 |
|
|
|
the Best of 07
Even though there’s still some time left on the calendar,
it’s safe to say that 2007 has been one hell of a year. But
while economists spent the year contemplating the effects
of a weak housing market, presidential hopefuls spent a
year stumping and the Chicago Cubs spent their goodwill
in the playoffs, we spent ours playing. 2007 was unofficially
The Year for Gear, and there was plenty of good stuff
to go around. Of course, we took some time out to cover
major stories like Bain Capital’s acquisition of Guitar Center
and efforts by major guitar makers to conserve dwindling
wood supplies; but with all kinds of cool gear arriving
constantly, it’s hard to not find a guitar in your hands or a
pedal under foot.
|
With a stack of back issues and a bit of elbow grease,
we’ve assembled a listing of the best products we’ve had
the pleasure of sampling this year. From high-end custom
guitars to portable amps, we guarantee you’ll find at least
one thing to put on that holiday shopping list. Make sure to
log on to premierguitar.com to rate and comment on these
products yourself, as well as check out our video gear
reviews, as only you know what works best during your
relentless pursuit of tone. Enjoy!
Guitars
Forget about the iPhone and the HDTV – 2007 was a great
year for guitars. But then again, what year isn’t? It isn’t like
1958 was lacking in that regard, and 1961 was cool, and hell,
1952 wasn’t too shabby either. What 2007 did bring to the
table was more builders offering up high-quality guitars to
meet most any budget and nearly every need. From a super
high-end one off from Northern California to a shockingly
good Mexican-made Strat, Premier Guitar is proud to revisit
some of our editor’s top picks for the year of the Red Fire Pig.
|
 |
July 2007
Composite Acoustics GX Performer
Made from space-age materials, the GX, in addition to being impervious
to things like changes in temperature and humidity, sounds
like, well, an acoustic, and a damn fine one at that. In addition to
the sound, our tester was particularly impressed with the unique,
nearly non-existent neck heel, and the use of not-really-needed but
acoustically brilliant bracing. When the guitar was pulled out of the
shipping carton without a chance to acclimate to the 25-degree
temperature difference and delivered an in tune G chord, we all
became believers.
Composite Acoustics
MSRP $3350
compositeacoustics.com
|
February 2007
Ernie Ball Music Man Steve Morse Y2D
Featuring a slim birdseye maple neck with a rosewood
board that has been shaped to Steve’s exacting standards,
the Y2D also rocked Mr. Morse’s own idiosyncratic pickup
configuration via a trio of personalized DiMarzio pickups,
right down to the too-close-to-the-bridge-humbucker
single coil. The curly maple top offers players a visual treat
in addition to some aural sheen for the poplar body, all set
off by a high-gloss, polyester finish. Our intrepid reviewer
determined that the Y2D isn’t just for Dreg’s fans; it’s for
anyone wanting a high-quality, easy-to-play and tonally flexible
instrument.
Ernie Ball Music Man
MSRP $2245
Ernieball.com
|
 |
 |
February 2007
Hill Custom Guitars Hillster Elite
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, a rock n’ roll city if there ever
was one, Hill Custom Guitars offered up their Hillster Elite
for our test crew to put through its paces. By combining
such Gibson-ish cues as a mahogany body, set-neck
construction and humbucking pickups with the Fender-like
flourish of a 25.5” scale-length, the Hillster Elite offers
something for nearly all pickers. Our tester found plenty to
like, marveling at the Elite’s resonant, lively ring afforded by
its maple top/mahogany body mix. He also dug the slimtaper
neck and custom, hand-wound pickups. Cleveland
does rock.
Hill Custom Guitars
MSRP $2595
hillinstruments.com
|
February 2007
Fender Classic Player 50s Stratocaster
Fender Classic Player 50s Stratocaster
Custom Shop Master Builder Dennis Galuszka spec’d this bad
boy out and Fender’s Ensenada plant put it together, saving
you, the end user, several pesos in the process. Featuring
a soft V-shaped neck that seemed straight out of Fullerton
circa 1956, the Classic Player 50s also employs a trem design
pulled straight from Fender’s Custom Shop, consisting of a
modern, two-point bridge-plate with six vintage-style saddles,
giving tremsters the ability to wiggle in tune as well as with
tone. A great mix of vintage and modern features earned this
workhorse top marks.
Fender Musical Instruments
MSRP $1142.84
fender.com
|
 |
 |
September 2007
Moonstone Guitars Vulcan Custom Extreme
Starting with a gorgeous piece of African limba
and working from there, Moonstone’s Steve Helgeson
added such showstoppers as a Brazillian
rosewood fingerboard, African purpleheart binding
and Paua abalone whenever and wherever
possible, in addition to one of the purdyest tops
seen in ages. All the baubles in the world mean
nothing if they are adorning an instrument with
less than stellar playability, but the Vulcan never
suffers this fate, offering up effortless action
and a hot mess of sounds via the twin Bartolini
Pickups and push-pull tone pots, allowing the
Moonstone to be the belle of any ball.
Moonstone Guitars
MSRP $9000
moonstoneguitars.com
|
|
Amps
Your amplifier is an essential ingredient in the
relentless pursuit of tone, and it says a lot
about you as a person. Do you go with the
quietly understated combo, capable of putting
out low-wattage boutique tone, or do you go
with the glowing high-gain head atop a double
stack of cabinets, ready to pump out massive
lead lines at a moment’s notice? Whatever
your choice may be, we’ve put our hands on
lots of amps this year and proudly present the
best models of 2007.
|
October 2007
65Amps SoHo
Hands down one of the best sounding, most
flexible low-wattage combos we’ve seen in our
offices, the 65Amps SoHo puts out 20 boutique
watts through a Celestion G12H 70th Anniversary
speaker. Hiding within the two-tone tolex lies a
Class A EL84 circuit – clean and sparkly – that
moves into musically crunchy EL34 territory once
things start breaking up. If that wasn’t alone
worth the price of admission, the SoHo’s Bump
circuit adds a wide range of sounds to this amp,
from British to brown to blackface. This amp responds
well to pickups of all kinds, but if you’ve
got a Strat handy, prepare to have your hands
pried off this one by the music store bouncer.
65Amps
MSRP $2895
65amps.com
|
 |
 |
April 2007
ENGL Powerball Head
There’s an industrial look to the ENGL Powerball
that could easily lend people to writing this amp
off as one-dimensional, but with the clean channel
reminiscent of an old Vox AC30 (when paired
with a Vintage 30 loaded cab), and a lead channel
that’s as massive as they come, this amp is
capable of everything from metal to jazz-fusion.
At it’s heaviest, the Powerball retains definition
and clarity of your notes no matter how detuned
you may be, and our reviewer was unable to get
the amp to “mush” at even the highest volumes.
The Powerball also features dual master settings
and is MIDI-compatible, making this one
versatile machine.
ENGL Amps
MSRP $2299
engl-amps.com
|
August 2007
Diamond Spec Op Head
Sporting four Svetlana EL34s and no less than seven 12AX7
Tung-Sol tubes, this amp is tailor-made for high-octane rock. The
Spec Op’s tones range from scooped-out modern to metal’s
biggest hair days. The Spec Op’s overdriven sounds are loud,
punchy and unflinchingly honest, always served with a tight
low-end. There’s a massive amount of gain on tap here with an
inordinate amount of headroom (even the neck humbucker on
our Gibson kept its definition). Combined with tone controls that
actually work and a solid-as-a-tank build, this amp is a definite
recommendation for anyone who dabbles in the heavy.
Diamond Amplification
$2699
diamondamplification.com
|
 |
 |
January 2007
Chicago Blues Box Buddy Guy Signature Amp
Dan Butler [owner of Butler Custom Sound] was asked to sonically re-create
Buddy’s 1959 Bassman, which had been through a flood and had seen the original
speakers and chassis replaced. Through a careful dissection of Buddy’s original,
Butler discovered the electrical mojo that makes this amp tick, resulting in a
sparkling clean sound and a tight midrange that lets the highs just slide off the top.
If you’re looking for that classic Bassman sound, done better than the average old
Bassman, look no further.
Butler Custom Sound
MSRP $4800
chicagobluesbox.com
|
June 2007
The Ultimate Tube Amp
The Ultimate Tube Amp
Essentially a full tube amp in a svelte 13-pound package, this
amp delivers 100-watt non-master volume Marshall tones that
you can crank up and turn down (with the built-in attenuator) to
your heart’s content. With the master levels at about 12 o’clock,
the Ultimate Tube Amp has all of the touch sensitivity, dynamics
and note definition you’d find in a Marshall, and cleans up
beautifully with the help of your guitar’s volume knob. Guitarists
searching for that ‘80s “Brown Sound” will also want to check
this thing out. Despite a somewhat austere appearance, this
amp is for real.
Magus Innovations, LLC
Starting at $1400
ultimateattenuator.com
|
 |
 |
November 2007
Mesa Boogie Express 5:50
Experience 6L6s like they were meant to
be with this offering from the brain trust
at Mesa Boogie – sparkling clean with a
focused, rich bottom end. As the gain is
ratcheted up, the 6L6s remain smooth
like glass, meaning that no matter where
the knobs are set, you’ll be rewarded with
something expressive. This combo is capable
of running in Class A/B at 50 watts, or Class
A at five watts; Class A results in more breakup,
midrange and sag (perfect for a vintage,
bluesy vibe), while Class A/B gives the Express
more headroom, meaning tighter lows
and more prominent highs. Of course, being
a Mesa, this amp also has a pair of high-gain
huevos at it’s disposal. You want this.
Mesa Boogie
$1199
mesaboogie.com
|
January 2007
Orange Tiny Terror
As amps get more complex, adding channels
and innumerable EQ options, the experience
for guitarists can become a bit overwhelming
– sometimes you just want to plug in and
rock. The Orange Tiny Terror delivers stripped
down Class A tube sound on a budget. Featuring
a pair of EL84s and a duet of 12AX7s,
this amp can put out big, fat, ballsy tones at
both 15 and 7 watts (a club-worthy 15 watts,
at that). If you’re looking for a vintage-voiced
British experience and don’t need massive
wattage behind you, this is proof that good
things come in small packages.
Orange USA
MSRP $699.99
orangeamps.com
|
 |
|
Effects
Things on the average gearhead’s floor rarely garner
much respect – dirty clothes, empty beer cans
and the like. But when it comes to finding that
tone, sometimes the things on the floor make all
of the difference; whether it’s that interplanetary
phaser or the germanium overdrive, they have the
ability to add dimension to your guitar and amp.
We’ve had the pleasure of stepping on a lot of
pedals this year, and now present the best effects
of 2007, just in time for you to compile those
holiday wish lists.
|
 |
October 2007
SubDecay Liquid Sunshine Overdrive
SubDecay Studios has quickly turned into one of our
favorite boutique companies, creating inventive effects that
sound stellar while coming in at a decidedly non-boutique
price. The Liquid Sunshine is no exception, featuring two
Drive knobs – one controlling the guitar’s full frequency
range while the other boosts your mids and high frequencies
– allowing SubDecay to dispense with the dedicated
tone control. Two internal dip switches allow users to finetune
bass and treble response for their own tastes, but no
matter where the knobs are set, your amp will still sound
like, well, your amp. A sure addition to our desert-island
gear list.
SubDecay Studios
MSRP $149
subdecay.com
|
August 2007
Lovepedal Church of Tone 50
When you need some nuance, grab Lovepedal’s
COT50, which captures the response of a late
‘60s, 6550-loaded plexi. Boasting only one knob
and a true bypass stomp switch, the COT50
moves from just a touch of grit to full-tilt thickness,
all while retaining the sound of your guitar
and amp. This pedal also sidesteps that annoyingly
excessive boost in volume that many overdrive
pedals generate, and like most churches, it’s
is ominously quiet. Bow down.
Lovepedal
MSRP $229
lovepedal.com
|
 |
 |
September 2007
BSM Treble Boosters
Based on boosters used by Ritchie Blackmore and Tommy Bolin
(among others), these primitive precusors to the overdrive
pedal bring an old school vibe to any rig they’re paired with.
The HS-C provides a real germanium sound, while the no-frills
HS-S rocks with an American-flavored silicon circuit. The similarly
stripped-down FireBall – basically a tuned version of the
early germanium Hornby-Skews treble boosters – does the
Blackmore thing for days, while the Spectrum (featuring two
knobs) is relatively loaded and can move from a Stonesy-grind
to incredible feedback.
BSM
Starting at $219
treblebooster.net
U.S. distribution by pedalgeek.com
|
July 2007
Guyatone Ultrem & Ultron Hybrid Optical Effects
Say goodbye to all those other trems and wahs cluttering up
your board; these are unquestionably the deepest effects
we have gotten our hands on, each providing six gorgeous,
organic settings with enough knobs and options to keep you
tweaking long into the night. Run the Ultrem in stereo for
the thickest trem you’ve ever heard and relive those classic
Mu-tron III sounds with the Ultron. Even cooler, these pedals
provide digital control of the signal’s parameters while keeping
the original analog signal intact, meaning your tone stays
clean, even if your pants don’t.
Godlyke Distributing
Ultrem $375
Ultron $425
guyatone.com
|
 |
 |
November 2007
IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix
We’ve gone nuts for digital modeling lately, because it offers
endless possibilities. IK Multimedia has introduced their latest
incarnation of their AmpliTube modeling line, giving users the
ability to experience Hendrix’s gear without the vintage price
tag. This app uses the power of computing to achieve previously
unthinkable feats, like mixing and matching preamp and
power amp models, and switching your rig routing at the click
of a button. And with a raft of other features too extensive to
list here, you’ll spend more time playing and less time trolling
questionable websites.
IK Multimedia
MSRP $249
ikmultimedia.com
|
|
Accessories
Finding that special guitar and amp is a Sisyphean
task on its own, but once that perfect rig
is found, what excuse do you have for hanging
around the local guitar shop instead of mowing
the lawn on Saturday afternoons? Try this: offer
up earnest sounding yet obscure gems to your
significant other such as, “Honey, I need to find a
new tuner. Mine is getting all glitchy.” Or, “I think
my tuners are slipping. This could be a disaster
at my jam tonight.” These should afford you the
opportunity to sneak out of the house for at least
a couple of hours without doing too much damage
to either your relationship or your checkbook.
Plus, you get a chance to check out a few of our
top picks for 2007.
|
February 2007
Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuners
Planet Waves has long been known for producing
clever accessories for guitar players, offering up
everything from smart case humidifiers to quick-release
strap systems. This foray into guitar parts, with
Ned Steinberger’s design help, shows the same level
of end-user consideration present in the rest of their
product line. The Auto-Trim Tuners come across as typical
locking tuners, but with a nice curve thrown in: as it
gets closer to pitch, the Auto-Trim Tuner cuts the string
off for you, keeping one more tool at home – always a
good thing for typically overburdened guitarists.
Planet Waves
MSRP $89.99
planetwaves.com
|
 |
 |
February 2007
Peterson Tuners StroboFlip
Featuring sweetened tunings, along
with Buzz Feiten temperaments, the
StroboFlip proved to be more than
capable of covering every tuning need.
It also won over many fans around
the office for its compact design
and easy-to-read display. The intuitive
layout gives easy access to the functions
most commonly used, with the
only downside being the unit’s depth
of function, offering up perhaps more
features than most will ever use, and
the reason it earned top marks.
Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc.
MSRP $329
petersontuners.com
|
May 2007
WCR IronMan Humbucking Pickups
The WCR IronMan pickups deliver a unique approach to getting your
own sound by shipping various magnets along with the pickups, allowing
the end-user to determine if they prefer the flavor of an Alnico
8, Ceramic 8 or Alnico 5 in their humbucking stew. Our tone taster
preferred the Alnico 8’s flavorful mix of tight top and bottom with nice
mids. The magnet/pickup combo also offered up even upper harmonics
and tasty musical feedback. The Ceramic 8 was deemed appropriate
for metal and dropped tuning chores, while the Alnico 5 earned a
respectable third from our expert, illustrating differences in taste as well
as how flexible this multiple magnet arrangement is for finding your
ideal tone recipe.
WCR Pickups
Starting at $180
crcoils.com
|
 |
 |
August 2007
Glendale Tele Bridge and Saddles
Glendale brought their “A” game this
summer when they unleashed their nonmagnetic
bridge plate and Twang saddle
set on an unsuspecting PG staffer. By
using stainless steel for the bridge plate,
Glendale is able to deliver what our tester
described as “more piano-like brilliance”
as well as just all-around “more” tone
and depth than a typical Tele setup. The
compensated saddles were also a home
run, offering a more even tonal response
by adding aluminum for the E and A
saddle and traditional brass for the other
two. We gushed over the workmanship
and design of Glendale’s products, earning
the bridge-plate/saddle combination a
perfect game.
Glendale Guitars
Twang Saddles $54.99
Non-Magnetic Bridge-Plate $125
|
September 2007
Amalfitano SP Pickups
Our tester delivered a glowing review
praising the Amalfitano’s evenness in volume
while switching from neck to bridge,
the result of winding the pickups to
different values. He also loved their ability
to consistently deliver nearly perfect
Strat tones, damn the knob placement.
Featuring scatter-winding, described on
Amalfitano’s website as a “hand-wound,
non-uniform, wire layering technique,”
the SPs offer up more response to
dynamic input and a glorious vintage
tone. The reviewer suggested the SPs as
a replacement for a Strat with an anemic
bridge pickup, opining that the Amalfitano
bridge unit veers scarily close to
Tele territory. If the bridge position is this
good, you know neck and middle have to
be phenomenal.
Amalfitano Pickups
MSRP $250
amalfitanopickups.com
|
 |
 |
December 2007
ProStageGear PS-GFC Flight Case
If you’ve ever used a flight case, you
likely realized that there is a penalty
for the protection they offer: weight.
The people responsible for the PS-GFC
addressed this issue and came up with
a unique solution – a flight case with
a gig bag inside, enabling globetrotting
guitarists the ability to rock the flight
case to their destination, and the gig bag
once they arrive. An added benefit is the
ability to use any guitar from your quiver
that fits in the bag, as opposed to having
a big, expensive single-purpose custom
case. Don’t trust the baggage handlers?
Check out the PS-GFC.
ProStageGear
MSRP $389
prostagegear.com
|
|
Best of the Web
We spent weeks debating how we would
select the Best of 2007, and including
some of your choices was part of that
discussion. How could we best represent
what you have deemed drool-worthy?
Without further ado, we present a recap
of the most popular products of 2007
viewed online at premierguitar.com.
|
April 2007
Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 100 Head
When it comes to gigs, it used to be that
if you needed different tones, you had to
haul several amps and hook them all up
in a blizzard of cables. The Switchblade
100 aims to change that, with four distinct
channels, and a bevy of onboard effects.
Of course, if you still want to bring
the pedalboard, there’s an effects loop
capable of running in series or parallel
and with a +4/-10 dB selector, meaning
that everything from the smallest pedal
to the highest tech rack unit will work.
Hughes & Kettner
MSRP $1999
hughes-and-kettner.com
|
 |
 |
June 2007
Fender Champion 600
When the Champion 600 showed up in
our offices, the meager price stopped us
in our tracks. This “tribute” to the Fender
Champions of the ‘40s and ‘50s meant
that rich tube warmth was now available
to guitarists at a price that wouldn’t set
the kid’s college fund back. It has a three
dimensional quality not generally found
in amps in this price range, and features
an impressive response for such a small
package.
Fender Musical Instruments Co.
MSRP $266
fender.com
|
September 2007
SPG Guitars Vintage TL Chambered Guitar
Pulling the Vintage TL out of its case for
the first time is an experience; the highly
figured Maine birdseye top and birdseye
slab neck both scream out for attention.
And with a Glendale vintage compensated
bridge, Amalfitano custom wound
pickups, a RS Guitarworks super volume
pot and a ToneStyler tone control – designed
to expand the guitar’s traditional
frequency response – the Vintage TL is
just as beautiful on the inside. If you’re
looking for a versatile guitar that effortlessly
blends tradition and technology,
you’ve found it.
SPG Guitars
MSRP $1895
spgguitars.com
|
 |
 |
May 2007
Robin Savoy Dolphin Classic
Robin Owner/Founder Dave
Wintz was a big fan of the 1960s
USA-made Epiphone Rivera and
Sheridan models and wanted to
create something in that family. The
Savoy Dolphin Classic fits the bill
with a semi-hollow design, complete
with curvaceous f-holes, a
well-matched AAAA flame top and
abalone dolphins swimming across
the rosewood fretboard. Loaded
with Rio Grande BBQ and Genuine
Texas humbuckers, this guitar
shines with its balanced, complex
sounds, and aside from high-gain
mavens, players of all stripes will
find something to love here.
Robin Guitars
MSRP $3995
robinguitars.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
