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.
The most extravagant acoustic of 2025? The solution to your silent rig woes? Two Randy Rhoads tributes?! All that, and more, can be found below.
Sterling by Music Man Kaizen
It’s taken three years, but a more affordable spin-off of one of the 21st century’s most advanced guitar designs has finally landed. Back in 2022, Ernie Ball Music Man and Tosin Abasi launched their collaborative electric guitar design – the uber-futuristic Kaizen. Now a more affordable Sterling by Music Man spin-off, which slashes $3k off the OG's price tag, has finally arrived.
Though a few cost-cutting measures strip away some of the Kaizen's more extravagant specs – Infinity radius, multi-scale design and Heat Treated pickups among them – it certainly looks the part, and at $849, far more affordable than its four-figure older sibling. Oh, and it's available in a seven-string format, too.
For more: Sterling by Music Man
Jackson Phil Demmel King V Polka Dot
A Randy Rhoads-honoring signature guitar from Machine Head's Phil Demmel landed this week, combining the King V body shape with the polka dot design eternalized by the late Quiet Riot guitar hero's iconic Sandoval V.
Not only does it pay tribute to Rhoads, it serves as a full-circle reminder to Demmel of his first Jackson guitar – a Randy Rhoads signature, which he acquired (then lost) under some rather shady circumstances...
For more: Jackson
Charvel Pro-Mod Signature Rick Graham DK24 2PT CM
Sometimes, our gear choices are a reflection of our current circumstances. This writer, for example, is longer the tube amp-toting traditionalist he once was five years ago. Rick Graham is much the same, and has celebrated his reconnection with the guitar through his latest signature.
Not much needs to be said, really: it's a killer-looking guitar, with a reverse headstock and glorious relic'd pink finish.
For more: Charvel
Ibanez Power Series
It's giving serious banana vibes (especially that yellow one in the middle) but the Ibanez Power Series is officially back with the 540PIII – a reissue of a long-forgotten Ibanez Superstrat that briefly hung around in the late 1980s.
Flaunting what Ibanez is calling a reverse body style, an HS pickup configuration and a locking tremolo, the 540PIII will certainly find favor among retro-minded shredders. That is quite an outrageous design, though. We don't really know where to look...
For more: Ibanez
Solar H2.6C and H2.7C
The headless guitar hype train is showing no signs of slowing down, and now Solar Guitars – the gear firm headed up by Ola Englund – has hopped onboard with new six- and seven-string headless designs of its own.
Notably, it's the firm's first foray into the world of headless electrics, and we expect more to follow suit. They're competitively priced, too, with the H2.6C weighing in at $599...
For more: Solar
Ibanez Vision Series
If you thought some of Ibanez's high-end builds were works of playable art before, wait until you get a load of its Visions series – an all-new collection that has been established with one sole purpose: "to put the highest quality instruments possible into the hands of more players."
Essentially, the Vision series utilizes intricate woodworking processes, top-range specs and more in a bid to deliver best-of-the-best guitars far removed from the mass production mindset.
That means a move back to the "instinct and expertise of individual artisans", who will be responsible for growing the Visions line. It's been debuted with two RG models and an SR bass. And, yes, they look very, very fancy.
For more: Ibanez
Ibanez FRH20Q
Believe it or not, but Ibanez was initially reluctant to launch a nylon-string signature guitar for Tim Henson, who wanted to spiritually revive a retro model he once came across many years ago. Henson – thanks to fan support – eventually had his way, and Ibanez should be grateful: it has since become one of the firm's most popular models and, according to Reverb, one of the best-selling acoustics of the past few years.
Owing to the success of the TOD10N, it's no wonder that Ibanez has now made it a priority to pile further resources into its nylon-string lineup, now giving the standard-run FRH model a suave cosmetic upgrade.
It doesn't have a Tree of Death inlay, but it does have new exotic tonewood tops and a choice of either Cosmic Blue Starburst Low Gloss or Wine Red Low Gloss colorways.
For more: Ibanez
MXR Randy Rhoads Distortion+
When it rains, it pours. Phil Demmel's Jackson wasn't the only piece of gear this week that paid tribute to Randy Rhoads. Rather, MXR has also honored the former Ozzy guitarist's legacy by launching its second special edition RR Distortion+.
Kathy Rhoads teased its arrival to Guitar World last month, but now it's officially here in all its Concorde-inspired glory. Like the first version – which had a polka dot design – this was based on Rhoads' own Distortion+, which the MXR team was granted access to by Kathy.
For more: MXR
Blackstar Beam Solo
Big news in the headphone amps for guitars market this week, as Blackstar bravely stepped up against Fender and Boss with the Sci-Fi-y Beam Solo. In The Room tech hopes to offer a silent playing experience tantamount to standing next to an actual tube amp, while a foundational SpeedDial looks to make tone-tweaking as effortless and intuitive as possible.
It's being called “the most immersive, intuitive headphone amp on the market today”, and while that remains to be seen, we kinda want one just for the Beam Light edge display alone. That looks very nifty indeed. Fender and Boss will no doubt be taking note.
For more: Blackstar
Gibson SJ-200 Monarch
Every once in a while an acoustic guitar that is far too extravagant for its own good comes along – remember that Bitcoin Martin? – and this time it's Gibson's turn, with the company unveiling its 100th Monarch acoustic.
The one-of-one Custom SJ-200 Monach #100 is, quite simply, the most decadent acoustic guitar you will see this year, bar none (well, unless Martin pulls something out the bag, which wouldn't be a surprise).
It's littered in gold, diamond, mother of pearl, Brazilian rosewood, you name it. It's all there. "A new benchmark in craftsmanship and artistry"? Possibly, but it will cost you $99,999 to play.
For more: Gibson
Strandberg Boden Essential: new finishes
The Boden Essential line has proven to be one of Strandberg's biggest launches of its entire operation, working to bring its cutting-edge approach to guitar design to an all-new price point and making its revolutionary builds more accessible to the masses.
Now, the range has been given an absolutely sensational glow-up thanks to two new finishes: Transformative Teal and Coral Pink. That first one is probably pretty enough to transform even ardent traditionalists into keen headless guitar fans. Coral Pink is a beauty, too. We'd have to flip a coin. We can't decide.
For more: Strandberg
Strymon PCH Stereo Active DI
A solution to your ampless rig woes? Quite possibly. Strymon's PCH Active Stereo DI could be a game-changer for those who are foregoing physical amps on stage, but who are equally struggling with the practical implications that come with the switch.
Said switch gives rise to a few key problems that Strymon has sought to address, the key one being, "How do you listen to the sound of your pedalboard if you're not standing on stage?" It's an especially tricky sticking point for those with certain signal chains that have reverbs and time-based effects post-modelers. Using headphones becomes difficult and, in most cases, impractical.
Well, the PCH is effectively a DI box that sits at the end of your 'board, but it has a hidden headphone output to tackle all of those monitoring problems. It's not something you see on most DI boxes, but it's a no-brainer really. Strymon has really done us all a favor, here. This writer is certainly intrigued...
For more: Strymon
RockBoard Power Mod
It's clearly the week of pedalboard companion units, with RockBoard also unveiling the Power Mod – another DI box designed to sit at the end of your rig, also with a headphone output. Here, though, RockBoard has also added in some power amp modules that drive passive cabinets directly from your 'board.
So, those with conventional rigs and pedal amps – as opposed to high-tech modelers – can drive onstage speakers with the help of the Power Mod's real power amp output. A best of both worlds compromise.
For more: RockBoard
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