Gift guides and buying guides, picked from our rankings with real prices.
Guides · Oct 21, 2026
Most ukulele players start on a soprano. The best gifts are the next steps: a tenor or baritone, a uke they can plug in, a bass ukulele, or a cheap one to take to the beach.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
A single coil is bright and clear but hums; a humbucker is two coils wired to cancel the hum, thicker and louder. P-90s sit in between. What each sounds like and which guitars use them.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
Most children start on a 1/2 or 3/4 nylon-string guitar, and the label isn't standard: a 1/4 can mean a 44 or a 48 cm scale. The size chart, how to check the fit, and good guitars for each size.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
Start with where you'll use it, then the microphone type, the pickup pattern and finally the character of your voice. Four questions, and picks for each answer.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
Plug straight in and use amp models, or put a microphone in front of an amp. The first is quiet and cheap, the second is the classic sound. What each setup needs.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
The median full-size cello costs about $3,250, a solid-wood student cello starts around $900, and children's sizes cost little less than adult ones. What each step buys.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
A good beginner acoustic costs $200 to $400, half of all acoustics cost less than about $1,120, and the top of the catalog is a Martin sold with a luxury watch. The steps in between.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
Beginner e-kits cost $280 to $600, the median electronic kit is about $2,250, and Roland's flagships pass $5,000. What changes at each step, from rubber pads to mesh and wooden shells.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
Their own microphone instead of the venue's, in-ears that save their hearing, a pedal that sings harmonies with them. 10 gifts for singers, sorted by budget.
Guides · Oct 20, 2026
Headphones that survive a club, a controller for a beginner, a mixer with Bluetooth, a direct-drive turntable. 10 gifts for DJs, sorted by budget.
Guides · Oct 19, 2026
Tube amps sound and respond best when they're loud, solid-state amps are cheap and tough, and modeling amps copy the tubes at any volume. What each costs and who it's for.
Guides · Oct 19, 2026
A dynamic mic hears what's in front of it, a condenser hears the whole room in detail. That one difference decides most choices, and the price gap is fivefold.
