2026 Music Gear Reviews

The Friedman brand has always been spoken about over the internet and YouTube as being 'unbeatable' for the tone and quality of the guitar amplifiers they make.  So I bought a Friedman JJ Jnr tube amp and set about reviewing this amplifier myself with an inside and out review. Boy was I surprised and shocked at what I found. This is a written version of the review new in 2026.
Click the image to find out more.

Behringer are always seen as a low cost 'budget' brand of guitar equipment and that surely is the case, but this little 69 Vibe pedal sounding like the 'Hendrix' pedal is it a winner. For it's price of $69 or less is this pedal the one that really makes Behringer the king of Univibe pedals? Find out in this inside and out close up review and see what it really sounds like. Just click the picture!

Helix Stadium XL Inside and Out review: Let's look at this behemoth of a guitar pedal from the processors, the main chips, and the overall build quality inside the unit. I check the features and the controls and even the I/O before I then look at the software. Then I checked the tones out in a studio environment directly to the desk so I know exactly the exact presets as they were created by Line6. Lastly I give the unit a score and then my conclusions will tell you everything that the rest do not! Get Ready to ROCK with what might be the future of guitar tone. This review shows what they NEVER do in their paid for reviews of the floor Stadium XL processor. Click the pic to read the review

The H&K guitar amp - the Triamp Mark III. Another look at this newly bought guitar tube amp that has it all. And now for less too! This one cost just £1400 from Thomann. So is this the SAME amplifier that I looked at about eight years ago? Have they sneakily changed it for 'cheap' parts etc.? This review takes you through the insides and outside of the tube amp, I examine the amp with a really close look, detailing its features like Red Box AE, TSC, MIDI, and Noise Gate. I explore the internal components of this power amplifier and tell you exactly if it is a no or a go! Checkout this review because no one else will ever present a review that educates you so you can make informed decisions whether to buy or not! It's a comprehensive overview for any electric guitar tube amp enthusiast. Just click that image!

It's one thing using a powerful (and not so powerful) tube amplifier for your guitar, and entirely another being able to use it because of the loud volume they have often. And any guitarist will tell you the tones are there when it's cranked! Roland Boss have created the TAE some while back (I have one) and now created the 'little brother' TAE Core. This offers many advantages and I show the build, the overall quality and I'll throw in my own score and overall opinion. What are you waiting for? Click it on the right. 

Some might think that Boss might have 'short changed' the buyer when they released this 'cut down version' of the GHX-100. So in this review I check out the whole device inside and out and I'll tell you just how good (or not) this little processor and amp modeler really is. I have to say that for this one I was surprised about its sounds. Overall the build and quality was excellent, it offered a fair price for what you got, and I'll give it a summary of the tones when played direct to the recording desk in high quality stereo! watch the review by clicking the picture.

 

The µTracerNXT is a tester for tubes or valves as fitted to many guitar amps. Anyone who loves the tube amp tones will always tell you those tubes really matter! But how do you KNOW if the ones you have are good for the guitar amplifier or good for the trash? Well there is only one way, use a tube tester - and that's where the µTracerNXT comes in. It's a kit you can buy and you assemble it - its not that hard and if you can solder then you can do it! And I cover the things I got right and things that you might want to know about this tube tester - its a brilliant project so check out my close up review by clicking the image. 

An old vintage Marshall amp delivering tones & feel that simulators don't quite do. This 1987x uses 5881 tubes and has no effects loop so its an earlier version of this great historic version.  So is the KING of tube amps still the tone and feel monster it always was? Or is Marshall relegated to making Bluetooth speakers forever. In this close-up inside and out review have a great look at what made these amps fit for the kings of rock and why they probably will be around for years! Click the image to read the full inside and out review.

 

An in depth close up of the Fractal Audio FM3 Mark II Amp Simulator Inside and Out Review. I'll show you the things I found inside the unit, and things like the chips used etc. and are any of them obsolete? Find out with this close up. This unit along with most Fractal products has had its share of hype etc. through the usual channels, but is it 'better' than the Line6 Helix XL? And bearing its price is that justified? Find out as I show you what others never do. Check it all out by a simple image click on the right.

 

You might just think this is impossible? Right? But there IS a way to buy top of the line guitars from Fender, Ibanez, Gibson, Schechter, EVH, PRS, Epiphone or other makes. Surely that can't be correct? But in this article I work through (and give examples) of exactly that - a guitar that costs less than the list prices asked for these days by a very long way that music stores don't want you to know about. Click on the image on the right to read this article now. 

Ah the Kemper Player... at launch this unit had a number of things that guitarists wanted, but were omitted sadly. And there were rumors about paying 'extra' for other features! Would that even work for guitarists - it did for Eventide. In this close-up review of the Kemper Player I show you the quality, the chips and so much more with my opinion about the tones compared to the original Kemper that I reviewed back in 2012. Find out the info, and do bear in mind that the version two software came out after my review but I do discuss it. Read the complete inside out of the Kemper Player just click the picture now.

 

Is the Marshall JTM Studio ST20 the Best 20w Tube Amp you can buy? Well it can be hard to know so I created an inside and out review showing everything about this guitar amplifier and why its one of the best tube amps out there at any price. Lets unlock what others in their paid for reviews will never show you. A fully independent written review that lets you really know what the JTM 20 watt amp from Marshall is really all about - click the picture to see this review. 

Legendary Tones is well known for a simple modification that you simply plug in to a guitar amp and it enhances the original sound. This Mr. Scary George Lynch Tube Amp Mod is available directly but can this amp mod REALLY add Lynch tone for you? I created this close up review using a Marshall JTM and JCM800 amps (the 20w versions and it was very interesting results. But am I now George Lynch? Find out in the review by clicking the image. 

Headrush CORE modeler released nearly at the same time as the Fender Tone Master Pro. Could the Core hold a candle to the Fender Tone Master Pro? In this review I show you everything about the Headrush CORE, inside and out, I show the important chips, quality of the build of the unit, the other important stuff and then offer a summing up and even a score for the Core (Ha it rhymes) - watch and learn what I saw in this review with no holds barred by clicking the image. 

I saw the MOOER AI device and wondered just how good it really is, what made it 'tick' etc. but also I considered how it might sound. The idea is that you choose an artist or even a piece of music and the AI recreates that tone exactly? Well it sounds intriguing so I bought one. This will be coming presently as one of the next reviews in the 2026 list.

Synergy ah yes, it's a very old idea and I'll be showing you all about that in this close up review. So Marshall have 'buckled' and decided to work with Synergy? Maybe so, or maybe they just allowed Synergy to use the name? That is for me to look at as well as a complete inside and out review of this desktop preamp. Coming presently as again one of the 2026 reviews.

I have reviewed over the years many Roland Boss guitar synths... and while they were 'OK' some were a bit less so. But in this review I'll tell you about the SY-1000 and the newer GM-800. I also discuss the GK-3 and the new GK-5 interfaces for guitar. And the sometimes necessary conversions to drive the GM-800 with a GK-3 for example. Read this long close up review by hitting the image on the right.

 

The Train Wreck amps originated from Ken Fisher (Ken Fischer) and they sound like nothing else. Sadly, Ken is no longer with us and his amps? Well if you have a spare $100k then buy one. But most of us will never own a real Trainwreck amp.  Ken I believe mad 70 to 100 only. But Ceriatone have created the masterful Train Wreck Expression with 'extras' and this review is all about buying the amp - building the kit (if you want to) and the tones you get from this brilliant amp. Read all about it right now.

 

The Fender Tone Master Pro I bought when it first came out and reviewed it. Sadly it was so bad (on the first firmware revision) that I actually stopped the review! It was terrible. However, about a year later I decided to 'take another look' at the Tone Master Pro and I was very surprised. But once I installed the  1.5.5 firmware the box just came alive and actually worked. But there was much more. So here I put the two reviews together and create a written review giving my opinions along the way, confirming the chips, quality, warranty and I give it a 'Tony' score. Lastly I discuss my opinion on the tones in the unit from original to the 1.5.5 firmware update. It will be even better now! Click it to read more.  

A review of the Boss VG-800 V-Guitar Processor Inside and Out where I show you everything - from build quality, through processors and chips used, an overview of the software as actually used on the unit and of course the full controls and I/O. It's an interesting pedal offering many different guitar presets and library. Overall a quality device that can stand alone or as part of a bigger picture. I spent time on this one showing everything worth knowing - even the warranty and manual etc. and gave a score and summing up for the tones etc. that I tried direct to desk. Choose the picture to see the review.

 

One of the hardest things about an electric guitar is the pickup choice for the player. Even if you want to 'update your sound' with new pickups for your guitar it remains a major stumbling block when trying to choose the 'right' pickups for you. So when I was building a guitar I decided to share my opinions regarding the pickup selection and how it can make your guitar great or a 'I'll sell it now' model. Just trust me on this and read the whole article by clicking the picture. You won't regret it and just might learn something.  

Here I show you the Boss GX-100 unboxing, the inside of the unit and discuss the overall quality of the unit (as well as show it), I discuss the I/O at the back of the effects unit and pedal, I confirm the legal standards, I show the overall operation from above and close up. The software and all the controls too and then give a summing up of what I found. There's even a score and conclusions - so if you're looking to buy a Boss GX-100 you must see this inside and out review - click to read it.

 

Let's face it, the GK-3 KIT designed for inside your guitar for midi is a difficult unit to install. But if you're building a guitar for example, or you want a great MIDI guitar controller at the same time and you're unsure of what you're doing? What then? It's true that the GK-3 Kit includes everything you might need, but the instructions are at best pretty terrible and there is no way that someone without experience would easily complete the installation. But here I tell you exactly how I fitted one to a Fender/Warmoth Stratocaster body - just click the image to read the review.