Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.
From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.
To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.
This week, Gibson has given an unsung guitar hero his flowers, JHS Pedals released a firm-first pedal, and Tone King has followed up its first five-star preamp pedal with, potentially, another...
Gibson Mick Ronson 1968 Les Paul Custom
Mick Ronson is one of the music world’s most unsung guitar greats. This is a man who played with David Bowie, for crying out loud. Not only that, the session great also worked with Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and more. Gibson is looking to correct course and give Ronson the flowers he deserves.
It’s doing that through a limited edition, Murphy Lab recreation of Ronson’s Bowie-era Les Paul, complete with its natural finish, uncovered humbuckers, mismatched control knobs, and all the nicks and dings found on the original.
“Mick Ronson is a true musical legend, and his impact – delivered in far too short a time – cannot be overstated,” adds Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial and Marketing EMEA at Gibson. “The world misses Mick Ronson more than it likely knows. We hope that this project advances the broader recognition he so richly deserves.”
Ernie Ball Music Man 50th Anniversary StingRay
50 years ago, Tom Walker, Leo Fender and Sterling Ball put their heads together to create an all-new guitar that would revolutionize bass string design. The result was the StingRay – the now-iconic, active electronics-equipped bass, which has been played by some of the most influential bass players in the world.
To celebrate that breakthrough, Ernie Ball Music Man – which ended up fully acquiring the Music Man and StingRay name – has released two special-edition StingRays. Molten Gold and Liquid Gold are the finishes on offer here, with Ernie Ball dressing the rest of the instruments in all-gold hardware. A very stylish celebration indeed.
JHS Pedals Double Dragon
Fresh from having its Notaklön anointed by Guitar World as one of the biggest gear releases of the 21st century, JHS Pedals has continued the momentum by releasing the Double Dragon – its first-ever octave pedal.
Now, I’m a sucker for a JHS pedal – I have three on my ’board at the time of writing – so naturally this is going to pique my interest. Even though I’ve never been too fussed on the whole octave thing, I’m sold by the Double Dragon. Firstly, that name is cool as heck. Secondly, that design is also cool as heck. Thirdly… well, it sounds cool as heck. Is it cool to say ‘cool as heck’? Probably not.
Built on the same old-school tech that helped propel the MXR Blue Box, DOD Octoplus, Boss OC-2 and EHX Micro-Synth, the Double Dragon is something of a wildcard pedal, with an all-analog monophonic octave down and up effect. “Weird, wild, and lo-fi” is the tagline here.
Tone King Royalist preamp pedal
Tone King is making a name for itself with its growing range of acclaimed preamp pedals. Its Imperial pedal achieved a five-star review when Guitar World tested it. Now, it’s returned with the Royalist – a two-channel, tube-loaded preamp pedal that looks to channel the Golden era Marshall amp tones.
That means everything from Plexi crunch, Super Lead drives and sweet JTM45 sounds. It does that through three 12AX7 tubes, authentic touch sensitivity and harmonic bloom, and a selection of cab sim options for greater versatility. Another five-star pedal? Most likely.
Cream T LT Series
Will modular guitar systems ever become mainstream? The jury is still out, but their cause hasn’t really been helped in the past by hefty price tags. Cream T has sought to change course with the Polaris LT and Crossfire LT models, which bring a modular pickup-swapping platform to a sub-£1,000 price point for UK readers.
“A serious modular alternative in the sub-premium market”, Cream T says. With the Polaris LT and Crossfire LT, the patented Guitar-X system lets players swap out pickups “in seconds” with no soldering or tool required. An interesting concept – one we’ve seen before, of course, but one that looks to do things a bit differently.
Benson Redland
Benson has been building up to the Redland’s release for quite some time, drip-feeding various teases and sound snippets over the past few weeks. Now, the Redland – which is unlike any other Benson amp that came before it – is finally here.
The design brief is simple: it goes after the “American” guitar tone more than any other Benson amp in the past. It also has a unique Bass parameter that moves a scoop up and down the frequency spectrum, which changes the character of the amp. So, not only do you get mid-forward Tweed tones and scooped black-panel sounds, the Redlands also branches into Vox and Marshall territory.
Wampler Golden Jubilee
Wampler’s Golden Jubilee looks like a very tidy twofer drive pedal. On the one side, you’re promised the “harmonically rich tones of US boutique amps”, while on the other you have the “raw, aggressive power of British high-gain monsters”. Put them together under one roof and you have the makings of a rather potent gain pedal.
It’s a workhorse pedal, Wampler says, that can serve as your complete gain solution. There are three controls per effect, footwitches for each, two character toggle switches for even more voices, and an order switch for choosing which effect comes first. Plus, it looks smart as hell. That green sparkle chassis, with the knurled gold control knobs? Phwoar.
Lollar Monolith
At some point in the recent past, Lollar sat down to design a higher-output pickup that could cater to guitarists who play modern and extreme styles of music. The result was the Monolith – a set of humbuckers that do exactly that.
For Lollar, most high-output humbuckers suffer from a boxy voicing, or a harsh top-end that might not be optimal. The Monoliths, then, promise to rectify this, offering “balance in all positions and increased dynamic and frequency ranges”. They can also be coil-split, and are available in six– and seven-string configurations.
Gretsch Streamliner Center-Block and Hollow-Body Vintage White
Nothing too major from Gretsch this week – just a welcome aesthetic update for its Streamliner Center-Block and Hollow-Body guitars, which are now available in Vintage White. It almost gives workhorse White Falcon vibes. You can’t go wrong with Vintage White.
Cort Core-MC Ovangkol
Cort has expanded its Core-MC range with an ovangkol-heavy build that uses – yep, you guessed it – solid ovangkol back and sides. There’s a solid cedar top, a Modern Concert cutaway body shape (tailored with a thinner waist and shallower cutaway for comfort), and a Fishman Presys VT preamp system. The draw here is that ovangkol, though, which Cort says will offer low-mid fullness and a broad tonal range.
