“If we see something like the DigiTech Bad Monkey overdrive trending, it’s like, ‘Okay, who opened their mouth?’ And it’s usually JHS’s Josh Scott”: From the amp modeling revolution to the demand for dirt, these are the trends driving the used gear market

If you’re a gear junkie, you’ve most likely browsed Reverb for used gear. And as far as second-hand guitar miscellany goes, Joel Handley, Reverb’s senior content manager, has been along for a volatile, yet fun, ride.

“It’s fun to track trends,” Handley says. “If you’re into effects pedals, for example, you want to know what the latest and greatest things are.”

To that end, you can’t simply assume that it’s out with the old, in with the new. “The new tech really does just come up and sit beside the old tech,” Handley says. “It doesn’t really unseat those old giants.”

The same goes for guitars. The Gibson Les Paul, Fender Strat and Fender Tele remain at the top of the used-gear mountain. And don’t think amp modelers are going to kill traditional tube and solid-state amps anytime soon. According to Handley, the old giants “aren’t going anywhere.”

Why? “It’s hard to unseat the kings,” he says.

What’s hot in used gear now compared to past years?

Pedals are a great place to start, just because there’s so much activity. The boutique pedal boom saw huge amounts of brands become involved. We transitioned from an era dominated by the top three brands – MXR, EHX and Boss – to a surge of boutique companies, a bubble that has yet to burst.

Is Reverb able to track where it thinks the next random gear spike might come from?

We keep an eye on our internal search data, in terms of what people are typing into the Reverb search box. And if we see something like the DigiTech Bad Monkey overdrive trending, it’s like, “Okay, who opened their mouth?” And it’s usually JHS’s Josh Scott who opens his mouth to make those spikes happen. [Laughs] But we’re not forecasting that.

What’s another notable spike you’ve seen recently?

The Hello Kitty Strat spiked in popularity when Zakk Wylde played one, perhaps half ironically, a few years ago. The used market went nuts, and Fender reissued them, so that’s one of the electric guitar models that has appreciated in the last six years more than others, which is hilarious.

How about guitars that were hot but fell off a cliff?

If we’re talking broad strokes of the used market, there’s Strats, Les Pauls and Telecasters that sell at volumes way up on top of the mountain… and then there’s everything else. You could say offsets have had a really good decade, but they don’t sell anywhere near the numbers of those three. It’d take a cataclysmic event to change that.

Why do you think other high-quality brands such as PRS and G&L don’t do as well in the resale market?

It’s just the volume of demand for classic models and brands. If you shut your eyes and think about what a guitar looks like, it’s probably a Les Paul, a Strat or a Tele. And even a PRS Silver Sky is just a really nice, well-made and easy-to-intonate Strat. But a brand like G&L deserves more love, just for the quality and price point. [Editor's note: since this interview was conducted, G&L has closed.]

Pedal-wise, what are people after?

Drives and dirt. With the growth of pedals, by 2024, we had approximately 14,000 different individual pedal models in our database, compared to around 9,000 in 2019. If it seems like there’s a dozen new pedals coming out every week, there are. [Laughs]

How about used amps?

Amp modelers have exploded in popularity. In 2024, more revenue came from the Neural DSP Quad Cortex than any other piece of gear. But on the whole, tube and traditional solid-state amps still outpace modelers, even though modelers can be bestsellers individually.

Is it inevitable that the used-gear market will entirely shift toward pedals and modelers one day?

It’s easier to record than ever before, and it’s easier to make music than before. If you’re a new guitarist, are you even buying an amp when you start? You’re probably better off getting an interface and using free virtual amp sims on your laptop to start making sounds.

But traditional guitar amps aren’t dying a slow, painful death just yet, correct?

Amps and pedals are where the fun and the tone-shaping come in. That’s where combinations of gear can really help unlock a unique voice. New tech isn’t replacing the old but sitting beside it. Traditional amps aren’t going anywhere; they’re just another spice to use when creating your music stew.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.