Guitar World deals of the week: your last chance to grab a Prime Day saving – a face-melting EHX octave fuzz for less than $40, $94 off a bonkers Squier and loads more

Stratocaster leaning against a Boss Katana amp
(Image credit: Future)

It's the last day of the Prime Day guitar deals, and with four days worth of sales action under our belts, it's safe to say it's been the biggest one yet. Outside of the Black Friday guitar deals, it's been a brilliant time to pick up a deal on guitar gear, and I've seen discounts on everything from electric guitars and pedals to strings and patch cables.

But the sale will be ending at midnight tonight when the majority of prices will go back up. This might make the next few hours your last chance to pick up a major guitar gear bargain or to re-stock the essentials until we get towards Christmas. As always, I've been following Prime Day in its entirety, and here are the best sales to shop whilst there's still time.

If you're looking for accessories and dull but useful bits equipment, then Amazon's Prime Day sale itself is the best shout for you. Whether you want some new guitar picks or you want to stock up on guitar strings, it's absolutely the place to be for those guitar essentials. Amazon also has some killer savings on Positive Grid Spark 2, Mini and Go models.

The Fender Summer Sale is still going strong, and probably one of the best places to pick up a deal on a new guitar with savings of up to 20%. There's a good mix of instruments too, with American-made guitars and Squiers all seeing some nice discounts, making it great no matter what your budget. And I love this patch cable kit deal, which works out at just $3 per cable. For pure value, this is a no-brainer.

To rival the Prime Day event, Guitar Center has launched an up to 25% off electric guitar and bass sale that will last until August 6th, well beyond the close of Amazon's discounting bonanza.

So, there's still plenty to play for, but the hours are ticking down, so you'll need to act fast today to take advantage of the savings. To help you get straight to the good stuff, I've rounded up my top Prime Day picks below. Until next time, happy deals hunting!

Editor's picks

Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen
Save 60%
Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen: was $99 now $39.60 at Guitar Center

If you’re looking for a super cheap pedal deal, then this Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen for less than half price is one of the best I've found. Combining a vintage fuzz tone with a high-octave sound, you can craft everything from Jack White-type lead guitar tones to nasty, ring-modulated sounds that will melt the face of anyone in the nearby vicinity.

Squier Debut Stratocaster
Save 19%
Squier Debut Stratocaster: was $146.99 now $118.99 at Amazon

Squier’s Debut Series was created at an ultra-low price point in order to take on Amazon’s cheap guitar sellers at their own game. At $118.99, it is the most affordable Strat and Tele in the Fender line-up, and a contender for the best budget beginner electric guitars available right now.

Fender Blockchain Patch Cable Kit
Save 70%
Fender Blockchain Patch Cable Kit: was $149.99 now $45 at Fender

If you want to outfit your pedalboard for less, then this is a great deal that beats anything I’ve seen at Amazon. With a gigantic discount of $104.99 on the large cable kit, you’re getting 15 patch cables of great quality and varying lengths for just $3 each. It’s the perfect way to neaten up that pedalboard ahead of any summer and autumn shows, or just make life easier for you practicing at home.

Fender Player Plus Telecaster
Save 20%
Fender Player Plus Telecaster: was $1,199.99 now $959.99 at Fender

If you’re in the market for a new Fender or Squier guitar this summer, then this is the guitar I think you should go for. With a massive $240 discount, it’s superb value for money, largely thanks to the addition of a series circuit that unlocks humbucker-esque tone. With rounded fingerboard edges and a set of locking tuners, you’ve got yourself a proper gigging workhorse for less than a grand.

Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys (4-pack)
Save 26%
Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys (4-pack): was $26.99 now $19.99 at Amazon

Ernie Ball's Regular Slinkys are arguably the most popular guitar strings ever made. Known for their bright tone and excellent playability, these strings have been favored by a wide range of iconic guitarists, from the grunge sounds of Billy Corgan to the classic rock riffs of Keith Richards. This Prime Day deal delivers a four-pack for the low low price of only $19.99 - that works out at around $4.99 per pack, or 83 cents per string!

Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion JFET Overdrive
Save 60%
Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion JFET Overdrive: was $203.20 now $81.25 at Sweetwater Sound

I've seen some cracking deals on EHX pedals over the course of Prime Day, and this one is no different. With a massive $121.95 off, you're paying relatively little for a top-quality overdrive pedal. It acts as a 2-channel pedal which gives you the possibility of both classic and modern overdrive tones, and a cab-sim output makes it more flexible than your average overdrive pedal.

Line 6 HX Stomp
Save 14%
Line 6 HX Stomp: was $699.99 now $599.99 at Musician's Friend

I've waxed lyrical about the HX Stomp so much that I think people might actually be getting annoyed with me. It hasn't left my pedalboard since I put it on a few years ago, and even with the announce of the new Stadium line I can't see it leaving any time soon. It can play the role of multi-effects, amp simulator, and even audio interface, making it an uber-flexible bit of gear to have in your arsenal.

Squier Limited Edition Paranormal Strat-O-Sonic
Save 20%
Squier Limited Edition Paranormal Strat-O-Sonic: was $473.99 now $379.19 at Fender

It may look like a Strat, but this Squier Limited Edition Paranormal Strat-O-Sonic only really shares its looks with that most iconic of guitars. Instead of the single coil trio it has two alnico soapbar pickups for plenty of gritty tone. The wraparound bridge is another unusual bit of hardware to see on a Squier guitar, and series/parallel and phase switching give you loads of tone options.

Positive Grid Spark 2
Positive Grid Spark 2: was $299 now $279 at Amazon

Without a doubt the best practice amp I've ever laid hands on, Positive Grid's Spark 2 might not be as much of a game-changer as the original was, but PG have made improvements in all the right places. The outward facing speakers deliver more power and some sensational guitar tones, while the addition of a looper, AI tone generation, and your own AI backing band makes this probably the most complete practice solution out there right now.

IK Multimedia Amplitube 5 Max
Save 67%
IK Multimedia Amplitube 5 Max: was $299.99 now $99 at IK Multimedia

Still one of the best guitar plugins in the game, IK Multimedia's Amplitube 5 Max is jam-packed full of ultra-realistic amp models, and with over 430 amp and effects models in this version, it's one of the most complete offerings available. It's got a gigantic $200 reduction at the official IK store at the moment, which makes it incredibly value for money.

Guitar sales to shop

How we choose our deals of the week

Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products we recommend.

First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want to match other players with the right products for them, at the best prices.

For us to recommend a deal it has to be a product we rate that’s a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers where you will have a positive shopping experience.

Why you can trust our choices

We spend a lot of our time scouring guitar retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite gear. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides, but we’re also dedicated to helping players get the best deals for the gear they need, too. After all, the only thing better than new gear day is a hearty discount.

We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, Black Friday, 4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.

Where are the best places to shop?

Online shopping is definitely a lot easier and more secure than it used to be, and we like to recommend a small handful of online retailers who have a sterling reputation and offer fantastic benefits like fuss-free returns, great customer service and, in some cases, full checks and setup of guitars before they are dispatched. So, all the deals we’ll recommend on this page are from retailers that tick these boxes.

What sort of deals should I look for?

Great deals come in all shapes and sizes. There are a few key types to look out for:

  • Single item - A single product with a great discount
  • Site-wide discounts - A single discount percentage on a large range of products across a site
  • Discount codes - Load your basket to a certain value and redeem a discount code for money off your basket contents
  • Added value deals - These include multi-buy discounts, or additional products or software for free when you buy certain items
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Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and writing and recording in bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the country in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at.

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