"Jens Ritter Instruments unveiled his latest masterpiece with the Blue Dragon at the 2013 NAMM show. Limited to a run of just 25 instruments, the Blue Dragon is based on his Princess Isabella jazz concept model, and the body's surface is covered with old, brocade fabric."
The Gold Label Collection draws inspiration from classic 1930s and ’40s flat top acoustic guitars, delivering a warmer, fuller tone that blends a heritage voice with a new version of Taylor's award-winning V-Class bracing technology. The collection features several groundbreaking design elements, including the new Super Auditorium body style, a Fanned V-Class bracing pattern, and a long-tenon neck joint, all of which contribute to a richer, more resonant, more muscular sound. The collection also introduces two distinctive wood pairings: Honduran rosewood back and sides with a torrefied Sitka spruce top, producing exceptional harmonic richness, and figured Hawaiian koa coupled with torrefied Sitka spruce, delivering a more balanced, rounded tone.
Taylor Gold Label 814e
“The harder you play, the louder the guitar gets,” says Powers. “But it naturally starts to compress the sound into a more controlled, focused tone rather than becoming mushy. Yet these guitars also respond to delicate articulation with a broadly rich voice. When you play a simple note softly, the guitar naturally amplifies it with surprising warmth and volume.”
With its unique sound and aesthetic, the Gold Label Collection sits apart from Taylor’s other premium lines, offering a guitar that combines the warmth and tonal character of traditional instruments with the playability and reliability Taylor is known for. The collection's craftsmanship extends beyond its sonic capabilities, with a fresh visual aesthetic that combines classic influences with modern artistry. The result is a guitar that will appeal to a broad range of players, offering a distinctive voice and performance that bring together the best of both old and new.
Whether for recording, live performance, or personal enjoyment, the Gold Label Collection provides musicians with a guitar that is as visually striking as it is sonically impressive.
Axis, Cutlass, Sting Rays, oh my! There were all those and more new stylings at the Sterling by Music Man & Ernie Ball both this year as we got a tour of all their affordable options that are out or will be coming out in 2025. We saw new stylings on signature sweets for James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Ryan "Fluff" Bruce, Pete Wentz, Tosin Abasi, Jason Richardson and more!
The StingRay Plus takes the classic StingRay guitar to new heights with a roasted maple neck, versatile P90 pickups, and a built-in volume boost. A matching headstock and sleek block inlays complete the polished, old-school look. Experience the next level of tone and performance with the StingRay Plus.
Danelectro keeps bring the past to the future by recreating cult classics from their history. The masonite masters brought a pair of new electrics, their Sitar in a cracked-black finish, and some new colors on the Longhorn basses.
Xvive wants to make sure you take some time for yourself and your tone with their new More You HUB. It's the starting point to bulid out your studio or rehearsal space with an expandable audio interface and personal monitoring system for up to eight people and 24 inputs. The More You Hub (1st slide) is the heart of the system, with two combo inputs for microphones and instruments, and outs to your DAW, headphones/IEMs, and studio monitors. True gain mic preamps with 60dB of gain in 1dB steps for precise setting and recall; 48V phantom power, phase and hi-pass filter available on all inputs; each user controls Level and Reverb for themselves on their two inputs. Talkback mics on each unit allow musicians to communicate without removing headphones and all settings automatically recall after shutdown and restart. The second slide shows the additional, expandable MORE YOU 2X Expansion Unit that works with the HUB.
The latest iteration of Tsakalis' expansive envelope filter is a pure funk machine. All the classic '70s-era sounds are packed in there, but with three separate filters, you can get so much more out of it. Both the octave and filter are switchable, and with effect order switching you can really push the limits of out-of-this-world wah sounds. It will be available in March for $229.
