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The Year in Gear 2018

Step inside Premier Guitar’s magical, miraculous time machine and revisit the gear that stood head and shoulders above the rest as Premier Gear Award winners in 2018.

Sublime Chieftain Deluxe

The Chieftain Deluxe smartly addresses the traditional weak links of budget guitars: notably the fretwork, hardware, setup, and pickups. And the instrument recalls an era when budget guitars were unique, quirky, and cool—not just cheap-as-possible knockoffs. Strong character elicits strong reactions, so not all players will relate, but Joe Gore was thrilled to encounter so much personality in such a reasonably priced instrument.

$899 street ($1,119 with Bigsby B7 vibrato option)
sublimeguitars.com

Click here to read the full review

This wonky Zim-Gar was one of many guitars sold by importer Gar-Zim Musical Instruments, operated by Larry Zimmerman and his wife.

The 1960s were strange days indeed for import guitars, like this cleaver-friendly Zim-Gar electric.

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Dive into the ART Tube MP/C with PG contributor Tom Butwin. Experience how this classic tube-driven preamp and compressor can add warmth and clarity to your sound. From studio recordings to re-amping and live stage applications, this time-tested design packs a ton of features for an affordable price.

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In line with the MOOER’s recent expansion on the MSC range, the company is excited to announce the new MSC50 Pro, an Alder-bodied electric guitar with gloss finish, available in the new Magic Crystal color.

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The Oceans Abyss expands on Electro-Harmonix’s highly acclaimed reverb technology to deliver a truly immersive effects workstation. The pedal is centered around dual reverb engines that are independently programmable with full-stereo algorithms including Hall, Spring, Shimmer and more. Place these reverbs into a customizable signal path with additional FX blocks like Delay, Chorus, Tremolo, or Bit Crusher for a completely unique soundscape building experience.

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