Testing bass

Another year, another dazzling parade of pedals, guitars, amps, modelers, and accessories that made our noggins spin.

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Curtis Novak Jazzmaster Widerange Set

Two designs once relegated to oddball bins of Fender’s history—the Jazzmaster pickup and the Seth Lover-designed Wide Range humbucker—were re-imagined by Curtis Novak, builder of some of the best Wide Range repros available. This splendid set retains traditional Jazzmaster looks, with less noisy, meatier, Wide Range-style tonalities.

$150 (each) street
curtisnovak.com

Click here to read the full review

This year’s Premier Gear Award winners are, as usual, an eclectic set—full of old-school vintage homage, leading-edge digital developments, and imaginative meetings of those worlds. Dig in and dig it as we revisit the gear that fired the enthusiasm and wonder of our editors and contributors in 2017.

A 2x2 USB-C audio interface for macOS, iOS, and Windows, designed to kickstart any music or content creation project in the studio or on the go.

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The Hosa MPA-149 Mic Preamp provides an immediate 26dB’s of gain with a -97dBu signal-to-noise ratio, giving users a clean and immediate gain boost for louder, clearer microphone performance.
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The Deluxe Atlantic Baritone and Deluxe SS Baritone were designed to offer exceptional comfort and vivid, articulate tone—unmistakably different from most baritone offerings.

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