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The Year in Gear 2015

Our favorite guitars, basses, amps, effects, and accessories from the last 12 months.

Amptweaker TightDrive Pro

As we noted in our review, the TightDrive Pro is for players that like multi-dimensional dirtiness. You could also make the case that it’s an overdrive for control freaks. But this much control was rarely so easy to wrangle or so satisfying to hear. Colorful, dynamically touch-sensitive, and capable of moving from boosted to filthy, Amptweaker’s overdrive flagship is a powerhouse.
$300 street
amptweaker.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.

See and hear Taylor’s Legacy Collection guitars played by his successor, Andy Powers.

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Detail of Ted’s 1997 National resonator tricone.

What instruments should you bring to an acoustic performance? These days, with sonic innovations and the shifting definition of just what an acoustic performance is, anything goes.

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Ernie Ball, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium guitar strings and accessories, proudly announces the launch of the all-new Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings. Developed in close collaboration with Grammy Award-winning guitarist JohnMayer, Bell Bronze strings are engineered to meet Mayer’s exacting performance standards, offering players a bold new voice for their acoustic guitars.Crafted using a proprietary alloy inspired by the metals traditionally found in bells and cymbals, Earthwood Bell Bronze strings deliver a uniquely rich, full-bodied tone with enhanced clarity, harmonic content, and projection—making them the most sonically complex acoustic strings in the Ernie Ball lineup to date.

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The Irish post-punk band’s three guitarists go for Fairlane, Fenders, and a fake on their spring American tour.

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