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.
Below you'll find my personal highlights from the week, along with plenty of honorable mentions for the new gear you might have missed. Agree with my picks? Have a highlight of your own? Let us know in the comments.
Harley Benton Aged Series
Way back when I first started playing guitar, the first ‘proper’ six-string I was eyeing up was a Fender Road Worn ‘60s Stratocaster. The sunburst finish. The relic’d paintjob. The aged hardware. It was, in my eyes, the quintessential Strat.
Well, that ship sailed, I got a Les Paul Studio instead, and life went on. But I’ve always been pining for that road worn-style Strat. However, with a perfectly fine S-type already to my name, it always felt a bit frivolous to fork out on one.
Thanks to Harley Benton’s new Aged Series, I can finely get my hands on one for as little as $238. Seriously – these guitars look uber-cool. Hand-relic’d guitars with aged hardware, available in a bunch of colors and silhouettes, for under $250? What’s not to like about this? We always say it with Harley Benton, but this really is a home run.
John Page Noah Levine Signature DL Baritone
To be honest, I’ve never been too fussed about baritone guitars. Sure, they sound cool, look great, and do things a bit differently, but I’ve never felt an overwhelming urge to buy one. Well, I think I might be getting the urge, thanks to John Page’s new Noah Levine Signature DL Baritone.
Built for Noah Kahan’s lead guitarist, Levine’s new baritone is a beautifully styled, relic’d long-scale with a choice of Fishman Fluence or Lollar P-90 pickups, four gorgeous colorways, and a Bigsby tailpiece. That Olive Drab version is particularly easy on the eye.
The guitar doesn’t land until the 27th, but pre-orders are open now. It continues John Page’s recent hot form, and cements the brand’s position as one of the most adventurous and exciting modern electric guitar designers currently out there.
Kramer Malina Moye Pacer Deluxe
It’s about time Malina Moye got a signature guitar. Across four genre-blurring albums that draw influences from Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Elizabeth Cotton, Eric Gales and plenty more blues greats, Moye has established herself as a sorely underrated modern day guitar hero.
A former Fender artist known for her flipped-southpaw style, Moye has now defected to the ranks of Gibson-owned Kramer, which has made her its first woman of color signature artist.
Her first signature guitar is a doozy. Available in right and left-handed configurations, it builds on the S-style Pacer Deluxe platform, decking it out with DiMarzio pickups, gold hardware and a very tasty Splash Blue finish. Extra points for the color-matched headstock.
ALSO RELEASED THIS WEEK
Orange Baby Terror
The latest entry to Orange’s popular Baby series, with 20W of power and some unique features to boot. Petition to get a ‘Tubby switch’ fitted to every amp…
MXR Textures Granular Synth Engine
Yet another innovation from MXR that crams expansive granular synth guitar tones into a tiny form factor, Textures continues the ambient stompbox trend that’s been gaining momentum over the past few months in tremendous fashion.
Origin Effects EQDeluxe
A tribute to the Pultec EQP-1a, which, for the unacquainted, was a passive EQ famed for its low-end weight and clarity. The EQDeluxe promises studio-grade EQ and drive effects aplenty.
Third Man Hardware x Beetronics Old Zoo Lion Meat
The latest cross-company collaboration from Jack White’s Third Man gear company, the Old Zoo Lion Meat is an old school-style fuzz pedal that looks like a tin of tuna. No real lion meat included.
Shergold Telstar 12-star
A 12-string version of Shergold’s flagship Telstar single-cut, which not only promises to provide a platform for classic Roger McGuinn-style tones but a foundation for further experimentation.
Bad Cat Mod Shop Cub 15
Bad Cat has revisited and revived its definitive Club amp for a Mod Shop version, which pays homage to the original 1999 Mark Sampson Cub.
