"One of the Most Significant Advances in Passive Pickup Design in Years: This Week’s Noteworthy Guitar Gear, Featuring the Most Metal Jackson Yet"] - 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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Gary Clark Jr, one of today’s foremost guitar players and an influential force in the world of blues and rock – has been honored with his latest Gibson signature, this time arriving in the form of a limited-edition ES-335.

A few years ago, the guitar master put his name to a triple P-90 SG. Now, Clark Jr. has released a signature version of one of his other favorite Gibsons, the ES-355. Inspired by his love for B.B. King, the Cobra Burst beauty offers a mono Varitone switch, a pair of Custombuckers, and a Bigsby vibrato.

Only 100 of these will be made, so if Epiphone could release a more accessible version at some point in the future, that would be great…

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Jackson has somehow found a way to make its Pro Plus Pure Metal range even more metal by giving the super-sleek six-strings a new limit-edition stealthy satin finish.

Like before, there are Soloist, Rhoads and Kelly variations available, each with a sole Bare Knuckle Holy Diver humbucker and Floyd Rose tremolo. Very gnarly indeed.

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Some new Pro-Mod Plus Dinkys hit the internet this week, with Charvel unveiling five guitars that blend “sophisticated style with assertive tone”. All feature Seymour Duncan pickups – a range of Full Shred TB-10, Alnico Pro II, Custom Flat Strat and more are among the drop – and arrive in a host of suave finishes.

Raven Black, Celestial Silk, Midnight Ocean, Chlorine Burst and Violet Radiance are just some of the colorways on offer here.

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The Gretsch Broadkaster range is probably my favorite from the company – closely followed by those Synchromatics, natch – and these new models, which feature figured maple tops, are very nice indeed.

Available in double-cut and Jr. single-cut sizes, the latest Broadkasters flash gold hardware, Bigsby bridges, and a choice of either Havana Burt or Bourbon Stain for the double-cut, and Caramel Dawn or Tropic Aura for the Jr.

its existence was announced – the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor is shipping at last. Not to be confused with the Helix Stadium Floor XL, which has been out in the wild for a few months now (this writer even got his hands on one), the Stadium Floor is the more streamlined version that goes sans expression pedal and opts for a smaller layout.

On paper, it looks like the more natural competitor to the likes of the Quad Cortex and Tone Master Pro. The smaller form factor will appeal to players who want something a bit more compact, but it still boasts the same Agoura amp modeling power, as well some of the more expansive features, such as Showcase and – when it releases – Proxy.

And now the long wait for the Helix Stadium Stomp begins…

MagFRAG pickup system.

It might not be quite ‘Fishman Fluence’ levels of revolutionary, but the multi-magnet design – which veers away from standard passive pickup practices – certainly looks like it could change the game. On paper, the MagFRAG system promises unprecedented control for players, and gives them the authority to determine where gain is created – guitar, pedalboard, or amp.

The MagFRAG system has been rolled out in the PraXIS and Drive pickup series, each of which offer different tonal variations and nuances that look to provide a more comprehensive playing experience. As 3rd Power puts it, “Where you choose to shape gain should be a musical decision.” MagFRAG lets you make that decision.

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Remember a few weeks ago when JHS Pedals and Electro-Harmonix were celebrating the arrival of the Big Muff 2? You know, the pedal that helped a long-lost Big Muff design schematic see the light of day, after it had been found in the garage of engineer Bob Myer?

Well, that was later channeled into the Big Muff Pi 2 – which, low-end lovers will be pleased to hear, has now been synthesized for the Bass Big Muff Pi 2. It’s based on the original lost op-amp fuzz design that formed the Big Muff 2, but optimized for bass guitars, meaning it offers that same fuzz flavor without sacrificing any of the low-end.

Paul Reed Smith had ever signed off on, experimenting with a new body shape, unconventional contouring and more.

The beating heart of that guitar was the Fishman Fluence Herman Li Omniforce pickups, which, for the first time, have now been made available as an aftermarket set. Well, sort of. The Chleo has an HSH configuration with an Omniforce single-coil, but the available-to-buy set comes in an HH pairing. So, no middle pickup tones, but that probably just makes the set more accessible to more guitarists – HH is by far the more common setup, after all.

Whatever the case, you get plenty of Li-approved pickup voices there, and it means you don’t have to fork out $6,850 for the Chleo – or even $1,999 for the dearly priced SE version. A win-win for DragonForce fans.

Elixir Attune strings

Elixir is one of the OGs when it comes to coated strings, and it’s dubbing Attune its “next generation” of acoustic guitar strings.

The idea for Attune is to deliver the most uncoated coated string yet. So in theory, you can hear the difference – especially in terms of how long that new-string tone lasts – but the feel is closer than ever to conventional string sets.

The company has been moving closer and closer to meeting this ideal in recent years – could Attune’s mysterious “groundbreaking new technology” help it finally reach the zenith of uncoated and coated designs? The proof, as they say, will be in the playing…

Bzzzkill Telecaster pickup

BzzzzKill Telecaster pickup — (Image credit: BzzzzKill)

BzzzzKill (with four z’s) has released a hum-reduction solution for Telecasters in the form of a newly developed single-coil set that promises buzz-free performance. Teles are, notoriously, rather noisy and, like most single-coil guitars, are susceptible to the dreaded 60-cycle hum.

Working to solve this problem has always been a sticking point, according to Bzzzzkill, not least because of the reverse-wound, reverse-polarity configuration of the Tele’s neck pickups. Well, the company – which has already solved the Strat problem – has found a way, with its Single and Dual Player Series Tele pickups offering full or partial hum-cancelling.

And, at $99, they look to be a tempting investment – especially since they also promise to retain the full authentic character of your Tele.

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Eastwood’s back in the round-up, following last week’s ETB1000 Travis Bean tribute with the infinitely more intimidating BG 64 Baritone Guitarlin. A 35-fret beast that gives subtle Guild Surfliner vibes (if the Surfliner was bitten by a radioactive Guitarlin) the BG 64 is the brainchild of Eastwood and Michael Weber, which fuses a baritone with an oddball Danelectro from the 1950s.

The rare Guitarlin, which covered both guitar and mandolin ranges, was the source of inspiration for this build. It offers an extended 30” scale length, a regular six-string setup and, of course, 35 frets for getting even further up the register.

Weber, of MTV’s Amazingness, was brought onboard to help Eastwood craft a production baritone guitarlin, and the result is something genuinely unique – and rather frightening.