
ESP Guitars has announced five new additions to their Signature Series for Alexi Laiho, the acclaimed guitarist and frontman of Finnish metal bands Children of Bodom and Bodom After Midnight, who passed away at the end of 2020. The Alexi Ripped will be offered from the brand's LTD, E-II, and ESP Custom Shop Series, while the Alexi Hexed will be available in LTD and ESP Custom Shop versions.
"We'd been working closely with Alexi on the development of the new Hexed and Ripped guitars for over a year before his passing," says Tony Rauser, ESP Director of Artist Relations. "He was very excited about the new models, which are the first new additions to the Alexi Laiho Signature Series since 2013. We're grateful to have this opportunity to honor Alexi's memory and celebrate his immense legacy with these new models, which will be available to fans for years to come."
All five of the new Alexi Laiho models are presented in the familiar offset V shape of Alexi's signature ESP guitars with neck-thru-body construction at 25.5" scale, and feature a three-piece thin u-shaped maple neck with natural satin finish for smooth and fast playability, along with alder body wings. They also offer ebony fingerboard (scalloped from frets 19-24) with 24 extra-jumbo frets, sawtooth inlays, and glow-in-the-dark side markers, and chrome hardware.
The Alexi Hexed - available in LTD and ESP versions - comes in Purple Fade finish with light purple pinstripes with matching back and sides. This guitar's sound is powered by a single EMG HZ F-H2 passive pickup with volume control. This ceramic high-gain pickup offers excellent presence and clarity with a punchy response. The LTD Alexi Hexed includes Grover tuners and a double-locking Floyd Rose 1000 bridge. The ESP Alexi Hexed, built by hand one at a time in the ESP Custom Shop in Tokyo, includes Gotoh locking tuners, ESP strap locks, and a double-locking Floyd Rose Original bridge, as well as an ESP MM-04 active boost switch with adjustable EQ settings and up to +18dB of boost. Both models include a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
The Alexi Ripped - available in LTD, E-II, and ESP versions - is being offered in Purple Fade Satin finish with painted black satin "ripped" pinstripes. This guitar is the first Alexi Laiho Signature Series model with more than one pickup. In addition to the EMG HZ F-H2 bridge humbucker, it includes an EMG HZ S2 passive stacked single coil in the neck position, offering just the right mix of mids with a clear and full low end. The LTD Alexi Ripped offers components including Grover tuners, a double-locking Floyd Rose 1000 bridge, and an inset three-way pickup selector. Built at the ESP factory in Japan, the E-II Alexi Ripped components include Gotoh locking tuners, ESP strap locks, a double-locking Floyd Rose Original bridge, and the ESP MM-04 active boost switch. The ESP Alexi Ripped is hand crafted at the ESP Custom Shop and also includes Gotoh locking tuners, ESP strap locks, a double-locking Floyd Rose Original bridge, and the ESP MM-04 active boost switch.
Born in Espoo, Finland on April 8, 1979, Alexi Laiho was best known as the lead guitarist, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of Children of Bodom, the melodic death metal band he founded in 1993. Laiho has been honored by many publications including Guitar World, Metal Hammer, and Total Guitar as one of the best metal guitarists of all time, well known for a combination of ferocious speed and highly melodic note selection. He joined the ESP Guitars artist endorsee roster in 2002, and ESP released his first Signature Series guitar models in 2006. Between 2003 and 2019, Children of Bodom had a string of successive albums that hit #1 in their native Finland and were widely popular around the world among fans of metal and guitar virtuosity. Laiho died on December 29, 2020 at age 41.
Detailed info and specs on the entire Alexi Laiho Signature Series is available on the ESP web site at espguitars.com.
- Rig Rundown: Children of Bodom - Premier Guitar āŗ
- Alexi Laiho: Can't Stop, Won't Stop - Premier Guitar āŗ
Few musical acts did more to put their fame and fortune to good use than punk rock icon Wayne Kramer. Known for his enduring commitment to activism, especially in justice reform, his life story embodies the defiant, DIY ethos of punk, directly inspiring generations of bands and musicians who followed. Now, fans and fellow musicians alike can attempt to emulate Kramerās incendiary sound with the new, limited-edition pedal.
Designed before his death in February 2024, Wayne Kramerātogether with friend Jimi Dunlop (Dunlop CEO) and Daredevil Pedals owner Johnny Wator āthe pedal features artwork from artist and activist Shepard Fairey (Obey Clothing founder). A majority of profits from the sale of the pedal goes directly to Kramerās charity supporting the rehabilitation of incarcerated people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.
In honor of his close friend, Tom Morelloāthe innovative guitarist behind Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, the Nightwatchman, and moreādemoed the pedal, showcasing its sound and shining light on Wayne Kramerās incredible legacy.
Tom Morello Introduces MC5 Wayne Kramer-Inspired Pedal For Charity: MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive
"What they've tried to bake into the MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive distortion pedal is not just Wayne's sound but Wayne's attitude, and the grit and the rawness of Detroit and of the MC5," said Morello, one of Kramerās best friends, during his demo of the pedal. "This is the guitar pedal that was used on the song 'Heavy Lifting' that I recorded with Wayne for the last MC5 record.
"Named after the late rocker's charityāwhich provides instruments and art workshops to incarcerated individuals as rehabilitation toolsāthe MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal aims to capture all of the high-voltage energy of Wayne Kramer's sound. It features two uniquely voiced gain circuits cascaded together with a singular pot controlling both the output level of each circuit and the overall saturation level of the distortion.
Music makers looking to capture Kramerās raw, fiery sound can pick up the new MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal, exclusively on Reverb via The Official MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive Reverb Shop for $199, here: https://reverb.com/shop/the-official-mxr-jail-guitar-doors-reverb-shop.
PG contributor Tom Butwin reveals his favorite songwriting secret weapon: the partial capo. Watch how the Shubb C7 and C8 can simulate alternate tunings without retuning your guitarāand spark fresh creative ideas instantly.
Shubb C8b Partial Capo for Drop-D Tuning - Brass
The C8 covers five of the six strings, leaving either the low E or high E string open, depending on how it's positioned.
- Standard setup: Placed on the 2nd fret while leaving the low E string open, it simulates Drop D-style soundsāexcept you're still in standard tuning (key of E). You get that big, droning bass feel without retuning.
- Reverse setup: Flipping the capo allows the high E string to ring, giving you shimmering drones and new melodic options across familiar chord shapes.
- A flexible tool that lets you simulate alternate tunings and create rich sonic texturesāall while keeping your guitar in standard tuning.
Shubb C7b Partial Capo for DADGAD Tuning - Brass
The C7 covers three of the six stringsāeither D, G, and B or A, D, and Gādepending on how it's flipped.
- Typical setup (D, G, B): Creates an open A chord shape at the 2nd fret without needing your fingers. This frees you up for new voicings and droning notes in the key of A.
- Reversed setup (A, D, G): Gets you close to a DADGAD-style tuning vibe, but still keeps you in standard tuningāgreat for modal, spacious textures often found in folk or cinematic guitar parts.
Use it alone or stack it with the C8 for wild, layered effects and truly out-of-the-box inspiration.
PRS Guitars celebrates 40 years with the limited edition McCarty SC56. Featuring vintage-inspired design and modern innovations, this single-cutaway guitar pays tribute to Ted McCarty and his impact on the industry. With only 400 pieces available, this instrument is a must-have for collectors and performers alike.
PRS Guitars today announced the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition. With a classic PRS single-cutaway body shape and carefully chosen specifications, the McCarty SC56 is both a tribute to tradition and a reliable tool for the modern performer. Only 400 pieces will be made.
āThe SC56, signifying Singlecut and 1956, model is our most recent tribute to my late mentor Ted McCarty and his impact on the guitar industry. We started with our take on a classic late ā50s singlecut body. 1956 marks the year that Ted first had guitars made with his newly coined 'humbucker' pickups. It also happens to be the year I was born. Bringing vintage design into the modern era, we loaded this model with our McCarty III pickups, meticulously designed to deliver warm, clear, vintage tone with exceptional note separation and dynamics,ā said PRS Guitars Founder & Managing General Partner, Paul Reed Smith.
Anchored by a maple top and mahogany back, the 24.594ā scale length and 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck work with Phase III non-locking tuners and PRS two-piece bridge to promote its musical sustain. The PRS McCarty III pickups are controlled by a simple layout ā two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle on the upper bout.
Single-cutaway guitars are known to be heavier than their double-cutaway counterparts. The McCarty SC56 Limited Edition design incorporates weight-relief, decreasing the weight of the guitar by about 2/3 of a pound, while maintaining several points of attachment between the guitar top and back to eliminate the āhollowā sound of the cavities and promote tone transfer.
With appointments like binding on the fretboard, classic bird inlays, and a vintage-inspired nitrocellulose finish, the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition blends heritage and innovation into a timeless instrument.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025.
For more information, please visit prsguitars.com.
40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition | Demo | PRS Guitars - YouTube
The Future Impact V4 is an incredibly versatile pedal with an exceptional range of sounds. In addition to producing synthesizer sounds such as basses, leads and pads, it can function as an octaver, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, envelope filter, traditional wah-wah, tremolo, reverb, etc., and even has a built-in tuner. It can potentially replace an entire pedalboard of dedicated single-effect pedals.
The very powerful signal processor of the Future Impact V4 is able to replicate the various oscillator, filter, amplifier and envelope generator blocks found in classic synthesizers. In addition, it contains signal processing blocks more traditionally used for processing the sound of an instrument such as a harmonizer block and audio effects such as chorus, distortion and EQ. These architectures complement each other in a very flexible way.
Setting the standard for the bass guitar synth pedals since 2015, together with an enthusiastic community and long line of great artists, the Future Impact V4 is the guitar synth platform for the next decade.