Guitars, basses, pedals, amps, and more … high-quality gear kept arriving in 2023 at a record pace. Here are the past 12 months’ Premier Gear Award winners.
Read on to see which debut tone toys of 2023 reaped Premier Gear Awards from our editors and expert reviewers!
DUNLOP Trigger Fly Capo (January 2023)
Trigger capos are often a performer’s best friend. They require just one hand to use, you can move them from fret to fret fast, and they tend to hold up well. Dunlop’s Trigger Fly capo is a beautiful evolution of the form. It has all the aforementioned advantages, but it’s also extra light, and squeezes with a just-right pressure that equals buzzless performance on most guitars, including 12 strings, and doesn’t knock your intonation sideways.
$20 street, jimdunlop.com
COPPERSOUND PEDALS x JACK WHITE Triplegraph (January 2023)
Third Man’s collab’ with CopperSound is a super-retro-inspired approach to an octave effect that’s unique in design and musicality. The premise is simple: Three telegraph keys control octave up, octave down, and a selectable kill switch or effect loop mode. That last option means you can give a momentary (or latching) tap to that key and activate whatever wild pedals you see fit to connect—a creative option sure to blow minds and open up a world of ideas.
$399, coppersoundpedals.com
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Thinline Telecaster (January 2023)
Underappreciated when first released, the second-generation Thinline Telecaster, which traded a traditional Tele’ single-coil set for two Seth Lover-designed Wide Range pickups, has since become a popular Fender family fixture in the Squier and Mexico-made Fender lines. The American Vintage II version not only marks a return to American construction, but the resurrection of cunife as material for the Wide Range’s magnets. Combined with a 1-meg volume pot, the cunife Wide Range units make the American Vintage II sound clear, lively, and beautifully large.
$2,499 street, fender.com
JACKSON AUDIO Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve (January 2023)
The retro flavors of Jackson Audio’s ode to a ’60s Silvertone are refreshing. This modern collaboration between Jackson and Silvertone adds a combination of thickness and edgy harmonic content that gives the pedal a unique character. Reviewer Dave Hunter even claimed that “with most decent tube amps it sounds better than many real Twin Twelves.”
$199 street, jackson.audio
ELECTRO-HARMONIXJ Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi(January 2023)
It’s no surprise that J Mascis, wizard architect of the henge-heavy Dinosaur Jr. sound, should be honored with a signature Big Muff. What’s nice is that this repackaging of the company’s Ram’s Head Muff will set you back just 132 bucks while wielding the weight and surprising airiness that characterizes vintage Ram’s Heads and enabling Mascis’ meld of melancholy pop melody and metal megatonnage.
$132 street, ehx.com
UAFX Woodrow ’55 (January 2023)
For all the demonstrable advances in amplifier modeling, there’s still a justifiable number of skeptics that don’t trust a digital gain source or an amplifier in a box. But one go with the Woodrow ’55 reveals a tactile, perceptible dynamism that could quell the skepticism of the most hardened tube-amp devotee. The sounds, meanwhile, range from thrillingly explosive to lively cleans. It’s not cheap, but it’s a fast track to tweed sound and feel when the real thing isn’t at hand.
$399 street, uaudio.com
D’ANGELICO Deluxe SS Baritone (February 2023)
There aren’t many high-end offerings in the baritone guitar market, but the Deluxe SS Baritone is a great one. Its jazzy accouterments—semi-hollow archtop, glitzy gold hardware, oversized art deco headstock, mother-of-pearl block fretboard inlays—belie the rock ’n’ roll power that the Seymour Duncan P-90s deliver. Plus, its 26 3/4" scale length is comfy, and despite those heavy strings, it plays like a dream, no matter what style you seek to conjure.
$2,199, dangelicoguitars.com
WARM AUDIO Warmdrive (February 2023)
This inspired take on the famed Lovepedal/Hermida Zendrive was a standout stomp this year. Fans of Dumble-style pedals are no stranger to this type of circuit. The intuitive EQ control offers a more expansive range of sounds than a typical tone knob, and the build quality is hard to beat. At $150, it’s one of the most affordable paths to a sound that is financially out of reach for most of us.
$149 street, warmaudio.com
EPIPHONE Noel Gallagher Riviera (March 2023)
If you’re a guitar-pop fan of a certain age, images of Noel Gallagher with an Epiphone semi-hollow—not to mention his hooky-as-hell tunes—are probably seared into your brain. This Riviera, which honors a fave instrument from the (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? era, is a fab-feeling, fat-and-sparkly sounding semi-hollow that, for its ’80s Japan-made Riv’ specs, is also a pretty alternative to an ES-335.
$899 street,epiphone.com
MXR Super Badass Dynamic Overdrive (March 2023)
The Fulltone OCD was a lot of overdrive for not-too-much money. So potential customers got a scare when the demise of Fulltone fueled rumors of used-market gouging. But players willing to look past brand fixations should take solace in the existence of the Super Badass Dynamic Overdrive. This unabashed homage to the OCD is every bit as capable of the balance of dynamics, articulation, and aggression that distinguished its inspiration.
$129 street,jimdunlop.com
CATALINBREAD CB Series Distortion (March 2023)
The CB Distortion, with its punky, brash attitude, is the pedal best suited to the CB Series’ ’80s skate-style graphics. It’s not without refinement, however. The midrange is rich and the top-end clarity lends definition to chords in high-gain situations. And the ample volume on tap enables dramatic dynamic effects when you switch it on. You really can’t beat the ease of use, either.
$150 street, catalinbread.com
ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN Kaizen (April 2023)
A collaboration with Tosin Abasi, the Kaizen is a sleek, futuristic 7-string that extends the boundaries of electric guitar design. Due to clean lines and a modern feel, the Kaizen is supremely playable and just plain fast. It’s not a surprise what type of music the Kaizen is made for, but its versatility extends well beyond that.
$3,999 street, music-man.com
MESA/BOOGIE Badlander 25 (April 2023)
This Boogie features ready-to-rock Rectifier Series preamp stages in both of its two channels. It’s packed in a compact 25-watt 1x12" combo format and fired by a pair of EL84s. That formula produces tones reminiscent of its Boogie siblings, while yielding a unique personality with Vox-like flavor. Built-in CabClone IRs deliver robust big-cab tones for front-of-house or recording needs, rounding out the Badlander’s impressive combination of versatility, convenience, and power.
$1,849, mesaboogie.com
DANELECTRO Longhorn Baritone (April 2023)
Dano’ has reunited the very en vogue baritone configuration with its timeless and super-stylish lyre body, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a baritone with more stage presence, or one that’s more fun. The adjustable bridge makes intonation easy (no small consideration on a baritone). And while the lipstick pickups are hotter than vintage Dano pickups and lack a little of that sweetness, you can still shape lovely, contoured tones to fill the unique harmonic slot baritones occupy so very well.
$569 street, danelectro.com
TWASH9 Scott Henderson Signature Distortion (May 2023)
The original Ibanez SD9 was a misunderstood and underrated distortion. But it was a perfect match for fusion master Scott Henderson’s articulate, precise, and heavy style. Both Henderson and the SD9 are well honored by this high-quality interpretation of the Ibanez original, and Mr. Susumu Tamura, who designed the TS9 and SD9 for Ibanez, even lent a guiding hand in putting this pedal together. The results are not only a super-high-quality distortion, but a clear, present, and muscular one too.
$299 street, godlyke.com
SOLDANO SLO Pedal (May 2023)
The Soldano SLO-100 amplifier rose to legendary status courtesy of players such as George Lynch, Eddie Van Halen, and Mark Knopfler. While it’s hard to port the intangible feel of any amp into a small pedal, the SLO Pedal does an impressive job capturing that essence, offering amp-style drive, wooly fuzz, and lots of clean headroom at a fraction of the price.
$229, soldano.com
TWO NOTES ReVolt Guitar (May 2023)
This tube-driven, 3-channel preamp with analog cabinet emulation is intuitive and easy to use. Clean, crunch, and lead channels cover a wide range, offering glassy Bassman 100 emulation and hot-rod Marshall drive, as well as SLO-100-style tones. If you prefer your own drive pedals, it’ll handle those with ease, and the compact 7" x 4.5" x 3" size means it shouldn’t be hard to find space for it on your ’board.
$399, two-notes.com
BAD CAT Black Cat (May 2023)
There’s a new Cat in town—and it’s a bit different from older siblings. There’s no illuminated cat eyes in the logo plate, and no EF86 preamp tube in the circuit, either, and it’s 20 watts with a solid-state rectifier and a digital reverb, rather than earlier models’ all-tube architecture. But this kitty roars like a tiger, providing British textures outside of the Vox and Marshall realms, with lots of range in the lead channel, especially, and offering plenty of volume, headroom, and versatility.
$2,099 street,badcatamps.com
PRS DGT SE (May 2023)
Could this be the best sub-$1,000 guitar on the market today? Reviewer Jason Shadrick thinks so. David Grissom’s signature PRS is one of the company’s most popular models, so the move to an SE version felt natural. The low-output pickups are bold and clear, and the push/pull coil tap gives more Gretsch vibes than straight up single-coils. This is a most welcome option for players with real-world budgets.
$859 street, prsguitars.com
FENDER Gold Foil Jazzmaster (June 2023)
It’s hard to imagine a platform more perfectly suited to the mid-century flash of a gold-foil-style pickup than the graceful Jazzmaster. The pickups here aren’t real gold-foils. They’re alnico-based humbuckers in gold-foil clothing. But they are versatile—spanning hot-Stratocaster pickup sounds, and PAF and Rickenbacker Hi Gain tonalities. The mahogany body, Bigsby, and Jaguar-style switching all help make this beautiful mutation a cool alternative to the traditional Jazzmaster template.
$1,399 street, fender.com
GREAT EASTERN FX CO.Focus Fuzz (June 2023)
Focus Fuzz designer David Greeves describes the sound of his latest pedal as something between a Tone Bender, a Fuzz Face, and a Dallas Rangemaster. That might seem too good to be true to vintage fuzz heads. But, indeed, the Focus Fuzz manages a Fuzz Face’s open, bassy qualities, the fierce metallic edge of a Tone Bender, and, at low-gain settings, the response of a Rangemaster. The quality is exceptional, and the controls interact in cool ways that yield beautifully complex vintage fuzz textures.
$285 street, greateasternfx.com
MESSIAH Flare Ring Boost(July 2023)
This octave-up fuzz and ring modulator honors not only the Dan Armstrong Green Ringer, but an improvement of that circuit by B.Y.O.C. called the Armstrong Twin. A tone knob and boost significantly extend the functionality and sound palette, when compared to the old Dan Armstrong unit. And in practice, it’s dynamic, sensitive, expressive, and surprisingly varied. If you typically fear the harsh side of octave fuzz, you might find a friend in the Messiah Flare Ring Boost.
$199 street, messiahguitars.com
ANANASHEAD Cream Amp (July 2023)
The original Electra Distortion is one of those sleeper vintage classics that you hear little about, in spite of its simple, straight-ahead brilliance. It also serves as a jumping off point for many new designs, like the Ananashead Cream Amp. This small, streamlined, Barcelona-built, low-to-mid-gain distortion is touch sensitive, shines with humbuckers, and generates a broad span of lively dirt sounds that are full of character without being in your face.
$125 street, ananashead.com
FISHMAN AFX Pro EQ Mini (July 2023)
It may not look glamorous, but the $119 AFX Pro EQ Mini is a pedal that’s likely to earn back that investment fast. It’s super easy to use, highly utilitarian, and potentially invaluable for any performing acoustic player. But it can just as easily help craft unique, creative, and unorthodox acoustic textures in the studio or onstage.
$119 street, fishman.com
TAYLOR 417e (July 2023)
In the form of this slope-shouldered beauty, Taylor drew upon the enduring appeal of the beautiful Gibson J-45 silhouette, while offering a more balanced, bright, and lively tone profile. As with so many Taylors, the quality is more or less immaculate and the playability is first rate and ultra-silky. And while it’s an investment, the combination of timeless styling, a pretty voice, and fits-like-a-glove feel are the stuff of an heirloom piece.
$2,999 street, taylorguitars.com
MARSHALL Guv’nor (August 2023)
Though its reputation is built on hard rock and metal, you can coax a lot of surprising sounds out of a Marshall JCM800. The same goes for the Guv’nor, which Marshall designed to serve, effectively, as a JCM800 in a box. This U.K.-built reissue sticks to the style and configuration of the original ’80s edition. But the 3-band EQ section and flexible gain control make it capable of much more than stereotypical ’80s sounds. So don’t be surprised when you hear everything from shades of circa-’66 Beatles tones and tasty, rich, low-gain heat in addition to the very authentically Marshall muscle.
$249 street, marshall.com
JHS Pedals Plugin (August 2023)
The Legends of Fuzz pedal series, which includes the Plugin, honors several circuits that were actually less than legendary in their time. The Jordan Bosstone, though now adored by vintage fuzz fiends, can be counted among those circuits that never achieved household-name status. But in the form of the Plugin, the Bosstone circuit gets the royal treatment—including a handsome, sturdy enclosure, and an additional louder, hard-clipping, mid-forward circuit that admirably bridges the gap between reedy ’60s-style buzz and more modern heavy fare.
$179 street, jhspedals.info
MESA/BOOGIE Mark VII (August 2023)
Available as a rack, head, or combo, Boogie’s Mark VII ain’t cheap, but it’s a rather magical—and powerful (90W)—gigging, recording, and practicing machine. The built-in CabClone IR has an internal load so it can be used with headphones or speaker-silent onstage. There’s an 8-position cab-select switch for each channel. The clean tones are rich, and four classic lead voices deliver loads of seminal high-gain tones. Better still, it’s intuitive and functional. In short, the Mark VII is a monumental feat of 21st-century tube-amp design.
$3,799 street, mesaboogie.com
VICTORY VS 100 Super Sheriff (August 2023)
The latest Victory amp is a formidable 100-watt, EL34-powered flamethrower that spans decades of big-Brit-amp history. Four ECC83 preamp tubes help evoke ’60s through ’80s tones, from blues-rock to metal, thanks to four gain-range modes, multiple power modes, and a switchable master volume. And the 3-band EQ and presence control are clearly inspired by classic Marshall tone stacks. That range and versatility, authenticity of sound, and quality construction make the Super Sheriff a deal, in spite of the high-end price.
$2,399 street,victoryamps.com
PRS SE McCarty 594 (August 2023)
Another addition in PRS’ successful SE series, the SE McCarty 594 is a phenomenal value. It captures the essence of a premium McCarty, with its gorgeous flame-maple-veneer-top-over-mahogany body with gloss polyurethane finish, and trademark PRS bird inlays along the fretboard. The two low-output 58/15 LT “S” humbucking pickups have an old-school-PAF vibe and are rich with clarity and vintage soul, and in both pickup configurations, the dynamic range is incredibly wide. For anyone who’s lusted after a McCarty 594 but doesn’t have the cash—or fears nicking up a guitar that is precious—the SE McCarty 594 is an accessible gem.
$949 street, prsguitars.com
DUNLOP Cry Baby Daredevil Fuzz Wah (August 2023)
Jonny Wator’s Daredevil Effects has been a favorite around the halls of PG. They have always been high-quality, very homebrew, and strongly aligned with the nastier side of late ’60s and early-’70s fuzz and drive. Little surprise, then, that Daredevil and Dunlop found each other and made this little gleaming chrome monster. It’s loosely based on a combination of a Clyde McCoy Cry Baby wah and Fuzzrite-style voices. And it is, at turns, vicious and focused, creating a sonic sum that’s unique among wahs.
$229 street, jimdunlop.com
ELECTRO–HARMONIX Slap-Back Echo (September 2023)
Comparatively ignored in its original incarnation, the EHX Slap-Back returns in much more petite, inexpensive, but no-less-intriguing form. The Slap-Back, as the name suggests, deals exclusively in short repeats at three preset times: 45, 65, and 100 ms. The resulting sounds span Beatle-style ADT effects and rockabilly grease—all beefed up by a cool drive section that can kick up an extra 20 dB of boost.
$81, ehx.com
SQUIER Paranormal Rascal Bass HH (September 2023)
The original Fender Rascal came and went much too fast. This new and very welcome Squier incarnation is a different animal. It has high-octane humbuckers rather than lipstick pickups, which situates it more completely in rocking and punky spheres. But the short scale (as well as a high-quality build) means it’s a sweet and fast player with output that emphasizes punchy fundamentals while ranging from hot to round and mellow tones.
$449 street, squierguitars.com
IBANEZ SML721(September 2023)
The fanned-fret Ibanez SML721 strikes a very nice balance between quality, affordability, and outside-the-box design. It’s finished in rose gold with gold appointments, and is clearly designed for speed—shredding on it feels effortless. The guitar is loaded with a pair of high-output, ceramic Q58 pickups with a 5-way switch, and Ibanez’s dyna-MIX10 switching system enables 10 combinations of full humbucker, coil-split, and coil-tapped sounds. Overall, the SML721 is a lethal, modern vision of a shred machine.
$999 street, ibanez.com
FENDER Shields Blender (October 2023)
My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields first used an original Fender Blender octave fuzz on the show-closing sensory-overload version of “You Made Me Realise.” And as you move through the range of classic to terrifying tones, you can hear many ways that the new Shields Blender—which initially can feel quite complex—could fit in that mad weave of overtones. The Shields Bender isn’t for everyone. But as one masters its intricacies, its utility as an octave fuzz, capacity for more demented fare, and sheer power create sprawling landscapes to roam within.
$299 street,fender.com
ELECTRO-HARMONIX/JHS Lizard Queen (October 2023)
This rude reptilian is a silicon-transistor-based octave-up fuzz that’s monstrous yet controllable, reactive, and articulate. It’s also easier to use than many other octave/fuzz devices at or above its very reasonable price. With just three dials—volume, balance, and an octave control that ranges from zero (to the left) to a full high-octave setting (to the right)—its impressive output means the Lizard Queen will have no trouble slithering to the front of a live mix.
$99 street,ehx.com
J. ROCKETT El Hombre (October 2023)
The El Hombre puts one of the holiest of holy grail tones—that of the Rev. Billy F. Gibbons—at your fingertips. This sturdy op-amp-driven box with silicon clipping diodes is also an excellent overdrive outside of that realm—capable of adding just a little hair, growling big and low like a fat alligator, or being pushed to plexi-like explosiveness. It’s also super responsive to the touch, so sustained bends sing, pinch harmonics ring, and…well, how, how, how, how.
$199 street,rockettpedals.com
JAM PEDALS Delay Llama Mk3 (October 2023)
In this upgrade of the original Delay Llama, those sneaky folks at Jam Pedals have brought much of the essential bonus functionality of 2020’s Delay Llama Xtreme to a more compact stomp with a simple and familiar layout. The pedal reveals a superbly characterful and juicy-sounding analog delay voice that shines—even within a product category that’s rich with enticing delay sounds. And although the repeats pot taper could use some fine-tuning, the Delay Llama Mk3 is still a standout in the analog delay camp, any way you cut it.
$269, jampedals.com
UAFX Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo and Reverb (October 2023)
There are few effects quite as fun and full of ambience-enhancing potential as a Roland RE-201 Space Echo, and Universal Audio clearly put a lot of thought and energy into capturing that essence in the Galaxy ’74. There are few facets of the RE-201’s functionality that the Galaxy doesn’t replicate. The sounds can be resplendent with air and overtones or beautifully blurred and disorienting. And while only a few other tape echoes rival the RE-201 for pure ergonomic and operational joy, the Galaxy is a blast to use for real-time, virtual-tape-head manipulations that will drive space rock and Nigel Godrich fans to giddiness.
$349 street, uaudio.com
EARTHQUAKER Ledges (October 2023)
EQD has brewed up quite a few classic reverbs in their time, from the radical to the utilitarian. The new Ledges falls somewhere in between. The room, hall, and plate voices cover reverberations that range from barely there to out there. It’s a killer option for players that want to probe the outer limits and those that can’t afford to get lost in endless possibilities on stage.
$199 street, earthquakerdevices.com
DEATH BY AUDIO Disturbance (October 2023)
DBA relishes the opportunity to turn a conventional effect—or, in this case, three—on its head. The Disturbance manages to excel as a phaser, flanger, and filter. But the highly interactive controls can open the door to stretching those effects to wild ends, enabling odd harmonic peaks, hollowed out phase tones, and more traditional fare like faux-Leslie sounds. Like so many DBA pedals, it’s easy to imagine this one as an invaluable, ultra-versatile studio tool, and a source of unexpected surprises that can shake up your stage sound in a big way.
$250 street, deathbyaudio.com
WARM AUDIO Mutation Phasor II (October 2023)
Mu-Tron not only made some of the coolest looking effects of all time, they also made some of the most unusual and unique sounding pedals of the 1970s. Both qualities are plain to see and hear in Warm Audio’s very faithful take on the Mu-Tron Phasor II. Like the original, Warm Audio’s version has just three knobs, but they yield a cornucopia of rich phase tones that, at advanced settings, spill a bounty of elastic, vowel-y voices and hyper-hummingbird textures. At $149, it’s a sweet deal, too.
$149 street, warmaudio.com
CATALINBREAD Tremolo8 (October 2023)
Catalinbread’s latest entry in the tremolo field is priced just a bit higher than most trem’ boxes, but the smart design and vast features of the Tremolo8 put it head-and-shoulders above its standard-stompbox-sized competitors. Its eight functions, which call up effects like ring modulation and chorus that meld with onboard reverb, are each deeply tweakable via the pedal’s control set.
$219 street, catalinbread.com
DOD Envelope Filter 440 (October 2023)
The newest reissue of DOD’s classic envelope filter maintains the simple control set, usability, design aesthetic, and distinct personality—particularly the sweep and warm voice—of the original. There’s one new feature onboard, and that’s a switchable voice direction, which opens up more room for fun and creativity. It’s an all-around great sounding, no-nonsense pedal that nails the envelope filter formula in a way that any player can easily dive into.
$129, digitech.com
ZEROFIVE AUDIO Lowrider (October 2023)
The Lowrider from ZeroFive Audio does an exceptional job of packaging what’s usually an outboard effect into an all-analog pedalboard fixture. It only recreates the bass boost portion of Pultec’s legendary equalizer—and does so with preset cut and boost ratios—but the Lowrider’s booming bottom-end in a stompbox package make it a stand-out.
$218 street, zerofiveaudio.com
ESP LTD KH-V (October 2023)
Calling all shredders! The ESP LTD KH-V is the second entry in ESP’s V-shaped Kirk Hammett signature catalog, but the KH-V stands out for its combination of quality craftsmanship that pulls together especially articulate active EMG pickups and other premium components. Our reviewer coaxed everything from John Mayer clean tones to full-on Hammett annihilation from the KH-V, without experiencing tonal compromise on either end.
$1799 street, espguitars.com
TAYLOR 112CE-S (October 2023)
There’s nothing new about Taylor building a tip-top quality flattop that plays like a dream. But getting all that for just less than 800 bucks is worth shouting about. The big news about this newest addition to Taylor’s affordable 100 series is the introduction of layered-sapele back and sides, which conspire with the solid Sitka spruce top to shape a warm but bright and lively personality. It shines in fingerstyle situations. And with Expression System 2 electronics on board, it’s gig-ready right out of the case.
$799 street, taylorguitars.com
UAFX Evermore (November 2023)
Universal Audio unleashed a new line of more affordable pedals this summer that distilled popular features from their larger, more expensive and expansive Starlight, Del-Verb, and MAX stomps. By using the same algorithms that drive those superb effects, the Evermore Lexicon 224-style reverb, Orion Echoplex EP-3 emulation, and UA 1176 compressor model rise to impressively authentic sounding heights. The Evermore’s 224 sounds—and the unusual and engrossing control set that shapes them—can span room and Blade Runner-soundtrack immensity and otherworldliness. The Orion taps into some of the most peculiar idiosyncrasies of the EP-3 to create a startlingly whole representation of that unit’s sound-stretching capabilities. And the 1176, introduces dual-compressor modes that honor Little Feat and Led Zeppelin production techniques and generate compression colors with scoops of satisfying grit and extra sustain.
$199 (1176) and $219 street (Orion and Evermore), uaudio.com
UAFX Orion (November 2023)
Universal Audio unleashed a new line of more affordable pedals this summer that distilled popular features from their larger, more expensive and expansive Starlight, Del-Verb, and MAX stomps. By using the same algorithms that drive those superb effects, the Evermore Lexicon 224-style reverb, Orion Echoplex EP-3 emulation, and UA 1176 compressor model rise to impressively authentic sounding heights. The Evermore’s 224 sounds—and the unusual and engrossing control set that shapes them—can span room and Blade Runner-soundtrack immensity and otherworldliness. The Orion taps into some of the most peculiar idiosyncrasies of the EP-3 to create a startlingly whole representation of that unit’s sound-stretching capabilities. And the 1176, introduces dual-compressor modes that honor Little Feat and Led Zeppelin production techniques and generate compression colors with scoops of satisfying grit and extra sustain.
$199 (1176) and $219 street (Orion and Evermore), uaudio.com
UAFX 1176 (November 2023)
Universal Audio unleashed a new line of more affordable pedals this summer that distilled popular features from their larger, more expensive and expansive Starlight, Del-Verb, and MAX stomps. By using the same algorithms that drive those superb effects, the Evermore Lexicon 224-style reverb, Orion Echoplex EP-3 emulation, and UA 1176 compressor model rise to impressively authentic sounding heights. The Evermore’s 224 sounds—and the unusual and engrossing control set that shapes them—can span room and Blade Runner-soundtrack immensity and otherworldliness. The Orion taps into some of the most peculiar idiosyncrasies of the EP-3 to create a startlingly whole representation of that unit’s sound-stretching capabilities. And the 1176, introduces dual-compressor modes that honor Little Feat and Led Zeppelin production techniques and generate compression colors with scoops of satisfying grit and extra sustain.
$199 (1176) and $219 street (Orion and Evermore), uaudio.com
SQUIER Paranormal Jazzmaster XII (November 2023)
The lovely Jazzmaster XII may not totally satisfy budget-conscious Fender-philes that clamor for a Squier version of the classic Electric XII. But it is a killer 12-string that, for its economical price and styling, carves out a cool niche all its own. In general, the Jazzmaster XII exhibits darker tone tendencies than a vintage Electric XII or a Rickenbacker 12-string. But it’s very playable and the relatively thick output can help guitarists avoid well-tread electric 12-string paths. At $449, it also makes investment in an electric 12-string, which will be a secondary instrument for many, a more appealing and attainable proposition.
$449 street, squierguitars.com
ELECTRO–HARMONIX Hell Melter (November 2023)
Electro-Harmonix’s take on the Boss HM-2, the Hell Melter, excels at brutal riffage—it’s no coincidence that the last three digits in its price tag are 666 (as in $176.66). But our reviewer found that in addition to nailing the Scandinavian death metal “chainsaw” sound, the pedal’s flexible controls also held solid classic-rock guitar tones, and when set for use as a lead boost, it generated sustain worthy of David Gilmour, who famously dabbled with the HM-2!
$176 street, https://www.ehx.com/
Read the ReviewPRS NF 53 (December 2023)
Thoughtfully designed and very well put together, the NF 53 is a nifty spin on the world’s first mass-produced solidbody electric guitar, but one that takes the format in new directions. The relative simplicity of the instrument is no impediment to versatility. But the real joy in the NF 53 is that it plays beautifully and offers a wide swath of dynamic, smooth, and often trenchant voices that are all its own.
$2,899 street, prsguitars.com
FENDER Waylon Jennings Phasor (December 2023)
There are plenty of weird, wobbling, bubble gum-chewy textures in Fender’s tribute to Jennings that have nothing to do with classic outlaw country, that psychedelicists will relish. But the mellower fare that made Waylon’s tunes move is here in tasty plentitude, too, and can be tuned to your own needs with a flexible, interactive control set that’s full of surprises.
$129 street, fender.com
A supreme shredder’s signature 6-string dazzles with versatility.
This immaculately built guitar sounds great and can do it all.
The more affordable price is still out of reach for many guitarists
$2,799
Charvel MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
charvel.com
Charvel’s first Guthrie Govan signature model was released in 2014, after an arduous two-year effort to get the design just right. Since then, the guitar—now in its second edition—has become one of Charvel’s most coveted models. Unfortunately, its $3,699 price keeps the U.S.-made axe out of reach for many.
This year, though, the company released the Made-in-Japan signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM, which sells for a slightly more manageable $2,799. Needless to say, that’s not cheap. But depending on your priorities, it’s a fair price for a very high quality, pro-level instrument.
Made for the Road Warrior
Govan is a seasoned touring and recording musician, to say the least, and real-world experience and practicality informs the SD24 CM’s design down to the smallest details. The knurled chrome knobs, for instance, are dressed up with glow-in-the-dark Luminlay numbers, which together with recessed position indicators on the body help you recall volume and tone settings fast and with precision. Crème-colored inlays and more glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side dots help you find your place on the neck on dark stages. The heel-mounted truss rod adjustment wheel, meanwhile, makes neck relief adjustments convenient.
The proprietary tremolo system is unique to the SD24 CM. It functions a bit like a conventional locking tremolo setup, but there’s no locking nut like you find on a Floyd Rose-type system. Instead, the SD24 CM uses Gotoh diecast locking tuning pegs and a Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut. The bridge does require an Allen wrench for string changes, but it’s not encumbered by fine-tuning knobs like a Floyd Rose. So, if you want to change tunings, you can do so quickly using just the tuning pegs
To facilitate pitch-up maneuvers on the whammy bar, the bridge is recessed into a body cavity. The resulting range of motion is considerable, and I was able to get the bar to go up a major 3rd on the G string. Needless to say, I was also able to dive-bomb to oblivion. Tuning stability is quite good—even when the guitar is subjected to excessive whammy bar abuse. By the way, at Govan’s suggestion, there’s also a foam strip situated between the springs and the spring cavity to eliminate sympathetic vibrations. Such issues probably wouldn’t cross the minds of casual guitarists, but they are peace of mind for players that like to eliminate all possibilities of weird vibrations or overtones from unwanted sources.
Another interesting design detail: The recessed input jack is located adjacent to the endpin. This uncommon placement was one of Govan’s ideas. It prevents accidental unplugging. But because most players wind their cables over the endpin, it also situates the jack closer to that point.
The SD24 CM comes with a hybrid gigbag/hardshell case, which is a nice upgrade from just a standard gigbag (or no case, which is an unfortunate new trend, even with pricey guitars). Needless to say, the guitar looks great, with a satin, 3-tone sunburst finish over a figured ash veneer that is mated to a basswood body. With wood-colored pickups and chrome hardware, it makes up an understated and classy instrument.
Sonic Flexibility
At the heart of the SD24 CM’s sound are pickups designed by guru Michael Frank-Braun (the mastermind behind Eric Johnson’s signature pickups). They are set in an H-S-H configuration and a 5-way selector switch activates either the bridge humbucker, the bridge’s slug coil and middle pickup, the bridge and neck’s outer coils, the neck outer coil and middle pickup, or the neck humbucker. Note that even though the middle pickup is a single-coil pickup, there are no single-coil-only settings available via the 5-way switch. There is, however, a 2-way, mini-toggle switch that splits the neck and bridge humbuckers and filters the output in what Charvel calls a single-coil “simulation.”
The bridge pickup has a modern, high-output signature that will make speed demons drool. Legato runs sound natural and feel easy to execute, and fast alternate picking lines sound alive and clear, especially in the single-coil simulation setting, which often sounds more articulate, more responsive, and makes single notes pop.
As hot and articulate as it can be, the SD24 CM isn’t merely a shred monster.
Interestingly, the neck pickup with the simulated split-coil setting is similar in volume to the full humbucker, which makes real-time changes sound more organic. I especially liked this setting for clean, funky 9th chord strums and Motown chordal stabs. Pickup positions 2 and 4 are slightly lower in volume, and both cleaner and leaner sounding than the simulated split bridge and neck pickups. This option offered some nice faux-Telecaster sounds. All of these settings benefit from a treble bleed circuit that retains high-end even as you reduce guitar volume.
As hot and articulate as it can be, the SD24 CM isn't merely a shred monster. With the neck pickup engaged and tone knob rolled back, the SD24 CM is a convincing jazz machine that invites fingerstyle walking bass lines, chord comping, or blistering flatpicked bebop. Add a little overdrive and the neck pickup delivers a very creamy and rich lead sound.
Appropriately for a Guthrie Govan signature model, the SD24 CM is built around specs that facilitate fluid play. It features a 25.5" scale, caramelized maple neck with 24 jumbo frets, rolled fingerboard edges, and a 12-16" compound radius fretboard. The satin finish on the back of the neck adds to the guitar’s quick feel, and the contoured heel enables easy access to the highest regions of the fretboard. Playability is excellent and there are no dead spots anywhere along the neck.
The Verdict
Many people think of Guthrie Govan as a super shredder with phenomenal chops. While that’s true, Govan is also a multi-dimensional guitarist fluent in a staggering number of styles. His signature Charvel guitar reflects the breadth of his talent. It’s an amazingly versatile instrument that can cover virtually any genre. And while it doesn’t come cheap, it may be one of the closest things to a desert island guitar you’ll find.
Charvel Guthrie Govan MJ San Dimas SD24
Harkening back to the late '80s when Charvel guitars were manufactured exclusively in Japan, we proudly introduce the all-new Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM. Exquisite in style, this MJ signature model blends Charvel’s unparalleled legacy of designing high-performance instruments with an assortment of Govan’s preferred top-end features.
A modern take on Fullerton shapes and a blend of Fender and Gibson attributes strikes a sweet middle ground.
A stylish alternative to classic Fender profiles that delivers sonic versatility. Great playability.
Split-coil sounds are a little on the thin side. Be sure to place it on the stand carefully!
$1,149
Fender Player Plus Meteora HH
fender.com
After many decades of sticking with flagship body shapes, Fender spent the last several years getting more playful via their Parallel Universe collection. The Meteora, however, is one of the more significant departures from those vintage profiles. The offset, more-angular profile was created by Fender designer Josh Hurst and first saw light of day as part of the Parallel Universe Collection in 2018. Since then, it has headed in both upscale and affordable directions within the Fender lineup—reaching the heights of master-built Custom Shop quality in the hands of Ron Thorn, and now in this much more egalitarian guise as the Player Plus Meteora HH.
Body profile and humbuckers aside, the Meteora is very much a Fender, with a bolt-on neck, 25.5" scale length, and that iconic headstock profile with spaghetti logo. Even closer examination reveals an impressive array of features that make it an extra-impressive instrument for the price, and a cool alternative to traditional Fender offerings.
Comet Club
The Mexico-built Player Plus Meteora HH comes in three finishes—cosmic jade, Belair blue, or silverburst (as seen on our review sample)—all of which help the guitar cut a dashing figure on stage.The body is made from solid alder, a go-to Fender tonewood since the late ’50s. Lightweight stocks of this timber have been getting harder to come by in bulk, and perhaps as a result the review guitar tips a little toward the heavy side at around 8.4 pounds. Then again, the Meteora’s body is bigger than, say, a Stratocaster, which adds a bit to the weight. Forearm and ribcage contours enhance playing comfort significantly, and the guitar balances surprisingly well on the lap (almost certainly one of Hurst’s design mandates). The sharply sloped lower bout, however, makes it tricky to lean against an amp safely. Keep that in mind before you turn your back on it.
The neck is fashioned from a single piece of maple and 22 medium-jumbo frets are arrayed across the 12" radius fretboard, which measures 1.685" at the synthetic-bone nut (Belair blue and cosmic jade versions feature a pau ferro fretboard). The neck is carved in Fender’s popular “Modern C” profile, which feels great in hand, and the overall ergonomics are aided by a nicely rolled fretboard edge. The single-action truss rod can be adjusted at the headstock, which is home to Fender’s deluxe sealed locking tuners and a modern roller string tree for the first and second strings—all of which means you can use the two-post synchronized tremolo with a little more peace of mind. The return-to-pitch capabilities are impressive.
Though the fresh body profile may be the initial draw for many, the electronics—and the possibilities they enable—will probably seal the deal for a lot of prospective customers. They certainly make the guitar a lot of fun to explore. The relatively new Fireball humbuckers look a lot like smaller Fender Wide Range pickups. Under the covers, though, they are pretty standard PAF-style humbuckers, with adjustable pole pieces in all six positions of each coil, though half of these are inaccessible with the cover on.
This pickup recipe makes the Meteora a world’s-your-oyster kind of performer.
And while the name implies that the Fireballs are hot, the specs are similar to medium-wind alnico humbuckers, with the neck reading around 7.24k ohms DC resistance and 4.0 henries inductance, and the bridge measuring 7.68k ohms and 4.5 henries. The pickups are wired through a 3-way toggle switch on the upper horn, with a master volume and dedicated tone controls for each pickup below. The volume knob also functions as a push-button switch to split the coils of both pickups.
Silver Stars
Tested through a Friedman Dirty Shirley Mini and 2x12, a tweed Deluxe-style 1x12 combo, and a Neural DSP Quad Cortex into the studio monitors, the Player Plus Meteora HH reveals a fairly traditional and even vintage-leaning sonic range that contrasts with its moon-shot looks. The not-too-hot humbuckers sound clear and open and generate relatively little amp breakup at modest volumes, which I’d say is a good thing, as it enables a wider range of touch sensitivity than high-gain humbuckers usually allow.
This pickup recipe makes the Meteora a world’s-your-oyster kind of performer. With a cranked amp, lead channel, or overdrive (in this case a Tsakalis Six and Wampler Tumnus Deluxe), the Meteora produces sizzling power-chord and rhythm sounds and singing lead tones with ease, with rich, articulate cleans at the ready when I backed the guitar volume down. It’s hard to gauge how much effect the maple neck and alder body have on the humbucker voicings. But expect the Meteora to sound better balanced and crisper compared with the average PAF-equipped instrument. There’s very little mud and the coil-split tones are nice and jangly—although, as with many split humbuckers, they’re a little on the thin side without a booster or compressor engaged. Still, they do the trick, and add another useful arrow to the Meteora HH’s already packed quiver.
The Verdict
Players in love with unconventional looks who enjoy a twist on traditional PAF-style sounds will find a lot to like in the Player Plus Meteora HH. The guitar packs a wide range of clean-to-mean tones, offers easy playability, and is made super versatile by tone controls and coil-splitting options that dramatically expand its tone palette. Dual humbuckers mated to a 25.5" scale is always a cool proposition, and the Meteora’s marriage of Fender and Gibson attributes is a great way to split the difference.
Fender Player Plus Meteora HH Demo | First Look
New bracing and pickups make this mid-priced take on a Gretsch classic a lively and engaging inspiration machine.
Smooth playability on par with much more expensive instruments. Airy, open pickup sounds with lots of clean-to-mean latitude.
Blue finish is pretty but thick in spots. Vintage sticklers might miss some old-school Filter’Tron bite.
$799
Gretsch G5420T
gretschguitars.com
Though big hollowbodies like the Gretsch G6120 are beautiful and an essential ingredient in countless classic records, they can be a tricky playing experience for the uninitiated. Navigable fretboard space is limited by solidbody standards. Big bodies can feel bulky. They’re sometimes feedback prone in high-volume situations, too. Consequently, I’ve watched many solidbody-oriented chums who rarely play hollowbodies handle a big Gretsch with the baffled look of a spacefarer deciphering an alien tongue.
This latest affordable, mid-line evolution of Gretsch’s classic 6120, the re-designed Electromatic G5420T, smooths navigation of those intrinsic challenges. A new approach to trestle block bracing and FT-5E Filter’Tron pickups give the guitar a zingy, lively, and surprisingly feedback-resistant resonance. And the ultra-smooth playability makes it relatable for the average solidbody player. Together, the improvements make the G5420 a welcoming and intuitive-feeling vehicle for the less-orthodox modes of guitar expression that big Gretsch’s enable.
New Shoes in Blue
Trestle bracing, as a name and design concept, graced Gretschs beginning in the ’50s. That system utilized a bridge-like pair of laterally oriented braces. Trestle block bracing is different. It situates a slim, light center bock that is shaped like a bridge arch at a 90-degree angle between two straight, lateral braces. In one sense, the construction is akin to a center-block semihollow body. But the Gretsch trestle block has much less mass and a smaller footprint than the center block in, say, a Gibson 335, making the design a great compromise between rigidity, stability, and resonance. The effects, at least to my ears, are audible. And one thing every staffer that touched this guitar agreed upon was that this was the liveliest affordable Gretsch that any of us remembered playing.
The G5420T also feels like a dream underneath the fingers. The 12" radius makes string bends extra easy. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, and, yes, fleet-fingered Chet Atkins picking feel effortless. And in general the playability is so nice you often forget that notes much past the 17th or 18th fret are a pretty uncomfortable reach. The control layout is a familiar take on Gretsch convention. The master volume control on the treble-side horn is always a blast to use for volume swells. And while the bridge volume is situated pretty far aft on the body, it’s easy enough to reach for fine tuning adjustments and corrections to the neck/bridge blend. The Bigsby, meanwhile, is both fluid, smooth, and, in relative terms, pretty tuning-stable if you’re not too aggressive.
You don’t achieve playability and intonation like that on our review model without sweating the details, and the 5420’s neck, nut, fretboard, and frets all feel very much of a piece.
Construction quality is typically very good in Gretsch’s more affordable Streamliner and Electromatic series, and the G5420T does its part to hold up the family reputation. You don’t achieve playability and intonation like that on our review model without sweating the details, and the 5420’s neck, nut, fretboard, and frets all feel very much of a piece. Little details like the binding around the f-holes are also flawlessly executed. One of the only overt signs of the G5420T’s mid-priced status is the polyester-azure-blue finish, which, while dazzling, looks a bit ripply and thick in spots. Even so, in sunlight, it reveals traces of pearlescent turquoise and lake placid blue, depending on the angle from which you view it.
Balance and Brawn
As Gretsch tells it, the new Filter’Trons are designed for stronger bass output and more articulate high end. I don’t know if I would call the low-end exceptionally robust. But 6th-string notes exhibit a concise, classy punchiness that resonates with just-right complexity and gracefully adds balance and ballast to chords. Some players expect low notes on a Gretsch hollowbody to explode with the heft of a grand piano. But the chiming low notes of a Fender Rhodes electric piano are a more apt analogy for the 5420’s present, overtone-rich-but-understated bottom-string output. This same knack for balance translates to awesome, articulate overdrive and fuzz tones (though, needless to say, it is important to mind the feedback when messing with the latter).
High-end output, meanwhile, is beautiful. First- and 2nd-string notes ring presently and in graceful balance with the rest of the strings, lending a kinetic but not-too-hot edge to leads and chords. And anyone with an affinity for vintage rockabilly or late-’60s West Coast psychedelia will love the way these high notes hop, quaver, and sing with a waggle of the Bigsby. For this author, anyway, it’s a visceral, addictive thrill—particularly with a big Fender amp and a heap of spring reverb and slapback echo.
The Verdict
Any player well versed and at ease with the idiosyncrasies of a Gretsch hollowbody will love the way the 5420 sounds and feels. And on the latter count, certainly, the 5420T is the equal of many much more pricey guitars. It’s very easy to imagine an upmarket or vintage Gretsch owner who sweats gigging with an expensive axe taking this guitar out instead and feeling right at home. The pickups are very well balanced, present, and detailed. And the Bigsby is smooth and invites all manner of twitchy or surfy vibrato moves. Most important is how these factors conspire to offer an uncommon playing experience with an upmarket feel. “Riff machine” may be a term that you could apply to many guitars, but the combination of the 5420T’s playabililty and open, detailed, and balanced pickups add up to a deep well of habit-smashing inspiration—all at a very nice price, to boot.
Gretsch G5420T Electromatic Hollowbody Demo | First Look
Ola Englund’s merry band of guitar builders serve up an affordable shred gem.
A killer, ultra-playable guitar with top components at a nice price.
The EverTune bridge and Fluence Modern pickups are very niche-specific components that could turn some players off.
$1.349
Solar GC1.6AFAB
solar-guitars.com
Ola Englund, YouTube sensation and guitarist for the Haunted and Feared, started Solar Guitars, his own line of high-quality instruments, in 2017. The company is based in Sant Gregori, Spain, and their guitars are made in Indonesia. But as the marvelously decked-out GC1.6AFAB reviewed here reveals, this collaborative formula is yielding killer results at relatively affordable prices.
Down to the Details
At a glance, the GC1.6AFAB evokes great all-around instruments like the PRS SE or even the Tom Anderson Atom. It looks sharp, and even a bit traditional, with its flame maple top on a mahogany body and gold hardware down to the pickups, bridge, and tuners. Only the pointy reverse headstock, lack of inlays (other than the Solar logo around the 12th fret), and glow-in-the-dark side dots betray a possible metal-oriented lineage.
The guitar is meticulously crafted and there are no visible construction flaws. The low-action factory setup is perfect. The GC1.6AFAB’s design is very ergonomic, too. A belly cut adds a nice contour to the backside of the guitar, and the neck-through-body construction with sculpted neck joint allowed easy access all the way up to the 24th fret.
With jumbo stainless steel frets on a graphite-reinforced neck, a dual action truss rod, a 13.78" radius fretboard, graphite nut, and locking tuners, the GC1.6AFAB is thoroughly modern. The EverTune bridge is another contemporary distinction. It uses a system of floating saddles and springs to keep each string in tune no matter how aggressively you play. It can also be configured in a multitude of ways. On our test guitar, the EverTune was set up to permit bends on the top three strings, while the lower strings were set to resist pitch bends entirely. It was a weird experience to bend away at those strings, or add vibrato, only to hear pitch that never wavered. And I was certainly thrown off when I instinctively tried to make low-string notes growl by adding a little bend. Set up this way, the EverTune will take some getting used to. However, it’s a killer feature if you pick hard or inadvertently pull some of the notes sharp while chording. If you’re recording and need to nail a pitch-perfect take, it can be invaluable. And you can always reconfigure the bridge for a more conventional but still exceptionally stable setup.
It Chugs, It Slugs, It Sings
The GC1.6AFAB’s pickups, a pair of excellent Fishman Fluence Modern active units, also display Solar’s forward-thinking approach. They have independent volume controls with a shared tone knob that has a push/pull function for the Fishman Fluence’s voices: “active” (voice 1) and “passive” (voice 2). (Here, the phrases active and passive refer to voicings rather than the strict definition of active and passive pickups.)
With the bridge pickup and active voice engaged, pick response is crisp and fast on the low strings. With help from with the EverTune’s unwavering tuning stability, individual notes and picking nuances are super articulate. Digging in harder rarely revealed any flubby ambiguities. And fast alternate-picked sequences felt super precise. Be forewarned though: If you’re having a sloppy day, the Fluence pickups’ immediacy can be unforgiving.
In clean settings, the GC1.6AFAB’s bridge pickup sounds very hi-fi, and very loud in both voices. Multi-finger tapping phrases are punchy and pop out loud and consistent along the fretboard. Cascading arpeggio runs have a harp-like clarity and individual notes sound consistent and even across the guitar’s whole range. And while the pickup isn’t overly bright, there is a ton of presence. Until the tone knob is all the way down to about 2, you hear little in the way of “darkness.” The neck pickup in the active voice has more bass focus than the bridge. When I held an open-G chord, the 6th-string resonated with a bottom end that you could call boomy. Comparatively, with the passive voice, the neck pickup seemed a bit more balanced.
The Verdict
If I imagined a shredder creating a custom guitar, it might look and feel a lot like GC1.6AFAB. There’s a lot about the style that feels relatively traditional, save for the many cutting-edge components that Solar included here. At $295, putting an EverTune bridge on an existing guitar (a process that would involve routing and probably devaluing your instrument) is an expensive proposition. Add a set of gold Fishman Fluence Modern pickups at around $260 and you’re looking at well north of a $500 investment even before you pay to have your upgrades installed on an existing instrument. Given how seamlessly Solar brings these elements together in such an impeccable-playing guitar, the $1,349 you’ll pay for a GC1.6AFAB is a pretty amazing deal.