Blogs
What is the difference between a humbucker and single coil Electric Guitar Pickup
So what is the difference between a Humbucker and a Single Coil? How did pickup design all start? The first commercial pickup design went into mass production in 1932 by the company that would end up becoming Rickenbacker Guitars. Many people had experimented with pickup design, Les Paul (the inventor of the famous Les Paul Gibson... Read more
How to Keep your Guitar Nut working at its best
One of our good customers was asking me recently about how to solve a nut issue on a 12 string How do I stop my 12 string guitar snapping the High G string each time I tune it up? We have 2 different things that really help this issue 1. Change your high G to a 9 gauge - We find that by... Read more
How to choose a guitar that fits your sound
This is one of our most asked questions - How to choose the right guitar for a particular sound Guitars come in all different shapes and sizes, and personally I wish I could have them all at home for when I needed them (but I only live in a small apartment so it’s not very practical) The first step in choosing a... Read more
How to match bass or guitar amplifier heads heads to other brand speaker boxes?
So there are 2 things you need to consider when you match a speaker head and an amplifier. Power handling (How many Watts it can handle) and impedance. Wattage is pretty easy and most people understand it, but impedance is a little tricky. I like to think of impedance of like being the gears in your car, the lower the impedance (say 4ohms) is like running your car in first gear,... Read more
Why a bone nut & saddle improves your tone
So today we answer another one of the common questions in our recent survey Tell me more about the materials on your guitars - what makes them different, and how can I set up my guitar to play better? One of the key factors that make our solid top guitars sound so good is the bone nut and saddle. For any guitar, you want t... Read more
21 Reasons Why YOU Should Learn Guitar...
Thinking about learning an instrument? At The Ultimate Guitar Academy , we believe you should choose GUITAR! Here's why... ... Read more
Why you should always keep your Guitar in-tune and your neck straight
Should I remove my strings if I’m leaving my guitar for a long time, or planning on taking a flight? The answer to this is a very strong " NO !". Most guitars have a truss rod, which is a long metal bar inside the neck that changes the bend of the neck, or keeps it straight. In many guitars, it only works one way (to straighten a... Read more
Choosing your first guitar – What to consider
Choosing your first guitar is something that is extremely important and also very confusing. A guitar player of many years has learnt about all the subtle differences and knows exactly what they want to do but beginners need help. Unfortunately the right advice can be hard to find. So here are a few key points to consider; 1. Body Size and Neck size and weight Es... Read more
How to Choose the correct sized Violin
Choosing the right vioin can be difficult when faced with so many size options. First you need to ask yourself a cou... Read more
Classical Nylon string vs Steel String Acoustic: Whats the difference?
What is the difference between a Nylon String and a steel string guitar? To start, the difference in tonality between classical or flamenco (nylon strings) guitars and that of a steel string acoustic guitar exists solely for the application that they are going to be used for. If you play a song on either nylon strings or steel string, the song always remains the same, but it is its... Read more
Flatwound Bass Strings
Ever wondered what the deal is with Flatwound strings? Who would use a set of strings that cost so much more than regular roundwounds? If you like the classic old school, vintage double bass sound, then these strings could be for you. Traditionally used for jazz and blues styles of music, they're now popular in the indie world and bands who are chasing the classic sound of 50's Rock n... Read more
Artist Guitars UK
After operating in Australia and New Zealand for nearly 15 years, we're very excited to announce the next chapter of the Artist Guitars story. Artist Guitars UK is open for business!... Read more
How to Check if Your Guitar Amp or Lead are Faulty
Got trouble hearing your guitar through your amp? Troubleshooting signal loss can be tricky if you don't know what to check, and it can be hard to tell if the problem is with the amp, the guitar or the lead. Step 1 is always to isolate the signal as much as possible, so remove any effects pedals in your chain then try the following. First, you'll need to check yo... Read more
Thomas Blug: A few of his favourite things
Tell us about your career till now? I'm a professional guitarist and amp-designer for almost 30 years now. I played in many different bands in Germany and all over Europe, released 5 Solo Albums,... Read more
Custom Artist Guitars
Here's a series of hot-rodded Artist Guitars. We'll be adding to this so check back in from time to time to see the latest works of art! AG505 5 String Bass - Fretless conversion: By Cameron Hopcroft. Before: ... Read more
How to setup a portable music stand
These can be tricky to setup if you haven't done it before, so don't beat yourself up if you can't figure it out. Whatever you do, don't force it open and bend the struts. This will reduce the life of your stand and make it harder to setup in future. The simplest way to remember how to setup your portable music stand is Long Arms Up, Short Arms Down . Or, as... Read more
NuX Cerberus Firmware Update - 2019
DOWNLOADS: Windows: Cerberus Firmware & Editor Software Mac: ... Read more
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" Keith Richards' Sound Revealed?
Have you ever wondered how Keith Richards gets that great rhythm guitar sound? You certainly wouldn't be the only one. Questions like what type of guitar was used, how Keith gets the strings to sound the way that they do or what type of tuning is being employed have buzzed around the global guitar-playing community for years. For decades, so many guitarists worldwide have played a v... Read more
What is a Multiscale Guitar?
Simply put, a multi scale guitar is a guitar with multiple scale le... Read more
What Strings are on your Artist Guitar?
When buying a new guitar it is important to know what to expect. We use a variety of strings on our guitars, and to get the best from your instrument we always recommend fitting new strings and doing a proper set-up on any new guitar. This guide will help you if you're looking to replace your strings with a similar gauge or material to those provided, and can give you some idea of what kind of... Read more
Pickups in Artist Guitars
We use a variety of pickups in our different styles of guitars, and we have a large range of tonal options in our line-up! This page will help you with technical information and specifications on the different pickups we use in each model, and can help if you wanted to change pickups or wanted more information about what is installed in your guitar. Keep in mind that every picku... Read more
5 Top Tips for Electric Guitar Maintenance
Just like any quality instrument, your new electric guitar is a tool that will last you many years of enjoyment and creativity if cared for properly. Taking good care of your gear and observing a few general upkeep practices is the best way to extend the life of your instrument, plus your guitar will play and feel better. Neglecting to clean and take care of your gear can cause... Read more
7 Top Tips for Acoustic and Classical Guitar Maintenance
Our acoustic and classical guitars are made with high-quality materials and construction, so if looked after and maintained well you can enjoy your new instrument for many years. Taking good care of your gear and observing a few general upkeep practices is the best way to extend the life of your instrument, plus your guitar will play and feel better. Neglecting to clean and take... Read more