“There’s absolutely no doubt this is dream distortion pedal material. But at $415, it’d be hard to justify”: My pick of the best new guitar gear launched this week – and the new drops you might have missed

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly 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 in the loop with every new launch.

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.

Below you'll find my personal highlights from the week, along with plenty of honorable mentions for the new gear you might have missed. Agree with my picks? Have a highlight of your own? Let us know in the comments.

Fender Japan Active Modern Series

Fender Japan has delivered the goods once again. Meet the Active Modern series – a collection of classic Big F silhouettes that have been on the receiving end of some choice FJ-style tweaks.

Chief among those Active Modern updates is the SILENCOIL system. Now, this looks to just be the same patent-pending Silent System that debuted on those USA models a few weeks ago, but with a different name. Either way, it promises true noise-free single-coil sounds through an independent coil under the pickups.

Elsewhere, it has an intriguing Turbo Tone Boost feature – which effectively simulates increasing the winding count of a single-coil pickup – as well as a new five-bolt neck plate.

There's also a nice new neck heel curve, and body binding across the collection (yes, that includes the Strats). It's like an American Ultra spin-off series, but with some even more desirable features.

Vemuram Las Lunas

Josh Smith plays VEMURAM Las Lunas - Distortion | NAMM2026 - YouTube

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Well, talk about dream pedal material. I’ve always admired Vemuram from afar – some of my favorite players swear by them – but I’ve never pulled the trigger. Why? Well, because they are very expensive. The Las Lunas, ‘70s/’80s style distortion, is no different.

With two sides for a choice of either “flat and detailed drive” or “edgy, sharp and full-bodied” gain, the Las Lunas looks like the pinnacle of boutique distortion design, with plenty of onboard controls to really dial in those tones.

Developed over “many years”, it looks to harness those old-school guitar sounds of the 1970s and 1980s, and while I don’t particularly lean into those sorts of waters for my own stuff, there’s just something about Vemuram pedals I find irresistible. Maybe one day…

Gretsch Streamliner CVT

When I reviewed the Gretsch Jack Antonoff Princess signature guitar, I pleaded for the return of a standard run Corvette. If you’d have told me back then that my dreams would not only be answered, but I’d be able to buy one for $249, I’d have called you all sorts of funny names.

However, I would’ve had egg on my face, because that’s exactly what has happened. After launching the affordable Electromatic CVT last year, Gretsch has now launched the even-more-affordable Streamliner version. And it looks very tempting indeed.

For $249, you get two humbuckers, that awesome CVT body shape, a mahogany build, and what Gretsch is calling a “Pitch Perfect Head Angle”. The Sea Foam Green is nice, but I kinda wish it had some more colorful finishes on tap.

ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK...

Warm Audio Dirty Boy Jr. Series FX Pedals

Introducing Dirty Boy Jr. Series FX Pedals | Warm Audio x Dirty Boy Official Collaboration - YouTube

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A new collaborative series of wallet-friendly recreations of legendary effects, covering classic overdrive, fuzz and booster circuits to boot. A nice entry point to the world of Warm Audio.

Gibson Cremona Burst Collection

2026 marks 100 years of Gibson flat-top acoustics, so the firm is keeping the party going with a limited edition Cremona Burst collection comprising five iconic silhouettes.

PRS Birds of a Feather Custom 24

PRS has celebrated 10 years of its Birds of a Feather inlay by bringing the intricate inlay – previously only available through the Private Stock collection – to its Core series for the first time.

Fender Player II New Finishes

These were announced a few weeks ago, but now two new Player II colorways – Cactus Grey and Rallye Orange – are now available. The former is giving serious Silver Sky vibes…

Mooer Meta FX

MOOER META FX Official Overview - YouTube

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A three-in-one reverb, delay and modulation pedal, built around Mooer’s new X Algorithm platform. There are 40 stereo effects to play with, a 1.28” circular touchscreen, and a wild artwork that will look great on any pedalboard.

Martin 5-28 Terz

The smallest Martin ever made makes a return after the storied acoustic maker finally caved to player demands. The picture doesn’t really do it justice. This thing is tiny.

Epiphone Billy Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr.

A week after Billie Joe Armstrong’s Marshall dropped, the Green Day leader has another piece of signature gear: a new-look red Les Paul Junior.

Catalinbread Jimothy

A gnarly new bitcrusher from Catalinbread, which has the power to degrade your guitar signal at an interval you choose. Only 50 will be made. Side note: it almost made it into the highlights spot for the name alone…

DOD Drag Analog Delay

A wild new Bucket Brigade Device analog delay pedal from the minds over at DOD, the Drag looks to be an all-in-one textural tool designed for ambient, shoe gaze, and experimental players alike. There's also some patent-pending time-warping tech, which sounds interesting...

Gibson Mod Shop High Five

Gibson has introduced five extravagant Heavy Flake Sparkle finish instruments to mark the fifth birthday of the Mod Shop.

• What's your favorite new gear release of the week? Let us know in the comments below.