From pickups to paint jobs, we collect the coolest mods for our latest PG reader gallery.
“Only recently getting its due as one of the best S-style guitars to come out of the Land of the Rising Sun, this mid-’80s Tokai TST-56 has been my default axe for the last 25 years,” says Ken Weissel. A previous owner installed the German-made Floyd Rose and ditched the original pickups. After several pickup rotations, Weissel ultimately settled on a Fernandes Sustainer system and a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge.
To accommodate the dual-humbucker configuration, the factory S/S/S pickup cavity was professionally routed to retain maximum body mass. For tonal variety, the JB is housed in a Duncan Triple Shot pickup ring to provide parallel/series/split options. “I have quite a few guitars,” says Weissel, “but this is the one I’d go after if the house was on fire.”
Throughout the year we collect stories and photos of guitar-mod projects created by you, our beloved readers. Some of these guitars are so inspiring we’re compelled to share them with everyone in this annual Hot Rod issue. As always, you don’t disappoint. And by using fetching racecar flame designs, several readers even revealed their devotion to the original “hot rod” culture!
We couldn’t fit all of your mod submissions here, but look for more stories in our “Hot-Rod Gallery – Reader’s Edition” online next month.
PRS Guitars announces four SE Exotic Veneer Limited Editions: SE Custom 24-08 Poplar Burl, SE Custom 24 Burled Ash, SE DGT Laurel Burl, and SE McCarty 594 Laurel Burl.
Only 5,000 guitars will be available globally across all four models. In addition, the PRS SE Swamp Ash Special now features a five-way blade control switch instead of the previous three-way toggle version.
“We are fortunate to have an elite group at PT CORT focusing solely on the PRS proprietary factory. This is a team that enjoys pushing boundaries and exploring new ideas and our guitars reflect that passion and enthusiasm. Our visits almost always yield new ideas,” said PRS Chief Operating Officer, Jack Higginbotham. “When I saw their library of veneers on a recent trip, I knew we could build some really special guitars with them. These guitars are going to turn some heads. The natural designs in the wood create ‘aesthetic arrest’ from the first look.”
PRS SE Series Exotic Veneer Limited Editions:
PRS SE Custom 24-08 Poplar Burl Limited Edition
This model will be offered in Charcoal Cherry Midnight Burst and Lake Blue Midnight Burst. Only 2,500 will be made.
PRS SE Custom 24 Burled Ash Limited Edition
Offered in Lake Blue and Natural, only 1,000 of this model will be made.
PRS SE DGT Laurel Burl Limited Edition
Available only in McCarty Tobacco Sunburst, just 1,000 will be made.
PRS SE McCarty 594 Laurel Burl Limited Edition
Available only in Vintage Sunburst, just 500 will be made.
Outside of the limited-edition models, another SE guitar is getting an update. The 22-fret, bolt-on neck PRS SE Swamp Ash Special now features a five-way pickup switch. Other key features of the SE Swamp Ash Special remain, including its 85/15 “S” and PRS-Designed AS-01 Single Coil pickups, push-pull tone control, and maple neck and fretboard.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year.
For more information, please visit prsguitars.com.
Featuring a newly-voiced circuit with more compression and versatility, these pedals are hand-crafted in Los Angeles for durability.
Messiah Guitars custom shop has launched a pair of new pedals: The Eddie Boostdrive Session Edition and Lil’ Ed Session Drive.
The two pedals are full-size and mini-sized versions of a newly-voiced circuit based on Messiah’s successful Eddie Boostdrive. The two new “Session” pedals feature more compression and versatility in the overall tone, and showcase Messiah’s ongoing collaboration with Nashville session guitarist Eddie Haddad.
The new Session Boostdrive schematic includes a fine-tuned EQ section (eliminating the need for the Tight switch on the earlier Boostdrive) and two independently operated circuits: a single-knob booster, and a dual-mode drive featuring a 3-band EQ. The booster consists of a single-stage MOSFET transistor providing boost ranging from -3dB to 28dB. At low settings, the boost adds sparkle to the tone, while a fully cranked setting will send your amp to a fuzzy territory. Thebooster engagement is indicated by a purple illuminated foot switch.
The overdrive contains a soft-clipped op-amp stage, inspired by a screamer-style circuit. The pedal includes a classic Silicon clipping mode (when activated, the pedal’s indicator light is blue)and an LED mode for a more open, amp-like break up (indicator light is red).
The active 3-band EQ is highly interactive and capable of emulating many popular drive sounds. Although both effects can be used separately, engaging them simultaneously produces juicy tones that will easily cut through the mix. Both new pedals accept a standard 9V pedal power supply with negative center pin.
“I love my original Boostdrive,” says Haddad, “but I wanted to explore the circuit and see if we could give it more focused features. This would make it more straightforward for guitarists who prefer simplicity in their drive pedals. The boost is super clean and loud in all the right ways…it can instantly sweeten up an amp and add more heft and sparkle to the drive section.”
Like their custom guitars and amplifiers, Messiah’s pedals are hand-crafted in Los Angeles for durability and guaranteed quality.
The Lil’ Ed Session Drive pedal includes:
- 5-knob controls, a 2-way mode side switch
- Durable, space-saving cast aluminum alloy 1590A enclosure with fun artwork
- True bypass foot switch
- Standard 9V/100mA pedal power input
The Eddie Session Edition pedal features:
- 6-knob controls, a 2-way mode switch; space-saving top-side jacks
- Durable, cast aluminum alloy 125B enclosure with fun artwork
- Easy to see, illuminated optical true bypass foot switches
- Standard 9V/100mA pedal power input
The Eddie Boostdrive Session Edition retails for $249.00, and the Lil’ Ed Session Drive for$179.
For more information, please visit messiahguitars.com.
Eddie BoostDrive and Lil' Ed pedal review with Eddie & Jax - YouTube
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Joe Glaser has been a pillar of Nashville's guitar community for decades. He's a man that dreams in mechanical terms often coming up ideas while deep in a REM cycle. Through his various companies he's designed, developed, and released a handful of "blue water" solutions to age-old instrument problems making the tolerable terrific. In this comprehensive visit to Glaser's home base, we get up close and personal with several of the products that enhance intonation and playability without disrupting the guitar's integrity.
In addition, Music City Bridge CEO Joshua Rawlings introduces us to a couple software ventures. Shop Flow helps increase productivity and efficiency for guitar builders and repair shops, while Gear Check aims to help guitarist's keep track of their collection and its history. Join John Bohlinger as he goes inside this inconspicuous six-string sanctuary.
With separate Doom and Shimmer controls, low-pass and high-pass filter settings, and built-in Grit dynamic distortion, this pedal is a must-have for creating atmospheric sounds.
“Batverb was inspired by our Eurorack module, Desmodus Versio, but when we tried to bring thatexperience to guitar, we realized quickly that we would need to rethink the approach. The module andBatverb share zero code: the entire thing was redesigned from the ground up, with the dynamics and tonality of guitar at the forefront,” said Stephen McCaul, Chief Noisemaker at Noise Engineering.
Batverb was designed and built in sunny Southern California. It is currently available for preorder at $499 and will start shipping March 13, 2025.
Key Features
- Predelay/delay Time and Regen controls
- Separate Doom and Shimmer controls add in suboctaves and haunting overtones
- Low-pass and high-pass filter settings for the reverb tank allow you to add filtering and harmonics to reverb tails
- Built-in Grit dynamic distortion can apply to only the wet signal or the whole output
- Includes onboard dry/wet Blend control and input- and output-gain parameters
- Duck switch controls the reverb’s behavior using your playing to shape the output
- Three bypass modes allow control of tails when pedal is disengaged
- Create instant atmospheres with reverb-freezing Hold footswitch
- Route the expression input can to any parameter on the pedal
- Store and recall 16 presets in response to MIDI program-change messages
For more information, please visit noiseengineering.us.
