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.
Ernie Ball 9V Rechargeable USB-C Batteries
Every guitarist has at least one horror story involving a 9V battery, be that a pedal dying right before a gig or an active guitar packing it in at the worst possible moment. Whether we like to admit it or not, 9V batteries are a backbone of guitar playing, and with the amount we musicians go through, it’s not very eco-friendly. In fact, it’s very eco-unfriendly.
So Ernie Ball has done both players and the planet a solid by launching some new rechargeable batteries that look to reduce battery waste and lower guitarist stress. A commendable effort, and one that will appeal to each and every player out there.
For more: Ernie Ball
IK Multimedia TONEX Plug
Look out, Fender and Boss. You have some competition. IK Multimedia has entered the headphone amp arms race with the TONEX Plug – a pocket-sized addition to the TONEX ecosystem, which puts more than 40,000 digital rigs in the palm of your hand.
At $149, it’s competitively priced, and the spec sheet is incredibly enticing. Bluetooth for streaming backing tracks, USB-C for recording, companion apps for fine-tuning just about everything you’d want. Sure, it doesn’t have a screen where the Mustang Micro Plus and Katana:GO do, but it has the IK Multimedia AI Machine Modeling software at its core, so that’s a huge win.
For more: IK Multimedia
Taylor Guitars 4 Vets
Taylor has partnered with Guitar 4 Vets to release two special-edition acoustics that will go towards supporting G4V’s mission of helping veterans heal through the power of music. Proceeds from each of the appropriately styled 814ce and GS Mini models – which feature star inlays and a camo colorway, respectively – will go to G4V.
“Support like this great partnership with Taylor helps fund our program and raises awareness about the positive impact we can have on veterans' lives,” says Nigel Fischer, Director of Advancement for Guitars for Vets. “Customers who buy these guitars aren't just getting beautiful instruments; they're helping put guitars in the hands of veterans in need, where music can truly make a difference.”
For more: Taylor Guitars
Yamaha TAS3 C
Last year, Yamaha ushered in a new era for its TransAcoustic family with the next-gen TAG3 C – a dreadnought-sized intelligent guitar with a traditional acoustic vibe that came equipped with reverb, delay, chorus and looper functions.
Now, the lineup has been expanded with the concert-sized TAS3 C. It offers all the same bells and whistles of the original (which we saw Yvette Young demo at NAMM at the start of this year) though in a different ergonomic format. I for one am all about concert acoustics, so this one is definitely a bit of me.
For more: Yamaha
Epiphone SG / Les Paul Tribute Plus
With its Back to the Future ES-345 and Gem Archer and Bonehead signature guitars, Epiphone has been on a serious hot streak these past few weeks. Those drops have all focused on the upper end of the Epi price scale, so to even out the scales the company has dropped two affordable Les Paul and SG models.
Released under the Tribute Plus umbrella, these new models level up the entry level Tribute range and offer dressed-up takes on the single– and double-cut design, with flamed maple veneers, tasty binding and trapezoid inlays among the specs.
There are some really nice colors on tap – Cherry Burst and Ebony Burst among them – and at $349 they mark some of the most affordable Epis currently on the market.
For more: Epiphone
PRS 40th Anniversary Special Semi-Hollow
At this point in the PRS 40th Anniversary celebration, we would just like to quickly commend the company on its commitment to putting out special-edition six-strings so darn regularly. It genuinely has been something of a marvel with just how many new releases that PRS has managed to get into its launch calendar, so fair play, Mr. Smith.
The latest additions to the lot are unsurprisingly elegant in classic PRS fashion, and are said to be “the culmination of this year’s anniversary lineup”. HSH configurations, up to 12 pickup combinations, and an artist-grade figured maple top are just some of the stand-out specs on tap.
Only 280 will be made, and each will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Paul Reed Smith. Only one more month to go until the 40th anniversary comes to an end. We’ll be sad to see these regular drops stop.
For more: PRS
Wylde Audio Wrathmaker
Every time Zakk Wylde’s guitar brand comes out with a brand-new body shape, I end up writing something along the lines of, ‘Wylde Audio’s most metal guitar yet.’ And every time it’s true. The issue is Wylde keeps outdoing himself. The Wrathmaker genuinely is the company’s most metal guitar yet.
It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. The reverse pointed headstock, the elongated cutaways that look like dragon horns. It’s as if the Stratocaster went to the Upside Down and came back a monster. It should probably come with a health and safety warning.
For more: Wylde Audio
Jackson Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET7
When I caught up with Misha Mansoor at Guitar Summit to discuss all the new Juggernaut guitars he’d released during the first half of the year, his dedicated wall of signatures also had room for a mystery seven-string that we were under strict instructions not to publicize. Naturally, that became the guitar that everyone started asking about.
Now, the Evertune seven-string version of the Juggernaut has landed in all its glory, and it looks like it’s been worth the wait. Mansoor was keen to talk up the build quality of these beasts and made clear that he plays stock signatures himself on stage. The best Juggernaut to date? Possibly. Now we need the Surfcaster…
For more: Jackson
Duff McKagan Seymour Duncan signature PJ pickups
It’s been a busy few months for Seymour Duncan, which has expanded its artist pickup lineup considerably in 2025. The latest addition to that list is the Duff McKagan Precision Jazz Bass set, which channels the tone of the Fender PJ bass that powered songs such as Sweet Child O’ Mine, Welcome to The Jungle, and more.
For more: Seymour Duncan
La Bella x Ella Feingold Inverted Strings
Grammy-winning guitarist Ella Feingold has released a new set of signature strings with La Bella that brings her favored ‘inverted tuning’ approach to the masses.
First developed by Chris Wiesman in 2008, inverted tuning utilises the same tuning set up as standard tuning, though flips the pitch and gauge of the strings along the D and G string axis. The result is otherworldly voicings and a whole new way of looking at standard tuning. It also, in Feingold's view, frees up extra real estate for your hand.
For more: La Bella
Death by Audio Infinity Verb
Nothing beats a good reverb, eh? The Death by Audio Infinity Verb certainly looks like a Very Good reverb, too, capable of spanning the spectrum from subtle ambience to “cavernous atmospheres”.
There’s an Infinity footswitch, which prolongs verbs indefinitely, and plenty of filter, latching and stereo controls to really fine-tune the effect. It’s available exclusively at Reverb, fittingly enough.
For more: Death by Audio
Guild x Lollar HB-1
Kim Thayil’s signature Guild took a while to get here, but when it did, the ultra-exclusive USA Custom Shop S-100 Polara came with a pair of very special pickups. They were meticulously crafted in collaboration with Lollar, and only 30 sets were made – all of them factory-installed in the limited-run six-string.
Now, due to popular player demand, Lollar has made those exact pickups available to the masses. They were crafted by reverse engineering Guild’s original HB-1, which led to Lollar’s own interpretation of the humbucker.
They’re not a limited run, per se, but the materials that go into making them certainly don’t grow on trees, so the Guild x Lollar HB-1s won’t be around forever.
For more: Lollar
Trace Elliot Acoustic Clarity
The Trace Elliot Acoustic Clarity does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s designed to make acoustic-electric instruments sound more clear, and enhance their acoustic-ness. There are EQ-tailoring controls for Low and High and a footswitch. Not much more needs to be said, really.
For more: Trace Elliot
Furch Spectra Plus
Furch hasn’t just launched an all-new line of all-solid acoustics, it’s also introduced eight top colors that add “a bold new palette” to the company’s lineup.
The Spectra Plus acoustics, in their own right, look like solid players, but when crafting these single-cuts Furch wasn’t just focused on tone and playability. It also had one eye on their visuals. Why? Well, as Furch’s CEO Petr Furch says, musicians need to deliver the perfect show on stage – and that concerns “sonically and visually”.
To meet that criteria, these new Furch builds are available in Ricasoli Yellow, Siena Amber, Capri Blue, Bled Emerald, Provence Violet and more.
For more: Furch
Fender Mustang LTX
In Fender’s own words, the Mustang family is “the world’s most popular guitar amplifier line”. A bold claim, given the competition in the affordable digital combo market (ahem Boss Katana). Now it’s been expanded with two new amps – the LTX50 and LTX100 – which are 50 and 100 watt versions of the updated combos.
They bring the aesthetic appeal of classic black panel Fenders – save the small screen that depicts chosen presets – but offer some more modern appointments, most notably 50 digital amp models and effects, an onboard tuner and built-in Bluetooth.
For more: Fender
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
