Guitar World deals of the week: get $500 off a Guild hollowbody, save big on Positive Grid smart amps, plus a half-price EHX fuzz pedal

Welcome back to another edition of deals of the week, your one-stop shop for the biggest savings on the best guitar gear. It's August, which means we're entering the back-to-school phase of the deals calendar, and I've already started to see the green shoots of fresh sales emerging.

First to land the back-to-school deals is Positive Grid, which has got big savings on their full range of smart amps. I had a quick look earlier and spotted savings on my perennial favorite PG amps with the Spark 2 and Spark Mini both seeing decent money off.

Fender also has some back-to-school savings available, although it's not quite an outright sale, and I did have to go digging. It includes the American Ultra Luxe series that has been discounted for a little while now, a range of guitar parts, and I spied a couple of Paramount acoustic guitars with some nice reductions.

Guitar Center's Endless Electrics sale is still going strong, but your time is limited now, with it set to end on August 6th. With up to 25% off guitars from Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, and more, plus some select deals on amps and effects, it's the best place for a deal for most guitarists at the moment.

Sweetwater's Live Sound sale ends on August 4th, so if you're looking for PA mixers, speakers, microphones, or any other gear to kit out your rehearsal space, it's your last chance to save up to 50%.

If you're happy shopping used, then Reverb's Best of Used sale is the place to go, with up to 20% off preloved gear. With everything from a vintage 1970s CE-1 to B-stock and open box pedals from MXR, and even some brand new gear, it's a great way to grab gear that might be discontinued at regular stores, or bag something used for even less.

That's your lot for this week, a reasonable offering, I would say. I'm expecting more back-to-school sales to launch soon, which aren't typically great for things like electric guitars and pedals, but could definitely offer up some tantalising deals on acoustic guitars and accessories. As usual, I've put some of my favorite deals of the week below for you. Until next time, happy hunting!

Editor's picks

Deal of the Week!

Save $500

Guild X-175 Manhattan Special: was $1,599 now $1,099 at Sweetwater Sound

This stunning-looking Guild guitar is my deal of the week, thanks to a massive $500 reduction over at Sweetwater. If you've never tried a hollowbody before, it's an excellent entry point into this unique style of guitar. The build quality is fantastic, and despite being hollow, it doesn't feel delicate at all. The addition of the Bigsby adds further versatility, making it perfect for a variety of styles.

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Save 10%

Positive Grid Spark Mini: was $229 now $205 at Positive Grid

I wax lyrical about the Positive Grid Spark Mini to pretty much everyone, and here I am again doing the same to you. I've owned a Mini for the last few years now, and it's my go-to practice amp, sitting proud of place on the desk in my home studio. For me, it's the perfect balance between small and portable, but delivers nice volume when you need it. The amp and effects models are fantastic, and there's plenty of choice too, so if you're in the market for a desktop amp, this is the one you should go for.

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Save 50%

Electro-Harmonix Satisfaction Fuzz: was $72.60 now $36.30 at Guitar Center

There's nothing I love better than a cheap pedal deal, especially when it's brand new. With half off this Electro-Harmonix Satisfaction Fuzz, it's a brilliant way to get a new pedal for a lot less, and at this price, you'd spend more on a meal out or a family takeaway. It's a vintage-inspired fuzz, as you can tell from the name, based on fuzz designs from the '60s, so think raw, bright, and cutting fuzz tones.

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Save $93

Gator Cases GPB-XBAK-OR Extra Large Pedal Board: was $299.99 now $206.99 at Reverb

If you're happy buying used gear, then this is an awesome deal. This Gator Extra Large Pedal Board is in mint condition, and it comes with a carry case, making it superb value for money thanks to a $93 discount. The dayglo orange probably won't please everyone, but I think it looks awesome, and it will definitely stand out on stage!

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Save $80

Fender PD-220E Dreadnought: was $829.99 now $749.99 at Fender

For those after a quality dreadnought acoustic guitar, the Fender PD-220E Dreadnought is a superb example. It's got a cool $80 reduction in the Fender back-to-school sale, and even if you're well past your school years, it's well worth taking advantage of. In our review, we praised it for its resonant body, defined tones, and, of course, those rustic good looks. Our reviewer said:

"It makes a really strong first impression. It’s lightweight for a solid, back and sides mahogany dreadnought at 3.8lbs, and the action here is relatively low for an acoustic and without any fret buzz issues."

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Guitar sales to shop

• Amazon: Save big on accessories
• Fender store: Back to school savings
• Guitar Center: Up to 25% off electrics
• Guitar Tricks: 1 month for $1
• IK Multimedia: Save on software
• Musician's Friend: Up to 20% off Fender
• Plugin Boutique: Big money off plugins
• Reverb: Up to 25% off used
• Sweetwater: Last chance live sound deals
• Thomann: The hottest deals
• TrueFire: Save 60% on all-access
• Waves: Buy two plugins, get one free

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