Music buyer’s guides

Sennheiser in ear monitors on a lit up dj controller

Best budget in-ear monitors 2022: our favourite cheap in-ears for all musicians

By Chris Corfield published 23 June 22

Our pick of the best budget in-ear monitors for practice and performance – from $99/£75

Tech

Four acoustic guitars on a grey and white background

Best acoustic guitars 2022: 15 top acoustics for all players and budgets

By Chris Bird published 21 June 22

Expert buying advice and recommendations for the best acoustic guitars at every price point

Guitars

Fender Tone Master Deluxe guitar combo amp on an orange background

Best combo amps 2022: all the tone you’ll ever need in one package

By James Farmer published 16 June 22

Explore our choice of the very best combos on the market from the biggest brands in the business, including a range of the best combo amps under $500/£500

Guitars

Best home studio mixers 2022: analogue and digital mixing desks for all budgets

By Si Truss published 10 June 22

We pick the top compact consoles for home recording, production, podcasting and more

Tech

Grand Piano on a stage in an empty theatre

Best piano VSTs 2022: the best plugins to get the most authentic sound

By Andy Jones published 9 June 22

Get the best piano sound without shelling out thousands for the real thing - options from Native Instruments, Spitfire Audio and more

Tech

Man in a white t-shirt plays a Yamaha DTX6 electronic drum set with a pair of black ProMark sticks

Best Yamaha e-kits 2022: top electronic drum sets from Yamaha for beginner, intermediate and pro drummers

By Chris Barnes published 8 June 22

Our experts will help you find the right Yamaha electronic drum kit for you

Drums

Home studio setup with a laptop running AmpliTube

Best guitar VSTs 2022: guitar plugins and software to supercharge your guitar recordings

By Chris Corfield published 6 June 22

Elevate your sound in the studio with our pick of the best guitar VSTs for guitarists

Guitars

Closeup of the pickup and fingerboard of the Epiphone EB-0 bass guitar in cherry red

Best beginner bass guitars 2022: 9 epic beginner basses for all

By Chris Corfield published 6 June 22

Get started with the best beginner bass guitars from Yamaha, Squier, Ibanez, Sterling and others, with cheap beginner basses starting from just $199/£179

Guitars

Best budget signature guitars 2022: sound like your guitar heroes for less

By Chris Bird published 1 June 22

From a PRS for Mark Tremonti fans to a Slash-approved Epiphone, these are the best cheap signature guitars around

Guitars

Gift box adorned with a blue bow on a dark wooden floor

Best gifts for musicians 2022: 31 affordable present ideas for music-makers (which they'll actually use)

By Matt Parker published 1 June 22

Shopping for a drummer, guitarist, DJ, producer or content creator? Here’s some gift inspiration for the muso in your life

Tech

A collection of single and double Tama Iron Cobra pedals on a silver corrugated metal sheet

Best bass drum pedals 2022: 11 single and double bass pedals for every budget

By Stuart Williams published 27 May 22

Drummers, put your best foot forward with our guide to choosing the best bass drum pedal for you, with options from DW, Pearl, Tama and others

Drums

Best digital pianos for beginners 2022: start playing with authentic sounds and feel

By Dave Clews published 27 May 22

If an acoustic piano is too big and loud for your home, or you’re just getting started, a digital piano is the perfect choice

Tech

Close up on a pair of studio monitors in the studio

Best studio monitors 2022: 15 budget-spanning studio speakers for musicians and producers

By Andy Jones published 25 May 22

Our guide to the best studio monitor speakers for home recording, whether you’re a beginner or pro producer – including Yamaha, IK Multimedia, Focal and more

Tech

Best DIY guitar pedal kits 2022: from fuzz to delay, this is our pick of the ultimate self-assembly pedal kits

Best DIY guitar pedal kits 2022: from fuzz to delay, this is our pick of the ultimate self-assembly pedals

By Daryl Robertson published 25 May 22

With these options from StewMac, Zvex and Amazon you have the ability to handcraft your dream guitar tone

Best high-end guitar amps 2022: our pick of the best, for experts and pro players

By James Farmer published 24 May 22

Find the best premium guitar amps, heads and combos for rock, metal, blues and beyond

Guitars

Best cheap microphones 2022: featuring budget microphones for studio and stage

By Chris Corfield published 24 May 22

Record instruments or vocals, make a podcast or boost live performances with our pick of the best budget microphones around

Tech

Best synthesizers 2022: top keyboards, modules and semi-modular synths

By Chris Corfield published 22 May 22

From cheap monosynths to the best high-end polysynths, we've got the best synthesizers for every budget

Tech

Fuzz Factory pedal surrounded by other guitar pedals and cables

Best fuzz pedals 2022: put some extra dirt in your guitar tone

By Michael Astley-Brown published 17 May 22

Our pick of the best fuzzboxes for expanding your guitar effects collection

Guitars

Closeup of the Orange Micro Dark head on top of a flightcase

Best budget guitar amps under $500/£500 2022: top cheap amps for smaller budgets

By Chris Corfield published 17 May 22

We showcase some of the best cheap tube and digital modelling guitar amp heads and combos, for all playing styles

Guitars

A set of well used drumsticks on a snare drum

Best drumsticks 2022: wooden and synthetic sticks for beginner and pro drummers

By Chris Barnes published 17 May 22

Everything you need to choose the right drumsticks for your own budget and drumming style

Drums