Yamaha LL16D ARE

Acoustic resonance enhancement—as much as it sounds like marketspeak, reviewer Adam Perlmutter found that Yamaha’s aging process paid real sonic dividends. And while it wasn’t the biggest sounding dread we’ve eever heard, it’s detailed full-spectrum sound and playability all reflected a real design sophistication.
$999 street
usa.yamaha.com

Click here to read the full review

In the years we’ve compiled our annual list of Premier Gear Award winners, we’ve probably never seen a list more eclectic than 2015’s. From high-gain monster amps and atmospheric reverbs to mini overdrives and wahs, 2015’s award winners covered all the bases.

As always, it was a joy to see how both big-time musical instrument industry players and little shops a step removed from the garage managed to haul in Premier Guitar’s prize for gear excellence. And if anyone’s counting, we’re pretty sure we also set a record for Premier Gear Award winners. So we hope you’re comfy—this list of primo gear may take some time to cover.