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.
Friedman VX-30
Boutique amp maker Friedman is known for its Marshall-inspired builds, but now it’s putting its own spin on another behemoth of the amp world with the VX-30 Series (no prizes for guessing which British amp giant inspired this one – spoiler alert: Brian May loves ‘em).
In true Friedman fashion, the VX-30 series looks to capture the EL84 goodness of the originals with a few choice refinements thrown in for good measure. The series comprises a head and a combo, as well as a matching cab.
The range is inspired by a rare 1963 copper-panel amp with a Top Boost circuit, meaning it hopes to offer premium harmonic complexity and touch sensitivity. In Friedman’s own words: “It’s not a departure. It’s the same pursuit of tone, aimed at a different kind of magic.”
All in all, it looks like a genuinely amazing take on a Vox. Everything has been thought through, from the blendable two channels all the way to the Celestion Alnico Blue speakers.
Fender Brent Mason Telecaster
Okay, okay, it’s only a colorway update, but I’m going to seize any opportunity that comes my way to sing the praises of Brent Mason’s signature Fender Telecaster. I’m not usually a fan of those Nashville Telecasters – middle single-coils on a Tele give me the ick – but I love Mason’s setup, and the mini-humbucker in the neck is a stroke of genius.
To celebrate both the Nashville session heavyweight and 75 years of the Telecaster, Fender has dropped a limited-edition Black model for Mason, which joins his current Primer Gray model. Both, it should be noted, are inspired by the heavily modified 1967 Tele that Mason found in a Nashville guitar shop in the early 1980s.
Black certainly looks more slick, but it still comes with all the bells and whistles of the source material, including that Seymour Duncan mini-hum, a Glaser Bender system and both Hot Stack and Vintage Stack single-coils to complete the configuration.
Positive Grid BIAS X x NAM
Another week, another story of Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) taking over the digital amp space with yet another big-name collaboration. Having already partnered with the likes of Blackstar, Zoom, Fractal and (soon to be) Fender, NAM is continuing its relentless sweep across the modeler market by teaming up with Positive Grid.
For now, NAM is available through BIAS X – which means all the free, open-source amp, cab and effect captures can be ported directly into the plugin. A pretty cool first step, but one we imagine merely paves the way for full NAM compatibility in the Spark practice amp.
NAM support in the Beam Mini was a huge USP for Blackstar. If its biggest rival in the Spark was to also get the ability to drag and drop NAM captures, the competition will be blown wide open once again. The golden era of practice amps is upon us.
ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK
Fender x Loog Precision Bass
A new three-string, er, four-string from Fender and Loog that looks to inspire the next generation of bass players right from the off.
For more: Fender
Peterson EVH StroboStomp
A signature Eddie Van Halen tuner pedal from the guitar great’s go-to tuner maker, with baked in ‘sweetened’ tunings to capture the feel of the first Van Halen record.
For more: Peterson
Behringer mystery pedal line
No actual pedals have been released, but I’d be remiss not to mention that Behringer has teased a 300-strong line of all-metal pedals that start from just $10. Insane levels of cheap.
Fender Japan F-hole Telecaster
What’s better than a regular F-hole? An actual F-hole in the shape of the Fender F, of course. Not the first time we’ve seen this done, but always nice to see it in the Fender Japan lineup.
Martin Guitars Gram Parsons 00-21
Martin has honored Gram Parsons with a limited-edition signature guitar inspired by his original 1963 Martin 00-21. Only 80 guitars have been made to mark Parsons’ 80th birthday.
For more: Martin
James Hetfield EMG 50th anniversary Het Set
James Hetfield is helping EMG celebrate its 50th anniversary by launching a signature ‘Het Set’ that features a custom Metallica-style engraving, designed by the man himself.
For more: EMG
Yamaha Acompass60 acoustic amp
Yamaha has been busy in the acoustic guitar department for the past few months, and now it has a new acoustic amp to go with all those TransAcoustics. The Acompass 60 is designed for solo singer-songwriters and promises to reproduce “the performer’s True Acoustic Voice”.
For more: Yamaha
Gibson 1957-1960 PAF Reissue Sets
A new release from the Gibson Pickup Shop, which is now offering year-specific Patent Applied For-inspired humbuckers, from 1957 through to 1960.
For more: Gibson
Music Man Session StingRay Bass
Music Man is looking to bridge the gap between Ernie Ball and Sterling Ball with a new Session series that has debuted with a StingRay Bass. The potential this has for guitar fans is intriguing…
For more: Music Man
Ovation Gus G signature acoustic-electric
Ovation’s newest signature acoustic-electric guitar, which has been designed in collaboration with ex-Ozzy axeman Gus G.
For more: Ovation
Pink Dunlop Tortex picks
A lovely release from Dunlop, which has given its Tortex picks a pink finish in support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
For more: Dunlop
