The octave fuzz section from the Atreides Weirding Module gets its own star turn in a buzzing bruiser that can be absurd and beautiful.
Unusually flexible and sustain-rich octave fuzz. Fat, rubbery synth-like sounds. White-hot fuzz. Versatile tone and fuzz and sub octave levels.
Canāt entirely remove fuzz or octave signal.
$169
Way Huge Stone Burner
jimdunlop.com
Way Hugeās Atreides Weirding Module is one of Jeorge Trippsā great gifts to the world. Itās a gift that keeps giving, too. The Attack Vector phaser and envelope was its first offspring. But the newest, the Stone Burner Sub Atomic octave fuzz is a killer, maybe the coolest, and probably the most practical pedal from the Atreides family. Itās an unusually useful and forgiving octave fuzz that will generate up to two sub octaves, which feature more or less prominently depending on the sub level.
This sub octave filter works in concert with the fuzz, which you canāt remove entirely from the mix, but which ranges in intensity from nasty and spitty to double-nasty and surprisingly capable of sustain. Various mixes of the sub and fuzz levels yield tonalities that stretch from synthy elasticity and fuzz bass to fractured, tectonic-scale Earth rumblings, and fuzz that sounds like a banshee gargling gravel and rusty nails. (I mean this in the most complimentary possible sense.)
The wide-ranging tone knob, meanwhile, has a profound effect on a given mixās glitchiness, sustain, and overtone profile. The Stone Burner also responds in fascinating ways to guitar volume and tone inputāsometimes emphasizing tight fundamentals and octaves in more concise and equal parts, or enhancing the more synth-like qualities of the filter. Variations in pitch from finger vibrato and whammy bars activate many ghostly responses and overtones, too. Needless to say, it is a fairly confrontational effect, but the Stone Burner is also malleable, sweet, bratty, and beautiful.
Great tones in all settings. Practical design, High quality.
Recombined tones may not be better than the originals to some ears.
$199
Keeley Noble Screamer
robertkeeley.com
Robert Keeley marries the best of two beloved green machines in one smart box.
The Keeley Noble Screamer handsomely combines many attributes of Ibanez Tube Screamer- and Nobels ODR-1-style circuits. Neither of those iconic green machines need much introduction. Both aesthetically and sonically, the Tube Screamer is one of the most recognizable pedals in the effects pantheon, and the ODR-1ās anecdotal honorifics (āThe secret weapon of Nashville session players!ā) and concretized list of evangelists (Guthrie Trapp! Tom Bukovac!) are practically part of the pedalās name. But through the use of switchable clipping and tone control profiles, the compact, clever Noble Screamer makes it possible to blend and switch between flavors from both green giants.
Greening Out
The Noble Screamerās style is minimalist and striking. It marks the debut of Keeleyās new sloped aluminum housing, which looks great and feels sturdy. The Grinch-green brushed aluminum knobs look bold and easy to read against the black enclosure too. Like the TS and ODR-1, the all-analog Noble Screamer features knobs for volume, gain, and tone. But the Noble Screamer has toggles under the latter two pots that alter their respective functions considerably. Flipping the switch under the gain knob to TS mode engages soft-clipping diodes. Switching the toggle below the tone knob to TS-mode gives the user control of a low-pass filter. In OD modes, the circuit switches to hard-clipping diodes, and the tone controls sweeps from flat EQ to boosted bass and treble in the fashion of the ODR-1ās āspectrumā control. This simple switching scheme yields a lot of different flavors. The pedal can also move between buffered and true bypass switching by pressing and holding the footswitch. Itās a smart, flexible, and practical feature.
Mix and Match
The Noble Screamer sounds delightful across the board. With both toggles in TS mode and all knobs at noon, you get soft grit with great note definition and a tight midrange focus. And while TS pedals are famous for sweet low-gain tones, all-Screamer settings beckon you to max the drive control and unlock the circuitās smooth, singing distortion. Adding output volume at these settings brings a touch more width, and the low-pass filter moves easily between spiky and silky.
Flicking the switches to OD mode with identical settings brings a very noticeable volume boost and more pronounced bass response and fullness. Compared to the TS settings, youāll either find it a touch dark, or pleasantly alive, depending on your taste. The hard-clipping diodes make OD mode a much nastier proposition, and you can easily push the pedal to thick distortion. I preferred keeping the tone and gain around 1 oāclock, and the volume between noon and 3 oāclock, depending on how loud and rude I wanted to get. The tone controlās sweep is impressively useful in its OD āspectrumā guise as well. You can access a lot of high-end clarity, and it doesnāt overdo the ODR-1ās signature low-end thunder. In low-gain settings, the OD mode is predictably large sounding. But the best low-gain/boost sounds might be those that blend the soft clipping of TS mode with the OD tone section. These tones are especially smooth, broad, and clear.
I donāt know that mixing and matching the circuits is necessarily better than each on its own, but it certainly offers a different palate of sounds. With the tone set for OD and the drive in TS you can stretch the bass and treble capabilities of the TSās gentler, more targeted overdrive bite. Reverse the switches and youāll get the TSās more focused mid-range punch with harsher, heavier distortion. For my tastes, the OD tone/TS drive combo was the most pleasing. Itās big and punchy without ever getting harsh, and the boost from the OD tone circuit makes the TS drive a bit more commanding.The Verdict
While you could conceivably get a Tube Screamer and ODR-1 for the same price as the Noble Screamer, the high-quality, USA-built Keeley is a more flexible solution that takes up half the space. True, the overdrive sounds here are largely familiar. But the Noble Screamer is a smarter, cooler, and more versatile way to access and reshape those bedrock tones.
The Best 2-in-1 Overdrive? Keeley Noble Screamer Demo | First Look
This downsized version of Marshallās first amp still spans a sweet range of British and American tones and packs a punchāeven in its 5-watt mode.
A well-designed, ruggedly built, and downsized update of the classic JTM45 platform. Suited for contemporary club and studio needs. Five-watt mode sounds excellent. Spans classic Brit and American tones.
Expensive for a 20-watt PCB-based combo.
$1,949
Marshall JTM Studio ST20C
marshall.com
Marshall ventured ably into smaller and quieter realms with 2018ās Studio Series, which reduced the plexi, JCM, and Jubilee platforms down to a much more manageable 20 watts. The JTM45 is the latest Marshall legend to undergo the shrink treatmentāyielding the Studio JTM ST20C, a 20-watt, 1x12 combo that harnesses big-bottle, 5881 output tube power in an amp suited for modestly sized clubs and studios.
Built from Tweed for Extra Speed
Though rightly recognized as one of the most significant amps of the 1960s, the JTM45 can confound casual Marshall enthusiasts with modern, high-gain leanings. It effectively mirrored the Fender 5F6A tweed Bassman circuit. But small differences between the amps (as well as bigger ones, like the Marshallās Celestion speakers) added up to a unique and powerful voice perfectly suited for the emerging British blues-rock language.
To reduce the 30 to 40 watts produced by a JTM45 (depending on spec and era) to 20 watts while using the same 5881 power tubes the JTM45 was born with, Marshall uses a cathode-biased output stage and hits the tubes with lower voltages than big Marshalls run on. The circuit also enables the ST20C, and its sibling the ST20H head, to run even quieter via a 5-watt mode. It comes with contemporary niceties like an effects loop with bypass switch, a DI output, and speaker outs for 4-ohm, 8-ohm, and 16-ohm loads. But the ST20C is still a very old-school, all-tube creation at heart, using three ECC83 (Brit-speak for 12AX7) preamp and phase-inverter tubes, just like its predecessors.
Coffin It Up
Like the Bassman-inspired JTM45, the ST20C is what Marshall calls a two-voice amp, with shared EQ and two inputs per voice. Marshallās numbering scheme for the inputs can be a little confusing to the uninitiated (they read ā2ā and ā1ā from left to right), but the top two inputs are for the high-output voice, the two below are for the low power voice. In each voice, input 2, aka the normal input, is the warmer and rounder-sounding of the two. Input 1, or the high treble input, brighter and snarlier. Each has its own loudness control, but they share treble, middle, and bass controls, as well as a presence knob that further tweaks high-end response at the output stage. The two voices can also be jumpered to access blends of input 2ās warmth and input 1ās brightness.
āNewbies might be surprised to hear how much the ST20C deviates from a modern definition of the Marshall sound.ā
In addition to the vintage-evocative control panel, Marshall went all-out on the early JTM-era cosmetics for the ST20C, and I think it looks fantastic. The black levant covering is complemented by gold string and piping, fawn fret cloth for the grille, and an art deco ācoffinā logo with red enamel āMarshallā text. Construction of the 19.7" x 18.1" x 10.4" birch-ply cabinet feels robust, and with the 16-ohm Celestion G12M Creamback speaker, it still weighs just around 39 pounds.
The Studio Series amps arenāt among Marshallās handwired offerings, so the circuit inside is PCB. Nevertheless, it looks sturdy and well-built. The use of relatively low voltages in the output stage means the 5881 tubes should last longer than they would in a higher-wattage, higher-voltage amp. But if you do need to replace them, the cathode-biased configuration means you just pop in a new pair of 5881s and goāthereās no bias adjustment necessary.
Breaking in, Breaking Through
I checked out the ST20C with a 1959 Les Paul Reissue to see how it handled the classic Bluesbreaker formula, as well as a 1966 Fender Telecaster. With each guitar, it delivered a wide and expressive range of tones that are very much in keeping with the originalās performance. Newbies might be surprised to hear how much the ST20C deviates from a modern definition of the Marshall sound. But it is surprisingly versatile for that reason. And you can make the case that the ST20C tone palette works for a greater range of playing styles and genres than the average blaring stack.
The core tone is characterized by a thick, round midrange; silky, clear highs that arenāt piercing; and low-end tones that are full, round, and a little loose when you push it. The amp also works beautifully with overdrive pedals. A Tube Screamer sounded great, and a Marshall-style Friedman Small Box overdrive effectively brought out the ST20Cās plexi side. The effects loop works perfectly for time-based and modulation effects. Meanwhile, the 5-watt power setting rips without any significant tone loss.
Many players more familiar with the plexi and JCM800 Marshalls will be surprised by, well, how Fender-y the ST20C can sound. Obviously, the tweed Bassman-derived blueprint accounts for some of that. But if youāve ever turned up an early-ā60s, brown-panel Fender Deluxe and thought, āwow, that sounds like a mini Marshall!ā ā¦ youāll recognize that hybrid sound in many of the ST20Cās sweet spots, too. Crank it up and itās raw, throaty, and singing like an early Marshall should be. Play it at the edge of breakup and it evokes more American-style tones. The ST20Cās ability to span these sounds and assert its own personality makes it a fun, flexible and inspirational piece of gear.
The Verdict
The JTM ST20C is an awesome addition to Marshallās popular Studio Series and itās cool to hear the tonalities of the companyās first amplifier rendered in such compact, practical form. Some buyers might find the near-$2K price tag high for a PCB-based, 20-watt amp. But when you consider the wide range of genres and styles this compact U.K.-built combo covers, and how assertive and primed to conquer it can sound and feel, it starts to sound like money well spent.
Marshall Studio JTM ST20C Demo | First Look
Thereās much more to this analog phaser than outlaw country swirl.
An inexpensive, rangy phaser with fun, interactive, and easy-to-use controls
Some whistle-like overtones in treble-heavy peaks
$129
Fender Waylon Jennings Phaser, $129 street
When I was a kid, my mom got a cassette of Waylon Jenningsā Greatest Hits, which went into heavy rotation in her Cutlass Supremeās tape deck. Much was striking about that introduction to Waylon Jenningsānot least that voice and the frank, plain-spoken narration. Just as arresting, though, were the swirling guitar sounds that popped up on āAre You Sure Hank Done It This Wayā and āLuckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love).ā They didnāt sound like the Buck Owens or Patti Page I would hear on oldies stations, or, for that matter, George Harrisonās version of Don Richās āAct Naturallyā lead. In fact, as a Beatles obsessive, āLuckenbach, Texasā struck me as bearing a certain resemblance to the arpeggios in āDear Prudence.ā Those phaser sounds helped make me a Waylon fan for life. So, Iām tickled to see Fender honor the effect that opened up one very strange corner of my musical mind with the release of the Waylon Jennings Phaser.
Hazy, Phasey Origins
Fender built a 4-stage phaser in the 1970s. As far as we know, Waylon never used the Fender Phaser, opting instead for a Maestro PS-1A, various MXRs, and Boss phasers over the course of his career. Without the need to replicate a ā70s artifact that Waylon didnāt use anyway, Fenderās designers were free to create an analog tribute that covers the breadth of Waylonās phaser tonesāfrom his 2-stage Phase 45, to his 4-stage Phase 90, to his 6-stage PS-1A. That doesnāt mean Fender didnāt aim for a definitive Waylon sound: A āsweetā switch defaults to a voice thatās a little more confined to tasteful modulations. But to Fenderās credit, the Waylon Jennings Phaser is not constrained by strictly Waylon-like textures. Indeed, itās just as happy to get weird.
Weird Waves on the High Plains
Though complex relative to a 1-knob MXR or Small Stone, the Waylon Phaserās controls are easy to sort. They work in cool, interactive ways which take some practice to master, but are ultimately easy to wrangle. The interrelationship between the range control (which controls the portion of the frequency spectrum thatās phase shifted), and the feedback control, which governs intensity, is the one thatās most fun to explore. Itās also key to unlocking the pedalās freakiest tones.
The user guide features a few helpful templates for exploring the pedalās range. Fenderās recommended PS-1A-style sound, for instance (6-stage setting, rate at 5, range at 4, and feedback at 6), is a bit more rubbery than you might expect, with cool vowelly peaks in the midrange. But just a couple clockwise notches on the range and feedback controls and a slower rate transforms Fenderās version of Waylonās PS-1A to a lysergic, ultra-elastic wavescape. The user guideās recommended Phase 45-style, 2-stage setting creates a mellow, tasty pocket for arpeggios and lightly strummed parts, but at advanced feedback and rate settings the 2-stage setting percolates charmingly, lending bubbling animation to psychedelic chord melodies and a demented attitude to funky soul riffs.
The 4-stage mode, which, incidentally, bears the greatest audible resemblance to the sweet mode in most respects, is plenty sweet itself. Here, you can play with fairly intense feedback and rate settings while maintaining a softness in the peaks that doesnāt overpower melodic or rhythmic textures. And just as with the other three modes, you can very easily move from restrained Dreaming My Dreams phase adornments to much weirder fare with a few small adjustments to the other controls.
The Verdict
While 1-knob phasers are easy and often voiced just right, itās fun to have the extra, but not overwhelming, control the Waylon Jennings phaser provides. There are plenty of weird, wobbling, bubble gum-chewy textures here that have nothing to do with classic outlaw country, that psychedelicists will relish. But the mellower fare that made Waylonās tunes move is here in tasty plentitude and can be tuned to your own needs with a flexible, interactive control set thatās full of surprises.
Fender Waylon Jennings Phaser Demo | First Look
Guitars, basses, pedals, amps, and more ā¦ high-quality gear kept arriving in 2023 at a record pace. Here are the past 12 monthsā Premier Gear Award winners.
Read on to see which debut tone toys of 2023 reaped Premier Gear Awards from our editors and expert reviewers!
DUNLOP Trigger Fly Capo (January 2023)
Trigger capos are often a performerās best friend. They require just one hand to use, you can move them from fret to fret fast, and they tend to hold up well. Dunlopās Trigger Fly capo is a beautiful evolution of the form. It has all the aforementioned advantages, but itās also extra light, and squeezes with a just-right pressure that equals buzzless performance on most guitars, including 12 strings, and doesnāt knock your intonation sideways.
$20 street, jimdunlop.com
COPPERSOUND PEDALS x JACK WHITEĀ TriplegraphĀ (January 2023)
Third Manās collabā with CopperSound is a super-retro-inspired approach to an octave effect thatās unique in design and musicality. The premise is simple: Three telegraph keys control octave up, octave down, and a selectable kill switch or effect loop mode. That last option means you can give a momentary (or latching) tap to that key and activate whatever wild pedals you see fit to connectāa creative option sure to blow minds and open up a world of ideas.
$399, coppersoundpedals.com
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Thinline Telecaster (January 2023)
Underappreciated when first released, the second-generation Thinline Telecaster, which traded a traditional Teleā single-coil set for two Seth Lover-designed Wide Range pickups, has since become a popular Fender family fixture in the Squier and Mexico-made Fender lines. The American Vintage II version not only marks a return to American construction, but the resurrection of cunife as material for the Wide Rangeās magnets. Combined with a 1-meg volume pot, the cunife Wide Range units make the American Vintage II sound clear, lively, and beautifully large.
$2,499 street, fender.com
JACKSON AUDIO Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve (January 2023)
The retro flavors of Jackson Audioās ode to a ā60s Silvertone are refreshing. This modern collaboration between Jackson and Silvertone adds a combination of thickness and edgy harmonic content that gives the pedal a unique character. Reviewer Dave Hunter even claimed that āwith most decent tube amps it sounds better than many real Twin Twelves.ā
$199 street, jackson.audio
ELECTRO-HARMONIXJ Mascis Ramās Head Big Muff Pi(January 2023)
Itās no surprise that J Mascis, wizard architect of the henge-heavy Dinosaur Jr. sound, should be honored with a signature Big Muff. Whatās nice is that this repackaging of the companyās Ramās Head Muff will set you back just 132 bucks while wielding the weight and surprising airiness that characterizes vintage Ramās Heads and enabling Mascisā meld of melancholy pop melody and metal megatonnage.
$132 street, ehx.com
UAFX Woodrow ā55 (January 2023)
For all the demonstrable advances in amplifier modeling, thereās still a justifiable number of skeptics that donāt trust a digital gain source or an amplifier in a box. But one go with the Woodrow ā55 reveals a tactile, perceptible dynamism that could quell the skepticism of the most hardened tube-amp devotee. The sounds, meanwhile, range from thrillingly explosive to lively cleans. Itās not cheap, but itās a fast track to tweed sound and feel when the real thing isnāt at hand.
$399 street, uaudio.com
DāANGELICO Deluxe SS Baritone (February 2023)
There arenāt many high-end offerings in the baritone guitar market, but the Deluxe SS Baritone is a great one. Its jazzy accoutermentsāsemi-hollow archtop, glitzy gold hardware, oversized art deco headstock, mother-of-pearl block fretboard inlaysābelie the rock ānā roll power that the Seymour Duncan P-90s deliver. Plus, its 26 3/4" scale length is comfy, and despite those heavy strings, it plays like a dream, no matter what style you seek to conjure.
$2,199, dangelicoguitars.com
WARM AUDIO Warmdrive (February 2023)
This inspired take on the famed Lovepedal/Hermida Zendrive was a standout stomp this year. Fans of Dumble-style pedals are no stranger to this type of circuit. The intuitive EQ control offers a more expansive range of sounds than a typical tone knob, and the build quality is hard to beat. At $150, itās one of the most affordable paths to a sound that is financially out of reach for most of us.
$149 street, warmaudio.com
EPIPHONE Noel Gallagher Riviera (March 2023)
If youāre a guitar-pop fan of a certain age, images of Noel Gallagher with an Epiphone semi-hollowānot to mention his hooky-as-hell tunesāare probably seared into your brain. This Riviera, which honors a fave instrument from the (Whatās the Story) Morning Glory? era, is a fab-feeling, fat-and-sparkly sounding semi-hollow that, for its ā80s Japan-made Rivā specs, is also a pretty alternative to an ES-335.
$899 street,epiphone.com
MXR Super Badass Dynamic Overdrive (March 2023)
The Fulltone OCD was a lot of overdrive for not-too-much money. So potential customers got a scare when the demise of Fulltone fueled rumors of used-market gouging. But players willing to look past brand fixations should take solace in the existence of the Super Badass Dynamic Overdrive. This unabashed homage to the OCD is every bit as capable of the balance of dynamics, articulation, and aggression that distinguished its inspiration.
$129 street,jimdunlop.com
CATALINBREAD CB Series Distortion (March 2023)
The CB Distortion, with its punky, brash attitude, is the pedal best suited to the CB Seriesā ā80s skate-style graphics. Itās not without refinement, however. The midrange is rich and the top-end clarity lends definition to chords in high-gain situations. And the ample volume on tap enables dramatic dynamic effects when you switch it on. You really canāt beat the ease of use, either.
$150 street, catalinbread.com
ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN Kaizen (April 2023)
A collaboration with Tosin Abasi, the Kaizen is a sleek, futuristic 7-string that extends the boundaries of electric guitar design. Due to clean lines and a modern feel, the Kaizen is supremely playable and just plain fast. Itās not a surprise what type of music the Kaizen is made for, but its versatility extends well beyond that.
$3,999 street, music-man.com
MESA/BOOGIE Badlander 25 (April 2023)
This Boogie features ready-to-rock Rectifier Series preamp stages in both of its two channels. Itās packed in a compact 25-watt 1x12" combo format and fired by a pair of EL84s. That formula produces tones reminiscent of its Boogie siblings, while yielding a unique personality with Vox-like flavor. Built-in CabClone IRs deliver robust big-cab tones for front-of-house or recording needs, rounding out the Badlanderās impressive combination of versatility, convenience, and power.
$1,849, mesaboogie.com
DANELECTRO Longhorn Baritone (April 2023)
Danoā has reunited the very en vogue baritone configuration with its timeless and super-stylish lyre body, and youād be hard-pressed to find a baritone with more stage presence, or one thatās more fun. The adjustable bridge makes intonation easy (no small consideration on a baritone). And while the lipstick pickups are hotter than vintage Dano pickups and lack a little of that sweetness, you can still shape lovely, contoured tones to fill the unique harmonic slot baritones occupy so very well.
$569 street, danelectro.com
TWASH9 Scott Henderson Signature Distortion (May 2023)
The original Ibanez SD9 was a misunderstood and underrated distortion. But it was a perfect match for fusion master Scott Hendersonās articulate, precise, and heavy style. Both Henderson and the SD9 are well honored by this high-quality interpretation of the Ibanez original, and Mr. Susumu Tamura, who designed the TS9 and SD9 for Ibanez, even lent a guiding hand in putting this pedal together. The results are not only a super-high-quality distortion, but a clear, present, and muscular one too.
$299 street, godlyke.com
SOLDANO SLO Pedal (May 2023)
The Soldano SLO-100 amplifier rose to legendary status courtesy of players such as George Lynch, Eddie Van Halen, and Mark Knopfler. While itās hard to port the intangible feel of any amp into a small pedal, the SLO Pedal does an impressive job capturing that essence, offering amp-style drive, wooly fuzz, and lots of clean headroom at a fraction of the price.
$229, soldano.com
TWO NOTES ReVolt Guitar (May 2023)
This tube-driven, 3-channel preamp with analog cabinet emulation is intuitive and easy to use. Clean, crunch, and lead channels cover a wide range, offering glassy Bassman 100 emulation and hot-rod Marshall drive, as well as SLO-100-style tones. If you prefer your own drive pedals, itāll handle those with ease, and the compact 7" x 4.5" x 3" size means it shouldnāt be hard to find space for it on your āboard.
$399, two-notes.com
BAD CAT Black Cat (May 2023)
Thereās a new Cat in townāand itās a bit different from older siblings. Thereās no illuminated cat eyes in the logo plate, and no EF86 preamp tube in the circuit, either, and itās 20 watts with a solid-state rectifier and a digital reverb, rather than earlier modelsā all-tube architecture. But this kitty roars like a tiger, providing British textures outside of the Vox and Marshall realms, with lots of range in the lead channel, especially, and offering plenty of volume, headroom, and versatility.
$2,099 street,badcatamps.com
PRS DGT SE (May 2023)
Could this be the best sub-$1,000 guitar on the market today? Reviewer Jason Shadrick thinks so. David Grissomās signature PRS is one of the companyās most popular models, so the move to an SE version felt natural. The low-output pickups are bold and clear, and the push/pull coil tap gives more Gretsch vibes than straight up single-coils. This is a most welcome option for players with real-world budgets.
$859 street, prsguitars.com
FENDER Gold Foil Jazzmaster (June 2023)
Itās hard to imagine a platform more perfectly suited to the mid-century flash of a gold-foil-style pickup than the graceful Jazzmaster. The pickups here arenāt real gold-foils. Theyāre alnico-based humbuckers in gold-foil clothing. But they are versatileāspanning hot-Stratocaster pickup sounds, and PAF and Rickenbacker Hi Gain tonalities. The mahogany body, Bigsby, and Jaguar-style switching all help make this beautiful mutation a cool alternative to the traditional Jazzmaster template.
$1,399 street, fender.com
GREAT EASTERN FX CO.Focus Fuzz (June 2023)
Focus Fuzz designer David Greeves describes the sound of his latest pedal as something between a Tone Bender, a Fuzz Face, and a Dallas Rangemaster. That might seem too good to be true to vintage fuzz heads. But, indeed, the Focus Fuzz manages a Fuzz Faceās open, bassy qualities, the fierce metallic edge of a Tone Bender, and, at low-gain settings, the response of a Rangemaster. The quality is exceptional, and the controls interact in cool ways that yield beautifully complex vintage fuzz textures.
$285 street, greateasternfx.com
MESSIAH Flare Ring Boost(July 2023)
This octave-up fuzz and ring modulator honors not only the Dan Armstrong Green Ringer, but an improvement of that circuit by B.Y.O.C. called the Armstrong Twin. A tone knob and boost significantly extend the functionality and sound palette, when compared to the old Dan Armstrong unit. And in practice, itās dynamic, sensitive, expressive, and surprisingly varied. If you typically fear the harsh side of octave fuzz, you might find a friend in the Messiah Flare Ring Boost.
$199 street, messiahguitars.com
ANANASHEAD Cream Amp (July 2023)
The original Electra Distortion is one of those sleeper vintage classics that you hear little about, in spite of its simple, straight-ahead brilliance. It also serves as a jumping off point for many new designs, like the Ananashead Cream Amp. This small, streamlined, Barcelona-built, low-to-mid-gain distortion is touch sensitive, shines with humbuckers, and generates a broad span of lively dirt sounds that are full of character without being in your face.
$125 street, ananashead.com
FISHMAN AFX Pro EQ Mini (July 2023)
It may not look glamorous, but the $119 AFX Pro EQ Mini is a pedal thatās likely to earn back that investment fast. Itās super easy to use, highly utilitarian, and potentially invaluable for any performing acoustic player. But it can just as easily help craft unique, creative, and unorthodox acoustic textures in the studio or onstage.
$119 street, fishman.com
TAYLOR 417e (July 2023)
In the form of this slope-shouldered beauty, Taylor drew upon the enduring appeal of the beautiful Gibson J-45 silhouette, while offering a more balanced, bright, and lively tone profile. As with so many Taylors, the quality is more or less immaculate and the playability is first rate and ultra-silky. And while itās an investment, the combination of timeless styling, a pretty voice, and fits-like-a-glove feel are the stuff of an heirloom piece.
$2,999 street, taylorguitars.com
MARSHALL Guvānor (August 2023)
Though its reputation is built on hard rock and metal, you can coax a lot of surprising sounds out of a Marshall JCM800. The same goes for the Guvānor, which Marshall designed to serve, effectively, as a JCM800 in a box. This U.K.-built reissue sticks to the style and configuration of the original ā80s edition. But the 3-band EQ section and flexible gain control make it capable of much more than stereotypical ā80s sounds. So donāt be surprised when you hear everything from shades of circa-ā66 Beatles tones and tasty, rich, low-gain heat in addition to the very authentically Marshall muscle.
$249 street, marshall.com
JHS Pedals Plugin (August 2023)
The Legends of Fuzz pedal series, which includes the Plugin, honors several circuits that were actually less than legendary in their time. The Jordan Bosstone, though now adored by vintage fuzz fiends, can be counted among those circuits that never achieved household-name status. But in the form of the Plugin, the Bosstone circuit gets the royal treatmentāincluding a handsome, sturdy enclosure, and an additional louder, hard-clipping, mid-forward circuit that admirably bridges the gap between reedy ā60s-style buzz and more modern heavy fare.
$179 street, jhspedals.info
MESA/BOOGIE Mark VII (August 2023)
Available as a rack, head, or combo, Boogieās Mark VII aināt cheap, but itās a rather magicalāand powerful (90W)āgigging, recording, and practicing machine. The built-in CabClone IR has an internal load so it can be used with headphones or speaker-silent onstage. Thereās an 8-position cab-select switch for each channel. The clean tones are rich, and four classic lead voices deliver loads of seminal high-gain tones. Better still, itās intuitive and functional. In short, the Mark VII is a monumental feat of 21st-century tube-amp design.
$3,799 street, mesaboogie.com
VICTORY VS 100 Super Sheriff (August 2023)
The latest Victory amp is a formidable 100-watt, EL34-powered flamethrower that spans decades of big-Brit-amp history. Four ECC83 preamp tubes help evoke ā60s through ā80s tones, from blues-rock to metal, thanks to four gain-range modes, multiple power modes, and a switchable master volume. And the 3-band EQ and presence control are clearly inspired by classic Marshall tone stacks. That range and versatility, authenticity of sound, and quality construction make the Super Sheriff a deal, in spite of the high-end price.
$2,399 street,victoryamps.com
PRS SE McCarty 594 (August 2023)
Another addition in PRSā successful SE series, the SE McCarty 594 is a phenomenal value. It captures the essence of a premium McCarty, with its gorgeous flame-maple-veneer-top-over-mahogany body with gloss polyurethane finish, and trademark PRS bird inlays along the fretboard. The two low-output 58/15 LT āSā humbucking pickups have an old-school-PAF vibe and are rich with clarity and vintage soul, and in both pickup configurations, the dynamic range is incredibly wide. For anyone whoās lusted after a McCarty 594 but doesnāt have the cashāor fears nicking up a guitar that is preciousāthe SE McCarty 594 is an accessible gem.
$949 street, prsguitars.com
DUNLOP Cry Baby Daredevil Fuzz Wah (August 2023)
Jonny Watorās Daredevil Effects has been a favorite around the halls of PG. They have always been high-quality, very homebrew, and strongly aligned with the nastier side of late ā60s and early-ā70s fuzz and drive. Little surprise, then, that Daredevil and Dunlop found each other and made this little gleaming chrome monster. Itās loosely based on a combination of a Clyde McCoy Cry Baby wah and Fuzzrite-style voices. And it is, at turns, vicious and focused, creating a sonic sum thatās unique among wahs.
$229 street, jimdunlop.com
ELECTROāHARMONIX Slap-Back Echo (September 2023)
Comparatively ignored in its original incarnation, the EHX Slap-Back returns in much more petite, inexpensive, but no-less-intriguing form. The Slap-Back, as the name suggests, deals exclusively in short repeats at three preset times: 45, 65, and 100 ms. The resulting sounds span Beatle-style ADT effects and rockabilly greaseāall beefed up by a cool drive section that can kick up an extra 20 dB of boost.
$81, ehx.com
SQUIER Paranormal Rascal Bass HH (September 2023)
The original Fender Rascal came and went much too fast. This new and very welcome Squier incarnation is a different animal. It has high-octane humbuckers rather than lipstick pickups, which situates it more completely in rocking and punky spheres. But the short scale (as well as a high-quality build) means itās a sweet and fast player with output that emphasizes punchy fundamentals while ranging from hot to round and mellow tones.
$449 street, squierguitars.com
IBANEZ SML721(September 2023)
The fanned-fret Ibanez SML721 strikes a very nice balance between quality, affordability, and outside-the-box design. Itās finished in rose gold with gold appointments, and is clearly designed for speedāshredding on it feels effortless. The guitar is loaded with a pair of high-output, ceramic Q58 pickups with a 5-way switch, and Ibanezās dyna-MIX10 switching system enables 10 combinations of full humbucker, coil-split, and coil-tapped sounds. Overall, the SML721 is a lethal, modern vision of a shred machine.
$999 street, ibanez.com
FENDER Shields Blender (October 2023)
My Bloody Valentineās Kevin Shields first used an original Fender Blender octave fuzz on the show-closing sensory-overload version of āYou Made Me Realise.ā And as you move through the range of classic to terrifying tones, you can hear many ways that the new Shields Blenderāwhich initially can feel quite complexācould fit in that mad weave of overtones. The Shields Bender isnāt for everyone. But as one masters its intricacies, its utility as an octave fuzz, capacity for more demented fare, and sheer power create sprawling landscapes to roam within.
$299 street,fender.com
ELECTRO-HARMONIX/JHS Lizard Queen (October 2023)
This rude reptilian is a silicon-transistor-based octave-up fuzz thatās monstrous yet controllable, reactive, and articulate. Itās also easier to use than many other octave/fuzz devices at or above its very reasonable price. With just three dialsāvolume, balance, and an octave control that ranges from zero (to the left) to a full high-octave setting (to the right)āits impressive output means the Lizard Queen will have no trouble slithering to the front of a live mix.
$99 street,ehx.com
J. ROCKETT El Hombre (October 2023)
The El Hombre puts one of the holiest of holy grail tonesāthat of the Rev. Billy F. Gibbonsāat your fingertips. This sturdy op-amp-driven box with silicon clipping diodes is also an excellent overdrive outside of that realmācapable of adding just a little hair, growling big and low like a fat alligator, or being pushed to plexi-like explosiveness. Itās also super responsive to the touch, so sustained bends sing, pinch harmonics ring, andā¦well, how, how, how, how.
$199 street,rockettpedals.com
JAM PEDALS Delay Llama Mk3 (October 2023)
In this upgrade of the original Delay Llama, those sneaky folks at Jam Pedals have brought much of the essential bonus functionality of 2020ās Delay Llama Xtreme to a more compact stomp with a simple and familiar layout. The pedal reveals a superbly characterful and juicy-sounding analog delay voice that shinesāeven within a product category thatās rich with enticing delay sounds. And although the repeats pot taper could use some fine-tuning, the Delay Llama Mk3 is still a standout in the analog delay camp, any way you cut it.
$269, jampedals.com
UAFX Galaxy ā74 Tape Echo and Reverb (October 2023)
There are few effects quite as fun and full of ambience-enhancing potential as a Roland RE-201 Space Echo, and Universal Audio clearly put a lot of thought and energy into capturing that essence in the Galaxy ā74. There are few facets of the RE-201ās functionality that the Galaxy doesnāt replicate. The sounds can be resplendent with air and overtones or beautifully blurred and disorienting. And while only a few other tape echoes rival the RE-201 for pure ergonomic and operational joy, the Galaxy is a blast to use for real-time, virtual-tape-head manipulations that will drive space rock and Nigel Godrich fans to giddiness.
$349 street, uaudio.com
EARTHQUAKER Ledges (October 2023)
EQD has brewed up quite a few classic reverbs in their time, from the radical to the utilitarian. The new Ledges falls somewhere in between. The room, hall, and plate voices cover reverberations that range from barely there to out there. Itās a killer option for players that want to probe the outer limits and those that canāt afford to get lost in endless possibilities on stage.
$199 street, earthquakerdevices.com
DEATH BY AUDIO Disturbance (October 2023)
DBA relishes the opportunity to turn a conventional effectāor, in this case, threeāon its head. The Disturbance manages to excel as a phaser, flanger, and filter. But the highly interactive controls can open the door to stretching those effects to wild ends, enabling odd harmonic peaks, hollowed out phase tones, and more traditional fare like faux-Leslie sounds. Like so many DBA pedals, itās easy to imagine this one as an invaluable, ultra-versatile studio tool, and a source of unexpected surprises that can shake up your stage sound in a big way.
$250 street, deathbyaudio.com
WARM AUDIO Mutation Phasor II (October 2023)
Mu-Tron not only made some of the coolest looking effects of all time, they also made some of the most unusual and unique sounding pedals of the 1970s. Both qualities are plain to see and hear in Warm Audioās very faithful take on the Mu-Tron Phasor II. Like the original, Warm Audioās version has just three knobs, but they yield a cornucopia of rich phase tones that, at advanced settings, spill a bounty of elastic, vowel-y voices and hyper-hummingbird textures. At $149, itās a sweet deal, too.
$149 street, warmaudio.com
CATALINBREAD Tremolo8 (October 2023)
Catalinbreadās latest entry in the tremolo field is priced just a bit higher than most tremā boxes, but the smart design and vast features of the Tremolo8 put it head-and-shoulders above its standard-stompbox-sized competitors. Its eight functions, which call up effects like ring modulation and chorus that meld with onboard reverb, are each deeply tweakable via the pedalās control set.
$219 street, catalinbread.com
DOD Envelope Filter 440 (October 2023)
The newest reissue of DODās classic envelope filter maintains the simple control set, usability, design aesthetic, and distinct personalityāparticularly the sweep and warm voiceāof the original. Thereās one new feature onboard, and thatās a switchable voice direction, which opens up more room for fun and creativity. Itās an all-around great sounding, no-nonsense pedal that nails the envelope filter formula in a way that any player can easily dive into.
$129, digitech.com
ZEROFIVE AUDIO Lowrider (October 2023)
The Lowrider from ZeroFive Audio does an exceptional job of packaging whatās usually an outboard effect into an all-analog pedalboard fixture. It only recreates the bass boost portion of Pultecās legendary equalizerāand does so with preset cut and boost ratiosābut the Lowriderās booming bottom-end in a stompbox package make it a stand-out.
$218 street, zerofiveaudio.com
ESP LTD KH-V (October 2023)
Calling all shredders! The ESP LTD KH-V is the second entry in ESPās V-shaped Kirk Hammett signature catalog, but the KH-V stands out for its combination of quality craftsmanship that pulls together especially articulate active EMG pickups and other premium components. Our reviewer coaxed everything from John Mayer clean tones to full-on Hammett annihilation from the KH-V, without experiencing tonal compromise on either end.
$1799 street, espguitars.com
TAYLOR 112CE-S (October 2023)
Thereās nothing new about Taylor building a tip-top quality flattop that plays like a dream. But getting all that for just less than 800 bucks is worth shouting about. The big news about this newest addition to Taylorās affordable 100 series is the introduction of layered-sapele back and sides, which conspire with the solid Sitka spruce top to shape a warm but bright and lively personality. It shines in fingerstyle situations. And with Expression System 2 electronics on board, itās gig-ready right out of the case.
$799 street, taylorguitars.com
UAFX Evermore (November 2023)
Universal Audio unleashed a new line of more affordable pedals this summer that distilled popular features from their larger, more expensive and expansive Starlight, Del-Verb, and MAX stomps. By using the same algorithms that drive those superb effects, the Evermore Lexicon 224-style reverb, Orion Echoplex EP-3 emulation, and UA 1176 compressor model rise to impressively authentic sounding heights. The Evermoreās 224 soundsāand the unusual and engrossing control set that shapes themācan span room and Blade Runner-soundtrack immensity and otherworldliness. The Orion taps into some of the most peculiar idiosyncrasies of the EP-3 to create a startlingly whole representation of that unitās sound-stretching capabilities. And the 1176, introduces dual-compressor modes that honor Little Feat and Led Zeppelin production techniques and generate compression colors with scoops of satisfying grit and extra sustain.
$199 (1176) and $219 street (Orion and Evermore), uaudio.com
UAFX Orion (November 2023)
Universal Audio unleashed a new line of more affordable pedals this summer that distilled popular features from their larger, more expensive and expansive Starlight, Del-Verb, and MAX stomps. By using the same algorithms that drive those superb effects, the Evermore Lexicon 224-style reverb, Orion Echoplex EP-3 emulation, and UA 1176 compressor model rise to impressively authentic sounding heights. The Evermoreās 224 soundsāand the unusual and engrossing control set that shapes themācan span room and Blade Runner-soundtrack immensity and otherworldliness. The Orion taps into some of the most peculiar idiosyncrasies of the EP-3 to create a startlingly whole representation of that unitās sound-stretching capabilities. And the 1176, introduces dual-compressor modes that honor Little Feat and Led Zeppelin production techniques and generate compression colors with scoops of satisfying grit and extra sustain.
$199 (1176) and $219 street (Orion and Evermore), uaudio.com
UAFX 1176 (November 2023)
Universal Audio unleashed a new line of more affordable pedals this summer that distilled popular features from their larger, more expensive and expansive Starlight, Del-Verb, and MAX stomps. By using the same algorithms that drive those superb effects, the Evermore Lexicon 224-style reverb, Orion Echoplex EP-3 emulation, and UA 1176 compressor model rise to impressively authentic sounding heights. The Evermoreās 224 soundsāand the unusual and engrossing control set that shapes themācan span room and Blade Runner-soundtrack immensity and otherworldliness. The Orion taps into some of the most peculiar idiosyncrasies of the EP-3 to create a startlingly whole representation of that unitās sound-stretching capabilities. And the 1176, introduces dual-compressor modes that honor Little Feat and Led Zeppelin production techniques and generate compression colors with scoops of satisfying grit and extra sustain.
$199 (1176) and $219 street (Orion and Evermore), uaudio.com
SQUIER Paranormal Jazzmaster XII (November 2023)
The lovely Jazzmaster XII may not totally satisfy budget-conscious Fender-philes that clamor for a Squier version of the classic Electric XII. But it is a killer 12-string that, for its economical price and styling, carves out a cool niche all its own. In general, the Jazzmaster XII exhibits darker tone tendencies than a vintage Electric XII or a Rickenbacker 12-string. But itās very playable and the relatively thick output can help guitarists avoid well-tread electric 12-string paths. At $449, it also makes investment in an electric 12-string, which will be a secondary instrument for many, a more appealing and attainable proposition.
$449 street, squierguitars.com
ELECTROāHARMONIX Hell Melter (November 2023)
Electro-Harmonixās take on the Boss HM-2, the Hell Melter, excels at brutal riffageāitās no coincidence that the last three digits in its price tag are 666 (as in $176.66). But our reviewer found that in addition to nailing the Scandinavian death metal āchainsawā sound, the pedalās flexible controls also held solid classic-rock guitar tones, and when set for use as a lead boost, it generated sustain worthy of David Gilmour, who famously dabbled with the HM-2!
$176 street, https://www.ehx.com/
Read the ReviewPRSĀ NF 53 (December 2023)
Thoughtfully designed and very well put together, the NF 53 is a nifty spin on the worldās first mass-produced solidbody electric guitar, but one that takes the format in new directions. The relative simplicity of the instrument is no impediment to versatility. But the real joy in the NF 53 is that it plays beautifully and offers a wide swath of dynamic, smooth, and often trenchant voices that are all its own.
$2,899 street, prsguitars.com
FENDER Waylon Jennings Phasor (December 2023)
There are plenty of weird, wobbling, bubble gum-chewy textures in Fenderās tribute to Jennings that have nothing to do with classic outlaw country, that psychedelicists will relish. But the mellower fare that made Waylonās tunes move is here in tasty plentitude, too, and can be tuned to your own needs with a flexible, interactive control set thatās full of surprises.
$129 street, fender.com