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.
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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.
Orangewood Del Sol Baritone Fretless
Think of all the trendy buzzwords in the guitar world right now, and you’ll get something that resembles the new Orangewood x TreeTone guitar. Offset? Check. Fretless? Yep. Baritone? You bet. The only thing missing is half a microtonal fingerboard – and a headless design probably wouldn’t hurt, either.
In other words, it checks a lot of boxes and it looks cool. Not only does it keep the slick offset body shape of the burgeoning Del Sol lineup, it brings fretless guitars to the mainstream – and at $795 is a very tempting entry point into the world of fretless music.
Orangewood has a track record of democratizing hard-to-come-by guitar designs, as evidenced by its Juniper rubber bridge build from a few years back. This looks to continue that trend in style. And I was only joking earlier, but don’t be surprised if an accessible microtonal guitar actually is in the works…
For more: Orangewood
John Mayer Martin Road Series OM-13E and OMC-13E
John Mayer and Martin have a long, established history together. But for the most part, Mayer’s signature guitars with the brand have been well above the price point that many fans can realistically reach. A D-45 from 2018 cost $14,999. One of his Gray Sunburst Orchestra models from 2023 was priced at $18,499.
So, yeah. Mayer fans hoping to get an acoustic guitar approved by the man himself have been left cold for a while now. That was until this week – when Martin introduced Mayer’s first Road Series models which, by extension, are his most affordable acoustics to date.
Priced at $1,999 a piece, they sit at the top of the Road Series price spectrum, but are infinitely more accessible than that $20k model, so we’re not complaining. There’s an OM-13E, and a cutaway OMC-13E. Both have Engelmann spruce tops with an aging toner, scalloped spruce x-bracing, and Mayer’s signature inlay on the fretboard.
Finally, a guitar I can massacre Neon on and look the part doing it…
For more: Martin
Tone King Royce Preamp
Tone King has expanded its acclaimed lineup of preamp pedals with the Royce, which promises a compact solution to delivering Vox AC-style sounds to your pedalboard. It follows the five-star Imperial Tri Tube and the Royalist, both of which have clearly shown Tone King’s expertise in this area of the market. We anticipate the Royce to perform just as well – especially judging by the stellar demos that can be found around the web.
Notably, it comes loaded with three 12AX7 tubes, and offers two channels that have Normal and Top Boost Modes for varying levels of gain and dynamic aggression. There’s a strip of familiar amp-style controls, as well as a built-in spring reverb and stereo tremolo. And, like a tube amp, there’s a power amp and a phase inverter.
Better yet, it has IR compatibility, shipping with a bunch of OwnHammer Impulse Responses and Synergy’s editor software for fine-tuning. Another worthy entry into what’s fast becoming the one of the finest preamp pedal ranges out there.
For more: Tone King
ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK
Jimmy Page Sundragon Dragonette
A new 6W combo signature amp for Jimmy Page, inspired by his Led Zep I Supro Coronado. Not for the average guitar player, though – it costs almost $10k.
For more: Sundragon
Fender Player Fusion
Fender unveiled these a while back, but now the Player Fusion series is out in the wild. Expect plenty of hard-rock-focused twists, including high-output pickups and Floyd Rose bridges. Oh, and there’s a Baritone Jaguar.
For more: Fender
ADDAC ADDAC006 Rotary Exciter and Resonator Clamps
Potentially must-have tools for ambient guitarists and soundscapers, ADDAC has unveiled two clamp-on accessories that can turn your instrument into a drone and ambient texture machine.
For more: ADDAC
Blackstar NAM ID:X Floor
At Guitar Summit, Blackstar told us to keep our eyes peeled for upcoming ID:X Floor updates, and now we know why: NAM A2 compatibility has been drafted over from the Beam Mini to the firm’s flagship floorboard modelers.
For more: Blackstar
Neural DSP Nano Cortex NanOS 2.3.0
Neural DSP is continuing its mission to stay ahead in the modeler game by updating its Nano Cortex. It now has five new effects, a metronome, and app improvements for better ease of use.
For more: Neural DSP
Seymour Duncan EVH Frankenstein pickups
Making the most Frankenstein pickups even more Frankenstein, Seymour Duncan has given its three Eddie Van Halen signature humbuckers four new finishes inspired by his iconic striped guitars.
For more: Seymour Duncan
Taylor Ben Harper GS Mini-e Special Edition
I have a GS Mini, so definitely couldn’t justify getting another one, but this is… well, this is nice. Ben Harper’s GS Mini-e Special puts the looks of his larger signature on Taylor’s small-bodied build. The shaded edge burst top and cream pickguard is a combo made in heaven.
For more: Taylor Guitars
Tanit Pedals The Face Fuzz
Forget the Fuzz Face, the Face Fuzz is here. And it takes things literally: it lets you project your own face onto the pedal when you trigger it. Nifty. But also slightly disconcerting.
For more: Tanit Pedals
Epiphone EDS-1275
Epiphone has updated its Jimmy Page-aping EDS-1275 double-neck, bringing it back with rosewood fretboards and gold hardware. Quite a lot of guitar for $999.
For more: Epiphone
