Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

GALLERY: Gear Ads of the 1980s, Volume II

No, this isn't déjà vu, take another trip back in time to see the gear, hair, and clothes that made the '80s most excellent—party on, dudes!

Shawn Hammond
By Shawn HammondFeb 01, 2012
Shawn Hammond
Shawn Hammond was PG's editorial director from 2010 till the fall of 2022. You can follow him at @feverloveband.
See Full Bio

Laney Ace Frehley

"You mean to tell me that I'm standing here, in a photo shoot, ready to pimp my totally tubular new rig (thank god I finally got rid of all that old $#!%), and NOW you tell me that Sammy's got a lock on the whole Red Rocker thing?!!" [Launches lightning-bolt guitar at personal assistant's head.]

Check out our first gallery here!

whats-newgear-historygeargear-galleriesonline-only

The Latest

Way Huge Doom Hammer Review
Gear

Way Huge Doom Hammer Review

Blackstar guitar amplifier with a woven front and bold logo, featuring control knobs.
Gear

Blackstar Debut Bass 25 Review

Editors' Choice: Fuzz That Fuels PG Staff's Most Ripping Reveries
Gear

Editors' Choice: Fuzz That Fuels PG Staff's Most Ripping Reveries

Prime Day Deal Rundown: Top Picks for 2024!
Gear

Prime Day Deal Rundown: Top Picks for 2024!

Sponsored

Keeley’s Nocturne: Three Killer Reverbs in A Single Pedal

Silver & Black

My Favorite Tele Tones

More for you

Rig Rundown: Russian Circles’ Mike Sullivan [2025]

Rig Rundown: Russian Circles’ Mike Sullivan [2025]
- YouTube
youtu.be

After a devastating theft in 2021, the metal band’s guitarist rebuilt his tone empire around some life-changing loans.

Keep ReadingShow less

Most Popular

Close-up of a unique electric guitar with a striking design, resting in a velvet-lined case.
Pro-Advice

The Strangest—and Biggest—Gibson Ever Built

D’Addario Launches XPND Core Pedalboards and Backline Core Transport Bags
News

D’Addario Launches XPND Core Pedalboards and Backline Core Transport Bags

What a ’60s Japanese Electric Guitar Teaches About Collecting
Wizard of Odd

What a ’60s Japanese Electric Guitar Teaches About Collecting

Strymon Releases The Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive
News

Strymon Releases The Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive

Analog vs Digital Guitar Gear: Why the Future Is Already Here
Last Call

Analog vs Digital Guitar Gear: Why the Future Is Already Here

Gear Finds: Acoustic Edition 2022
Gear Finds

Gear Finds: Acoustic Edition 2022

Mr. Black Mod.One Review

Mr. Black Mod.One Review

An all-analog flange and chorus with a lot of character.

Keep ReadingShow less

PRS SE Chleo Herman Li Signature Review

PRS SE Chleo Herman Li Signature Review

In shape and sound, the Chleo Limited Edition is a very different PRS. It is, in part, a product of the vision of Herman Li, who is one half of the virtuoso lead guitar team behind DragonForce. With a total production of just 200 instruments, and a price tag just below $7,000 (and currently fetching upward of $12,500 on Reverb) the original Maryland-built version remains well out of reach for many of Li’s core fans (not to mention some wealthy landowners).

Keep ReadingShow less

Bad Cat Ocelot Review

Black guitar amplifier with illuminated grill and various control knobs.

The similarities between Bad Cat’s light, compact, and versatile new Ocelot lunchbox head and its South American feline namesake make the amp’s moniker a truly apt one. A real ocelot is lean and agile, generally weighs around 20 pounds, and boasts incandescent eyes that glow when illuminated. It also packs a formidable bite quotient and can produce a loud, forceful roar or a softer, if no less menacing, close-range purr.

Keep ReadingShow less

Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers Rig Rundown

Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers Rig Rundown

Bill Murray might be most famous for his acting in classics like Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day, but he’s also a bona fide belter and has performed as a singer on stages big and small over the years. A while back, he linked up with guitarists Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia, and Jimmy Vivino to form Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, a blues-rock outfit.

Keep ReadingShow less