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.
Article continues belowEHX Big Muff Pi 2 with Tone Wicker
One of the coolest pedal stories of the past year or so was when JHS Pedals and EHX teamed up to produce the Big Muff 2 – a new spin on the iconic fuzz based on a long-lost schematic that was recently unearthed.
Now, the Big Muff has been given another twist, with the Big Muff 2 with Tone Wicker adding an extra layer of sound sculpting to mix via Tone and Wicker switches that remove high-end filters and crank up the fuzz. Yes, it does sound pretty gnarly.
Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Bass
Oho, another Joe Dart signature bass? Thank you, Sterling by Music Man. These are some of the sleekest bass guitars out there. This time out, you get the return of the Joe Dart I, as well as the all-new Joe Dart Vision.
The latter is as bare-bones as you can get: no control knobs, one pickup, passive electronics, zero onboard controls. It might be a bit too minimalist for some, but it sure does look clean as heck.
Chase Bliss Big Time
Pedals with sliders? Yes please! Chase Bliss is back with yet another expansive stompbox, and the Big Time looks like the bees knees. Chase Bliss is no stranger to slider pedals, of course. Its now-discontinued Preamp MKII introduced the Automatone Auto-Slider Format.
Now, that tech is back for a new delay pedal that Chase Bliss has called the “most ambitious and foolish thing we’ve ever done”. It’s based on rackmount delays from the early 1980s, mixing analog and digital circuitry that took quite literally years to build.
No-one is making pedals like Chase Bliss right now. This expertise comes at a cost, of course, and they’re all outside my budget, but for those who can afford them, they look to be worthy investments.
MXR EVH Modern High Gain
At NAMM, my esteemed colleague and gear aficionado Paul Riario got the chance to demo the MXR EVH High Gain – the last pedal that Eddie Van Halen had worked on and signed off before his death.
It’s reportedly been in the works since 2015, and the premise is simple: it’s based on the high-gain lead channel from Van Halen’s own 5150 III tube head, with an additional bass frequency switch and an onboard noise gate. Dare I say it’s essential for Van Halen diehards.
Gibson Century Collection 12-fret acoustics
Gibson’s ‘100 Years of Flattops’ celebration is continuing full steam ahead, this time with a range of new 12-fret-joint acoustics. There’s a lot riding on these J-45, L-00 and J-185 models. They need to carry the next 100 years of acoustics for Gibson. They look up to the task, though, with some exceptional vintage-inspired finishes and premium appointments.
Expect SlimTaper necks, satin nitro finishes, increased responsiveness from the shortened neck/body joint, and improved overall playability.
Neural DSP Darkglass Ultimate
Speaking of birthdays, Neural DSP is holding a birthday sale with up to 50% off all its plugins up until May 6. Why bring this up, you ask? Well, because Neural DSP has also just dropped Darkglass Ultimate – a revamped plugin that has been deemed “a complete creative platform for bass”.
There’s a bunch of cabs, EQs, amps, pre- and post-effects, and loads of utilities like tuner, transposer, metronome and ready-made presets. And, yes, it is included in that Neural DSP plugin sale.
Fender Brian Fallon '59 Telecaster Custom
The Fender Custom Shop recently partnered with Brian Fallon for a super-tasty remake of his #1 Telecaster – one he used with The Gaslight Anthem on The ‘59 Sound record, which drew inspiration from Joe Strummer and Bruce Springsteen.
It’s an absolutely killer Tele, with an HS configuration, Righteous Sound “Fourth Man” pickups and double body binding. Phwoar.
Crazy Tube Circuits Triptychon
The Triptychon might look like one pedal, but it’s actually three. That’s right, it’s not a twofer, it’s a threefer, with voices for fuzz, drive, and ‘harmonic shaping’. There’s some cleverly arranged controls going on, with a bunch of parameters for dialing in each voice.
Like most Crazy Tube Circuits pedals, there’s a lot of different sounds packed into one stompbox here. It could be the only Swiss Army gain pedal your ‘board needs.
UAD Enigmatic ‘82 Overdrive Special Plugin
The Universal Audio Enigmatic ‘82 Overdrive Special pedal is one of the best Dumble-inspired amp pedals out there. Guitar World gave it a near-perfect review. Now, UA has brought it to the DAW space, dropping the pedal’s plugin counterpart.
The ideal recording companion for those looking for baked-in digital Dumble tones to track their demos, the $99 native plugin comes complete with nine curated cab and mic setups, more than 40 presets from artists like Joey Landreth and Megan Lovell, and a range of Dumble tones from across four decades, clean to crunch.
Harmony Stella
This week, Harmony revived the Stella line of parlor acoustics, officially bringing back the lineup that was once favored by the likes of Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain and more.
The new Stellas look to carry that legacy forward, available in a range of classic and contemporary colorways, and offering top tier tonewoods such as solid spruce and mahogany. There’s also modern X-bracing, bone nuts, and slotted headstocks. And, at $349, they look absolutely sensational.
Harley Benton Fusion-IV
Harley Benton’s Superstrat lineup just got that bit bigger this week, with the Thomann-owned brand rolling out the Fusion-IV range. We say 'a bit bigger’, we actually mean ‘a lot bigger’. There are 41 – yes, 41 – new models to choose from. That is a helluva lot of guitars.
They’ve been grouped into five core models, which span a range of hardware options, pickup configurations, finish appointments, reverse headstocks and more.
Supercool Spritz Saturator
The weather in the UK is getting slightly warmer, so the Supercool Spritz Saturator feels like a timely inclusion to the roundup. It’s been dubbed a “cocktail of classic compression and juicy amp-like overdrive”.
It’s inspired by ROSS and MXR Dyna Comp circuits, with a focused low-end response and adjustable ‘tube simulation’ for natural saturation and overdrive. Looks delicious. Sounds delicious. What more could you want from a frills-free compressor?
Solar Guitars AP1.6H
Okay, Solar Guitars. This is pretty cool. The AP1.6H looks like a futuristic concept metal guitar. I mean, those cutaways? That pickguard? The Neon Pink finish?! Very cool indeed. If you play this on stage, it’ll probably get quite a few eyeballs.
Fender Kith Stratocaster
Fender has a track record of partnering with luxury and fashion brands for one-off launches. In the past, we’ve had everything from a Supreme Strat to a Hypebeast Strat. Now, we have to Kith Strat – a stylish S-type designed in collaboration with the luxury streetwear brand. I’m not sold by the pickguard, but that checkered finish is kinda sweet…
