"Feeling Satisfied with My Amp-less Setup Until This Pedal Changed My Mind: The Guitar Gear That Stood Out to Me This Week, Featuring a Game-Changing Ibanez for Prog Rock Enthusiasts"] - Guitar | Technique

Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s 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 abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.

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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No, that’s not an Abasi Concepts guitar, nor is it an Ernie Ball Music Man Kaizen – it’s the all-new Ibanez Alpha model, which injects a serious shot of progressive flair into the firm’s storied metal guitar lineup.

The Alpha Series is a really interesting drop from Ibanez. Available in seven and eight-string configurations, it’s clearly been tooled to go up against the prog metal world’s big guns, channeling some serious Tosin Abasi vibes with its ergonomic, offset, Kaizen-esque double-cut silhouette that also offers a multi-scale setup and Fishman Fluence pickups.

It’s worth mentioning that Abasi did design a prototype signature guitar with Ibanez before starting his own guitar brand. The Animals as Leaders maestro was also instrumental in the creation of the Kaizen. It’s yet more evidence of the sheer influence that the forward-thinking virtuoso has had on the guitar scene, both as a player and a guitar maker.

Whatever its influences, the Ibanez Alpha offers an alternative to the company’s catalog of blistering Superstrat shred machines, with a focus on optimized tone, comfort, playability and ergonomics. There’s also some neat design developments on show here, including a nifty new neck joint. Abasi Concepts and Ernie Ball Music Man might want to look over their shoulders…

Find out more at Ibanez.

headphones.

Now, with the launch of Fender Audio, Fender has followed suit, unveiling the ELIE speaker series and modular MIX headphones. It’s a bold move. There’s clear precedent for guitar and amp firms to move into the speaker space, but Fender will be going up against Marshall, which has become an absolute behemoth in the industry over the past 10 years or so.

But Fender has a prestige and draw of its own, which will almost certainly be enough to wedge its foot firmly in the door. The all-new Fender Audio venture, too, is a statement of intent and a clear commitment to product diversification from the Big F, so expect this branch to grow in the near future. Those modular Fender headphones certainly look very sweet indeed…

Find out more at Fender Audio.

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EarthQuaker Devices partners with Dr. Z for the ZEQD-Pre Analog Tube Preamp, which is effectively a tube-in-a-pedal designed to sit at the very end of your signal chain to give it some juicy analog warmth.

It’s not a tube-loaded amp pedal or overdrive pedal like we’ve seen from Victory et al. Instead, it’s a simple sonic solution to make your gear sound better. It was particularly designed with digital modelers in mind.

Stick this after your modeler, and your digital-y tones will be given some much-needed tube-driven oomph. A potential game changer for many players out there.

Find out more at EarthQuaker Devices.

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Oh, yes. Sign me right up this instant. It’s only January 6 and Collision Devices might have already dropped my favorite new pedal launch of the year.

The Snack Series of compact-ish stompboxes comprises fuzz, pitch and delay pedals, which each offer a very welcoming, Sci-Fi-y topography and a wealth of otherworldly effects.

Each pedal offers three modes, three presets, and expression control, as well as a carefully constructed original enclosure design that will apparently fit any pedalboard.

They sound pretty great, but maybe I’ve just been swayed by the launch video, which you can watch above. Spoiler alert: it’s very good.

Find out more over at Collision Devices.

Nuclear Audio Fission Drive

It’s a brand new year, and with it has come a brand new pedal from a brand new pedal company. Yay for brand new things.

The Fission Drive is the debut drop from Nuclear Audio, which launched last year. According to its maker, it is the first true dual-band overdrive, which splits the guitar signal into high and low frequency bands that can be driven independently from one another. This means one band could be tailored to subtle breakup, while the other is cranked for full-throttle distortion.

It’s a cool premise for the experimental gain chasers out there, and a very welcome fresh addition to an overdrive/distortion market that is continually flooded with clones, replicas and spin-offs. We’re looking forward to seeing where Nuclear Audio goes in 2026…

Nuclear Audio.

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What’s better than a regular ol’ guitar tuner pedal? An always-on tuner that keeps constant tabs on whether you’re in tune or not, of course. Well, it is for those who aren’t fussed about using their tuner as a mute pedal.

For those particular players, the new StroboVUE from Peterson does just that: it’s a teeny tiny tuner box that offers 0.1 cent accuracy, 130 guided tuning options, a high-definition LED screen with variable color, and – best of all – it never turns off. It’s kinda like the Boss TU-3S, built with pedalboard real estate in mind.

Now, I’m an old-school tuner pedal guy, so this isn’t really my thing – I always use my tuner as a mute – but it does look ideal for quick and easy micro-adjustments that might be needed mid-song or even mid-solo.

Find out more at Peterson Strobe Tuners.

Les Paul-y flair, but it’s distinctly Hagstrom. It looks like it could play heavy riffs all by itself. We likey.

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This year marks the start of a new chapter for Victory’s compact MX amp platform. The British amp expert has introduced the MKX Lunch Box Head – a new, erm, lunch box head that offers 50 watts, three channels, and the sound of the firm’s MK Overdrive in one package.

It’s been described as Victory’s “most advanced lunchbox amp ever”. It’s also said to be the most versatile. Whadda way to start the new year.

Find out more at Victory Amps.

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Cort never puts a foot wrong, does it? The KX600 Infinite looks to be another slam dunk. That Orange Crush Satin finish is just *chef’s kiss*.

Those Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers – wired to a push-pull volume pot and three-way switch – aren’t too shabby either. A loud-looking guitar with the tones to match. Need we say more?

Find out more at Cort Guitars.

Strat-style aesthetic a distinctive Kiesel twist with the Aero series – a new collection comprising HSS, Strat-inspired metal guitars that look equal parts space age and traditional. That pickguard is really cool, too.

More details at Kiesel Guitars.

DSM & Humboldt Dumblifier

DSM & Humboldt, the brand behind the hugely acclaimed Simplifier analog amp modeling pedal, has unveiled its successor: the Dumblifier. There’s a name that rolls off the tongue, eh?

The Dumblifier leverages DSM & Humboldt’s Simplifier tech but channels it to recreate the sound of a 1970s Dumble Overdrive Special. The first one sounded great. We imagine this could be one of the best Dumble-aping amp pedals out there.

DMS & Humboldt has all the details.

D'Addario Pedal Pry Bar — (Image credit: D’Addario)

Pedalboard Tetris can be a dangerous game. If you put one pedal slightly out of position – or decide to swap a stompbox out entirely – you’ll find yourself spending the next 10 minutes trying to wrestle your prized pedal from the vice-like grasp of an unrelenting hook & loop fastening.

There are ways around this, but D’Addario’s XPND Pedal Pry Tool now looks like it would be the most fun. It’s effectively a tiny pedal crowbar. What’s not to like?

D’Addario.

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Faith has lifted the shape of Patrick James Eggle’s ‘Earth’ electric guitar body shape for a limited-edition acoustic guitar that sounds as good as it looks.

The Earth body shape promises refined comfort and playability, with a premium tonewood combo comprising Sitka spruce for the top and American Claro walnut for the back and sides.

The top is also torrefied – air-dried to remove moisture and enhance stability – and it comes packed with Fishman Flex-T-Blend electronics, too. It might just be Faith’s most elegant – and desirable – acoustic to date.