
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 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

Build your dream home pedalboard: take a deep dive into the collection of pedals we feel add up to the ultimate home rig
By Daryl Robertson published
From reverbs and delay to IR loaders and loopers these are the pedals we are choosing for our perfect home pedalboard

The perfect Christmas gift for guitarists is on sale right now – save $65 on the Positive Grid Spark with free bag
By Daryl Robertson published
This sizable discount on the killer Spark smart amp is way too good to ignore

Nevermind the other festive guitar deals, the iconic Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang has 20% off at Fender
By Daryl Robertson published
As well as slashing the price of the legendary offset, Fender is also heavily discounting everything from the Paranormal range to the Sonic series, Acoustasonics and Players

A year of Drumeo’s highly-rated drum lessons is currently down to $150 for Cyber Monday – in a few hours it will cost you $240
By Daryl Robertson published
Right now you can save 38% on a Drumeo yearly membership and you'll also get 10 freebies worth $1,272.94

I used to sell pianos and keyboards for a living - and with up to 80% off Yamaha, Roland, Kawai and Casio at Sweetwater, this sale is the best I’ve ever seen
By Daryl Robertson published
With popular models such as the Casio Privia, Roland RP30 and Yamaha P-145, this Cyber Monday sale includes many of my favourite pianos and keyboards

This Cyber Monday is the best we've ever seen for piano and keyboard deals - and luckily there's still time to save big on Yamaha, Roland, Korg, Casio and Kawai
By Daryl Robertson published
Whether you're looking for a beginner keyboard or a state-of-the-art digital piano, you still have time to bag a tasty Cyber Monday deal

With up to 50% off everything from guitars to drums, PA systems to keyboards the Musician's Friend Black Friday sale is one your whole band can shop
By Daryl Robertson published
The Musician's Friend Black Friday sale has landed - saving you hundreds on Fender, Music Man, Roland, Shure and more

Thomann kicks off a week of epic savings with up to 60% off music gear and up to 80% off software in their Cyberweek sale
By Daryl Robertson published
With savings to be had on everything from Gibson to Harley Benton, Yamaha, IK Multimedia, Neumann and more, there has never been a better time to shop

Stop what you're doing - Guitar Center just slashed $700 off the Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro V in their official Black Friday sale
By Daryl Robertson published
Guitar Center's Black Friday sale has landed and there's unbelievable savings to be had on one of the most iconic electric guitars of all time

Best guitars for kids 2025: The ultimate guide to electric and acoustic guitars for children
By Daryl Robertson last updated
Set them off on the right path with our pick of the best guitars for kids from Fender, Epiphone, Yamaha, Ibanez and more

Best DIY guitar kits 2025: put together your dream guitar with these self-assembly guitar kits
By Daryl Robertson last updated
With kits from Harley Benton, StewMac and Martin, this is our pick of the ultimate guitar building kits for the player in need of a project

Musician's Friend drop Black Friday rivalling deals with up to 40% off guitars, keyboards, recording gear and more
By Daryl Robertson published
The Musician's Friend holiday sale has landed - saving you hundreds on Fender, Music Man, Roland, Shure and more

No need to wait until Black Friday - Fender is currently offering up to 30% off in their Holiday Sale
By Daryl Robertson published
With models including the Aerodyne, Acoustasonic, Noventa, Paranormal and Squier Sonic series, Fender's Holiday sale is the place to go for a serious deal

Best Casio Keyboards 2025: Our pick of the tech giant’s finest keyboards, whatever your budget or ability
By Dave Clews last updated
Feeling the brain fog descend as you attempt to pick the right keyboard from Casio’s substantial range? Fear not, we’re here to bring clarity to your keyboard buying experience

Best bass amps 2025: top choice amplification options for bassists
By Chris Corfield last updated
Dive into our best bass amp guide to discover the options that deliver the power and features to suit your low-end needs, whatever your budget

Squier Paranormal Jazzmaster XII review
By Daryl Robertson published
The affordable electric 12-string you never knew you needed

Musician's Friend celebrates in style with up to 40% off big-name brands such as Fender, Alesis, Bose and more
By Daryl Robertson published
Forget Amazon Prime Day, score a sizable discount on guitars, keyboards, drums and more at right now Musician's Friend

Thomann relaunches its stellar Harley Benton anniversary sale by offering 25% off 25 killer guitars, basses and amps for 25 days
By Daryl Robertson published
To honour 25 glorious years of Harley Benton, Thomann has slashed the price of popular models in this epic sale

Looking for a music gear bargain this Labor Day? Here's the 5 best sales for music creators
By Daryl Robertson published
Make your Labor Day a musical one with savings on gear from Fender, Gretsch, KRK, Alesis, Korg and more

Gibson J-45 Standard review
By Daryl Robertson published
Gibson proves the workhorse is every bit as relevant today as it was when it was released over 80 years ago

Fancy a free chorus pedal? Bag the Maestro Comet Chorus completely free with any guitar purchase from the Gibson Reverb Demo Shop
By Daryl Robertson published
The Gibson Demo Shop features one-of-a-kind prototypes, refurbished and modified models, as well as pre-played artist guitars - and you can now bag a FREE pedal as well!

Marshall Studio JTM ST20H 20W head & ST212 cab
By Daryl Robertson published
Marshall proves it still has it with a modern take on a true vintage icon

Metalheads can now score hundreds off Jackson, Strandberg, Schecter, ESP and more in Guitar Center's wicked Metal Mayhem sale
By Daryl Robertson published
Build your dream metal rig for less with sizable discounts on hell-raising electric guitars, thunderous drums and doom-worthy basses at Guitar Center
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