
Daryl Robertson
I'm a Senior Deals Writer at MusicRadar, and I'm responsible for writing and maintaining buyer's guides on the site - but that's not all I do. As part of my role, I also scour the internet for the best deals I can find on gear and get hands-on with the products for reviews. My gear reviews have been published in prominent publications, including Total Guitar, Guitarist, and Future Music magazine, as well as Guitar World.com. I've also had the privilege of interviewing everyone from Slash to Yungblud, as well as members of Sum 41, Foo Fighters, The Offspring, Feeder, Fever 333, and many more.
I have a massive passion for anything that makes a sound, particularly guitars, pianos, and recording equipment. In a previous life, I worked in music retail, giving advice on all aspects of music creation and selling everything from digital pianos to electric guitars, entire PA systems, and ukuleles. I'm also a fully qualified sound engineer who holds a first-class Bachelor's degree in Creative Sound Production from the University of Abertay, and I have plenty of experience working in various venues around Scotland.
Latest articles by Daryl Robertson

Guitar Center’s massive Guitar-A-Thon sale has landed, and it includes $900 off a special Taylor acoustic and a host of exclusive models from Epiphone, Marshall, and more
By Daryl Robertson published
The aptly named Guitar-A-Thon sale is the place to go for an epic six-string related bargain

“It’s clear that the influence of the Custom Shop’s attention to detail is now making its way to the Mexican-made instruments”: Fender Limited Edition Vintera II Jazzmaster Road Worn review
By Daryl Robertson published
Fender proves it can do tasteful ageing without the Custom Shop price tag

MusicRadar deals of the week: Score a mind-blowing $1,000 off the stunning D'Angelico Excel SS, $500 off the gorgeous Heritage Standard H-535, and so much more
By Daryl Robertson published
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of D'Angelico, Heritage, Guild, Gibson, Yamaha, and more

Best looper pedals 2025: My favourite loop stations for every budget
By Michael Astley-Brown last updated
Explore my pick of compact and floorboard loopers from the likes of Boss, TC Electronic, Line 6, and more

Best keyboards for beginners 2025: Get started with our expert pick of beginner keyboards for all ages
By Daryl Robertson last updated
Looking for the best piano keyboard for beginners? Well MusicRadar has you covered with expert advice and useful recommendations from industry professionals

"A stellar build complements a gorgeous aesthetic, and thankfully, it has the tones and playability to back it up": PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow
By Daryl Robertson published
PRS throws everything at this new SE model to create the ultimate do-it-all electric guitar

Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
By Matt McCracken last updated
Get more for your money with my pick of the best value electric guitars below $500/£500

MusicRadar deals of the week: Score a massive $1,000 off Roland V-Drums, up to $320 off a range of Fender guitars, and so much more
By Daryl Robertson published
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Fender, Roland, Yamaha, Beyerdynamic and more

Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: Top headstock and soundhole tuners to buy right now
By Daryl Robertson last updated
Keep your tuning in check in all scenarios with the best clip-on tuners for guitar, bass and ukulele

Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
By Matt McCracken last updated
Years of playing and reviewing gear have taught me exactly what to look for - here's how to get a guitar to grow with

Best Roland digital pianos
By Daryl Robertson last updated
Bag yourself the ultimate digital playing experience with these top-rated Roland pianos - featuring units from the F, HP, LX and GP series

"The clean and medium-gain sound is where it truly flexes its sonic muscles": Hotone Pulze Mini Bluetooth Amplifier
By Daryl Robertson published
Hotone enters the mini amp arena, but does it have what it takes to beat the reigning champs?

"If you're seeking a polished, smooth, modern distortion, this is most definitely not the stomp box for you": Peavey Decade preamp pedal review
By Daryl Robertson published
Peavey’s latest pedal is rated-R, for riffage

Hurry! These Prime Day keyboard and piano deals are ending soon - score the biggest savings of the year so far on Yamaha, Korg, and Casio at Amazon and beyond
By Daryl Robertson last updated
With popular models from piano heavyweights, there are plenty of keyboard and piano deals to get stuck into this Prime Day

Waves just made building a pro-level plugin chain a lot cheaper - grab 2 for $59.99 or 4 for $99.99
By Daryl Robertson published
From full production bundles to must-have compressors, vocal effects, and so much more, you don't want to miss this Waves sale

Why wait for Prime Day when Thomann's massive Music Days sale will save you up to 65% off big brands right now?
By Daryl Robertson published
Thomann's Music Days sale sees the price slashed on popular models from Fender, Gibson, Alesis, Casio, ESP and much more

$1,200 off one of the best guitar synths on the market is a deal too good to ignore in Sweetwater's epic 4th of July sale
By Daryl Robertson published
With massive discounts on Roland, Alesis, Boss, Gretsch, Guild, and more, you don't want to miss one of the best Independence Day sales for musicians

Start your Independence Day weekend with a bang, as the Musician's Friend 4th of July sale lands early - score up to $850 off Music Man, $200 off Elektron and more
By Daryl Robertson published
Bag up to 60% off at Musician's Friend this Independence Day, saving you hundreds on Fender, Schecter, Roland, Universal Audio and more

Andertons just slashed £456 off this stunning PRS SE, and the finish has to be seen to be believed
By Daryl Robertson published
With up to 40% off the PRS SE Custom 24, Custom 24 Floyd, Custom 24-08, and the Custom 24-08 Quilt in Charcoal Cherry Burst, this sale is not to be missed

I wish these Memorial Day software deals had been around when I mixed my new EP - save up to 90% off Waves, Native Instruments, and Positive Grid plugins
By Daryl Robertson published
From full production bundles to amp modellers, DJ software, and so much more, here are the best Memorial Day plugin deals I can find

Guitar Center's epic Memorial Day sale offers unbeatable deals, including $419 off a Gibson Les Paul Standard!
By Daryl Robertson published
Treat yourself this Memorial Day, and get hundreds of dollars off an array of guitars, basses, amps, effects and more

The Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 has just seen its biggest ever discount - this is a call to save a whopping £380 at Andertons
By Daryl Robertson published
The Foo Fighters frontman's highly-rated Epiphone DG signature just received its biggest ever discount - it's times like these, I'm pleased I waited before making a purchase!

Calling all synth heads, Thomann just dropped the sale of the year with up to 80% off models from Moog, Behringer, Arturia and more
By Daryl Robertson published
For a limited time you can score substantial discounts on hardware and software synths, MIDI controllers, drum machines, sequencers and so much more

Best digital pianos for beginners 2025: 8 beginner-friendly pianos handpicked by a professional piano and music gear reviewer
By Daryl Robertson last updated
An expert look at the very best beginner digital pianos on the market from the likes of Yamaha, Casio, Korg, and Roland - including full reviews and video demos

Best digital pianos 2025: I'm a professional piano and music gear reviewer, and these are my top picks
By Daryl Robertson last updated
With a decade of experience selling and reviewing pianos, these are my recommendations for the very best digital pianos from Yamaha, Roland, Casio, and Korg at all price points - including full reviews and video demos
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