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Gear Award 2022

Underneath this bari’s jazz suit is a rock ’n’ roll machine.

Responsive playability. P-90s deliver loads of tone options. Solid construction and feel.

Jazz aesthetics might paint this one into a corner for some. Price may dissuade all but serious baritone players.

$2,199

D’Angelico Deluxe SS Baritone
dangelicoguitars.com

5
5
4.5
4.5




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A pair of overdrives with vintage aesthetics and tones to match.

Rugged build. Sweet saturation.

Can sound ragged around the edges at high gain.

$149

Warm Audio Warmdrive
warmaudio.com

4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5

Many recording enthusiasts know Warm Audio for their well-regarded and affordable takes on otherwise unattainable classic studio microphones, preamps, and processors. Most of these imitate the handsome aesthetics of those units along with their functionality, which adds to the allure. Warm Audio ventured into pedal building a few years back with lovingly rendered versions of the Roland Jet Phaser and Foxx Tone Machine. This time out, though, they’ve taken on two less obscure pedals, the Lovepedal/Hermida Zendrive and Klon Centaur, in the form of the Warmdrive and Centavo, respectively.


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The guitar universe gathered momentum in a big way in 2022—which is easy to see in this year’s wildly diverse parade of Premier Gear Award winners.

Here's a look at 2022’s most notable new guitars, amps, effects, and accessories, reviewed by our editors and writers:

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The good doctor refines an old mid-power favorite that dishes beautiful American-style clean and overdriven tones while packing a muscular punch.

A killer reimagining of an already great design. Bold cleans and toothsome overdrive in an impressively portable package.

No effects loop.

$2,049

Dr. Z Z-28 Mk. II
drzamps.com

5
5
4.5
4

Though he’s built bona fide iconic modern guitar-amp designs—and a reputation that he could happily ride into the tube-glow sunset—Dr. Z’s head honcho, Mike Zaite, has always stayed creative. He’s steadily revamped his lineup over the years. And the new Z-28 Mk. II represents a thoughtful update of an amp that many of us assumed couldn’t get much better. The original Z-28, discontinued in February 2018, was a robust 22-watter that reveled in simplicity and thick, versatile tonality. Players loved it. And more than a few lamented its discontinuation.

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This space-saving echo delivers a digital version of the classic tape unit.

Immersive, lush delay textures that sound fantastic in small doses or super-wet settings. Clever consolidation of Space Echo controls. Fun to use. Sturdy.

No independent bass and treble settings.

$259

Boss RE-2 Space Echo
boss.info

5
4.5
4.5
4

As good as digital emulations are today, there’s not much engineers can do to approximate the tactile experience of interacting with vintage hardware. Few devices illustrate this divide quite as effectively as tape echoes. Take it from a masochist who knows—tape echoes are intrinsically infuriating machinery. They break often, sometimes spectacularly, always expensively, and generally at the most inconvenient possible time. Think of your most-disloyal-ever significant other: Chances are, your fave tape echo will beat them hands-down for unreliability.

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