December 2009 \ Features \ Premier Gear Awards \ 2009 Premier Gear Awards

2009 Premier Gear Awards

Premier Guitar Editors

2009's award-winning gear - all in one place! Read our picks for awards in these categories: Small Package-Big Tone, Two-for-One, Tons O'Tones, Toe-to-Toe, The Kitchen Sink, Artisan, Fresh Approach, Redux Deluxe, Tone Enhancers and Nice Price.
Premier Guitar December 2009
(5 of 11)


Toe-to-Toe
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the gear world, however, emulation rather than imitation is often a more challenging form of appreciation. It takes a lot to produce something that emulates a classic piece of gear and that stands up not as a copy, but as an equal. Below are the best classic gear emulators of 2009.
Soultone 1986ps
Soultone Amplification 1986ps SuperPlexi

At some point, just about every amp maker tries to achieve the qualities of the famous Marshall guitar amps from the ’60s and ’70s. Yet not that many have attempted the Marshall Bass head, which by some accounts is one of the most underrated amps around. Soultone Amps began to change that with the introduction of its 1986ps SuperPlexi (May 2009). “Soultone has taken the iconic nature and characteristics of this sound and created their own interpretation, rife with new features and impeccable craftsmanship,” wrote reviewer Jordan Wagner, who spent way too much time standing in front this “raging, healthy British tube monster.”
Price $2199
soultoneamps.com
Read the review...
Watch the video review...



Way Huge Swollen PickleWay Huge Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MKII

Jeorge Tripps was a legend before his time. The original creator of Way Huge pedals back in 1992, Tripps sailed off into the sunset at the arrival of the boutique effects boom of the late ‘90s, only to be recently reawakened through the help of gear pioneer Jim Dunlop. The Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MKII pedal is … well, a reincarnation of itself, but only better! It was the cream of the Way Huge crop in the early 1990s, and the new version (marked MKII) is very much worthy of all comparisons to its legendary predecessor—with a few improvements. Reviewer Jordan Wagner (January 2009) raved, “The Swollen Pickle MKII has all of the punch of the original, and a massive tonal range. There is a very hi-fi quality to this pedal, but in a surprisingly musical way.”
Street $150
wayhuge.com
Read the review...


OohLaLa Soda-MeiserOohLaLa Soda-Meiser

OohLaLa Manufacturing’s Soda-Meiser fuzz pedal (July 2009) is more than just your usual environmentally safe electronic creation. “Fans of big, fuzzed-out stoner rock sound will love the Soda-Meiser,” said our reviewer, Brian Barr. It lets you dial in your favorite Big Muff-type fuzz, but it also provides a boost and a “chaos” mode that turns the Soda-Meiser into a tiny purveyor of “sonic cruelty.” To top it off, it’s eco-friendly, being hand-built using lead-free solder, and hand-painted using water-soluble inks. I mean, what more could you want?
MSRP $225
oohlalamanufacturing.com
Read the review...



Elrick Expat Series New Jazz StandardElrick Expat Series New Jazz Standard

Built in the Czech Republic from US components, with close attention to detail and well appointed with elegant touches and thoughtful improvements on a classic archetype, Elrick’s New Jazz Standard (September 2009) rose above a crowded field of variations on the famous predecessor to win praise from reviewer Dan Berkowitz for quality, playability and tone. As he put it, “takes a longstanding design in the bass world—a contoured body and sleek neck with a pair of singlecoil pickups—and brings it into the new millennium.”
Street $2199
elrick.com
Read the review...


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Comments

 (5 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Chris Tomlinson
on 03/14/2010 		These are great. However, everything from floyd upgrades is a rip. You can get it all for less in other places. Heck, even the big block is all over ebay from some other dude. It works just as good and a much better price (and his is the 42mm version). But yes, the stuff you can do to a floyd is great, just don't waste your money with "floydupgrades.com".
Garrison Vest
on 01/29/2010 		yep the Floyd rose "big Block" upgrade is worth the $. alot more sustain and clarity added
Garrison
www.daggerrocks.com
Vince L.
on 12/11/2009 		I ditto Dave V's comments about floydupgrades.com's products. I own a couple of late 80's Jackson's. The tone improvement and weight balance is almost immeasurable!
Dave Valliere
on 12/09/2009 		floydupgrades progresses my guitar tones to new dimensions! Superb resonance with Herculean sound! Sustainability reaches new levels, allowing me to hang on a few choice notes while enjoying my music! Dave Valliere (Val Year) www.davevalliere.com
Dan Marois
on 11/20/2009 		"Economic woes may have put a damper on the grand plans of buyers and sellers alike, but the gear … the gear that came our way this year was every bit as cool, innovative, beautiful, ingenious, exceptionally crafted and great sounding as it was the year before." There was still a lot more expensive new gear than I expected to see in these so-called hard times. I guess not everyone is feeling the pinch. Or maybe only consumers and workers got the memo - companies are still sifting through their hate mail. :-) Manufacturers and builders could have used the opportunity to reinvent themselves. One would have thought they could have used a bit of ingenuity to make their products more affordable. You know, to get them out there. The media must take a large portion of the blame - they didn't stop parading expensive equipment these past two years. Of course, we all know why they do that right? Magazine reviewers want to get their hands on the "best" stuff not for our benefit but for their own. :^)



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