Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s 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.
Gibson Dave Grohl DG-335 Alpine White
Fan of Dave Grohl’s DG-335? Of course you are. Who ain’t? After all, the DG-335 isn’t just one of Gibson’s most popular signature guitars – it’s one of the company’s most popular electric guitars full stop. In the past, it’s been given a few limited-edition reissues in finishes such as Ebony, Gold Metallica and – perhaps its most famous – Pelham Blue.
Never, though, has it been released in white – a colorway that Grohl himself has been largely favoring for his own DG-335 models on stage since 2021. Well, after quite literally years of player requests, Gibson has finally obliged with a Alpine White variant.
It’s a DG-335 so, naturally, it’s a super-limited drop. Only 50 will be made. We get that it’s an $12k Custom model, but we wouldn’t have minded a USA Standard Alpine White version. These will sell out fast. We don’t want to think what they’ll go for on the second hand market.
Whatever the case, these are really, really classy guitars. We’re just happy to see a white version out in the wild. And who’s to say a USA Standard version might not arrive at some point in the future…
For more: Gibson
PRS Fiore HH
Now, this one is a bit of me. Mark Lettieri’s PRS Fiore is one of my favorite modern-day guitars, period. The HSS configuration. The finishes. The tones. The switching. The styling. The feel. It’s all gorgeous, not to mention it’s the signature guitar of one of my all-time favorite players. Now, it’s been released with a dual-humbucker setup and a rosewood fingerboard. Take all my money right now.
HH guitars may not be often associated with Lettieri, but he’d be the first to admit such guitars play a huge part in his tone in the studio. And this isn’t just any HH guitar. You get series/parallel switches, too, meaning there are plenty of options to get lost in. Just watch the demo. Comfortably the highlight of the week for me.
For more: PRS
Gretsch Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
What happens when one of the world’s most prestigious recording studios crosses paths with one of America’s most influential legacy guitar makers? Well, you’d probably get something that looks like the Gretsch Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic – a purpose-built hollowbody that puts Abbey Road’s innovative studio tech in a guitar’s signal path for the first time.
Specifically, it features its own ‘Rumble Filter’. The original was developed in the 1950s by Abbey Road engineers to remove low-frequency noise. Now, a similar circuit has been developed and put in the RS201 – which, it should be said, is the first musical instrument to ever be given a ‘Recording Studio’ number. Very classy indeed.
For more: Gretsch
Epiphone Mike Dirnt Grabber G-3
When Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong’s old bass player left band practice to go to a dentist appointment, he probably had no idea the chain of events he’d set in motion. It reads like the ultimate butterfly effect: bassist leaves practice, Dirnt picks up his four-string, realizes it’s actually pretty fun, forms Green Day, becomes one the most influential punk bass players of his generation, gets a signature Epiphone Grabber G-3.
It’s fairytale stuff, but for Dirnt, it’s very much real. This week he was honored with an Epiphone signature bass inspired by his OG Grabber – a cult classic oddball model from the 1970s, which was actually reissued last year. And it all started when his mate went to the dentist. Crazy, eh?
For more: Epiphone
Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci JP 15 Baritone
John Petrucci’s Majesty is up there as one of the firm’s best-selling guitars. The baritone spin-off – not seen for around a decade – is also immensely popular and sought-after, but because of its scarcity, it’s rarely been seen.
That’s not to say there isn’t demand for it, though. Players have been ramping up their cries for a JP baritone reissue ever since Petrucci took one out on the road for Dream Theater’s 40th anniversary world tour. At last, it’s out in the wild.
“This unique model has been a long time coming” Petrucci said. “Been playing this beast live on stage on DT’s 40th Anniversary/Parasomnia world tour and it absolutely rages with pure aggression and delivers the goods with tremendous clarity and precision, despite the super low baritone tuning.”
Unfortunately, it’s limited to just 100 examples worldwide. Hopefully a standard run version arrives in the not-too-distant future…
For more: Ernie Ball Music Man
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL Floor
Well, it’s been a long time coming, but finally the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor XL has been released. Months after the next-gen modeler was announced, weeks after it made its public debut at Guitar Summit, days after a string of hands-on demos were launched, and the $2k+ multi-effects amp modeler is officially here.
It’s been worth the wait, though. I took some time at Guitar Summit getting familiar with it, and was pretty impressed. Of course, I wouldn’t mind a closer deep diver, but the early signs were promising.
Now we just need the slightly smaller Helix Stadium to come out, too…
For more: Line 6
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