Every year at this time we present our editors’ and reviewers’ choices of the best gear of the preceding 12 months. This year, it's a wide range of, well, just about everything that speaks to us as guitar players. Get ready to be impressed by this top-shelf selection of instruments, amps, and pedals.
Way Huge Stone Burner Sub Atomic Fuzz Pedal
WAY HUGE
Stone Burner
(January 2024)
Another offspring of the much-cherished Way Huge Atreides Weirding Module, the Stone Burner is effectively the octave-fuzz section from the Atreides—no small gift to players that found little use for that pedal’s modulation section. With the option to add as many as two sub-octaves to the super-wild fuzz, the Stone Burner is beastly. But creative players will find many strange and heavy synth-like and fractured sounds that transcend mere heaviness.
Marshall ST20C Studio JTM 1 x 12-inch 20-/5-watt Tube Combo Amplifier
MARSHALL
JTM ST20C Studio
(January 2024)
For a company so famously associated with bigness, Marshall downsizes quite gracefully. There is precedent for this, of course: The Marshall 18-watt is an all-time classic. But the 5881-powered JTM Studio ST20C mimics another classic entirely by assuming much of the sonic and tactile personality of the original Marshall JTM45. That means it has a knack for moving between American and British accents without sacrificing the ability to roar and bite that so many Marshall players savor.
Skreddy Pedals Skunk Drive Model 1606
SKREDDY
Skunk Drive Model 1606
(February 2024)
Skreddy’s Marc Ahlfs derives big-time inspiration from the sounds of Jimmy Page. In the form of the Skunk, Ahlfs focused on the dynamite and sometimes rather rude tones of Page’s Supro 1690T Coronado—the little beast behind Led Zeppelin I and the “Stairway to Heaven” solo. The Skunk certainly has those kinds of fangs. It’s midrange-y, a little compressed in the fashion of a Fender tweed, and readily ranges from boosted to almost-fuzzy fare.
$215 street, skreddypedals.comRead the Review
EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder Distortion Pedal
EARTHQUAKER
Zoar
(February 2024)
The Zoar pedal will probably attract players that lean toward its more aggressive side. After all, reviewer Dave Hunter remarked that, “from razory and tight to flabby and bovine, there’s an entire world of high-gain, fuzzy distortion available.” But Hunter also found scads of lower-gain sounds that can be tuned for very specific needs using the powerful EQ and weight controls. The price is right too.
earthquakerdevices.com
Read the Review
MOOER Micro Looper II
MOOER
Micro Looper II
(February 2024)
This tiny budget box from Mooer should satisfy every casual-to-intermediate loop enthusiast. The Micro Looper II is a cinch to operate, with basic, intuitive controls and clear parameters. You don’t have to grapple with a maze of menus on a tiny screen, and the auto record function is a great remedy for slight timing discrepancies. With three banks of 16 save slots, the Micro Looper II has 48 total spaces for unlimited-layer, 10-minute loops. Time to get loopy!
$88 street, mooeraudio.com
Mythos The Fates
MYTHOS
The Fates
(March 2024)
If you got 90 percent of the way to the sound of an original Boss CE-2, you would still have a fine chorus on your hands. We would venture that Mythos did better than that with the Fates, though. With the addition of vibrato and increased depth range, they also made it more flexible than the Boss classic. The Fates also looks and feels fantastic inside and out. It’s well made and a fine way to cover the iconic chorus sounds you associate with the Smiths or the Pretenders—and go another step beyond.
$219 street, mythospedals.com
Gibson Falcon 5 7-watt 1 x 10-inch Tube Combo Amplifier
Falcon 5
(March 2024)
If you love the sound of vintage Gibson and Valco combos, but appreciate the clarity, quality, robust punch—and some of the functionality—of a modern boutique amp, this 10"-speaker-equipped gem, which can flip between 3 and 7 watts, could be your pearl. Delicious overtones hang in the air, the mids and lows are fat and present with just the right amount of sag, and that light, distant fog that colors the originals is supplanted by clean, well-defined tones. It’s also kickass with dirt pedals.
Meris MercuryX Modular Reverb System Pedal
MERIS
MercuryX
(March 2024)
The MercuryX, an update of the Mercury7, is an embarrassment of reverb riches. It’s a testament to the Meris engineering team that they programmed so many beautiful, haunting, inspiring reverb algorithms into just one box. Each algorithm can be modulated to infinity and beyond. And the interface does an impressive job of massaging what could be a complex operating experience. It ain’t cheap, but when you consider the wealth of reverb sounds, and the customizability of those sounds, the price tag isn’t quite so daunting.
Fishman Loudbox Micro 40-watt 1 x 5.25-inch Acoustic Combo Amp
FISHMAN
Loudbox Micro
(March 2024)
Featuring both instrument and mic channels (the former has knobs for 3-band EQ, gain, reverb, and chorus intensity as well as a phase switch), the bantamweight Fishman Loudbox Micro acoustic amp goes largely undetected at the end of a signal chain. It preserves critical brightness in fingerpicking, and keeps string separation intact when strummed. Slight drawbacks are that the chorus intensity knob only introduces significant warble from 7 o’clock to noon, and not a lot after that. Otherwise, this conveniently portable little amp should satisfy even purists.
Third Man Hardware Fuzz-a-Tron
THIRD MAN HARDWARE
Fuzz-a-Tron
(May 2024)
The Third Man take on a fuzz-pedal kit has just a few components—two transistors, four capacitors, and four resistors, to be exact—and such easy-to-follow instructions that the Fuzz-a-Tron sets a new benchmark in the entry-level kit market. The cool, wedge-shaped enclosure gives the pedal a retro vibe, and the Fuzz-a-Tron delivers a tone that matches, sizzling like a Fuzzrite, but with a less cutting treble and tight mids. It’ll scratch your pedal-building itch with just basic soldering requirements.
$75 street, thirdmanrecords.com
PRS MT 100 Mark Tremonti 100-watt Tube Amplifier Head
MT 100
(April 2024)
Mark Tremonti’s latest signature amplifier is something of a contrarian, given the downsizing trends in amp land. At 100 watts, it’s super powerful. But it also pulls off the clever feat of employing three channels while feeling streamlined and simple to use. The bells and whistles are few, but the MT 100’s ability to span Fender Twin Reverb-style clean tones and ripping high-gain lead sounds makes extras feel superfluous.
Electro-Harmonix Canyon Echo Delay Pedal
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
Pico Canyon
(April 2024)
There is little that is pico about the Pico Canyon’s performance. The filter control adds tone-shaping versatility, the 8-millisecond-to-3-second delay range is super wide, and the infinite repeats function effectively as a looper at times. It’s much more than just a utilitarian echo, too. And though its voice is pretty neutral in color, that means more headroom for the odd modulation, lo-fi, and ring-modulation-like effects that the pedal can yield via creative tinkering.
Electro-Harmonix Oceans 3-verb Reverb Pedal
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
Pico Oceans 3-Verb
(April 2024)
Seeking a reverb that’s tiny, practical, and maybe just a little wild? Well, the Oceans 3-Verb covers the first two by focusing on essentials and fundamentals, and the digital emulations of spring, plate, and hall reverbs are great. But in the event you need to get weird, there’s also an infinite reverb that works in the hall and plate settings, which is awesome for droning. Those interested in more extreme versions of the three voices will appreciate the 3-Verb’s capacity for mega-ambience at higher control settings.
Wren and Cuff Eye See '78
WREN AND CUFF
Eye See ’78
(April 2024)
Matt Holl’s lovingly executed Big Muff homages have traditionally focused on Ram’s Head and Sovtek versions. But the Eye See ’78 is a thrilling take on the V4 Big Muff, which was distinguished by the temporary switch to an op-amp-based circuit. Though the Eye See ’78 possesses all the monstrous charms of any classic Big Muff—mass, volume, and crunch—it has a mid-forward voice that is atypical of Big Muffs but still quite capable of leveling brick buildings.
$324 street,wrenandcuff.com
Pigtronix Cosmosis Stereo Morphing Reverb Guitar Effects Pedal Blue
PIGTRONIX
Cosmosis Stereo Reverb
(April 2024)
We commented that the Cosmosis evokes spaces measured in light years, and that’s not hyperbole. It can be dialed in to create big octave-up reverb textures that avoid the more cloying manifestations of those sounds. But it’s comfortable generating more modest and convincing amp- and room-like sounds too. A morph function enables players to readily move between these extremes, making this a very powerful tool for live performance.
PRS SE CE 24 Standard Satin Electric Guitar
PRS
SE CE 24 Standard Satin
(May 2024)
The Indonesia-built SE CE 24 Standard Satin probably could have been half the guitar it is and still be a ripping deal at $499. Construction quality is top-notch, the coil-splitting capacity makes it PAF-to-Stratocaster versatile, and the import version of PRS’ patented vibrato is rock steady. Players that like to eschew flash will be pleased to see a PRS in such a modest and understated guise.
Carr Bel-Ray
CARR
Bel-Ray
(May 2024)
As the Bel-Ray ably demonstrates, Steve Carr’s designs do not merely ape traditional American-style circuits. They are highly original and imaginative. And in this case, the amp bellows with a mighty English accent. The Vox AC15 and 18-watt Marshall are obvious touchstones here, and the EL84-powered Bel-Ray nails the spirit of those famously overachieving circuits. But it also employs a 3-way voice switch that moves between Vox, Hiwatt, and Marshall EQ gain profiles—yielding many more worlds of firecracker and crystalline tones.
$3,240 street,carramps.com
Aion FX Azimuth Dynamic Overdrive
AION FX
Azimuth Dynamic Overdrive
(May 2024)
As a first-time pedal builder, editor Jason Shadrick learned an incredible amount from building the Azimuth. It’s a take on the Hermida Zendrive, and by all accounts sounds extremely authentic. Aion’s documentation was impeccable, and the components were top notch. The real star is the voice control, which subtly crafts the low-end response. If those used prices for a Zendrive are out of reach, this should be your very next stop.
$79 street, aionfx.com
Warm Audio RingerBringer Ring Modulation Pedal
WARM AUDIO
RingerBringer
(May 2024)
Ring modulators are intrinsically out-there machines. And the Moog MoogerFooger MF-102 that inspired this Warm Audio homage was powerfully odd indeed. The sounds from the much-less-expensive RingerBringer are faithful to the beguiling and beautiful sounds of the Moog original. They can be scary, otherworldly, and downright weird, but also throbbingly atmospheric in the more conventional tremolo-like modes. And at just $219, you won’t have to worry too much about taking a chance on an outlandish musical device outside your comfort zone.
Beetronics FX Nectar "Tone Sweetener" Overdrive/Fuzz Effects Pedal
BEETRONICS
Nectar
(May 2024)
You could categorize the Nectar as a very practical fuzz or a fuzzy overdrive. But the important thing is that it can generate any one of a hundred shades of gain between extremes on the distortion spectrum. And no matter how you classify it, it’s exceptionally versatile. The fuzz tends toward smooth and creamy, but its expansive gain range means you can also summon the throaty crunch of a MXR Distortion+, or a mild dollop of boost, just as easily.
Death By Audio Octave Clang
DEATH BY AUDIO
Octave Clang
(June 2024)
Octave fuzz and Death By Audio are a natural match. In Dungeons & Dragons terms, they both are of chaotic alignment (we won’t pass judgment on the good or evil part). And in true Death By Audio style, the Octave Clang takes a most idiosyncratic and individual approach to an already anarchic effect. The fuzz side of the Octave Clang is direct and hard-hitting, very much in the vein of simple mid-’60s fuzz boxes. And while the octave can add traditional Hendrix textures, it is also responsive to the personalities of different guitars and guitar-control settings in a way that yields tankards full of odd textures.
$225 street,deathbyaudio.com
Silktone Overdrive+
SILKTONE
Overdrive+
(June 2024)
It’s hard to think of another pedal that so successfully swirls the line between overdrive, distortion, and fuzz. And that lack of singular focus is exactly what makes the Overdrive+ such a standout. If you come armed with a robust clean tone, this pedal alone can turn your amp into a 3-channel gain machine that hits all the marks for dirty, crunchy tones. The Overdrive+ makes a strong case for itself as the only gain device you’ll need on your pedalboard.
$269 street, silktone.org
ESP LTD M-1001 Electric Guitar - Charcoal Metallic Satin
ESP LTD
Deluxe M-1001
(June 2024)
Reviewer Joe Charupakorn was struck by the straight-ahead, rather wicked personality of the M-1001. Sleek, stripped-down (save for the subtly fancy gold hardware) and built for speed, it’s tailor-made for aggressive styles of music. Twenty-four frets and a 12"-16" radius mean a lot of runway for fast, expressive players. The Floyd Rose 1000 vibrato helps, too. But nothing reflects the M-1001’s brutish focus more than the single, ferocious Fishman Fluence pickup and absence of a tone knob—a direct line to raging!
Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Ambient Pedal
WALRUS
Fundamental Ambient
(June 2024)
With slider controls that evoke early ’70s JEN stompboxes, three reverb voices, and a very approachable $129 price tag, the Walrus Ambient is a fun way to delve into the realm of super-big reverb spaces without risking an equally big investment. The low price doesn’t mean Walrus skimped on the quality, however. It’s a sturdy thing. But the slider controls invite a more interactive approach to using the pedal, which unlocks even more reverb treats.
Taylor 117E Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
TAYLOR
117e
(July 2024)
Taylor’s slope-shouldered Grand Pacific shape echoes that of classics like the Gibson J-45, and, at just less than 900 bucks, it may be one of the most budget-friendly ways to experience the comfort and classy looks of a slope-shoulder dread. Much of that value, of course, has to do with Taylor’s customary excellent playability. And though it’s more midrange-forward than more upmarket, bass-rich versions of the Grand Pacific, it offers a tone palette that will soothe and excite strummers and fingerstylists.
Supercool Pedals Zig-Zag
SUPERCOOL
Zig-Zag
(July 2024)
The analog, BBD Zig-Zag is a dead-simple chorus and vibrato. With just two controls—rate and depth—plus a toggle switch to go between the two effects, it doesn’t offer the sort of tonal customization some players will demand, but it more than makes up for it in clarity and fidelity. At both subtle settings and vertigo-inducing extremes, the Zig-Zag is remarkably clear and present, thanks in part to a small dB boost. It’s an all-analog blast.
$189 street, supercoolpedals.ca
Keeley Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, and Super Rodent
KEELEY
Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, and Super Rodent
(July 2024)
If these pedals sound a little like monsters, well, perhaps it’s because they are all based on a very Frankensteinian design concept: stuff a box with two drive circuits, then enable the user to move interchangeably between the clipping and EQ sections from each. In the case of the Blues Disorder, the combination is one of circuits derived from the Marshall BluesBreaker and Fulltone OCD. In the Angry Orange, it’s the more unconventional union of Sovtek Big Muff and Boss DS-1. And the Super Rodent mashes up the Pro Co RAT and Boss Super Distortion. If you can’t find a distortion tone to love here, maybe you should pivot to the piccolo.
Victory Amplification The Deputy 25-watt Tube Amplifier Head
VICTORY
The Deputy
(August 2024)
At 25 watts, and with a pair of EL86s driving the works, the Deputy deviates from the two-EL84, 15-watt template that is something of a standard in the low-to-medium-wattage English-amp realm. But with a flexible EQ, bright switch, and EL86s running in fixed bias, the Deputy will happily meet players in the middle of the Atlantic—spanning clean and crunchy AC15-style tones as well as nice black-panel Deluxe Reverb sounds when you scoop the midrange a bit.
Fender 70th-anniversary American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster
FENDER
70th Anniversary American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster
(August 2024)
Any nice Stratocaster is a study in balance—some might even say design perfection. The 70th Anniversary American Vintage II 1954 Stratocaster is a reminder of just how amazing the design was from the get-go. Needless to say, vintage details abound on the AVII 1954 Strat. Even the headstock is the more curvaceous early incarnation of the one that became iconic. The chunky 1954 C neck profile is a hefty but comfortable alternative to the deep-V necks from the AVII 1957 Stratocaster, and the pickups readily dish hot or silky-and-sweet tonalities.
$2,599 street, fender.com
Boss Katana Artist Gen 3 1 x 12-inch 100-watt Combo Amplifier
BOSS
Katana Artist Gen 3
(August 2024)
With a street price of just $599, the Boss Katana Artist Gen 3 makes no bones about its intent to grab the tones-per-dollar title belt. The 100-watt, 1x12, digital heavy-lifter can play the role of a stage amp, home practice rig, or foundation for your recording rig. And with the ability to bridge brown-sound saturation and clean sounds of many colors—all with sometimes startling authenticity—the Artist Gen 3 is a mighty, and mighty-affordable, toolbox for the player that likes scads of sounds in one place.
$599 street, boss.info
IRIS MS-00
IRIS
MS-00
(August 2024)
The Vermont builder’s Gibson L-00-inspired model was created in collaboration with vintage-Gibson expert Mark Stutman of Folkway Music. Exuding a relaxed, down-to-earth retro vibe, the MS-00 has a simple aesthetic. There’s no pore filler on the backs and sides, which helps with the visual vibe and probably gives it more resonance as well. This is a touch-sensitive, midrange-focused instrument, and at $2,450, this Iris puts a high-end luthier-crafted experience within reach.
$2,450 street, irisguitarcompany.com
PRS S2 Vela Electric Guitar - Scarlet Sunburst
PRS
S2 Vela
(September 2024)
A lot of folks think the Vela is the prettiest PRS body profile. But even if it looked like a ping-pong paddle, there’d be no denying just how much the S2 Vela does well. The US-made DS-01 and Narrowfield pickups that distinguish this newest incarnation of the S2 Vela can deliver Telecaster twang, Stratocaster blues wail, and crunch tones with uniform ease. And like just about every PRS, the quality is tip-top.
Universal Audio UAFX Lion '68 Super Lead Amp Pedal
UAFX
Lion ’68
(September)
If you haven’t dabbled in amp modeling much, it would be easy to mistake the Lion ’68 for a simple Marshall-in-a-box pedal and wonder about the near-$400 price. But the Lion’s ability to emulate Marshall size and dynamite responsiveness on a desktop or pedalboard goes way beyond merely suggesting Marshall-ness. The Lion ’68 often sounds and feels uncannily like the real thing, and the ability to further shape your tone with virtual amp, cab, and room changes, you’ll be knocked flat not just by the power on tap, but the variation in these sounds.
Warm Audio Warm Bender Fuzz Pedal
WARM AUDIO
Warm Bender
(October 2024)
The original Tone Bender MkII is not only one of the most bitchin’ sounding fuzzes ever, it’s also among the coolest to look at. Warm Audio held onto the essential style of the very-large original while downsizing its dimensions. But the real treats here are the three switchable voices that move between NOS 75, NOS 76, and silicon transistor modes, which offer three distinct flavors of one of the fuzz world’s most fabulous colors.
JAM Fuzz Phrase Si
JAM
Fuzz Phrase Si
(October 2024)
Though it plays second fiddle in some respects to its germanium big brother, the silicon Fuzz Face is a mighty buzz bomb that’s lent menace and muscle to some of Jimi’s and Gilmour’s finest moments. Like the original Fuzz Face, this JAM homage takes the place of a much-loved germanium predecessor. But this top-quality, silicon version of the circuit is a lovable amalgam of simplicity and swagger.
$229 street, jampedals.com
Cusack Project 34 Selenium
CUSACK
Project 34 Selenium Rectifier Pre/Drive
(October 2024)
The low-gain overdrive known as the Project 34 is named for selenium’s number on the periodic table of elements. But you won’t need to know what’s inside to discern the smooth, dynamic response in the overdrive that reviewer Dave Hunter called “a very organic gain stage that just makes everything sound better.”
$240 street,cusackmusic.com
Strymon BigSky MX Reverb Pedal
STRYMON
BigSky MX
(October 2024)
We don’t often see new stomps that clock in at 679 bucks. But the BigSky MX is no ordinary reverb. An 800 MHz tri-core ARM processor with 32-bit floating-point processing makes the BigSky MX crazy-powerful. There are new sounds galore, and the programming capabilities and flexible connectivity are impressive. It might be overkill for traditionally minded guitar players and take three lifetimes to explore its every capability, but the BigSky MX could be a bonanza for guitarists that stretch their expression to the realms of sound design.
Electro-Harmonix x JHS Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz Pedal
EHX/JHS
Lizard Queen
(October 2024)
At $99 street, the Lizard Queen octave/distortion is a bargain and a magic-carpet ride back to the golden era of fuzztone. Its three controls make it easy to dial in classic sounds that can also be highly reactive to guitar volume. While many fuzzes can get lost in the blast of a full band, the Lizard Queen—with its impressive output—will have no trouble slithering to the front of the mix.
J. Rockett Audio Designs El Hombre Overdrive Pedal
J. ROCKETT
El Hombre
(October 2024)
The El Hombre delivers on its promise of the Rev. Billy F. Gibbons’ tone. But how much you dial that in is a matter of taste, because this pedal is a highly flexible overdrive that allows you to determine how many shovels of dirt you want to spread over your sound. Compared to a lot of other ODs, it’s a little expensive. But if you’ve been searching for thatTejasmagic, and more, the El Hombre might be what you’ve been yearning for.
EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II Subharmonic Multi-delay Resonator Pedal
EARTHQUAKER/DEATH BY AUDIO
Time Shadows II
(October 2024)
If weirding’s your thing, this pedal’s for you. The Time Shadows Multi-Delay Resonator combines three delay voices with filters, fuzz, phasing, shimmer, swell, and subharmonics. The challenge is working the cascading aural whirlpools and dinosaur choirs into song arrangements, but editorial director Ted Drozdowski heard how the pedal could be used to create unique, wonderful pads or bellicose solos after just a few minutes playing. If you’d like to easily sidestep the ordinary, you’ll find spelunking this stomp’s cavernous possibilities worthwhile.
Red Panda Radius Ring Modulator/Frequency Shifter Pedal
RED PANDA
Radius
(October 2024)
The Radius delivers ring modulation and frequency shifting: a heady combo that’s not for the faint of heart! But if you’re brave enough to dive in, it’s impressively easy to find your way around such a complex effect. Classic ring-mod tones are the jumping-off point for oodles of bold new sounds generated by envelope and waveform-controlled modulation and interaction. The Radius would be at home on any wide-eyed experimenter’s pedalboard, or make a powerful studio accessory.
JHS Hard Drive Distortion Pedal
JHS
Hard Drive
(October 2024)
Starting out as an homage to an Ibanez SM7 Smash Box, the JHS Hard Drive evolved into a unique, original circuit designed for ’90s high-gain oomph. With a streamlined 6-knob control panel featuring 3-band EQ as well as volume, mid frequency, and drive, it delivers massive bottom end at even the lowest drive setting. With drive all the way up, you’re in for all-out chaos. The effective and powerful EQ introduces more range than the average heavy pedal. What this box lacks in low- and mid-gain options, it makes up for in an excellent array of modern high-gain variations.
Wampler Mofetta Overdrive And Distortion Effects Pedal
WAMPLER
Mofetta
(October 2024)
A riff on Ibanez’s cult classic, the MT10 Mostortion, the Wampler Mofetta replicates its forefather’s clipping-diodes circuitry, but offers a texture switch to toggle between that and MOSFET gain stages. It captures the vibe of edge-of-amp-breakup low-gain perfectly. On the first setting, it has expansive headroom where you can find a lot of bold, cutting tones, while classic rock and early metal are accessible on the MOSFET setting. Great touch sensitivity and the texture switch set this pedal on a path to more aggressive spaces.
SoloDallas Orbiter Fuzz
SOLODALLAS
Orbiter Fuzz
(November 2024)|
Inspired by the 1966 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, the Orbiter stings and sings like a germanium Muhammad Ali. It delivers over-the-top fuzz, yet allows core tones to emerge. The Orbiter also generates smooth, light distortion that sustains beautifully when you use an easy touch, punches through a live mix with its impressive gain, and generates dirt voices from smooth to sputtering, via the bias dial. For some, this might be the last stop in the search for holy grail Fuzz Face-style sounds.
$249 street, solodallas.com
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I Electric Guitar - Silver Mist
EPIPHONE
1963 Firebird I
(November 2024)
This high-quality reissue of a Gibson classic looks, feels, and sounds impressive, indeed. And though it’s a one-pickup guitar, the Firebird mini humbucker makes its voice surprisingly versatile and powerful. The simplicity and elegance of its look, streamlined controls, clean surface, and light weight made the I a joy to play, especially with the treble rolled to near-zero. There, early Clapton-esque tone is a cinch to find, and for blues and jazz licks, the warmth and clarity are delightful.
PRS DGT 15 David Grissom 15-watt Tube Head - Blonde Tolex
PRS
DGT 15
(November 2024)
A more club-friendly take on the PRS DG Custom 30, the single-channel, reverb-and-tremolo-equipped DGT 15 is built with two EL84s, three 12AX7s, and one 12AT7. Its 3-way bright, boost, and master volume switches add an impressive range of colors and gain contrasts, with a core tonality in the ’60s black-panel Fender camp. Without boost, you have headroom up to the 3 o’clock volume level before it starts breaking up; when boosted, the satisfying saturation skirts modern overdrive sizzle. This amp scales new heights of tone versatility at an accessible price.
EarthQuaker Devices Silos Multi-generational Time Reflection Delay Pedal
EARTHQUAKER
Silos
(November 2024)
Simple, streamlined, and inexpensive, the digital Silos features six presets, tap tempo, one full second of delay time, and three voices—two of which are styled after bucket-brigade and tape-delay sounds. You won’t often see these features all together in a delay at this price. But that they all sound so exceptionally good is what makes the Silos special.
Read the Review ONLINE VERSION NOT YET PUBLISHED
Warm Audio Pedal76 Analog FET Compressor Pedal
WARM AUDIO
Pedal76
(November 2024)
Warm Audio already makes a well-regarded, ultra-affordable Urei 1176 clone. But they also put that experience to work here in service of honoring Origin Effects’ own compact homage to the 1176, the Cali76. Like a real Urei 1176 and the Cali76, the Pedal76 adds life, spark, and octane to the blandest amp tones and gracefully walks the line between adding sustain and not sacrificing too much in the way of dynamics or the essence of your rig.
You can find reviews of the December 2024 Premier Gear Award Winners—Death By Audio’s Bass War, Universal Audio’s Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special, Squier’s Affinity Telecaster Thinline, L.R. Baggs’ AEG-1 guitar, Positive Grid’s Spark 2, and Warm Audio’s WA-C1—elsewhere on premierguitar.com.
- Grez Guitars Mendocino Review ›
- Newman 6-String Review ›
- Weird Guitars: Vintage Freak Show ›
- Why Do So Many Posers Play “Offset” Guitars? ›
Billy Corgan shining with his Reverend Z One.
When the Smashing Pumpkins formed in 1988, they were ripping in rock clubs with psychedelic-inspired sets that drew on ’60s-rock influences like Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. But by 1992, after the breakout success of the previous year’s swirling alt-rock masterpiece, Gish, “Suddenly, we’re on a major label,” recalls Corgan. “Pearl Jam sold a gazillion records. Nirvana sold a gazillion records. Alice in Chains is selling a gazillion records. And somebody puts a finger up to my temple and says, ‘You better figure out how to write pop songs or you’re going to go back to working at a record store.’
“So, how do I translate this kind of hazy psychedelic vision into something that sounds like pop-rock radio? I’d better figure this out, and fast.” On 1993’s Siamese Dream, Corgan had obviously gone far beyond simply figuring out how to fit his vision into a radio-ready format; he’d pushed alternative rock to new heights, masterfully crafting hooks fit for the band’s unique, massive guitar-driven sound.
More than three decades later, Corgan hasn’t stopped evolving his artistry to fit the times. On the firm foundation of his extremely well-developed, instantly recognizable musical voice, he’s made his career one of the most interesting in rock music, branching out into unpredictable trajectories. In 2017, he launched a new career as a professional wrestling producer when he purchased the National Wrestling Alliance, the source of the limited TV series Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland.The Smashing Pumpkins - "Edin"
And he’s applied that knack for spectacle—a de facto pre-req for anyone in the pro wrestling biz—to the band’s social media presence. In January 2024, when guitarist Jeff Schroeder split with the Smashing Pumpkins, they turned to the internet for an open call. Not only did the band eventually find new-hire Kiki Wong, but they effectively got every guitarist on the internet dreaming about joining the Pumpkins.
Corgan has also found a creative outlet as a guitar conceptualist. His four signature Reverends—the Billy Corgan Signature, Terz, Z-One, and Drop Z—were created in collaboration with Joe Naylor, the company’s visionary builder. Taken together, these models go well beyond standard signature artist instruments protocols. Not content to just design his own dream guitar, Corgan is equally concerned with contributing to the guitar community. The Billy Corgan Signature and Z-One models are forward-thinking electric guitars well-outfitted with hip, futuristic aesthetics and custom pickups; the Terz and Drop Z break new ground in guitar design. The Terz is a 21 1/2"-scale model meant to be tuned one and a half steps up—G to G—and the Drop Z model, at 26 1/2" scale, is intended for D standard or lower tunings. In the case of these alt-tuned guitars, the instruments are specifically voiced for their tunings, with custom pickups.
“In that quiet solitude of just you and the guitar, this communication can happen that sort of expresses something about yourself that is surprising.”
With all this action—plus signature Yamaha acoustics and his Highland Park, Illinois, café, Madame Zuzu’s, which he owns with his wife, Chloé Mendel—Corgan must be dialing into a deep, super-focused state when working on music, because he’s been prolific. In 2023, the Pumpkins released the epic ATUM: A Rock Opera in Three Acts, the third part of the trilogy that began with the Pumpkins’ smash-hit Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadnessin 1995, followed by 2000’s Machina/The Machines of God. In 2024, the band released Aghori Mhori Mei. Pitched as a stripped-down guitar record, and exempt from the former’s grandiosity, the songs are often riff-centric guitar jams, full of dark, in-your-face tones. But that pitch might belie the album’s rich compositional complexity and intense emotional breadth. Corgan’s writing on Aghori exemplifies all the nuance and finesse of his broader work, as do the dynamic, thoughtful guitar arrangements and hard-hitting performances.
With so much going on, how does Corgan keep his artistic vision focused and in step with the times? How does he find time to tap into the creative essence that has made his music so special? What drives his process? The only way to find out is from Corgan himself.
The Smashing Pumpkins’ Aghori Mhori Mei was pitched as a more stripped-down guitar record, but don’t let that description, fitting as it may be in comparison with their recent work, belie its majesty.
The premise of Aghori was to be more of a stripped-down guitar record. How did you approach this album from a compositional perspective?
Corgan: The idea was to return to the early language of the band and see if it had a modern application. If you were making a movie, it would be akin to: We’re going to shoot this on VHS cameras and edit in an old analog bay and see if you can make something that a modern audience would actually enjoy and appreciate.
The way most rock records are made these days is “in the box,” which is Pro Tools or whatever people use. You can hear that the digital technology is very important to the way modern rock music, whether it’s metal or alternative, is made. It’s become the fifth band member—you know what I’m saying? They’re able to do things and effect changes and musically innovate in a way that you wouldn’t if you were just on a floor with the band playing in a circle, like we used to. So, for us, we could continue down this digital path, and I’m not that interested in gridding out my guitars.
When you go listen to a Pumpkins record, that’s live playing. That’s not all chopped up—99% of what you hear is literally from our hands and mouths—we’ll still fly in a chorus here and there. If you’re at a particular crossroads, do you continue to move forward and with technology as your ally? Or do you kind of go back and see if that old way still has something magical about it? That becomes sort of the existential debate of the record, both internally and publicly, which is: Is there a there, there?
But to clarify, this isn’t an analog recording.
Corgan: We record to Pro Tools. It’s using the technology of Pro Tools to make your records that we don’t do. I’m not trying to make a point. I’m saying using the technologies that are present to write your music or using it to do things that you can’t humanly do—that we don’t do.
Listen to your standard metal record. Everything is gridded to fuck: All the amps are in the box, all the drums are in the box, there’s not a missed note, everything’s tuned to fuck. You know what I mean? That’s modern metal, and I like it. It’s not like I turn up my nose at the thing, but that’s a way of making music for many people in 2024. We decided to try and go back and make a record the old-fashioned way, not to make some sort of analog point.
“There’s a certain loneliness in the way I play because I didn’t have anybody else to play guitar with.”
You write mostly on acoustic and piano. Where do the guitar arrangements come in?
Corgan: The fundamental process, going back to the beginning, is to create the basic track; the vocal then becomes the next most important thing, and then the icing on the cake is the guitar work over the top of that, basically to support and supplement the vocal and create more melodic interaction.
I got a lot of that from Queen and Boston and some Beatles—the idea that the guitar takes on a lead voice of its own that’s distinctive and almost becomes another lead singer in the band.
That stuff doesn’t show up literally until the last day working on the song. It’ll come off wrong, but we don’t spend a ton of time on it. And I don’t know what that means other than it seems to be like everything is done, and then you go, “Okay, time for the guitar work.” You’ll spend three hours, six hours just going through and trying stuff. Then it sort of just appears, and you go, “Oh, that sounds cool,” and you move on. It benefits from being fresh or feeling kind of like an emotional reaction.
I remember being in a car circa 1975 or ’76 and “Killer Queen” by Queen was on the radio. You’re listening to a song, the song sounds cool, and there’s flange vocals, and I’m 10 years old, in the backseat. All of a sudden, that lead break comes in; it’s just fucking loud. It has that feeling of somebody stepping forward into a spotlight. It’s not a show-off thing. It’s the way it makes you feel. It’s like a lighter type of moment. We’ve always chased that feeling.
Billy Corgan's Gear
Corgan with his signature Yamaha LJ16BC in 2022.
Photo by Mike White
Guitars
- E standard: Billy Corgan Signature Reverend Z-One Black
- E backup: Billy Corgan Signature Reverend - Satin Purple Burst
- Eb standard: Billy Corgan Signature Reverend Z-One - Silver Freeze
- Eb backup: Billy Corgan Signature Reverend Z-One - Orchard Pink
- Eb standard: ’70s Gibson ES-335 walnut
- C# standard: Billy Corgan Signature Reverend Drop Z - Pearl White
- Prototype Gibson Firebird
- Billy Corgan Custom Signature Yamaha LJ16BC Black with Silver Star
- Billy Corgan Custom Signature Yamaha White with Black Star
Amps
- Ampete 444 Amplifier & Cabinet Switching System
- Korg DT-1 Rack Tuner
- Carstens Cathedral
- Orange Rockerverb MkIII
- Carstens Grace Billy Corgan Signature Head
- Laney Supergroup LA100SM
- Laney LA412 4x12 Black Country Custom
Pedals
- RJM Mastermind GT/22 MIDI Controller
- Lehle D.Loop
- Warm Audio Warmdrive
- MXR Phase 90
- Catalinbread Zero Point Tape Flanger
- Behringer Octave Divider
- Strymon Brigadier dBucket Delay
- EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II
- Custom Audio Electronics MC-403 power supply
Strings
- Ernie Ball Regular Slinky (.010–.046)
- Ernie Ball Power Slinky (.011–.048)
- Ernie Ball Not Even Slinky (.012–.052)
- Ernie Ball Earthwood Medium Light (.012–.054)
Guitar starts out for so many of us as this really personal thing that we spend all our time doing, and then as life gets more complicated, you just have less time. What is your relationship with the guitar like in 2024? Do you have a day-to-day relationship with guitar playing?
Corgan: I do not. I don’t really pick up the guitar much unless I’m working.
When you do pick up the guitar, is it with intent? Do the ideas come inspired by the guitar, inspired by something you play? Or are they up in your head, and then you’re grabbing a guitar to realize it?
Corgan: If I pick up a guitar, I’m looking to play something that surprises me. It’s whatever comes out. And sometimes you hit the wrong chord and go, “Oh, that’s interesting.” Or you find a new inversion or something that you never thought of before. You try to play a different scale run than you’ve played 10,000 times, always landing on the same note. It’s just looking for something just a little bit new. I find oftentimes, in that quiet solitude of just you and the guitar, this communication can happen that sort of expresses something about yourself that is surprising—an emotional feeling or a way of approach.
“You could say to me, ‘Hey, play me some Siamese-type thing that you would’ve done in ’92,’ and in five minutes, I could write you something that would sound like a song that would’ve been a Siamese song in ’92.”
The style of my guitar playing came out of taking care of my disabled brother when I was a teenager, so I was stuck inside a lot. To paint a simple visual, imagine being stuck inside on a summer’s day and watching people play outside through the window as you’re playing the guitar. That was my life for much of my teenage years, because I was in this position where I had to look after somebody who was not so much homebound, but it wasn’t like the type of child at his stage of development that you could take him in the backyard and let him run around. You kind of had to look after him. It often became easier to stick him in front of a television or let him take a nap while you’re practicing.
There’s a certain loneliness in the way I play because I didn’t have anybody else to play guitar with. I developed a style that had a kind of call-and-response aspect to it in the open strings and the drone playing, because it was a way to effect a larger conversation without somebody else in the room.
Then, when it was James [Iha] and I in the early days of the band, James would basically do different versions of what I was playing. That created an even bigger conversation that seemed to create almost like a third guitarist. You can hear that in the whistling harmonics in the background. That’s just two guitars playing, but you create a ghost effect. I’ve done a lot of guitar work in the studio where people would be visiting me, and they look at the speakers, “What’s that sound?” And I’m like, “That’s just two guitars.” They don’t believe me. I literally have to solo the two guitars and just show them. That’s the harmonic effect.
I still have that inner relationship with my playing, where I could just sit down and play and find something that sounds like a bit of a conversation.
The Reverend Billy Corgan Signature in the hands of the man himself alongside drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and guitarist James Iha.
Photo by Ken Settle
When you’re writing, picking up a guitar, looking for those things, like you said, are you still after the same feeling you had initially or has the feeling changed?
Corgan: I think it’s more trying to find something that seems to signify whatever’s happening at the moment. It’s a truthfulness. You could say to me, “Hey, play me some Siamese-type thing that you would’ve done in ’92,” and in five minutes, I could write you something that would sound like a song that would’ve been a Siamese song in ’92. I can dial in any era of the band or my writing at will, because they’re all based on methodologies and certain emotional templates. So, I’m trying to do that for today. What is the 2024 version of that that makes me feel something—anything at all?
There’s this other creative side to your work, which is your signature gear. You have four Reverend guitars, and they’re all very different from each other. You’ve created them with Joe Naylor. Can you tell me about that collaboration?
Corgan: Somehow, Joe is able to go back and listen to what I’m referencing, and then translate that into something that’s physically tangible and consistent.
I don’t think a gimmicky guitar serves anybody. My signature guitars need to be useful to anybody else doing their music, not just my kind of music. And I’m very proud of that. I think that’s what makes a great guitar—it has application to whoever picks it up. And a lot of credit to Reverend to be willing to take these chances that I’ve sort of set them off chasing.
The Reverend Billy Corgan Drop Z is specially voiced in feel and sound for D standard and lower tunings.
They’re all bold guitars, but especially the Terz and the Drop Z, which are built specifically for alternate tunings. What were you looking for when you came up with the idea of those instruments?
Corgan: The thing with the Terz, which is G to G as opposed to E to E—a step and a half higher—was in listening to guitarists like Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and other guitar players of that generation, I noticed that the function of the guitar for many alternative guitar players was becoming more atmospheric and less elemental. I thought maybe they would like to have a higher tonal range to work in. Because, ultimately, in 2024 logic, you want to get the guitar away from the vocal. If you think of the classic Telecaster sound, well, if you’re playing in the key of G on a Telecaster, that sits exactly where the vocal is. It’s like the worst possible place for a guitar in the 21st century. But if you can increase the harmonic range of the guitar, it does sort of sit, elementally, a little higher.
I don’t think people have figured that out yet about that guitar. But I have a funny feeling that at some point somebody will, much like when Korn took the Steve Vai guitar and took it in a completely different direction and made a whole new genre of music with it. I think the Terz opens a player up to a different tonal range.
“I don’t think a gimmicky guitar serves anybody. My signature guitars need to be useful to anybody else doing their music, not just my kind of music.”
A lot of these modern alternative guitar players, they don’t play super complicated stuff. Whether they were inspired by Jonny from Radiohead or the guy from Coldplay, it’s more like a tweedle-y guitar, like twilight, vibey.... You look at their pedalboards; it’s a lot of reverbs and bucket delays and stuff like that. I get it.
On the Drop—on making Aghori, I found myself thinking a lot about Mick Mars’s guitar sound and where Mick’s guitar sat in Mötley Crüe. Early Mötley Crüe was basically a guitar tuned down a step. Something about the D range—you could do it on a normal guitar, but it gets a little sloppy with the tuning and certainly the intonation. So, I talked to Reverend about making a D-to-D guitar that doesn’t feel like a baritone guitar, that plays and feels very much like an E-to-E guitar, but gives you range. For a modern guitar player who wants to make music that ends up on the radio, the specificities of where that guitar needs to sit tonally and how it would be mixed is what I was thinking of.
So, these are instruments for the modern player who wants to make music that can reach people vis-à-vis what is the media these days—streaming or whatever. If you want to take an old guitar and tune it down to F and all that … I did all that crazy stuff, too. I wouldn’t discourage anybody from doing it. But these are specific instruments with a very specific purpose, primarily for recording.
On “Edin” [from Aghori Mhori Mei], well, that’s that guitar. I think in that song, it’s dropped, so the low string is a C. But you can hear how that guitar sits so forward in the track. That’s a credit to Joe making that guitar exactly what I wanted, and the pickups really doing their job with how it sits in the track.
Corgan has an early memory of hearing Brian May’s lead break on “Killer Queen”: “It has that feeling of somebody stepping forward into a spotlight. It’s not a show-off thing. It’s the way it makes you feel. It’s like a lighter type of moment. We’ve always chased that feeling.”
I want to come back to how that affects your playing. You have these instruments that are now specifically voiced to your vision. When they get in your hands and you’re working on something, how do you exploit the sonics of those guitars? Maybe you wrote a song on acoustic, but now you have this instrument that you’ve helped ideate, and you can do stuff that your other guitars can’t. Where does that come in the creative process?
Corgan: I don’t think I have a romantic answer. For me, it’s more about recording accuracy or clarity. If you compare, let’s call it the “Mellon Collie ’95” guitar sound, where we were mostly a half-step down; it’s clear, but it’s very sludgy—a lot of midrange and not a lot of stuff above, say, 17k, because I was using those Lace Sensor pickups. Modern recording; everybody wants the guitar as far forward as you can get it.
These days, I’m mostly using these Carstens amps, which is a Chicago amp-maker, Brian Carstens. I used one amp that he made for me, the Grace, which he does sell, which is kind of a modern take on the Eddie Van Halen brown sound—a ton of gain, but clear. And then he has another amp called Empire, which is more for a metal player. I use that as well. And in some cases, I stack both amps on top of each other by reamping. He has another amp, called Cathedral, which is like a cross between a Fender Twin and a Hiwatt. Again, very clear.
“Modern recording; everybody wants the guitar as far forward as you can get it.”
The best way I can explain it, and this is my poor language-ing, but if I was to take a vintage Marshall plexi and a Les Paul, like a classic amazing guitar sound, and record the riff for “Edin,” and then I was to take my Reverend Drop Z run through a Carstens amp, and you listen to the two tracks, the modern stuff I’m using, the guitar is like six more feet forward in the track; the vintage stuff sounds kind of back there. You can hear it—a little gauzy, a little dark, and the modern stuff is right in your grill. It’s not harsh; it’s not overly midrange-y. It just sounds really good and present.
So that’s the key. Because I play so distinctively that I kind of sound like me whatever you put me through, my focus is more tonal and how it sits in the stereo field.
Are pedals just pragmatic means to achieve a tone? Or is there exploration involved there?
Corgan: Since Siamese Dream, where we famously used the op-amp Big Muff and EHX Micro Synth, and some MXR stuff, the main sound of the band is just crank through something. Going back to something my father told me many, many moons ago: guitar, chord, amp is the key. I worked in the studio with Tony Iommi. Those hands, a chord, an amp—and when he plays, God’s moving mountains. We get super granular when I’m in the studio; I might play a chord that’s no more than seven-feet long, anything so I can be as close to the amp as possible, so there’s the least amount of chord from the guitar to the amp.
It’s all about driving the amp and moving that air and moving those electrons in the tubes. That’s just the key for me. If there’s pedal work on any Pumpkins albums in the last 25 years, it’s for solos and little dinky things on the top. The main guitar sound is always pure power. We want as much pure power as possible.
YouTube It
The Smashing Pumpkins kick out “Sighommi” from Aghori Mhori Meilive on Kimmel with new-hire Kiki Wong joining Corgan and James Iha in the guitar section.
All Metoras feature an intriguing blend of classic Fender elements (Strat-style headstock, Jazzmaster/Jaguar-esque outline) and in the case of the Player Plus Meteora HH and the American Ultra II, more Gibson-like appointments (humbuckers and 3-way selector). But whereas the Telecaster-like Parallel Universe model and Player Plus HH leaned a little more retro, the American Ultra II both tilts more modern and fine-tunes some of the original’s tonal quirks and limitations.
Diverging Contours
Available in three finishes (here we’ve got Texas Tea), the latest Meteora has exposed-coil Haymaker humbuckers and matching pickup rings that, alongside the anodized aluminum pickguards and knurled metal knobs, lend a more hard rock/metal aesthetic than the original Meteora’s WideRange-styled pickups and brighter finish options. (The new avalanche and ultraburst finishes in particular, with their white and crème pickups, respectively, are reminiscent of ’70s and ’80s DiMarzio-outfitted rock machines.) Having demoed the Player Plus Meteora HH inPG’s First Look video, I’ll admit I prefer that series’ looks. But there’s no arguing that both fundamental tones and the myriad permutations proffered by the American Ultra II’s unusual tone-control array feel much more useful and well thought out this time around.
Wait, “unusual?” If you’ve googled this guitar, chances are you’ve seen the same conflicting information I found. Some sites say it has two tone controls, others (including the manufacturer’s at publication time) list a master volume, a master tone, and a bass-contour knob. Upon plugging in and twiddling knobs, though, I was immediately confused and, honestly, initially not very impressed. So I looked through the case, found the manual, and finally came to the truth: The Meteora is actually devoid of traditional tone controls, using instead a master volume, a bass-contour knob (nearest the output jack), anda treble-contour knob (middle). This setup was a first for me. Also, unlike the Jaguar, the alder-bodied Meteora has a standard Fender-scale 25.5" maple neck, with an ebony fretboard and employs the company’s “modern D” profile. There’s a Graph Tech TUSQ nut, too, and sealed locking tuners.More Offset Than Meets the Eye
I tested the American Ultra II with an EL34-powered Jaguar HC50 (with a ceramic-magnet Weber Gray Wolf), a ’76 Fender Vibrolux Reverb (with alnico Celestion G10 Golds), a KT66-driven Sound City SC30, and a bunch of drive, fuzz, delay, and reverb pedals. Through the two latter amps combined, the Meteora II’s contour controls proved most powerful, yielding a pretty astonishing array of sounds—particularly with fuzz pedals. With the traditional control scheme on my favorite offset (and main band guitar, a Jaguar with Curtis Novak JAG-V pickups), I primarily use the lead circuit’s tone knob (or the rhythm circuit) to tame fuzz pedals—and I find that setup more versatile than a lot of other guitars. But the Meteora’s contour knobs take things much further, letting you effectively revoice filth pedals in ways otherwise only possible with an adjacent EQ pedal.
With both contours full up, the Haymaker pickups still lean brighter than some dual-’bucker fans might prefer—but not as strident as the Player Plus units. And the bass contour is especially helpful for warming/toughing up the bridge unit, as well as cleaning up low-mid clutter you might encounter with the neck pickup soloed and dimed. With a clean-ish tone and both pickups engaged, dialing volume and both contours back a bit yields wiry, muscular funk tones. Boost the volume back up a bit and hit the S-1 coil tap, and you get leaner funk tones very much in the Strat realm. In all, the variety of sounds possible with this control scheme is almost revelatory. So much so that it’s a wonder more guitars don’t go this route—because you’re no longer limited to just darkening or lightening a pickup with a single knob. The crossover EQ points between the two controls are well-tuned to complement each other and open up possibilities you simply couldn’t get with standard tone controls. And the treble-bleed circuit assures that volume adjustments don’t muddy things up.
The Verdict
Whether the tweaks to the American Ultra II Meteora alleviate its somewhat vague positioning is up for debate. Fender offset fans tend to fall in either the traditionalist/vintage camp or the more modern “I like the shape but not the weird switches and hardware” camp. And, to most eyes, the Ultra II probably looks pretty modern despite the vintage neck and headstock tint. But tonally, even though the control scheme looks straightforward, the array of available tones is far more akin to the versatility afforded by Jaguar and Jazzmaster circuits than, say, a modern rock guitar. It is a bit of a bummer that the Ultra costs twice as much as the Player Plus HH (albeit with hardshell case) but has no vibrato option. Considering its sheer tonal quality and versatility, the latest Meteora absolutely has the edge over its predecessor—but I’d love to see future versions fully embrace their offset-ness with a vibrato system befitting the Meteora’s sonic forebears.
“I am thrilled that Mom is receiving this recognition for her talents,” says Mary Colleen Wess(daughter of Mary Ford and Les Paul). “I wish she was still with us to enjoy this wonderful honor, which she so richly deserves. Thank you so much, Gibson!”
Through her successful early career in country music and her connections with Gene Autry and Eddie Dean, Mary Ford--who was born Iris Colleen Summers on July 7, 1924--developed a musical partnership with Gibson icon Les Paul that led to their marriage in 1949. In 1951 alone, the duo sold over six million records, and between 1950 and 1954, they recorded a string of 16 top-ten hits that showcased Mary’s rich, smooth voice, complex, perfectly executed harmonies that she sang along with herself through multi-track recording, and overdubbing (a groundbreaking recording technique for the time), while her versatile guitar playing seamlessly blended country, jazz, and pop.
Mary Ford Les Paul Standard Goldtop - YouTube
Gibson Mary Ford Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar - Gold Top with Cherry Back
