Fender or Gibson? We Reviewed A Load of Them...

GD Guitar Nerds!

It has been a minute, hasn’t it? We’ve been off our game. No podcast, no newsletters, no nothing, so apologies for that.

Long story short, Google completely reamed the site: it crushed it, stole our content for its AI Overviews and then basically deindexed most our articles.

And this didn’t just happen to us, millions of independent sites have been destroyed by Google in the past 24 months.

We have been busying testing gear, though, and we’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on a butt-load of Fender and Gibson guitars over the last several months.

Here’s what’s covered in this week’s newsletter:

• 🧠 Fender Player II vs Ultra II — what’s REALLY worth your cash?

• 🔊 Mastering music — do you actually need it? (Short answer: yep.)

• 🕵️‍♂️ 22 frets vs 24? Size does matter.

• 🎛️ DAW dive: Is Studio One your next audio playground?

• 🔥 Gibson SG & Les Paul — full reviews, no BS.

• ⚡ Fender’s latest Tele & Strat lineup dissected with love (and sarcasm)

FENDER FACE-OFF: PLAYER II vs AMERICAN ULTRA II

One's a budget-friendly workhorse aimed at intermediate players. The other? A premium tone machine packed with bleeding-edge tech and boutique finishes. But which Strat actually delivers the most bang for your buck?

In this head-to-head, we put the Player II Strat up against the American Ultra II to see where the real value lies — tonewoods, pickups, neck profile, the works. If you're torn between saving your cash or going full-send, this guide’s for you.

👉 Read the showdown here →

MASTERING MUSIC: DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED IT?

A lot of producers skip mastering, thinking it’s just for “pro studios” or fancy engineers. Truth is? Mastering is the difference between a bedroom demo and a track that sounds radio-ready.

We break down why mastering matters, what it actually does to your music, and how to get results even if you’re broke or working in a DAW you downloaded off Reddit.

Chris has also been working as a professional mastering engineer for 20 years. He put together this PDF download that basically outlines everything he knows, so you can learn what took him nearly two decades in a few hours.

Oh, and the downloadable guide ONLY uses free tools which means no expensive plugins or DAWs.

👉 Learn why mastering matters →

FENDER PLAYER II STRATOCASTER REVIEW

The Player II Stratocaster takes everything people loved about the OG Player and dials it up: new neck profile, rolled fretboard edges, and some very sneaky upgrades under the hood. But it also comes with a price bump — so is it still the budget king?

We ran this axe through the gauntlet: tone tests, build quality checks, and playability verdicts. The results might surprise you…

👉 Get the full verdict →

STILL KING? FENDER PLAYER STRATOCASTER REVIEW

The original Fender Player Stratocaster was the go-to for budget-conscious pros, and gigging weekend warriors. But now that the Player II is on the scene, does the OG still hold up?

This is a deep-dive into one of the most iconic modern Strats on the market — tone, feel, and whether it deserves that #1 spot on your wishlist.

👉 See why it's still a fan-fav →

FENDER AMERICAN ULTRA II HSS STRAT REVIEW

The Ultra II HSS Strat isn’t just flashy, it’s loaded with modern touches that actually matter: compound-radius neck, noiseless pickups, and pro hardware that’ll hold up under serious abuse.

Oh, and that maple top? 🔥

We tested this thing for tone, tuning stability, versatility, and yeah… it might be divine.

👉 Dive into the beast →

GIBSON SG ’61: 15 REASONS YOU NEED ONE

The SG Standard '61 is more than a pretty double-cut face: it’s a snarling, riff-ready beast with tone to spare.

From its slim taper neck to its hot pickups and historic looks, we give you 15 reasons why this axe is still one of the smartest buys in Gibson’s catalog.

If you needed permission to grab one, this is it.

👉 Read the SG love letter →

Gibson SG ’61 REVIEWS: THE TRUTH

The SG '61 has fans everywhere from garage punks to prog gods — but does it live up to the hype?

We spent some quality time with one and found out what it's great at… and what might drive you nuts.

Real talk, no fluff. If you're on the fence about grabbing an SG, start here.

👉 Full SG review here →

Gibson LES PAUL ’60s STANDARD REVIEW

The Les Paul Standard '60s is one of Gibson’s flagship models, rocking that sweet combo of Burstbuckers, AA maple top, and all the weight you love (or hate).

But is it $2K+ good?

We ran it through clean tones, crunchy riffs, and lead lines to see how it holds up. Spoiler: it gets spicy.

👉 Get the LP verdict →

FENDER PLAYER II TELECASTER HH REVIEW

Fender dropped the Player II Tele HH with dual humbuckers, modern features, and a whole new attitude. It’s not your dad’s twang stick anymore — this thing is built for gain and grind.

If you’re into the Tele shape but want something with more bite, this might be the best sleeper guitar of the year.

👉 Read the HH breakdown →

What We’ve Been Listening To This Week

I’ve been extremely ill. There’s some new virus in the UK and it sucks; I’ve had what feels like a mega cold for 2+ weeks now and my head kind of feels like it is constantly on the verge of exploding from pressure.

I have been getting reacquainted with Radiohead, however; the band is on tour at the moment for the first time in ages, so I’ve been working my way through its back catalogue.

OK Computer used to be my go-to, but now I’m more an In Rainbows man. Weird how time changes your tastes.

I also found a whole new level of appreciation for the band’s guitar work, the albums Hail To The Thief and Amnesiac too.

Beyond this, I’ve been loving Blood Incantation’s Everything Everywhere; it’s a heady mix of death metal and Pink Floyd that kind of has to be experienced to be believed.

I think this may well be my favorite metal album of the year (even though it came out in 2024).

I also managed to get my kids into Primus, so that’s been on A LOT during our daily commute to school. Stand out tracks, according to my six year old son, are as follows:

• Tommy The Cat

• Mr Krinkle

• Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers

• My Name is Mud

• Jerry Was A Race Car Driver

I haven’t listened to Primus in years but every time I do I always find myself marvelling at Larry "Ler" LaLonde’s guitar work because in a band that is so heavily focussed on bass and drums, a lesser guitarist would wither on the vine.

But Ler always manages to add something so quintessential to each song that without him it most likely just wouldn’t work at all.

Guy’s a genius, so if you haven’t listened to Primus, I’d seriously advise that you remedy that today and this is probably the best place to start.

I hope you’re all doing well, and to everybody that subscribed recently and hasn’t heard much from us – I apologise!

We’re going to be posting a lot more, so you’ll be hearing a lot more from us!

Peace.

Richard.