Before we start, I have a confession. Back when I first began pestering my Mum and Dad to buy me a guitar, I was bought a basic model travel guitar from a cheap local music shop. After about a week of play it, I hated it and refused to practice on it, instead borrowing my friends Squier Stratocaster. Now some 11 years on, I meet my old enemy. But this time things were different...much different.

The Hofner Shorty Electric Travel Guitar was nothing like my schoolboy nemesis. Sure it’s a low cost Chinese import but it doesn’t really show. It has a nice basswood neck, the body is finished well comes with decent gig bag and cable.

It does feel a little weird as the balance is off compared to a normal electric guitar and can be a bit awkward to play at first. It took me some time to get used to it.
Where it really gets interesting is when you start to play. It sounds much better than I expected. The humbucker is loud and bright, and has to be one of the most responsive guitars I’ve played especially at this price range. Throw on a few pedals and you’d be amazed at the tone that you can produce. After a bit of fiddling I even managed to run a few riffs and licks in a clean 60’s tone that I love.

The action on the strings is tremendous and the pickup is just as good, so feel free to put your shredding hat on and go for it. From sheer play-ability, and tonality aspect, the Hofner is miles ahead of its counterparts.

I didn’t think I would ever say this about a travel guitar but I genuinely love the Hofner Shorty. Not because it is easy to travel with but because out of all the guitars in this sort of price range I've ever played, I’ve never played anything that sounds as good and plays as well as the Hofner Shorty. Quite simply, the Hofner does the job it was designed to do and it does it well.  

If you are in the market for a low cost travel electric guitar, that sounds great, offers a nice bright tone and not just “another guitar”, you have to check out the Hofner Shorty Travel Guitar model, a great axe for the intrepid travellers amongst us.

If we are being 100% honest, you are probably not that excited about buying a guitar tuner pedal but let me tell you something. Step one of sounding awesome, is to get your gear set up and in tune. A pedal tuner really is one piece of kit you need in your life. "Okay" I hear you say..."so which is the best pedal tuner?" Well if only it were that simple. There are a whole host of pedals available...but here we’re going to talk about the 3 guitar tuner pedals widely regarded as the best around.

Boss TU-3 Compact Chromatic Tuner

The Boss TU-3 tuner can be seen on stages everywhere. Boss are widely known for having legendary stomp pedal quality and is certainly built to last. Housed in a tank-tough stompbox body, the TU-3 has a bright LED meter that really does well against glare, even outdoors.

On really nice feature is the Accu-Pitch Sign function which provides a nice virtual “thumbs up” when tuning is done.

TC Electronic Polytune

A successor to the extremely popular original Polytune, The TC Electronic Polytune Mini has a great advantage of being one of the smallest pedal tuners on the market so you can be sure it’s going to fit on even the most cramped pedalboard. The top reason of using a polyphonic tuner like the TC Mini is that it allows you to strum all 6 strings and instantly see which is out of tune. Though the pedal is tiny, it does have the drawback of being unable to be battery powered due to its compact size.

Korg Pitchblack Chromatic

The Korg Pitchblack chromatic pedal tuner, with large LED display, is my personal tuner of choice and a must-have item for the serious guitarist or bassist. The combination of high precision tuning, excellent display and advanced functionality make it an easy choice for me. Featuring a tough aluminium die cast body, you know this pedal was built to last. Another great feature is the tuning guide that indicates whether your instrument is sharp or flat so you are always able to tune quickly and accurately on stage.

Whichever pedal tuner you choose has to be the right fit for you and your style. Check out the tuners above and let us know your thoughts.

The age of the digital DJ is now, and with huge forward leaps made in the past few years the quality of computer DJing hardware is continuing to rise. In this, the latest Instrumania review, we’re going to take a look at the Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S4, which despite being released over a year ago, still offers a simple, one-stop solution to laptop DJs.

The Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S4 package contains everything the modern day computer DJ could need, except of course for the laptop! The all in one four deck software, controller and audio interface system is based on tried and tested Native Instruments technology. The Tracktor Kontrol S4 also comes with the benefit of Pro S4 software, along with new sample decks and a live loop recorder, which enables users to edit and record loops on the fly for a creative DJ experience.

What made the Kontrol S4 so exciting was its standing as the first 4-deck controller built by Native Instruments for its popular Traktor Pro platform. The addition of the Traktor Pro S4, designed specifically for integration with the Kontrol S4, ensures a smooth and intuitive operation. The most significant difference with the Tracktor Kontrol S4 is the addition of two sample/loop decks that can stand in for the 3rd and 4th track decks, along with a loop recorder that includes layered recording for live improvisation.

These two key additions have taken the Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S4 from strength to strength, and with dedicated control systems which offer both responsive and smooth control, usability is assured when operating faders or implementing filter sweeps and effects tweaks. The S4 is also not currently compatible with DVS systems yet, although Native Instruments say this feature will be introduced soon. 

Drawbacks of the Kontrol S4 include the fact that operating on USB bus power alone is not recommended due to dim LEDs. Some users may also still prefer to have a supplemental grid controller. Price is currently at the higher end of the spectrum that most laptop DJs will be willing to pay, which is not tempered due to the lack of a price break for licensed Traktor Pro users. However, with admirable integration between hardware and software, the Kontrol S4, whilst not trying to be all things to all DJs, is closer to that than many other products which have been developed with ubiquity as their sole intention.    

In an ideal world where money were no object, professional and beginner keyboard players alike would sit proudly in front of this elegant, beautifully crafted piece of art, tapping melodically away at its 88 keys. It is a pleasure to be able to review an instrument that not only produces an incredible sound but also looks every inch the part. 

For serious musicians the Korg SV-1 Black is an absolute joy to play. In our experience it is not very often an instrument actually lives up to the hype; in this case all hype is surpassed. The RH3 Real Weighted Hammer Action is the finest keybed Korg offers, with a solid, responsive feel that leaves you in complete control. Unlike much of the competition, there is no need to stare at complex displays with numerous banks and programs. The SV-1’s entire front panel is permanently live, allowing you to fine tune your sound as you play. The entire system has been designed for user simplicity; saving your eight favourite settings for quick recall could not be easier.

The styling of the SV-1 Black is a major selling point with the retro curves reflecting the look and feel of the original instruments. If it’s an elegant, even sophisticated on stage presence you’re after, if you can’t create it with the SV-1 Black, you really have no chance at all. Even the controls are designed with a retro-style in mind! To see this vintage keyboard is to play it, and once you start you will not be able to stop. 

The sounds produced by the SV-1 Black originate from organs, strings, synths, electric pianos and acoustic pianos, offering some truly distinct sounds which defined eras. It is impossible to generate some of these sounds on any other keyboard. Each of the instruments has been accurately sampled at a wide range of velocities, including tine, key-off, damper and hammer noises. The attention to detail is so great that even piano cabinet resonances have been sampled, which further improves the accuracy of the instruments.

To surmise, the Korg SV-1 Black offers a cost-effective, reliable and economical method of collecting a wide variety of vintage instruments, without having to store them securely and ensure they all receive equal playing time. If you’re looking to recreate the sounds of German and Japanese grand pianos, mono pianos for smaller gigs or a 70s and 80s Japanese electro-acoustic, you will not regret opting for the Korg SV-1.   

A lot of you might not know this interesting fact, but Kurt Cobain played guitar and happened to be the lead singer for a band called Nirvana. Though Nirvana achieved a bit of success back in the early 90's, Cobain has now been commemorated with a reissue by Fender of his 1965 Jaguar, one of the few guitars he didn't smash up on stage.

Kurt Cobain bought his infamous left-handed '65 Jaguar second-hand and became his main guitar during the band’s “Nevermind” touring era. Kurt's guitar featured substantial modifications, carried out by its previous owner, which Fender has incorporated on the tribute model.

These include DiMarzio PAF and DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions respectively, as well as a second volume control, a black three-position toggle switch and black chrome Gotoh bridge.

The combination of the DiMarzio humbuckers and the unusual wiring setup gives the Fender a completely unique sound especially when compared to other Fender models. The DiMarzio humbuckers give the Jag a touch of added sustain in comparison to Fender’s usual signature axes but you can really push out some other distortion types other than grunge. In the style of Cobain himself, the Fender Jaguar gives an abrasive, aggressive and unapologetically raw sound.

Personally, my favourite feature is the Cobain inspired Stratocaster-esque headstock, complete with 'spaghetti' Fender logo, which was not in commission back in ‘65 but further adding to the authenticity to Kurt's Jaguar. Due to it being a tribute guitar, the Road-Worn aged finish and hardware treatment have been knocked up a notch.

Fender isn’t new to artificially aging it’s guitars but the Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar is particularly impressive. The level of detail is impeccable on almost every aspect, to the point of jamming dirt into the dents in the pickup screws. Regardless of your thoughts of artificial aging on guitars, Fender has done this so well that every bump, groove and scratch looks authentic.

The fact that the Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar is Mexican made is probably the only real “unauthentic” attribute of the tribute. With a great sound, an impressively aged body and a truly unique playing experience, Fender have done a fantastic job of commemorating Generation X’s most missed rock legend.