Twenty years of teaching guitar has taught me one thing about beginners: nearly everyone tries to learn too many chords too fast. They download a chart with sixty shapes on it, get overwhelmed by week two, and decide they aren’t musical. You don’t need sixty chords. You need eight. Master … Read more
How to Identify Valuable Vintage Japanese Guitars by Serial Number If you’ve picked up a vintage Japanese guitar at a pawn shop, inherited one, or stumbled across a deal on Reverb, you’re sitting on something that may be worth considerably more than you paid, or significantly less, depending on who … Read more
Why Boutique Guitar Builders Are Outselling Major Brands in 2026 Something has shifted in the upper tier of the guitar market. Boutique guitar builders, independent luthiers, and small-batch shops that hand-craft instruments one at a time are capturing demand that Fender and Gibson’s custom shops can’t fully satisfy. Waiting lists … Read more
Why Indonesia Is Replacing Mexico for Mid-Range Guitar Manufacturing Walk into any guitar store today — or scroll through any major retailer’s site — and you’ll notice something has quietly changed on the headstocks and hang tags. More and more mid-range guitars from major brands are stamped “Made in Indonesia.” … Read more