Buying Guide
Everything published on Viyolens under Buying Guide — reviews, buying advice and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
Ableton Move: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Ableton Move is an easy recommendation for the right person. Here's exactly what to check before you spend your money on one.
The Complete Guide to Digital Upright Piano
A digital upright piano brings the elegance and playability of an acoustic upright into the modern era, offering weighted keys, authentic sound and silent practice with headphones—all without constant...
Old Recorder: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying an old recorder requires careful attention to condition, sound quality, and authenticity. This guide covers essential considerations for assessing vintage instruments, understanding price range...
Nearfield Monitors: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Purchasing nearfield studio monitors requires understanding specifications, room acoustics, and sonic character. This comprehensive buying guide helps you select monitors that will deliver professiona...
Common Kawai Mistakes to Avoid
The same handful of avoidable errors turn up again and again when people choose or look after a Kawai. Here they are, and how to sidestep each one.
Make a Bass Guitar: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The spec sheet only tells half the story. Here's what actually matters before you buy a bass guitar.
Drum Throne: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying a drum throne? Know what to test in the shop, how to spot a solid base and padding that lasts, and how much you need to spend for a reliable throne.
Uad: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Native or DSP, Apollo or plug-ins alone, subscription or one-off: the honest, practical guide to what to check before you spend a penny on UAD.
The Best Shure Sm58s for the Money
Every genuine Shure SM58 sounds the same — so here's how to pick the right package for your budget instead of overpaying for extras you don't need.
Bass Cello: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Selecting a bass cello requires specialist knowledge about available instruments, sound qualities, and specialist sources. This guide helps players navigate bass cello acquisition.
In Ear Monitors Moulded: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Moulded in-ear monitors represent a significant investment in audio quality and personal comfort, especially for musicians and audio professionals. Understanding what to prioritise will help you make...
Looper Studio: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Forget the marketing copy. Here's how to actually decide what kind of looper studio setup fits how you work.
500 Series Modules: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Selecting the right 500 series modules for your studio requires understanding gain, impedance, compression types, and power requirements. Here's everything you need to know.
Music Software Reason: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying music production software is a big decision. Our guide walks you through choosing Reason, comparing price tiers, checking compatibility, and avoiding common mistakes.
Akai Mpc One: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The Akai MPC One is affordable, portable, and powerful. This buying guide helps you decide if it suits your production workflow.
The Best British Guitars for the Money
No made-up rankings, just an honest sort of the best British guitars by what you're actually chasing — vintage looks, workshop craft, or that famous amp-driven tone.
Bass Strings 5 String: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Everything worth knowing before you buy a set of five-string bass strings, from tuning and gauge to materials and scale length.
The Best Sibelius for the Money
The best Sibelius for the money isn't the cheapest tier or the priciest — it's the one that matches what you're actually writing.
The Best Tenor Banjos for the Money
No single tenor banjo suits every player — this guide maps the market honestly by tradition, budget and use so you can make the right choice for your situation.
Fretless Bass Guitars: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Every fretless bass is a set of trade-offs between playability, tone and how forgiving it'll be under your fingers — here's how to choose.
Music Keyboard Covers: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A quality music keyboard cover protects your instrument from dust, spills and damage. Learn which types suit different scenarios and what features matter.
Box Of Records: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Choosing the right box of records protects your vinyl collection from damage. This guide covers materials, capacity, structure, and common mistakes to avoid.
Xlr: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Gold pins and thick jackets won't tell you what matters. Here's what actually separates a great XLR cable from an average one, and which names to trust.
Tubular Bells: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A big, heavy, specialist instrument deserves a proper buying checklist. Here's what actually matters before you commit to a set — no sales patter.
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
