Andy Mcdonough

Taylor Guitar fans will be interested in checking out the company’s new Taylor 417e Grand Pacific Acoustic Electric guitar.

C.F. Martin & Company is an American guitar manufacturer established in 1833 and known around the world for instruments of high quality and durability. It would be hard to find a commercial guitar company that is as highly respected and recognized for its long history of making acoustic guitars. Many models have risen to collector […] More

C.F. Martin & Company is an American guitar manufacturer established in 1833 and known around the world for instruments of high quality and durability. It would be hard to find a commercial guitar company that is as highly respected and recognized for its long history of making acoustic guitars. Man…

Fender has a long history of building guitar amps. Most amps are designed for the stage. The Frontman 20G is something different. Read about it here.

With all the experts and tutorials available online, there’s a ton of information about learning to play the piano. And while some of it could help you on your journey to becoming a better pianist, there’s a lot that can go wrong. The performers you find online aren’t always the experts you are look…

The Real Feel of Roland’s top-of-the-line VAD706 When writing a song, performing before an audience, or laying down tracks to be at our best, making the music has to “feel” right. For too long, drummers have had to live with a double standard with their playing experience: Take advantage of the worl…

IK Multimedia brought producers a great tool with MODO DRUM 1.0 Physical Modeling Virtual Drums. Using modal synthesis instead of pre-recorded drum samples that are fixed, the MODO DRUM software employs a physical modeling engine, so users can adjust every parameter for every drum in real-time. So, …

Orange Amplification has been a pioneering force in guitar and bass amplification since the late ’60s. Known for decades as the British guitar amplifier manufacturer, their gear can be found on stages and studios around the world inspiring some of the world’s greatest rock icons, including Jimmy Pag…

As you might have heard, Roland, the world’s most iconic electronic musical instrument brand, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022. To kick off the milestone year, Roland has launched the “Roland at 50” website. It is just the first of many activities planned for the year, thanking musicians …

I’m pretty sure that most musicians feel the way I do. I miss the local music store. And while online shopping is convenient it’s hard to think that it will be the only way to buy musical instrument gear. But there is something new on the horizon: Roland’s first-of-its-kind retail experience at the …

American Songwriter

American Songwriter

American Songwriter

Béla Fleck is a virtuoso banjo player, acclaimed for his innovative and technically proficient playing. Many regard him as a musical pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, having brought the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classical, rock, and various world music genres. His efforts with …

Full disclosure: I have been a big fan of Casio keyboards for working musicians for some time and I had heard some very interesting talk about another series of lightweight (less than 25lbs.) Casio keyboards. I have to admit that I was surprised at some of the physical design attributes of the PX-S1…

Producers and keyboardists of the early 1990s loved the original Roland JD-800 digital synthesizer for the sounds it made, but mostly because of how they could control it. Now, some 30 years after the debut of the original JD-800 hardware synth, Roland has introduced a dedicated DAW plug-in of the J…

American Songwriter

American Songwriter

The words “progressive” and “experimental” are often used to describe the American guitarist Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López. He is perhaps best known for being the guitarist, songwriter, and band-leader of the group Mars Volta from 2001 until their breakup in 2012. In addition to numerous solo efforts…

The noted American acoustic instrument manufacturer C.F. Martin & Co. recently announced a handcrafted and one-of-a-kind soprano ukulele specifically to join the Inspiration4 crew for their upcoming Space X mission. Martin’s space-bound ukulele will be strummed by astronaut Chris Sembroski during th…