Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s sparkly new 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.
I’m not exaggerating when I say there is a lot to get through, so let’s not waste any time with the preamble. Read on for all new gear from Gibson, Fender, Ernie Ball Music Man, Jackson, Cort, EVH..... *inhales*.... Otera, Ibanez, Walrus Audio, Silktone, and more.
Fender Limited Edition Vintera II Road Worn
Well, Fender's Road Worn guitars are back, but not quite as you remember them. The Big F's Road Worn instruments have become a rarity in recent years, but thanks to drops such as the American Ultra Luxe Vintage and Bruno Mars signature Stratocaster, we've been witnessing something of a Road Worn renaissance.
Now we have some artificially aged Vintera II models to add to that list, but unlike Road Worns of old, these comparatively lean into a far more subtle, 'closet classic' vibe that contrasts heavily with the 'take a chunk out of the paint' approach of previous models.
To be honest, we're all here for it. It gives greater scope for personal aging, with a comfortable head start thrown in for good measure.
For more: Fender
Gibson Les Paul Custom '70s
If, for the last 20 years, you've found yourself hunting for a standard USA 1970s Les Paul Custom, you'd have been bang out of luck: for the past two decades, such models have not been available. If you wanted a Custom-style Les Paul, you'd have to head straight for the Gibson Custom Shop and fork out up to $8,000 – or head to the vintage market.
Fortunately, Gibson has now brought back the Les Paul Custom '70s as a standard-run instrument, and the four new variants look very purdy indeed. Vintage colors, vintage specs, vintage vibe... you name it, it's all there.
For more: Gibson
Jackson American Series Rhoads
A few years back, Jackson established its newly minted American Series as its top-of-the-line guitar lineup, bringing construction to its Corona, California, factory for the first time.
A new model has now been added to the burgeoning collection – which previously boasted the Soloist and Virtuoso – and Jackson has chosen a very appropriate model indeed: the Rhoads V.
For the first time in many, many years, the Rhoads guitar – originally a collaboration between Randy Rhoads and Grover Jackson that launched the Jackson brand – is available as a US-made instrument, having previously been available from the firm's Chinese and Indonesian factories.
Some big-name players have been drafted in for the launch, which says all you need to know about how much Jackson values its iconic Rhoads guitar.
For more: Jackson
Neural DSP Archetype: Misha Mansoor X
Few instrumentalists have had as much of an influence on the modern metal guitar scene as Misha Mansoor – the Periphery powerhouse who single-handedly pushed the boundaries of what had previously been explored in progressive guitar scenes.
His trademark tones – and so much more, we should add – have now been launched as the Quad Cortex-compatible Archetype: Misha Mansoor X by Neural DSP, which is both a celebration of his established tones and an appropriate creative springboard that supplies a bevy of expansive tones befitting Mansoor's toolbox. Heck, there's a laser effect in there.
For more: Neural DSP
EVH 5150 Iconic Series 15W EL34 Head
Clearly not content with having just an 80W head in its Iconic Series EL34 lineup, EVH gear has now added a downsized 15W counterpart to the 5150 amp range. It's smaller, but still promises the “signature sound and growling gain Eddie Van Halen made famous” thanks to its EL34 and ECC83S tubes.
For more: EVH
Ernie Ball Music Man Fluff Iron Swan StingRay
Ryan "Fluff" Bruce has channeled some serious Tom DeLonge energy with the Iron Swan – his latest signature StingRay with Ernie Ball Music Man. It follows the flagship iteration from 2023, as well as the more affordable Sterling variant that was released earlier this year.
We're already licking our lips at the thought of a Sterling Iron Swan. Nothing beats the simplistic charm of a single pickup axe, especially one that has a Custom Shop Seymour Duncan humbucker in situ. Well done, Fluff. Very nice indeed.
For more: Ernie Ball Music Man
Otera TK-1
Steve Onotera became the latest online guitar personality to launch their own gear brand when he unveiled the Otera TK-1 – his first-ever electric guitar design, which had been years in the making.
It puts a distinct contemporary spin on the classic T-type template, giving it a boxy impression that cuts an impressive and visually captivating silhouette. Built by Cort, it's got plenty of impressive specs, too, with Seymour Duncan pickups included.
Only 100 have been made, though, so once they're gone, say goodbye to the TK-1 – and, we imagine, get ready to say hello to the TK-2...
For more: Otera
Gibson B.B. King Lucille
This week we celebrated B.B. King's 100th birthday, so we felt we should give an honorable mention to the Gibson Custom Shop, which produced this absolutely exquisite Lucille to honor the late blues great.
It's a one-of-one creation, with a celebratory gold scratchplate to boot, so don't expect to see it in store shelves. Instead, sit back and marvel at its sheer beauty.
For more: Gibson Custom Instagram
Gibson x Loog
Gibson hasn't just had an eye on the upper echelons of its product line, mind you. It has also turned its attention to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, partnering with infant instrument expert Loog for a range of three-string SGs and Les Paul Juniors.
Fender has already got a Loog collaboration on the books, so we're not surprised to see Gibson get in on the action, too. Few guitars could be cooler to learn on than a single-pickup, pint-sized SG. We can't imagine anyone that young is reading this, but parents will no doubt be taking note.
For more: Loog
Gibson x Marc Jacobs
Blimey, the folks at Gibson have been busy this week, haven't they? If resurrecting the Les Paul Custom '70s, collaborating with Loog, and paying tribute to B.B. King wasn't enough, the firm also debuted its partnership with Marc Jacobs, which has produced four rather extravagant Les Pauls.
Gibson doesn't usually do big-brand collaborations, so this capsule is something of a rarity. Picks and straps have also been included in the limited edition drop.
For more: Gibson
Fender x Chicago Music Exchange Fluorescent models
Speaking of collaborations, Fender has unveiled its latest retailer-exclusive guitars – a crop of Fluorescent Strats, Teles, and Jazzmasters that have been built for Chicago Music Exchange.
Fluorescent NOS Orange and Yellow are the order of business here, with each model heralding from the Fender Custom Shop. Big bucks for bold looks.
For more: Chicago Music Exchange
Cort Smart Earth Go smart acoustic
A few weeks ago, in these very pages, I wrote how the Taylor GS Mini and Martin LX1 needed to look over their shoulders for the Furch Pioneer. Now, the Furch Pioneer needs to watch its back for the Cort Earth Go – a short-scale 'Smart' travel acoustic guitar.
Everything seems to be 'Smart' these days, but at least the Earth Go has the added benefit of looking like a normal acoustic, rather than a spaceship. Despite its unassuming appearance, it offers built-in effects – reverb, chorus, delay, and tremolo among them – as well as Bluetooth for playing along to backing tracks.
The ultimate travel guitar for busking musicians? Very possible indeed.
For more: Cort
Ibanez acoustics
Speaking of acoustics, we'd be remiss not to mention the eye-popping instruments that Ibanez has pushed out this week. A handful of AAM – shorthand for Advanced Acoustic – models have landed, bringing with them some very alluring colorways indeed. Transparent Antique White Ice Blue Open Pore sure as heck doesn't roll of the tongue, but it's certainly easy on the eyes.
For more: Ibanez
Walrus Audio Lüm Texture Engine
Walrus Audio's credentials in the world of ambient effects pedals really need no scrutiny. I mean, c'mon – this is the brand that has the Lore, Slöer, and Fable Granular Generator on its books. Now, it's got another one to throw into the mix – and it combines elements of them all into one compact box.
Further still, the Lüm could be Walrus Audio's most convenient and pedalboard-conscious ambient pedal to date, with the Texture Engine offering a kaleidoscope of otherworldly delay, reverb, and lo-fi granular tones.
Unfortunately, it's a limited-edition drop – and it doesn't come cheap – but we'd wager it's worth the cash. The demo makes it sound sensational.
For more: Walrus Audio
Silktone Expander
Are we in a new era of harmonic overdrive? According to Silktone, we most certainly are, and that's all thanks to its new Expander – a boost/drive box that runs the gamut from "always-on" grit to punchy gain.
It adopts a new approach to harmonic overdrive voicing thanks to its combination of a JFET-based harmonic generator, a germanium PNP stage for “chewy drive” tones, and a final JFET stage for the “tube amp” touch sensitive feel.
It sounds killer, and as someone who swears by on "always-on" drive – the JHS Pedals Morning Glory is my current go-to pedal for that – this has particularly caught my eye with its ability to expand your tone. Geddit?
For more: Silktone
Taras Guitars VP-1 Dark Fang
Another honorable mention needs to go to Taras Guitars' VP-1 Dark Fang, because although this intriguing contraption has been doing the rounds on the internet for a few months now, it only came across Guitar World HQ's desk this week.
What is it? Well, simply put, it's a Super Guitar inspired by Indian sitars and Chinese pipas that introduces the concept of 'Outward String Bending' via its elongated fretboard, which in turn has been engineered following what's called the “Convex Arc Formula”.
There are some cool possibilities here. The low E can now be bent up, creating space between the low strings for some more obscure harmonies, while the high E can be bent down and away from the B and G strings – again, resulting in some cool soundscapes.
For more: Taras Guitars
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