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.
Positive Grid Spark Pedal
The latest entry to the Positive Grid Spark family, the Spark Pedal is the firm’s first floor-based amp modeler and multi-effects. It joins an uber-competitive market but, with the Positive Grid name proudly on its chassis, we imagine this will be just as popular as its practice amp siblings.
It’s the Spark experience in a pedal, with onboard controls for amp models and effects, as well as an onboard looper and stereo functionality. There’s also Positive Grid’s Spark AI tone creation, and it gives access to the Spark community for browsing a bunch of different tones and presets.
Unsurprisingly, it passed our in-house review with flying colors. In fact, we loved it so much that we said it was “nigh on impossible to craft a bad tone”. No mean feat, that’s for sure. And, at just $199, it looks like incredibly good value for money in a market filled with more expensive competitors.
Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa Pawn Shop P-90s
Ever stumbled across a guitar that has changed your relationship with tone? Joe Bonamassa certainly has, when he crossed paths with a 1961 Gibson SG that had been fitted with P-90s. It was, he says, the guitar that made him fall in love with P-90s.
Funnily enough, a Gibson SG loaded with P-90s also made this writer fall in love with them. But I’m not the one getting a signature set. Instead, JoBo gets the honor. He worked with Seymour Duncan to bring his Pawn Shop P-90s to the masses, promising to deliver the same tonal punch, power and attitude that his original model delivered.
Squier Paranormal Series Troy Van Leeuwen Telecaster XII
Just when we thought the Paranormal Series couldn’t get any cooler, Squier goes ahead and releases the lineup’s first signature guitar – which just so happens to be a 12-string Telecaster for Troy Van Leeuwen.
The Queens of the Stone Age guitarist has been rocking a custom shop 12-string Tele for a few years now, but this one brings it to the masses at an incredibly tempting $599 price point. The Copper finish is lovely. The 12 strings look and sound awesome. What’s not to like?!
“The Custom Shop has a more vintage-style bridge. I didn’t want that for this – I wanted something that was user-friendly right out of the box,” he tells Guitar World in a new interview. “Functionality is so important because it’s hard to get a 12-string bridge to work right. It had to be usable because when you’ve got 12 strings, you really need them to stay in tune.”
ALSO LAUNCHED THIS WEEK
Farida JC-1
Ex-Fender Master Builder John Cruz has joined Chinese guitar builder Farida. Their first model together might look familiar. A notable release considering everything that’s going on in the market right now…
For more: Farida
Yamaha Pacifica Plus colors
The very-lovely-indeed Yamaha Pacifica Plus just got even lovelier thanks to some flash new colorways. Sonic Blue, Ice Blue, Fired Red and Tobacco Brown Sunburst are on tap.
For more: Yamaha
RockBoard Second Tiers
The most requested piece of gear RockBoard has ever had, the Second Tiers offers boutique-level pedalboard amenities for those who don’t want to spend thousands on more expensive alternatives. Tiered, modular designs with opening tops. Heck yeah.
For more: RockBoard
Gretsch Black Limba Electromatics
Gretsch has given its Electromatic CVT and Jet models a black limba glow-up, giving the fan favorite affordable electrics a very-easy-on-the-eye tonewood.
For more: Gretsch
Gibson ELEV8 humbuckers
The next generation of Gibson humbuckers arrived this week, when the company brought its ELEV8 humbuckers – previously found in the Victory Baritone – to the aftermarket. They mark the first time Gibson has used Alnico 8 magnets in any of its pickups.
For more: Gibson
SolidGoldFX FUZZBOX
A deliciously drippy, bitty, fuzzy Tone Bender MKII style silicon fuzz pedal from the brains at SolidGoldFX. As a bonus, it’s been taken up a level to make it more suitable for modern ‘boards without losing its bite.
For more: SolidGold FX
EarthQuaker Devices Stereo Easy Listening
An updated stereo version of EarthQuaker Devices hugely popular Easy Listening pedal. One of the best pedalboard headphone practice amp solutions out there, now in stereo. Noice.
For more: EarthQuaker Devices
Walrus Audio Fundamental Lo-Fi Delay
The latest entry to the Walrus Audio Fundamental line, the Lo-Fi Delay does exactly what you’d expect it to: it’s a delay pedal that delivers worn, warped and wonderfully unpredictable repeats. An affordable must-have for shoegazers and sound experimentalists alike.
For more: Walrus Audio
