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Hello, and 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.
Vote for your favorite new release in the poll below...
Positive Grid Reactor
Positive Grid conquered the practice amp game when it rolled out the Spark family, and now it's spreading its wings into the world of giggable combo amps with the AI-powered Reactor range. It’s a bold move from Positive Grid, which is pinning the new lineup on a brand new Amp Intelligence infrastructure that offers some novel ways to create tone.
Along with its partner app, the Reactor promises usable guitar tones in an instant, taking text prompts, audio excerpts or even images and transforming them into fully fledged signal chains.
It’s ambitious, and more evidence of the ever-growing presence of AI in the guitar gear world. Time will tell if it will be as successful as the Spark.
JHS Pedals Fumble
JHS Pedals just can’t seem to miss. Every time one of its pedals comes out, I start sweating and nervously glancing at my pedalboard, frantically trying to work out how I’m going to make room among my other JHS Pedals for another addition.
I didn’t get my hands on the V1 Notadumble, but lucky for me – and everyone else, because the V1 is never going to be made again – the clean boost side of that pedal has been released as its own standalone unit as the Fumble.
Long story short, firm founder Josh Scott accidentally cloned John Mayer’s ultra-rare Dumble boost pedal and put it into the Notadumble, when he actually meant to put in a clone of the Box It Later.
A clone of a clone of a clone? Sounds ridiculous. Take my money now. At $89, it looks and sounds absolutely killer, and is the perfect price tag to justify yet another pedal purchase.
Epiphone Hummingbird Tribute
No, this isn’t a typo. You can actually get a Hummingbird for $229. This is a very nice-looking acoustic for not a lot of money. Part of the Tribute series, this Hummingbird is an ode to the legendary acoustic beloved by everyone from Jimmy Page to Keith Richards, with some delicious finishes and specs to boot. A must-have for Hummingbird fans on a serious budget.
Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2
Now, this one hasn’t been released yet, and we don’t know too much about it, but Eventide has lifted the curtain on the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2. Available to preorder now ahead of its June 24 release date, the Gen 2 H9 crams the original’s beloved sounds and effects into a new form factor.
It’s compact, powerful, and expands on the platform with the full H90 algorithm lineup to boot. This could be an absolute powerhouse in the mini multi-effects unit market. Watch this space.
Fender Tone Master Pro update
Fender has rolled out yet another Tone Master Pro update, giving players yet more incentive to try its flagship modeler while also keeping that pace with the likes of Neural DSP and Line 6.
This time, there are eight new amps and cabs, and a whopping 15 new effects, based on Fender originals and widespread favorites alike. I’m loyal to the Quad Cortex mini for now, but I must say – I do like the look of this.
TONE3000 A2 NAM
Speaking of modelers, TONE3000 has partnered with Steve Atkinson, founder of Neural Am Modeling (NAM) to launch its next-gen A2 tech. In a bunch of blind listening tests, it beat all the heavy hitters – Neural DSP, IK Multimedia, Line 6 among them – and promises players the most authentic digital recreation of tube amp tones ever devised.
The best part? It’s free to use. Yep, TONE3000’s open-source approach means anyone can give the A2 NAM models a go. And, with Blackstar rolling out the NAM-compatible Beam Mini a few months ago, it looks like TONE3000 is quietly changing the game.
Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Seymour Duncan 50th Anniversary Telecaster
To celebrate 50 years of Seymour Duncan, the pickup specialist has partnered with the Fender Custom Shop for an uber-cool Telecaster that serves as a precise reproduction of Seymour’s own workhorse guitar.
Notably, it’s got a Tune-O-Matic / Stopbar tailpiece combo, as per Duncan’s own requests, and comes fitted with custom wound humbuckers – again, developed to Seymour’s specifications.
I’m not usually sold on HH Teles, but this one – along with that classy relic’ing and workhorse vibe – is really very nice indeed…
Meris Ottobit X
If bit crushers, stutters effects and oddball sequencing is your thing, you probably want to take note of the Ottobit X – a new tonal powerhouse from the masterminds at Meris, which promises to meet all your lo-fi effects needs.
Think glitch, filter, ambience, modulation. It’s also got a few preamps in for good measure, as well as a bunch of reverbs and delays. It’s an ode to the nostalgic lo-fi tones of yesteryear, with modern engineering propping it up. Another home run for Meris.
Harley Benton CLP-12SM BRS LH
Lefties, rejoice. Harley Benton has issued a left-handed version of its CLP parlor guitar. With a solid Sitka spruce top and a mahogany/sapele body, this looks like a serious six-string for southpaws. Better yet, it’s got the HB-03 piezo pickup system… and costs just $292.
