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Guitars

A USA-built “super strat” that unites great tonal range and lightning-fast playability in an instrument deeply rooted in Jackson tradition.

Killer sounding guitar that sounds excellent all across the span of the fretboard, from the low open E string up to the 24th fret of the high E string.

Satin finish picks up a lot of fingerprints.

$1,999

Jackson American Series Virtuoso
jacksonguitars.com

4.5
4.5
4
4.5

In the mid ’80s, when shred took over the guitar world, Jackson was the brand of choice for icons like Randy Rhoads and Marty Friedman. Back then, the company’s guitars were only available from Grover Jackson’s custom shop and were out of reach for a lot of musicians. Since the company’s 2002 acquisition by Fender, the Jackson brand has become accessible to many more players. But as nice as it is to be able to afford a Jackson built in Mexico or Asia, it’s a thrill to see a new, upscale, California-built Jackson like the new American Series Virtuoso. At $1,999 with a foam core hybrid hardshell case-gigbag, the American Series Virtuoso isn’t cheap. But it’s not out of reach for working guitarists, who will value the Virtuoso’s combination of range, straight-ahead functionality, fast playability, and Jackson’s cool combination of flair and economy.

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A band of brothers: Van Halen during the OU812/Monsters of Rock era.

How I’ll always remember Edward.

One memory often triggers another, so, while writing about my experiences with Metallica over a crucial decade in their career for this issue, I kept flashing back on my sole encounter with Van Halen—the man and the band. It was during 1988’s Monsters of Rock, and I was on assignment for the tour’s two-day stand in Akron’s Rubber Bowl, a decrepit concrete pit turned convection oven by the summer heat, to interview all the guitarists on the tour: Kingdom Come’s Danny Stag, Dokken’s George Lynch, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield of Metallica, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs of Scorpions, and, of course, Edward.

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New bracing and pickups make this mid-priced take on a Gretsch classic a lively and engaging inspiration machine.

Smooth playability on par with much more expensive instruments. Airy, open pickup sounds with lots of clean-to-mean latitude.

Blue finish is pretty but thick in spots. Vintage sticklers might miss some old-school Filter’Tron bite.

$799

Gretsch G5420T
gretschguitars.com

4.5
4
5
4

Though big hollowbodies like the Gretsch G6120 are beautiful and an essential ingredient in countless classic records, they can be a tricky playing experience for the uninitiated. Navigable fretboard space is limited by solidbody standards. Big bodies can feel bulky. They’re sometimes feedback prone in high-volume situations, too. Consequently, I’ve watched many solidbody-oriented chums who rarely play hollowbodies handle a big Gretsch with the baffled look of a spacefarer deciphering an alien tongue.

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Ola Englund’s merry band of guitar builders serve up an affordable shred gem.

A killer, ultra-playable guitar with top components at a nice price.

The EverTune bridge and Fluence Modern pickups are very niche-specific components that could turn some players off.

$1.349

Solar GC1.6AFAB
solar-guitars.com

5
4.5
4.5
4.5

Ola Englund, YouTube sensation and guitarist for the Haunted and Feared, started Solar Guitars, his own line of high-quality instruments, in 2017. The company is based in Sant Gregori, Spain, and their guitars are made in Indonesia. But as the marvelously decked-out GC1.6AFAB reviewed here reveals, this collaborative formula is yielding killer results at relatively affordable prices.

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Maple makes the dread grow mellower.

Exceptional playability and intonation. Sweet midrange focus. Records well in dense mixes.

Some will find the maple voice quirky. Not a lot of low-end resonance for a dread. Satin finish doesn’t suit a $2K-plus instrument.

$2,199

Taylor AD27e Flametop
taylorguitars.com

4
4.5
5
4

One of the nice things about designing guitars for a company like Taylor is that you’re less burdened by tradition. Even though the builder is now nearly a 50-year-old institution—not to mention one of the biggest guitar makers in the world—to many acoustic traditionalists they are still very much the new kid on the block. While such fresh-faced “newness” may mean flattop classicists look askance at your every move, it also means you can introduce a design departure like the company’s V-Class bracing without risk of rebellion from your consumer constituency—or, for that matter, build a dreadnought with a top fashioned from big leaf maple.

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