Personally, I find that one of the most inspiring guitar tones to play through is a tube amp just on the edge of breaking up. There’s something truly magical about a combo that hovers between clean and distorted, coaxing out some of my best playing - and that’s exactly the experience Fender’s latest stompbox aims to deliver.

Introducing the Breakup Drive, which is the newest member of Fender's ever-growing Hammertone series. This unassuming JFET-based overdrive pedal has been expertly crafted to replicate the dynamic response of cooking tubes right at the brink of saturation, giving you that coveted touch-sensitive feel that many of us guitarists crave.

With a simple trio of knobs for Volume, Tone, and Gain, this pedal is a pretty straightforward affair. That said, there is a little more going on than it may first appear. On the face of the pedal, you’ll discover a small switch for choosing between two distinct clipping modes, light breakup, and medium-gain overdrive. Plus, a switchable pre-gain mid boost ensures your tone slices through even the densest of band mixes with ease.

The Breakup Drive features a soft-touch relay true bypass switch that automatically engages bypass mode when no power is detected, and the in/out is served by a pair of top-mounted jacks. Encased in a rugged, road-ready aluminum enclosure, this pedal is designed to operate with power supplies ranging from 9V to 18V – plug in an 18V supply and you’ll unlock an additional 6dB of headroom.

Specs

• Launch price: $104.99 | £75.99 | €89
• Type: Overdrive
• Controls: Drive, Tone, Level, Type, Mids
• Features: Two selectable JFET-based dynamic clipping stages and switchable between flat response or pre-drive mid boost
• Connectivity: Input and Output
• Bypass: True bypass
• Power: 9-18V DC
• Dimensions: D 2.44" (62mm) X H4.4" (112mm) X L 4.4" (112mm)
• Weight: 0.5 lbs (0.23kg)
• Contact: Fender

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★☆

When it comes to build quality, the Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive certainly lives up to expectations set by its industrial-looking aesthetic. The pedal feels practically bomb-proof – and most certainly stomp-proof.

Like the other pedals in the Hammertone line, the switches and knobs operate smoothly, and the footswitch engages with a satisfying click.

That said, while the rugged design is undoubtedly practical, I do find the aesthetics a bit lacking. The hammered metal look that gives this Fender series its name is quite utilitarian, and personally, I find it to be less attractive compared to other options on the market. The grey enclosure, with the basic "Breakup Drive" font and plastic royal blue controls feel uninspired, and as I find out, the looks don't reflect the performance elsewhere.

Of course, functionality is always paramount when it comes to stompboxes, but a more visually appealing design could elevate the overall impression of this otherwise solidly built pedal.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★★★

The Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive is definitely trying to keep things simple – it's truly plug-and-play at its finest. This rugged pedal is designed with simplicity in mind, allowing me to dial in a convincing blues tone in mere seconds. With only three knobs and two switches to navigate, there are no hidden surprises or intricate settings to unravel; everything is clearly labeled, and exactly where it should be.

The user-friendly layout of the Hammertone is a breath of fresh air in a sea of over-engineered gear. Okay, I may have bemoaned the look of the knobs earlier, but from a practical standpoint, amp-style controls do actually feel great under my fingers and are also large and easily readable from a distance – even for someone as short-sighted as me! This means I can make adjustments mid-performance, even on the dimmest stages.

For me, the pedal's simplicity is its greatest strength. In a world brimming with pedals that offer endless tweakability and an overwhelming number of internal dip switches, it’s refreshing to plug into a straightforward drive that champions no-nonsense tone.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

Okay, so now to tone – arguably the most important part of any stompbox. Straight off the bat, I'll say the Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive impressively captures the essence of a lightly overdriven tube amp.

Pairing the pedal with my favorite Telecaster – an AVRI '64 – and a Fender Blues Junior set as clean as possible, with a touch of reverb, I found both drive modes to be solid contenders for always-on applications. There is a warmth to this pedal that is genuinely satisfying to play through.

Out of the two modes, I leaned toward the more overdriven setting, which delivered a richer, more dynamic presence, in my opinion. Maybe it's the rocker in me, but I preferred having more saturation on tap, as I could always back off my volume to get the cleaner sound of the first mode, anyway.

Now, I did encounter a slight hiccup with this pedal. I found the mid boost feature to be a touch nasal, which detracted from the overall warmth and smoothness that I'd hoped for. Is it a bad tone? No, certainly not. It just wasn't really to my taste. Perhaps a Q control, which allows you to tweak the frequency of the boost, would have been a nice addition so you could better tailor the pedal to your amp.

That said, ultimately, the Breakup Drive holds its own, perfectly blending simplicity with solid performance, making it a worthwhile addition for those seeking that classic drive sound without a convoluted setup.

Verdict

The Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive is a solid and straightforward overdrive pedal that manages to effectively mimic the characteristics of a slightly overdriven tube amp, all for a very reasonable price.

The pedal's rugged build feels sturdy and well put together, although its utilitarian aesthetic may not appeal to everyone.

Sound-wise, it more than delivers on the promise, with a dynamic tone that is perfectly suited to blues. However, the mid boost can feel a bit pokey, which may not suit every player’s taste.

Guitar World verdict: Okay, so the Hammertone Breakup Drive might not win any beauty contests, but don’t let its modest appearance fool you; this pedal is all about delivering a killer tone. Rugged and competitively priced, it captures the essence of a cranked-up tube amp with surprising accuracy.

Also try

Hands-on videos

Fender

Herrera has injected what the firm calls his “relentlessly DIY spirit” into this Artist Series StingRay Bass, and it’s an instrument stripped down to the raw essentials. It comes three years after a Ernie Ball Music Man signature run was limited to just 10 models.

A jabon body joins a hard maple neck and 21-fret fingerboard. Hardware includes a fixed bridge, a single passive ceramic humbucker for “punchy tone and road-tested reliability,” and open gear tuners.

The bass has one volume knob for functionality, and two dummy knobs that pay homage to Herrera's minimalist wiring preference without impacting the aesthetic heritage of the StingRay. It's punk, but it's also respectful of a widely adored instrument.

Its Orange Creamsicle finish also nods to the bass's early hue, with a color-matched headstock and a graphic pickguard that references the band’s Pokinatcha LP to complete its look.

“The result,” Ernie Ball says, “is a punk rock workhorse built for players who value simplicity, style, and stage-ready performance.”

“This is the bass I’ve wanted to make for years,” says Herrera. “After playing a StingRay for over two decades, I know exactly what I need from it. This Sterling bass sounds exactly like a StingRay should, with a look and color that’s instantly recognizable in a crowd.”

This being a Sterling by Music Man, the Mike Herrera Artist Series StingRay Bass costs just $449.99.

Head to Sterling by Music Man for more.

Herrera previously told Bass Player that his music career has been full of valuable lessons.

The drop follows the long-awaited Sterling version of Rabea Massaad’s signature Sabre guitar. The British virtuoso signed with Ernie Ball in 2023, and his well-spec'd Music Man Sabre launched at NAMM 2024.

The old adage goes, “If you want great, vintage bass tone, change your bass strings approximately half as regularly as you change your bank account”. Or something like that.

Indeed, Motown legend, James Jamerson was famous for rarely changing his strings, claiming “the gunk keeps the funk”, and he wasn’t alone.

Countless bassists prefer the sound of well-played strings that have long lost the high-end sizzle and bright attack of a pack-fresh set. Americana session player, Bonnie Whitmore told Guitar World in 2021, “I'm one of those bassists who never changes their strings, and when I do, I rub bacon fat on them to deaden them!”

But, what if you don’t have years of time or would prefer not to be reminded of cured meats every time you play, there is another way: flatwound strings.

Another player who has been a longterm convert to flatwounds is Pino Palladino, who you’re probably familiar with from his work with, well…everyone. Most recently, Pino announced that he's teamed-up with Ernie Ball to release a signature set of flatwounds: Ernie Ball Pino Palladino Smoothies. made of an outer wrap of cobalt-alloy ribbon over an inner core of steel, these strings aim to give you Pino's preferred starting point and feel straight out of the pack.

“I guess we could go back to the mid-90s” Pino tells Ernie Ball. “I’d been playing my fretless bass almost exclusively on lots of sessions, and there came a point where I was just getting a little jaded with it.

"I got myself a Fender Precision Bass and put some flatwound strings on it. That became a new thing for me.”

What are flatwound strings?

As with roundwound bass strings, flatwound strings consist of an outer winding, wrapped around a central core. However, where roundwound strings feature a (you guessed it) round-profiled outer wrap, flatwounds use a flat, ribbon-profiled wrap. This not only changes the feel of the string, but it also pretty much eliminates the friction-creating gaps between each wind. For a more detailed description, check out our guide to the differences between flatwound vs roundwound bass strings.

In Use

I tried the Pino Palladino Smoothie Flats in Medium gauge (43, 61, 76, 104) –– one of two gauges spec’d by Pino with Super Light also available –– on a couple of different basses. First was a Fender Player II Modified Precision Bass (an active P-Bass with a PJ pickup configuration) as well as a Squier Jazz Bass.

They come in standard packaging with cloth-wrapped ends to help reduce and prevent string slippage, and I’m pleased to say that (unlike the occasional experience from various other brands) they came out of the pack free of any oxidization.

Reviewing strings from ‘tonal memory’ is fraught with potential suggestion and subliminal observations, so, to aid with the sonic side of this review, I recorded a few simple basslines with the original roundwound strings and again with the flatwounds. However, the first thing that’s immediately obvious with flatwounds as much as the tonal difference, is the change in feel.

The first stop was an appointment with an allen key. Flatwound strings can add a little more tension relative to roundwounds, and while slight, I tweaked the truss rod in order to remove a little of the additional relief.

These strings are extremely forgiving, which makes playing them for extended periods a joy, without fatigue on your fingertips. The cobalt wrap has been highly-polished to produce a glassy feel, and it’s really noticeable when traversing the fretboard.

Of course, this isn’t unique to Pino’s signature Ernie Balls, and a good amount of the shift in comfort qualities come from the flatwound ribbon’s profile - helped along here by the finishing process. But if you haven’t ever tried flats instead of roundwounds and are looking for something a little less callous, you’re in for a treat.

Now, let’s talk about cobalt. As you might already be aware, Ernie Ball uses cobalt in place of steel for the outer wrap on a number of its strings, and the main characteristics of cobalt are a strong output, combined with heavier bass and a clarity-boosting lift in the treble end.

This might seem contrary to the ethos of flatwounds, and in a sense, it is. So, while there’s an audible difference in the tonality between the Smoothies and roundwounds, it’s more subtle.

The finger-noise is most definitely reduced by a long way, and the higher end is tamed too. Overall there’s less of the new-string zing too, which is something that you’ll either love or not, depending on where you stand on glossy-sounding new strings.

But the presence is still there, maintaining note definition. Tonally, the straight-through, unprocessed difference in sound place the Smoothies in the ‘vintage-inspired’ category rather than out-and-out old school tones. You get all the feel of flatwound strings, with a retro vibe that still has a modern twist to it, much like the man who they’re made for.

Final Thoughts

If you’re after the building blocks of ’60s-style rock and roll, R&B and funk/soul, these will certainly get you a long way towards them, without being wholly throwback straight out of the pack.

The tonality will dull over time, for sure, but in the weeks I’ve had them fitted to my bass they’ve held their tuning and intonation, with the tonal characteristics still intact.

The biggest change comes from the super-comfortable feel, aided by the high-sheen finishing. It’s been an interesting and inspiring start, but needless to say, my jazz Bass is going to remain strung with flats for the foreseeable future.

Ibanez’s Superstrat (Blazer and Roadstar) and pointy DT, Rocket Roll and X series models failed to generate more than moderate excitement, even with endorsements from heavy hitters like Phil Collen, Allan Holdsworth and Steve Lukather.

Some of the problems were external, like a weakening dollar that made Japanese import guitars less of a bargain, but Ibanez also failed to keep up with guitar design trends that were changing rapidly.

Hoping to avert disaster, Ibanez’s Japanese leadership looked to their U.S.-based distributors to develop new model designs, engaging the West Coast subsidiary Chesbro in a friendly competition against their East Coast counterpart Hoshino USA.

Led by Mark Wittenberg, Chesbro devised the Radius guitar, while Hoshino USA (which included Rich Lasner, Bill Cummiskey and Bill Reim) offered the Maxxas, Power and Saber models.

At the same time, the Americans aggressively pursued new up-and-coming talent, mostly culled from Mike Varney’s Spotlight column in Guitar Player.

Their biggest success was landing Steve Vai’s endorsement and collaborating with him on his signature JEM model. The completely revamped Ibanez electric guitar lineup made its debut at the 1987 Winter NAMM Convention in Anaheim and instantly generated a huge buzz of excitement in the guitar community.

The most successful model to come from this new era was the RG550. In essence, it was a more affordable variation of Vai’s JEM model with more conventional features that included a super-slim Wizard neck with maple or rosewood fretboard, flat 16.9-inch radius and 24 jumbo frets, lightweight basswood body and humbucker/single/humbucker pickup configuration.

Controls were stripped down to a master volume, master tone and five-position blade pickup switch that provided a useful variety of humbucking and single-coil tones. The V1 (neck) and V2 (bridge) high-output humbuckers were designed in the U.S. and featured Alnico 5 magnets.

Perhaps the most important feature was the newly designed Edge double-locking tremolo. Ibanez’s earlier tremolo systems were considered inferior to the Floyd Rose and Kahler units used by their competitors, but the Edge tremolo quickly gained acclaim as one of the best available alternatives to the Floyd Rose.

With hot-rodded features like its Edge tremolo, high-output pickups and aggressive styling highlighted by deep cutaways with sharp horns and updated six-on-a-side headstock design based on that of the Iceman model, the RG550 boldly established Ibanez as a new contender in the highly competitive Superstrat market.

Although the RG550 initially only lasted for a seven-year run into the mid-’90s, it has been reissued frequently over the years and morphed into a number of variations. The spirit of the late-’80s original version lives on with the recent RG550 Genesis Collection, but players can also choose from a variety of upscale RG Axe Design Lab, RG j.custom and RG Prestige models.

Notable guitarists who have played RG550 models include Nili Brosh, Larry Mitchell, Blues Saraceno and Dave Urich. Paul Gilbert was one the first major shredders to play an RG550, and several of his signature Ibanez PGM models over the years were based on the RG550.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.

There is so much stuff to get through this week, so we really have no time to waste. Missed out on those new releases from Epiphone, PRS, IK Multimedia, Ernie Ball and Yamaha? You're in the right place...

Ernie Ball 9V Rechargeable USB-C Batteries

Every guitarist has at least one horror story involving a 9V battery, be that a pedal dying right before a gig or an active guitar packing it in at the worst possible moment. Whether we like to admit it or not, 9V batteries are a backbone of guitar playing, and with the amount we musicians go through, it’s not very eco-friendly. In fact, it’s very eco-unfriendly.

So Ernie Ball has done both players and the planet a solid by launching some new rechargeable batteries that look to reduce battery waste and lower guitarist stress. A commendable effort, and one that will appeal to each and every player out there.

For more: Ernie Ball

IK Multimedia TONEX Plug

Look out, Fender and Boss. You have some competition. IK Multimedia has entered the headphone amp arms race with the TONEX Plug – a pocket-sized addition to the TONEX ecosystem, which puts more than 40,000 digital rigs in the palm of your hand.

At $149, it’s competitively priced, and the spec sheet is incredibly enticing. Bluetooth for streaming backing tracks, USB-C for recording, companion apps for fine-tuning just about everything you’d want. Sure, it doesn’t have a screen where the Mustang Micro Plus and Katana:GO do, but it has the IK Multimedia AI Machine Modeling software at its core, so that’s a huge win.

For more: IK Multimedia

Taylor Guitars 4 Vets

Taylor has partnered with Guitar 4 Vets to release two special-edition acoustics that will go towards supporting G4V’s mission of helping veterans heal through the power of music. Proceeds from each of the appropriately styled 814ce and GS Mini models – which feature star inlays and a camo colorway, respectively – will go to G4V.

“Support like this great partnership with Taylor helps fund our program and raises awareness about the positive impact we can have on veterans' lives,” says Nigel Fischer, Director of Advancement for Guitars for Vets. “Customers who buy these guitars aren't just getting beautiful instruments; they're helping put guitars in the hands of veterans in need, where music can truly make a difference.”

For more: Taylor Guitars

Yamaha TAS3 C

Last year, Yamaha ushered in a new era for its TransAcoustic family with the next-gen TAG3 C – a dreadnought-sized intelligent guitar with a traditional acoustic vibe that came equipped with reverb, delay, chorus and looper functions.

Now, the lineup has been expanded with the concert-sized TAS3 C. It offers all the same bells and whistles of the original (which we saw Yvette Young demo at NAMM at the start of this year) though in a different ergonomic format. I for one am all about concert acoustics, so this one is definitely a bit of me.

For more: Yamaha

Epiphone SG / Les Paul Tribute Plus

With its Back to the Future ES-345 and Gem Archer and Bonehead signature guitars, Epiphone has been on a serious hot streak these past few weeks. Those drops have all focused on the upper end of the Epi price scale, so to even out the scales the company has dropped two affordable Les Paul and SG models.

Released under the Tribute Plus umbrella, these new models level up the entry level Tribute range and offer dressed-up takes on the single– and double-cut design, with flamed maple veneers, tasty binding and trapezoid inlays among the specs.

There are some really nice colors on tap – Cherry Burst and Ebony Burst among them – and at $349 they mark some of the most affordable Epis currently on the market.

For more: Epiphone

PRS 40th Anniversary Special Semi-Hollow

At this point in the PRS 40th Anniversary celebration, we would just like to quickly commend the company on its commitment to putting out special-edition six-strings so darn regularly. It genuinely has been something of a marvel with just how many new releases that PRS has managed to get into its launch calendar, so fair play, Mr. Smith.

The latest additions to the lot are unsurprisingly elegant in classic PRS fashion, and are said to be “the culmination of this year’s anniversary lineup”. HSH configurations, up to 12 pickup combinations, and an artist-grade figured maple top are just some of the stand-out specs on tap.

Only 280 will be made, and each will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Paul Reed Smith. Only one more month to go until the 40th anniversary comes to an end. We’ll be sad to see these regular drops stop.

For more: PRS

Wylde Audio Wrathmaker

Every time Zakk Wylde’s guitar brand comes out with a brand-new body shape, I end up writing something along the lines of, ‘Wylde Audio’s most metal guitar yet.’ And every time it’s true. The issue is Wylde keeps outdoing himself. The Wrathmaker genuinely is the company’s most metal guitar yet.

It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. The reverse pointed headstock, the elongated cutaways that look like dragon horns. It’s as if the Stratocaster went to the Upside Down and came back a monster. It should probably come with a health and safety warning.

For more: Wylde Audio

Jackson Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET7

When I caught up with Misha Mansoor at Guitar Summit to discuss all the new Juggernaut guitars he’d released during the first half of the year, his dedicated wall of signatures also had room for a mystery seven-string that we were under strict instructions not to publicize. Naturally, that became the guitar that everyone started asking about.

Now, the Evertune seven-string version of the Juggernaut has landed in all its glory, and it looks like it’s been worth the wait. Mansoor was keen to talk up the build quality of these beasts and made clear that he plays stock signatures himself on stage. The best Juggernaut to date? Possibly. Now we need the Surfcaster…

For more: Jackson

Duff McKagan Seymour Duncan signature PJ pickups

It’s been a busy few months for Seymour Duncan, which has expanded its artist pickup lineup considerably in 2025. The latest addition to that list is the Duff McKagan Precision Jazz Bass set, which channels the tone of the Fender PJ bass that powered songs such as Sweet Child O’ Mine, Welcome to The Jungle, and more.

For more: Seymour Duncan

La Bella x Ella Feingold Inverted Strings

Grammy-winning guitarist Ella Feingold has released a new set of signature strings with La Bella that brings her favored ‘inverted tuning’ approach to the masses.

First developed by Chris Wiesman in 2008, inverted tuning utilises the same tuning set up as standard tuning, though flips the pitch and gauge of the strings along the D and G string axis. The result is otherworldly voicings and a whole new way of looking at standard tuning. It also, in Feingold's view, frees up extra real estate for your hand.

For more: La Bella

Death by Audio Infinity Verb

Nothing beats a good reverb, eh? The Death by Audio Infinity Verb certainly looks like a Very Good reverb, too, capable of spanning the spectrum from subtle ambience to “cavernous atmospheres”.

There’s an Infinity footswitch, which prolongs verbs indefinitely, and plenty of filter, latching and stereo controls to really fine-tune the effect. It’s available exclusively at Reverb, fittingly enough.

For more: Death by Audio

Guild x Lollar HB-1

Kim Thayil’s signature Guild took a while to get here, but when it did, the ultra-exclusive USA Custom Shop S-100 Polara came with a pair of very special pickups. They were meticulously crafted in collaboration with Lollar, and only 30 sets were made – all of them factory-installed in the limited-run six-string.

Now, due to popular player demand, Lollar has made those exact pickups available to the masses. They were crafted by reverse engineering Guild’s original HB-1, which led to Lollar’s own interpretation of the humbucker.

They’re not a limited run, per se, but the materials that go into making them certainly don’t grow on trees, so the Guild x Lollar HB-1s won’t be around forever.

For more: Lollar

Trace Elliot Acoustic Clarity

The Trace Elliot Acoustic Clarity does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s designed to make acoustic-electric instruments sound more clear, and enhance their acoustic-ness. There are EQ-tailoring controls for Low and High and a footswitch. Not much more needs to be said, really.

For more: Trace Elliot

Furch Spectra Plus

Furch hasn’t just launched an all-new line of all-solid acoustics, it’s also introduced eight top colors that add “a bold new palette” to the company’s lineup.

The Spectra Plus acoustics, in their own right, look like solid players, but when crafting these single-cuts Furch wasn’t just focused on tone and playability. It also had one eye on their visuals. Why? Well, as Furch’s CEO Petr Furch says, musicians need to deliver the perfect show on stage – and that concerns “sonically and visually”.

To meet that criteria, these new Furch builds are available in Ricasoli Yellow, Siena Amber, Capri Blue, Bled Emerald, Provence Violet and more.

For more: Furch

Fender Mustang LTX

In Fender’s own words, the Mustang family is “the world’s most popular guitar amplifier line”. A bold claim, given the competition in the affordable digital combo market (ahem Boss Katana). Now it’s been expanded with two new amps – the LTX50 and LTX100 – which are 50 and 100 watt versions of the updated combos.

They bring the aesthetic appeal of classic black panel Fenders – save the small screen that depicts chosen presets – but offer some more modern appointments, most notably 50 digital amp models and effects, an onboard tuner and built-in Bluetooth.

For more: Fender

Of course, there are always exceptions – some players swear by only reverb and some might not even dial in any ambience whatsoever. But for the most part, delay pedals sit among the most valuable of tools out there for guitarists.

Which is also why there are so many different types of delay: from analog and bucket-brigade to digital, ping-pong, reverse, and tape. Each of these will have a defining quality to its repeats, even if the functionality and concept is by and large the same.

One type of delay that’s rich in musical history, though arguably lesser-known compared to the usual suspects, is the Echorec drum echo, launched by Italian company Binson in the mid-50s. It was designed to be a portable replacement for the plate reverbs and echo chambers typically found in larger recording studios, using an analog magnetic drum recorder instead of a tape loop.

One of the first famous users was Hank Marvin from English rock and roll originals The Shadows. It then ended up in the hands of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who – though there's one guitar player who is more entwined with Echorec history than anyone else, Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour.

The Echorec’s distinct effect and tube-powered preamp can be heard on classic tracks like Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Time, and Echoes, as well as early cuts like Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun, A Saucerful of Secrets, and Careful With That Axe, Eugene.

That helps explain why it’s a sound that’s still being used all these years later. It’s rooted in nostalgia and history, with a tonal characteristic that sets it apart from other types of delay.

There are a fair few companies recreating this famous effect in pedal form, but if there’s one Echorec-style delay to rule them all right now, it’s the Boonar by Croatian audio experts Dawner Prince.

With players like John Mayer, Steve Lukather, Chris Buck, and Richard Fortus – as well as, yes, even David Gilmour himself – often spotted using the pedal, we thought we’d rope in Dawner Prince CEO Zoran Kraljevic to help explain some of the intricacies behind the design.

“The main difference between a drum and tape echo lies in how the delay effect is generated,” reveals Kraljevic.

“A tape echo records and repeats the signal onto magnetic tape in a loop. The distance between the record and playback heads, along with the tape speed, determines the delay time. The sound is warm, with gentle modulation and gradual degradation over time.

“Drum echo, on the other hand, uses a rotating magnetic drum instead. The signal is recorded magnetically onto the surface of the drum, which contains a number of playback heads mounted around it. The drum system is more reliable than tape, and the metallic ‘memory’ medium provides a cleaner, hi-fi-quality sound.”

This innovation from an engineering perspective helped cement the Echorec’s status as one of the first delay units to definitively define the sound of an era.

In that sense, it was more than an effect, because players like David Gilmour and Hank Marvin were using it to sculpt entire soundscapes and create layers of space and emotion, rather than just adding a few simple repeats here and there.

As for the resurgence in popularity among today’s players, Kraljevic believes the appeal lies with those looking for something more “alive” than pristine digital delays, with an unmistakable “bubbling echo swell”.

It’s particularly popular among musicians working within more abstract realms, from psychedelic and stoner to post and prog rock players – guitarists looking for a certain kind of tonal coloration, rhythmic atmosphere, and increased dimension.

Designing the Boonar, however, was no mean feat, explains Kraljevic. This was mainly because of the rarity of original units and the costs involved with sourcing one. As fate would have it, he designed the first Boonar without even having spent time with a real Echorec.

“All I had were a pair of decent PC speakers, my ears, and a few good YouTube demos which I listened to countless times,” he confesses, later admitting he eventually did manage to A/B his design against an original and was very impressed with the results.

Another challenge was capturing all the characteristics that defined the sound and finding a way to faithfully reproduce them with DSP technology.

“The Echorec is an instrument in itself,” he notes. “Its echo is complex and multidimensional – something in between an echo and a reverb. It swells and grows rather than simply decaying.

“It’s not just a regular delay that repeats the input signal; it has movement, depth, and a musical texture that responds to how you play. There are so many tiny details that make up the bigger picture.”

Naturally, seeing his product end up in the hands of many guitar legends has been a source of great personal pride for the Dawner Prince owner. But getting the seal of approval from David Gilmour himself was, in many ways, one of the greatest achievements of his life and career to date.

“That was a turning point for both me and my company,” Kraljevic admits. “It came as confirmation that I’d created something authentic, placing our one-room workshop onto the world map of pedal manufacturers.

“I got a call from David’s longtime technician, Phil Taylor, who told me that David really liked the pedal and planned to use it, but there were a few small things that could be improved. I tweaked the design and released a firmware update that incorporated those final adjustments.”

The Pink Floyd mastermind was also involved in the testing phase of the higher-end Boonar Tube Deluxe, released in 2024. It features vacuum tubes, full MIDI control, and studio-grade outputs.

“It was my homage to the Binson Echorec 2 T7E,” Kraljevic explains. “Phil suggested some practical features like the ability to store/recall presets and a screen for the delay time, which David considered to be important.

“I was lucky to have the world’s greatest Echorec expert involved in the final testing phase. It was a real pleasure working with him. I feel privileged and proud to see the Boonar Tube Deluxe in both his studio and tour racks.”

The Nobels ODR-1 overdrive pedal flew under the radar for quite some time, but that’s no longer the case as its well-documented use by a coterie of US session players, particularly in Nashville, has increased awareness and take-up of the ‘other’ green stompbox.

We last looked at a Nobels with the release of the ODR-1 BC (BC standing for bass-cut), which featured a dip switch in the battery compartment to attenuate the bottom-end.

This latest iteration offers more flexibility on that bass-cut by giving the facility its own mini knob. What’s more, it also can deliver more gain than previous ODR-1s via a Gain Boost button.

Specs

• PRICE: $149/£129
• ORIGIN: China
• TYPE: Drive pedal 
• FEATURES: Selectable True/Buffered Bypass, 18V operation for extra headroom, integrated Mounty-P mounting plates, glow‑in‑the-dark pointer knobs 
• CONTROLS: Drive, Spectrum, Level, Bass Cut, Gain Boost switch, True/Buffered bypass switch, bypass footswitch
• CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output, Remote (TRS)
• POWER: 9V battery or 9V-18V DC adaptor (not supplied) 15mA
• DIMENSIONS: 73 (w) x 127 (d) x 55mm (h) 
• CONTACT: Nobels

Usability and sounds

The ODR-1X has standard Drive and Level knobs, but like its predecessors it facilitates EQ changes with a Spectrum knob, a double filter tone control that simultaneously cuts/boosts lower mid and treble frequencies, and is very effective whether you’re going for pushing the clarity of your top-end or calming it down for a mellower vibe. This works well in conjunction with the Bass Cut control.

The pedal is endowed with a substantial bass content that may suit some players but not others (things could get a little bit muddy for humbucker users or with certain amp setups), so to have the ability to roll that off to your exact needs is a very practical asset and a distinct upgrade on a purely switched bass-cut.

Keeping the Drive control at minimum and pushing the Level to somewhere in its final quadrant delivers a useful clean boost. But it’s really in the just-beyond‑clean and low-level crunch where the pedal truly excels, making it a shoo-in for completely natural drive sounds that don’t mess with your core tone.

Of course, it is also capable of more substantial drive, too, especially so with the gain boost, which basically puts the gain knob into a higher range and can take things into cranked-amp classic rock territory.

Adding a remote footswitch will give you switchable gain boost, although to our ears the jump is a little too much and we’d rather do it by stacking another boost pedal.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

Guitar World verdict: The ODR-1’s long-term efficacy as a transparent drive pedal is all still here in the ODR-1X edition, freshly enhanced with fully adjustable bass-cut, but the extra gain on tap adds a flexibility that means it’s capable of going beyond that traditional role.

Hands-on videos

Nobels

Tone Junkie

Pedal of the Day

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

Combining modern build quality and design practices with classic colors, the Cort G200SE is a budget beginner electric guitar aiming to provide new guitarists with a versatile tonal palette. Made in the Cor-Tek factory in Indonesia which has also crafted guitars for PRS, Ibanez, Fender, Jackson, and many more, it’s a potentially exciting entrant into a very busy beginner guitar market.

The headline spec is that it features a roasted maple neck and fretboard combo, a feature that was once the reserve of boutique guitars, but is rapidly becoming more accessible to the rest of us at lower and lower prices.

Roasting necks has some advantages in that it purges the wood of moisture, resulting in more stability, as well as preventing any excess oils or moisture from entering once the torrefaction (the technical term for roasting) has taken place. They resist changes in humidity better than traditional maple necks, so to see this start appearing on budget guitars is great news for newbies.

The G200SE is packing an HSS pickup configuration with a covered humbucker for extra style points, plus the two typical Strat-style single coils.

These are Cort’s own ‘Powersound’ pickups to help keep the cost down, combined with a single tone knob and five-way pickup selector to give you plenty of spanky Stratocaster-style tones alongside the heft of the humbucker. A six-point tremolo with die-cast tuning machines rounds out the hardware offering.

Specs

• Launch price: $249/£170/€285
• Made: Indonesia
• Type: Six-string electric guitar
• Body: Poplar
• Neck: Roasted maple
• Fingerboard: Roasted maple
• Scale length: 25.5″ (648mm)
• Nut width: 42mm
• Frets: 22
• Hardware: Die-cast tuning machines, six-point tremolo bridge
• String spacing at bridge: 51.7mm
• Electrics: Cort Powersound humbucker and 2 single coils, master volume, master tone, 5-way pickup selector
• Weight: 7.4lbs/3.35kg
• Options: N/A
• Left-handed options: No
• Finishes: Scarlet Red, Aged Cream, Seafoam Green (as reviewed)
• Cases: No
• Contact: Cort

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★½

Since Cor-Tek is well-versed in building guitars for different brands, it’s not a surprise to find that the G200SE is immaculately put together. The neck on my review model is really dark with a beautiful figuring, and it looks like it cost a lot more money than the price belies. The fretwork is fantastic, better than I’ve seen on some guitars costing three times the price. One of the tuners is ever so slightly skewiff, but apart from that the neck is flawless.

It’s a similar story with the body, which features the classic S-style shape with a more modern, slight offset that shifts the upper horn further forward than you’d typically see. It gives me hot-rodded S-type vibes, but the Seafoam Green invokes a more classic aesthetic. It’s got a sculpted neck heel for better upper-fret access, and a belly cut for additional comfort when playing.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★☆

Getting to grips with the roasted maple neck and fretboard, there’s no neck profile stated on the website, but to my hand it feels very similar to the Modern ‘C’ profiles I’m familiar with on my own Fender guitars. The frets feel a little smaller than the medium-jumbo ones on my Telecaster, albeit only slightly. Upper-fret access is good thanks to the sculpted neck heel and generous cutaway.

Out of the box the GS200SE is really nicely set up with D’Addario 9s, coming in at 3mm at the 12th fret with my finger on the first fret. My usual check of bending all the notes up from the 12th fret onwards on the treble strings finds no choking at all, and the intonation is pretty much bang on, ever so slightly sharp but nothing that couldn't be fettled.

Although the strings are a little lighter than what I use normally, it takes me no time at all to get up to speed on the 9.45” radius ‘board, with my usual arsenal of three note per string legato licks flowing immediately. The fretboard is really satisfying to bend against, and it’s only when I get into some Gary Moore-inspired two-step bends that I start to find the tuning going awry. It’s small steps too, nothing that you can’t account for with a little adjustment.

Where it’s not so good however, is the six-point tremolo. Pretty much any time I engage it, it sends the guitar out of tune, and I find it takes a lot of effort to move it initially, with the resistance dramatically dropping off as I dive further down in pitch.

It’s to be expected on a guitar so cheap that not everything is perfect, and while it’s fine for subtle tone bends, as soon as I start pressing on it more heavily, it’s difficult to get control over it due to that heavy feel. Again, these things are designed to be adjusted, and at this price, it could be improved as part as a regular setup.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★☆

Starting with the humbucker on the drive channel of my Orange Rocker 32 tube amp, the G200SE delivers a surprisingly fat and full tone, much more satisfying than I anticipated given its price. There’s plenty of midrange heft when playing partial barre chords near the headstock, and when I switch to lead licks with some tape delay and spring reverb via my HX Stomp it sounds incredibly inspiring.

Moving to the single coil sounds, these aren’t quite as nice as the humbucker to my ear. The neck position is a little thin, without that thick warmth you typically expect to hear from that position. The in-betweens have some that Strat-type quack or honk, but it’s only really noticeable when playing clean, with the qualities of the pickup disappearing when I add my Tube Screamer clone into the equation.

Changing to the clean channel brings out more of those Strat-style sounds, which are especially honky in position 4. Position 2 is a little lackluster though, with the bridge humbucker and middle pickup sounding duller rather than twangier.

Of course, I’m looking at this through the lens of a lot of guitar experience, so I will counter that for the beginner guitar player, these tones should be more than good enough to go from first chords to first gig.

Verdict

There are a lot of beginner guitars out there at the moment, which can make it harder for brands without the weight of a big name to shine. It’s a shame, because this is a really great guitar that would make an excellent buy for any burgeoning guitar player. I wish I could have had something this good as my first instrument.

Of course it’s not perfect, with a tremolo that sends the guitar well out of tune, and a pair of uninspiring single coils to boot. These are things that are typical of beginner-level guitars though, so it’s not a huge complaint. There’s plenty here that will excite new and old players alike, and you could easily swap those pickups out for something sweeter and have yourself a really nice guitar for not a lot of cash.

Guitar World verdict: With its incredible build quality, excellent playability, and in particular that humbucker, the Cort G200SE is a lot of guitar for the money. The roasted maple neck is a delight to play on, and although some of the single-coil sounds are lacking, the bridge humbucker pretty much makes up for it. It’s a testament to just how good beginners have it these days that I can’t find all that much to fault in a guitar that costs so little.

Also try

In an effort to reduce disposable battery waste and make the industry more sustainable, Ernie Ball is rolling out a new line of USB-C rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, designed specifically for musical equipment.

Available in AA and 9V formats, Ernie Ball USB-C Rechargeable Batteries were developed in collaboration with Paleblue, an expert in the field, and guarantee “consistent, full-voltage performance across instruments, wireless packs, pedals, tuners, and more.”

Each battery features USB-C direct charging, along with LED charge indicators, a rugged reusable storage case, and a lithium-ion design that Ernie Ball states is rated for over 1,000 recharge cycles.

Moreover, with recharge times as quick as 75 minutes to 80%, these high-capacity batteries promise “continuous, reliable power,” while aiming to reduce waste and long-term costs.

“I think rechargeable batteries are the only way forward in this industry,” comments Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jerry Cantrell guitar tech, Henry Trejo.

“There’s too much waste when it comes to conventional batteries. You also have the added benefit of carrying less bulk, which also reduces weight, especially when touring on a budget.”

To test drive these new rechargeable batteries, Ernie Ball has already placed them in the hands of guitar techs for artists such as the Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Turnstile, and Nine Inch Nails for real-world performance feedback.

The Ernie Ball USB-C Rechargeable Battery line is available now through select retailers throughout North America.

For more information, visit Ernie Ball.

IK Multimedia has entered the headphone amps for guitars game for the first time with the launch of the TONEX Plug.

The pocket-sized headphone amp is IK Multimedia’s answer to the market’s leading contenders, with the TONEX Plug set to go up against the likes of the Fender Mustang Micro Plus and Boss Katana:GO.

Of course, not much can be done to reinvent the form factor of a headphone amp, so while the overall shape and weight of the TONEX Plug might not look too different from what else is on the market – aside from the fact it doesn't have a screen – IK Multimedia is relying on its audio expertise to make it stand out.

The TONEX Plug is powered by the company’s AI Machine Modeling, meaning it packs the same tonal punch as the acclaimed TONEX One and TONEX Pedal.

In practice, it offers over 40,000 Tone Model rigs (read: amps and pedal rigs) that can be accessed through the ToneNET. Here, artists, songs and well-known amps can be searched and selected.

That is, simply put, an eye-watering amount of digital rigs to play with. Based purely on a numbers game, IK Multimedia has made a serious statement. The fact these are the same model found on the TONEX pedals makes it even more impressive.

There’s also a Tonex Control partner app for fine-tuning the selected signal chain. Here, amps, cabs, IRs, EQs and effects can all be tweaked.

These curated Tone Models can be organised into 30 user presets across 10 color-coded banks. That’s the same number as the Katana:GO, but less than the Mustang Micro Plus, which has space for 100 user presets.

There are a handful of other general headphone amp specs that IK Multimedia has diligently included, such as Bluetooth compatibility for streaming backing tracks, a built-in tuner, and USB-C for using the TONEX Plug as an audio interface.

Comparisons with the competition aside, the TONEX Plug looks like a genuinely powerful addition to a market that has, in recent years, been given more and more attention.

In terms of price, the TONEX Plug sits very nicely at $149. For reference, the Mustang Micro Plus is $134, while the Katana:GO is $139.

Visit IK Multimedia for more.

Ever since Fender’s flagship Telecaster became the world’s first mass-produced solidbody electric guitar almost three-quarters of a century ago, the design has remained relatively constant.

Sure, the recipe has been refined to the nth degree, and there have been whole tiers of Teles over the years, but the overarching spirit has largely remained unchanged.

That was until Slipknot’s Jim Root came along and completely flipped things on their head with a signature that reimagined the traditional T-type as a no-nonsense, frill-free heavy metal machine.

It pushed the boundaries of what a Tele could be, bringing it into the modern age and alleviating the stigma that came with tweaking traditional Fender builds. John Mayer even praised it as what “every Tele should look like in this day and age”.

Speaking in the new issue of Guitar World, Root recalled the making of his signature Tele and explained why it came at a pivotal time for him and Fender.

“I was endorsed by the Fender Custom Shop, and they wanted to push me toward Charvel,” he remembers.

“Their prototypes weren’t landing, so I talked to Alex Perez [from Fender's research and development team] – who, if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be a Fender artist – and I said, ‘Can we just come back to the Fender side of things?’”

The Slipknot guitarist had his eye on the Tele, so when Perez helped him bring things back to the Fender fold, he knew where to start.

“If I walked on stage with a Jackson or B.C. Rich, that would be typical, so I wanted to take something classic and iconic and make it functional for what I do,” he explains of his decision.

“And I think Fender, at the time, needed something to, not erase the stigma of being an iconic, older company, but bring them into more modern times. It made sense, and Fender was down. I got lucky. The stars aligned!”

The concept of the Root Tele was simple. It had to pay homage to the original design, but in a way that would cater to Root’s aesthetic and tonal needs.

“I wanted to be minimalist with it. I almost thought about trying to see if we could lose the pickguard, but I wanted it to be traditional-looking,” he states. “I went with the modern string-through, hardtail bridge and the EMG pickups I was already using.

“I wanted it to be a workhorse I could bash around, beat up, hit with metal pipes and get thrown into kegs without breaking in half.”

Root’s Tele is one of Fender’s most notable signature releases, and was later followed by a similarly radical Jazzmaster and Stratocaster. And, although the Slipknot guitarist initially wanted to steer clear of the Charvel route, he did launch a signature guitar with the company a few years ago.

Visit Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitar World, which features a list of the best guitar gear of the 21st century.

Buying a gift for a guitarist can be tricky, especially if you don’t play yourself. It’s even tougher when the guitarist in question gigs regularly. If you’ve never been in that world, it’s easy to miss what’s actually useful. I’ve received my fair share of duplicate accessories, and while having backups is always handy, six capos might be a little overkill.

I’d also recommend steering clear of things like effects pedals. Sure, the gigging guitarist in your life probably uses them, but choosing the right one on a whim is almost impossible. You’d need to know their preferred brands, current pedalboard setup, whether they have space, and if their power supply can even handle another pedal. The same goes for amps or guitars. Let’s face it, guitarists are a picky bunch, and unless you know them like the back of your hand, it’s unlikely you’ll get it right.

Stick with the products I’ve included in this guide and you’ll give yourself the best shot at finding something they’ll actually use, no polite smiles or fake gratitude required. I have opted for products that are mostly under the $/£30 mark, but if you have more to spend, doubling up and picking up a few of these gifts will certainly keep that guitarist happy. The Guitar World team has also compiled this guide to the best Christas gifts for guitar players which covers an even wider range of options. And don't forget that you may find extra savings amongst this year's Black Friday guitar deals.

So, without further ado, let’s check out my pick of the best gifts for gigging guitar players.

My top picks

Buying advice

When looking for a gift for the gigging guitarist in your life, there are a few things to consider. I’ve worked in a guitar store for the last ten years, and I’ve been through my fair share of festive seasons. When the partner or family member of a gigging guitarist comes in asking for advice, this is what I typically tell them to consider when selecting the perfect gift:

1. Figure out what products they use

Whether that means sneaking into their home studio for a quick look around, or just outright asking them what gear they gig with, it’s the best place to start. You don’t have to be an expert; even noting down a few brand names or product types can go a long way. This not only helps you avoid unwanted duplicates that end up buried at the bottom of a gig bag, but it also gives you a better shot at buying something genuinely useful. If you know they love Ernie Ball strings, for instance, stick with that. Familiarity is your friend here.

2. Stick to a budget

Let’s face it, guitar gear can get expensive fast. Even something as simple as strings, cables, and accessories adds up when you start piling them into the basket. While I’ve kept this list to gifts under (or around) $/£30, it’s still easy to get carried away once you start seeing all the shiny new toys. Setting a clear budget not only keeps your spending sensible but also helps narrow down your options. There’s a lot of choice out there, and having a set price point makes it much easier to focus on practical, useful gifts instead of going overboard.

3. Prioritize practicality

When it comes to gigging, it’s the practical pieces that save the day. Since guitarists are often very particular about the gear they use, sticking to something useful is the safest bet if you’re buying on someone’s behalf. Tone is subjective, so gifting an effects pedal or amplifier can be risky; what sounds great to one player might sound awful to another. The same goes for guitars, where preferences are so personal that even seasoned players get it wrong sometimes. Practical gigging gifts, like the ones on this list, are always a safe choice and guaranteed to get used.

What to avoid

There is a lot of tat out there with many pitfalls that you should keep your eye out for. There are a few things I would avoid if you are buying a gift for a gigging guitarist – selecting one of these might result in your gift being unused, gathering dust in the corner of a studio or in the trash.

Effects pedals

Unless you know exactly what you’re looking for, I would avoid choosing a random effects pedal. A gigging guitarist’s tone is sculpted from the ground up, with very particular choices and you don’t want to purchase an effects pedal that doesn’t suit their style or current setup.

A guitar

Much like an effects pedal, a guitar is perhaps even more personal. You are setting yourself up for failure unless you know exactly what the guitarist wants. Since a guitar is such a tactile choice, picking out a random guitar that you are unsure of is a recipe for disaster for any experienced player.

Unbranded gear

There’s a lot of cheap, unbranded gear online that looks like a great deal, but quality control is often hit-or-miss. Unreliable tuners, straps, patch cables or strings can cause more frustration than they’re worth, especially on stage. Stick to trusted brands that gigging players already rely on, you’ll get much better performance, peace of mind and they’ll not blow up on stage.

Where to shop

Not sure where to shop for gifts? These are the specialist retailers we trust:

In the US

• Guitar Center: Up to 30% off pre-Black Friday deals
• Sweetwater: Shop the all-access early Black Friday sale
• Musician's Friend: New Black Friday deals added weekly
• Positive Grid: Major smart amp savings
• Fender: Save on acoustics and spares

In the UK/Europe

• Thomann: All the latest Hot Deals, in one place
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live

The truth of the matter is that the Silver Sky was the result of two years of research and development, during which Mayer and Paul Reed Smith worked to redesign and retool the classic S-type template.

Their success developing the Silver Sky paid off, and it has been one of the best-selling electric guitars on the market for the past few years. It not only speaks volumes of how public opinion towards the model has warmed in recent times, but also how highly players rate it.

A lot of that is down to how good it sounds – largely thanks to its specially voiced pickups, which were inspired by one of Mayer’s prized vintage Fender Strats.

To land on that winning formula, Smith turned his attention to Mayer’s 1964 Fender Stratocaster – the famed vintage sunburst model that ranks second only to the Black One in the list of Mayer's most well-known Fenders.

It is the model that's most closely associated with Slow Dancing In a Burning Room, and one that became a mainstay in Mayer's pre-PRS guitar rotation. When it went under the microscope for inspection, though, Smith ended up stumbling upon something he’d never come across.

“We went to a soundcheck with a Silver Sky prototype at this huge indoor arena in Washington, D.C,” Smith says in the new issue of Guitar World. “I was standing on the stage, and John had his ’64 Strat that he played Gravity on, and he compared it to the Silver Sky prototype.

“And the Strat’s pickups had 6 dB more bass and 6 dB less harsh high end – they were louder. Everything about them was different. I had wound the Silver Sky pickups exactly the way you see on the internet, but they were off by 6 dB in every direction.”

Tapping into the Strat’s sounds was a critical part of the process. They had to get it right. Smith needed to go deeper.

“I said to him, 'If I can measure the Strat’s pickups on my pickup machine, I can do it.' John said, 'I can live without it for one day.' His tech, René Martinez, gave me the Strat. I put it in the back of our car and said to my wife, 'Whatever you do, don’t get in a rear‑end accident.'”

The Strat arrived in one piece at PRS HQ, where Smith made an unexpected discovery after performing some rather heinous surgery on the single-coils.

“I did the sacrilegious thing: I unsoldered the bass pickup, which I don’t think had ever been done before, took it out, and put it in my pickup machine,” he remembers. “What came up on the screen was something we’d never seen the likes of.

“I was like, ‘Whoa!’ We soldered the bass pickup back in, put the guitar back together, took it back to John, and I started calling electrical engineers about why I was seeing wildly different results.”

Smith plays it coy on what exactly made the bass pickup so special – a magician never reveals his secrets, after all – but the lengthy process was worth it. They ended up nailing the design brief.

“We got it. Not only did we get it, you’re talking about having to do it exactly the same – it’s not easy,” Smith says. “The magnets, wires and bobbins are from different factories. But we got it. It was very difficult, but it also was joyful.”

As for what he wanted those pickups to sound like, Mayer explains to Guitar World, “I wanted to sound like I’ve been known to sound, but with a little less midrange dip. As I get older, I understand and enjoy a little more midrange.

“It’s pleasant to me now. Those deep EQ carve-outs are super-fun, but after thousands of hours of playing, certain frequencies have made permanent grooves in my brain, and I want to cut new ones next to, but not on top of them. Maybe that’s the definition of evolution, I don’t know.”

Pick up the latest issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct to read John Mayer and Paul Reed Smith’s full recollection of the Silver Sky’s origins, along with a list of the best guitar gear of the 21st century.

Technically speaking, Crazy Tube Circuits’ latest pedal, Mirage, is a dual-engine ambient reverb workstation, although the company’s founder, Christos Ntaifotis, describes it in one word – “shoegaze”.

We can go for that; it can certainly create the dreamy, atmospheric quality that many would attribute to the word.

Perhaps more telling is the inscription on the pedal’s circuit board: “Music is a mirage that throws a party, nothing is real but everything grooves.” This is clearly a pedal that aims for the ethereal!

The Mirage comprises two fully independent reverb engines, R1 and R2, that can each load one of 16 distinct reverb algorithms. Those algorithms are collected in two banks of eight and displayed as symbols in two arcs around a rotary Voice switch.

The outer arc has the more traditional and familiar reverbs – Plate, Cathedral, Hall, Room, Gated, two different spring reverbs (Spring and Springier) and Inchindown, based on an oil tank – while the inner arc is host to modern ambient effects with various shimmer, modulated and infinite reverbs.

Each reverb engine has four dedicated adjustment knobs. While the Mix and Volume knobs have a fixed use, the other two are more flexible with function varying per algorithm.

Swell controls the size or length of the reverb effect in most cases, whereas Excite is a context-sensitive control so controls brightness on some of the more conventional reverbs but has pitch-shift and modulation adjustment functions for others.

Swell and Excite can also be put under foot control for performance options such as ramping up the decay via a press-and-hold of the pedal’s right footswitch for R1 – but only via an external expression pedal for R2.

R1 and R2 each have their own input and outputs. This allows you to use them as two independent mono reverbs if you’re employing an external loop switcher, or in a stereo signal chain where the L and R channels are processed independently with different reverb types or the same reverb type (maybe with slight differences to widen the stereo image) in each.

The way to approach the pedal in a standard mono chain is to use the Master input and output so the signal runs in series from R1 to R2, allowing the reverbs – via the footswitches – to be used independently for different sounds at different times or stacked together for a composite sound.

This configuration enables the use of a send/return loop for placing additional pedals between the two engines for further sonic creativity.

There’s also a mono in/stereo out mode available. A set of internal switches lets you set up for a chosen way of working with either true bypass or buffered bypass with trails, and whether the Mix knob runs to a maximum standard 50/50 wet/dry mix or to 100 per cent wet (Kill Dry).

Specs

• PRICE: $365/£285/€325
• ORIGIN: Greece
• TYPE: Reverb pedal
• FEATURES: Selectable true bypass or buffered bypass with trails, two independent reverb engines, 16 reverb types
• CONTROLS: 2x each: Volume, Mix, Swell, Excite, Voice, Shift switch, Assign switch. IND/R1 XF switch, internal switches (Kill Dry R1 & R2, Bypass Mode R1 & R2, Routing Assignment), footswitches 1 & 2
• CONNECTIONS: Standard inputs 1 (master) and 2 (return), Standard outputs 1 (send) and 2 (master), XP expression pedal input
• POWER: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) 210mA 
• DIMENSIONS: 123 (w) x 97 (d) x 54mm (h) 
• CONTACT: Crazy Tube Circuits

Usability and sounds

Looking at the different algorithms individually, there’s a lot of ground covered; the only thing we missed was reverse reverb. The reverbs based on conventional spaces (Room, Hall, Cathedral) all give a realistic sense of the ambience to be found in their respective locations, and each one has adjustable size/decay as well as tweakable brightness that can help tie it into the sound of your rig.

The other emulated space, Inchindown, is inspired by Scottish oil tanks that are said to have the longest man-made reverb, and it sounds really good with its decay turned right up for an atmospheric lingering reverb with a metallic edge.

Of the electro-mechanical emulations, the Plate offers reverb with a solid density that sits well with guitar, while the two spring types are also a natural fit by their very nature, one doing a very usable recreation of classic amp reverb, the other representing an outboard unit with longer springs, revisiting early ’60s surf guitar with ease.

The Swell knob mimics a Dwell control here, driving the reverb tank harder, and Excite dials in the splashiness. The Gated reverb has adjustable gate time for a short punch of reverb – useful as a substitute for a delay slapback.

There are four shimmer delays, all with adjustable decay. Three have the shimmer pitched at an octave: one an octave up for that familiar shimmer sparkle; the second an octave down for a doomier vibe; and the third offering an adjustable crossfade between up and down octaves, which effectively lets you position your shimmer on a dark-to-bright arc.

The fourth shimmer has a stable pitch-shift that you can set with the Excite knob, and using it with R1 and R2 together you can dial it in to be harmonious or discordant.

The Repeater algorithm is described as “echoes trapped in reverb” and offers an intriguing texture via rhythmic trail of reflections. With Moduverb you get reverb tails with a sense of movement through modulation. Depth and speed are tweaked simultaneously with the Excite knob, which delivers tasty chorusing at lower levels but can take things to a more seasick extreme.

Frozen Hall offers hall reverb, but turning up the Swell knob cranks the decay to maximum for endless sustain. Finally, Infinite captures and holds a reverb loop indefinitely, responding nicely to playing dynamics if you carefully adjust the threshold.

While all of the reverbs are available for individual use, it’s the stacking of two together that’s going to be the attraction here for players who like to get creative. With the pick ’n’ mix selection of both traditional and esoteric reverbs (256 combinations with R1 and R2 used together!), there’s plenty of scope to craft some unique ambient textures.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

The fact that there are so many sonic options but no memory storage might be a dealbreaker for some, but there are other pedals on the market for that. The Mirage positively celebrates being intuitive and hands-on with no menus.

It’s nicely compact, too, although that comes with its own compromises such as no room for more than two main parameters (pre‑delay would have been useful) and hard-to-read voice selection.

However, those are minor points compared with the routing flexibility, creative sonic potential and performance options that could make this Mirage a solid reality on your pedalboard.

Guitar World verdict: The Mirage positively celebrates being intuitive and hands-on with no menus. Its routing flexibility, creative sonic potential and performance options could make it a solid reality on your pedalboard.

Hands-on videos

The Studio Rats

The Guitar Geek

Mike Hermans

• Best reverb pedals 2025: from spring to shimmer, these are our top picks for your pedalboard
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

No sooner had Oasis begun their Live ’25 reunion tour on 4th July 2025 than chatter started about a mystery guitar Noel Gallagher was wielding, a black Les Paul. Was it the fabled Custom he was loaned from Johnny Marr?

As the dates continued, so did the speculation until Gibson announced a 25-piece limited run, at a mere £17,500, that “paid tribute to the instrument that Noel Gallagher has been using at Oasis reunion shows,” technically a Made To Measure Les Paul that Noel had been working on with Gibson for the previous 18 months.

Surely a production version would follow, and just before Oasis kicked off their five-date run in Australia, it was announced: the Gibson USA Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard!

Specs

• Launch price: $2,999 | £2,699 | €3.099
• Made: USA
• Type: Single-cutaway, solidbody electric
• Body: Mahogany (no weight relief) with carved maple top
• Neck: Mahogany, SlimTaper profile, glued-in
• Fingerboard/Radius: Single-bound Indian rosewood /12”
• Scale length: 24.75” (629mm)
• Nut/width: Graph Tech/43.5mm
• Frets: 22, medium jumbo
• Hardware: Tune-o-matic bridge, aluminium stud tailpiece, Grover Rotomatic tuners w/ kidney buttons – chrome plated
• Electrics: 2x Gibson Soapbar P-90 single coils w/ chromed metal covers, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, individual volume and tone controls
• Weight: 10lb (4.56kg)
• Left-handed options: No
• Finishes: Ebony nitrocellulose only
• Case: Hard case
• Contact: Gibson

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★ ½

Now, rather than any radical re-design of the Les Paul this new signature comes across as a pimped-up hot-rod. Gibson already has its Les Paul Standard 50s P-90 and really this is the same guitar with some tweaks: first off, instead of the ‘50s Vintage neck profile it swaps to Noel’s preferred SlimTaper.

The gloss nitro-cellulose Ebony-only finish is not only nicely done but is the perfect backdrop for the all-chrome hardware instead of the 50s P-90’s nickel. The specs (and some Gibson images) tell us we should have an ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge, although our sample uses the aluminium Nashville tune-o-matic with its slightly wider-travel saddles – as used extensively in Gibson USA’s Modern Collection – along with a lightweight stop tailpiece and Grover Rotomatic tuners. Further pimps include both a chromed-metal jackplate – as used on certain Modern models too – and toggle switch surround aka the ‘switch washer’.

Under the moody exterior there are no changes to the Standard’s mahogany back/maple top construction or its one-piece mahogany neck with a mid-brown, single bound rosewood fingerboard and time-honored acrylic trapezoid inlays.

While the actual soapbar P-90 pickups are the same specification as that 50s model, the difference here are the unique chromed-metal covers, a nod to the chromed dog-ear covers of another Noel favourite, the Epiphone Casino. There are no changes in the controls either, it’s the standard Gibson modern-wired control circuit that’s typically neatly done with Gibson logo’d pots and Orange Drop capacitors. Overall, it’s a pretty tidy contemporary Les Paul.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★☆

If the five-ply pickguard is a nod to that loaned Johnny Marr Les Paul Custom, so is our Standard’s heft. There’s no weight relief here and our sample tips the scales bang-on 10lbs. That aside, it’s obviously very similar to plenty of other USA Les Pauls: it’s very familiar, nothing to get used to.

That said, Gibson’s so-called ‘medium jumbo’ fret wire feels more like a smaller ‘medium’ and our sample’s felt and measured a little low. Bends feel a little less positive and you can certainly feel the fingerboard face: it’s almost a built-in vintage-y played-a-lot vibe. The frets could also benefit from a bit more polishing and the fingerboard needs a little conditioning, if only to deepen the color.

In some quarters the SlimTaper gets some flak, not least from the ‘big is best’ fraternity. But that’s taste: the profile here isn’t exactly skinny, quite a classic ‘C’ with a little more shoulder.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

There’s nothing remarkable in the guitar’s unplugged response either, a good typically pushy ring. But it’s the single coil P-90s, that with the exception of that Les Paul Standard 50s P-90, differentiate this from the mainly humbucker-loaded USA LP models.

Using an original 1957 Les Paul Jr as a sonic benchmark, the NG doesn’t disappoint. It retains some of that Jr’s bite and mid-range attitude but smooths it a little adding seemingly both depth and clarity.

Switch off the obvious crunch and gain on your amp and go clean and there’s quite strident jangle at bridge, jazztastic smoothness at neck and a little sparkle with both pickups voiced that works in more soulful, funkier styles. But then bring back a little hair and crunch and the single-coil texture eases into Americana and a whole lot more. If only there was a Bigsby option…

But the humbucker was invented for good reason. Single coils pick up noise and hum that in certain situations can ruin the fun. It’s why numerous Gibson artists, most recently Warren Haynes, choose hum-canceling P-90 DC soapbars for his signature. In the short time we had the guitar though it was well-behaved. The pickups have the same magnetic polarity so aren’t hum-canceling in the mix position and we simply ran out of time [Gibson UK needed this example back fairly urgently] to test what effect, or not, those covers have on the sound and any noise reduction.

Potential pitfalls aside, the quality of sound, that different texture and bite ain’t to be sneezed at.

Verdict

Some might say this is far from a valid Oasis signature guitar, having only come into play earlier this year. It’s simply based on a custom-spec’d guitar, a tool for Noel’s day job, admittedly a ginormous world tour, but is Noel even still using his versions?

All of that aside, as we said, it’s a slightly different, pimped-up take on an existing USA Les Paul that quite simply might entice players to taste, or remind themselves of the P-90s different, less-smooth fat single-coil voice that has way more sonic potential than merely playing covers of the signature artist’s band. It’s quite the rock’n’roller: old or new.

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Feingold, who made her name playing with the likes of Bruno Mars, Kanye West, and Jay Z, has become one of the foremost champions of a tuning that was first explored by Chris Weisman around 2008.

As its name suggests, the tuning flips the electric guitar on its headstock for a whole new world of harmony.

The set has a 46-11 gauge – .046W (low E), .032W (B), .017 (G), .026W (D), .016 (A) , .011 (high E). It is strung to mimic a standard six-string's tuning setup, though flips the pitch and gauge around the D and G string equator. In essence, the low E becomes the high E, while the A and B strings also have their pitch and gauge 'inverted'.

Notably, the D and G strings are not inverted, and keep the same orientation as standard. That also means that the high E is in the place where the low E is usually found – and Feingold has previously discussed how that helps combat strumming issues found with traditional guitar designs.

“What I love about playing upside down is the fact that there's all this real estate for your hand to go anywhere it wants to,” Feingold once told Rhett Shull, having first played a guitar that was quite literally flipped upside down in order to try inverted tuning. “You don't have to worry about hitting the pickup selector.”

The Grammy winner, who once auditioned for Prince, has made quite a name for herself with the tuning. This new signature set empowers others to experiment with it, although La Bella recommends getting a custom nut to aid fitment. Flipping the nut has worked a treat for some and is a lot cheaper.

“Inverted tuning is a treasure trove of undiscovered harmonies and colors waiting to be called upon,” says La Bella, which becomes the first big brand to make an official set for the tuning.

The Ella Feingold signature string set is available to order now and is priced at $9.59 per pack. They are made with American Wire and packaged using MAP Technology (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) to maximize freshness.

Head to La Bella to learn more.

Elsewhere, Feingold has explained why every up-and-coming guitarist should learn from this “gentle genius,” and has also revealed how her Prince and Bruno Mars auditions proved to be worlds apart.

Musician's Friend is one of the biggest names in the U.S. when it comes to music gear, with something for everyone – whether you’re looking for electric guitars, acoustic guitars, guitar amps, pedals, or something a little different. This early-Black Friday sale is underway right now, meaning that it’s extremely likely that the piece of guitar gear you want has already been highly discounted – and you can get it now rather than waiting until the big day.

Not in a position to buy right now? Well, you may want to bookmark our Musician's Friend Black Friday deals hub page. From now until the end of Cyber Weekend, we’ll be updating the page with the very best Black Friday offers we find. Below is a selection of my favorite deals from across the entire sale.

Vintage Fender folklore might lead you to conclude that the CBS takeover was the lutherie equivalent of the Khmer Rouge’s ‘Year Zero’, but nothing could be further from the truth. The quality of Fender guitars didn’t plummet overnight, and arguably remained high for at least a decade.

Changes were made, but for the most part they were gradual and more cosmetic than sonic. Let’s break things down and take a forensic look at the alterations CBS made to Fender’s iconic models between 1965 and 1970, and the impact they had on the way the guitars looked and sounded.

Necks

In the immediate aftermath of CBS’s takeover, Strat and Tele necks remained much the same. Fender had already been producing these models in significant numbers, so it would have been madness not to use up the remaining stock of unused necks, rather than discard them for the sake of imposing a new brand image.

Construction methods continued as before, although Fender began using pao ferro and Indian rosewood instead of expensive and increasingly scarce Brazilian rosewood.

Fender persisted with the ‘veneer’ method of applying rosewood and maple fretboards well beyond the 1960s, and after numerous refrets most veneer-’board vintage Strats now have 22 individual pieces of veneer. So while pao ferro and Indian rosewood fretboards may appear lighter, they’re unlikely to sound any different from the darker Brazilian ones.

One early change that CBS made was, in practical terms, an improvement. The ‘clay’ fretboard and side marker dots used prior to CBS’s ownership tended to darken up, which made them hard to see. CBS began installing celluloid dots, which were more durable and provided greater visibility, and narrowed the dot spacing at the 12th fret. The offset models were treated to an upgrade in 1965 with the introduction of fretboard binding, and the following year celluloid blocks replaced the dots.

It’s widely supposed that Fender introduced bigger headstock logos to increase brand visibility on television. Tele and Strat ‘spaghetti’ logos lasted until late 1964, when new ‘transitional’ logos were introduced. This was retained for the larger Strat headstock of 1966 and lasted until mid-1967, when a black logo with bigger lettering was adopted.

At the same time, Fender experienced incompatibility issues with water-slide decals after switching to quick-drying and non-yellowing polyester finishes in 1968. The solution was to spray headstock fronts with nitrocellulose, which explains why big headstock faces generally look darker than the rest of the neck. In 1969 Fender also began spraying lacquer over the decals to protect them and achieve a smooth and glossy look.

Also in 1969, Fender reverted to the original one-piece neck construction method with the truss rod inserted from the back of the neck. These necks are easy to spot because there will be a skunk stripe on the back and a walnut plug on the front of the headstock. Maple- and rosewood-’board Teles were made this way, as were maple-’board Strat necks (but not the rosewood ones).

Across all models, the company’s neck attachment method remained unchanged. Fender’s four screws and a plate arrangement, which was first seen on Broadcasters, would last until midway through 1971.

Bodies 

Most bodies remained largely unaltered throughout the 1960s. The CBS era is often wrongly associated with heavier bodies, but weight always varied considerably. Some early Blackguards are like boat anchors, and absurdly heavy Strats didn’t become commonplace until the 1970s.

Alder had been the standard body wood for Strats since 1956, but ash still featured on many Telecasters. Fender must have had concerns about the weight of the ash it was sourcing because in 1967 its teams began routing weight-relieving cavities under the pickguard.

Touring musicians must have twigged that these cavities provided a convenient way to conceal contraband, and they’re still known as ‘smuggler’s Teles’. It is also thought that Thinline Teles were designed to work around the heavy ash issue.

Most dual-pickup versions of the guitar that became known as the Telecaster had a straight diagonal channel cut into the top of the body. One hole was drilled into the channel from the neck pickup cavity and a second from the channel into the control cavity to pass the neck pickup’s wires through to the switch.

Fender dispensed with the channel midway through 1969 and reverted to the original practice of drilling a wire hole straight through from the treble corner of the neck pocket to the control cavity.

The other change of note in 1969 was the squaring off of Stratocaster pickup cavities to create a bit more room. It was done due to the thickness of the new poly finish, and the cavities were made even larger in 1970. You may also observe that Strat bodies from the mid-to-late 1960s look a bit chunkier and less finely sculpted.

Caps & Controls

Strat control wiring continued unaltered, but the tone capacitor value was changed from 0.1µF to 0.05µF around 1968, which brightened the sound. The aluminium shield plate that has a sonic effect similar to (but subtler than) a humbucker cover was ditched in 1968.

In late 1967, CBS standardised Telecaster control wiring to the neck/both/bridge arrangement that most players had wanted all along. It also added a 0.001µF treble bleed capacitor to the volume potentiometer.

From 1965, CTS potentiometers gradually replaced Stackpoles all across the product line, and in 1969 1mega-ohm potentiometers superseded 250ks in Telecasters.

Plastics & Hardware

Once all of the celluloid nitrate pickguards had been used up, white/black/white PVC or ABS plastic pickguards became standard. Some Strats were fitted with four-ply tortoiseshell-fronted ’guards, and between 1968 and 1970 white Strat and Tele pickguards were pearloid on the underside.

Strat pots, switch tips and pickup covers made between ’65 and ’70 are virtually indistinguishable from those made earlier in the 1960s. In 1966, white witch-hat knobs appeared on Jazzmasters, and some custom-colour Jazzmasters and Jaguars got white ’guards.

Double-line Klusons replaced the earlier single-line version around 1964, but the change was entirely cosmetic. Klusons remained Fender’s standard machinehead until 1967, when tuners with ‘F’-stamped covers, octagonal buttons and vintage-style posts were introduced.

The Telecaster was the only model treated to new hardware. By 1967, smooth saddles with string grooves had replaced the threaded rod saddles; they’re non-ferric and have a slightly mellower response. Newly designed knobs with a slightly flatter top arrived around 1968.

Pickups

The main variables in pickup construction are the number of winds, winding method, magnet wire, potting method and magnet type. After CBS took charge, the only thing left unchanged between 1965 and 1970 was the magnets.

By the mid-1960s Fender’s standard magnet wire gauge was 42 AWG – or 43 AWG for Tele neck pickups – but for Stratocasters, the transition in the type of insulation from heavy formvar to plain enamel coincided with the switch from black to grey bottom plates in 1964.

You can tell the difference because formvar coils have a reddish-copper look, while plain enamel coils have a darker brownish-purple. Unless supply shortages obliged Fender to do otherwise, Telecaster coils were always plain enamel.

Coil-winding machines were used, but the operators guided the wire onto the bobbins by hand and deliberately randomised the coils. This is called hand- or scatter-winding and is believed to enhance treble response and clarity. Having standardised the use of plain enamel wire, CBS fully automated the winding process, thereby eliminating scatter and making coils far more even and consistent.

CBS also reduced the number of windings, which resulted in lower resistance readings. Although fewer windings tends to equate to brighter tone and lower output, the absence of scatter and the naturally full midrange characteristics of plain enamel wire balance things out to some extent. Remember, these were the pickups used by Hendrix and Gilmour.

Fender used formvar and plain enamel magnet wire for Jazzmaster and Jaguar pickups in the pre-CBS era. When CBS took over, the black flatwork changed to grey with dates stamped or written with pencil or black marker pen. In 1966, Fender began winding Jazzmaster coils with Polysol-insulated magnet wire and changed from wax to lacquer potting.

By 1967, Strat and Tele pickups were also being lacquer potted, giving them a shriller and some might say harsher tone. They were also more prone to microphonic squeal. The following year, plastic-insulated leadout wires replaced the cloth wires. Fender used various colours before settling on black and white.

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

Its flagship, patent-pending creation latches onto a pedal’s potentiometer shafts, replacing the outer covering and allowing players to increase or decrease settings – like the gain on an overdrive pedal, for instance – by rolling their foot up and down. The Knobyfier sports two rollers on its side, making it easy to tweak a pedal without having to stoop down and do it by hand.

“Guitarists, you know the drill: Aching knees from hunching, long hunting for tone with knobs, or no room for that crucial expression pedal,” says the firm. “It burns your flow. You deserve better.”

They’re small enough to accommodate multiple Knobifyers per pedal, and it’s feasible to adjust two pedals at once if placed close enough together. Especially if you have big feet.

Indeed, the firm also sees its invention as a handy alternative for those who can’t squeeze typically sizable expression pedals onto their ‘boards. In this case, attaching one to a pedal's Volume control can turn an analog or digital pedal into a more expressive stompbox without breaking the bank.

And for those who get a headache just thinking about MIDI programming, this is a far simpler and cheaper solution.

“The Knobyfier instantly transforms your standard guitar pedal knobs into responsive, foot-operated wheels, giving you precise, on-the-fly control over any parameter, without ever taking your hands off your guitar,” it says. “Get instant, precise control right under your foot.”

Available in Dirty Red and Cobalt Blue, the gizmos are priced at 106,00 zł PLN (approx. $30) apiece. There are variants specifically for a range of manufacturers’ pedals, including Boss, Strymon, and MXR, ensuring a tailored fit.

The Knobyfier ships worldwide with DHL. Head to Knobyfier for more.

It follows other handy inventions in recent months, including a similar device for controlling pedals with your breath, and a capo that unlocks alternate tunings without having to touch the tuning pegs.

Thanks to its innovative approach to ergonomics and playability, Strandberg Guitars has helped pave the way for a whole new era of electric guitar design. Not only has it changed the way people are viewing the headless guitar concept, it’s also pushing the limits of what a guitar actually can be.

Such radical experimentation, though, inevitably comes with some resistance and skepticism, not least from those rooted in a more traditional background, who may be more comfortable and familiar with guitars of a more orthodox design.

Likewise, some corners of the guitar ecosystem are, naturally, more receptive to the Strandberg school of thought. As such, the angular, headless, EndurNeck profile-equipped instruments have become a go-to choice for some of the biggest and brightest progressive guitarists – Plini, Sarah Longfield, Per Nilsson among them.

Because of this – and because of their overall sci-fi-esque appearance – Strandberg guitars are often associated with particular types of music, prog metal being the most common.

That’s an association, Ola Strandberg says, that the brand is keen to move away from, because as he notes – and as this writer can corroborate – Strandbergs are more than just metal guitars. The mission now? Make the average player realize this.

“Obviously, we're somewhat pigeonholed still in the prog metal scene, so there's a lot of room to grow,” Strandberg told Guitar World at Guitar Summit 2025. “We try to build a product range that will meet everyone's needs regardless of music genre.

“I think the visuals, that's the last barrier we have to tear down, because in terms of playability, in terms of sounds, we have it. It's more in the minds of the players that we have more work to do.”

Some of that work is already being done thanks to a select few players far removed from the metal scene who have made Strandberg their go-to guitars. Multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier – who has his own signature five-string model – is an example.

And with the way the guitar world is going, there is more opportunity to preach the Strandberg message in areas outside of prog metal, as Strandberg himself observes.

He continue, “I think the evolution of the guitar as an instrument has always been in tandem with some new musical genre coming out and new needs from the player, whether it's being louder in a particular setting or achieving some new kind of sound.

“I'm just hopeful that with the player community that we have already we can follow that and tag on to something new. That's what really the genesis of the brand was.

“I came along when Chris Letchford, Misha [Mansoor], Tosin Abasi… they were the ones that spearheaded the growth. That was an entirely new style of music and they had new requirements for the performance of the instrument.

“And there are other genres of music developing in that same way and I think currently we're seeing a lot of players moving away from being too technical, or moving away from eight-strings, with no expectation of playing a million notes per second.

“With the younger generation growing up now, we want to make them feel inspired, and we're going to evolve with them and meet whatever needs they might.”

In related news, Ola Strandberg recently revealed how his game-changing EndurNeck profile had been partly inspired by a TV remote.

T. Sato, the man behind Moonshine Craft & Custom, has stumbled upon a winning formula for making cases compatible with Androids and iPhones. They look ultra-realistic, with each one costing around £50 (approx $67).

Often complete with 'burst finishes and accented by the edges of pickguards, each one seems to be inspired by a specific guitar, with everything from relic’d Strats and Teles through to Gibson SGs and Les Pauls on the menu. There’s also a faded TV Yellow design, which just oozes vintage charm.

The attention to detail is exquisite, with rusted screws and flaking paint on many. It's all real, as opposed to a flat image superimposed onto plastic.

Unsurprisingly, they’ve proven hugely popular, with each listing on the firm's Mercari store currently sold out. The one-man production team is struggling to keep up with demand.

It all started a few months ago, when Sato’s old phone case bit the dust. He crafted himself a new one before posting the results on Instagram. It’s been a whirlwind since.

“I'm truly delighted to have received such an overwhelming response for these smartphone cases crafted by a guitar maker,” he writes on Instagram. “I handle guitar-making, repairs, and custom work all by myself. In my spare time, I strive to create smartphone cases with the same care and dedication, hoping to share the joy with everyone.”

The demand has lead to a 2-3 month lead time for each order, with Guitars Japan drafted in to handle requests.

This way, players can take the spirit of their favorite six-string with them, wherever they go.

Head to Moonshine Craft & Custom for more.

Such is the modern world, we were scrolling through Instagram and stumbled across a delicious-looking Patrick James Eggle Oz-t. A quick “can we get one?” request and a little while later, once Patrick and his team had made another, here it is.

There’s no launch embargo date to follow. No PR to wade through. Just another jaw-dropping example of home-grown craft in the UK.

Increasingly, those of us who enjoy über-quality are looking beyond the big guns’ Custom Shops and Private Stock programmes. Nobody is saying £3k is cheap, but it’s considerably less than those obvious Custom Shop models, not least if you want some bespoke features that suit you.

Like many, many makers worldwide, Patrick’s range centres on electric guitars inspired by Fender favourites: the Tele-style Oz (named after the location of Eggle HQ), as here, and the more Strat-aimed 96, while the Macon covers more Gibson-like style in its various configurations.

So, while there’s no new outline for your eyes and hands to adjust to, Patrick’s main USP is simply the hugely detailed craft honed from vast experience in both the electric and acoustic worlds. And when we say ‘hugely detailed’, we really mean it. This is masterpiece level.

From the off, the experience of unboxing a perfectly packaged instrument is illustrative that the details go beyond the guitar itself. Opening the classic-style hard case, we note that the guitar is shipped with a fretboard protector, and the whiff of quality is hard to miss.

As you pull the guitar out, it’s not only a beautiful light weight for the style, but we’re drawn to the pristine condition and lightly aged hardware, not to mention the look of the roasted, figured maple neck-back and the deep brown/orange of the tortoiseshell pickguard and top-edge binding.

There’s no ageing to the perfectly glossed nitro body finish, though; its dark 2-Tone Burst over the vertically striped swamp ash seems somehow opulent but in very classic rock ’n’ roll style.

It’s perfectly matched by the stripped-down dress: the cut-off bridge with its big brass saddles, and the domed and lightly knurled control knobs, again lightly aged like the original P-Bass-style control plate they sit on.

Suiting the aged style is the old-looking single humbucker at the bridge – a Wide Range-style pickup, wound by Mojo here in the UK. There’s no need for a pickup selector switch, but you can split the humbucker via a pull-switch on the master tone control.

Specs

• PRICE: £3,260 ($4,379 approx., inc case)
• ORIGIN: UK
• TYPE: Single-cutaway, semi-solid electric
• BODY: 2-piece swamp ash back w/ swamp ash top
• NECK: Figured roasted maple, soft V profile, bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Bone/43mm
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, ivory coloured face dots w/ Luminlay side dots, 304mm (12”) radius
• FRETS: 22 medium (Jescar 55090)
• HARDWARE: Gotoh ‘chopped T’ bridge with intonated brass saddles, Gotoh SD 91 tuners – aged nickel-plate
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54.5mm
• ELECTRICS: Mojo CuNiFe Wide Range-style humbucker. Master volume and tone (w/ pull‑push coil-split)
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.97/6.54
• OPTIONS: The base price is £2,990: 2-piece swamp ash body construction adds £100; single-ply tortoiseshell pickguard adds £60; body-edge binding adds £200
• RANGE OPTIONS: Solidbody T-style Oz (from £2,900) is joined by Oz Contour Top (from £3,400) and Oz Carved Top (from £4,300). Aside from these standard models, PJE also offers a full custom service (£POA)
• LEFT-HANDERS: Yes
• FINISH: 2-Tone Burst (as reviewed) – gloss nitrocellulose body; satin nitro to headstock and heel with ‘worn through’ neck back
• CONTACT: Patrick James Eggle

Playability and sounds

There’s obviously a familiar feel here to the slab-bodied guitar, which weighs in at 2.97kg (6.54lb). It’s a great seated player and feels like part of your body when strapped on. But not for the first time with a PJE guitar, it’s the neck feel and fretwork that’s truly exceptional.

There are no tricks. The oil/wax finish to the neck-back feels as good as the roasted maple looks, which is technically rift-sawn with a lovely strong flamed figure.

It’s only a shade lighter in colour than the deep brown rosewood fingerboard with its simple clay-like dots to the face (the side dots are quite large-diameter Luminlay), while the narrow/tall fret gauge seems perfectly suited, especially with the 305mm (12-inch) fingerboard radius.

Those frets are beautifully smooth with rounded ends, and the very straight neck has a pretty low action: 1.27mm on the treble side and 1.53mm on the bass side.

Of course, the heel is rounded, too, and the neckplate inset, which all helps the guitar to disappear in your hands. Nothing gets in the way. The neck profile is classed as a ‘soft V’ and there’s good depth – 22.8mm at the 1st fret, 23.4mm by the 12th – but the trim shoulders make it feel thinner to your hand.

The chambering is mostly on the bass side, which not only reduces weight but we get a good acoustic volume and pretty much halfway between a solid- and hollowbody response.

Not everyone will get on with a single-pickup guitar, of course, and you can order the Oz-t with a neck pickup. But us Les Paul Junior or Esquire fans have no complaints and, sound-wise, this Oz nods more to the latter than the former.

If you find a humbucker a bit too ‘big’ and a single coil too ‘small’, then this Mojo ’bucker might appeal. It’s pulled back a little from the Patent Applied For clone we have on our reference PJD Carey Standard – a similar chambered swamp ash/maple build – but it’s got a smooth, lean voice here that, for some, could be a hot country classic.

It’s a very vibrant and ringing voice at full volume and keeps its clarity under some tougher gains, but as any single-pickup player will know, your volume control is your friend.

Here, the guitar cleans up nicely and actually leans into a more twangsome zone. Set up your sound with that rolled-back volume then pull it back up for your riffs and leads and we’re right into a near-perfect roots rock Americana ballpark.

With the pull-switch engaged, though, which voices primarily the neck-facing coil, there’s an almost Gretsch-like sparkle, lower in output with less thickness but bags of bite that can easily be rolled back with the tone control.

Throw some chorus into the mix and if we were told this was a signature pickup for Johnny Marr or the late, great James Honeyman‑Scott, we’d believe it. But it’s just as valid for your 60s power-pop or clean and stingin’ righteous blues. One pickup, a host of sounds. Superb.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★★

Guitar World verdict: A first-class build that’s impossible to fault, this almost demure Oz-t is yet another illustration of why Patrick James Eggle is held in such high regard. But it’s no posh case-queen; it would be criminal if this didn’t hit a stage. It might just be a single-pickup guitar, but when one sounds as good and is versatile as this, do you really need more?

• “Built to a standard that few can come close to – and for a grand under a Fender Custom Shop Strat”: Patrick James Eggle 96 Rob Harris Signature review
• Best high-end electric guitars 2025: the finest guitars money can buy
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.

What's in store this week, you ask? Oh, well, just three Oasis signature guitars, the evil twin of the Gibson Hummingbird, Manson's first-ever effects pedal and an Ibanez that channels serious SRV energy. No biggie, then...

Gibson Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard

Oasis came back this year. Noel Gallagher’s been playing a drop-dead gorgeous Les Paul on tour. The internet can’t stop talking about it. You know the score.

It is one of 2025’s most talked-about builds. But for those Oasis fans wanting to channel some Big Gallagher Energy, their only option was to either a) fork out for one of the 25 ultra-exclusive Murphy Lab models, or b) cut corners and get a Les Paul that came close to the source material.

Now, Gibson has answered the calls from those fans, reissuing the Gallagher Les Paul as a more affordable Standard USA model. It looks the part, right down to the chrome P-90s – which, apparently, took some time to get right – and chrome poker chip toggle switch.

It’s still a limited edition, but there’s more of them, so we imagine there will be plenty more happy Oasis fans this time around. We kinda want those pickups as aftermarket mod accessories, though…

For more: Gibson

Epiphone Gem Archer Masterbuilt Sheraton and Bonehead Riviera

The Oasis signature guitar ecosystem doesn’t just contain the Gallagher Les Paul, though. This week, two Oasis stalwarts received signatures of their own. Co-founder Bonehead got an Epiphone Riviera, based on the vintage model he used to help shape the Oasis sound, while Gem Archer received a recreation of the original Sheraton that was gifted to him by Noel.

Both are incredibly classy and are inspired by some truly great instruments. These are the Epiphones that have helped carry the Oasis sound, after all, and the ones that have played a huge part in making the reunion tour sound so darn good. We’re on the fence, but the sunburst finish of the Bonehead model is sooo pretty…

For more: Epiphone

Fender Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram Delta Day Telecaster Deluxe

Blues maestro Kingfish is fast becoming synonymous with the Fender Telecaster. In years to come, when people have conversations about the Tele greats, Kingfish's name will be well in the mix. If we're honest, he already really is.

His loyalty to the Tele Deluxe template was further rewarded this week with a new-look version of his flagship signature. It's called Delta Day, has a sleek Daphne Blue colorway, and looks (and sounds) killer.

Funnily enough, though, Kingfish wasn't sold on the Telecaster when he first got his hands on one...

For more: Fender

Gibson Kirk Hammett Raven

Gibson’s homepage has been proudly taken over by the brand’s new Back to the Future ES-345s, and for good reason – the hunt for the film’s OG guitar has been high up on Gibson’s priority list this year. However, space was made for another new launch this week, which happened to be Kirk Hammett’s latest signature acoustic.

The release was eventually given plenty of fanfare and gothic grandiose, which seems appropriate for the guitar itself – those are some of the cleanest pickguard designs we’ve seen grace the top of a Gibson dreadnought, fully befitting the heavy metal guitar icon. It’s been dubbed a counterpart to the Hummingbird. Think if the Hummingbird had an evil twin.

For more: Gibson

Martin Jason Isbell 0-17

Jason Isbell has joined Jeff Tweedy on the (very short) list of ‘artists who got a Martin signature guitar this month’, partnering with the company for two acoustics of varying prices that look to recreate his prized pre-war acoustic.

The more expensive $5k version was a particular challenge to get right. For that one, Martin used the very-hard-to-source Brazilian rosewood – something that Isbell is particularly grateful for. It’s been joined by a more accessible $1,049 model, which channels the spirit of Martin’s Road Series, and a signature string set that looks to “set the standard for acoustic tone and playability”.

“They’re well made, they’re easy to play, and it encourages beginner guitar players and singer-songwriters to have something that is quality,” Isbell said. “I could take this guitar and make a living with it.”

For more: Martin

Donner x MIYAVI signature pedal

MIYAVI – the Japanese super shredder who worked with Fender to produce one of the wildest Telecasters we’ve seen – now has a few more pieces of signature gear under his belt: two multi-effects pedals, designed in collaboration with Donner.

MIYAVI, who is now both a Donner signature artist and the firm’s creative director, debuted his pedal pairing at Shanghai’s Music Show last weekend, with both promising to deliver “a distinctive tone beyond limits”.

The Dimension Weaver concerns itself with reverb, chorus and delay, while the Rage Breaker offers boot, fuzz and overdrive. Both follow the precedent set by Jack White’s surprising and uber-affordable $99 multi-effects – one of the White Stripe legend’s more unexpected partnerships – which came out at the start of last year.

Like White, MIYAVI is something of a maverick when it comes to gear, technique and tone, so both pedals here are pretty intriguing. Plus, with Donner pulling no punches in its artist ranks, we wonder which big-name player could be its next collaborator…

For more: Donner

Sterling by Music Man Rabea Massaad Sabre

When Ernie Ball Music Man announced Rabea Massaad as a signature artist back in 2023, promising at the time that they’d work together on some exciting new builds, it piqued our interests. After all, you had a goliath in the online progressive guitar scene working with a company unafraid to push the boundaries of guitar design – see the St. Vincent Goldie and Kaizen for evidence.

While not as radical as those two models, the resulting Sabre was unique in its own way. Highly refined and engineered for Massaad’s style, the guitar put a modern spin on the classic Sabre – and ever since the $4k model landed, fans have been waiting patiently for an affordable Sterling by Music Man version.’

Now, after a brief NAMM preview, it’s finally here, and it slashes more than $3,000 off the OG’s price tag. Of course, some cost-cutting measures have been adopted to hit that price point. The premium tonewoods are gone. So are the Bare Knuckle humbuckers. Still, it’s a Massaad Sabre, with all the feel and playability of the real deal.

For more: Sterling by Music Man

Korn Indigo Sludge

Korn’s self-titled debut album shaped the very fabric of nu metal. Oft described as the first nu metal album, the record included tracks such as Blind, Blown and Need To, which introduced the world to the band’s distinct sound – spearheaded by visceral, downtuned seven-strings and a raw, bone-rattling heaviness.

It’s been the muse of many tone-chasers over the years, but now the hunt can be called off. Korn has released its own self-branded pedal, which promises to put those exacting tones into one box. Unsurprisingly, it’s been deemed a pedalboard essential for many Korn fans. So much so, in fact, that it’s already sold out. Shame.

For more: Korn

D’Addario Pick Holder 360

There are a handful of certainties in the life of a guitar player, the most obvious one being that if you buy a pack of 20 guitar picks on a Monday, chances are you’d have lost all 20 come Sunday. Those things seem to vanish into thin air. It’s not our fault.

To resolve those woes and provide an answer to the missing pick conundrum, D’Addario is aiming to promote greater pick organization skills with its Pick Holder 360. As the name implies, the gizmo can spin 360 degrees for immediate access to up to 12 picks, with space underneath for storage. That is, if you can remember to put them back in the spinner and keep the tine stocked up with picks…

For more: D'Addario

Positive Grid Spark NEO Core

Positive Grid’s Spark NEO wireless headphone amp was one of the biggest stories to come out of NAMM this year, so it’s no surprise to see the practice amp expert expand its lineup with a wired version that keeps all the sought-after sonic specs of the flagship pair but slashes the price down to a very tasty $159.

Silent practice is just a cold hard necessity of guitar-playing – you can’t always crank amps, unfortunately – so practice amps and headphone amps are excellent ways to keep playing late into the night. The NEO Core looks like a solid option in that regard.

For more: Positive Grid

To The Stars: The Adventure Box

Is there an award for the best-named effects pedal? There should be. The Adventure Box would win. The latest creation from To The Stars and designed with Tom DeLonge himself, this 2-in-1 compressor and delay (a rather obscure blend for a twofer stompox, we note) puts “the tones you’ve been listening to for 20 years right at your feet”.

Specifically, the tones are born from DeLonge and producer Aaron Rubin’s recording sessions, and are especially voiced for humbuckers. It also offers six studio-approved settings for songs such as The Adventure and Adam’s Song.

For more: To The Stars

Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz

We know what you’re thinking: Manson? Making a fuzz pedal? Based on a Muse hit?! The Matt Bellamy-backed British firm has been flexing its guitar-making nous for some time now, but now it’s decided to show off its newfound effects pedal expertise by branching into the stompbox game for the first time ever.

And what a way to start. The grizzly, gnarly fuzz tones of Muses’ Supermassive Black Hole are what inspired the aptly named Supermassive Black Fuzz, which has been years in the making. With a chassis that wouldn’t look out of place on a Beetronics shelf, the Supermassive fuzz was concocted with the help of ThorpyFX’s Adrian Thorpe, and was fine-tuned by Bellamy himself at various studios around the world.

We are so here for Manson’s pedal era. We can’t wait to see what the firm does next.

For more: Manson Guitar Works

Ibanez Gaofunk GF1

Ibanez certainly has a few Strat-y guitars on its books. The AZ Essentials line, for example, is inspired by the classic double-cut design. But the GF1 – built for Japanese blues funk maestro Gaofunk – might be its Strattiest build to date. That sunburst finish. The tortoiseshell pickguard. The rosewood fingerboard. It all screams Stevie Ray Vaughan. Bravo, Ibanez.

For more: Ibanez

In other words, it is designed for engineering the kind of extra-terrestrial electric guitar tones that co-creator Matt Bellamy relies on for his day job fronting Muse. It looks like this is one of those cases of nominative determinism in action; how it sounds is “supermassive” – a tone big enough to swallow a planet, gaseous giant, or Chthonian, terrestrial, whatever. It’s not fussy.

For those who have been keeping score, the Supermassive Black Fuzz has been years in development. They made the Space Shuttle in shorter order. Bellamy has been workshopping it, fine-tuning it with the Manson R&D team since, well, forever.

But then he is kinda scrupulous about tone, and he has an interest in all this as a majority shareholder at the company. Adrian Thorpe of Thorpy FX collaborated on the project, ensuring that each of the units is built in the UK.

When Guitar World spoke to him in 2022 about this very fuzz, he said it was close, but there was an EQ profile that was just out of reach, and they had been seeking wisdom from studio pros, producers, anyone with a background in electronics to square the circle.

“It will have an EQ curve that you can slide from left to right or invert to create more of a scoop,” said Bellamy. “I usually find most fuzz pedals to be a little bit too full-range. Especially in how they sit in relation to the bass, drums, and vocals.”

Bellamy said the battleground frequencies for this fuzz sat around the 600 to 900Hz mark – the “low, kind of girthy and middley” set of frequencies sit comfortably under his vocal. Having a fuzz that sat in the mix and stayed out of the way of the vocal was a non-negotiable.

“I don’t like too much crossover with where my vocals sit,” he explained. “Finding the right fuzz pedal to push that low-mid area was something we spent time on. And even after recording, whatever pedal we use, there will also be a lot of intense EQ work.”

This process took the Manson engineers all over the world. They even visited Abbey Road when testing this thing. And all this work you can now hear in the Supermassive Black Fuzz.

It is a dual-footswitch fuzz. Peak turns on your “dynamic band-pass emphasis and boosted tones.” Power engages/disengages the effect. LEDs let you know what’s going on. And you have knobs for Magnitude, Warp, Dimension (a Q control), and Gravity.

It’s designed to sound equally at home when going into a guitar amp or straight into a mixing board.

Nested amongst these dials is a heavy-duty toggle switch for selecting a classic fuzz voicing or the modernistic sci-fi neo-fuzz sounds a la Bellamy in full Battlestar Galactica mode, laser synth gauntlets on, ordering Door Dash via his Korg Kaosspad, communicating on WhatsApp with our space brothers and sisters on the outer Delta Quadrant.

Okay, back to planet Earth. It’s worth mentioning the build quality on this again.

Manson says its control knobs have been fashioned from 6082T6 aluminum, which any engineer undergrad will tell you is tough enough to be used in bridge construction, and said knobs sit on a super-solid steel grub screw.

Manson Guitar Works is releasing two editions of the pedal. The Standard Edition is priced £259 ($349 approx). The Gold Edition is limited to 100 units, each signed by Bellamy, and comes with a guitar pick tin and polishing cloth, and is priced £349 ($458 approx).

For more details, head over to Manson Guitar Works.

Another day, another Tube Screamer-inspired overdrive has shown up at my door. At this point, we must ask ourselves: Have we hit the ceiling in the amount of Screamer-style overdrive pedals? I could say yes, but there’s always room for improvement, right?

So, the question must be: What’s different this time around? With countless versions of the hallowed green box available, distinguishing between them while they fight for space on your pedalboard can be quite challenging. But since my place is already Screamer Central, let’s unearth what’s new here.

If you heed the gospel of certain YouTube content creators, you’ll find they frequently extol the virtues of the classic Japanese "Tube Screamers," particularly the holy trinity of the TS808, TS9, and the TS10.

To that end, Warm Audio is well known for making repros of some very famed overdrives, fuzzes, and boosts, so it only seems fitting in the natural progression of things for the company to take a stab at the iconic Tube Screamer — now known from them as, er… the Tube Squealer.

Yes, Warm Audio’s Tube Squealer is an all-analog, Screamer-inspired overdrive offering three selectable voicings — 808, TS9, and TS10 — that authentically recreate those revered Japanese circuits along with some modern features for flexibility.

Will it knock your socks off? For some, absolutely, but for me, I find it works admirably well in complementing any cranked rig and stacks nicely with other gain pedals.

Specs

• Price: $149 | €159 | £139
• Type: Selectable three-mode, soft-clipping Screamer-style overdrive with modern features
• Controls: Drive, Level, Mix, and Tone
• Features: Clean/Drive Mix Knob, Three-Mode Overdrive switch (808, TS10, TS9), Pickup Voicing switch (Humbucker and Single Coil), External Voltage Boost selector and True/Buffered Bypass Selector
• Jacks: 1/4-inch mono input and output jacks
• Power: 9V/18V, 12mA in Standard Mode, 25mA in Boosted mode (PSU not included)
• Dimensions: W: 5.1” | H: 2.75” | D: 2.63”
• Weight: 1 lb
• Contact: Warm Audio, warmaudio.com

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★★

The rock-solid Tube Squealer looks pretty reminiscent of its inspiration, arriving in that old-school Screamer-mould pedal enclosure with grippy indicator knobs. What’s noteworthy is that the Tube Squealer offers three distinct signal paths, each faithfully reproducing the authentic circuitry of the 808, TS9, and TS10, rather than merely re-voicing them.

For that reason, it achieves its asymmetrical clipping through carefully selected internal components, including JRC4558 op-amps, discrete transistors and diodes, and premium JFETs. Just like Warm Audio’s other pedals in their stable, these components were chosen to recreate the original character and response of those three pedals the Tube Squealer emulates.

It’s also good to know that Warm Audio ensures the durability of each pedal through rigorous testing in its Austin, Texas, facility before shipment, backing this commitment with a 5-year warranty.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★★

Similar to Warm Audio’s new Throne of Tone, the Tube Squealer avoids internal DIP switches for adjustments, offering all tone-shaping controls conveniently on the pedal's face. While the Drive, Level, Mix, and Tone controls are straightforward, achieving your desired sound requires careful adjustment, especially when combining the Circuit Selector (808, TS9, TS10) and Pickup Voicing (humbucker/single coil) switches, and whether you choose to introduce any amount of clean signal via the Mix knob or not.

For each of the 808, TS10, and TS9 circuits, the Tube Squealer is in an “original pedal” voicing when clicked down to the “single-coil” setting on the Pickup Voicing switch. By clicking up towards the “humbucker” setting, it adds a midrange emphasis from 800Hz to 2kHz, which supposedly removes muddiness when using humbucker-equipped guitars. Finally, the Tube Squealer can be selected to operate at 9V for vintage harmonic distortion or at 18V (via an internal voltage doubler) in "On" mode for a cleaner boost with increased headroom. However, I found the difference between these two modes negligible.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★

My relationship with early Ibanez-era Tube Screamers has been a “cookie-jarring” affair. What I mean by that is that I’ve never been fully committed to an 808, TS9, or TS10. I have always used them as a complementary companion when paired with other drive pedals or in front of an amp that is cranked or approaching breakup.

It’s not that those classic pedals are inadequate or unsatisfactory; it’s more that there are better dedicated overdrives out there. And frankly, considering my recent review of Warm Audio’s Throne of Tone, I think it’s fair for me to say the Tube Squealer just doesn’t have the same “wow” factor as the Throne of Tone.

But, here with the Tube Squealer, we have three of the most popular overdrives in one pedal, which is nice to have, and keeps any option paralysis to a minimum. If you didn’t know, here’s a brief reason why each was selected. The 808 (which has always been my personal favorite) is the earliest version of those classic overdrive circuits, which delivers a melange of warm coloration, soft compression, and gritty breakup.

The TS9 was released shortly after and has been the most popular and mass-produced version, with added drive and more compression, and replete with its prominent mid-hump frequency that some find plagues it, while others celebrate it.

The “sleeper” TS10 is a recent unsung hero that has garnered rising popularity among players, most notably John Mayer, for its smooth character, fuller sound and compressed sparkle.

While each circuit in the Squealer nods to those Ibanez classics, the differences in their sound are often subtle to somewhat imperceptible, though distinct characteristic variations do exist.

I primarily favor the 808 for its warmth and the TS10 for its sparkle. I also find myself sticking with the single coil setting (which is the 'original' un-modded circuit), as the humbucker setting sounds too strident to my ears.

However, I do know this humbucker setting is preferable to use with high-gain amplifiers for that enhanced mid-emphasis. I find myself keeping the Mix knob disengaged, as I prefer a pure overdriven tone without any clean signal, but if you like this blend-able option, this feature functions comparably to other pedals with similar mix/dry controls.

Verdict

Again, as I alluded to earlier, the Tube Squealer is more of a supportive pedal that sounds fantastic when paired with your other favored distortions, overdrives, fuzzes and boosts. And even in front of a pushed Marshall, Fender or Vox amp, the Squealer shines by introducing a smooth layer of compressed drive that accentuates pick attack and dynamics, and adding a welcome bump of brawny girth to your tone. All that’s needed is to select which of the three Squealer’s voices works best for your rig. And for that, the Squealer is just as good, if not in some cases, better than most overdrive pedals that offer less versatility for a similar price.

Guitar World verdict: The Tube Squealer is an elevated Screamer-style overdrive that stands out in its flexibility for complementing cranked rigs and stacking with other gain pedals. For some, it will be an absolute showstopper, but for others, it may be heavily scrutinized compared to other overdrive choices.

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• Best overdrive pedals

What would it look like if Ibanez was commissioned to make Stevie Ray Vaughan his dream blues guitar? What would SRV’s number one Fender Stratocaster look like if the R&D team at Ibanez’s Japanese facility were making it?

Well, we might just have the answer to these questions with the launch of the GF1 Gaofunk signature guitar, and while the Chinese singer-songwriter/producer/virtuoso guitarist’s new artist model ships wearing a set of relatively light D’Addario XL 0.10s (heck, SRV would tear ‘em to pieces!), it has big SRV energy with the gold hardware, the 3-Color Sunburst (sorry, Tri Fade Burst), and the white bobbins on the pickups.

Okay, the GF1 is an HSS electric guitar, with a Seymour Duncan Hyperion humbucker at the bridge position, a pair of Seymour Duncan Fortuna single-coil pickups at the neck and middle positions – and the pickguard is tortoiseshell. That is another point of difference.

But then you could always swap it out for black one; that’s what Vaughan did with his Number One Strat, which originally shipped with a white guard.

Ibanez doesn’t do ordinary S-style guitars. It’s either pushing the boundaries of doublecut electric guitar design in search of the ultimate shred platform, emaciated Wizard necks, high-output humbuckers, a double-locking vibrato for kicks, the whole Ice 9 yards.

If it's not doing that, it is thinking of ways of putting a new-school twist on it, like on the GF1. It is quite obviously part of the AZ series. That’s a great starting point for a signature model. It can be shreddable but classy, the kind of guitar you’d play at at some joint with a dress code.

It has the HSS configuration and five-way switching, volume and tone controls, and Ibanez’s latter-day power move, the dyna-MIX9 switching system, which presents you with nine core tones via the flick of the Alter Switch.

It’s superb fun – and it’s useful – as we found out when we recently got our hands the Ibanez G54W (yes, that is a headless guitar but the point stands: HSS plus dyna-MIX9 equals fun).

And the GF1 is still a guitar that we would consider a high-performance instrument. It has the Prestige MIJ build, with the Oval C baked maple neck, bolted to a solid alder body with an easy-access heel contour. There are Luminlay side dot markers. The rosewood fingerboard seats 22 stainless steel frets and has been given the boogie Prestige edge treatment.

The hardware is tip top, too; a Gotoh T1702B vibrato, Gotoh Magnum locking tuners. Yes, yes, yes... This one's a peach. Sadly, it is only available in certain territories in Asia – but then that’s part of the fun of digging out the passport and traveling. And if you catch Gaofunk in concert this year, you'll see him playing it.

“I’ll be using it to bring you wonderful music during my 20th anniversary national tour this year!” he says.

The launch of the GF1 came just a day after Ibanez announced a signature model for Japanese shredder Hazuki, a 7-string guitar that is exclusive to Japan. It’s stunning.

Priced ¥440,000 (approximately, $2,899/£2,199) the GF1 Gaofunk signature model is available now, and we’ve seen it listed for just ¥330,000. See Ibanez Japan for more details.

I’ve taken an in-depth look at the sale to give you the full lowdown on the deals available, and admittedly, to satiate my own curiosity for a deal on some fresh gear. There are a lot of them, so my top picks, along with some from the wider Guitar World team will get you pointed in the right direction without wasting too much time endlessly scrolling through products.

• Shop the pre-Black Friday deals at Guitar Center

With some stonking savings on a huge range of gear from big brands like Fender, Epiphone, Martin, Line 6, Gretsch, and many more, it’s undoubtedly one of the best places to pick up an early Black Friday deal. Keep abreast of all the best deals all the way through Cyber Weekend over at our Black Friday Guitar Center deals hub.

The pop-punk hero has been amassing a wealth of standout gear of late, from his much-anticipated Fender Starcaster to the revival of a rare prototype that predates his first signature guitar. This pedal, releasing under his firm, To The Stars, maintains his momentum.

So, what is the Adventure Box? Well, it’s been conceived by DeLonge, his long-time recording engineer, Aaron Rubin, and brought to life by Utility Belt FX for authentic Angels & Airwaves sonic flavors.

The compressor is based on a “classic, squishy two-knob circuit” but is specifically voiced for humbucker guitars. A Blend dial has also been added in, tweaking the template to preserve the transients and tone of the unaffected signal.

On the other side, the analog-voiced digital delay strives for clarity and warmth. Rolling back the Feedback dial results in a classic doubling effect, cranking it unleashes “interstellar guitar solos.” Both effects can be operated independently and simultaneously.

The key quirk here is its Order Switch, which allows players to “reverse the signal flow for non-traditional and unique tones.” Its mini-switch can be found at the top of the pedal's face

Each side of the pedal offers three controls, with Mix, Delay, and Feedback dictating the character of its analog delay, and Level, Comp, and the aforementioned Blend, sculpting its compression. Each effect has a dedicated footswitch, and the in/outs are top-mounted with the 9V plug sitting in between.

The all-new pedal arrives with a card featuring six settings to replicate classic blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves tracks, including The Adventure and Adam’s Song. The insert is hand-numbered and signed by DeLonge.

The twofer stompbox is limited to just 250 units, holding a price tag of $499. Pre-orders are now open.

See To The Stars for more.

DeLonge's Starcaster has been getting rave reviews, but one GW writer found it wasn't just a nostalgia piece as it fixed a score of issues that have plagued Fender's “most unpopular guitar.”

Meanwhile, Blink bassist Mark Hoppus also joined Fender and celebrated with a signature release. Months later, he was slinging his Fender on stage with both DeLonge and the man who temporarily replaced him in the band at a one-off charity show.

Jason Isbell has dropped a triple whammy of releases with Martin in the form of two acoustic guitars and a companion string set.

The serial Grammy winner has modeled his two new acoustics on his prized 1940 0-17. It features on every track of his latest album, Foxes in the Snow, which says a lot about its personal value.

The Martin 0-17 Jason Isbell ($4,999), limited to just 50 units, looks to echo the magic of pre-war Martins. Its body is crafted entirely from solid sinker mahogany and paired with Adirondack spruce Golden Era scalloped X-bracing “for a warm, expressive voice.”

Its fingerboard and bridge are made from Brazilian rosewood to prioritize “classic feel and playability,” while 17-style appointments – including a dovetail neck joint, Waverly Nickel open back tuners, and a multi-stripe rosette – maintain the instrument’s tradition.

“The Brazilian rosewood is a really special thing,” says Isbell. “The fact that Martin was able and willing to do that for these guitars makes me really happy. The neck on this one is pretty identical in shape to the original guitar. It’s a very simple guitar to look at and to play, but certainly not simple to put together.”

For those with smaller budgets, the 0-10E Retro Jason Isbell ($1,049) represents a more affordable alternative. Bringing the spirit of Martin’s Road Series “in a stage-ready form,” the satin-finished, all-mahogany build melds a 0 14-fret body, scalloped spruce X-bracing, and Martin E1 electronics with a built-in tuner for “warm, focused tones and plug-and-play performance.”

Once again, 17-style appointments feature, while nickel open-gear tuners and a Modern Straightline bridge complete the build.

“This guitar meets the artist’s criteria that the instrument can’t be the challenge,” Isbell believes. “They’re well made, they’re easy to play, and it encourages beginner guitar players and singer-songwriters to have something that is quality. I could take this guitar and make a living with it.”

Isbell’s new string set arrives as part of a new line of Martin Era strings. They’re designed to “set the standard for acoustic tone and playability,” and are emboldened by Martin-fuelled benefits. That includes its patented Lifespan treatment to better resist corrosion, its Flexible Core tech for enhanced comfort, and silk-wrapped ball ends so that, whatever acoustic it goes on, is safe from accidental damage while restringing.

Specifically, Isbell’s signature set ($17.99) is custom-voiced “for strength, balance, and consistency.” The 12-54 gauge strings get red silk-wrapped ball ends and “reflect his exact touring and studio-tested preferences,” for Isbell-inspired warmth.

Visit Martin for more.

The releases follow a Gibson Murphy Lab reissue of Isbell’s ‘Red Eye’ Les Paul, and Tim Shaw-voice Fender Tele pickups, which might be the most versatile Telecaster pups on the market.

He's also come to the aid of newbie players struggling to get a grip of the instrument, revealing how he levelled up his playing during his formative years.

Now, Gallagher’s two guitar foils – Gem Archer and Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, both of whom are involved in the reunion tour – have been given signature Epiphones of their own, and they’re both based on classic Epi designs steeped in Oasis history.

Archer has the slightly more expensive $1,299 Masterbuilt Sheraton, offered in Cherry Red. Bonehead has a $899 Dark Tobacco Sunburst Riviera. Both are based on the ES-335 body shape, and both are very pretty indeed.

Archer has opted for a slightly more regal Epi build, which looks to faithfully recreate the 1966 Sheraton that has been by his side throughout his work with Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The original was, in fact, gifted to Archer by Noel, and has remained a staple in his collection since.

The Sheraton is laced with gold hardware, a raised diamond trapeze tailpiece and a pair of Gibson USA Mini Humbuckers. The semi-hollow build is made from a five-ply layered maple/poplar body with a maple centerblock, and a one-piece mahogany neck that’s topped with a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard.

The headstock comes with some appropriately decorative tree of life inlays, with Archers’ signature present on the rear. Seven-ply top, three-ply back and five-ply fretboard binding give the Sheraton a suitably Britpop-approved aesthetic.

“Originally gifted to Gem by Noel Gallagher, the vintage Sheraton has remained a staple in his collection, and this new release pays tribute to that cherished instrument,” Epiphone writes.

“The Epiphone Sheraton first came into my world when I borrowed Noel’s for Oasis tours and recording,” Archer says. “When I started playing with him again in the High Flying Birds in 2017, this was the guitar I asked if he still had.

“It’s got a ring and a clang to it, with loads of definition and clarity that I haven’t found in any other model.”

Oasis co-founding guitarist Bonehead, meanwhile, has opted for something a tad more rugged, a bit more rough-and-ready. It’s based on the 1984 Riviera that served as his most trusted companion during the band’s early days, and that helped shape the sound of Definitely Maybe, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, and the wider Oasis sound.

As such, it’s still based on the ES double-cut body shape, but dresses its five-ply layered maple body and three-piece maple neck with a sunburst finish and more subtle single-ply cream binding.

Full-sized humbuckers are put to use here – a pair of Alnico Classic Pros, to be precise – with the Riviera sticking to some of its usual spec sheet suspects. That includes a SlimTaper C neck profile, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with parallelogram inlays, and Black Witch Hat knobs.

“Epiphone Rivieras have been with me from the early rehearsals at the Boardwalk in Manchester all the way up to those historic shows at Knebworth and on into Liam’s solo career,” notes Bonehead.

“I’m still playing my original 1984 guitar on the Oasis 2025 tour, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Few guitarists embody Epiphone’s For Every Stage philosophy quite like Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs,” Epiphone notes. “From intimate early gigs at The Water Rats to the historic Knebworth concerts, Bonehead’s Epiphone Riviera was a constant companion – delivering the driving, textured rhythm work that helped define Oasis’s unmistakable sound.

“His most legendary instrument, a 1984 Riviera, was front and center during the recording of Definitely Maybe, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, and throughout the band’s meteoric rise in the 1990s. Now, Epiphone is proud to offer a faithful recreation of that iconic guitar.”

Both guitars are available now. Head to Epiphone to find out more.

In related Epiphone news, the company recently launched a replica of the Back to the Future ES-345 – examples of which have been snapped up by scalpers, with prices on the secondhand market hitting the $7k mark.

For guitar fans, Irsay’s collection needs no introduction. It’s not a stretch to say it’s perhaps the most culturally significant and historically important assortment of guitars to ever be curated. The list of guitars included in the collection reads like the stock inventory of a museum.

It includes many of rock and pop’s most famous electric guitars, many of which Irsay purchased himself at auction for multi-million dollar deals over the years. Highlights include (but certainly are not limited to) Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang, David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster, Jerry Garcia’s Tiger and the Strat Bob Dylan used to ‘go electric’ at the Newport Folk Festival.

That’s before we mention The Fool SG, which once belonged to Eric Clapton and Todd Rundgren, and John Lennon’s Gretsch 6120 Country Gentleman. Oh, and Irsay’s collection also features instruments and guitars once played and owned by Prince, Eddie Van Halen, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and more.

Such is the cultural significance of Irsay’s collection that he was once offered $1,000,000,000 (yes, one billion dollars) by a “middle east element” as part of a deal that would see it be relocated to Dubai.

Irsay held on to it, though, and in August this year he put his world-famous guitar collection on public display. In a bid to keep the legacy of each guitar alive, he was also prone to lending a few of his prized possessions to big-name players for live performances.

Now, in light of Irsay’s passing – and in a move that answers everybody’s queries as to what will happen to his collection – the entire thing will be offered at Christie’s New York in a series of auctions beginning in March 2026.

“Christie’s is honored to offer this magnificent collection, so lovingly compiled, maintained, and shared by legendary collector Jim Irsay over decades,” says Julien Pradels, president of the Christie’s Americans region.

“These extraordinary objects will be made available to passionate collectors around the globe, who have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history, and provide this exquisite collection its next chapter.”

Given that a handful of the Irsay-owned guitars are already auction record-breakers in their own right, it feels very safe to say that this particular auction will set a new world record for guitar auction sales that will most likely never be beaten.

Gilmour’s Black Strat, for example, was picked up for $3,975,000. Irsay forked out $4,550,000 for the Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang. The Fool SG set him back $1,270,000.

These are all now going to make their way to new collectors, and given the caliber of guitars included in the auction, expect individuals with very deep pockets to spend big when the event rolls around next year.

Simply, it promises to be the biggest guitar auction event of all time.

Head over to Christie's to find out more in the meantime.

Irsay passed away in May this year, and was honored by his football team Indianpolis Colts with a memorial Stratocaster.

I've taken a closer look and, with so many incredible deals to consider, logging on to the site is a sure-fire way to kiss goodbye to a couple of hours as you travel further down the rabbit hole. To save you some time, I’ve rounded up a few of the most eye-catching deals I could find, including big reductions on gear we love and discounts we’ve rarely seen.

As one of the biggest names in musical instrument retail, it’s no surprise that this early Sweetwater Black Friday sale is a good one. With bargains to be found all over the site, now’s the time to treat yourself.

The sale ends on November 12, so you’ll need to act fast before it ends, or stock runs out… Will Sweetwater’s official Black Friday sale kick in on the 13th? And will the deals be any better? Unfortunately, we don't know yet, but this is definitely going to be a tough act to follow, that's for sure.

When Oasis kicked off their reunion tour earlier this year, guitar fans were considerably intrigued by Noel’s electric guitar of choice. The ebony, chrome soapbar pickup-loaded build was unlike anything else on the Gibson books.

Speculation surrounding the build rightly pointed to the inevitable conclusion that, yes, Noel had worked closely with the Gibson Custom Shop to produce a newly spec’d guitar that could meet his tonal requirements for the reunion.

Then came talk of a potential signature run, which was (somewhat) satiated by the launch of an eye-wateringly exclusive Murphy Lab reissue. Only 25 were made, each representing a particular Oasis hit. A price wasn’t listed. Those interested had to contact the Gibson Garage London directly.

Naturally, there were more than 25 Oasis fans who wanted a Noel Les Paul of their own – one, preferably, that wouldn’t carry a reported five-figure price tag – and so Gibson has answered the prayers of the masses by launching the Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard.

At $2,999, it’s more in line with the rest of the firm’s Standard artist offerings, but retains the vibe of the original. It doesn’t have the subtle Murphy Lab aging, but it does have those anachronistic P-90s with chrome covers.

According to Gibson, the originals found on Noel’s guitar took “a lot of time getting right”, and were specially voiced to accommodate his guitar tone at exceptionally high volumes without compromising on clarity or sonic integrity.

Gibson says the Standard version is “built to Noel Gallagher’s specifications for the Live ‘25 tour”, so it sounds like the same pickup recipe is used here – or, at the very least, closely inspired by them. The chrome pickups are joined by chrome hardware – poker chip toggle included – to keep it in line with the source material.

Elsewhere, it boasts a five-ply pickguard – something usually reserved for Custom models – as well as a non-weight-relieved mahogany body with a bound maple cap, a SlimTaper mahogany neck, and 22-fret fingerboard. Grover Rotomatic, an ABR-1 bridge and Noel Gallagher’s signature on the rear of the headstock can also be found.

“This guitar is simply too iconic and cool not to be released more widely and made available for more fans to get their hands on,” says Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial and Marketing EMEA at Gibson.

“Noel’s original Gibson Custom version of this Les Paul was the first guitar he played during the biggest rock ’n’ roll reunion of the 21st century. This Gibson USA version embraces that legacy, capturing a historic moment in British and global live music.”

The Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard is available now for $2,999.

Visit Gibson for more.

For Back to the Beginning, the Metallica guitar hero took to the stage alongside his hard rock and heavy metal peers wielding a mystifying SG that had a fair few fans scratching their heads. He used it to play one of Metallica’s two Sabbath covers, Hole in the Sky.

A few weeks later, it was revealed to be CEO4, the latest passion project of Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian, who helped build the guitar. At the time of its grand reveal, Gueikian said the SG would be auctioned off in support of Gibson Gives.

Now, the CEO4 has edged closer to the auction block, but it’s not alone. It will be joined by a huge assortment of other guitars lifted from Hammett’s personal collection, comprising personal players and stage-played six-strings.

Owing to its Ozzy ties, the CEO4 is understandably going to grab the headlines here, but there are a few other Hammett deep cuts that will no doubt pique the interests of keen Metallica fans.

For example, there’s the Lux Æterna Black Metal guitar that can be seen in the track’s music video. In behind-the-scenes footage, Hammett can be seen carving an ‘X’ into the top. That one has an upper estimate of $12,000.

A 1985 Gibson Custom Shop Michael Schenker Flying V, as well as a 1996 ESP Wavecaster – both of which were used on stage on various Metallica tours – are in the running order. The V was used in 2008, the ESP – which is made from Lucite and filled with colored liquid – played a starring role in the Load and Reload tours of 1996-1997.

There are a fair few other, more reasonably estimated guitars elsewhere in the lot, and while none of them will come anywhere the list of the most expensive guitars to ever sell at auction, there looks to be plenty to satisfy ’Tallica fans.

“The Kirk Hammett Collection features over 150 guitars, storied awards, and stage-played instruments that shaped metal forever,” says Julien’s, which is including the Hammett collection as part of its upcoming Played, Worn & Torn auction event.

Tommy Lee and U2’s Adam Clayton will also be selling off instruments and memorabilia as part of the auction, with the latter offering up a number of bass guitars that shaped the sound of U2 over the years for the event.

“These instruments and artifacts coming directly from the artists themselves represent the soul of music history,” says Martin Nolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions, “with proceeds from the Adam Clayton, Kirk Hammett, and Tommy Lee collections benefiting MusiCares, with additional pieces throughout this historic auction supporting incredible worthwhile causes including Teenage Cancer Trust, Gibson Gives, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

The Played, Worn & Torn auction will take place 20-21 November. Head over to Julien’s Auctions to find out more.

It was big news when Boss announced its DigiTech Whammy rival, the XS-100, in late September. So much so, that its little brother, the XS-1, which was announced at the same time, was a little overlooked. But it’s very much a part of the firm’s all-new assault on the pitch-shifting pedal market.

Arriving in a standard pedal format, ideal for those concerned about pedalboard real estate, the XS-1 slims down the XS-100’s package. Gone is the expression pedal, its bank of presets, MIDI compatibility, and simultaneous running of its pitch-shifting and detuning functions. But the same best-in-class shifting capabilities (albeit with a reduced +/- three-octave total range) remain in a unit that puts tactile operation at the fore, making it an obvious choice for those wanting to drop or raise the pitch of their guitar, while also offering more than simply that function.

Boss has spent years developing its new shifting tech, mastered thanks to an all-new algorithm, and the XS-1 is just as much a labor of love as its sibling. Offering two dials, one for choosing the pitch-shift value, and one for the effect’s balance versus the dry signal, it’s as straightforward as it comes.

Two mini-switches sit beneath, dictating Toggle and Momentary operation of the footswitch, and whether the shift value is going up or down, complete its control count. You don’t need a rocket science degree to get stuck into it.

Beyond the unit itself, there's the option of hooking it up to an external expression pedal, which will help broaden its appeal to those put off by the XS-100's $350 price tag, but where the XS-100 was unique in taking the Whammy on head-to-head, the XS-1 is airdropped into a more competitive market.

DigiTech's Drop, Electro Harmonix's Pitch Fork, and even Gamechanger Audio x Fender, with its wonderfully bonkers Bigsby Pedal, have all impressed before it when it comes to pitch-shifting pedals that give your tuning pegs a break. So, in such lauded company, does the XS-1 do enough to plant Boss's flag in the turf?

Specs

• Launch price: $349 / £299
• Type: Polyphonic pitch-shifter pedal
• Controls: Balance, Shift value, Shift direction, Toggle/Moment
• Features: Pitch-shifter/detuner
• Connectivity: Input, Expression pedal input, Output
• Bypass: Buffered
• Power: 9V AC, 160 mA power supply (not included)
• Dimensions: 73mm (W), 129mm (D), 59mm (H)
• Weight: 410g (0.9 lbs) including battery
• Options: N/A
• Contact: Boss

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★★

In my early band days, there was a running joke that everyone owned at least one piece of Cort gear. Its budget products had a way of slipping their way into everyone’s collection, one way or another. The same can be said of Boss pedals. Just like opinions, everyone’s got at least one – hell, John 5’s Mötley Crüe board is exclusively Boss – and there’s good reason for that.

Well, three actually: sounds, price, and build quality. At $199, the XS-1 isn’t its cheapest stompbox, but even before opening the oh-so familiar black box it arrived in, I knew what I was getting myself into. Here, Boss’s reputation is in no danger of being tattered.

It looks and performs exactly as you’d want a Boss pedal to. It’s built to withstand plenty of stomping, and its slender array of controls will help with its ruggedness, as, put simply, there's less to go wrong. And those mini-switches, despite their diminutive forms, are as strong as they come.

Granted, there's no chance of getting a toe in that gap to change settings easier mid-song, which is a small shame considering it isn't MIDI slave-able, but otherwise, it's another seemingly bulletproof Boss build.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★★★

Where the XS-100 relies on a small screen for navigation, what you see on the surface of the XS-1 is what you get. It's a lot more tactile, and it works a treat. Within mere seconds, it’s easy to understand how it works. Getting to the fun stuff couldn't be quicker.

Although the pedal’s quirk is its ability to re-pitch the signal, the real legwork comes via the Balance control, which dictates the blend between the wet, effected, and the dry, unaffected signal. The higher the value, the more effect you get. That makes it more than just a pitch-shifter; it can be an octaver, too, and there are quirks beyond that. The dial really broadens its palette. More on that below.

As ever, there’s a 9V battery compartment hidden under the footswitch, meaning it isn’t married to pedalboard power supplies. Otherwise, there’s not much to report; it’s a piece of cake to use.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★★

As far as pedals go, the cleanliness of the effect is unparalleled. Some modelers and plugins may contest that theirs is better.

The detuning feature, whether going up or down in range, is incredibly convincing, and with more typical usages, the tracking is faultless. This is the pedal’s bread and butter, and even at its most dramatic detune, at +/- 7 semitones, chords are tracked with great detail. Boss’s claims of the pedal being artifact-free more than hold up. I’d have the confidence to gig with this and use it to avoid guitar changes. It’s compelling.

There's an impressive three-octave span to make the most of too, but once beyond the realm of +/- two octaves, its viability starts to wane, especially on the lower strings. Keep dropping down the octaves, and you’ll journey from stank face city to muddy cacophony pretty quickly. And here, it hates bends; what comes out there sounds like a dying demon, and not in a cool death metal way.

However, I had a blast using the -3 octaves on the higher strings. What I play sounds pitched. I’m not going to convince anyone that this is a dry signal, but there’s a weird charm to it, pushing a metal rhythm tone into a Jack White-esque fuzz territory, and it tracks really well, too. It's a quirk I never expected the pedal to have, but it came as a very fun and very pleasant surprise.

Still, it’s the Balance dial that steals the show. Using the pedal solely as an octaver, it makes the effect incredibly personalizable. Adding just a little bit injects extra bass to riffs and chords. Pull it back, however, and the tone that comes lurching out of my speakers (I’m testing it using Neural DSP plugins, including Archetype: Misha Mansoor X) wants my lunch money. It's nasty.

At 12 o’clock on -1 octave, I get a gnarly octaver tone that’s so angsty it makes me want to hate my mom and start a garage rock band. But there’s a huge amount of sculpt-ability. It's far from cut-and-dry.

At 100%, I was losing a little note clarity, especially with more complex chords, but that goes with the territory. In short, it’s wickedly effective.

Verdict

Pitch-shifting features are pretty commonplace these days. Every new Neural DSP plugin has them, while other pedals, plugins, and digital amp modelers boast them, too. Yet Boss’s detuning recipe might just be the cleanest and most impressive yet.

The pedal shines when employed more typically, dropping a tone or two to save you from having to take extra guitars to shows, adding a subtle low-end boost to riffs, or going full-blown ugly with octave grit. Naturally, it struggles when really pushed to its limits, but for its more everyday employment, it’s really hard to fault it.

I’ve had the privilege of trying out this and its big brother, the XS-100, and despite having a more streamlined set of features, the XS-1 is the one I’m more likely to drop onto my ‘board. It’s a fierce and versatile little unit, packed with the high-quality and effortless usability you expect from Boss. In the writing room, it has inspiration on tap; on stage, it could be a godsend.

Guitar World verdict: Boss has finally entered the detuning game, and it's done it in style. The XS-1 is built like a tank, is effortless to use, and, even with such limited controls, can be used in a variety of ways. In fact, while the XS-100 has grabbed the headlines, the XS-1 stands as the dark horse of the range. I'm still finding ways to make the most of this little stompbox, and I don't expect to run out of ideas any time soon.

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Packing a de facto Spark guitar amp into a lightweight and ergonomic pair of overhead headphones, the NEO Core lets players can plug and play with a wealth of onboard guitar tone presets. And, yes, PG’s AI-powered tone-building spec is in the mix, too.

The original Spark NEO was announced in February, with an abundance of tones, cable-free playing, and low-latency performance the standout specs.

For the NEO Core, the firm's AI tone generation – which also features in its BIAS X plugin and can produce tones from ChatGPT-like prompts – is included.

Beyond that, it comes armed with 33 amplifiers, 43 effects, and thousands of community-shared presets through Positive Grid’s online ToneCloud.

Operation is handled by pairing a smartphone to the headphones via the Spark app. It also unlocks additional creative tools, including backing tracks and an Auto Chords feature for learning and experimenting with different voicings and progressions.

But users needn't be glued to the app, with onboard controls making it easy to adjust the volume, change presets, and power them on/off.

Soft ear cups empower extended playing sessions, while noise isolation enhances focus. The headphones also double up as regular Bluetooth headphones.

“Whether chasing classic warmth, modern drive, or shimmering acoustic textures, Spark AI intelligently delivers amp and effect combinations tailored to the player’s style and needs,” says Positive Grid. “The newest member of the Spark NEO family makes it possible to experience premium tone anywhere – from late-night guitar jamming to quiet home practice and audio streaming.

In Guitar World's early review, Matt McCracken praised the NEO Core for its realistic and immersive guitar tone experiences and "excellent array of amps and effects models".

Priced at $159, the Positive Grid Spark NEO Core headphone amp is available to order now.

See Positive Grid for more info.

In related news, the firm's ultra-portable Spark Edge has been getting rave reviews, and Steve Vai has explained why one of its affordable modelling amps has stolen his heart.

That really comes as no surprise. The Gibson ES-345 that Marty McFly – aka Michael J. Fox – played in the film’s school dance scene is a pillar in popular music culture. The original may be missing to this day, but it was responsible for inspiring a whole new generation of players.

That’s why whispers of an Epiphone recreation were met with such fanfare, and why the eventual ultra-limited edition run of only 1,985 units sold out within the blink of an eye.

However, such are the unfortunate realities of the guitar market these days, not everyone who purchased an Epiphone ES-345 had designs on cherishing the instrument and using it as a regular player. Instead, some scalpers have already started trying to flip the instruments at extortionate mark-ups.

One example of the $999 guitar – which received considerable attention from Back to the Future fans who had no chance of owning the $20k Custom version – has been listed on Reverb for a staggering $4,179.

One particular punter has two Epiphones listed on the second-hand gear site, both of which go even further. Earlier this week, one guitar was up for $7,302, the other for $7,230. Now, they’ve been reduced to $4,999 and $4,950. A third Epi model from another seller has been slapped with a $5,570 price tag.

In fact, that goes for both the Gibson Custom and Epiphone Back to the Future guitars. One Custom Shop model from the limited run – which was already at a rather pricey $20,000 mark – has been listed for $145,873. Another had been reduced from $122,584 to $97,493.

It is, as Reverb tells Guitar World, a symptom of a larger trend that seems to be dominating the gear landscape at the moment. Gear nostalgia is all the rage right now. That much is true for the Epiphone ES-345 – it’s Reverb’s most in-demand guitar at the moment.

"As a big fan of Back to the Future, there have been two items I’ve always wanted to own: a hoverboard and Marty McFly’s red ES-345 from the Enchantment Under the Sea performance,” says Cyril Nigg, Reverb’s Senior Director of Analytics and resident guitar expert.

“The original batch of guitars immediately sold out on Gibson’s site, leaving many unable to get the coveted guitar,” he continues. “Naturally, a lot of folks turned to Reverb to see if they could snag one on the secondary market.

“Less than an hour after the first Back to the Future guitars went up on Reverb, 10 had sold – and it hasn’t stopped there. Over the past week, "Back to the Future" has been the number one trending search on Reverb.

“What we're seeing is part of a larger, nostalgia-fueled trend, as moments from the past continue to drive demand. In fact, the Epiphone edition is the top selling semi-hollow body guitar on all of Reverb at the moment, as buyer demand continues to outpace supply.”

Like Nigg, Guitar World’s own Tuition Editor Jason Sidwell was one of those unlucky Back to the Future fans who failed to pick one up at the first time of asking, and who has had to contend with the scalpers.

“Maybe some people that bought them can't play at all, they only bought to flip it fast online,” he reasons. “The first eBay auction happened over the weekend. Seemingly not even played once, this guitar sold yesterday for £2,705.99. Someone made around £1,700 profit within just a few days. Great Scott!”

It’s an unfortunate side-effect of the gear market and one that, sadly, doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Of course, being listed for a certain price and being sold for a certain price are two very different things, but the fact $999 guitars have been priced at nearly $8,000 speaks volumes.

Head over to Reverb to check out the listings currently up for the Back to the Future guitars.

Seymour Duncan has retooled its famed JB humbucker for Telecasters, and it could be a game-changer for Telecaster players.

The pickup was first crafted in the 1970s in collaboration with Jeff Beck, hence its name. It was the firm's first-ever humbucker design and helped make the sound of his masterpiece record, Blow by Blow, so distinctive.

Since then, it's been introduced to a huge array of genres, with players adoring its high-output tones and ability to push tube amps harder for greater sustain and harmonics.

Of course, it’s proven a hit with metal guitar players, as evidenced by its inclusion in the new Jackson Soloist SL2DX, but it’s also won over blues players, too, for those wanting a little more spice and sizzle.

Now, Tele players can get in on the action with this new reimagining that, crucially, packs the heat and tonal charm of the famed pup into a single-coil-sized design. That’s the real kicker here. There’s no need to get drills and saws out to carve out a bigger hole in your beloved axe.

“With any replacement pickup, you’re constrained by the shape of the pickup that you’re trying to replace,” Seymour Duncan’s VP of engineering and new products, Kevin Beller, explains. “If you’re trying to replace a Tele [pickup], you can’t really deviate from a Tele shape very far. Basically, what we’re doing is we’re trying to fit two coils into the space where one big single coil used to occupy.”

It’s concocted with a ceramic magnet for “powerful and dynamic tones” and is vacuum wax-potted for squeal-free performance. Anyone who’s ever run a traditional Tele hot will know how susceptible to hum they can be.

Wired with four-conductor lead wire, the pickup enables series, parallel, and split coil wiring options for those not wanting to leave their single coil twang behind them.

Naturally, the JB Jr. for Tele is designed specifically for Telecaster bridge routs. Its “beloved punch, harmonic sparkle, and searing highs” will fit most standard Telecaster bridge single-coil routs – Fender or otherwise – but it’s always best to check the measurements before ordering.

“For decades, the Seymour Duncan JB humbucker has been the go-to pickup for guitarists across countless genres,” says Seymour Duncan. “The JB Jr. for Tele brings high output, tonal versatility, and signature harmonic richness to your Tele bridge, all in a single-coil-sized humbucker design.”

The Seymour Duncan JB Jr. for Tele bridge pickup is priced at $129 and is available to order now.

Visit Seymour Duncan for a closer look.

Seymour Duncan has been busy of late, dropping what it claims to be the ultimate Jazzmaster pickup and collaborating with Joe Bonamassa on two pickup sets that recreate the sounds of two unique axes in his collection: his obscure “Greenburst” Strat, and Tommy Bolin's legendary Les Paul.

The Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Raven is a nod to one of Poe’s most famous works, and only 100 are being made. They come soaring out of the Gibson Custom Shop in Bozeman, Montana.

Beyond the gothic aesthetics – which include a bold, mother-of-pearl skull inlay perched on its color-matched headstock, and intricate raven-theme pickguards and a matching tailpiece – this is really a standard Hummingbird in a Halloween costume.

There’s a solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, traditionally scalloped Advanced X-bracing, and a round profile for the neck, which props up a 16” radius, 20-fret ebony fretboard. Mother-of-pearl star inlays, meanwhile, sprinkle something new atop the build.

Elsewhere, there are Grover Rotomatic tuners, while TUSQ components – including the nut, saddle, bridge, and pins – complete the hardware specs.

The square-shoulder acoustic is also saddled with an L.R. Baggs Element VTC +4 system. Onboard EQ comes courtesy of discreet, soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls. There’s also a 4 dB output boost for extra output.

Hammett has personally signed all 100 of the guitars on the soundhole label. The guitars arrive in a black Gibson Custom hardshell guitar case featuring a raven skull graphic that matches the headstock. Within, players will also find a certificate of authenticity and a raven-themed guitar strap. But certainly no skeletons or other spooky things.

“Availability is extremely limited,” Gibson warns of the build, which it has dubbed “a counterpart to the legendary Hummingbird”.

The Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Raven is available for $4,999.

See Gibson for more.

This isn't the first time Hammet has dropped a limited-edition, Raven-inspired guitar. He once commissioned the pyrographer to the stars, Dino Muradian, for a run of special ESP Eclipses that did likewise.

Tony was a very successful professional guitarist who played for Frank Sinatra among others, and he designed this guitar with Les Paul. His fingerprints are all over it, starting with the pickups, which appear to be the ones used for the Les Paul Personal, Professional and Recording models, as well as the early L-5S and Les Paul bass.

These are known as ‘low impedance’ pickups designed for plugging straight into mixing desks, rather than amplifiers, so they aren’t very popular.

I first saw this guitar at Christie’s and I think other potential bidders might have assumed it was a low-impedance guitar so they didn’t take it out of the case. I got excited when I noticed the second output on the rim and, after trying it out, I immediately knew it had high- and low-impedance outputs.

The front and back are carved from solid pieces of bookmatched rosewood and there’s a marquetry strip on the back and a centre block inside. I think it’s a mixture of Indian and Brazilian on here; looking at the top, the grain pattern looks like Indian, but the back has that obvious curl of Brazilian with blonde and very dark segments.

It’s a huge three-piece laminated mahogany neck with a 1 ¾-inch nut width, the earlier 17-degree headstock angle and a very deep and thick profile. All the binding work is identical to what you’d see on an ES-355, and pre-1955 style block inlays are set into on an ebony ’board. Far from being uncomfortable, the profile is like a chunky U-shaped ’burst neck.

Other high-end appointments include waffle-style tuners and a bound rosewood pickguard, but for this guitar to be perfect it would have had a stud tailpiece. Instead, it has a modified early ES-175-style tailpiece with the three parallelograms and a rosewood insert with a pearl inlay bearing Tony’s name.

The gold hardware is really intact. There are numerous photographs of Tony playing this guitar and he was a well-dressed jazz player who didn’t beat up the hardware or the lacquer. That’s why the overall condition is exceptional. There’s no Gibson label because the guitar was custom-made, but it features front and back on the cover of Tony’s 1983 record All The Way.

There are selectors on the front, as you’d find on a Les Paul Recording model, with a phase switch and a tone-modification switch. The knobs look conventional, but the one that would usually be the neck volume control is actually a nine-position rotary switch for the Varitone.

That’s why it has reflector knobs for split shaft pots, rather than the witch-hat knobs and solid shaft pots that Gibson was using by 1968.

Although a lot of people knock these pickups, the guitar sounds really good. I couldn’t tell you if Tony had his pickups modified, but plugged into an amp in high-impedance mode they are unbelievable. The tonal variation is unreal – they’re very balanced and the guitar represents everything an ES-355 could have been.

The mounting is interesting, too, because you can adjust the angle relative to the stings as well as the height. I’ve put it up against [Patent Applied For pickup]-loaded ES-355s and it holds its own, but I haven’t been in a position to try the low-impedance output. I’ve been enjoying it through a Dumble we have here at the shop and it sounds like Madison Square Garden.

It was obviously made up on the third floor by Gibson factory’s ‘custom division’. I think that lots of one-off guitars were made there and I’ve seen many of the blueprints that Gibson has kept.

For instance, an ES-335 with an Epiphone ‘batwing’ headstock recently showed up, and I’ve seen a transparent blue L-5 with an F-5 mandolin-style scroll headstock.

Sometimes they were just regular models in unusual colours, but some were ground-up creations where they went beyond the regular parts bin.

We see them pop up occasionally, but Gibson made hundreds for well-known and professional players – and they are out there. They demonstrate what Gibson was truly capable of doing.

• Vintage guitar veteran David Davidson owns Well Strung Guitars in Farmingdale, New York / info@wellstrungguitars.com / 001 (516) 221-0563
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

It wasn’t that long ago that Positive Grid released its first headphone amp for guitar and now, it's seen fit to follow up with a second product already. The Positive Grid Spark Neo Core is a more budget-friendly alternative to the original Neo which was launched earlier in the year, offering you the same great sounds but sans any wireless connectivity.

It used to be that the only real combined headphone/amplifier combo was available with the Boss Waza-Air, an expensive option for the majority of guitarists, but these last two releases from PG certainly challenge that. The Neo Core is available at $159 from launch, against the $249 you’ll have to outlay for the wireless version, so it’s not a saving to be sniffed at.

Connectivity comes in the form of plugging any standard 1/4-inch guitar cable into the headphones themselves, a feature that is present on the Spark Neo and the Boss Waza Air in case you’re waiting for your wireless transmitter to charge. There’s no ability to use a 3rd party transmitter with the Core though, nor can you pick up a Positive Grid transmitter and use it that way. So these are cabled headphones, and always will be.

Although you can’t connect to your guitar wirelessly, the Neo Core does still double as a Bluetooth headphone, so you can jam along to your favorite tunes or use it as a regular listening device away from your guitar with the same great sound. Custom 40mm drivers aim to offer a good balance of tone across the frequency spectrum, with ear cups designed to enhance noise isolation, keeping you focused on your playing while minimizing bleed to those around you.

It also has all the same tone options as its pricier, bigger brother, with access to the full 33 amp and 43 effects models, backing tracks, Auto Chord mode, and the Spark AI tone generation feature. Boasting 6-8 hours of battery life, it should hold plenty of charge for users to jam regularly without recharging and interrupting those impromptu jam sessions.

Specs

• Launch price: $159
• Type: Modeling amp headphones with Bluetooth
• Made: China
• Speaker drivers: 40mm ABF Diaphragm
• Headphone Sensitivity: 100dB SPL (@ 1kHz)
• Impedance: 32ohms
• Frequency range: 20kHz-20kHz
• Bluetooth: 5.0
• Hardware controls: Preset Selector, Guitar Volume, Power button / Bluetooth Pairing (streamed audio volume controlled at source device e.g smartphone)
• Latency: 3.8ms
• Features: Bluetooth streaming, four onboard presets, 33 amp models, 43 effects accessible via Spark app, app also includes Spark AI for tone matching, Auto Chords, 100,000+ tones via ToneCloud and Tuner
• Battery life/charging time: Headphones up to six hours with guitar and up to eight for music playback. Charging time 3.5 hours via USB-C.
• Connectivity: 1/4" guitar input
• Footswitch: Not included but compatible with Spark Control and Spark Control X
• Dimensions: Headphones: w180×d195.22×h80.81mm.
• Weight: 372 grams (headphones only)
• Contact: Positive Grid

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★½

The Spark Neo Core is nearly identical to the Spark Neo in terms of the way they look, and how ruggedly they are built. There are some slight differences though. The Neo Core doesn’t have the gold accents of the Neo, opting for a more understated all-black ensemble which some might find preferable. There’s also a slight difference in the head cushion, with the Neo having a segmented look to it while the Neo Core is just one smooth piece.

On the left ear cup of the Neo Core there’s the slight indentation of what would be the transmitter connect button on the Neo, while the right ear cup features the exact same design, housing the 1/4-inch input, preset button, volume buttons, Bluetooth connect button, and the USB-C charging port.

I really like that Positive Grid has set about making these headphones feel extra robust, more like a piece of guitar gear than your average pair of studio headphones. The rubbery coating on the ear cups gives the look of amp Tolex but makes them feel incredibly rugged, and I have no qualms about chucking them in a backpack sans-hard case to take them somewhere.

They feel a lot more able to deal with roughhousing than the Boss Waza-Air, and as far as I can tell, there’s no difference in build quality between the Neo and Neo Core which is a nice touch. All the hinges feel nice and solid and are able to swivel in one direction, so you can make them slightly smaller, although I wouldn’t go so far as to call them compact.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★½

With no wireless connectivity to deal with in terms of plugging into my guitar, I can eschew the smartphone app and plug a cable straight into the headphones and get playing right away with the default presets. There’s a problem though. The angled cable I choose with the thick Neutrik connectors doesn’t fit properly into the jack input, because its recessed slightly into the rubber of the ear cup.

I thought I was being clever using an angled cable to push the cable over my shoulder but the weight of it and the slightly less-than-snug fit means that it doesn’t work in this format. I switch to a Mogami straight-to-straight cable with a thinner gauge instead, which kind of solves the problem. It fits perfectly, but now there’s a straight bit of cable that needs to go either in front of or behind my shoulder.

Opting for the behind position to start with, I quickly realize that it just won’t work like that. There’s not enough clearance between my shoulder and the jack of the cable in order for it to bend that way. Instead, having the cable go past my armpit and in between the armrest of my guitar is the most natural way for it to fall. The problem here is that if I want to turn my head right to look at my picking hand or the controls on my guitar the cable against my shoulder results in the headphone coming away from my ear.

As I’m playing, I can feel the weight of the cable pulling the right side of the headphones down slightly, and although it doesn’t massively inhibit what I’m doing, I am aware that it’s there all the time. It certainly makes headbanging along to my favorite chunky riff feel a lot less fluid than I’d like.

Going for my third cable, I opt for a cheaper, lighter Fender angled jack which lets me run the cable back behind my shoulder, but has a thinner connector housing that makes a better connection, and a lighter gauge to prevent the weight of it pulling down. This feels much better ergonomically, and I can finally start enjoying myself without feeling like something is going against my natural playing position.

It’s easy to say in hindsight, but having a slight angle on the cable input would make for a much better experience in my opinion. Anything just to offset the angle of the cable slightly and get it out of the way of your shoulder would result in a much more comfortable experience when using a straight cable.

Pulling out my (Android) smartphone next, I set about connecting the Spark app to the headphones in order to access more sounds. After tapping the power button to enable Bluetooth connect mode, I go about using the app to try and find the Neo Core as a device, which the app does successfully but I’m unable to get it to connect this way. Going into my phone settings and connecting to the audio portion there does the trick though, and as I get back to Spark app it finds and connects to the headphones immediately.

The app itself is no different visually from any other Positive Grid product, giving you the classic visual layout of your amps and effects in a signal chain along the top, and a larger, touch-adjustable picture of each individual piece of gear below.

I can save four presets to the hardware, swapping in different pieces of gear to suit my particular sound, and tweaking them as I like.It works really well, although I wish the tuner was a bit more accessible as I frequently use it and imagine other guitarists do too. Also, there are some limitations in the app versus using it with some of the traditional Spark practice amps, like the Positive Grid Spark Mini, for example.

Neither the video portion of the app nor the Smart Jam function is available with Spark Neo Core or Spark Neo, which may be disappointing if you're coming from another Spark amp. Officially, it's due to hardware limitations, as Smart Jam in particular requires sound to operate. These features are available and do work when you use regular Spark amps with headphones though, so I feel like they should still be available for guitarists using Spark Neo and Core.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

Plugging in a Cort beginner electric guitar I’m also reviewing at the moment, I scroll through the hardware presets which offer clean, crunch, solo, and high-gain tones. It shows you immediately the gamut of sounds the Spark modeling software is capable of. No matter what sort of style you love to play, there’s no way you won’t be able to pull a tone you love out of the Spark Neo Core.

There’s no active noise canceling, but the sense of isolation once I put the ear cups over my ears and turn the volume up on my guitar is sensational. Whilst I’m chugging away with my baritone guitar I don’t even notice my partner walk into the room, and I have to pull an ear off to hear what she’s saying. I wasn’t listening particularly loudly either. If you are prone to turning things up and are worried about affecting your hearing, the app does warn you once you get beyond a certain threshold of volume.

The stereo reverbs and delays sound fantastic, giving a real sense of space whether I’m going for cavernous reverb settings or just getting that amp in a room feel. Ping pong delays bounce from ear to ear delightfully, and with the separation between myself and what’s going on in the room, there’s nothing to interrupt me from focusing on my playing. The other effects are superb too, and with such a massive suite to choose from you can dial in pretty much any tone you like.

As there’s no wireless to contend with it feels very immediate too, with no noticeable latency. Every note played from the guitar feels connected to what comes out of the ear cups, to the point that it’s easy to forget I’m playing with headphones and on and just get absorbed in the sounds.

Trying out the Spark AI tone generation feature, I’m met with a similar experience as I got when reviewing other Positive Grid products. Sometimes it’s right on the money, other times I need a lot of tweaking of the preset to get what I want. I do believe its great if you need a quick starting point though. Once I’d made some adjustments to my ‘Mars Volta freakout tone’ prompt, I found it was actually pretty close to what I wanted.

Verdict

In terms of tones, it’s impossible to fault the Positive Grid Spark Neo Core. It delivers pretty much any tone you can think of in an incredibly realistic way, making it a playground for guitarists of all abilities, and a potentially massive boon to your practice regimen. The AI tone generator might seem gimmicky, but it’s genuinely fun to mess around with and more often than not results in some very usable sounds once you tweak them a bit.

Where the Core falls short against its pricier, wireless cousin however, is in the comfort of use. Having had to try three different cables before finally settling on something that worked for me, the straight design of the input jack is a big misstep that makes the Neo Core a lot harder to use than it should be. It means that for the guitarists who can afford it, they’ll be much better off with the Spark Neo.

Guitar World verdict: If you’re on a tight budget then the Positive Grid Spark Neo Core can absolutely replace going the traditional route of a practice amp, but you will need to find the right cable to make it work. The sounds are simply superb, offering an immersive and inspiring playing experience and with such a vast choice of tones on offer, most guitarists will find something they love here.

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Hands-on videos

Positive Grid

Massaad’s Sterling Sabre electric guitar has been a long time coming, and has been arguably one of the firm’s most sought-after new builds after the progressive metal guitarist first linked up with Ernie Ball for a highly refined take on the firm’s double-cut last year.

At NAMM in January 2024, Ernie Ball and Massad refined the classic Sabre design into a surprising new form, offering light and dark editions that delivered precisely configured contours, Bare Knuckle Silo humbuckers, premium tonewood upgrades and more.

It was the culmination of the pair’s partnership, after Massaad was announced as an Ernie Ball Artist in the Spring of 2023. Now, more than a year after the arrival of that flagship Sabre, a Sterling by Music Man variant has finally dropped.

Its arrival is by no means a surprise. At NAMM this year, Massaad and Sterling fueled hype by giving the guitar its first public debut and shedding some light on the build in the process.

At $979, the Sterling Sabre makes a few choice tweaks to the EBMM blueprint in order to keep costs below the $1,000 mark. With the original Sabre weighing in at $4,149, the price tag of the Sterling spin-off no doubt marks a serious saving.

In order to bring it down to that level, the guitar does away with the Bare Knuckles and drafts in a pair of custom-voiced Alnico humbuckers. It also utilizes a nyatoh body with a flame maple veneer – as opposed to alder with a “thick” flame maple top – though keeps the roasted maple neck and ebony fingerboard.

Other specs include white ring fretboard markers and glow-in-the-dark side dots, locking tuners, and a modern tremolo bridge, which sits alongside a five-way pickup selector, master volume pot, and a push/pull coil-splitting tone control. Ashen Burst and Blood Flame Burst are the first finishes on tap.

“I’m thrilled with these guitars and how the Sterling team was able to preserve all the key design elements from my Ernie Ball Music Man Artist Series Sabre,” Massaad reflects of his Sterlings.

“These guitars have all the same comfort and playability as their American counterparts, and the pickups are incredibly expressive with plenty to offer in their tonal palette.

“We made sure the ergonomics and feel were just right – every detail was considered, from pickup voicing to neck feel. It’s simply an enjoyable guitar to play. I couldn’t be happier, and I hope everyone enjoys playing them as much as I do.”

The Sterling by Music Man Rabea Massaad Sabre is available now for $979.

Head over to Sterling by Music Man for more.

As he grew up in Romania, the art of burning images into unfinished woods was just a hobby. But when he escaped from the Communist state six years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, that hobby became his entire life.

“In August of 1983, I defected from Romania,” says Muradian, 73. “I was a commercial pilot, so I left on a Russian cropduster. After three and a half hours’ flight under the radar, I landed on an Austrian Autobahn.”

He sought refuge in Atlanta, Georgia, later moving to Washington, then Honolulu. “The Romanian authorities gave me a 25-year sentence for high treason, and asked for my extradition,” he laughs. “But everything stopped there.”

Stateside, he sold two art pieces “for serious money,” one of which earned him a feature in Fine Woodworking Magazine. Then, as he read a guitar magazine, his life changed forever. He spotted an advert from spare-parts manufacturer Warmoth displaying two raw guitar bodies, and that was his eureka moment.

He grabbed some samples of his art, went to the factory and met the two Warmoth brothers. “They pointed to a shelf with old issues of Fine Woodworking Magazine on it. Paul said, ‘Dino, I don't remember anything in those magazines – but I remember your artwork.’

“I said, ‘Give me a scrap guitar you don’t need; let me do something with it. They gave me a nice Telecaster, and in a few days I covered it in flowers. I went took it back to the factory and they couldn’t speak for five minutes. Ken called the Fender Custom Shop and said, ‘I’m sending you something on the first UPS. You need to see this.’”

Fender was impressed, but didn’t immediately bite the bullet. But ESP CEO Matt Masciandaro did – he ordered recreations of Frederic Remington's Native American paintings for a run of guitars. Then one of metal guitar’s biggest names came calling.

“In the spring of ’96, Matt asked me to pyrograph James Hetfield’s Explorer. I wasn’t sure who James was, but I said yes. Matt put me in contact with Zach Harmon, his guitar tech. James wanted ‘Something scary,’ so we came up with this elk skull idea – although it’s actually a stag.

“That was the weirdest guitar I’d ever done at the time; the Explorer has that weird shape and getting the horns to fit was really difficult. Horns don’t look like that in the wild!”

The guitar, which became a fan favorite, was donated to the ESP Museum in Tokyo, Japan, in 2019. But that was just the start of Muradian’s Metallica adventure. “The first time I met James was in Seattle in ’96, backstage,” he says.

“He made me feel so important, like he was talking to Michelangelo or something! He said, ‘Dino, this guitar sounds shitty, but I love it!’ ESP say he was always too picky about the sounds of his guitars, but that’s his art.

“That was my first heavy metal concert. I watched from the side of the stage and my whole body was vibrating. The guitar wasn't a big deal for me, but seeing him in those lights, playing it on stage, and seeing all those crazy people chanting and singing along was such an experience.

“He played a lot of songs with it, even though he said it sounded shitty. I was honoured to see the fruit of my work being appreciated like that.”

Muradian has worked on a series of Hetfield axes since then, including the Unforgiven Variax depicting scenes from the song’s video, a Cthulu design on his Snakebyte signature guitar, and a Martin D-28 that Hetfield played during December's All Within My Hands charity concert.

“The Unforgiven guitar was difficult,” Muradian says. “James had the idea to have lyrics around the sides of the guitar – black heart scarring darker still – but the neck was still attached. I have to turn the guitar a million times when I work. And because it’s black and the letters have to stay white, I had to burn around the letters; it took a long time.”

He continues: “The Martin was old and very expensive. He wanted an exact replica of Elvis’ sculpted leather guitar. He wanted to strip it for me to pyrograph. But you never know what’s underneath the paint – if it’s a dark wood, my art doesn’t show so well. So they got a newer one to work with.

“I finished the piece and sent it to a luthier in San Francisco to rebuild it. Then I then realized I’d missed a little arm from the letter ‘E.’ The show was so close so I had to jump on a flight from Honolulu. The mistake was corrected in about three minutes and James never knew!”

Naturally, it was only a matter of time until Hetfield’s gear-hoarding bandmate Kirk Hammett wanted a slice of the action. So one of his ESP Eclipses was pyrographed from top to bottom, on a background of the manuscript of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven – Hammett’s favorite poem.

“The second guitar I did for Kirk was in 2023; the 15th of a run of 15 Eclipses made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nosferatu film. He loved that. Nobody knows this, but one of the craters on the Moon on that guitar is in the shape of Romania!”

Muradian pyrographed B.B. King’s 17th Lucille for his 70th birthday – and his work for the Fender and ESP Custom Shops continues. Asked who his dream client would be, he doesn’t skip a beat in answering: “Taylor Swift.” Why? He thinks she’d benefit from the surprising tonal magic of his work.

“I’ve worked with violins, mandolins, cellos, you name it,” he says. “The owners all tell me that afterwards, ‘They sound amazing’ – especially if the whole instrument has been covered. The burning process changes something in the wood. It changes its structure, and it makes the instrument sound more powerful.”

So, Taylor, if you’re reading this, give Muradian a call. Maybe it could be a wedding present?

• See more of Muradian’s work on Instagram.

The Harley Benton CLC-650SM-CE Solid Wood is a Grand Concert-sized electro-acoustic guitar. Sporting a cutaway for easy access to the highest notes on the fretboard and an armrest built into the body, this guitar puts comfort and ease at the top of the menu.

It also boasts some incredible specs that are almost unheard of at this price point. It’s got a Fishman Flex Plus-T acoustic guitar pickup and preamp system with built-in tuner, mother of pearl headstock inlay, abalone rosette but most impressively a solid African mahogany top and solid mahogany back and sides. All-solid wood body construction and premium electronics for under $350? You have my attention.

Specs

• Price: $339/£299/€349
• Made: China
• Body shape: Grand Concert
• Body top: Solid African mahogany
• Top bracing: Scalloped X-bracing
• Back & sides: Solid African mahogany
• Neck/shape: Okume, C
• Scale length: 25.7” (653mm)
• Nut/width: Bone, 1.69” (43mm)
• Fingerboard/Radius: Ebonol (composite), 400mm radius
• Finish: High Gloss Black, Ultra High-Gloss Vintage Sunburst
• Bridge/pins: Composite
• Tuning Machines: Closed WSC DLX machine heads
• Electronics: Fishman Flex Plus-T pickup system with built-in tuner
• Case: Not included
• Left-handed options: No
• Contact: Harley Benton

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★★

First up, it’s worth saying that the build quality is in no way reflected by the guitar’s price tag. You could double its price and still think that the guitar is very well put together.

The neck is nice and smooth along the back and the frets have been finished perfectly. There isn’t one sharp edge on any of the frets – an issue that can plague some affordable instruments.

The binding on the top and back of the body, the rosette and headstock inlay are have also been executed nicely; no signs of a rushed job, scrapes or scuffs. The heel where the neck joins the body is super neat too, plus the gloss finish all over the body and neck is lovely and smooth with no blemishes. The armrest has also been done seamlessly.

All the hardware feels sturdy and reliable. The tuners do a fine job and give a reassuring amount of resistance when you turn them. The strap buttons are nice and tight, plus the jack input and preamp are sitting pretty where they need to be.

Again, sometimes on more budget-friendly instruments, you get a few things that might be a little loose out of the box, or one or two areas that look like a Friday afternoon job, but none of that is apparent here!

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★½

One of the main reasons you might look to a Grand Concert guitar to your collection is for its relatively compact size. The body is slightly bigger than a Concert sized guitar, but it’s smaller than a Grand Auditorium, Dreadnought or Jumbo guitar. As such, it’s really comfortable to play.

If you’re smaller of stature, or perhaps you're looking for an acoustic guitar for a child, then its more compact dimensions make it easier to play. Your strumming arm doesn’t have to reach around quite as far to get to the strings and it sits very comfortably on your body when sat down.

The armrest adds an extra layer of comfort to the whole playing experience too. It essentially softens the edge of the guitar where your arm makes contact with it so instead of your arm resting on a right-angled edge, it sits nicely on a flat surface.

The neck profile feels fairly thin. Harley Benton calls it a C profile which doesn’t give too much away, but it is on the thinner side which again will aid those with smaller hands. It’s comfortable in all playing positions too, from right down at the nut all the way to the top – the cutaway on the body also makes for easy access to the very highest notes on the treble strings.

It’s worth noting how well the guitar plays too. The packaging the guitar came in looked like it had come straight from the factory so this is how a customer would receive it. Right out of the box, I wouldn’t make any adjustments to it; the action was fairly low with no frets buzzing at all.

The only potential downside to its playability is the gloss neck. If you’re playing live and you sweat a lot, gloss necks can start to feel a little slippery so some players prefer a more matte-finished neck. If that’s not an issue for you, then it’s a great playing instrument!

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★☆

It’s a great sounding guitar, there’s no doubt. Like you might expect from an acoustic of this size, it has quite a focused sound with a fairly pronounced mid-range and top end. It’s quite bright for a mahogany guitar and has a quick response without too many overtones ringing out as you play it, but there’s also a mellowness to it. As such, it would make for a great recording instrument.

There isn’t a ton of bass with this guitar, again because of the size of the body but that’s not always a bad thing. If you’re playing acoustic guitar alongside a band, having less of a prominent bass response will mean you’re not getting muddled up in the bass player’s frequency range.

A tighter, more mid-focused tone from the acoustic can give a more defined sound in a band context; it’ll also mean that you can cut through more without having to increase the volume.

It’s undeniably versatile, and it reacts well to strumming, flatpicking and fingerpicking. If I was using it more for one style of playing, it would be the latter. The smaller body means there’s less surface area to drive with the strings, so if you’ve got either a softer touch, or you’re more of a fingerstyle player, then you can get the guitar to respond more easily.

When using fingers, the guitar really does produce a beautiful, sweet tone that’s super reactive to playing dynamics. With the guitar being made from all-solid wood, the sound will likely improve the more you play it over time too.

If you’re a big, bold strummer, you’ll get some great tones out of it, but you might find that you hit the volume ceiling fairly quickly. If you need lots of power and projection, then it might be worth looking at the grand auditorium version (CLG-650SM-CE) which also has a spruce top as opposed to mahogany.

When plugged in, the guitar delivers a fairly standard piezo style sound; it’s nothing special but it will get you by at live gigs or open mic nights. What is nice though is having a three-band EQ on board so you can at least dial particular frequencies in or out.

Verdict

This grand concert electro-acoustic guitar from Harley Benton offers outstanding value for money.

Comprising a solid mahogany top, back and sides, you get a mellow but lively tone that’s nice and responsive to your playing. You don’t get loads of volume out of it, so it makes for a great fingerpicking guitar, but that said - it’ll tackle a variety of musical styles in the hands of the right player.

The compact body size makes for a really comfortable playing experience too. If you’re on the smaller side, or you just want something that’s easier to travel around with, then this is a fantastic choice. The armrest makes it even more comfortable and helps give the guitar a more premium look.

Guitar World verdict: I can’t imagine there are many better grand concert guitars around this price. It’s well built and has a premium feel to it. It sounds great and will work for a range of different applications, but it excels as either a recording guitar, acoustic guitar in a band context or fingerpicking guitar.

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Harley Benton

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• "This could well be Harley Benton's most impressive electric guitar platform yet when it comes to value": Harley Benton ST-Modern HSS review

The Dimension Weaver offers reverb, chorus, and delay, while the Rage Breaker, powered by an all-analog design, gets a little more hairy with a booster, fuzz, and overdrive all in one. Between them, expect “a distinctive tone beyond limits”, according to Donner.

MIYAVI, who in 2021 released a wildcard signature Fender Telecaster – which stands as one of the most radical takes on its timeless electric guitar recipe yet – has been helping push the instrument to new levels throughout his career.

Famous for his unique slapping techniques, he's right up there in the company of Tosin Abasi and Tim Henson when it comes to modern-minded progression, and Donner has capitalized on that by forging a relationship that it said would see “his innovative vision guide Donner into an exciting new era.”

That has seen him be snapped up by Donner as a signature artist, but also as the firm's Creative Director.

Each effect (bar one) gets a trio of dedicated dials across the two pedals. That's Dwell, Tone, and Mix for the 'verb; Level, Time, and Repeat for the delay; and Level, Rate, and Depth for Chorus.

Meanwhile, the Rage Breaker offers Gain, Input, and Output for its boost, and Input, Tone, and Gain for the OD. The Fuzz is the odd one out, expanding its controls to four via Gate, Input, Tone, and Sustain.

Unveiled at the Music for China 2025 expo in Shanghai, which wrapped over the weekend, not much more information is available yet, including a launch date and price tags.

However, going off Donner’s back catalog, which includes an industry-reshaping $29 pedal range, a Jack White-approved delay pedal, and the Hush-X, its newly updated travel guitar, neither pedal is likely to break anyone's bank in a hurry.

Donner has also worked with the White Stripes legend on a similarly styled stompbox, dropping a seriously decked-out multi-effects unit priced at just $99. Expect a similar price here.

These two new signature stompboxes are set to be released as part of Donner's Double Swords series. More details of this range, and what else MIYAVI has up his virtuosic sleeve, are expected in due course.

Discussing his leftfield Fender link up, MIYAVI professed his love of “sexy” Stratocasters with Guitar World, but added that Telecasters had a different kind of appeal: they’re bad guy rebel guitars.

The collaboration was born from Fender Japan's shifting mentality, where it is proving keen to work with emerging acts.

The 18-strong collection, housed at The Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland, opened last week and will run until November 9th. Following the exhibition, they’ll be shipped to Nashville to feature as part of Julien’s Auctions’ latest Played, Worn and Torn collection of music memorabilia. The two-day auction takes place at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum’s Municipal Auditorium, November 20-21.

All guitars come from Clayton’s personal collection, marking the first time his bass guitars of choice have been part of such a public showcase.

“I’m fortunate enough to have owned many wonderful instruments in my life, and I have amassed a very personal collection of basses over the last 40 years,” Clayton explains. “They have all become favourites for one reason or another, a reminder of a particular tour or recording session.

“My only regret is that I don’t get to play them all as often as I would like. A musical instrument needs time and attention. I’ll be sad to see these basses go, but this is an opportunity to give each and every one of them a new home in the care of a new owner. And maybe they can become someone else's favourite.”

Among those up for grabs is Clayton’s Sherwood Green Fender Jazz signature guitar, which was used for U2's performance of Invisible on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on February 17th, 2014.

A year later, it played a starring role on the Innocence + Experience tour in 2015 across Europe, the US, and Canada.

His 200 Lakland Joe Osborn J sunburst bass, played during the U2’s Vertigo tour a decade earlier, as well as on their classic hit One, sits alongside a score of 1960s and '70s Fender basses. Those include a 1964 Jazz in Olympic White, a 1964 Precision Bass in Lake Placid Blue, and a 1978 Sunburst Jazz.

Elsewhere, there’s a 2010 Gold Sparkle Fender Adam Clayton Precision Bass deemed a “mistake” by his guitar technician due to the Jazz Bass-decaled headstock, which could sell for $60,000.

Other brands get a look in, too. There’s a pair of Warwick Gold Reversos played on U2’s 360 world tour in 2010, and a 2010 Sadowsky Will Lee J Style bass in Green Sparkle.

See Julien’s Auction for more.

Speaking to Bass Player, Clayton once revealed how Bono had pushed for him to use a guitar pick in the band, but believes “there's nothing quite like that contact of pulling the wires”, as he detailed the crux of U2's Grammy-grabbing sound.

As its name attests, the cylindrical design rotates 360°, offering simple storage and easy access to those handy tools. There’s space for 12 picks to sit atop the unit, and ample space for more beneath.

It's been designed to accommodate picks of all shapes and sizes, and prizing a pick from its new home isn't a difficult task. The holder can be operated with one hand, so all a player needs to do is spin, grab, and play.

At $19.99, the firm views it as an ideal stocking filler for musicians this Christmas. It comes after D'Addario collaborated with Joe Satriani to design a guitar strap that aims to fix the dreaded twisted strap problem, and after it launched a mic stand that attaches directly to pedalboards to better aid the performances of singer-guitarists.

“The Pick Holder 360 is a sleek, fun new way to keep your favorite picks organized, visible, easy to reach, and ready to play,” says D'Addario. “It’s a quick, perfect buy for musicians, custom pick collectors, or anyone simply looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for the musician in their life.”

The Pick Holder 360 is priced at $19.99 and is available to order now.

Head to D’Addario for more.

Back in February, Guitar World sat down with the firm's founder, Jim D'addario, to celebrate 50 years of business and discuss the shape of its future. After half a century of experiments and innovation, he revealed that the firm is shifting its focus.

“I think we’re at a point where we’ve explored almost all the materials that are viable,” he says of its guitar string experiments. “Those ‘aha’ moments are few and far between now because we’ve all turned over almost every rock in the garden, looking for worms. So now our opportunities are about process.”

He also lifted the lid of its string testing processes, and hailed one jazz veteran for being better at putting them through their paces than anyone else.

Korn has announced a super-limited run of guitar pedals that put Munky and Head’s iconic and genre-shaping debut album guitar tone into a single stompbox.

Dubbed the Indigo Sludge Preamp + Fuzz, it replicates the tones used to drive seminal early hits like Blind and Shoots and Ladders. It does so by offering “the same preamp roar and fuzzed chaos” of the group’s Indigo Ranch sessions, conducted with producer Ross Robinson in the mid-’90s.

Sold exclusively through Korn's website, it comes with a host of controls and features to cover all the tonal bases concocted during those change-making sessions.

The preamp section is modelled on the high-gain preamp stages from those Indigo rigs, “delivering the tight, saturated crunch that defined Munky & Head’s seven-string riffs.” A fuzz circuit is included for “woolly, sustain-drenched chaos,” and an Octave switch looks to bring gut-rattling depth.

A three-band EQ, Volume, Gain, and Presence dials allow full autonomy of the pedal’s character, and the fuzz gets independent controls for Gain, Volume, and Tone. It's well-equipped to get weird.

Beyond that, there's true bypass and 9V power for easy pedalboard integration, as well as a road-ready chassis.

“This isn’t ‘inspired by’ Korn’s tone. It’s built on the same ingredients that forged it,” the band says.

What exactly those ingredients were has been kept secret for decades. Fans have theorized that Marshall tube amps, Peavey solid states, and a battalion of Boss Metal Zones may have been in the mix. Either way, this pedal promises those tones on tap.

Only 500 of the $250 pedals were made, but unfortunately they have sold out within two days of the band posting about it on their Instagram.

See Korn for more.

Both Korn guitarists were bestowed with new signatures back in January, with Head having recently rejoined the Ibanez family.

Since its birth in 1995, the Fender Blues Junior has matured into the small valve combo to judge all others by. It found its niche as a cost-effective, all-tube, spring-reverb-equipped combo amp with the authentic Fender sound in a throw-and-go, pub-gig-sized format.

The amp’s inception serendipitously coincided with the winds of change blowing through guitar music at that time, away from the clinical and processed tones of the prior decade towards a looser, more organic flavour as heard in the US grunge movement and the UK’s Brit-rock scene. These sounds were well suited to the amp’s comfortable range of classic clean to ‘edge of break-up’ tones.

Judging by its popularity alone, it’s clear that the 15-watt 1x12 package found a niche in the amp world by balancing the factors of cost, loudness and portability without forgoing the famous clean tone that made the Fender sound the stuff of legend.

Critics over the product’s lifespan have occasionally made mention of sonic shortcomings, such as the potential to sound boxy and the ability to display some overly assertive high-end.

While it may be harsh to criticise an entry-level combo of this size for indeed being a small guitar amp, this latest version aims to improve the preamp circuit for fullness, and offers a premium Celestion A-type Creamback speaker, improving the performance within the existing cabinet.

This diminutive standard-bearer has enjoyed four revisions and numerous special editions over its 30 years with some circuit improvements, numerous speaker models and a variety of cosmetic flourishes.

So this particular celebratory and limited-edition amp is based on the mark IV incarnation (see spec list below), and Fender has clearly built what it believes to be its best-in-class Blues Junior.

The valve line-up has remained constant since its inception with its trio of 12AX7s and the pair of EL84s. The use of this British output valve, also used to power the classic AC30, is often thought to impart a softer, chime-y quality and could contribute towards a rich midrange tonality.

Along with the Fat push-switch, the polished chrome top-panel features Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble and Volume controls, all topped with black plastic chickenhead knobs to complete the vintage styling.

The vinyl bling of the patterned faux-leather covering – somewhat evoking the tooled leather of cowboy boots, perhaps, or other such country and western attire – is augmented by the stylish vintage leather handle. It’s certainly eye-catching!

Some construction details – such as the somewhat hidden position of the footswitch socket and a trailing loop of reverb cable in the rear recess – might require a modicum of care on gigs, though, so as to not unduly stress the components.

Specs

• PRICE: $1,049/£959/€989
• ORIGIN: Mexico
• TYPE: All-valve portable combo
• VALVES: 3x 12AX7, 2x EL84
• OUTPUT: 15W
• DIMENSIONS: 457 (w) x 249 (d) x 406mm (h)
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 14/31
• CABINET: Particle board w/ ‘Black Western’ textured vinyl covering
• LOUDSPEAKER: Celestion G12M-65 Creamback 12”
• CHANNELS: 1
• CONTROLS: Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble, Fat switch and Volume
• FOOTSWITCH: 1-button footswitch included for Fat boost
• CONTACT: Fender

Usability and sounds

In a leap of faith we embarked, Junior and pedals in-hand, to play a smallish gig where the amp immediately received compliments in soundcheck for its rich tone.

The improved midrange response from the circuit and the speaker improvements impart a greater depth to vintage-output Stratocaster pickups than one might expect, adding up to a great playing response for fluid solos. The Fat circuit further opened up the hallowed gates of sustain.

This amp seems most comfortable operating around the edge of break-up, a tone some lesser amps can struggle with. At high levels of gain the amp’s response will loosen (think Neil Young as opposed to Angus), so depending on your needs this could be just the ticket.

It’s fair to say there are some sounds that may inevitably fall outside of its comfort zone, and it’s unlikely to be replacing anyone’s 5150 for tight and chunky distortion.

That said, all good designs should fulfil a particular requirement and our small test-gig likely represents the kind of scenario it was conceived for.

Switching to our traditional twin-humbucker guitar, the increased mids and power provided an opportunity to visit the EQ section for some tailoring. A little bass and gain reduction tightened up the response nicely, though deployment of the Fat switch might bring fewer benefits to guitars with higher output levels.

Dialling in the controls you notice a wide range of usable bass, which provides plenty of depth, even at higher settings. Experienced Blues Junior players will no doubt notice that the Treble and Middle controls deliver an appreciably softer top-end on this Anniversary edition than on previous models, which is again thanks to the preamp circuit refinements Fender has made.

A recommended setup tip is to place the master volume at a higher level than you might expect (this thing actually goes to 12!) and balance the channel volume and the guitar’s volume control in order to get the most responsive dynamics possible from the amp.

This approach allows the EL84 power valves to contribute more of their harmonic overtones, rather than depending on the preamp gain alone for your saturation needs.

Particularly enjoyable is the improved smoothness of the reverb sound, especially in terms of dwell and response, and while perhaps not being the drippiest of ’verbs, it certainly sounded every bit the authentic springy Fender tone.

The reverb’s position in the circuit has moved from its previously noisy location after the master volume, to a quieter location for a welcome improvement to signal-to-noise ratio.

In accordance with Fender’s reputation for producing pedal-friendly hosts, this amp presents no exception. It really shines when fed by a quality overdrive pedal, although with its relatively modest headroom and power-handling, it may be prudent when using gain pedals to select types that have less bottom-end so as to not overly tax the amp with energy-sapping low frequencies.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

Fender has marked this 30th anniversary of the Blues Junior with a player-pleasing set of improvements that really do make an appreciable difference to the quality of tone on offer.

The modifications made to both the preamp and reverb circuits, in addition to the upgraded speaker, have brought out a richer, more responsive presentation from the amp, putting some inspiring air under your soloing wings, so to speak.

The Fat switch offers the kind of mild boost one might normally expect to be provided by a light overdrive pedal or coloured boost, for instance – potentially saving you from carrying an additional pedal. And the reverb now shines clearly, with the improvement to the noise floor and its smoother-sounding top-end.

Guitar World verdict: No matter what your personal preferences and tastes may be, it’s hard to deny how impressively this amp punches above its weight in terms of bold, authoritative tube tone. Its balance of practicality with great tone underscores its reputation as the standard-bearer against which to judge all small combo amps. May it enjoy many more anniversaries to come!

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The band had met folk singer-songwriter Bob Dylan while in America that same year, and been bowled over by the compositions on his second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. In conversation (and after Dylan had introduced them to marijuana), the singer advised John and Paul to “stop writing for the meat market” and come up with more thought-provoking lyrics.

This would contribute to making Help! a more acoustic-led affair, with songs that shifted away from the ‘boy and girl, you and me’ hit-making formula of She Loves You, From Me To You and I Want To Hold Your Hand.

To this end, Lennon acquired his Framus Hootenanny 12-string guitar on the band’s return to London. The unspecified shop paired it with an Australian-made Maton case that can clearly be seen in photos from the Help! film set.

The Beatles already owned US-made acoustics – John and Paul had Gibson J-160Es and Paul had his Epiphone Texan. And at the height of Beatlemania Lennon was clearly flush enough to go this route again, or indeed that of Martin, but he obviously bonded with the German-built Framus.

It’s said he particularly liked its sound and how it blended with Harrison’s Gibson. Also, with its adjustable bridge, perhaps the guitar was easier to manage than fixed-bridge models with ’60s-style actions and the hefty strings of the day.

Let’s also not forget that Framus was already a popular marque with UK groups. For instance, McCartney’s own first instrument was a Framus Zenith, Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones famously used a Star bass, and The Animals, The Herd and others also favoured the brand.

Both Lennon and Harrison played the Hootenanny on the Help! album: John and George on Lennon’s Dylan-influenced You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, and Lennon using it to drive the wistful It’s Only Love and the title track itself. You can also see John miming to the former track in the film, and noodling on the instrument in stills from the movie.

The guitar carried over to the following album, Rubber Soul, too. Lennon played it, capo’d at the 7th fret, on his soulful ballad Girl, while Harrison provided rhythm back-up on McCartney’s uptempo I’ve Just Seen A Face and John’s Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).

These were the last Beatles songs on which the Framus would be heard, since at the end of 1965 John presented the Hootenanny to Gordon Waller of Peter And Gordon. McCartney had penned hits for the duo (the other half of which, Peter, was the brother of McCartney’s then girlfriend, Jane Asher), including Nobody I Know and A World Without Love.

Waller later gave the guitar to his manager. He stashed it away in his attic, where it stayed for decades until being discovered, still in its ‘original’ Maton case.

When the decision to sell the 12-string was made, Julien’s in New York proved to be the preferred auction house. Julien’s liaised with Andy Babiuk, author of the well-respected reference work Beatles Gear, to verify this was John’s instrument.

Babiuk confirmed that Framus 5/024 Hootenanny, serial #51083, is indeed John Lennon’s guitar. His detective work focused on comparable darker patches in the wood grain in the soundhole rosette, specific features on the guitar’s top, plus likenesses in the swirl of the mock tortoiseshell pickguard.

As the Framus was in poor condition after years in an attic where huge temperature fluctuations can occur, Julien’s had to make a decision about restoring the instrument to playing status or leaving it as an unplayable museum piece. Deciding to restore, Julien’s enlisted Ryan Schuermann of LA Guitar Repair to undertake the work.

Among other things, Schuermann reset the guitar’s neck, repaired the top, steam/heat-treated the warped bridge, and dressed its corroded frets. Julien’s says it not only looks wonderful and plays fantastically well, but emits the exact tone heard on all those unforgettable numbers.

While several less auspicious Beatles instruments had previously been sold, including Harrison’s Grazioso/Futurama and Maton Mastersound, and the fretless Bartell on which he played the solo in Happiness Is A Warm Gun, the release of something so well documented on both record and film was obviously going to cause a stir.

On sale day, 29 May 2024, an unspecified buyer dipped into their pocket for an amount of $2,857,500 – so far a record for any guitar previously owned by a Beatle. With McCartney’s ‘lost and found’ Höfner bass estimated to be worth £10 million, we shudder to think what his Yesterday Epiphone Texan, John’s Get Back Casino or George’s ‘Rocky’ Strat might one day fetch.

Of course, there have been attainable reissues of all these models. And now that Framus has reintroduced the Hootenanny, you can grab a significant piece of Beatles history for a more manageable price.

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.