Fret Zealot 2 lights up the fretboard for easier learning

Learning to play guitar is now much easier thanks to a wealth of online tutorials, but many find mirroring onscreen chops tough going. With Fret Zealot, students follow lights on the neck to learn fretting positions for chords, scales and songs.Continu… Continue reading Fret Zealot 2 lights up the fretboard for easier learning

Self-install Essential kit turns any ol’ acoustic into a smart guitar

Many students of guitar begin their journey on an acoustic. But rocking out can be a challenge. Back in 2017, France’s HyVibe launched an Indiegogo to fund a hybrid with built-in digital smarts. This was followed by a kit to give such superpowers to an… Continue reading Self-install Essential kit turns any ol’ acoustic into a smart guitar

The guitar pedal that threatens to bring the house down, literally

Whether you’re after a hand in home renovating, a quick path to tinnitus or a surefire way to sour your marriage and estrange your neighbors, this Fender guitar pedal designed by My Bloody Valentine’s sonic mastermind Kevin Shields may be able to help…. Continue reading The guitar pedal that threatens to bring the house down, literally

Fender goes oddball on a budget with Squier Paranormal guitars

Like Fender’s Parallel Universe guitars, the Squier Paranormal series explores bizarre model combinations and “what if?” oddities, but at more budget-friendly price points. The latest release includes a 12-string Jazzmaster, a Strat with Gibson appoint… Continue reading Fender goes oddball on a budget with Squier Paranormal guitars

Review: EVH Wolfgang Special is a catalogue of Eddie’s brilliant ideas

Eddie Van Halen was more than just a keyboard player. He was also pretty good at guitar, and throughout his long career, he proved himself an extraordinary technical innovator. Frequently, these innovations were extremely violent. He’d attack a guitar … Continue reading Review: EVH Wolfgang Special is a catalogue of Eddie’s brilliant ideas

HyperSwitch allows players to reconfigure guitar pickups using a mobile app

The pickups assigned to the different positions on an electric guitar’s toggle switch are preset by the maker, and tweaking them involves breaking out the soldering iron and lots of experimenting. The HyperSwitch uses the power of a smartphone and a Bl… Continue reading HyperSwitch allows players to reconfigure guitar pickups using a mobile app