James Harrison
James learned guitar in a cold Leeds practice room and taught himself to fix his own gear when he couldn't afford to replace it. That DIY instinct became a lifelong obsession with how instruments are built and why some just feel right. He writes buying guides and gear features for players who want the honest version, not the sales pitch.
Articles by James Harrison
Electro Acoustic Ukulele: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying the right electro acoustic ukulele means understanding pickup quality, preamp features, and body construction. This guide helps you choose an instrument for amplified playing and recording.
Box Sets Vinyl: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Vinyl box sets require thoughtful purchasing. Understand content value, audio quality specifications, packaging considerations, price tiers, and common pitfalls before investing.
Les Paul Junior Explained: Features, Types and Tips
A single P-90 and a wraparound bridge — the Les Paul Junior was designed as a budget instrument and ended up being one of the most direct-sounding guitars Gibson ever made.
Mxr Guitar Effects: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Choosing the right MXR guitar effects doesn't have to be overwhelming. This buyer's guide covers specs, price ranges, compatibility, and practical tips for selecting effects that match your needs.
Bass Case: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Selecting a bass case requires understanding protection standards, size fit, and build quality. This guide reveals exactly what to look for and common mistakes to avoid.
Free Sample Packs: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Finding good free sample packs is possible—but watch out for licensing traps and low-quality sources. Here's exactly where to look and what to check.
The Best Paiste Cymbals for the Money
Paiste covers every budget from student sets to hand-finished professional cymbals — here's which tier delivers the most for what you pay.
Laney Amplifiers: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Laney amplifiers deliver excellent value and tone across their entire lineup. This buyer's guide helps you navigate series, wattage, and features to choose the right Laney amp for your playing style a...
The Complete Guide to Bass Guitar Practice Amp
A bass guitar practice amp is a low-wattage combo amplifier designed for quiet home rehearsal, offering authentic speaker feedback without disturbing neighbours.
Autotune Mic: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Pairing autotune with the wrong microphone produces obvious, artificial-sounding pitch correction. This buyer's guide explains microphone specifications crucial for autotune work, compares price brack...
The Complete Guide to Electric Bass And Amp
Electric bass and amp systems form the foundation of modern rhythm sections, delivering the low-frequency power and control essential to contemporary music production.
Wireless Microphone System: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical guide to selecting the right wireless microphone system for your needs, covering frequency bands, specifications, performance factors, and budget considerations.
Guitar Bags for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Choosing the right guitar bag means protecting your instrument and making transport effortless. Here's what you need to know before buying.
Fender Acoustic Bass: A Complete Buyer's Guide
When buying a Fender acoustic bass, you're choosing a specialised instrument for unplugged play and studio warmth. This guide helps you make the right choice.
Keyboard Piano Cover for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Keyboard piano covers prevent dust damage and accidents. This beginner's guide covers cover types, proper fitting, materials, and the importance of consistent keyboard maintenance.
Cymbals Explained: Features, Types and Tips
What cymbals are made of, the main types you will meet on a kit, and a few honest tips for choosing wisely — no sales pitch, just the useful stuff.
The Complete Guide to Fender Guitar Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster is one of the most influential electric guitars ever made. Discover its history, distinctive tone, construction, and why it remains a professional standard.
Beats Headphone Blue: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Beats headphone blue offer bold design and warm, bass-heavy sound. This guide helps you decide if they justify their premium price and suit your listening style.
Guiro Music Instrument: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Gourd, wood, plastic, fiberglass, metal, handled or palm-held — here's how to actually choose a guiro that suits what you play.
Bass Lessons: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Bass lessons come in five main formats with different costs, benefits, and tradeoffs. This guide shows you how to choose the format that actually works for your learning style and budget.
Pedal Keyboard: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A pedal keyboard fundamentally changes what organists and keyboard players can accomplish. Rather than relying solely on hand positions, pedal keyboard systems enable independent bass lines, polyphoni...
The Complete Guide to Guitar Pedal Amp
A guitar pedal amp combines professional amplification and effects processing in a pedalboard-friendly format. These innovative devices democratise access to sophisticated tonal control, perfect for p...
Tape Emulation Plugin: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying a tape emulation plugin is confusing because quality varies wildly at different price points. This guide covers specs that matter, common pitfalls, and how to test before committing.
What James Harrison covers
Acoustic Guitar
An acoustic guitar is a versatile steel-string instrument for strumming, fingerstyle, songwriting and live performance.
23 topics
Electric Guitar
A versatile amplified instrument for rhythm, lead and genre-spanning performance, from clean tones to high-gain sounds.
27 topics
Fender Stratocaster
The fender stratocaster is a versatile electric guitar known for bright tones, comfort and wide genre appeal.
8 topics
Guitar Guitar
Guitar guitar is a broad category for instruments and accessories suited to players at every level and style.
Guitar Tuners
Reliable tuning hardware for acoustic, electric and bass guitars, with options for upgrades, replacements and classic re...
1 topic
Music Accessories
Essential music accessories for UK musicians: instrument cases, stands, cables, straps, tuners, metronomes, and instrume...
75 topics
Sheet Music & Learning
Your guide to sheet music, scores, music theory books, and graded exam resources for UK musicians — from beginner method...
54 topics
Stratocaster
Iconic double-cut electric guitars with versatile tones, comfortable contours and wide appeal across many genres.
21 topicsPopular topics
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Index- Guitars 1,525
- Pianos & Keyboards 491
- Drums & Percussion 278
- Orchestral Strings 76
- Wind & Woodwind 97
- Brass Instruments 70
- Folk & World Instruments 108
- Studio Recording 484
- Music Software & DAWs 250
- DJ & Electronic Production 199
- Live Sound & PA 143
- Music Accessories 165
- Sheet Music & Learning 63
- Music Genres 285
- Music News & Industry 246
- Hi-Fi & Home Audio 64
- Artists & Bands 39