Buying Guide
Everything published on Viyolens under Buying Guide — reviews, buying advice and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
The Complete Guide to Taylor Electric Acoustic
Taylor electric acoustic guitars combine authentic acoustic tone with integrated amplification for live performance and recording flexibility.
Digitech: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Digitech isn't selling you a pedal, it's selling a specific piece of pitch magic. Here's how to work out which one is actually yours.
Chapman Stick: A Complete Buyer's Guide
One player sounding like a full band still gets me every time. Here's how to actually choose the right Chapman Stick.
English Horn Cor Anglais: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying an English horn involves understanding bore size, keywork complexity, reed compatibility and price tiers. This practical guide helps you navigate student, intermediate and professional models s...
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.
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...
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
Explorer Bass Guitar: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The Explorer bass guitar looks distinctive but isn't for everyone. This buying guide explains what to check, pitfalls to avoid, and whether an Explorer suits your needs.
Vinyl Record Slipmat: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Need a vinyl record slipmat? This buyer's guide covers materials (felt, paper, specialty), friction levels, performance impact, and how to match slipmats to your needs.
The Complete Guide to Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphones
Large diaphragm condenser microphones are studio recording standards for vocal performance and acoustic instruments. Learn how they work and which characteristics matter for your recording setup.
Roland Synthesizer: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Roland makes an enormous range of instruments — here is how to work out which one is actually right for you.
Electric Guitar Bag: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Roland 2000: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying a Roland 2000? This guide covers specifications, vintage alternatives, price tiers, and what to check before investing in Roland 2000 equipment.
Flatwound Bass Strings: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Flatwound bass strings vary more within their category than most players expect. Here's how to navigate the choices — from traditional dark sets to modern flexible designs.
Gretsch White Falcon Guitar: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Falling for a Gretsch White Falcon is easy — buying the right one takes a bit more care. Here's what to check before you hand over the money.
Presonus Eris 3.5: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The PreSonus Eris 3.5 suits specific home studio requirements well. This guide helps you decide whether it matches your needs or whether a different monitor would serve you better.
The Best Oboe Instruments for the Money
No fake benchmarks, just an honest tier-by-tier look at where your money is best spent, from a first composite model to a full professional instrument.
Portable Cd Player: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Everything worth checking before buying a portable CD player, from disc compatibility and Bluetooth to charging, outputs and second-hand pitfalls.
Stick Bag: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A stick bag is a small purchase with a big practical impact. Knowing what to look for — capacity, material, strap quality, pocket layout — saves you from buying twice.
Buying Guide is filed under
All topics
Epiphone
Accessible guitars with classic styling, covering electrics, acoustics and semi-hollows for players at every level.
28 topics
Epiphone Les Paul
Classic single-cut electrics with thick tone, long sustain and strong appeal for rock, blues and lead players.
5 topics
ESP
High-performance electric guitars with fast playability, strong output and a bold look suited to rock and metal.
Fender
Fender guitars and related instruments trusted for classic design, tone and versatility.
51 topics
Fender Stratocaster
The fender stratocaster is a versatile electric guitar known for bright tones, comfort and wide genre appeal.
8 topics
Fender Telecaster
The fender telecaster delivers bright, punchy electric guitar tone with dependable playability for stage and studio use.
11 topics
Kids Guitar
Scaled-down guitars for younger players, with comfortable sizes that make learning easier and more enjoyable.
Les Paul
Iconic solid-body electrics known for sustain, thick tone and a classic rock and blues feel.
14 topics
