The Smiths icon and renowned collaborator and guitarist’s guitarist steps out as a confident frontman on his third studio album, Call the Comet.
Make no mistake. Johnny Marr is one of the defining guitarists of the 1980s. A true master of melody and economy, the former Smiths guitarist’s stylish and understated—though never uninspired—playing has earned him a top spot on the short list of the most influential and singular musicians of his generation. However, there’s far more to Marr’s oeuvre than just the contributions he made as the key sonic architect of those cultishly beloved Smiths records.
Over the 31 years since the Smiths’ demise, the Mancunian guitar hero’s immediately recognizable playing has popped up in seemingly infinite and varied places, including substantial appearances on albums by the Talking Heads and Oasis, a tour with the Pretenders, and long-term stints as a member of English post-punk mavericks the The and American indie-rockers Modest Mouse. In recent years, Marr has even found himself scoring major Hollywood films like Inception and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 alongside industry titan Hans Zimmer. Amid all of it, the ever-restless Marr has somehow found the time to continue the process of redefining himself as a solo artist, and has just released his third solo LP, Call the Comet.
On the new album, Marr appears a confident and charismatic frontman and songwriter. He’s never been one to deny his muse a trip to unexpected territory, and the album draws from a wide swath of the many facets that have developed within Marr’s musical world over the years, ranging from the jangling melodic pop he’s best known for to glam-rock barnstormers, electronic groovers, and a litany of other styles. Despite the eclectic nature of its songs, Call the Comet is a remarkably cohesive record that’s brilliantly laced together by the man’s incomparable pop sensibilities. His love affair with the guitar remains the true life force of the album. So much so that Call the Comet could serve well as a manifesto of sorts for Marr’s guitar work. Rendered with chiming 12 strings, capo-choked altered tunings, and his hallmark ability to pen impossibly catchy guitar hooks, Call the Comet was tracked using many of the iconic vintage instruments fans will recognize from throughout Marr’s career, including quite a few purchased directly from the Who’s late bassist and avid guitar collector, John Entwistle.
PG was graciously granted an opportunity to pick the mind of the disarmingly friendly icon during a break while on tour. The passion Marr still harbors for the instrument is downright palpable, and the ensuing chat found us deep in the details of his fantastic new album, and yielded pearls of wisdom on everything from the man’s general guitar philosophy, approach to collaboration, his late-career love affair with the Fender Jaguar, and yes—the Smiths.
Having lived so many different lives as a guitarist and songwriter, you remain not only wildly prolific, but focused on creating new things rather than subsiding on your legacy. Could you pinpoint what keeps you so inspired as a guitarist after all these years?
The thing that keeps me excited about it is the thing that always excited me about it! Some of that is mysterious and I’m not entirely able to analyze it, which I’m happy about and like that I can’t really figure it out. I’ve just always honored my enthusiasm and love for the guitar and I’ve never let myself get a jaded attitude or really lost my original love for the thing that it does.
There are some things I can analyze objectively about the guitar—one of which is that I think it’s an incredible machine for making pop and rock music on. That was something I identified as a teenager and that’s never really left me. I know that guitars do a thing that literally only guitars can do—harmonically, sonically, etc. On a record, I like killer Moog sounds and interesting synth sounds or what a good piano can do, and really all the aspects of certain kinds of records, but I go out of my way to try and put some parts down and really make them work on the guitar, like, it’s my duty, really.
It’s been very interesting to see how well your playing style works in different contexts over the years. How would you say your identity as a player has evolved—especially with the varied projects you’ve taken on?
Thank you for saying so. If my identity has changed, it’s only changed to the outside world. In my own mind, I’ve never had any restrictions as to what I could or would do. I’ve always wanted to explore everything on the guitar, perhaps with the exception of certain very particular styles. For example, growing up when I did, blues-rock was already kind of done, so that was something I went out of my way to avoid. The same with stuff like shredding. I’m not judgmental about anything, to each their own, but it can be good to know what you don’t want to do. But really everything else was fair game. Like back in the old days, I couldn’t wait to turn the tape around backwards and do reverse guitar stuff on Smiths records. Any technique that served the kind of music that I wanted to make was always fair game.
I think, and hope, variation has come into people’s idea of me now, which is to say I’m not only about “This Charming Man” or jangling away on a Rickenbacker.
Johnny Marr says his third solo album, Call the Comet, is “mostly concerned with the idea of an alternative society.” It was recorded with Marr’s band at the Crazy Face Factory in his hometown of Manchester, England.
Your style is immediately recognizable. Do you have any advice for players looking to forge an identity in an age where it both feels like it’s all been done, yet new tech and the number of possibilities it presents can be overwhelming?
The amount of possibilities is an interesting point to raise, because in today’s culture, there really is option fatigue. The digital revolution across all the arts has made it so simple now to go down any road, and we all know how easy it is to pull down the plug-in and you’ve immediately gone from having a ’60s keyboard sound to a full orchestra, and that can often mess with the identity and direction of music. It’s not always the best thing to be able to have literally everything at your fingertips.
I come from a school of thinking where it’s very important for a musician to have their own style—regardless of whether they were famous or not. It was part of learning and developing as a player to have your own thing. Sure, you have to learn from your heroes and different sources, but it was almost a given that your endgame was to try and be as much of an individual as possible. I do believe that if it’s on someone’s agenda to have their own sound and style, that awareness and intention is really important and will carry you through. I think it’s terribly important to at least want to have your own individual style.
That said, you do have to learn from somebody and it’s great to be inspired. I was inspired by all kinds of different players and records. The organ on Mott the Hoople’s All the Young Dudes was a really big thing for me harmonically. Some of the backing vocals on the T. Rex records, too. I’ve done things like put a slide guitar through a wah-wah and harmonized it purely to get the same effect as Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan [aka Flo & Eddie] who sang on Marc Bolan’s records. They had this very feline backing vocal sound that you hear on things like “Get It On” and “Metal Guru,” and I’ve often done that on tracks. I think whatever you’re influenced by is fine as long as you’re passionate about it and you have the intention of being unique.
Why does Johnny prefer Jaguars? “When I’ve played with other guitarists, my guitar tends to sit just a bit above everyone else’s Les Pauls and even Strats, and that kind of suits me well,” Marr shares. Photo by Lindsey Best
“Hey Angel” is a very T. Rex-esque track and has some very muscular, distorted guitar sounds that are a departure from those most would associate with you. Could you tell me how you copped the tones on that one?
I was definitely a child of glam and it’s been on quite a lot of things that I’ve done over the years, and I’m happy that that came through there! The main rhythm guitar on there is a 1973 Les Paul Custom, like the one James Williamson used in the Stooges. That guitar was running through a Fender Bassman cranked up very hot. The solo and lead parts were done with the Carl Martin PlexiTone pedal, which is a great-sounding thing!
On that track, I didn’t layer the guitar because sometimes when you track a thick barre-chord rhythm part, you can make it sound more conventional or too polished if you’re not careful, which can go against your intention to make it heavier. A good example is what Mick Ronson used to do with Bowie when he would try to ape Jeff Beck’s 1960s Yardbirds style, and I’ve often intentionally left just one raw, in-your-face Gibson sound on a track in that style. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” off the last Smiths record comes to mind.
Are you still using the Boss GT-100 multi-effects processor live, and can you explain why you’ve stuck with that unit for so long when the industry has experienced such quantum leaps in modeling tech over the years?
I use that live and for a very, very simple reason: I need to be able to scroll up and down through patches without having to look at my feet. Those Roland/Boss multi-effects have a control input that allows me to scroll patches the way I like without breaking my concentration on being in the moment with an audience. I found when I toured in the early 2000s with the Healers and had a more conventional board that I had to either make the decision to have less patches available—which I didn’t want to do because it meant standard delay times, overdrives, lead sounds, etc., and I had to be looking down between verses and solos—or doing it the way I do it with the GT-100, which is have a single up/down pedal at my mic stand and learn the combinations up and down through the patches that I need to do, which is easy. It’s so much more about simply honoring being a singer and a frontman.
I have to say that I defy anyone to be able to tell the difference live between the GT-100 and my boutique effects board sonically. When I program it, I’m pretty nerdy about it and I get in pretty deep with the tonal modification. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I might be going to a different system sometime next year, but I also didn’t want to take someone with me on the road just to go up and down through my patches. I’m not playing stadiums yet!
On the flipside of that, could you tell us about the gear that inspired you or made important appearances on the new album?
I used the amps that I’ve had and used forever: a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb, which is my main amp, and a blackface 1960s Fender Twin Reverb that I’ve used on almost every record I’ve done. A lot of guitar sounds on the album came from an old HH Musician transistor amplifier, which all the British new wave bands used in the late 1970s and sounds crazy good. I also used my old tweed Bassman from the ’50s.
Pedal-wise, the Lovetone pedals that I got in the ’90s still sound really good to me, and I used the Brown Source overdrive and the Doppelganger on a really slow setting, so it’s very subtle and gives the sound a sort of trippy modulation. One of the really old MXR flangers from the late ’70s was on the album a fair bit. I also like the Carl Martin AC-Tone, which is really good, and the Carl Martin reverb is excellent. I always use a Diamond Compressor with my Jaguar; they’re sort of made to be with each other in my experience. I also use a subtle modulator pedal called Mr. Vibromatic, by SIB! Electronics, and I really like the new Electro-Harmonix MEL9 Mellotron pedal. For some backwards sounds, I use the old green Line 6 DL4 delay—there’s something about the creaminess of the sound and the lack of artificial top end on those things. They’re kind of the best real-time backwards sound I’ve heard so far. I only use them for that particular sound. A good crunch sound I get on the song “Rise” is the Menatone King of the Britains, which I love.
Guitars
Fender Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar
1963 Stratocasters (two sunburst, one Lake Placid blue, one white)
1973 Gibson Les Paul Custom
1980s Gibson Les Paul Standard (red)
1960s Gibson ES-355
1960s Rickenbacker 330/12
1960s Gretsch 6120
1960s Epiphone Casino
Amps
1965 blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb
1960s blackface Fender Twin Reverb
1950s tweed Fender Bassman
1970s HH Musician transistor amp
Effects
Lovetone Brown Source
Lovetone Doppelganger
Menatone King of the Britains
Carl Martin AC-Tone
Carl Martin PlexiTone
Carl Martin Headroom Reverb
SIB! Electronics Mr. Vibromatic
Electro-Harmonix M9 Mellotron
Line 6 DL4
Diamond Compressor
Boss GT-100 Multi-Effects Processor (live)
Strings and Picks
Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings (.011–.048)
D’Addario acoustic strings (.012–.053)
Ernie Ball Medium picks
I think we’re living in a really interesting age where there are sooo many pedals and tones available, which I’m excited about despite the option fatigue thing.
Could you tell us about your love affair with the Fender Jaguar? What makes them the perfect guitar for what you do these days?
What makes it so good for me from a technical point of view is the scale length, the radius of the fingerboard, and the way they set up—when they’re done right—steers me in a direction that really accentuates the way I play. It doesn’t invite me to play too bluesy, and it makes me want to play in a way that really rings out the notes, and if I want to get more rock ’n’ roll or bluesy, I have to make a real conscious decision to do that on these guitars. Part of that is because the fingerboard radius makes it more of a chore to play that way—sort of the opposite of a Les Paul. There’s also something about the way they sit on me, as an instrument, that makes them feel very lively. I tend to play louder than people might imagine, but with a light style, and that gives me an opportunity to really pop it sometimes and dig in, and the Jag has a lot of dynamic range in how responsive they are. The way the whole thing comes together harmonically cuts through the mix out front really well, too. I tend not to play a lot of moody bass note-y things, and a Jag pokes through in the upper mids in a way that really suits my melodic sensibilities. When I’ve played with other guitarists, my guitar tends to sit just a bit above everyone else’s Les Pauls and even Strats, and that kind of suits me well. Presence is a good word for it, but not like some horrible bright machine, which is a reductive and inaccurate way of looking at a Jag.
Jaguars can be a complex instrument to set up. Could you explain how you like to run your Jags, and perhaps any tips you have for getting the most out of one?
I find you absolutely have to have .011s on a Jag. No question on that! Guitarists that are used to playing with .010s on other guitars will find a Jag with .011s will behave in a way they understand. I personally set up my Jags so they have a little bit of fight in them. I won’t say high action, but they’re certainly not set up for fast shredding, and that gives it some real punch when you’re playing rhythm, and some real wallop and bottom end. I have a little shim that I put in the neck that’s .6 mm, and I find the neck angle is crucial on Jaguars, more so than almost any other guitar. The neck angle and the string break across the bridge really needs to be fine-tuned, but I’ve got it down now, between myself and my tech. It’s all about string tension with them.
How many of the iconic guitars from your past do you still have? Some of those instruments have taken on a life of their own, for example, Ryan Adams bought a red ’80s Les Paul Standard and fitted it with a gold Bigsby because he’s such a big fan.
I’ve still got all of those guitars! I should say that the red ’80s Les Paul that Ryan’s so fond of is an exceptional guitar, and I used that one on this record on quite a lot of arpeggio parts to double-track what I would do on the Jag. You hear the ES-355 from the Smiths days on “Hi Hello,” but I find I’m able to re-appropriate that sound really well with my new blue signature Jag onstage. I’m surprised with how well that’s turned out. I still have that green Telecaster that a lot of fans talk about—weighs a ton! I’ve got all the old favorites because I really love ’em. I still have the first Smiths guitar, the Gretsch Super Axe, and my black Rickenbacker 12-string was used on “Day In Day Out.” I also used the Epiphone Casino, which I wrote a lot of Meat Is Murder on, and a white ’63 Fender Strat from those days.
All of those guitars had a real direct effect on my songwriting back then, simply because it was so incredible to me that I was able to own each one of them. I had been so broke as a kid that I wrote a whole load of songs as soon as I got one of those guitars, and that was a rule I had for myself to justify buying one. The only Smiths guitars I don’t have any more are the ones I’ve given to Noel Gallagher and Bernard Butler.
In this photo, a young Johnny Marr plays a sunburst Strat while rehearsing with Bryan Ferry in December of 1987, just months after Marr left the Smiths. Photo by Ebet Roberts
You bought a lot of guitars from John Entwistle of the Who, who had a legendary collection. Could you tell me more about what you got out of that collection?
The main one for me was the mid-’60s Gretsch 6120 that I believe was on the wall in that famous scene in The Kids Are Alright, where he walks down the stairs and has all the guitars on the wall. I wondered for a while if it was the one Pete Townshend used on Eric Clapton’s Rainbow
Concert, and it might be ... it really does look like it is. That one is a really radical guitar, so beautiful. I also got a couple of sunburst 1963 Strats from him, my ’60s Lake Placid Blue Strat, and the Fender Bassman I mentioned earlier.
How did that deal happen? I’ve heard he actually approached you.
Yeah! We have a mutual friend in Alan Rogan, who is the Who’s guitar tech. John knew that Alan was doing some work with me and Alan guided me towards it and thought I should have some guitars. Alan pretty much marched me ’round to John’s and made me buy them! He also made me buy my vintage Fender amps that I still use to this day.
I assume that includes Pete Townshend’s former 1960 Les Paul Standard that Noel Gallagher allegedly stole/borrowed indefinitely from you?
You know, he hasn’t really stolen it. It’s very much his guitar and I should say that for the record. He’s also got the black 1973 Les Paul Custom that I wrote and recorded The Queen Is Dead on. I gave him that back in the days when I was drinking and he needed a guitar, and I didn’t want to give him something terrible. Bernard Butler has my sunburst Gibson ES-335 12-string, which I used a whole lot on Strangeways, Here We Come and “Shoplifters of the World.” I’m honestly really happy about those guys having those guitars: They went to really, really good homes.
With Noel, I had no idea he was going to be a big success! He was just a guy who I liked who needed helping out. Strange how things turn out, but we all need a bit of help now and then. I’ve certainly had people help me out before, so it all works out.
The track “Bug” is such a banger of a rock ’n’ roll song, and sounds like something a band would write just jamming in a rehearsal space. How’d that one come about?
I was kicking around at home on the Jaguar with the capo on the 4th fret … surprise surprise! That combination’s been good to me over the years. When I was young and got into capos, for no educated or logical reason, I had a feeling the guitar just liked having a capo on the 4th fret. It was a super instinctive decision and, over the years, people thought it had something to do with the key myself or Morrissey preferred to sing in. But the truth is, I just felt like the guitar was happy there, and “Bug” was one of those where I threw the capo on there and before I knew it I had that intro riff. It all came together quickly. To be fair, I was sort of imagining how the Clash would have sounded were I in that band, so that was my lateral thinking.
When I have that scenario with a riff first, especially an electric guitar riff, I just program a basic beat to get the demo down, and I like to get a vocal down very quickly and work around that. That was something I did in the Smiths days, too. I learned not to be that guy who has got this killer backing track that you spent a week on, but then you have to climb the mountain and turn it into a real song. So, I like to have most of the vocal worked out before I get the band in, and that’s the frontman in me, I think.
Photo by Niall Lea
I don’t believe it’s a stretch to say the defining feature of your career is your brilliance as a collaborator. How do you approach placing your guitar in so many varied contexts without drastically altering your playing style?
One of the things that was handy for me was the way I learned, because I learned playing along with records. I was copying things off maybe something by T. Rex or Sparks, and studying how the guitar fit in with everything else, rather than just putting my head down and concentrating on me and no one else. So, much of my early learning was about listening to and analyzing records, and not just the guitar parts. Wanting to copy what was going on with an organ part and focusing on those chordal swells or the voicings underneath a verse, or even things like big pianos playing single notes to punctuate the accents on a song ... that kind of thing really taught me a lot. When it comes to playing with other people, especially if another guitarist is taking up a lot of space on record or onstage, I’m aware that there are a lot of other places where you can add some color and accentuate things, rather than defaulting to two guys trying to make some sort of a mosaic of guitar. That thing can be cool, too, and I know how to do that from being a big fan of the Rolling Stones in the mid-’70s and trying to work out how those two guitars got together.
I guess I had this idea early on as a guitarist about being appropriate, and sometimes being appropriate means being really big, and I did that a lot in the The. To maybe look at it a bit simplistically, I know that if I’m guesting on a track or onstage with somebody, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m supposed to be the loudest or most constant thing on the track. It’s got to be music and it’s got to fit the arrangement! That sensibility is probably why it’s worked out for me on a lot of other people’s records. You have to know that the music’s way more important than you.
According to Marr, string tension is the key to playing Fender Jaguars. Here he is with his signature model in sherwood green. “I personally set up my Jags so they have a little bit of fight in them,” he says. Photo by Debi Del Grande
You’ve done a lot of soundtrack work for major films in recent years, working alongside the great Hans Zimmer. How has that work changed you as a player?
What it’s brought to my playing is a certain freedom to really go whichever way I want. Hans generally wants me to find a killer melody to work over his chords, and it’s nice that I’m given that job. I follow emotional themes in the movie and try to find melodies that fit them, and Hans uses me to be both melodic and atmospheric, and abstract, which is a pretty fun combination. I’m not thinking about what it’s going to be like onstage, which is how I think when I write for my own records, and I’m not thinking about arrangements. Another important part of playing with Hans, which I think is obvious, is that we really go for something dramatic.
I’ve seen photos of Hans Zimmer playing guitar. How’s his guitar playing?
He’s a really interesting guitarist! He learned all the prog stuff when he was a teenager and he’s a damn good rock-guitar player, but he likes breaking the rules, so he plays weird homemade guitars and cigar-box guitars. It’s a combination of wanting to be maverick and knowing a few killer Steve Howe riffs. He’s really good when he wants to play, though he’ll say he’s much worse than he really is.
You work your guitar in around electronic elements a lot. A great example on this album is the track “Actor Attractor.” Do you have any advice for guitarists struggling to write and play on tracks with big synth sounds?
Yeah! When I first started layering guitars on top of a lot of synthesizers in the late ’80s with Electronic and the Pet Shop Boys, it was a challenge and I spent an awful lot of time trying to match the guitar sound with that of the synth. I don’t do the sound matching so much these days. I think so much of it is about the part specifically, and then making the sonics fit the part. If the part is right, you can grab an ES-335 and put it through a Vox amp and I’ve found that often will sit nicely on a synth bed or a synth pulse, and almost do more honor to what that guitar sounds like, which I find offers some contrast and is more interesting than trying to bury a guitar in with the synths. Over the years, I’ve found a bluesy guitar sound over a synth pulse really works for some reason.
On “Actor Attractor,” I found I could help the guitar join the party by making it very, very backwards and atmospheric, but I still didn’t try to make it sound like a synth. I honored what the synth was and let it be its own thing and then tried to imagine that the guitar was in a similar mindset, and asked what would be a similar mindset to a moody, dark synth? Backwards immediately came to mind and, hey, I think it did the trick. The other guitar sound on that track is my Jaguar through the nasty transistor HH amp. So, if you’ve got to find something that complements a synth, it should have more to do with attitude than sonics.
I’m a fan of the rockabilly side of your playing, like the Smiths’ “Vicar in a Tutu” and “Nowhere Fast.” Are you still interested in that kind of playing, and is it something you still mess around with at all?
I guess it was such a big part of that period of the Smiths, from early ’85 to late ’86, and I associate it with writing a certain kind of song. The last few years, I’ve remembered how much I like Les Paul as a guitarist, and if you listen to his more sparse stuff, like his version of “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” it’s really futuristic in the realest sense. That’s something that I’m attracted to these days in that sound, but I wasn’t thinking like that back in the day. I just really liked the approach to the guitar on early rock ’n’ roll records: Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup, Eddie Cochran, that great thing that those rock ’n’ roll guitars had on records, including acoustics! But my interest in the ’50s guitar now rests much more on the ’50s idea of futurism. I must confess I’ve been wondering about that sound and approach again, but I don’t know if rockabilly songwriting is where I am these days. So much of those great rockabilly records are really about the singer singing in a ’50s kind of style and the guitar is a great adornment for it, and I really do love what those records are about, but I haven’t really thought about writing in that direction for a really long time. I still like them as a listener and a guitar fan.
Do you have a guitar contribution to the Smiths that you feel is underappreciated?
A friend of mine is completely nuts about “The Draize Train,” and when he plays it in the car, there are some pretty good things going on in it. There’s a sound that people assume is a sequencer on there—especially because I’d been working with Bernard Sumner of New Order around then—and it’s actually a really badass Les Paul Custom through a gate. The very fact that I wasn’t using synths made that approach quite unique then. And there’s a thing I did with harmonics on that track, which I quite like.
I think the whole of the last album, Strangeways, Here We Come, has some good moments of guitar on it that I was really working on. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” has some good stuff on it, sort of a guitar orchestra going on. The little figure on the end of “Well I Wonder” was always something that I liked. What I was doing with echoes and delays that people didn’t notice so much—but things like the outro on “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” and things like “Half a Person.” In all honesty, I think over the years I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of stuff appreciated, like nothing hasn’t had the light shined on it at some point. That isn’t false modesty, but when I really think about it, people have mentioned liking quite a lot of that stuff along the line, and I appreciate the thought!
In this live video from Conan O’Brien’s talk show, Johnny Marr and his killer band crack into “Bug” off of Call The Comet.
Johnny Marr in full flight with the Smiths on the German live music program Rockpalast in 1984.
The final day is here! Enter Stompboxtober Day 31 for your last chance to win today’s pedal from Keeley and finish the month strong!
Keeley Octa Psi Transfigurating Fuzz Pedal with Polyphonic Pitch Shifting
Meet the OCTA PSI Transfigurating Fuzz – The Ultimate Combination of Pitch-Shifter, Octave Generator, and Tri-Voiced Analog Fuzz! Key features include: Instant Effect Order Switching, Flexible Output Configuration, Momentary or Latching Octave/Pitch, and more! Each pitch shift mode includes an up, down, and dual setting, resulting in 24 different modes.
Does the guitar’s design encourage sonic exploration more than sight reading?
A popular song between 1910 and 1920 would usually sell millions of copies of sheet music annually. The world population was roughly 25 percent of what it is today, so imagine those sales would be four or five times larger in an alternate-reality 2024. My father is 88, but even with his generation, friends and family would routinely gather around a piano and play and sing their way through a stack of songbooks. (This still happens at my dad’s house every time I’m there.)
Back in their day, recordings of music were a way to promote sheet music. Labels released recordings only after sheet-music sales slowed down on a particular song. That means that until recently, a large section of society not only knew how to read music well, but they did it often—not as often as we stare at our phones, but it was a primary part of home entertainment. By today’s standards, written music feels like a dead language. Music is probably the most common language on Earth, yet I bet it has the highest illiteracy rate.
From electric and acoustic guitars to amps to (many) pedals, here is the gear Premier Guitar’s staff gave the coveted Premier Gear Award to over the past 12 months. Dig in and covet!
Every year at this time we present our editors’ and reviewers’ choices of the best gear of the preceding 12 months. This year, it's a wide range of, well, just about everything that speaks to us as guitar players. Get ready to be impressed by this top-shelf selection of instruments, amps, and pedals.
Way Huge Stone Burner Sub Atomic Fuzz Pedal
WAY HUGE
Stone Burner
(January 2024)
Another offspring of the much-cherished Way Huge Atreides Weirding Module, the Stone Burner is effectively the octave-fuzz section from the Atreides—no small gift to players that found little use for that pedal’s modulation section. With the option to add as many as two sub-octaves to the super-wild fuzz, the Stone Burner is beastly. But creative players will find many strange and heavy synth-like and fractured sounds that transcend mere heaviness.
Marshall ST20C Studio JTM 1 x 12-inch 20-/5-watt Tube Combo Amplifier
MARSHALL
JTM ST20C Studio
(January 2024)
For a company so famously associated with bigness, Marshall downsizes quite gracefully. There is precedent for this, of course: The Marshall 18-watt is an all-time classic. But the 5881-powered JTM Studio ST20C mimics another classic entirely by assuming much of the sonic and tactile personality of the original Marshall JTM45. That means it has a knack for moving between American and British accents without sacrificing the ability to roar and bite that so many Marshall players savor.
Skreddy Pedals Skunk Drive Model 1606
SKREDDY
Skunk Drive Model 1606
(February 2024)
Skreddy’s Marc Ahlfs derives big-time inspiration from the sounds of Jimmy Page. In the form of the Skunk, Ahlfs focused on the dynamite and sometimes rather rude tones of Page’s Supro 1690T Coronado—the little beast behind Led Zeppelin I and the “Stairway to Heaven” solo. The Skunk certainly has those kinds of fangs. It’s midrange-y, a little compressed in the fashion of a Fender tweed, and readily ranges from boosted to almost-fuzzy fare.
$215 street, skreddypedals.comRead the Review
EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder Distortion Pedal
EARTHQUAKER
Zoar
(February 2024)
The Zoar pedal will probably attract players that lean toward its more aggressive side. After all, reviewer Dave Hunter remarked that, “from razory and tight to flabby and bovine, there’s an entire world of high-gain, fuzzy distortion available.” But Hunter also found scads of lower-gain sounds that can be tuned for very specific needs using the powerful EQ and weight controls. The price is right too.
earthquakerdevices.com
Read the Review
MOOER Micro Looper II
MOOER
Micro Looper II
(February 2024)
This tiny budget box from Mooer should satisfy every casual-to-intermediate loop enthusiast. The Micro Looper II is a cinch to operate, with basic, intuitive controls and clear parameters. You don’t have to grapple with a maze of menus on a tiny screen, and the auto record function is a great remedy for slight timing discrepancies. With three banks of 16 save slots, the Micro Looper II has 48 total spaces for unlimited-layer, 10-minute loops. Time to get loopy!
$88 street, mooeraudio.com
Mythos The Fates
MYTHOS
The Fates
(March 2024)
If you got 90 percent of the way to the sound of an original Boss CE-2, you would still have a fine chorus on your hands. We would venture that Mythos did better than that with the Fates, though. With the addition of vibrato and increased depth range, they also made it more flexible than the Boss classic. The Fates also looks and feels fantastic inside and out. It’s well made and a fine way to cover the iconic chorus sounds you associate with the Smiths or the Pretenders—and go another step beyond.
$219 street, mythospedals.com
Gibson Falcon 5 7-watt 1 x 10-inch Tube Combo Amplifier
Falcon 5
(March 2024)
If you love the sound of vintage Gibson and Valco combos, but appreciate the clarity, quality, robust punch—and some of the functionality—of a modern boutique amp, this 10"-speaker-equipped gem, which can flip between 3 and 7 watts, could be your pearl. Delicious overtones hang in the air, the mids and lows are fat and present with just the right amount of sag, and that light, distant fog that colors the originals is supplanted by clean, well-defined tones. It’s also kickass with dirt pedals.
Meris MercuryX Modular Reverb System Pedal
MERIS
MercuryX
(March 2024)
The MercuryX, an update of the Mercury7, is an embarrassment of reverb riches. It’s a testament to the Meris engineering team that they programmed so many beautiful, haunting, inspiring reverb algorithms into just one box. Each algorithm can be modulated to infinity and beyond. And the interface does an impressive job of massaging what could be a complex operating experience. It ain’t cheap, but when you consider the wealth of reverb sounds, and the customizability of those sounds, the price tag isn’t quite so daunting.
Fishman Loudbox Micro 40-watt 1 x 5.25-inch Acoustic Combo Amp
FISHMAN
Loudbox Micro
(March 2024)
Featuring both instrument and mic channels (the former has knobs for 3-band EQ, gain, reverb, and chorus intensity as well as a phase switch), the bantamweight Fishman Loudbox Micro acoustic amp goes largely undetected at the end of a signal chain. It preserves critical brightness in fingerpicking, and keeps string separation intact when strummed. Slight drawbacks are that the chorus intensity knob only introduces significant warble from 7 o’clock to noon, and not a lot after that. Otherwise, this conveniently portable little amp should satisfy even purists.
Third Man Hardware Fuzz-a-Tron
THIRD MAN HARDWARE
Fuzz-a-Tron
(May 2024)
The Third Man take on a fuzz-pedal kit has just a few components—two transistors, four capacitors, and four resistors, to be exact—and such easy-to-follow instructions that the Fuzz-a-Tron sets a new benchmark in the entry-level kit market. The cool, wedge-shaped enclosure gives the pedal a retro vibe, and the Fuzz-a-Tron delivers a tone that matches, sizzling like a Fuzzrite, but with a less cutting treble and tight mids. It’ll scratch your pedal-building itch with just basic soldering requirements.
$75 street, thirdmanrecords.com
PRS MT 100 Mark Tremonti 100-watt Tube Amplifier Head
MT 100
(April 2024)
Mark Tremonti’s latest signature amplifier is something of a contrarian, given the downsizing trends in amp land. At 100 watts, it’s super powerful. But it also pulls off the clever feat of employing three channels while feeling streamlined and simple to use. The bells and whistles are few, but the MT 100’s ability to span Fender Twin Reverb-style clean tones and ripping high-gain lead sounds makes extras feel superfluous.
Electro-Harmonix Canyon Echo Delay Pedal
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
Pico Canyon
(April 2024)
There is little that is pico about the Pico Canyon’s performance. The filter control adds tone-shaping versatility, the 8-millisecond-to-3-second delay range is super wide, and the infinite repeats function effectively as a looper at times. It’s much more than just a utilitarian echo, too. And though its voice is pretty neutral in color, that means more headroom for the odd modulation, lo-fi, and ring-modulation-like effects that the pedal can yield via creative tinkering.
Electro-Harmonix Oceans 3-verb Reverb Pedal
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
Pico Oceans 3-Verb
(April 2024)
Seeking a reverb that’s tiny, practical, and maybe just a little wild? Well, the Oceans 3-Verb covers the first two by focusing on essentials and fundamentals, and the digital emulations of spring, plate, and hall reverbs are great. But in the event you need to get weird, there’s also an infinite reverb that works in the hall and plate settings, which is awesome for droning. Those interested in more extreme versions of the three voices will appreciate the 3-Verb’s capacity for mega-ambience at higher control settings.
Wren and Cuff Eye See '78
WREN AND CUFF
Eye See ’78
(April 2024)
Matt Holl’s lovingly executed Big Muff homages have traditionally focused on Ram’s Head and Sovtek versions. But the Eye See ’78 is a thrilling take on the V4 Big Muff, which was distinguished by the temporary switch to an op-amp-based circuit. Though the Eye See ’78 possesses all the monstrous charms of any classic Big Muff—mass, volume, and crunch—it has a mid-forward voice that is atypical of Big Muffs but still quite capable of leveling brick buildings.
$324 street,wrenandcuff.com
Pigtronix Cosmosis Stereo Morphing Reverb Guitar Effects Pedal Blue
PIGTRONIX
Cosmosis Stereo Reverb
(April 2024)
We commented that the Cosmosis evokes spaces measured in light years, and that’s not hyperbole. It can be dialed in to create big octave-up reverb textures that avoid the more cloying manifestations of those sounds. But it’s comfortable generating more modest and convincing amp- and room-like sounds too. A morph function enables players to readily move between these extremes, making this a very powerful tool for live performance.
PRS SE CE 24 Standard Satin Electric Guitar
PRS
SE CE 24 Standard Satin
(May 2024)
The Indonesia-built SE CE 24 Standard Satin probably could have been half the guitar it is and still be a ripping deal at $499. Construction quality is top-notch, the coil-splitting capacity makes it PAF-to-Stratocaster versatile, and the import version of PRS’ patented vibrato is rock steady. Players that like to eschew flash will be pleased to see a PRS in such a modest and understated guise.
Carr Bel-Ray
CARR
Bel-Ray
(May 2024)
As the Bel-Ray ably demonstrates, Steve Carr’s designs do not merely ape traditional American-style circuits. They are highly original and imaginative. And in this case, the amp bellows with a mighty English accent. The Vox AC15 and 18-watt Marshall are obvious touchstones here, and the EL84-powered Bel-Ray nails the spirit of those famously overachieving circuits. But it also employs a 3-way voice switch that moves between Vox, Hiwatt, and Marshall EQ gain profiles—yielding many more worlds of firecracker and crystalline tones.
$3,240 street,carramps.com
Aion FX Azimuth Dynamic Overdrive
AION FX
Azimuth Dynamic Overdrive
(May 2024)
As a first-time pedal builder, editor Jason Shadrick learned an incredible amount from building the Azimuth. It’s a take on the Hermida Zendrive, and by all accounts sounds extremely authentic. Aion’s documentation was impeccable, and the components were top notch. The real star is the voice control, which subtly crafts the low-end response. If those used prices for a Zendrive are out of reach, this should be your very next stop.
$79 street, aionfx.com
Warm Audio RingerBringer Ring Modulation Pedal
WARM AUDIO
RingerBringer
(May 2024)
Ring modulators are intrinsically out-there machines. And the Moog MoogerFooger MF-102 that inspired this Warm Audio homage was powerfully odd indeed. The sounds from the much-less-expensive RingerBringer are faithful to the beguiling and beautiful sounds of the Moog original. They can be scary, otherworldly, and downright weird, but also throbbingly atmospheric in the more conventional tremolo-like modes. And at just $219, you won’t have to worry too much about taking a chance on an outlandish musical device outside your comfort zone.
Beetronics FX Nectar "Tone Sweetener" Overdrive/Fuzz Effects Pedal
BEETRONICS
Nectar
(May 2024)
You could categorize the Nectar as a very practical fuzz or a fuzzy overdrive. But the important thing is that it can generate any one of a hundred shades of gain between extremes on the distortion spectrum. And no matter how you classify it, it’s exceptionally versatile. The fuzz tends toward smooth and creamy, but its expansive gain range means you can also summon the throaty crunch of a MXR Distortion+, or a mild dollop of boost, just as easily.
Death By Audio Octave Clang
DEATH BY AUDIO
Octave Clang
(June 2024)
Octave fuzz and Death By Audio are a natural match. In Dungeons & Dragons terms, they both are of chaotic alignment (we won’t pass judgment on the good or evil part). And in true Death By Audio style, the Octave Clang takes a most idiosyncratic and individual approach to an already anarchic effect. The fuzz side of the Octave Clang is direct and hard-hitting, very much in the vein of simple mid-’60s fuzz boxes. And while the octave can add traditional Hendrix textures, it is also responsive to the personalities of different guitars and guitar-control settings in a way that yields tankards full of odd textures.
$225 street,deathbyaudio.com
Silktone Overdrive+
SILKTONE
Overdrive+
(June 2024)
It’s hard to think of another pedal that so successfully swirls the line between overdrive, distortion, and fuzz. And that lack of singular focus is exactly what makes the Overdrive+ such a standout. If you come armed with a robust clean tone, this pedal alone can turn your amp into a 3-channel gain machine that hits all the marks for dirty, crunchy tones. The Overdrive+ makes a strong case for itself as the only gain device you’ll need on your pedalboard.
$269 street, silktone.org
ESP LTD M-1001 Electric Guitar - Charcoal Metallic Satin
ESP LTD
Deluxe M-1001
(June 2024)
Reviewer Joe Charupakorn was struck by the straight-ahead, rather wicked personality of the M-1001. Sleek, stripped-down (save for the subtly fancy gold hardware) and built for speed, it’s tailor-made for aggressive styles of music. Twenty-four frets and a 12"-16" radius mean a lot of runway for fast, expressive players. The Floyd Rose 1000 vibrato helps, too. But nothing reflects the M-1001’s brutish focus more than the single, ferocious Fishman Fluence pickup and absence of a tone knob—a direct line to raging!
Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Ambient Pedal
WALRUS
Fundamental Ambient
(June 2024)
With slider controls that evoke early ’70s JEN stompboxes, three reverb voices, and a very approachable $129 price tag, the Walrus Ambient is a fun way to delve into the realm of super-big reverb spaces without risking an equally big investment. The low price doesn’t mean Walrus skimped on the quality, however. It’s a sturdy thing. But the slider controls invite a more interactive approach to using the pedal, which unlocks even more reverb treats.
Taylor 117E Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
TAYLOR
117e
(July 2024)
Taylor’s slope-shouldered Grand Pacific shape echoes that of classics like the Gibson J-45, and, at just less than 900 bucks, it may be one of the most budget-friendly ways to experience the comfort and classy looks of a slope-shoulder dread. Much of that value, of course, has to do with Taylor’s customary excellent playability. And though it’s more midrange-forward than more upmarket, bass-rich versions of the Grand Pacific, it offers a tone palette that will soothe and excite strummers and fingerstylists.
Supercool Pedals Zig-Zag
SUPERCOOL
Zig-Zag
(July 2024)
The analog, BBD Zig-Zag is a dead-simple chorus and vibrato. With just two controls—rate and depth—plus a toggle switch to go between the two effects, it doesn’t offer the sort of tonal customization some players will demand, but it more than makes up for it in clarity and fidelity. At both subtle settings and vertigo-inducing extremes, the Zig-Zag is remarkably clear and present, thanks in part to a small dB boost. It’s an all-analog blast.
$189 street, supercoolpedals.ca
Keeley Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, and Super Rodent
KEELEY
Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, and Super Rodent
(July 2024)
If these pedals sound a little like monsters, well, perhaps it’s because they are all based on a very Frankensteinian design concept: stuff a box with two drive circuits, then enable the user to move interchangeably between the clipping and EQ sections from each. In the case of the Blues Disorder, the combination is one of circuits derived from the Marshall BluesBreaker and Fulltone OCD. In the Angry Orange, it’s the more unconventional union of Sovtek Big Muff and Boss DS-1. And the Super Rodent mashes up the Pro Co RAT and Boss Super Distortion. If you can’t find a distortion tone to love here, maybe you should pivot to the piccolo.
Victory Amplification The Deputy 25-watt Tube Amplifier Head
VICTORY
The Deputy
(August 2024)
At 25 watts, and with a pair of EL86s driving the works, the Deputy deviates from the two-EL84, 15-watt template that is something of a standard in the low-to-medium-wattage English-amp realm. But with a flexible EQ, bright switch, and EL86s running in fixed bias, the Deputy will happily meet players in the middle of the Atlantic—spanning clean and crunchy AC15-style tones as well as nice black-panel Deluxe Reverb sounds when you scoop the midrange a bit.
Fender 70th-anniversary American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster
FENDER
70th Anniversary American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster
(August 2024)
Any nice Stratocaster is a study in balance—some might even say design perfection. The 70th Anniversary American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster is a reminder of just how amazing the design was from the get-go. Needless to say, vintage details abound on the AVII 1954 Strat. Even the headstock is the more curvaceous early incarnation of the one that became iconic. The chunky 1954 C neck profile is a hefty but comfortable alternative to the deep-V necks from the AVII 1957 Stratocaster, and the pickups readily dish hot or silky-and-sweet tonalities.
$2,599 street, fender.com
Boss Katana Artist Gen 3 1 x 12-inch 100-watt Combo Amplifier
BOSS
Katana Artist Gen 3
(August 2024)
With a street price of just $599, the Boss Katana Artist Gen 3 makes no bones about its intent to grab the tones-per-dollar title belt. The 100-watt, 1x12, digital heavy-lifter can play the role of a stage amp, home practice rig, or foundation for your recording rig. And with the ability to bridge brown-sound saturation and clean sounds of many colors—all with sometimes startling authenticity—the Artist Gen 3 is a mighty, and mighty-affordable, toolbox for the player that likes scads of sounds in one place.
$599 street, boss.info
IRIS MS-00
IRIS
MS-00
(August 2024)
The Vermont builder’s Gibson L-00-inspired model was created in collaboration with vintage-Gibson expert Mark Stutman of Folkway Music. Exuding a relaxed, down-to-earth retro vibe, the MS-00 has a simple aesthetic. There’s no pore filler on the backs and sides, which helps with the visual vibe and probably gives it more resonance as well. This is a touch-sensitive, midrange-focused instrument, and at $2,450, this Iris puts a high-end luthier-crafted experience within reach.
$2,450 street, irisguitarcompany.com
PRS S2 Vela Electric Guitar - Scarlet Sunburst
PRS
S2 Vela
(September 2024)
A lot of folks think the Vela is the prettiest PRS body profile. But even if it looked like a ping-pong paddle, there’d be no denying just how much the S2 Vela does well. The US-made DS-01 and Narrowfield pickups that distinguish this newest incarnation of the S2 Vela can deliver Telecaster twang, Stratocaster blues wail, and crunch tones with uniform ease. And like just about every PRS, the quality is tip-top.
Universal Audio UAFX Lion '68 Super Lead Amp Pedal
UAFX
Lion ’68
(September)
If you haven’t dabbled in amp modeling much, it would be easy to mistake the Lion ’68 for a simple Marshall-in-a-box pedal and wonder about the near-$400 price. But the Lion’s ability to emulate Marshall size and dynamite responsiveness on a desktop or pedalboard goes way beyond merely suggesting Marshall-ness. The Lion ’68 often sounds and feels uncannily like the real thing, and the ability to further shape your tone with virtual amp, cab, and room changes, you’ll be knocked flat not just by the power on tap, but the variation in these sounds.
Warm Audio Warm Bender Fuzz Pedal
WARM AUDIO
Warm Bender
(October 2024)
The original Tone Bender MkII is not only one of the most bitchin’ sounding fuzzes ever, it’s also among the coolest to look at. Warm Audio held onto the essential style of the very-large original while downsizing its dimensions. But the real treats here are the three switchable voices that move between NOS 75, NOS 76, and silicon transistor modes, which offer three distinct flavors of one of the fuzz world’s most fabulous colors.
JAM Fuzz Phrase Si
JAM
Fuzz Phrase Si
(October 2024)
Though it plays second fiddle in some respects to its germanium big brother, the silicon Fuzz Face is a mighty buzz bomb that’s lent menace and muscle to some of Jimi’s and Gilmour’s finest moments. Like the original Fuzz Face, this JAM homage takes the place of a much-loved germanium predecessor. But this top-quality, silicon version of the circuit is a lovable amalgam of simplicity and swagger.
$229 street, jampedals.com
Cusack Project 34 Selenium
CUSACK
Project 34 Selenium Rectifier Pre/Drive
(October 2024)
The low-gain overdrive known as the Project 34 is named for selenium’s number on the periodic table of elements. But you won’t need to know what’s inside to discern the smooth, dynamic response in the overdrive that reviewer Dave Hunter called “a very organic gain stage that just makes everything sound better.”
$240 street,cusackmusic.com
Strymon BigSky MX Reverb Pedal
STRYMON
BigSky MX
(October 2024)
We don’t often see new stomps that clock in at 679 bucks. But the BigSky MX is no ordinary reverb. An 800 MHz tri-core ARM processor with 32-bit floating-point processing makes the BigSky MX crazy-powerful. There are new sounds galore, and the programming capabilities and flexible connectivity are impressive. It might be overkill for traditionally minded guitar players and take three lifetimes to explore its every capability, but the BigSky MX could be a bonanza for guitarists that stretch their expression to the realms of sound design.
Electro-Harmonix x JHS Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz Pedal
EHX/JHS
Lizard Queen
(October 2024)
At $99 street, the Lizard Queen octave/distortion is a bargain and a magic-carpet ride back to the golden era of fuzztone. Its three controls make it easy to dial in classic sounds that can also be highly reactive to guitar volume. While many fuzzes can get lost in the blast of a full band, the Lizard Queen—with its impressive output—will have no trouble slithering to the front of the mix.
J. Rockett Audio Designs El Hombre Overdrive Pedal
J. ROCKETT
El Hombre
(October 2024)
The El Hombre delivers on its promise of the Rev. Billy F. Gibbons’ tone. But how much you dial that in is a matter of taste, because this pedal is a highly flexible overdrive that allows you to determine how many shovels of dirt you want to spread over your sound. Compared to a lot of other ODs, it’s a little expensive. But if you’ve been searching for thatTejasmagic, and more, the El Hombre might be what you’ve been yearning for.
EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II Subharmonic Multi-delay Resonator Pedal
EARTHQUAKER/DEATH BY AUDIO
Time Shadows II
(October 2024)
If weirding’s your thing, this pedal’s for you. The Time Shadows Multi-Delay Resonator combines three delay voices with filters, fuzz, phasing, shimmer, swell, and subharmonics. The challenge is working the cascading aural whirlpools and dinosaur choirs into song arrangements, but editorial director Ted Drozdowski heard how the pedal could be used to create unique, wonderful pads or bellicose solos after just a few minutes playing. If you’d like to easily sidestep the ordinary, you’ll find spelunking this stomp’s cavernous possibilities worthwhile.
Red Panda Radius Ring Modulator/Frequency Shifter Pedal
RED PANDA
Radius
(October 2024)
The Radius delivers ring modulation and frequency shifting: a heady combo that’s not for the faint of heart! But if you’re brave enough to dive in, it’s impressively easy to find your way around such a complex effect. Classic ring-mod tones are the jumping-off point for oodles of bold new sounds generated by envelope and waveform-controlled modulation and interaction. The Radius would be at home on any wide-eyed experimenter’s pedalboard, or make a powerful studio accessory.
JHS Hard Drive Distortion Pedal
JHS
Hard Drive
(October 2024)
Starting out as an homage to an Ibanez SM7 Smash Box, the JHS Hard Drive evolved into a unique, original circuit designed for ’90s high-gain oomph. With a streamlined 6-knob control panel featuring 3-band EQ as well as volume, mid frequency, and drive, it delivers massive bottom end at even the lowest drive setting. With drive all the way up, you’re in for all-out chaos. The effective and powerful EQ introduces more range than the average heavy pedal. What this box lacks in low- and mid-gain options, it makes up for in an excellent array of modern high-gain variations.
Wampler Mofetta Overdrive And Distortion Effects Pedal
WAMPLER
Mofetta
(October 2024)
A riff on Ibanez’s cult classic, the MT10 Mostortion, the Wampler Mofetta replicates its forefather’s clipping-diodes circuitry, but offers a texture switch to toggle between that and MOSFET gain stages. It captures the vibe of edge-of-amp-breakup low-gain perfectly. On the first setting, it has expansive headroom where you can find a lot of bold, cutting tones, while classic rock and early metal are accessible on the MOSFET setting. Great touch sensitivity and the texture switch set this pedal on a path to more aggressive spaces.
SoloDallas Orbiter Fuzz
SOLODALLAS
Orbiter Fuzz
(November 2024)|
Inspired by the 1966 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, the Orbiter stings and sings like a germanium Muhammad Ali. It delivers over-the-top fuzz, yet allows core tones to emerge. The Orbiter also generates smooth, light distortion that sustains beautifully when you use an easy touch, punches through a live mix with its impressive gain, and generates dirt voices from smooth to sputtering, via the bias dial. For some, this might be the last stop in the search for holy grail Fuzz Face-style sounds.
$249 street, solodallas.com
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I Electric Guitar - Silver Mist
EPIPHONE
1963 Firebird I
(November 2024)
This high-quality reissue of a Gibson classic looks, feels, and sounds impressive, indeed. And though it’s a one-pickup guitar, the Firebird mini humbucker makes its voice surprisingly versatile and powerful. The simplicity and elegance of its look, streamlined controls, clean surface, and light weight made the I a joy to play, especially with the treble rolled to near-zero. There, early Clapton-esque tone is a cinch to find, and for blues and jazz licks, the warmth and clarity are delightful.
PRS DGT 15 David Grissom 15-watt Tube Head - Blonde Tolex
PRS
DGT 15
(November 2024)
A more club-friendly take on the PRS DG Custom 30, the single-channel, reverb-and-tremolo-equipped DGT 15 is built with two EL84s, three 12AX7s, and one 12AT7. Its 3-way bright, boost, and master volume switches add an impressive range of colors and gain contrasts, with a core tonality in the ’60s black-panel Fender camp. Without boost, you have headroom up to the 3 o’clock volume level before it starts breaking up; when boosted, the satisfying saturation skirts modern overdrive sizzle. This amp scales new heights of tone versatility at an accessible price.
EarthQuaker Devices Silos Multi-generational Time Reflection Delay Pedal
EARTHQUAKER
Silos
(November 2024)
Simple, streamlined, and inexpensive, the digital Silos features six presets, tap tempo, one full second of delay time, and three voices—two of which are styled after bucket-brigade and tape-delay sounds. You won’t often see these features all together in a delay at this price. But that they all sound so exceptionally good is what makes the Silos special.
Read the Review ONLINE VERSION NOT YET PUBLISHED
Warm Audio Pedal76 Analog FET Compressor Pedal
WARM AUDIO
Pedal76
(November 2024)
Warm Audio already makes a well-regarded, ultra-affordable Urei 1176 clone. But they also put that experience to work here in service of honoring Origin Effects’ own compact homage to the 1176, the Cali76. Like a real Urei 1176 and the Cali76, the Pedal76 adds life, spark, and octane to the blandest amp tones and gracefully walks the line between adding sustain and not sacrificing too much in the way of dynamics or the essence of your rig.
You can find reviews of the December 2024 Premier Gear Award Winners—Death By Audio’s Bass War, Universal Audio’s Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special, Squier’s Affinity Telecaster Thinline, L.R. Baggs’ AEG-1 guitar, Positive Grid’s Spark 2, and Warm Audio’s WA-C1—elsewhere on premierguitar.com.
Developed specifically for Tyler Bryant, the Black Magick Reverb TB is the high-power version of Supro's flagship 1x12 combo amplifier.
At the heart of this all-tube amp is a matched pair of military-grade Sovtek 5881 power tubes configured to deliver 35-Watts of pure Class A power. In addition to the upgraded power section, the Black Magick Reverb TB also features a “bright cap” modification on Channel 1, providing extra sparkle and added versatility when blended with the original Black Magick preamp on Channel 2.
The two complementary channels are summed in parallel and fed into a 2-band EQ followed by tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo effects plus a master volume to tame the output as needed. This unique, signature variant of the Black Magick Reverb is dressed in elegant Black Scandia tolex and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD12 speaker made by Celestion.
Price: $1,699.