Brubaker JXB Standard bass
The Fender Jazz Bass was more or less born perfect. But that hasn’t kept Kevin Brubaker from tweaking the formula to killer ends. The JXB uses a set of Aguilar hum-cancelling pickups that manage traditional smoky J-Bass tones and honky, pointed midrange sounds suited for modern mixes.
$2,499 street
brubakerguitars.com
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.