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.
Darkglass Anagram Guitar Essentials
The amp modeler market has never been so competitive, but now the likes of Neural DSP and Line 6 have found themselves a surprise new rival in the form of Darkglass, who has entered the world of electric guitar modelers for the first time with a guitar-specific Anagram multi-effects pedal.
The bass amp and effects specialist – which, notably, was co-founded by Neural DSP leader Douglas Castro – has a killer bass guitar Anagram under its belt, but now it’s been joined by a guitar version. And I’m thinking it could give my Quad Cortex mini a run for its money.
Its compact form factor looks great, along with the 7” display screen, but the real selling point here is its NAM compatibility. For those who don’t know, Neural Amp Modeling is a free-to-use, open-source platform that gives users access to countless amp, cab and effects profiles.
These can all be loaded into the Anagram Guitar Essentials pedals. That means the tonal capabilities of this thing are borderline infinite. Darkglass says this is a one-time-only thing, but many players – this writer included – will be hoping it sticks around for a bit longer.
Guild S-300 Deluxe
Well, this was a nice surprise to find in the inbox on Wednesday morning. Nearly 50 years after it was deemed too radical for its time, the Guild S-300 Deluxe is officially back – in all its weirdly wonderful offset glory.
It was first introduced in 1977, but it’s safe to say the S-300 was ahead of its time. Heck, it doesn’t look out of place next to some of today’s more extravagant builds. It looks like an indie-appropriate mash-up of the Ibanez Alpha, Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen, and Strandberg Boden.
The finishes are still a little too daring for me – I’d have loved some pastel options – but there’s no denying this is a look. We’ve seen plenty of fresh new shapes emerge (or re-emerge?) on the market in recent years, and we’re pleased that Guild is continuing that trend.
Side-note, Guild’s Surfliner is one of the nicest new offsets of the past five years or so. Guild is a serious sleeper hit brand whose electric guitars deserve more attention beyond the Polara that Kim Thayil favors.
Fender ‘62 Deluxe
Black panel, silver panel, and tweed Fender amps tend to get all the glory, but chances are you’re probably unfamiliar with the oft-forgotten brown-panel amps. Built in the early 1960s, these particular combos bridged the gap between black-panels and tweeds, offering a distinct tone of their own.
Fender is shining the spotlight on these “hidden treasure” amps by bringing out the ‘62 Deluxe. Expect a woody, pokey clean tone that can throw up a sizzling overdrive when cranked. I heard one of these in action at Fender HQ a few weeks ago. I can confirm it sounds killer.
It’s a cool release on two fronts. Not only does it offer a nuanced Fender amp tone to more players, it also brings to light some quirky gear of yesteryear. And if Fender continues to go down that rabbithole, who knows what else it will find for future releases…
ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK...
Solar Guitars Chug Capo
The ultimate drop-tuning pedal? Solar thinks so. The Chug Capo pedal goes up against Boss and DigiTech in the race for the pitch-shifting pedal to beat.
For more: Solar Guitars
JHS Pedals Notadümble V2
The second – and schematically correct – version of the DIY Dumble clone pedal, which now features a clone of the clean boost circuit found in John Mayer’s Box It Later stompbox.
For more: JHS Pedals
Fractal ICONS Pasadena
An expansion of Fractal’s flagship plugin package, the ICONS Pasadena suite looks to offer Van Halen tones through a range of digital amp, cab and effects.
For more: Fractal
Jackson Brandon Ellis Pro Plus Kelly KE27 27-fret
A 27-fret monster built for former Black Dahlia Murder guitarist Brandon Ellis. This Gold Crackle Kelly is a shred machine of the highest order.
For more: Jackson
Gibson Les Paul Custom Long Scale
Gibson taps into a bit of Fender flair with the 25.5” Les Paul Custom Long Scale, which bumps the LP’s usual 24.75” scale and matches the scale length found on the Strat, Tele and Jazzmaster.
For more: Gibson
Ibanez 2026 Summer Drop
Ibanez has dropped a load of new guitars as part of its Summer lineup. Highlights include new finishes for Tim Henson’s signature nylon-string and a suite of new-look AZ models.
For more: Ibanez
Blackstar Fly 3 High Gain
A heavy metal reinvention of Blackstar’s beloved Fly 3 amp, which supercharges the humble micro practice amp with a high-gain ‘Nitro’ channel.
For more: Blackstar
EarthQuaker Devices Bellows
EQD has revived the Bellows Fuzz Driver for a limited run due to player demand. This mini pedal is a no-nonsense transistor-based drive pedal with plenty of dirt on tap.
For more: EarthQuaker Devices
Mojotone Quiet Coil H-90
A hum-free P-90 in a humbucker-sized package, the H-90 could be the P-90-style pickup that your conventional humbucker guitars have been waiting for.
For more: Mojotone
- What's your favorite new gear release of the week? Let us know in the comments below.
