard to play the guitar, but that's because I'm used to playing electric. With a good set of strings and a set up, it's a guitar that can be used for recording and possibly live with the addition of a pickup.

Bought one of these used for $480 at guitar center, except it was brown sunburst. Unfortunately, after tax and 2 year warranty the price went up to $600, which is the same as the guitar brand new. The glossed maple fretboard has a great feel to it, and the pots are very smooth. Although the pickups are stock, the bridge pickup is great with some gain. For those questioning the value of the Mexican range of Fender, don't be fooled. These guitars play just as well as the Americans for half the cost.

Despite the cost, this is nothing less than a Strat. The stock pickups sound great on their own, the hardware is great if you want that vintage feel. The neck plate has a 60th anniversary emblem etched into it. My version that I got has a white tortoise shell pickguard, which makes the guitar look 10 times better. My favorite position on this guitar is the neck because it's thick, but still retains the poke of a Strat. The classic vibe series of Squier is a definite upgrade from their starter packs. These are a set up away from being proper gigging guitars.

Definitely intended to be just a practice amp. The controls are basic, volume and 3-band eq (bass, mid, treble). However, it produces a recordable tone at lower volumes when micced up. For someone who is doing any bedroom recording, like myself, it does the job.

This was my first amp when I started learning guitar. Like my band, I was in a stage when I would experiment with different tones and see what I like. This amp has several built in effects that are good to get a basic idea of what they sound like. I like the four channel design and that they are customizable. There's a built in headphone out and aux in, both are 1/8" (which is convenient). This amp gets loud, but I don't think it's gigging quality. Perhaps the next model up (MG50CFX) would be more suitable because it puts out 50 watts and it has a 12" speaker. Regardless, Marshall quality doesn't decline in these lower cost amps.

This amp was recommended to me by a teacher at my high school. In terms of power, it's plenty loud to play clubs. The clean tone is great and the overdrive channel breaks up beautifully. It's also versatile in that it can change the impedance to accommodate different cabs (4, 8, or 16 ohms). Different configurations are listed in the manual and tell you what the impedance should be set at based upon the speaker setup. There's also an effects loop and an included foot switch, controlling the channel and toggling reverb. The reverb is digital, which doesn't bother me, and it can get really intense if you're going for that surf rock tone. Racking in at $400, this amp cannot be beat for someone who is looking for another amp to the collection or looking to upgrade from a solid state amp to something with better tone.

It might seem like a good deal, but wait until you hear the amp. It seems to lack punch when cranked. For home use and rehearsal, it's fine. In my case, this is also my gigging amp because its what I have. I cheaped out when buying a bass amp and am regretting it. The one cool feature I like is the "ultra bass" switch, which adds the same note being played, except an octave down. This and the overdrive channel are both foot switchable (it's included). The overdrive on the amp isn't great. Looking back, I should've waited and invested in something from the fender rumble line of bass amps.

This is my first cabinet. The construction and sound quality are very good for the price I bought it ($200 new). Works great with my Orange Micro Dark.

This small amp puts out 20w of solid state power with a 12AX7 tube in the pre amp. As small as it is, this thing gets loud when put through a 2x12. It has more gain than anyone would ever need. I found the sweet spot to be volume (10 o clock), shape (11 o clock), and gain (just a hair behind noon). This setting is probably quieter than what would be required for rehearsal or gigging, but tonally, it's very suiting. It has some breakup with the guitar volume gunned. I've paired it with my boss blues driver with the setting pretty much all set at noon and it gets some cool Marshall-ish tones. The effects loop is the reason why I got the micro dark rather than the white micro terror. I've run the effects send into the effects return of my Bugera V22, which results in a full tube amp. The tone comes from the Orange and the power comes from the Bugera. This also sounds great. I've done the same technique using my Behringer bass amp and it sounds better than plugging straight into it. The one issue I've found doing this was it's tough to get a clean bass tone. Overall, this head is awesome as is and takes pedals well. Paired with a 2x12 or 4x12, it's definitely up to the task of gigging.

Found a used one at Guitar Center for $200. I wanted to buy something in the Rumble series because they are built like tanks. The cab I used it a 2x10, which is stereo speaker that I gutted and modified. Plenty loud for small gigs and has an xlr out to run to a mixer. The OD channel isn't as good as the V3 Rumble series, as expected, but I don't use it. There's also a low end boost and mid cut switch to assist the 3 band EQ. I love this head and will probably use it until I die.

It cost the same as a tube screamer, but I prefer it on its own. My first intent when looking for an overdrive pedal was to use it for its gain. This has more gain than the tube screamer and gives a little thicker tone. This pedal also works great how I use it now. I have it in my effects loop and have the gain set very low, using the pedal just as a boost. This is a common use for the tube screamer, but I think it does the job better.

Got it for $40 off of amazon. It was recommended by the same guy who recommended the Bugera V22 to me. I don't recommend turning the gain to 10 when using it. It gives great fender style tones and can go from blackface to tweed style using the voice knob. The 3-band EQ is also a great addition to shape the overdrive how you like. I use this for lower gain and sometimes just as a boost for solos or to cut through with a clean tone.

This wah pedal is a beast by being extremely versatile. I prefer it in front of the amp. There was one time I put it in the effects loop and when I went full heel position, it sucked the life right out of the sound. There was no top end and it got quieter. The price is also very reasonable and it's built like a tank.

Tried this pedal alongside the Boss Super Chorus and the MXR Analog Chorus. I preferred the tone of the CE5 and when the rate was cranked, it didn't get muddy like the MXR. On top of that, you can't beat the housing of Boss pedals.

Like the Charlie Brown, I run this in the effects loop with an amp that's already a little broken up. Les Paul through this sounds enormous. This pedal makes me drool everytime I play through it. There's a ton of gain on tap, but it can be too much so use it wisely. I've got it set with eq to taste, and gain at about 2 o'clock. Hit the switch and blow your ears out in style.

The way I use this is through the effects loop of my amp, which has a little bit of breakup. I run the gain pretty much dimed and eq to taste. Roll in the volume for more grit for a solo and voila you've got a kickass sound. The combination of these plus my les paul never fails to make me smile.

This was my first bass, which I've had for 10 years now. I got it in a starter pack along with the Fender Rumble 15. With new strings, this thing really shines. I had it in pieces for 3 years because I wanted to repaint the body. I ended up sanding it down recently and decided to keep some of the black, but also have some of the natural wood peaking through. I played a gig with it and my sweat showed up on the body because I didn't put a clear coat when finished. The parts of the bass are fine for the price of the bass. It stays in tune quite well and there's no fret buzz. The pickups also sound good, as I said before, when paired with fresh strings. Boiled strings do just as well.

This bass kicks ass. Plain and simple. The pickup roars when the volume is cranked. The third knob, closest to the input jack, it a bass eq knob. It has a center notch, which is helpful considering the knobs aren't labeled. I like the 21 fret design and the maple neck is very smooth. The fret work on mine gets a little untidy towards the upper frets, but I don't venture there often so it's not the end of the world. This bass can play every genre imaginable, which adds to the value. Also, it just looks cool. Everyone who has seen me playing this bass (in mint green) has stopped to tell me how much they love the color. It'll catch both the eyes and ears of audience members.

When I was restringing my Les Paul, I figured I'd give these a whirl. I was pulling them out of the sleeve and thinking they were gonna be too heavy to my liking. After tuning up, I realized they were perfect. I can still bend easily with these tuned to standard. The tone has some beefiness to it that I really enjoy, but it doesn't lose any clarity.

These are great for all around strings. Standard tuning works the best for these. They stay in tune and bends can be performed with ease. I use these on my Telecaster and open G tuning yields no problems with staying in tune.

I've never broken one of these picks. They have a satin finish, but don't slip out of my grasp. I also use them to play bass, when needed, and they still perform very well.