Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.
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.
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Acoustic
A new era of Epiphone acoustics is officially upon us. After debuting the Inspired by Gibson Custom range from last year, Epiphone has now launched its more accessible Inspired by Gibson lineup, which comprises all-solid, Fishman-loaded, rosewood fingerboard-equipped Hummingbirds, J-45s, and L-00s.
There’s a lot to like here. Mahogany and spruce tonewoods, bone nuts, Grover or Kluson-style tuners, rosewood bridges, top-tier Fishman pickups… the list goes on. Perhaps the best affordable Gibson-style acoustics to date? I’ve got my eye on the L-00…
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
The Dual Rectifier usually gets all the love, but let’s give the Triple Rectifier its flowers, shall we? After all, it’s one of the most influential and impactful high-gain amps of 1990s rock. Mesa/Boogie says so itself. And to honor its legacy as a genre-shaping behemoth, its maker has now reissued it in a stealthy blacked-out finish.
So, at heart, it’s got all the valves you’d expect from a Triple Recto – half a dozen 6L6 power tubes included – along with plenty of EQ options, and an abundance of speaker outputs and pro features.
“Back in the ‘90s, these upscale, blacked-out models dominated stages behind some of the biggest names in rock,” says Mesa/Boogie’s Doug West. “Today, finding one on the pre-owned market usually means heavy wear from years of touring – so this is a rare chance to own one in pristine, brand-new condition.”
IK Multimedia TONEX Double Special
The latest entry to IK Multimedia’s ever-growing line of special-edition TONEX One pedals, the Double Special looks to become your one-stop shop for authentic digital Dumble amp sounds. We’ve seen Brown Sound and Joe Satriani TONEX One pedals before, but the Double Special might be our favorite so far.
Why? Well, because it offers holy grail amp sounds – which would usually set you back six figures – in a tiny modeling stompbox that costs less than $100. Some of the best players of all time swear by Dumbles. John Mayer does. Stevie Ray Vaughan did. Robben Ford, Joe Bonamassa, Keith Urban… the list goes on.
Here, you get 20 models from two ultra-rare Dumbles, as well as software presets from six Overdrive Specials. Not bad. Not bad at all…
EMG 50th Anniversary Metallica pickups
If you were EMG, how would you celebrate your 50th anniversary? Organize a massive party for family and friends? Bake an extraordinarily large birthday cake and put 50 individual candles in? Boooooring.
What EMG has actually done is way better: it’s tapped James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo for special-edition versions of their signature pickups. They each now offer a flash new celebratory finish, but they’ll only be available in 2026.
Kemper Profiler Technology Update
Neural DSP recently unveiled Capture V2. Line 6 is poised to release its Proxy update. Gear capturing and profiling is becoming a hot topic. Other brands – such as Mooer – are getting in on the act. Therefore, it makes sense that Kemper – one of the earliest pioneers in the at-home amp profiling space – has acted to stay with its rivals by rolling out the latest version of its proprietary Profiling Tech.
We’re used to these sorts of phrases by now, but with the free Profiler OS 14.0 update, Kemper is promising “the most complete, dynamic, and lifelike amp captures ever achieved”. To do that, it measures and analyzes over 100,000 individual frequency points for unparalleled accuracy and authenticity.
How does it sound in person? Well, time will tell, but it’s a smart move from Kemper. It’s also a smart idea to make the update free – after some fans weren’t too pleased with Kemper for rolling out paid-for updates last year…
Laney PRISM-MINI
Blackstar, Positive Grid, Boss… these are just some of the brands who have sought to wrestle control of the smart modeling / practice amp market. Now, Laney has thrown its own hat in the ring with the Prism-Mini – a portable stereo multi-effects guitar amp and Bluetooth speaker that offers 100 presets, 17 amps, up to six effects at once, and a Tone Wizard app for deep-dive editing. Oh, and at $149, it’s impressively affordable.
Ruokangas Non-Potted P90 Pickups
Basic pickup design works something like this: pickups that are potted, with wax, are resistant to microphonic squeal, owing to the fact this process fills and seals internal gaps. It stabilizes coil windings, protects them from vibrations and damage, and offers a more reliable tone – especially at high gain and volume levels.
Unpotted pickups don’t have that luxury, but some people prefer them because they offer a more alive, airy sound with improved touch sensitivity inspired by vintage tones. Usually, if you play unpotted pickups, you’re probably not going to be feeding them with the gain and volume required to trigger said squeal, but there are exceptions, of course.
That’s a roundabout way of saying, Ruokangas has released some non-potted P-90s that actually resist microphonic squeal. This is down to the company’s Flux-Coil stabilization tech. So, hey presto: you get the tonal benefits of unpotted pickups with the freedom to push them a bit harder without any squeal. I love the look of these.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV 30th Anniversary
30 years ago, Fender released something called the Hot Rod Deluxe IV. In the three decades that have since passed, that humble combo amp has become nothing short of a total world beater. It’s been a go-to backline amp for players around the world, renowned for its cleans and overdrive tones alike. To mark its birthday, Fender has given it a commemorative Black Western covering and vintage 50s Brown and Gold grille cloth. Very smart indeed.
EarthQuaker Devices Towers
“When it comes to reverb, very few pedal manufacturers have done as much to reinvent the category as EarthQuaker Devices has over the past couple of decades.” Truer words, and all that. EQD is one of the market’s foremost specialists in experimental ambient reverb pedals – and with the new Towers pedal, it’s sought to channel that dare-to-do attitude once again.
Dubbed an entirely new pedal, Towers is described as a "soundscape generator”. Think resonant filtered feedback, massive stereophonic spread, and otherworldly textures. It promises virtually endless possibilities for those who are willing to spend the time to truly explore it. This isn’t the Afterneath or Transmisser or even the Astral Destiny. Towers is its own beast.
Beetronics Pollinator
When Beetronics approached JHS Pedals and kindly asked if it could take the ‘Pollinator’ name – previously used for a now-discontinued JHS stompbox – brand owner Josh Scott knew there was only one right answer: Yes. Yes, of course your bee-themed brand can take the name ‘Pollinator’ for a new release.
And so, with that all out the way, Beetonics has indeed launched the Pollinator, a ‘Hazee Delay’ pedal that offers a generous abundance of delay and modulation effects. It’s a bit of a trip, to be honest. Most Beetronics pedals are. It also looks – and sounds – like a work of art. Sorry, JHS. We think this is the One True Pollinator to rule them all.
Verso LOG Lap Steel
You might be familiar with the Verso name. It’s the same company that developed the Sine guitar – ya know, the one with freely movable pickups? That one that wanted to redefine how you interact with your guitar? That one?
Well, it’s back again, this time with the LOG – an equally mind-bending build that looks to translate its forward-thinking approach to pickup configurations to the world of lap steels. A very intriguing prospect indeed…
Fuzz Off & Die
It probably won’t come as a surprise to hear that Fuzz Off & Die is being described by its maker as “the world’s angriest octagon”, given its name and, er, certainly-very-angry artwork. Granted, we can’t actually think of any other angry octagons to compare it to, so perhaps the Fuzz Off & Die wins by default.
Whatever the case, the limited-edition Alan Robert signature pedal is designed for bass guitarists on the hunt for huge, snarling, gritty, aggressive fuzz tones. It’s been engineered by Terry Welty, tech for Black Sabbath and Foreigner, and Geezer Butler’s Ashdown Head of Doom amp tech.
- Which is your favorite new gear drop this week? Vote below and comment your thoughts
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