Schecter Blackhawk

This guitar proved to go down a bigger hit with our reviewer than anticipated. For the price it is an excellent classic heavy rock guitar that lives up to the title and affordable to any budding rock god .  more...

Flaxwood Liekki

When Clive Warner got his hands on a Flaxwood Liekki it was 'love at first play'. These revolutionary guitars are made from a unique wood composite material that allows for a uniform movement of the wood, extending tonal range and quality of sound, placing them up there with the PRS and Gibson equivalents.  more...

Grainger Blues Twin

If you are in the market for a 30W combo look no further than the Grainger Blues Twin. What's it got? - well valves that's what and twin speakers all for under £300, with tonal quality to match the much more expensive competitors. 

This is such a great combo for the money and if you try it, you'll buy it.  more...

Yamaha Pacifica 012

Our guitar reviewer Clive Warner was prompted to try this new budget entry model from Yamaha after it won 'Best in Class' in several respected guitar magazine awards. Thinking it was probably all hype, he was very surprisingly pleased, rating it a quality instrument for a not a lot of dosh.  more...

Wire & Magnets

In our second instalment about pickups and the sounds they create, Mike Rose of Gemini Pickups gives us an insight into how sound varies according to pickup type. Comparing some of his 'Strat' models with the originals we find out how magnet strength, wire type and coils change the sound.  more...

Battle of the Axes

Do the same stable copy guitars match up to their invariably more expensive big brothers? I decided to put it to the test by pitting my very own Gibson SG Special against an equivalent Epiphone guitar, the G-310. more...

Pickups with Punch

What power and sound you get from a pickup depends on a number of factors. The main determining factors are the size, shape and strength of the magnetic field and number and guage of the windings. All pickups are different and sound is often a matter of taste. What do you do though, if you aren't getting the sound you want? more...

A Fender Stratocaster is a Fender Stratocaster

Is there really any difference in a Fender Stratocaster manufactured in Mexico, to one built in Japan, to one wholely made in the USA, or is it just snob value? Why is it that some people prize the early Japanese Strats over their modern USA counterparts? more...

Line 6 Variax 300

The Variax is packed full of electronic emulator circuits, which it is claimed can deliver a range of sounds to emulate the most popular of guitars - we ask, does it deliver?  more...