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The Year in Gear 2015

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

Kliq UberTuner

Clip-on tuners shouldn’t be a hassle. But when you see a readout as bright and fast at the Kliq UberTuner’s, you can understand why we saw fit to deem the UberTuner a Premier Gear Award winner.
$22 street
kliqmusicgear.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.

An ode, and historical snapshot, to the tone-bar played, many-stringed thing in the room, and its place in the national musical firmament.

Blues, jazz, rock, country, bluegrass, rap.… When it comes to inventing musical genres, the U.S. totally nailed it. But how about inventing instruments?

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The author dials in one of his 20-watt Sonzera amps, with an extension cabinet.

Photo courtesy of PRS

Knowing how guitar amplifiers were developed and have evolved is important to understanding why they sound the way they do when you’re plugged in.

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Tobias bass guitars, beloved by bass players for nearly half a century, are back with the all-new Tobias Original Collection.

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Joshua Kim

Sublime, fronted by Jakob Nowell, son of late Sublime singer Bradley Nowell, are in the studio writing and recording new songs for an upcoming full-length album. This marks their first new album since 1996.

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