The battle over who can legally sell Stratocaster-style guitars in Europe has escalated, with Fender filing a copyright infringement lawsuit against musical instrument retailer Thomann.

In a statement, Fender said its infringement claim is “the expected next step in the legal process” after Thomann filed a Declaration of Non-Infringement action against the company.

The latest development follows Thomann’s lawsuit, filed after Fender sent cease-and-desist letters to Harley Benton, Yamaha, PRS Guitars, LsL Instruments and other manufacturers it believes are producing “copies” of its Stratocaster electric guitar.

Thomann, which owns the Harley Benton brand, said it was acting on behalf of both major manufacturers and smaller builders, specifically naming companies including Tom Anderson, Suhr, Pensa and Maybach.

Fender, however, argues that Harley Benton guitars infringe on its Stratocaster design and says Thomann’s legal action is an attempt to secure the right to continue selling those instruments.

According to Fender, it previously sought to resolve the dispute by discussing “practical ways to differentiate products while respecting Fender’s intellectual property,” but those discussions were unsuccessful, leading Thomann to file suit and prompting Fender’s countersuit.

“Thomann isn't a small independent guitar builder,” Fender said. “It is one of the world's largest musical instrument retailers, one of Fender's largest retail partners, and the owner of Harley Benton, one of Europe's largest guitar brands.

“From the beginning, our goal was simple: have a conversation. Like many other companies across Europe, we reached out to Thomann to discuss practical ways to differentiate products while respecting Fender's intellectual property. Our preference has always been dialogue and practical solutions—not litigation.

“Unfortunately, Thomann chose a different path.Rather than continuing that dialogue, it initiated legal proceedings asking the court to determine that it can continue selling guitar body designs that Fender believes copies the iconic Stratocaster. Today's filing is Fender's response and the expected next step in the legal process.”

In the statement accompanying its Declaration of Non-Infringement filing, Thomann said it had taken legal action “for the many manufacturers, dealers and guitar makers who have shaped our industry for decades and continue to shape it.”

“We urge Fender to stop issuing cease-and-desist demands against manufacturers, distributors and dealers and to return to a fair, cooperative partnership,” the retailer said.

Fender rejects the suggestion that it has avoided cooperation, maintaining that collaboration has been central to its approach. The company says it has successfully worked with other manufacturers to modify guitar designs so they are clearly differentiated from the Stratocaster while remaining commercially viable.

“Our preference has always been to resolve these matters through direct dialogue rather than litigation,” Fender said. “In many instances, companies have chosen to work collaboratively with us to explore practical solutions, including design modifications that clearly differentiate their products while continuing to serve musicians. This matter is different.”

The countersuit marks the latest chapter in the widening dispute over Stratocaster body-shape rights. The conflict intensified after Fender secured a default judgment in a German court that it says grants it enforceable rights against guitars using the Stratocaster body shape within the European Union.

We’ve only just recovered from an absolutely massive 4th of July weekend for deals, but Guitar Center has seen fit to drop a brand new sale to tempt all guitar players. It’s in conjunction with Schecter Guitars, so the theme is very much geared towards lovers of heavy guitar music, but with up to 25% off a range of guitars, amps, and pedals, there really is something for everyone here.

The sale runs from July 9th to August 5th, so there’s plenty of time for you to land a deal. It includes brands like Schecter, Jackson, and Ibanez for your heavy fix, but if you’re more of a traditional player, there are still plenty of great deals on heavyweights like Fender and Gibson.

One of the best deals I’ve seen so far is on this Schecter C-1 Platinum. It's got a massive $288 reduction and is packing a serious spec to go with its stunning looks. In the bridge position, you'll find an EMG humbucker, and the neck has a Sustainiac, which allows for infinitely sustaining lead tones. Add in a Floyd Rose tremolo, and you've got a lot of guitar for well below the $1,000 mark.

Next up, I spied a sweet discount on the iconic Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120. This iconic guitar amp rarely gets any money off, so if you want the ultimate clean base for a pedalboard, then it’s well worth your money with an incredible $300 reduction. I know many guitar players who gig these, and if you like to get your tone from your pedals, it’s the ultimate pedal platform.

Finally, there’s a bunch of Boss pedals discounted in the sale, but this Boss TR-2 Tremolo caught my attention thanks to the ultra-low price. An 18% price cut sees it fall to just $89.99, and if you value simplicity from your pedals, it’s a really great shout with its simple three-knob operation. As you might expect, it's packing all the typical Boss build quality, making it a great choice for gigging guitarists.

It’s not often major manufacturers skip an iteration of a product entirely (imagine if Apple skipped the next iPhone?), but this is exactly what happened with the Mesa/Boogie Mark VII 1x12 Combo. You’ll notice that the Mark VI simply doesn’t exist, and that’s because Mesa spent so long developing it that they opted to skip version 6 and head straight for number 7. It’s also the first Mesa guitar amp to be released during the era of Gibson ownership, making it a standout for many reasons.

The Mark VII includes many nods to the storied history of Mesa amps, and it’s a far cry from the origins of hot-rodded Fender Princetons that gave Randall Smith the platform to start building his own amps. It’s got three channels, and each channel has three different modes, offering what’s essentially a highlight reel of Mesa amps over the years.

Channel 1, based on the classic modded Fender amps, offers a clean, fat, and crunch operation, paying homage to the roots of these classic tube amps. Channel 2 has fat, crunch, and MKVII modes for classic rock crunch. Channel 3 has the rare MKIIB mode, the first of the Mesa amps with a buffered effects loop, the holy grail IIC+ mode, and a MKIV option.

Each channel has the ability to switch in the onboard 5-band EQ section, so you can drastically or subtly alter the tone of your current channel at will. There are also power modes for each channel, with 90W, 45W, and 25W operation available. The EQ section features separate reverb controls for each channel, so you can drench your clean tone while keeping your high gains tight. The FX loop is also switchable per channel.

Moving to the back panel, it’s just as busy as the front with a myriad of options to select from. Each channel has its own option for selecting cabinet simulations, with seven for each channel available via a rotary knob. There’s a DI line output, headphone out, XLR direct out with CabClone impulse response, ground lift switch, and a USB output. Dual 8 and 4ohm speaker outputs sit alongside FX loop send and returns, with a MIDI input for the footswitch, and MIDI Thru/Out and separate MIDI in connectors.

In the preamp section, we have 5x Mesa 12AX7 tubes with 4x Mesa 6L6 tubes in the power amp section, although these can be swapped for EL84 tubes if you prefer. It’s got a 1x12 Celestion Custom 90 speaker, known as the ‘Black Shadow’, with a 50 oz ceramic magnet to help deliver the headroom needed to handle channel 3. The whole thing is housed in a marine-grade, Baltic birch cabinet.

Pulling it out of the box, the Mark VII 1x12 may be comparatively small, but it weighs an absolute ton. It takes quite some effort just to lift it out by the handle, and at nearly 60 lbs, this isn’t an amp you’ll enjoy lifting into the trunk of your car. All of the additional extras are packed into the back of the amp, so to get them out, I have to unscrew the panel. Alongside the footswitch, packed inside are four heavy-duty casters, which are a necessity to install thanks to the heavy weight of the amp.

The cabinet itself is reassuringly solid, with the Black Shadow speaker rear-mounted to the baffle in the center of the frame. The tubes drop down a good portion of the open part of the back panel, shielded by a black cage. On the opposite side, the gigantic transformer takes up a lot of real estate, and on my review model, there’s some leftover transformer varnish that’s dripped down and hasn't been wiped off.

Everything feels well applied on the front panel, with the innumerable knobs and switches reacting nicely to my inputs. The corners of the amp all feature robust protectors, and it includes a good-quality amp cover to keep it safe during travel. I took the Mesa to several recording sessions from home, and although the weight is really something, I don’t doubt its ruggedness when it comes to touring.

When I first switched it on to start dialing in some sounds, I have to admit to feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the options. With three channels that each have three different voices, three power modes, and their own 3-band EQs, it’s hard to know where to start. Thankfully, Mesa includes a handy setup laminate on the top of the amp that gives users a good starting point.

Essentially, what we have here are three different channels: clean, crunch, and lead. Of course, with three amp modes per channel, there’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s the easiest way to break it down. Each channel has an individual EQ, so you can dial in very precise tones for each and switch between them. The reverb is also channel-specific, so you can crank it for the clean stuff, then pull it back for high gain, which is handy.

There’s also a footswitchable additional EQ, which you can sculpt via the sliders at the far end of the front panel. This might be just to change the tone of the core sound, or you can use it to boost certain frequencies. With 5 bands, it’s very flexible, although once you set it, it’s the same for every channel. The FX loop is also switchable for each channel so that you can bring your time-based effects in and out at the push of a button.

Moving to the back panel, there are some very useful options for using the amp at home. I start with the direct XLR out into my audio interface to record some direct tones. You can unplug the speaker here (make sure it’s fully unplugged), and the amp automatically engages the built-in reactive load so that silent recording is possible.

Each channel has a selection of 8 built-in cabinet IRs, and you can load your own into the amp too when connecting it via the USB slot to your laptop or PC. You can also use it in this way with headphones if you just want to practice silently; just remember to unplug the speaker, as the headphone out doesn’t defeat it automatically.

It feels like Mesa has really thought of any use case, making what is a very loud tube amp usable at home, in the studio, or onstage. The footswitch is excellent, giving you complete control over every aspect of the front panel, and the options for recording and silent practice make it probably the most flexible amp I’ve ever played. If you value simplicity, though, this definitely isn’t the amp for you.

I took the Mesa Mark VII Combo to my local recording studio for a bunch of sessions, and boy, is this thing capable. Using it as a clean pedal platform, the tones are very Fender-esque, and I didn’t need to do any tweaking to my pedalboard’s gain staging to get it sounding how I wanted. It took a multitude of pedals with ease, whether I was laying on phase-shifted distortion, modulated delays, or soaring shimmer reverbs.

I was also taken aback by the speaker's sound when played clean. There’s no boxiness at all, and it sounds incredibly full for what is a relatively small 1x12 combo amp. With the three power modes, you can get as much headroom as you like, and with the 90-watt mode, there’s a lot of clean headroom available. It also makes it usable at lower volumes, although the 25-watt mode is still deafeningly loud.

The built-in, tube-driven spring reverb is a really nice touch. It’s very similar to what you’d get on a vintage Fender amp, although to my ear the tail was a little smoother sounding. You can set it individually for each channel, so I used plenty of the clean sound but dialed it back for the rhythm and lead tones.

Moving to crunch tones, these are a bit rounder and smoother than your classic Plexi sounds, but it’s not a million miles away. For playing power-chord heavy rhythms with plenty of palm muting, it works great though, delivering a super satisfying rhythm tone that works great in a full band setup. It goes from a nice crunch all the way to a thrashy rhythm sound, so there’s plenty of flexibility just in this channel.

Moving to the high-gain channel, I’m greeted by a searing tone that works perfectly with a drop-tuned baritone guitar. It’s tight in the low end with plenty of midrange punch and a lovely smooth top. Here you can get a whole range of heavy guitar tones, whether it’s 80s-style lead sounds or chugging metal rhythms.

With it set to 90 watts and cranked, it makes more sound than any 1x12 combo has any right to, whilst still managing to sound controlled. When I used it this way in a recording session for a metal band, there were many a riff face in the control room as I chugged my way through some Meshuggah-inspired riffs.

There are no two ways about it, this is a guitar amp that is probably too expensive for a lot of guitar players. But when it’s capable of pretty much any guitar tone you can think of, the price suddenly doesn’t seem like such a huge barrier. If you want one tube amp that can genuinely do it all, then the Mesa/Boogie Mark VII 1x12 Combo is an investment you won’t regret.

The only real downside I found with it is the weight, which is really quite excessive. It’s a necessary evil due to the amount of electronic wizardry that’s packed into the unit, but it would definitely make me think twice about gigging it, even with the included heavy-duty casters attached.

It’s an inspired guitar amp, though. With such a plethora of tones at your fingertips, I found myself coming back to the Mesa again and again, despite having a couple of Fender and Orange tube amps at my disposal. The sheer flexibility of it enabled it to work just as well for some metal recordings I did as it worked on country guitar playing, and the option to use it silently at home sealed the deal.

Specifications

• Launch price: $3,849 | £3,999 | €4,137
• Type: Tube combo
• Origin: USA, UK-made speaker
• Output: 90 Watts RMS, switchable to 45 or 25W
• Speaker: 1x12 Celestion Custom 90
• Channels: 3
• Controls: Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Gain, Volume, 3x Reverb, plus extra modes and switchable Graphic EQ
• Connectivity: 1 x 1/4" input, 4 x 1/4" (4/8/16 ohm), 1 x 1/4" (line out), 1 x XLR (cabinet simulator), FX loop, 2 x 5-pin DIN (In, Out/Thru), 1 x Type B USB (IR loading), 1 x 1/4" headphones,
• Footswitch: 6-button footswitch included
• Weight: 58 lbs, 26.3 kg
• Dimensions: 18.25 x 18.75 x 11.5"
• Contact: Mesa/Boogie

With the arrival of the 4th of July weekend, I was more than surprised to see the sheer number of sales currently live for guitar players. Nearly every major music retailer has launched a sale of one kind or another, making it the perfect opportunity to bag some quality guitar gear for less.

It feels like the dust has only just settled on the Prime Day guitar deals, yet here we are with an even bigger selection of sales. These are far more guitar-focused, though, with loads of deals on electric guitars, guitar amps, pedals, and guitar-specific accessories; there’s pretty much something for everyone out there at the moment.

I’ve rounded up all 10 of the best sales for guitarists right now for your perusal. I’m expecting many of these to end once the weekend is done, though, so act quickly if you see something you need to add to your rig.

🇬🇧 In the UK?

Last week saw a flurry of Prime Day guitar deals as Amazon's second biggest sale of the year arrived early. It saw awesome deals on beginner-level guitars, accessories, guitar pedals, and tool kits for guitar players, and was easily the biggest sale I've seen so far.

Sadly, the main sale ended on June 26th, so if you're looking for some of the best Prime Day deals, you've missed the boat. Not all is lost, though. Some of the deals are still hanging around, and I've put every single one into one handy article for you. These definitely won't be around much longer, though, so move quickly if you want to take advantage.

Guitars

Pedals

Amps

Accessories

Tools

Alternative sales

🇬🇧 In the UK?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be well aware that the Amazon Prime Day sale is live and kicking. It’s not the best for grabbing things like new guitars or amps, but if you want to stock up on essential accessories, then the Prime Day guitar deals are absolutely the place to shop. One thing I’ve noticed is that there are a lot more general-purpose tools that can be used to maintain, repair, and set up all the guitars in your collection.

Having been a gigging guitarist for well over twenty years now, I’ve accumulated a good set of tools that keep my guitar in top playing condition. I also review guitars for a living, so I’m frequently encountering instruments that have been through many hands or been to guitar shows, so having to tweak a truss rod or set the action is nearly a daily occurrence. I’ve found I’ve come to rely on a specific set of tools, and I keep them in a case that goes wherever I or my guitars go, whether it’s rehearsal, gigs, or recording in the studio.

Setting up your own guitar is for me an essential skill for any guitar player. Nobody knows your instrument like you do, so the ability to set your instrument up to get it exactly how you want it is a powerful thing indeed. Whether you’re just getting started with guitar maintenance, or you just want to top an existing tool kit with something good quality, here’s my 9 top tools for ensuring your instrument is playing its best, plus a bonus 10th item for those who are starting out for the first time.

Shop all the Prime Day guitar deals

• Amazon: All Prime Day guitar deals
• Guitars: Save on beginner guitars
• Amps & pedals: Save big on fresh tones
• Accessories: Strings, slides, straps, and more

More retailer sales

• 🇺🇸 Best US sales
• B&H Photo: Money off pro audio
• Guitar Center: Early 4th of July sale
• Guitar Tricks: 1 month for $1
• IK Multimedia: 50% off software coupon
• Musician's Friend: Up to 60% off gear
• Native Instruments: Up to 30% software savings
• Positive Grid: Spark Summer Sale
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of plugin discounts
• Reverb: B-stock deals
• Sweetwater: Big savings on guitar gear
• Universal Audio: Paradise Guitar studio $99
• Waves: Plugins for just $34.99

• 🇬🇧 Best UK sales
• Thomann: Shop the huge Thomann Music Days sale
• Gear 4 Music: Big clearance savings
• GuitarTricks: Half-price annual plan
• Plugin Boutique: Huge software savings
• Waves: Sale on studio staples

If you only have one pedal in your arsenal, chances are it’s some sort of overdrive. Fuzz, boost, overdrive and distortion pedals are the most popular stomp boxes out there, and for good reason. If you don’t have the luxury of being able to crank up a great tube amp to excessive volume to get the world’s sweetest lead tones — and few of us do — you need one of these machines to dirty up your sound and help generate the singing, saturated, sustaining sound that so many styles of electric guitar playing require.

Despite their popularity, however, the distinctions between the different pedals in the “OD” category can get blurred. While each of these pedals helps you get cranked-up tone at the stomp of a switch, each type works its magic in a different way, and many from within the same type can function very differently.

Let’s break down the overdrive category to define, dissect and demystify each effect in the group.

Boosters

Among the simplest and oldest of overdrive-inducing pedals is the booster, which, at its heart, is just a straightforward preamp that’s placed in front of an amp’s input. These are used to increase the guitar’s signal — either to create a loud, but relatively clean volume lift for solos, or to kick the amp into overdrive.

Many types of boosters first became popular in the mid ’60s, as elements within their design — flaws, you could argue — produced far less than the clean boost that was intended, and instead induced tonal enhancements that players came to love. Early examples such as the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster and Vox Treble Booster and Bass/Treble Booster owed their creamy, thick sound to a single germanium transistor, an archaic component that is still used as the magic ingredient in many current boosters (and fuzz pedals, as we shall see).

Note that these didn’t merely boost treble as the name might imply. They did help highs push through, but they boosted other frequencies as well, and the “treble booster” tag was partly a sales point in an age when “more treble” was often the call of players muted by high-load guitar cords and murky live mixes.

In addition to boosting the signal, the germanium transistor added a little midrange girth and high-end sweetening, elements that became crucial to the early lead tones of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Brian May and many others. These players used their germanium boosters to hit the front ends of a Marshall or Vox amp with a little extra oomph in order to kick it into a singing and more harmonically saturated tube overdrive.

As such, pedal and amp work together as one instrument, and few boosters are used purely for their own inherent tone, but rather for the way they perform in conjunction with a particular amplifier. Plenty of mass manufacturers and boutique makers offer contemporary versions of such vintage-styled boosters, but a different breed, the “linear” (or “clean”) booster, is also popular. These purport to retain the full frequency range of the guitar signal, and simply make it louder. In the process, they can also help overdrive a tube amp in the same way as many vintage units.

Fuzz

The real godfather of the dirt boxes — the fuzz pedal — arrived even before the booster, and it was initially intended as an effect that would let a guitar player mimic the raspy, reedy tone of a saxophone. One of the most famous fuzz-guitar parts of all time — the signature riff to the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” — was originally recorded by Keith Richards as a “holding track” for a horn section that would eventually replace it. The “Satisfaction” riff was recorded through an early Maestro Fuzz-Tone, and it is archetypal of the fuzz sound, as are many of Jimi Hendrix’s legendary solos, often recorded through a Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face.

Each of these pedals, and others like them — both old and new — owe their tone to a pair of the hallowed germanium transistors previously mentioned. These two components — along with a simple network to govern their functions and connect them to a pair of potentiometers for Volume and Fuzz (or some form of level and drive controls) — combine to unleash seven deadly sins’ worth of ungodly sonic mayhem on your tone, but it’s mayhem with a smooth, warm, and furry heart.

The very best fuzz pedals are beloved for their “playability,” meaning the extent to which their response and dynamics can be controlled by your pick attack and your guitar’s volume control.

Silicon transistor-based fuzzes followed germanium units, and these are known for their slightly harder and more crisply defined tones. This is not to say that silicon-based fuzzes are inferior, only different, and many notable players count themselves fans of each breed.

Unlike linear boosters, fuzzes slather a wealth of their own stink all over your signal (and that’s precisely the idea), but they can also be used to drive a tube amp into clipping. Ultimately, most great guitarists with definitive fuzz tones are using their pedals in both of these ways simultaneously to create a larger, more interactive instrument out of the individual components in their rig.

Overdrive

Just like it says on the box, an overdrive pedal seeks to replicate the sound of an overdriven tube amp. In the course of doing so, it often facilitates the real thing a little more quickly by pushing your amp into clipping a little earlier, just as a booster and fuzz will frequently do.

While fuzz pedals of the ’60s and early ’70s inherently sound very little like an overdriven amplifier — other than perhaps an amplifier in bad need of attention — it occurred to many players and pedal designers in the late ’70s that it would be useful to have a box that sounded like the warm, tubey crunch of a mildly pushed amp.

The granddaddy of overdrives is the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 (and its Maxon equivalent), manufactured for Ibanez by the Nisshin company from 1979 to 1981 (both small- and large-box versions). The TS808 and the TS-9 and TS-10 that evolved from it were adored by players who wanted less than the extreme hair of the fuzz pedal, but more than the pristine clarity of a clean amp.

Several name players — Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson among them — also used Tube Screamers for their amp-boosting functions, and the low-gain/high-volume control settings that facilitate this have become popular with many guitarists.

DOD, MXR, Boss and others issued formative overdrives, and the genre continues apace today as probably the most popular single breed of pedal. Maker after solder-dazed maker has chased the ultimate in transparent, tube-like, dynamic overdrives. It’s interesting to note that the majority of these pedals achieve their overdrive tones quite differently.

Some makers praise and utilize the “vintage” JRC4558D dual op amp (as used in the most lauded of Tube Screamers), while others declare any op amps to be the death of transparency and dynamics, and go the discrete-circuit route instead. Whichever way you go, a good overdrive is one of the cornerstones of any comprehensive pedalboard, and an extremely useful tone twister.

Distortion

Like going from a ball-peen hammer to a 10-pound sledge, a distortion pedal seeks to reproduce the full-stack tube-distortion rage that the kinder, gentler overdrive pedal barely hints at. In doing so, most distortion pedals also emulate the high-production-value version of this sound, rather than merely enhance the amp tone it starts with, complete with a scooped-EQ curve and liberal helpings of compression.

There are many flavors of distortion available, of course, but by its very nature this pedal aims to achieve its “sound in a box,” rather than partner up with a good tube amp to sound its best.

An iconic example of distortion can be heard on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ where Kurt Cobain used a Boss Distortion DS-1. Although the DS-1 preceded it by a year or so, the ProCo Rat, released in 1979, is usually considered the seminal heavy distortion pedal. (The MXR Distortion+, released in 1973, is really more of an overdrive pedal.)

Every major pedal maker on the market today offers their own renditions of this sonic fury. Most distortion pedals employ a combination of op amps and silicon diodes to do their dirty work, some using the latter in asymmetrical circuits to produce a more jagged and edgy form of clipping.

Whatever gets you to your own flavor of filth, you will most likely want to use your booster, fuzz, overdrive or distortion early in the pedal chain. If you are using more than one pedal, a quick rule of thumb says to put the milder, or cleaner, OD earlier in the chain. On the other hand, there are always notable exceptions. Wah-wah pedals usually like to go before fuzzboxes to work their magic, and messing around with the “accepted order” of other ODs might produce results that give your tone the extra zing you’ve been looking for.

Ozzy Osbourne knew he’d found a gem in the wild when he landed Randy Rhoads as his guitarist in late 1979. Rhoads was a virtuoso whose skillful use of two-handed tapping, intricate scale patterns and whammy-bar dive bombs gave Osbourne’s early solo albums the guitar pyrotechnics metal required in the early 1980s.

But Rhoads’ talent came at a cost to Osbourne, the former Black Sabbath singer who died on July 22. The guitarist practiced nearly all the time, including after hours on tour, which could drive Ozzy mad.

At the dawn of 1982 — the final year of his life — Rhoads received a custom pedalboard, one intended solely for practice, that would solve this problem. The board was built to his specifications by Jon Graves and Domenic Turlace of Zeus Audio Systems in Alhambra, California, which made a line of guitar pedals as well as mini guitar amps designed for practice. Randy’s pedalboard was presented to him on New Year's Eve, 1981, roughly two months into the tour for Ozzy’s second solo album, Diary of a Madman.

Keen-eyed Guitar Player readers got their first — and likely only — look at the board in a photo of Rhoads, taken by photographer Neil Zlozower, that ran in our November 1982 Rhoads tribute issue. Spread across two pages, the photo showed the guitarist practicing on a sofa alongside three of his electric guitars: his 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom, Jackson Concorde and Karl Sandoval Custom Polka Dot Flying V.

Sitting on the floor in front of them was the tiny pedalboard, bearing a few obscured devices.

Two months after the photo ran, Graves and Turlace described the board in Guitar Player’s January 1983 issue in response to a reader’s question.

Although it was small, the pedalboard included a Boss Dr. Rhythm drum machine, three MXR pedals — a 6-Band graphic equalizer, a Commande Time Delay and a Micro Chorus — and a Zeus 8401 Mini Amp. Red in color, and roughly the size and dimensions of a brick, the 8401 mini amp had controls for preamp, volume and tone, plus preamp and external speaker outputs. A second amp with a 4 1/2–inch speaker was also provided for the Dr. Rhythm.

And because Ozzy was driven to distraction by Rhoads’ constant practicing, the pedalboard included an accessory designed to keep him happy.

"A unique feature is the 'Ozzy Jacks,' added at Ozzy Osbourne's request,” Turlace explained to GP. “These jacks provide separate signals from the gui­tar amp and rhythm machine for a head­phone mix, while shutting off the main speaker."

According to Graves, Ozzy had also requested a remote switch so that he could turn the pedalboard off from the next hotel room while on the road, because Randy tended to play into the wee hours. He probably wasn’t joking. It was never added.

The entire thing was built into an ABS plastic case salvaged from a Casio keyboard. (Some might say it’s the best use ever made of a Casio keyboard.) In addition, the lid included a battery pack as well as an AC adapter. Graves designed the pedalboard so that the battery would shut off when the lid was closed.

As a final touch, the board boasted a gold-plated plaque that read "Custom made by Zeus Audio Systems for Randy Rhoads,” along with his Rolls-Royce–style logo, bearing two R's.

In their response to our reader's question, the builders made clear they had no desire to repeat their efforts. “Anyone wishing to duplicate the pedalboard,” they said, “will have to build one themselves.”

Sadly, Rhoads would not get to use the device for long. He died tragically on March 19, 1982, when the small plane in which he was a passenger crashed during a tour stop in Leesburg, Florida.

Bruce Springsteen rallied an army of guitarists to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and the opening of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music on June 4 and 5. Over two nights, an eclectic mix of artists — including Jimmie Vaughan, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Jon Bon Jovi and Jackson Browne —interpreted musical selections representing the history of American music.

Part academic history lesson, part Ken Burns documentary, part TED talk — and with 100 percent commitment from every artist onstage — Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us was a joyous homage to the power of song and the melting pot of artists responsible for America’s rich musical heritage.

Instruments as varied as tribal percussion, drums, horns, guitar, voice and turntables fleshed out a song list that encompassed jazz, folk, rock, Irish, blues, gospel, bluegrass, country, hip-hop and R&B.

A highlight of the concerts was the time-honored blues jam, which featured Springsteen trading licks with Clark, Vaughan, Nils Lofgren and Disciples of Soul guitarist Marc Ribler (the show’s musical director) on the Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland classic “Farther On Up the Road.”

In addition to jamming with the Boss, Vaughan represented the electric blues genre, and specifically Texas blues. As part of the second night’s show, Vaughan brought his Texas swagger front and center with a solid performance of “Texas Flood,” the Larry Davis-penned classic famously recorded by his late brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan.

“Electric guitars were invented right here in America,” Vaughan told Guitar Player In a pre-show interview. “I’m a student of the Texas guitar players, and the Mississippi/Louisiana area. I love all the guitar playing. There’s a lot of guitar players in Texas and the Southwest, and all over America.

“How do you talk about something so vast and worldwide? You couldn’t have Texas without the blues. But we couldn’t do it without every state. It’s American and it spread all over the world.”

While the electric guitar was the link for most performances on the closing night, the acoustic guitar was front and center for most of the first night’s musical selections. Jazz, blues, folk, country and early gospel were highlighted. Narration and historical context provided in between songs by the Center’s Executive Director and historian Bob Santelli as well as by performers, like Keb’ Mo’.

“A whole lot of us would be doing nothing without Robert Johnson,” the guitarist noted before launching into Johnson’s classic “Crossroads.”

The spirit of Woody Guthrie was well-represented, with Springsteen and Kenny Chesney duetting on “This Land Is Your Land,” while Springsteen and Rosanne Cash sang the immigrant ballad “Deportee.” Boston’s Dropkick Murphys performed a raucous “Shipping Up to Boston,” which features lyrics by Guthrie, and then joined Springsteen for an energetic performance of the Boss’ Guthrie-inspired “American Land.”

Cash also performed the Appalachian ballad “The Parting Glass” and the Carter Family’s “Bury Me Beneath the Willow,” with her husband, John Leventhal, joining her on guitar. Cash — who is the daughter of Johnny Cash and step-daughter of Carter Family core member June Carter Cash — recognized the importance of Mother Maybelle Carter’s pioneering pick-strum style. She recalled learning the technique directly from the source.

“When I was 18, I went on tour with my dad," she said. “The Carter Family and Carl Perkins were on that tour. I spent a lot of time in the dressing room with the Carter women, and they took the time to teach me those old Appalachian ballads. I owe a tremendous debt to those women. I learned those songs and my vision expanded.”

Springsteen kicked off night two’s tribute to pop, soul and rock music with a pair of Elvis Presley songs from different eras: the ’50s hit “Jailhouse Rock” and his early ’70s rocker “Burning Love.”

The significance of Chuck Berry’s guitar playing and lyrical wordplay was captured by Jon Bon Jovi on “Johnny B. Goode” and Steve Van Zandt on “Bye Bye Johnny.”

“Chuck Berry. He wrote the lyrics, baby,” Van Zandt told the crowd.

Sheryl Crow showed her musical depth with admirable interpretations of “I Fall to Pieces,” the 1961 Patsy Cline country-pop crossover hit, a solo acoustic rendition of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and then inviting Springsteen, former Dylan guitarist Larry Campbell and his wife Teresa Williams on stage for an emotional take on “I Shall Be Released.”

Gary Clark Jr. showcased the funkier side of Jimi Hendrix with a fuzz and phaser-filled version of the relatively obscure “Power of Soul” (a.k.a. “Power to Love”), from Band of Gypsys, while rock pioneer Dion performed his classics “The Wanderer” and “Abraham, Martin and John.”

Nils Lofgren paid tribute to his longtime friend Neil Young with “Rockin’ in the Free World,” shredding guitar leads and sharing vocals with Bon Jovi.

The shows were a kickoff for the opening of the museum, a 30,000-square-foot facility situated on the Monmouth University (NJ) campus. The Center serves as a hub for research, education, exhibitions, and public programming focused on American music and its role in American history and culture.

An exhibit titled America's Instrument: The Evolution of the Electric Guitar includes a variety of guitars Springsteen has used over the years, including the Fender Telecaster he purchased for $185 in late 1972/early 1973 from Jersey Shore guitar shop owner and luthier Phil Petillo. The guitar — which features a 1953 Esquire neck and a 1951 Telecaster body — is seen on the cover of his 1975 breakthrough album, Born to Run. Springsteen retired it in 2005 and it now resides in the Center.

The Center’s opening celebration was a two-week event and included two smaller shows that preceded the main event.

The first of these was The Native American Music Experience, which celebrated Indigenous musicians’ contributions to popular music. It featured performances by a solid roster of artists from multiple tribes across America, a group Santelli says has been “under-appreciated, disrespected and ignored for far too long.”

Colorado acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Cary Morin played deft bluesy licks on a detuned guitar on his original “Live a Little.” Using a Weissenborn lap steel, Pura Fé’s soothing melodic playing, subtle slide riffs and ethereal vocals were a highlight of the evening’s performances.

New Mexico’s Levi Platero, a Navajo Nation native and 2016 Native American Music Award recipient for Best Blues, ripped explosive minor blues and volume swell riffs on his Fender Stratocaster on his originals “Start Over” and “Work Hours.”

Florida’s Osceola Brothers high-energy set featured aggressive guitar playing and explosive fuzz-driven riffs and solos from guitarist Cameron Osceola. Celebrated Mohawk guitarist and two-time Juno winner Derek Miller performed with actor and vocalist/harmonica player Gary Farmer.

In addition, a visual gallery paid tribute to key Native American artists that include blues pioneer Charley Patton, Jesse Ed Davis and Link Wray. The evening ended with a singalong jam on the Redbone top-five hit “Come and Get Your Love,” written by Native Americans Pat and Lolly Vegas.

The second event was America 250: A Jersey Shore Celebration of the Nation’s Music Heritage, which featured a cast of locals and legends performing songs in a format similar to the two larger events. They included blues guitarist Sonny Kenn, ace acoustic picker Pat Guadagno and recent American Idol finalist and indie singer/songwriter Jake Thistle, with musical direction coordinated by guitarist/songwriter Gordon Brown.

Earlier this year, I spent time with SSL’s SSL 2+ MKII, an interface aimed at musicians and creators looking for professional-grade recording capabilities in a compact desktop format. Now Solid State Logic has introduced the SSL 1, a tidy little audio interface that occupies a different place in the company’s lineup.

Rather than expanding on the SSL 2+ MKII’s feature set, the SSL 1 strips the concept back to its essentials. Designed for beginners, mobile musicians, podcasters, streamers and content creators, it focuses on delivering SSL’s renowned audio quality in an even more affordable and portable package.

For users who don’t need multiple mic inputs, MIDI connectivity or advanced routing options, the SSL 1 presents a straightforward path into the SSL ecosystem. Fortunately, SSL has managed to simplify the experience without sacrificing the qualities that have made its interfaces so appealing.

At the heart of the SSL 1 is a 2-in/2-out design. You get one SSL microphone preamp with 48-volt phantom power alongside a second input that can handle either line-level sources or instruments such as electric guitar, keyboards and bass. It’s a configuration that will feel immediately familiar to solo musicians, singer-songwriters and content creators who rarely need to record more than one or two sources at a time.

The headline feature remains SSL’s Legacy 4K enhancement circuit, which emulates some of the character associated with the company’s legendary 4000 Series consoles. Engage the switch and recordings gain a subtle lift in presence and harmonic richness. It’s not a dramatic effect, but it can help vocals cut through a mix more effectively and add a touch of polish to DI guitar tracks.

More importantly, the SSL 1 sounds excellent even before the 4K circuit enters the equation. The microphone preamp is clean, quiet and detailed, capturing vocals and acoustic instruments with impressive clarity. The instrument input performs equally well, delivering the kind of solid low-end response and articulation guitarists expect when tracking directly into an interface.

SSL has also equipped the unit with 32-bit/192kHz conversion, ensuring the audio quality matches the standards found throughout the company’s current interface range. Monitoring is handled through a dedicated headphone output and balanced monitor outputs, while USB-C connectivity keeps setup simple whether you’re working from a desktop workstation, a laptop or a mobile recording rig. The SSL 1 runs on bus power when used with a computer and has a five-volt USB-C input for a phone charger or external power bank when you're recording with a phone or tablet.

Ease of use is one of the SSL 1’s greatest strengths. The front panel is uncluttered, the controls are intuitive and there’s very little standing between unboxing the interface and recording your first track. That simplicity makes it particularly attractive for newcomers who may find more feature-packed interfaces intimidating.

Build quality is on par with its SSL 2+ big brother. Despite its modest price, the SSL 1 feels reassuringly solid. The knobs have a smooth, substantial feel, the chassis inspires confidence and the overall design reflects the same attention to detail that has helped establish SSL’s reputation in professional studios around the world.

Of course, the streamlined design won’t suit everyone. Users who regularly record multiple microphones, work with external MIDI hardware or require extensive routing flexibility will eventually encounter the SSL 1’s limitations. But those users are not really the target audience.

Instead, the SSL 1 is aimed squarely at creators who value simplicity, portability and sound quality above all else. In that role, it excels.

Like the SSL 2+ MKII, the SSL 1 delivers the polished sound quality and thoughtful design that have become hallmarks of SSL’s interface range. The difference is that it does so with a singular focus on accessibility and ease of use. For beginners, mobile musicians and content creators looking for professional audio without unnecessary complexity, the SSL 1 is an easy recommendation.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT solidstatelogic.com

PRICE $159.99

CHANNELS Two

CONTROLS Channel 1: Gain control, Legacy 4K button, +48V phantom power and high-pass filter. Channel 2: Gain control, instrument/line button. Monitor control, monitor mix control

METERING Five-LED array per channel

ANALOG INPUTS XLR, 1/4” (instrument/line)

ANALOG OUTPUTS Two 1/4-inch TRS, 1/4” headphone

CONNECTIVITY USB 2.0 Type C connector, 5V power input on USB 2.0 Type C for external power

PERFORMANCE Up to 32-bit dynamic range, all major sample rates up to 192 kHz

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Mac OS 12 and higher | Class-Compliant, Plug-and-play. Windows 11, Windows 11 ARM. Requires ASIO/WDM driver (provided)

DIMENSIONS 7.6 × 5.1 × 0.25 inches

EXTRAS USB-C cable, free software and offers. Kensington Security Slot on back panel

PRO Detailed sound, SSL’s proprietary Legacy 4K feature,

CON None, but make sure the limited inputs meet your requirements

The Memorial Day guitar sales are officially live and kicking, and latest to join the fray is Guitar Center, who’ve launched a sale with up to 30% off a huge range of guitar gear. They’ve seen fit to slash the prices of thousands of electric guitars, acoustic guitars, amps, pedals, and plenty more, with discounts hitting hundreds of dollars off.

The sale is live now until May 27th, so it will run the full Memorial Day weekend and a couple of days after. Pretty much every major manufacturer is included in the sale, with Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, PRS, Martin, Taylor, and plenty more enjoying money off.

Part of my job is to keep track of all the best deals going around, which I do weekly in The Pick: Deals newsletter. So I know which items have been on sale for a while, and which are brand new. If you’re looking for the latter, then you’ll definitely want to check out a sweet discount of up to $250 off a PRS SE Silver Sky, which is one of the most popular guitars released over the past few years.

In our Silver Sky review we gave it a hefty four and a half stars out of five, and one of the things we loved most about it was the excellent build quality, which is especially good considering the cost. It’s also a bit of a tonal beast, capable of all those classic Strat tones and plenty more, so you can see why it’s been such a hit amongst guitarists.

Also on sale is this wicked Gibson J-45 Studio, which has got a humongous $599 off the price. That takes it down well below the $2,000 mark, excellent value for a pro-level dreadnought acoustic. It’s got an all-solid tonewood combo of Sitka spruce and walnut back and sides, helping it deliver a booming voice that will cut through and stay organic no matter how hard you hit it.

Finally, the Warm Audio WA-TS has got a cool 20% discount, bringing the price down to just $119. Considering you get three TS circuits in it with the TS9, 808, and TS10, that makes it superb value for money for all the Tube Screamer fans out there, offering you all the most popular circuits for a price that’s just above what a single TS9 costs at the moment.

Shop more Memorial Day sales:

• Amazon: Cheap pedals and accessories
• Fender: Up to $600 in savings
• Guitar Tricks: Get 1 month of lessons for just $1
• IK Multimedia: Amplitube collections from just $24.99
• Musician's Friend: Up to 60% off Gibson, Fender & more
• Positive Grid: 20% off Spark Neo headphones
• Sweetwater: Up to 35% off pedal sale
• Waves: 5 plugins for just $99.99

Even with Memorial Day still on the horizon, Musician’s Friend has already launched an impressive early sale. Whether you're eyeing a new electric guitar, searching for a reliable acoustic to start your musical journey, or looking to upgrade your amp, this event is perfectly timed for gear enthusiasts.

You’ll find discounts of up to 60% on a wide range of instruments and gear from top names in the industry, including Fender, PRS, Gibson, Blackstar, EVH, and more. The sale covers everything from guitars and amplifiers to electric drum kits, with markdowns available on both brand-new and open-box products.

This major event follows a recent overhaul of Musician’s Friend, which now focuses on delivering deep discounts on premium instruments and equipment. Specializing in overstock, closeout, and open-box deals from leading manufacturers, the revamped platform is rapidly becoming a go-to source for musicians seeking high-end gear at lower prices.

Notable deals include up to $900 off select electric guitars and amplifiers, up to 45% off acoustic models, and as much as $2,000 off certain electronic drum kits. For those looking to save, there are plenty of standout offers worth exploring.

For example, the Gibson Victory, a unique offset double-cut model originally released in the '80s, sees a price drop of $500. This guitar was Gibson’s response to the Superstrat trend of that era, making it both a rare find and a great deal.

Another standout is the PRS SE Studio Standard, known for its versatility and exceptional playability. Whether you're performing intricate solos, playing with a band, or enjoying a relaxed jam session, this guitar excels in any setting. Currently, it’s available with a $250 discount.

Additional offers include more than $30 off the Keeley Electronics Super AT Mod Overdrive, and 15% off the Line 6 DL4 MkII (silver edition).

There are plenty of other deals as well, covering amplifiers, basses, recording equipment, and much more, making this a great opportunity to explore the full selection.

The sale runs through May 27, so act fast if you want to take advantage of these limited-time offers.

We’ve still got a little way to go til the arrival of the Memorial Day guitar deals, but Fender has jumped the gun with discounts hitting up to $600 off in its sale. It means an early chance to save on Acoustasonic guitar, audio interfaces, accessories, and loads more.

There are no solid-body guitars in the sale right now, but you can still grab some excellent deals on acoustic guitars, pickups, and plenty more. The sale is due to end on May 27th so there’s a little bit of time to act, but I expect some of this gear will sell out due to the low costs.

It’s not the biggest Memorial Day sale around at the moment, but well worth looking at if you’re a Fender superfan. I’ve already looked through it in its entirety and picked out five of the very best deals for you below.

The Fender Blues Junior IV is one of the most popular tube combo amplifiers the world has ever seen, positioning itself as a compact and easily transportable unit that boasts enough power for live playing and recording scenarios. Its fourth iteration, originally released in 2018, was about evolution, not revolution for Fender, looking to make incremental gains on predecessors, rather than reinventing the wheel.

The Blues Junior IV has always faced pretty stiff competition, namely from cross-Atlantic contemporary, the Vox AC15 – an amp that goes almost beat-for-beat with the Blues Junior in terms of specifications, and is one of only a handful of amplifiers in this category that can claim to come close to matching the pedigree of the Blues Junior.

Alongside the Vox, there are amps from Marshall (DSL and Origin series), Orange (the Rocker 15), and plenty of others that sit at comparable price points and have similar power. Despite all of this, the Blues Junior has regularly sat at the top of the pile in terms of sales figures in its class, regardless of the competition. It is the amp to beat.

The Blues Junior IV comes loaded with 15 watts of all-tube power courtesy of three 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power amp tubes. It puts this power down through a single channel, with a narrow set of controls: volume, treble, bass, middle, master volume, reverb, plus a FAT switch.

The reverb is a genuine spring tank, rather than the digital emulations that have become ever more common in small tube amplifiers due to space, reliability, and the quality of digital reverbs nowadays.

All of these sounds are projected through a 12” Celestion Type A speaker, a ceramic magnet design that boasts 50 watts (RMS) of power – more than enough for the Blues Junior – and is designed for "modern American" tones, with a punchy low end and articulate midrange, designed for achieving those classic Fender clean amp sounds.

My first impression when taking the amp out of the box was that it was a serious piece of kit. Some amps I have played over the past few years – even some that would position themselves as competitors to the Blues Junior – feel as though they are made to a price point, rather than to a specific standard, but this is not at all the case here.

The Tolex used feels suitably rugged, ready to take on any kind of environment, and I could find no noticeable areas where it was loose or sagging. If I had to nitpick, the fact you can see the joins where a couple of different pieces of Tolex panels have been used means it’s not as totally sleek as it could be, and in the back cavity there are a couple of areas where you can see the staples used to hold the vinyl down, but this is looking for faults and not something that anybody would notice unless actively hunting for issues.

The grille cloth is the classic Fender silver, with a tight weave that you are unlikely to pierce. It’s timeless, having first appeared on their amps in the late 60s, and it still holds up today. The same can be said of the aesthetic of the Blues Junior in general, and if you were to put an original Mk I Blues Junior next to the IV, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be able to tell which one was which. Personally, I have no problem with this at all, and appreciate that Fender has found a functional and handsome design and stuck with it.

The steel-reinforced carry handle self-recesses down against the amp when not in use, but is easy to access when you do want to grab it. On handles like these on cheaper amps, I have found that the plastic coating around the handle can split over time as the material begins to become brittle with age, but this feels suitably durable, and there are no signs of a seam that could split after significant use.

The chicken-head style, pointed knobs are timeless, and have a solid travel to them. Comparing directly to those on my Vox AC4, which has almost identical-looking knobs, the Fender is fractionally firmer in operation, which I generally like, though not by any significant margin.

While it’s not strictly a budget amp, it sits towards the bottom of the tube amp market, so accessories aren’t necessarily something to be expected, which makes the addition of a footswitch as standard welcome. The footswitch itself is vintage-inspired, and it has a build that can take a serious stomping. I’m not a particularly small guy, and it dealt with my boots crashing down on it with no issues whatsoever.

The only potential negative is the shape, which is circular and not optimized for slotting onto a pedalboard. If this is something you’d like to do, there are a number of aftermarket switches that can be swapped in and are more pedalboard-friendly. There’s also no cover included as standard, but you can purchase one from Fender or find 3rd party option easily online.

While I haven’t had the opportunity to gig the Blues Junior IV, I’ve done my best to replicate the gigging experience by loading it in and out of the car and on short drives. I live around a number of country roads with potholes aplenty – the Blues Junior has not been treated to smooth rides. In my testing, it came out entirely unscathed and worked perfectly, which is not something I can say for other tube amplifiers I have used.

One of the first things that struck me upon the amp's arrival at my door was just how small it is. When I think of 1x12 combos, I tend to think of amps like the Blues Junior’s big brother, the Hot Rod Deluxe, or a Marshall DSL40 combo – both of which are significantly larger – and, maybe it’s purely down to the space in my home, but I absolutely loved having a compact amp.

When I wasn’t using it, it was easy to find space to stow it away, or a corner of a room that was actually improved by having this little amp positioned in it. It’s only 16 inches high, 18 inches wide, and between 9-10 inches deep, and comes in at around 30lbs/14kg, which means it is light enough to carry for most players, particularly if you’re just moving it around the home.

The Blues Junior IV is extremely simple, so if you’re expecting modern features, you’re definitely looking in the wrong place. The FAT switch is footswitchable, and I like that the labels face you as you approach the amp from the front, which was not the case on earlier iterations of the Blues Junior.

For home use it does edge towards being too loud, at least if you want to get it properly singing. I live in a semi-detached property with a young family next door, and I was acutely aware that pushing the master volume knob past the 3 or 4 mark would make their walls vibrate. If your home is detached, or you are lucky enough to have a sound-insulated home studio, you can probably make it work, but for those in apartments or with shared walls, I’d look at something like the Marshall DSL1CR or the Blackstar HT-1R.

While it would feel criminal to start lumbering it with things like a USB output or a headphone jack, an effects loop wouldn’t go amiss. The one thing I found it seriously lacked was switchable wattage, something many of its rivals have. 15W may not sound like a lot on paper but this is still a tube amp. For home use, switching it down to half, or 10% power, would be so useful, without negatively impacting the amp or spoiling its character at all.

To start with, I plugged in sans pedals to get the pure, natural tones of the Blues Junior IV. My immediate take was how instantly dynamic it feels to play, with an organic response to subtle changes in my playing. Dialling up the preamp volume, I can get a bit more dirt, but when I roll back my volume knob, things go from warm overdrive back to bright and clean.

On my Les Paul, which has a volume knob for each pickup, I found I could set the neck pickup volume to around halfway and get warm rhythm tones, and then switch to the bridge, on full volume, and have some crunchy lead tones ready to go. Unsurprisingly, with the pokey humbuckers in the Ibanez, the amp was even more grunty, and the natural tube breakup was particularly delightful.

When I used my Fulltone OCD overdrive pedal, it helped push that overdrive into cascading, harmonic distortion even on subtle settings. As I took things further down the dirt road, I wasn’t surprised to find that when I started stacking fuzzes, I quickly reached the ‘fart-out’ zone, where the amp struggled to cope with anything more. While stacking an EHX Big Muff and Dunlop Gypsy Fuzz isn’t really something I’d regularly do, it was more about pushing the limits of the Blues Junior IV, so I can’t hold that against it too much.

The ‘FAT’ switch, which is operated on top of the amp or via a foot switch, engages a boost in the midrange, which results in a more pronounced thick tone, ideal for soloing. It’s not quite like switching in a Tube Screamer-type pedal, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a noticeable and effective way to get a tone boost.

The integrated spring reverb in the amp is classic Fender, and just delightful. It has just the right amount of that trademark ‘drip’, and is a noticeable upgrade on the previous generation’s spring reverb, which had a slightly harsh quality. Personally, I prefer the voicing of the reverb on the IV versus the prior iterations. If you’re looking for cavernous ambience, that’s not quite what’s on offer here. It is more subtle, particularly between one and six on the knob, although it can go into a more swampy, drenched style as you go beyond this point.

Next, I used an MXR double team of a Carbon Copy analog delay pedal and an MXR M300 reverb pedal, with a Boss chorus pedal thrown in for good measure, to push the Junior IV into larger, more spacious tones. The Blues Junior held up well to this, particularly when playing with my Gold Foil-equipped Supro, though the inherently warm nature of the Carbon Copy did mean the amp felt a little dark, which I quickly remedied with a few EQ tweaks.

The lack of an effects loop means your time-based effects can get muddy when you start going for more overdriven sounds from the amp itself, as your entire signal chain is being subject to preamp gain. This went into shoegaze territory for me, which I rather liked. I can see this being more of a problem if you use a lot of overdrive/distortion pedals in tandem with ambient time-based effects, as things could get a little muddy when that kind of signal chain collides with a hot preamp section, though, for my style of playing, it really wasn’t a problem.

Having lived with the Blues Junior for a decent period, I still think it’s a great amp for anybody likely to find themselves regularly gigging, offering just the right combination of volume and transportability for the vast majority of shows. It’s also a simply phenomenal studio workhorse, taking up minimal space, but producing maximum tone at a very reasonable price.

In an ideal world, it would be a little bit lighter, but some extra weight is a tradeoff I am more than happy to make for the Celestion Type A Speaker, the spring reverb tank, and a robust wooden frame. While the Blues Junior is designed to be a simple, stripped-back, and authentic tube amp affair, I can’t help but feel that there are simply some things that the Blues Junior IV is falling behind on. Cab-emulated DIs and an effects loop are now staples in the modern era of small combo guitar amps, and the Junior IV shows its age here.

I’ve gone back and forth asking whether $789 is a reasonable asking price for the Blues Junior, particularly when you compare it to the likes of the Supro Delta King 12, which has similar features but comes in over $100 cheaper. Something like the Vox AC15 – an amp most definitely in the same class as the Blues Junior – is even more expensive. It’s not an insignificant investment, but in the context of modern tube amp prices, it’s worth it, and when compared to the competition, it’s competitively priced.

Guitar Player verdict: If you want classic Fender tube tones, the Blues Junior IV remains among the cheapest ways of achieving them. Some may wish for a few more mod-cons, but you have to respect that Fender has stayed true to the recipe that made the Blues Junior a fan favorite since its release. In a few years, maybe this will change, but right now, and as has been the case since it launched, the Blues Junior is best in class, even if that class has a lot of competition.

Specifications

• Price: $789.99 | £749.00 | €755
• Type: Combo
• Origin: Mexico
• Output: 15 Watts RMS
• Speaker: 1x12” Celestion A-Type speaker, 8 ohms
• Channels: 1
• Controls: Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble, Fat Switch, Volume
• Connectivity: 1x 1/4" Input
• Footswitch: 1-button footswitch (included)
• Weight: 31.5 lbs (14.3 kg)
• Dimensions: 457.2 x 406 x 249mm
• Contact: Fender

The Supro name may be synonymous with vintage guitar tone, but the company’s newest amplifier embraces cutting-edge technology. Its new Airwave is a tube-powered 1x12 combo equipped with onboard Two Notes cab-simulation.

Supro’s story stretches back nearly a century. The brand emerged in 1935 as the house line of Chicago manufacturer Valco, whose roots trace to the resonator-guitar pioneers National and Dobro in the 1920s—an era when amplification itself was still in its infancy and electric guitars were a still a few years away.

By the late 1960s, Supro amps were already part of blues-rock lore, heard in the hands of players like Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, as well as numerous Chicago blues greats. The new Airwave neatly closes that historical loop, pairing Supro’s vintage tube lineage with modern digital cabinet simulation.

Certainly, Supro isn’t the first to embed IRs in an otherwise tube-driven guitar amp. Suhr, Engl, Blackstar and others have all covered this ground in one way or another. But the company’s merging of the retro and modern comes across a bit differently.

Outwardly, the Airwave is a straightforward 1x12 combo with two 6V6GT output tubes and two 12AX7s in the preamp, for an output that Supro rates at 25 watts. Reverb and tremolo are both analog, with a genuine spring pan for the former. Controls following the single input include volume, treble, mids, bass, reverb, tremolo speed and depth, and master volume. There are also switches for boost and drive, each of which is foot-switchable, as are the reverb and tremolo.

It’s not until you reach the far-right end of the control panel that anything hints at 21st tech. There beneath a logo that reads “Two Notes DynIR Cab Simulation” sits a six-position rotary preset selector, a pushbutton group A/B switch, and a pushbutton pre/post switch that determines whether you send the amp’s signal to the IR processing before or after the output stage.

Round back is a knob for cab sim level and a USB-C input for connecting to a Mac or Windows computer to access the Two Notes Torpedo software for preset editing and loading (also available over Bluetooth to iOS or Android). Here too are stereo cab sim XLR outputs with a ground-lift switch; 1/4-inch TRS jacks for headphones; foot-switch jacks for reverb, tremolo, boost and drive; a speaker mute/on switch, and an eight-ohm extension-speaker output.

Keen readers will deduce that these features tell us the cab sim signal is processed in stereo, and also that it can be used through the XLR outs or headphones with the speaker muted for quite home playing or silent-stage gig situations. And it’s all squeezed into a stylish and portable combo measuring 20.5 by 18.5 by 9 inches and weighing 37 pounds.

Although it’s a relatively simple package, the Airwave provides everything you need to record the direct to your DAW or run the amp to front-of-house without a microphone either in mono or stereo. And you can do it while achieving the tones of almost any conceivable classic or modern speaker cab.

Onboard simulated speaker cabs are presented in two groups: Vintage and Modern. The former includes Super 1x8, Comet 1x10, Oahu 1x10, Modded Coronado 1x12, Dual Tone 1x12, and Thunderbolt 1x15; the latter offers Phil X ’64 Super 1x8, Amulet 1x10, Delegate 1x12, Keeley 1x12, Airwave 1x12, and Reissue Thunderbolt 1x15. Upon completing the product registration, the user can also download six further boutique Supro-based cabs.

As you can see, all of these offerings are IRs of Supro or Valco amp cabs, and all single-speaker cabs at that. I’ve used Two Notes IR technology on and off since the early 2010s and I’ve always felt one of the advantages of running a small combo into cab-sim processor was the ability to ram it through a classic Marshall 4x12 with pre-Rola Greenbacks, a Vox 2x12 with Alnico Blues, a Twin with JBLs, or whatever iconic (and possibly heavy) cab you’d love to be heard through but are unlikely to actually carry with you to the gig.

But that’s where the Torpedo Remote software comes in. Use it to load any other Two Notes or compatible third-party cabs you already own, and you’re there. Still, it might have been cool to have one or two 4x12s and 2x12s among the factory options for easy access.

Tested with a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson ES-335, the Airwave proved itself an able mid-sized combo in stand-alone mode, even before I added the Two Notes IRs. With boost and drive switched off, the amp’s clean and edge-of-breakup settings display that subtle marriage of grit and warmth that many players of Supro (and other vintage Valco) amps will recognize. It holds together surprisingly well in the low frequencies and up to pretty punchy volume level in the room.

These characteristics suit it beautifully to low-string twang from the Telecaster, which gets just the right be snarly and nasty with the boost engaged and the volume up beyond noon, yet it doesn’t fart out when introduced to the ES-335’s neck pickup, either.

Switch on Drive mode and a certain hairiness reveals itself, when pushed, which does indeed remind me of some snarly granularity of cranked Valco-made amps of the past, particularly those with the 6973 output tubes often used in place of the 6V6GTs found here.

Obviously the drive setting is affected greatly by where you set the amp’s volume control, but it enables a broad range of juicy lead tones, all of which lean vintage rather than modern, yet could easily apply to the latter in more alt- and indie-rock settings.

While boost and drive are handy bonus features, they might be tricky to apply even with the foot switch, considering both are pre-set and the increase in output-level they induce can’t be adjusted. Even so, they offer further ways to open up this combo and getting it screaming.

Reverb does what most will want from it, with well-balanced depth. The tremolo also sounds good and nails a certain breed of Valco’s off-balance wobble extremely well. The taper on the speed control will take some getting used to since it goes from the slower side of medium to all-out gallop through only about a 10 percent portion of its range around the two-thirty mark, but so it goes.

As it stands, the Supro Airwave offers pretty good value for the price. Add in the Two Notes IRs and the massive preset-editing capabilities of the Torpedo Remote software, however, and the combo’s versatility increases exponentially. The 12 factory presets and six further downloads offer impressive variation in sounds and responses. What’s more, the sound quality through stereo headphones straight into the amp or, for example, or studio monitors via the Universal Audio Apollo interface I also tested it through was excellent.

While the factory presets are set pretty dry, a significant amount of room or ambient reverb and stereo dimension can be dialed in via the Torpedo Remote app, where mic selections and placement and several other parameters can also be deeply edited. As mentioned above, I really enjoyed patching the Airwave through a couple of my favorite third-part 4x12 and 2x12 IRs from Ownhammer, and the ability to load any such changes into the Airwave’s banks and tap that kind of tone live opens up its potentially immensely.

All in all, Supro did a great job of cobbling the Airwave into a simple and portable package that still offers boatloads of versatility both for recording and live performance, on stages both big and small.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT Suprousa.com

PRICE $1,499 list

CHANNELS 1

CONTROLS Volume, Treb, Mids, Bass, Verb, Speed, Depth, Master, Preset selector; switches for Boost, Drive, Pre/Post, and preset Group A/B

POWER 25 watts

TUBES Three 12AX7s, two 6V6GTs

EXTRAS Cab Sim Level; a USB-C input, L and R Cab Sim XLR outputs with Ground Lift switch; ¼" Headphones jack, Verb/Trem Ftsw jack, Boost/Drive Ftsw jack, Speaker Mute/On switch,8-Ohm extension speaker output

SPEAKERS One 12" Celestion BD12

WEIGHT 37 lbs

MADE IN Indonesia

PRO A good-sounding tube combo in its own right, the Airwave’s versatility is greatly expanded by excellent-sounding Two Notes IRs.

CON Although the tremolo sounds good its speed can be finicky to dial in, and a 2x12 and 4x12 cab preset would have been nice.

Form and function come together on a finger. That’s the story of the intriguing LiquiSlide line, which offers an array of double-walled glass slides filled with different liquids in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. The idea is to get a groovy-looking slide that matches the color of your guitar, or hair, or whatever turns you on, as well as a real smooth tone and feel that helps inspire you to play better, to boot. The latest LiquiSlide is a Jules Leyhe signature model that features a textured inner grip coating and proprietary liquid filling that shines with golden glitter flakes. It’s simply too fun not to try.

Jules Leyhe is a rising guitar star based in the Bay Area who regularly performs “The Star-Spangled Banner” in his greasy slide style at various events, including Major League Baseball games and monster truck rallies at San Francisco’s Oracle Park and the Oakland Coliseum. He’s shared stages with an array of outstanding artists ranging from Buddy Guy to Little Feat, and Leyhe is always online schooling players about the glory of playing with glass via his educational YouTube channel.

I’ve worked with Jules for a decade in the Allmond Brothers tribute band and Spirit Hustler, watching him grow from a Berklee grad into a widely respected player and LiquiSlide’s first signature artist. Along the way, Leyhe has tried just about every slide imaginable, so the fact that he landed on the LiquiSlide says a lot about the quality coming from a brand that has only been on the market for about five years. The boutique company is gaining popularity via an increasingly impressive roster of users including Mike Campbell (Tom Petty), Chris Holt (Eagles), Josh Smith (Joe Bonamassa), Nashville legend Tom Bukovac, and the incomparable Johnny A.

Playing slide at a high level is a very specific skill that requires intense practice and focus. Most guitarists either don’t play slide or dabble in it. I’ve always been in the latter camp, leaving the slide to Leyhe, but when he hipped me to his LiquiSlide in a few different sizes, something clicked.

Looks

It starts with appearance. Traditional slides made of clear glass, bronze, or stainless steel are tried and true, but when you’ve got sparkling golden slides such as the Leyhe signatures sitting on your amp, it’s much more tempting to pick one up and put it on. I wound up trying a bunch of other LiquiSlides, too, and with some of my favorite deep purple and blue hues from which to pick and choose, it’s practically impossible to refuse. Put one in play on a gig and folks notice. People just dig the colors. Players want to know all about what the heck that is on your finger.

Original prototypes of the Leyhe signature were filled with Jägermeister, which was super fun, but like some of the other liquids that were tried, there were temperature-related issues that could break the glass if the environment got too hot or cold.

Leyhe chuckles, “When I found out Jägermeister was an option, I had to go for that, but they’ve literally found a better solution.”

Inventor and CEO Michael Flynn adds, “All of our slides now have our proprietary liquid that’s completely safe and natural. It does not contain rubbing alcohol or alcohol of any type and is not affected by weather extremes. You can use it anywhere, right out of the case.”

Feel and Tone

So, does having liquid inside the slide truly help? Well, I don’t know how much of this is psychosomatic, but I believe there’s a slight tidal-like ebb and flow to the feel during vibrato, which seemed to help me slow down and soak each note for the most mojo from each finger stroke. And there’s a longer version of that on extended glissandos, particularly when working a melody up and down a single string. You wind up wanting to play with a more exaggerated hand motion leading into and out of each note, which in turn informs a more “fluid” approach. Maybe I just like watching the little air bubble move around the domed top, which is captivating.

There’s definitely a weightiness that seems to reduce string rattle while helping to increase sustain as well as balance. Liquid is relatively heavy, so having that plus extra mass from the domed top compared to an open bottleneck style must factor into that sense of gravitas. Bottom line: The feel is fabulous while the tone is smooth and refined.

Flynn assures me I’m not tripping: “The liquid is not just a novelty. What it does is measurable and verifiable and is part of the patent. A liquid-filled glass guitar slide produces different tones compared to an empty one due to changes in the slide’s resonance and the way it interacts with the strings. The liquid alters the slide’s mass, density, and elasticity, which affects how it vibrates and transfers sound waves. This results in a distinct tonal quality with varying sustain and pitch. It also is part of the balanced weight.”

Size Matters

The whole LiquiSlide line, including the Leyhe models, comes in three sizes: Standard (max American ring size 13), Knuckle (max ring size 11.5), and Pinky (max ring size 8.5). Standard and Pinky are designed to go all the way to the base of the finger, while the Knuckle size is designed to stop at the second knuckle. Of course, finger sizes vary greatly, and LiquiSlides are individually hand-blown with about a five percent margin size tolerance. I tried a bunch, and there were some slight but noticeable differences between units of the same model size. I have small-to-medium fingers, and some of the Standards felt a bit loose on my ring finger, while others fit snugly.

A slide you think might work—or not work—on a particular finger might surprise you after all. The Knuckle size is kind of a wild card, as it can work on pretty much any finger. That one turned out to be my favorite, as its shorter length and tight fit focused on the top two knuckles made it feel like having a Porsche on my ring finger. The Leyhe model has a no-slip interior layer that helps keep it snug, regardless of the chosen digit. It’s not as pronounced as the dried paint drips inside Warren Haynes’ slide, but it reminded me of that a bit.

Leyhe says, “I requested a rough interior to help with the grip. I always use my pinkie for slide playing, and I use the Pinky size with my signature LiquiSlide.”

I know I should develop better slide chops using the pinkie to free up the first three fingers for fretting chords. While the Pinky model fit well, and there is a new Pinky XS size being rolled out across the line (not on the Leyhe model yet), I dug putting the shorter Knuckle model on the little finger. The only issue was it being too wide, so I put some tissue paper around the finger and that worked well. I’d love to try a Knuckle model with Pinky width, and that’s the kind of thing you can inquire about.

Behind the Glass

Flynn and his partner, Mathew Jenkins, are both industry veterans with copious retail experience working at the Music Gallery just north of Chicago in Highland Park, Illinois. They personally fill and seal each LiquiSlide by hand. They also handle all communications, so if you have an idea, simply contact them. I did, and they’re happy to help. The cats behind the glass are clearly real players having a blast with this venture. They’ve even got a glow-in-the-dark LiquiSlide that shows trails on a dark stage.

I’d recommend the Jules Leyhe Signature Slide as well as the entire LiquiSlide line to players of all stripes, from beginner to expert. Leyhe’s is a special edition with the fancy flaked interior and custom case, so it costs 15 bucks more than a typical LiquiSlide. Any LiquiSlide can be a fun way to dip your finger into the shallow side of the slide pool, or the thing that finally helps facilitate the leap into the deep end, all while looking as cool as a guitarfish.

SPECIFICATIONS

Jules Leyhe Signature

CONTACT theliquislide.com

PRICE $45 direct packed with a velvet bag inside a custom case

MATERIAL Borosilicate glass

FEATURES Double walled, filled with proprietary liquid and gold flakes, rounded tip, no-slip interior

SIZES Standard (max American ring size 13), Knuckle (max ring size 11.5), Pinky (max ring size 8.5)

BUILT U.S.A.

PRO Groovy golden flake color. Three sizes and no-slip interior. Fabulous feel, balance and sustain. Handmade with top-shelf glass

CON Durability is good, but this is liquid-filled glass, so be careful!

Jake E. Lee has given fans a peek behind his tonal curtain in a new rig rundown video, but one pedal has caught the eye above the rest. It’s a fuzz pedal with mysterious origins and a famous previous owner.

After making his name in Ratt, Lee would succeed the late Randy Rhoads as Ozzy Osbourne’s second full-time guitarist, getting the job over George Lynch in brutal fashion. He played on two records – Bark At The Moon (1983) and The Ultimate Sin (1986) – before his relationship with the Prince of Darkness began to erode.

He’s recently stated that his attempts to broaden the singer’s sound were quashed with Ozzy saying, “That’s not Ozzy, that’s jazz. Go back and write me something else!”

Now touring with his band, Red Dragon Cartel, Lee has two fuzzes on his pedalboard, with the first, Prescription Electronics Experience pedal, in place for wild, Hendrix-like fuzz tones. Paired with his infamous "Whitey" Charvel Super Strat, it sounds like Velcro on gravel. That pedal boasts a colorful, hippie-coded orange-and-blue aesthetic that nods to its ‘60s origins, with a modified Fuzz Face circuit.

Its stablemate, in that respect, couldn't be more different. It's free of any swish design elements, with a rough metal casing and stick-on labels for its Volume, Blend, and Drive dials. There also looks to be what's left of an old sticker or label beneath its sole footswitch.

“I don't know a lot about that one,” he tells Premier Guitar. “I don't know who made it. I remember I was in Cowtown Guitars in Las Vegas, I saw it, and I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ and they said, ‘Paul Gilbert traded that in for something else.’”

Then, with a nonchalant shrug, he says, “It's a fuzz... it does a lot of weird stuff.”

Buying it was an impulse purchase, that much he admits. Yet it's found a home on his pedalboard, between the Experience fuzz and a Boss tuner.

“I like that it's a mystery,” he returns. “Sometimes it'll do something I don't expect, and I like that. [If you want more information] Paul Gilbert's gonna have to tell you, and I bet even he doesn't remember. But both fuzz pedals are germanium transistor-based, which is why I place them before my tuner, which acts as a buffer [to boost the signal].

“When you buffer germanium fuzzes, they sound like crap; they don't react the same to your volume.”

So what pedal is it? A user in the comments section for the video says they made the pedal and that it’s actually called the P.G. Spectron Fuzz.

The commenter is Shinichi Suzuki (not to be confused with the violinist of the same name), a Japanese engineer and CEO of Shin's Music. By the looks of it, he gives all his pedals the same sticky label treatment. Although the pedal isn't listed on his website, its name likely refers to Gilbert himself, suggesting it might have been a custom order.

In related news, Lee has opened up on his appearance at Back to the Beginning, a show which saw him bury the hatchet with Ozzy after nearly 40 years apart. Ozzy, though, was quick to send his love when news of Lee being shot in Las Vegas in 2024 broke, and Lee had jumped through hoops to recover in time for the gig.

Long a sleeper in Fender’s original tweed amplifier lineup of the 1950s, the 5G9 Tremolux didn’t officially exist until a handful of players, collectors, and vintage-amp aficionados finally put the pieces together. No one, to my knowledge, has ever reported seeing this model of the 1x12 Tremolux combo from 1959–’60 with a “5G9” tube chart, although a schematic for the model exists. Perusing that diagram reveals that this circuit has quite a few significant differences from the 5E9-A Tremolux that preceded it.

And I should know, having owned two great original 5G9s in the past, both of which had 5E9-A tube charts pasted inside their finger-jointed solid-pine cabinets.

Its elusive nature aside, the 5G9 Tremolux was discovered in a big way several years ago, having been declared the “best-sounding tweed Fender” by many players (although that’s a subject guaranteed to drum up some debate).

So with prices for originals soaring, Ron Westwood of Cutthroat Audio decided to put his own passion for this late-era tweed wonder to work by creating the Fullerton 5G9 Tremolux combo.

For several years before segueing into hand-wired amp manufacturing, Cutthroat Audio specialized in high-end instrument, speaker and patch cables, and Westwood has taken a similar obsession with the minutiae of tone-enhancing components into this homage to the 5G9.

The Fullerton closely replicates all the essentials of the design while adding some conveniences for the contemporary player that nevertheless shouldn’t detract from the overall vintage vibe and performance. It’s all wrapped into a classic 18-watt, dual-6V6 combo that’s housed, in this case, in the option of a lightly aged lacquered tweed cabinet.

In addition to its stealth nature, the 5G9 Tremolux was something of an anomaly in Fender’s amp lineup, and one we can refer to variously as “the biggest small Fender tweed amp” or “the smallest big Fender tweed amp,” depending on how you slice it. The original iteration of 1955, the 5E9 Tremolux, was Fender’s first amp to carry tremolo and wasn’t far off from being a 5E3 Deluxe with the effect built in. In a few years, however, that would change dramatically.

The amp earned a larger cabinet first, moving into the same one used by the dual-6L6 Pro Amp. Next, the circuit was heavily updated to include many features seen in Fender’s larger amps.

While the 5G9 still has the simple dual-volume preamp with shared tone control of the tweed Deluxe, that was coupled to the same long-tailed-pair phase inverter and fixed-bias output stage used by the legendary 5F6-A Bassman, making the Tremolux Fender’s only 6V6-equipped amp of the ’50s to carry these features. It also used a stouter 5U4GB rectifier tube than the Deluxe’s relatively soft 5Y3.

And while the change of phase-inverter circuit robbed the 5G9 of the 5E3’s extra gain stage, the deletion gave the Tremolux a lot more clean headroom, which couples with the higher voltages to enable a tight low end and plenty of clean punching power.

In addition to adopting these traits, Cutthroat has added several of the clever twists seen in its Down Brownie and Francene combos previously reviewed in GP. While it includes the lower-gain 12AY7 in the Bright channel — a preamp tube that was original equipment in the vintage Tremolux — there’s also a higher-gain 12AX7 that can be swapped into the circuit via a push-pull switch on that channel’s volume control.

The generally redundant Normal channel has been revoiced with a Marshall JMP50 Lead spec–inspired circuit, and the otherwise unused half of the 12AY7 in V1 is tapped to add the extra gain stage the original 5G9 is otherwise missing, accessed via a push-pull on the tone control when you need extra grind. The popular tweak of jumpering the two channels together with a short cable is made easier thanks to a third push-pull on the Normal channel’s volume pot that internally couples Bright and Normal.

The amp’s namesake tremolo effect is of the bias-modulating variety, which acts on the output tubes’ bias point and is known for its lush, warm throb, given a slight revamp here to enable even slower speeds.

Cutthroat has added further modifications in the form of a post-phase-inverter master volume control (housed in the hole where the standby switch would go, with standby mode achieved via a three-way power switch); a three-position negative-feedback-loop switch that offers standard, less, and none, for three further degrees of gain; and a tube/solid-state rectifier switch.

Finally, there’s a switch to select four-, eight- or 16-ohm speaker output. Unlike the 5E3 Deluxe, the 5G9 requires re-biasing when output tubes are changed — something made more convenient with a bias pot on the underside of the chassis.

Removing the upper back panel reveals a meticulously hand-wired circuit using Jupiter yellow and “Red Astron” signal capacitors, carbon-comp resistors, and other high-end components. Custom-wound Heyboer power and output transformers and a Hammond choke populate the other side of the chassis, and the cabinet carries a 12-inch Weber Alnico 12A125 30-watt speaker, a reproduction of the original Jensen P12Q.

Tested with a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson ES-335 electric, the Fullerton 5G9 quickly reminded me of the originals I’d owned in the past, with a robust clean tone that takes some hammering before it starts to break up, and that rich, thick tweed sound that so beautifully complements single coils and lower-wind humbuckers alike.

With the master volume maxed (and therefore ostensibly out of the circuit), you have to push the Bright channel with the 12AY7 engaged pretty hard to elicit any breakup, but it’s tactile and dynamic when it comes. By then, the amp is reasonably loud for an 18-watter, although it shouldn’t be overpowering in venues of 100 seats or more.

For smaller rooms, or for more tolerable grind with the volume all the way up, the PPI master volume does a great job of taming the decibels without impeding the amp’s voice, and proves a fantastic addition as a result.

From here, of course, there are several other avenues of gain to tap — either individually or layered up — via the 12AX7 setting (a notable jump in volume and breakup, if not excessive), the extra gain stage on the tone control’s push-pull, the Marshall-voiced Normal channel, or indeed the two jumpered together with all of the above. Get the latter setting cooking and dial the master to taste, and there’s no end of singing, touch-sensitive overdrive to be had — plus endless fun along with it.

To my tastes, the tremolo functions best on cleaner, edge-of-breakup, or just-over-the-edge gain settings, where it’s sweetly rounded, rich, and atmospheric. It’s a great example of why so many players hail tube-driven bias-modulated trem as the crème de la crème of this effect. Applying it to heavier drive settings still yields some wild and evocative sounds, though, and boatloads of expression in the swamp-blues arena.

Add in the versatility of the negative-feedback switch and switchable rectifier, and there’s a deceptive number of voices lurking within this unassuming tweed combo. All in all, it greatly honors an underappreciated original that has only recently found the spotlight, and proves a toneful and portable combo that myriad players are likely to dig immensely.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT Cutthroataudio.com

PRICE $3,195 street

CHANNELS 2

CONTROLS Bright Volume, Normal Volume, Tone, Tremolo Speed and Depth, Master Volume; switches for 12AY7/12AX7 Ch1, channel jumpering, added gain stage

POWER 18 watts

TUBES One 12AY7, three 12AX7s, two 6V6GTs, one 5AU4GB rectifier

EXTRAS Footswitch for tremolo, solid-state/tube-rectified switch, three-way negative feedback switch, switch for 4/8/16Ω speaker output

SPEAKERS One 12" Weber Alnico 12A125

WEIGHT 35 lbs

MADE IN USA

PRO A great sounding homage to the originally last-iteration of the tweed Tremolux, with several clever mods increasing its versatility exponentially.

CON It comes at a high price, although not an unreasonable one for the quality of components and workmanship.

Laney Amplification founder Lyndon Laney has died aged 77, following a battle with cancer. Tony Iommi, a man who helped turn Laney’s valve amp passion into a global force, has led the tributes.

The news has led to an outpouring of love for a man who, alongside Jim Marshall, was one of Britain’s finest amp builders.

“It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Lyndon Laney, founder of Laney Amplification,” Laney’s statement reads.

“Lyndon established Laney Amplification in 1967 and, through vision, dedication, and an uncompromising commitment to quality, built the company from modest beginnings into an internationally respected and successful brand. His work helped shape the sound of generations of musicians, most notably that of his long-term friend Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.

“Lyndon’s influence extended far beyond business success; he was admired for his warmth, integrity, humor, and quiet determination.”

Like Black Sabbath, Laney emerged from Birmingham in the late 1960s, and is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary next year. In true rags-to-riches fashion, Lyndon Laney crafted his first amp in his dad's garden shed, with the business born after friends started requesting more builds for themselves.

The tube amp fanatic very quickly established a relationship with Black Sabbath guitarist Iommi. That would prove to be the cornerstone of the Laney legacy. It was his 1970 creation, the Laney LA 100 BL, made specifically for Iommi, that powered the first two Black Sabbath records alongside Iommi's trusted Gibson SG, Monkey, after fate intervened to stop him from launching Sabbath with a Stratocaster.

Iommi has remained fiercely loyal to Laney's tones over the following decades, with a special edition of his signature amp and a slew of reissues and other signature models following since, including last year's Laney Black Country Customs Tony Iommi TI100.

“I’m so sad to say that I lost my very dear friend Lyndon Laney to cancer on Friday,” he writes on Instagram. “I am absolutely devastated. We go back to the late 60s, when I first met him and started using his Laney amps.

“He was a really lovely guy, and his great passion was building valve amps. He also loved his cars, as I did, and we had so much in common. We’d sit down and talk about ideas and what to build into my amplifiers.

“I am so honored to have known him and his family,” he continues. “James, his son, has been running the company for some years now, and he has carried on the business and has pushed it forward with some brilliant ideas.”

Today, Laney boasts a roster of high-flying artists, including Billy Corgan, Nathan East, Vernon Reid, and Guthrie Govan. It has continued to push forward with fresh ideas and innovations. The 1972 KLIPP amp, the first of its kind to feature a boost channel, and the DP Range, which, in 1988, emboldened bass amps with graphic EQs for the first time, are shining examples of that.

In 2024, it released the world’s most powerful FRFR cabinet as it continues to adapt to the changing needs of guitar players. The 4x12 cab is nearly as loud as a jet plane taking off.

Reflecting on the “privilege” of knowing and working with Iommi during an interview last year, Laney said, “We've had some fun on the way.”

“We've worked bloody hard, haven't we?” Iommi returned. “You used to be in there night and day, dedicated to it. I'm not going to use anything else, and without you, we wouldn't be here.”

With a smile, Laney returned the compliment: “It goes both ways,” he said. That it does.

Marshall’s DSL series, or Dual Super Lead to give it its Sunday name, has been around for the best part of two decades. Sitting somewhere between the affordable MG series and the more expensive UK-made JVM amplifiers, the DSL range has long been a popular choice for guitarists chasing authentic Marshall grit, complete with plenty of mid-range bite whilst not leaving your wallet sore.

Boasting not only the title of the smallest combo in the DSL range, but in Marshall’s entire catalog, the DSL1CR is a 1-watt, all-tube combo designed with home use in mind. It’s also the most affordable tube amp in Marshall’s lineup, making it an accessible entry point for players looking to get into tube amps without it hurting their bank account.

Marshall isn’t alone in this space. Its most obvious competitor is the Blackstar HT series, which also includes a 1-watt tube amp, the HT-1R. During my time working in a guitar store, the HT-1R was consistently one of the best sellers, and I demoed it more times than I can count, making it a natural point of comparison here.

The DSL1CR is equipped with two ECC83 preamp valves and an ECC82 power amp valve, paired with an 8-inch Celestion Eight 15 speaker. On paper, it shares some familiar DNA with larger Marshall designs. As someone who owns a Marshall 1987x Reissue head, which also runs ECC83s in the preamp, I was particularly interested in how that translates into a much smaller, home-friendly format.

When my long-suffering courier turned up with the parcel, there were no words of complaint about how heavy the box was, being used to many cumbersome boxes (and letting me know). This was a good sign in a home-friendly amplifier, as decent portability and dimensions are looked on more favorably, particularly with tube amps that typically weigh a tonne.

It’s compact as well as lightweight and much smaller than my Peavy Classic 30 I placed beside it. At 7.9kg, this isn’t a heavy tube amp. If you’re used to carrying something like an AC30 to gigs, it will feel featherweight.

For most of my testing, I had the DSL1CR on my desktop for ease of access to controls. It’s not quite in the traditional desktop amp dimensions, nor would I call it a mini amp, but certainly the right size for a practice amp. Although you’ll be unlikely to take it out of the house much, it feels very durable. It’s instantly recognizable as a Marshall, with the iconic gold panel and script logo.

Although only a little detail, the on/off switch provides a satisfying click each time you reach for it, whilst the control knobs are large enough for proper control. The white piping is a small but effective touch that gives Marshall vibes in its entirety. When added up altogether, it certainly looks the part.

Like any tube amp worth its salt, the DSL1CR is incredibly easy to use, and even easier to dial in a decent tone. Starting off with the Classic Gain channel, there’s simply a volume control, easy-peasy. The channel switch comes in the form of a button, and when pressed, a red light (red for danger) indicates you’re on the Ultra Gain channel, which has both volume and gain controls.

Both channels share a 3-band EQ, covering treble, middle, and bass. There’s also a global digital reverb that works across both channels, although it can’t be set independently. The tone shift switch reshapes the mids for a more scooped sound, and I found, works particularly well with the Ultra Gain channel.

Around the back reveals a few more modern options. There’s an FX loop and footswitch input, with the included footswitch letting you switch between channels on the fly. You also get a Softube emulated output, allowing you to plug straight into a computer for recording while still using the amp’s tone.

On that topic, there is absolutely zero lag when switching from one channel to another. Although you're not going to be gigging this Marshall, that’s a big positive if you ever plan on recording with it whilst switching between channels. The footswitch’s cable is also incredibly long, which allowed me to position the amp at a further distance than I usually would, whilst taking into account its dispersion.

Although 1 watt doesn’t sound like much, this is still a valve amp, and it can get surprisingly loud. That’s why the power reduction switch ended up being my (and my partner’s) favourite feature. Anyone who lives in an apartment will know the struggle, so when I was testing this at 8 pm, dropping it down to 0.1W meant I could play to my heart’s content without annoying anyone. Although the cleaner Classic Gain channel was less aggressive, anything past the 3 o’clock mark on either channel was just too much for home practice.

There’s also a 3.5mm aux input for playing along to backing tracks. It’s not something I used a great deal, but it’s a handy addition if you want to practice with backing tracks or play along to songs.

Out of habit, and perhaps reading habits, I plugged in my Fender Modern Player Starcaster and started from left to right. This guitar is equipped with a pair of The Creamery humbuckers and I was surprised at the warm, clean tone of the Classic Gain channel. I think letting the amp warm up was a good shout and it worked equally well with the single coils of my American Standard Stratocaster.

Hooking up my pedalboard, I opted to go into the front of the amp, instead of the FX loop and my MXR Carbon Copy delay alongside Walrus Audio Slo Reverb was getting plenty of ethereal tones. I was genuinely having a fun time getting lost on the clean side of the DSL1CR.

However, when it turned around midday, and my partner had vacated the building, I started to see what it could do when pushed. It started breaking up around the 4 or 5 mark with the volume, right to the edge of breakup, but when I dug in, there were plenty of creamy tube tones on display. Although I did hear my upstairs neighbors shuffling about after my third rendition of Ain’t Talking About Love – this amp is pretty darn loud – so I decided to switch over to the Ultra Gain Channel.

That may seem counterintuitive when trying to keep it down, but with a gain control, this channel can get very saturated at low volumes. Even more so when the 0.1W low power mode is on. I was having fun playing heavier riffs, and checked out the tone shift a bit more. This switch worked well on the Ultra Gain channel, scooping out the mid-range. It worked very well whilst I was messing around with Sum 41 riffs, but overall, I preferred the natural EQ of the amp; it sounded fuller to my ears.

Also, to my ears, there was a bit of a boxier tone, rather unsurprising considering this amplifier is exactly that, a little box. The 8-inch speaker struggled slightly with low-end, so I was constantly adjusting the bass knob for that added depth. Plus, when I kicked on my Earthquaker Devices Plumes overdrive pedal (which is cranked itself), the speaker did struggle with handling the low-end. However, there are a few compromises you have to make if you want an amplifier this size, and the DSL1CR has plenty of positives that convince me it’s worth it.

Lastly, although Marshall doesn’t state what the digital reverb is emulating, it's got hall characteristics to me. It doesn’t blow me away, but it does the job. Plus, it covers just a touch of ‘verb, to full on cascading waves of lushness, so breadth is certainly something it boasts.

Considering the DSL1CR has one pretty clear mission statement, to make tube tones achievable at home, it certainly earns a pass mark. Having not one, not two, but three genuinely usable tones, clean, overdriven, and distorted, in a tube amp this size and at this price point is a commendable achievement. For players who want tube amps or nothing, it’s a clear winner.

If, like me, you use a 50-watt Marshall head or any other valve amp for gigs, and don’t have something for home, this is a brilliant option. With an accompanying footswitch, FX loop, and emulated out, it blends classic tube simplicity with a few modern features that genuinely add value, without overwhelming you with options.

That said, the tone can sit slightly on the boxy side, with a noticeable lack of low-end. It’s not a deal breaker given the quality of tones on offer, but it may leave some players wanting a little more depth.

Guitar Player verdict: The DSL1CR nails its mission of delivering genuine tube tones at home, with impressive versatility and smart modern features. While the compact speaker brings a slightly boxy character and limited low-end, it remains a compelling option for players wanting an authentic Marshall feel without excessive volume or cost.

Specifications

• Price: £239/$399/€275
• Type: Tube combo amplifier
• Tubes: 2x ECC83, 1x ECC82
• Origin: Vietnam
• Output: 1W (with 0.1W reduction switch)
• Speaker: 1x8" Celestion Eight 15
• Channels: 2, Classic Gain and Ultra Gain
• Controls: Classic gain channel volume, channel select button, ultra gain channel volume and gain, tone shift switch, low power mode button, treble, middle, bass and reverb
• Connectivity: 1/4-inch input, FX loop, footswitch input, 3.5mm emulated out, 3.5mm audio input
• Footswitch: Yes, included
• Weight: 7.9kg/17lbs
• Dimensions: 360x340x215mm
• Contact: Marshall

Also try

Few guitarists have a more instantly recognizable sound than Slash. From his legendary solos in Guns N’ Roses to the iconic riffs of Velvet Revolver and, of course, the modern classic anthems with the Conspirators, his tone has become one of the most imitated in rock history. Now, the good news is that getting close to it is more achievable than you might think.

At the heart of his sound is a simple but powerful formula: a Les Paul, a cranked tube amp, and a set of hot humbuckers. Slash has always kept his rig relatively straightforward, letting the guitar and amp do the heavy lifting rather than relying on a pedalboard full of effects. That’s actually great news for anyone trying to chase his tone regardless of budget.

In this collection, and with the help of Guitar Center's Slash gear round-up, we’ve curated this shopping list of everything from his signature Gibson and Epiphone Les Pauls to his go-to Seymour Duncan pickups, Ernie Ball strings, and Dunlop picks. We’ve also covered his current amp setup, including his go-to pedals. So, whether you’re after that raw Appetite-era crunch or his smoother, bluesier modern tone, there’s something here for every budget.

Guitars

To nail Slash's tone, you'll need a Les Paul. Below, I've picked out a few of his signature Gibson models, from the AFD to Jessica, plus some budget-friendly Epiphone options that'll get you surprisingly close to his sound.

That said, Slash's relationship with the Les Paul isn't the whole story. Over the years, he's reached for a scarlet B.C. Rich, a Korina Flying V, and a J-45 acoustic, so I've included those at various price points too.

Amps & Effects

Slash’s approach to amps and effects is refreshingly simple: minimal pedals, a cranked tube stack, and let the guitar do the talking.

For most of his career, Slash was synonymous with Marshall, spending over 30 years with the brand and releasing multiple signature heads. That changed in 2023 when he partnered with Magnatone, a move that surprised the guitar world. The switch came after he grew disillusioned with the consistency of his Marshall tone and stumbled across a Magnatone M-80 50-watt combo, reportedly passed on to him by GNR bandmate Richard Fortus.

He ended up using it for his entire blues record, Orgy of the Damned, and later took the 50-watt combos on a full GNR world tour in place of his Marshalls. This, in turn, resulted in his own signature models with the company.

Accessories

It could be argued that tone starts before you ever plug in. That’s why I've included his Ernie Ball signature strings and his go-to Dunlop picks to get you closer to the Slash sound without breaking the bank.

On the string front, Slash has used Ernie Ball his entire career, and his signature set is a .011-.048 gauge Slinky. These are heavier than most players use on an LP scale length, which certainly contributes to that thick, meaty tone. The sets use Paradigm core wire wound with nickel-plated steel and reinforced ball ends for better tuning stability and durability on the road.

Rounding this section out are Seymour Duncan’s Slash signature pickups. Slash has relied on Seymour Duncan for decades, and there are now three generations to choose from. The original APH-2 uses an Alnico 2 magnet to nail that Appetite for Destruction crunch. The 2.0 is a hotter wind of the same formula, for more output and attack. The newest 3.0, developed for Slash’s SG at Ozzy Osbourne’s Back to the Beginning show, steps up to Alnico 5 magnets for tighter lows and more immediate attack. They are raunchier, but still clear and punchy. All three are hand-built in Santa Barbara and are the exact same pickups Slash’s tech installs in his guitars.

It’s nearly time for my first gig of the year, which has given me the kick I need to get my pedalboard gig-ready. It needs some TLC, so aside from adding some new pedal purchases, I also need to redo my cabling to ensure everything is neat and tidy for when that first show arrives. It’s an essential step to ensure that my ‘board has everything it needs to survive the adversity of playing live.

Thankfully for me, the Amazon Big Spring Sale was just announced, which means an excellent opportunity for me to save money on low-cost essentials. Many of these items are often found outside of the musical instruments section of Amazon’s Narnia of domestic goods, but they’re perfect for supercharging your ‘board to a professional level, with none of the items costing more than $22 each.

I’ve spent a good amount of time searching through the entirety of the Amazon spring sale, and I’ve come up with 9 pedalboard essentials that will be perfect for ensuring your ‘board stays organized when playing live.

Shop more sales

• Save up to 35% on live sound at Sweetwater
• Over 25,000 deals at Musician’s Friend
• Save 15% on Spark Neo at Positive Grid

Today marks the arrival of the Amazon Big Spring Sale, and as usual, it’s not the place to shop if you’re in the market for a new guitar, amp, or something for your pedalboard. It’s not all doom and gloom, though, because there are loads of great deals on essential accessories, whether you’re in the mood for a spring clean of your guitar collection, or you want to get everything ship shape ahead of some gigs and festivals.

The wider sale also features plenty of deals on consumer tech, and I’ve spied some good deals on MacBooks, iPads, plus the usual array of Amazon smart devices and headphones. There’s no word yet on when the sale will end, and some of the deals are limited to a certain number of items, so once they’re gone, they’re gone. If you see a deal you like, then now’s the time to strike.

I’ve looked through all of the items in the musical instruments category, and picked out 7 of the best deals to get you straight to the good stuff:

Shop more sales

• Save up to 35% on live sound at Sweetwater
• Over 25,000 deals at Musician’s Friend
• Save 15% on Spark Neo at Positive Grid

There are so many types of Strats, so what’s up with this one? Well, it’s integral to the launch of American Ultra Luxe Vintage, which stands on the shoulders of American Ultra II models and represents the pinnacle of Fender production.

These American creations come off the line in Corona, California. Ultra Luxe models feature top-shelf hardware such as stainless-steel frets and Pure Vintage pickups. The core collection pays homage to classic ’50s and ’60s Telecasters and Stratocasters, and then there’s this modern/classic HSS ’60s Strat that includes two ’61 Strat single-coils plus a Haymaker humbucker in the bridge position equipped with a coil tap. Fender aimed this electric guitar at traditional Stratocaster fans with a spirit for modern sonic adventure.

I remember becoming enthralled by the Plus and Plus Ultra Strats of the late ’80s that had Lace Sensor pickups, including a bridge humbucker on Ultra models, with Wilkinson tremolo systems and locking tuners. It was Fender adopting production according to the popularity of super Strats and based on modifications from pioneers such as Eddie Van Halen.

I remember the other guitarist in my first band got an Ultra, and I eventually picked up a used ’89 Strat Plus that I still play to this day. I figured it would be fun to compare it to the Ultra Luxe and put it through all the paces. I ended up bringing it out on many gigs over a period of a few months, including on a Jeff Beck tribute mini-tour in Northern California.

The HSS Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Strat comes in Fiesta Red and Sea Foam Green, the finish option offered on my sample. The color is darker and more toward teal than classic Surf Green, and it appears, in real life, like a photo seen through the Vivid Cool filter on an iPhone.

The aged Heirloom satin lacquer finish is muted, yet still very vibrant. You can see it from across a large venue, yet look closely, and it appears slightly cracked like a vintage guitar, otherwise known as “checking.” That unique finish, combined with the zebra humbucker in the bridge and rosewood fretboard, makes it look like the coolest modern/classic Strat I can imagine.

This review unit is a Vintage ’60s, and it truly does have that ’60s vibe and feel. I would have guessed that my ’89 is heavier, but it’s not. It’s literally just a different vintage with a fuller neck profile and a standard neck heel.

The Ultra Luxe features a tapered neck heel and an upper back body contour. When I showed that to ’60s Strat connoisseur Johnny A., he wasn’t stoked about the missing body mass, but I found that the recessed heel does make it a bit easier to navigate upward of the 17th fret. I actually found the whole neck easy to navigate, with an appreciation for the slim profile. If you prefer a thicker one, check out a Vintage ’50s model.

The guitar is slinky as funk. It’s the kind of guitar Ike Turner could make sing with stinging note bends and syncopated chicken-necking rhythms. String bendability is off the charts. It facilitates all sorts of high-wire tricks that don’t even come to mind on most guitars.

I wound up doing extensive finger stretches on the fretboard that don’t usually just happen, so I was curious if the scale length was short, but it’s a full 25.5 inches. I suppose the slim neck profile, compound radius and neck heel taper are responsible.

Playability out of the box is super easy, and I was surprised to discover the tremolo set up to float perfectly. When you pull up on the vibrato arm, the top three strings ascend in pitch by a half step from open on the first string, a whole step on the second and a step and a half on the third. The intro to Jeff Beck’s “People Get Ready” is a great test, and the Ultra Luxe passed with flying colors.

The guitar comes with .009-gauge strings, which makes playability very easy. I prefer a bit more tension, so I put on a set of .010s, which then messed up the precision balance of the two-point American Ultra synchronized tremolo.

To accommodate the increased tension, I followed the instructions of legendary tech Gary Brawer: Once you change the strings to heavier gauges, start by opening the back plate and adjusting the tension on the tremolo springs until you get that same relationship of upward mobility for the top strings described in the previous paragraph. Then make any necessary adjustments to the truss rod to get the string height right.

This tremolo system is impressive for being so simple. The headstock tuners lock, but it doesn’t have a fancy nut like the Wilkinson Roller Nut on my Strat Plus. And the bar simply pops into the slot with no threads. You end up with a bit of give, but it’s quite convenient. I always found that screw-in bars need a bit of plumber’s tape to get the connection perfectly snug. Doing the Jeff Beck tribute was the ultimate test of this tremolo system, because no player ever worked a floating trem with as much style and nuance as JB.

I found the Ultra Luxe tremolo to be sufficient for pretty much anything except intense Beck-isms. Lubing the nut helped quite a bit, but I was never able to get the system to stay perfectly in tune with heavy vibrato use the way I can on the Strat Plus, nor can you get that same warble from a quick upward snap of the bar when you have it perfectly snug. To reiterate, this tremolo is wonderful for doing all sorts of floating whammy moves — you just can’t go too crazy.

I appreciated the tones from these Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single-coils and the Haymaker humbucker. Coil tapping is rather accessible on the fly via an S-1 switch inside the volume knob, although my fake nails made that a bit of a challenge. I mostly tested tones through a two-channel 1983 Fender Super Champ combo at home and a 1966 Fender Pro onstage.

The bridge and middle position pickups sounded super open and balanced like classic single coils, yet with more power and very low noise. I wound up raising the neck pickup toward the strings for a bit more girth. And then there’s the Haymaker, which offers a serviceable single-coil sound with the coil tap engaged, or one that thickens up the tone in humbucker mode and pushes the output without being overbearing or losing its sting.

I almost always prefer a humbucker in the bridge position and was most happy in humbucker land here. I found pick squeal and fretboard harmonics happening so readily that they’d sometimes occur by surprise. Using the articulate Haymaker humbucker in combination with the middle pickup yields a lively thick-and-thin sound that’s kind of like J.J. Cale or Mark Knopfler, but ultimately a tone all its own.

I’ve dreamed of having a Strat like this since I was a kid. I still love my ’89 Strat Plus for what it does, but it’s so cool to have a more traditional ’60s-style Stratocaster that has all the necessary upgrades and modern functionality. You can play some of the more aggressive music that came in the wake of the ’60s, yet truly be able to cop those vintage tones on a bona fide, period-correct guitar hot rod.

I’d recommend the Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSS to players who truly want a ’60s-style instrument, especially the thinner neck profile, upgraded with modern features such as locking tuners and noiseless, flexible pickups.

Single-coil sounds sparkle, and the humbucker is super handy on a noisy stage. Pros will find it worthy onstage and in the studio. Beginners will dig its easy playability out of the box. Hobbyists will love how well it shows off hanging on the wall. It steals the limelight in the studio, hanging next to a bunch of other cool axes.

SPECIFICATIONS

American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocatser

CONTACT fender.com

PRICE $2,899 with hardshell case

NUT Graph Tech Tusq, 1.69" wide

NECK Quartersawn maple w/ Modern “D” shape, 25.5"scale

FRETBOARD Rosewood, 10"-14" compound radius, Luminlay side dots

FRETS 22 medium jumbo stainless steel with rolled edges

TUNERS Deluxe staggered cast/sealed

BODY Alder with Ultra Contours and Tapered Neck Heel

FINISH Aged Heirloom nitrocellulose lacquer

EXTRAS Available in Fiesta Red or Sea Foam Green (as tested)

BRIDGE Two-point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo with pop-in arm, polished stainless steel block saddles, cold rolled steel block, and deluxe locking tuners

PICKUPS Two Fender Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single-coils plus a Haymaker humbucker in bridge with coil-tap

CONTROLS Volume (with coil-tap button) and two tone knobs (one designated for humbucker), 5-way blade pickup selector. S-1 switch on volume coil-splits humbucker

STRINGS Fender USA 250L Nickel Plated Steel gauges .009 - .042

WEIGHT 8.3 lbs. (as tested)

BUILT USA

PROS Fabulous marriage of vintage and modern features and tones. Very easy playability and upper register access. Great factory set up with floating tremolo. Striking color

CONS Upper back bevel may not appeal to those preferring a chunkier body. Just don’t go too crazy with the whammy or tremolo system can get caught a bit flat or sharp

With the recent spate of sunshine and melting of some fearsome winter snows, it’s time to shake off the slump and get ready to kickstart your creativity for 2026. Over at Thomann, they’ve got just the antidote to the winter blues thanks to some excellent discounts on guitar gear, with reductions hitting up to 60% off guitars, pedals, amps, and loads more.

The sale runs until April 8th, so you’ve got a good amount of time to cash in, particularly those who are waiting for payday to arrive. Bear in mind that although the headline discount is 60%, I’ve seen some deals hitting up to 70% off, so if you want to cash in on the really good deals, you’ll need to act fast.

There are over 600 discounted items available, so there’s plenty to look through. If you haven’t got time for that, I’ve done the hard work for you and picked out 3 of the very best deals you can bag right now.

First up, we’ve got the incredible Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s, which has got a cool £112 off, taking the price below the £2k mark. It’s got all that classic LP DNA with an all mahogany construction, maple top, and dual Burstbucker pickups modeled after the legendary PAF humbucker. It’s got a 50s vintage neck profile, which means a chunkier neck feel like the original guitars would have had when they were first released.

I’m a big fan of Tone King amps, and I was seriously impressed with the Tone King Imperial Tri-Tube preamp, which gives you that sound in a handy pedal format. It’s got three 12AX7 tubes in it, which is why it sounds so good, and it gives you that Tone King sound for three-quarters of the price of one of their actual tube amps. With £80 off in the Thomann sale, it’s even better value for money, and well worth looking at if you want a flexible and connectable pedal amp.

Finally, the enduring Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335 continues to be an incredibly popular instrument, delivering USA humbuckers and outstanding build quality at a much lower price than you’d expect. It’s currently discounted by £100 in the sale, making it an absolute steal even if you’re not a Foo Fighters fan. It’s very faithful to Dave’s original guitar despite costing a lot less, with a one-piece mahogany neck and elliptical C-shape neck for excellent playability.

Considering he owns more amps than most players have lost guitar picks down the back of their couch, Joe Bonamassa is quite rightly something of an authority on amplifiers. And he believes too many players get one major thing wrong.

He knows the highs and lows of his tube-amp obsession all too well. Recently, he was left with acute hearing loss after an incident on the road, and says he has been forced to rethink the sheer scale of his vintage gear collection in the wake of the L.A. wildfire.

But then there’s the joy of tracking down Lowell George’s famed Dumble Super Overdrive after 15 years of searching, and the thrill of gigging with “the world’s most expensive three-channel amp.”

What all that amounts to is experience — and with it, the besuited bluesman has begun questioning why so many players take the same approach when it comes to mic’ing amplifiers.

“I have this thing — and here comes the clickbait — called the Full Sail flashlight,” he says during a recent appearance on the No Cover Charge podcast, referencing Full Sail University. “Tell me you went to Full Sail without telling me you went to Full Sail.

“Every time I see the flashlight coming out when someone's mic’ing the cab, I go [shakes head],” he continues. “Because whoever said that the best sound coming out of any speaker is dead center?”

Instead of a cut-and-paste formula, he believes players should break with tradition and trust their ears to “season to taste.”

“If the amp’s dark, you move it more inside,” he says. “But to start dead center is rough.”

As ever, Bonamassa’s analytical brain whirs away. He sees the value in understanding speaker cabinets on a practical, nuts-and-bolts level.

“All the high end’s coming out of there,” he says, referring to the center of the speaker cone. “So none of the bass response is coming out of the cone. You're not really hearing what this cabinet [itself] is doing, because that’s part of the bottom end.

“It’s about finding where the amp and the mic meet and represent the sound in your head. Putting a mic dead center of the cone is like plugging one ear and putting that ear to the middle of the cone.”

“There are so many links in the chain,” he adds as he winds toward his conclusion. “It starts with the guitar and the amp, and you get a good sound. But there are a lot of ways for that sound to go south if you don’t understand these little details. It shouldn’t be an accident. It should be a well-executed plan.”

Elsewhere, Bonamassa has reflected on the overlooked aspect of B.B. King’s playing, arguing that the blues legend was a true virtuoso, as he promotes his tribute album to the late great.

He has also spoken about the blues giant who made him the guitarist he is today, and says players should learn to read the room when it comes to standing out at jam sessions.

You'd normally expect to find just cheap guitar pedals in an Amazon sale, but this year, with the launch of the Spring Deal Days event, there's up to 26% off pedalboard staple Boss stompboxes.

One of my favorite delay pedals has got a nice discount with the Boss DD-8, as well as some big money off Boss' flagship compact multi-effects pedal in the Boss GT-1000CORE. One of my top-rated loopers, the RC-600, has seen a nice chunk of change knocked off it, and you can even bag a hefty saving on the excellent Boss Waza-Air guitar amp headphones in the sale.

I've had a look through the sale in its entirety, and picked out 7 of the biggest and best savings on Boss gear you can pick up right now:

It’s day 2 of Amazon’s Spring Deal Days, and if you’ve been thinking about picking up the guitar or expanding your collection, now’s your chance. Amazon is offering major discounts on entry-level Fender guitars, making it a prime opportunity for newcomers and Fender fans alike to get started or upgrade their setup.

Amazon’s Spring Deal Days brings Black Friday-level savings to the spring season, with deep price cuts on music equipment, as well as the typical home appliances, electronics, and everyday consumables. This round of savings is focused on UK shoppers, but a US version is coming soon, so American musicians should keep an eye out.

UK-based guitarists can take advantage of some standout offers right now. One highlight is the Fender CD-60S, a perennial favorite among beginner acoustic guitars thanks to its winning mix of affordability, ease of play, and superb build quality.

The CD-60S stands out with its solid spruce top, something rarely seen in this price range, which delivers a richer, warmer sound. It also features a dreadnought body for full, resonant lows and a neck designed with beginners in mind, offering rolled fingerboard edges and low action for comfortable fretting.

Of course, it’s not just acoustics on offer. The Squier Debut Stratocaster, the most budget-friendly Strat in Fender’s lineup, is also 15% off, making it a great pick for those ready to go electric. Bassists aren’t left out either, with the Squier Affinity Precision Bass now available at a 15% discount.

Beyond instruments, there are plenty of deals on accessories, from straps and cables to strings, tuners, gig bags, and even Fender-branded apparel. It’s a convenient chance to stock up on essentials, whether you’re preparing for lessons or your next gig.

Remember, these offers are only available for a limited time, and popular items can sell out quickly. Amazon is updating deals daily, so it’s smart to check back often to catch the latest discounts before the sale wraps up on Monday, 16 March.

With the launch of the Amazon Spring Deal Days in the UK, now's the perfect opportunity to get a headstart on spring cleaning your guitar collection. With some hefty discounts on guitar strings, multi-tools, patch cables, and plenty more essentials, it's an ideal time to get your guitars in working order ahead of gigging and festival season.

Typically, Amazon isn't the greatest place to shop for actual instruments, but they've always had a good selection of accessories on offer in previous sales. This year is no different, with offerings from big brands like Fender, Ibanez, Elixir, Ernie Ball, and many more getting some nice price cuts.

I've had a look through the entire sale on musical instruments and accessories today, so see what stood out to me, and picked out ten of my favorite deals for you below:

Amazon’s Spring Deal Days event has taken a pleasant turn for guitarists, especially those on the lookout for Ibanez instruments and accessories. Traditionally, these sales haven’t offered much for musicians beyond the basics, think cables, strings, and entry-level bundles. This time, however, Amazon UK has raised the bar, offering a variety of Ibanez guitars, pedals, and other gear at impressive discounts.

The Spring Deals Day sale runs from Tuesday, March 10, through Monday, March 16. With prices like these, it’s an excellent time for guitarists to refresh their setup or finally pick up that piece of gear they’ve been eyeing.

Notably, a range of Ibanez electric and acoustic guitars is now available for less, making it an opportune moment for players to upgrade or expand their collection. Among the standout deals is the Ibanez GRGR221PA-AQB GIO in Aqua Burst, an RG-inspired electric guitar now more than 20% off. At just over £200, it’s an ideal choice for new players looking for a metal-ready instrument without breaking the bank.

Acoustic players aren’t left out, either. The Ibanez AEG7MH OPN, featuring a spruce top, sapele back and sides, and a comfortable satin neck, comes complete with onboard electronics and a digital tuner, all for just £204.25. This model is perfect for those seeking a reliable, stage-ready acoustic at a wallet-friendly price.

We've also found a decent discount on the compact Ibanez Mini Chorus, which is included in the sale at only £67.15. Despite its small footprint, it offers a broad palette of chorus tones, from subtle shimmer to jet-like swirls, making it a versatile addition to any pedalboard.

Of course, the deals don’t stop at guitars and effects. Amazon’s sale includes savings on basses, straps, cases, and even ukuleles, ensuring there’s something for every kind of player.

While the current offerings are exclusive to the UK, Amazon has hinted that similar promotions may soon reach the US market, so American guitarists should keep an eye out in the coming days.

Presidents' Day is still a few days away, but Musician's Friend has seen fit to go live early, and they're offering some seriously huge discounts of up to 60% off. There's reductions on Fender, Epiphone, Martin, and loads more.

As well as the regular sale Musician's Friend is also offering a special coupon on selected items, so you can get yourself 10% off selected items under $98.99, and a huge 15% off selected items over the $99 mark.

I've already had a chance to look through the sale in its entirety, so I've picked out some of my favorite deals for you. Vintage Fender lovers definitely need to check out the deals on Vintera II guitars at the moment, with many of them now just below the $1,000 mark. My top pick is the Fender Vintera II 70s Strat, which has a very tempting $210 reduction, ideal if you like your Strats period correct.

For acoustic guitar lovers, there are some great deals on Martin guitars, and the Martin Special 000 Auditorium is an all-solid acoustic for below a grand, thanks to the $150 discount in the sale. Combining a Sitka spruce top and an all-solid sapele back and sides, it's a balanced instrument that can play many roles.

There are loads of great deals on Epiphone guitars, too, but my pick of the bunch is a massive $225 off this Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s. It brings the guitar below the $500 mark, superb value if you want a classically spec'd LP guitar. It's got dual ProBucker pickups with Alnico II magnets for those PAF-inspired tones, as well as CTS pots and 50s wiring for an all-vintage tone.

Ever since establishing his former Tone King brand with the release of the first Imperial combo in 1993, Maryland-based amp designer and manufacturer Mark Bartel has done things somewhat differently. His distinct path was always obvious in both the retro looks of his creations and the original circuits, which cleverly blended versatile classic American and British voicings without directly copying anything that had gone before.

And while Tone King amps were always highly regarded for their quality, that aspect of his work has clicked up a notch over the past several years in the amps he now builds under the Bartel Amplifiers name. Like the Roseland, Starwood and Sugarland models before it, the new Swingland is based on a design so individual the word “original” barely covers it. Add the hand-wired circuit and artisan-grade cabinet, and it’s a creation entirely unto itself.

And beyond all that, the new model’s entire M.O. centers on it being what Bartel feels is the first low-wattage guitar amp with genuine high-wattage tone, feel and body—if not volume. More than two and a half years in development, he feels the Swingland is ideally suited to today’s lower-output environments, while keeping the response and dynamics of a tube amp front and center in what is otherwise a rapidly evolving amplification landscape. Let’s bring in its creator for his own summation of the objective at hand.

“A lot of customers for my three legacy models use them exclusively for playing at home or in the studio,” Bartel says. “These amps have an excellent master volume circuit but are ultimately designed to accommodate both home/studio use and live playing in clubs. The Swingland amp is designed specifically for studio/home use and has a more sophisticated architecture for greater control over the harmonic content and dynamics to better deliver the sound and feel of a cranked vintage amp, but at low volume.

“I realize it’s an unusual product in this market because, in spite of its low output power, it’s a proper master-built amp loaded with innovative design work and useful features. As a home player myself, this is my ideal amp. I can’t play loudly at home, but I don’t want to compromise on tone, features or quality. If anything, sound quality is even more important when playing at home, where you can hear everything more clearly. Based on conversations with customers over the years, it seems like this may be a popular view, but time will tell.”

Specs-wise, the Swingland puts out three watts RMS using one octal-based 6SN7 tube driving a custom-made output transformer by US company Lenco Electronics, into a single 12-inch Celestion Alnico Blue speaker. The use of this dual-triode — more commonly seen in the preamp positions of some amps from the ’50s — allows for a proper push-pull output stage.

That gets Bartel part way to the “big-amp feel” versus the single-ended configurations generally used in low-wattage amps in the Fender Champ and Vox AC4 mold. One 12AX7, two 12AT7s and one 12AU7 populate the rest of the preamp and reverb stages, with controls for preamp volume, midrange, tone, reverb mix, dwell, master volume and presence.

Readers might first notice that the midrange control signals something different, and in fact both that and the tone knob operate quite differently than on traditional amps. The former is neutral when set at noon and boosts midrange frequencies above that point, while cutting them below, with the degrees of boost and cut set to different response curves to best dial in classic amp voicings. The tone control does make things brighter when turned up and darker when turned down, but is designed as more of a “tilt EQ,” which reduces bass as treble is increased, and vice versa.

Augmenting these six top-panel knobs is a harmonic balance control on the back panel, a subtle but effective feature that fine-tunes the harmonic content of the overdriven part of the signal, taking it from bright and edgy to thick and creamy. Also round back is an enigmatic five-pin XLR jack labeled LOI (for Line Out Interface).

Still awaiting Bartel’s development of the devices that will partner with it (expected mid 2026), it’s intended to connect to three interfaces that will offer deluxe features that wouldn’t fit into the Swingland’s compact chassis. These include fully analog mic and cab simulation, an amp driver voiced to relay the Swingland’s output to a traditional guitar amp, and an unprocessed line out for use with third-party IRs.

Add it up, and it reinforces the uniqueness of the Swingland. But for all the original elements, Bartel tells us he likely put the most design effort into the core tone of the amplifier, and its overdrive content in particular.

“The overdrive stage required a lot of creative engineering and analysis, then final tuning by ear. It’s responsible for creating all of the harmonic and dynamic behavior that usually happens as a combined effort of the output tubes, phase inverter, and also a few prior stages in a conventional vintage amp. It’s far from a simple clipping circuit — it combines three concurrent strategies in a unique circuit architecture developed specifically for this model. I cycled through 27 different variations of this circuit architecture in the design process.”

Bartel is also famous for the intense effort he puts into cabinet design, and the Swingland’s 19 by 16 by 11–inch box is no exception. It took the maker a year and about a dozen test cabs to achieve a compact combo that sounded full and deep, and which avoided the congested or “boxy” sound so often heard in smaller combos. Ultimately, he says, “I found a way to make the cabinet create an intimate, focused presentation that also fills the room with sound and creates an oversized sonic image.”

The Swingland chassis are constructed by the other two members of Bartel’s three-person team, Mike York and Nate White, with Malory 150 signal caps, carbon comp and carbon film resistors and other quality components hand-wired across rugged turret strips. It will come as no surprise to those familiar with Bartel’s builds to hear it’s among the highest-level work I’ve encountered.

Tested with a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson ES-335 semihollow, the Swingland immediately lived up to every bit of Bartel’s premise for the design, and proved one of the most rewarding sub–10 watt amps I’ve ever played. From somewhat more quantifiable qualities such as its clarity and low noise floor, to more esoteric characteristics like the texture of its overdriven sounds and the fluidity of its transition into clipping, it’s simply a delectable performer through and through.

Despite the relatively simple control complement, the Swingland can be dialed through myriad shades of clean-to-scream that enable it to emulate many of the acknowledged classics. But what I really enjoyed was how it presented such a strong personality of its own. Mix and match the broad EQ range and versatile gain staging, and there’s likely a sound in here for any player short of the metal genres, with the edge-of-breakup demands of blues, classic rock and roots rock arguably being its forte.

And while it sounds great at lower master volume settings, I’d say it could keep up with many moderate drummers in a smaller club setting with the master maxed and the preamp volume relatively high.

Amid all that, this amp’s dynamics are off the charts. When set up for heavily overdriven sounds, it achieves a gradual and varied transition into overdrive like few amps I’ve played before, revealing nuances and shades all along the spectrum as you gradually roll up your electric guitar’s volume control. And while many amps will reveal a usable clean sound from a lower guitar-knob setting when maxed out for overdrive otherwise, it’s rarely as rich, full and convincing as that delivered by the Swingland in this scenario.

Increasing midrange also adds a little gain to the signal, or is at least perceived as such, as the core of the guitar’s frequency range punches harder, making this a doubly powerful control. And after all that, let’s not forget the reverb: Roomy and enveloping for a spring-based effect, it also tolerates maxing-out like few amps I’ve played, without odd oscillation or artifacts setting in.

All in all, then, a job well done from Bartel Amplifiers. And if it’s undoubtedly an expensive acquisition, the Swingland should also provide endless satisfaction and creative inspiration to those whose playing situations demand it.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONTACT Bartelamps.com

PRICE $4,195 street

CHANNELS 1

CONTROLS Volume, midrange, tone; reverb mix and dwell; master volume, presence, harmonic balance

POWER 3 watts

TUBES One 12AX7, two 12AT7, one 12AU7, one 6SN7

EXTRAS Tube-driven spring reverb, 5-pin XLR for Line Out Interface (LOI)

SPEAKER 12" Celestion Alnico Blue

DIMENSIONS 19"x16"x11"

WEIGHT 32 lbs

MADE IN USA

KUDOS A cleverly designed and extremely well-built combo, offering surprising sonic versatility and engaging dynamics for its low-wattage output

CONCERNS It comes with a high price tag, but so it goes in this market these days

If you’ve always dreamed of cutting the cord but never wanted to deal with the inherent hassles prone to most sophisticated wireless systems, Fishman’s got a worthy plug-and-play digital design to consider. For the wireless wary to fully embrace, it would have to be stupidly simple, attainable, reliable and compatible with most active and passive instrument pickups. Enter the AirLock.

The concept could not be more straightforward. Plug the transmitter into your guitar, the receiver into your amp or first pedal, and play away.

The AirLock is Fishman’s first foray into the wireless field, and this move makes total sense. Fishman makes tons of pickups, and a proprietary wireless platform designed to deliver all sorts of signals to amplification is a logical next step. It’s kind of surprising this hasn’t come about before over Fishman’s more than three decades of operation, but also understandable as the company that started out making acoustic pickups has been busy conquering arenas from amps to electric pickups. It stands to reason that a Fishman wireless design would be aimed at the masses that simply want to connect.

I’m glad this review wound up in my hands because it was high time to reconsider going wireless. Like lots of players, I never wanted to deal with big battery packs or worry about signal quality or dropouts. Those concerns were clearly high on Fishman’s list of priorities as indicated right in the name: AirLock. The design looked super simple, so I inquired about a review unit. That took several months as the product has been back ordered since it was announced in summer of 2025. There’s clearly an eager audience for such a system. I couldn’t wait to try it out in front of one.

Talk about simplicity, I was able to achieve AirLock engagement without referring to any instructions.

The nifty product box that you’ll take on the gig has form-fitted compartments for the TX Transmitter and RX Receiver. The latter is slightly larger, but both are very conveniently sized and lightweight. Each fits perfectly in the palm of a hand and has an extendable/retractable 1/4" jack attached.

Open the zippered box like a suitcase, and the top half contains all the cords and connectors plus a quick start guide. It’s easy to charge both units simultaneously using the USB Y-cable into a wall charger (not included). An LED light on each unit turns from red to green when ready. The same happens during the pairing process, which happens automatically.

I plugged the transmitter and receiver into a Taylor guitar and amp, and just like that the cord was cut. The full-bodied tone of the acoustic came through loud and clear, and I started walking around the room feeling like Sir Roger Daltrey running along the beach in Tommy — “I’m free!”

I had a few gigs coming up and brought the AirLock along on an Allman Brothers tribute, a holiday party and a wedding. I was still flying blind, and that turned out fine, as there are only a couple of controls to consider. On the transmitter, you can select from three different Cable tones approximating a length of three, five or 10 meters. I found that interesting. Have we all finally adopted the metric system? Anyway, the tone kind of opens, loses bass and becomes more treble-y the longer the selected length, just like an actual cord. I prefer to keep mine as thick as possible on the lowest setting of three meters, or about nine feet.

There’s also an Interference switch with options for low, medium, and high depending on how much Wi-Fi is bouncing around a given room. From what I can tell, the main trade off as you increase the level of Interference resistance is a tiny increase in latency, but even on the highest setting I could play my fastest licks without feeling the tone noticeably lagging behind my fingers. I wasn’t sure what I was going to be dealing with, so I simply choose the middle setting and had no trouble getting a great sound wherever I went.

It was particularly fun on the holiday party gig because the guests were seated at long tables, and since the first set was all acoustic guitar with no vocals, I was free to stroll my merry way along the audience. I’m the bandleader in the Allmans tribute, so it was great to be able to get up close to each cat for cues. At the wedding, which was actually for the drummer in the Allmans tribute, I walked all around the venue, which was kind of like a rustic barn house, and once again had no issues getting a great tone wherever I roamed.

What I dig most about AirLock is its simplicity. It’s truly plug and play. But what surprises me most is how much I like using AirLock around the house. It’s awesome to audition loud electric guitar tones with the amp in the next room. AirLock works through the walls in my house unless I go into the kitchen, which apparently has more interference, as even on the highest Interference setting, the signal drops out there. AirLock goes into sleep mode to save battery if you don’t play for a while. So I wound up simply leaving it on all day around the house and “waking it up” every once in a while when I felt like playing.

I tried a variety of guitars, and the one I had a bit of a concern about the transmitter fitting was a Fender Stratocaster, as that unique input jack style running up the body means there’s no great way to maneuver the AirLock Transmitter very far out of the way of a flailing plucking hand. At the very furthest, it’s just far enough. I play freehand and do a lot of flailing, so if I can deal with it, everybody else should be on terra firma.

I haven’t had the opportunity to try AirLock in an obviously high radio or Wi-Fi interference situation such as a music festival, but according to the product literature, “AirLock operates on a license-free frequency of 2.4 GHz using 24-bit A/D/A digital audio conversion with a range of up to 150 feet.” It goes on to point out, “This is not some typical 2.4 Ghz radio design that makes you choose between Wi-Fi or wireless. Unmatched interference handling allows you to overcome dense Wi-Fi situations with incredibly low latency, yet still achieve audio quality as good or better than a standard instrument cable.”

I can attest to that, as I compared the AirLock to high-quality cables and found the signals comparable.

I also found the battery to last plenty of time to cover any of the gig situations. According to product literature, the internal battery lasts for about nine hours and is user replaceable, meaning you can replace just the battery kit rather than the whole apparatus after, say, four to five years of trouble-free operation. In the age of disposable everything, I appreciate this consideration.

Another cool application is using the AirLock to record directly to a computer using the USB-C on the Transmitter, which facilitates direct recording or streaming without the need for an interface. Fishman.com says, “This USB digital audio output is 24-bit, class-compliant, which means you don’t need no stinkin’ drivers.” I checked it out, and it works great. That’s very handy for recording to a laptop in the hotel after a gig.

Since I have a Universal Audio Apollo Twin X interface at home, I wound up using the AirLock wireless with the Transmitter plugged into the front guitar input jack, eliminating cable clutter and sounding as good or even better than a cord to my ears during tracking and when I A/B’d the recordings upon playback.

Kudos to Fishman for stepping up and delivering simple, reliable wireless signal processing designed specifically for guitar players. Cables suck! Being untethered feels fabulous and sounds great. I’ve often joked around at the end of a gig when I’m still winding cables after most everyone else has left that I’ll be doing this for eternity in hell. Now I’m in cordless heaven.

SPECIFICATIONS

PRO-AIR-GT1

CONTACT fishman.com

PRICE $319.95 street

CONFIGURATION 1/4" instrument set with Transmitter and Receiver

I/O AND CONTROLS TX TRANSMITTER 1/4" input, USB-C (charging), Bluetooth pairing, Interference (low, med, high), Cable Tone switch (3m, 5m, 10m) power on/off, LED indicators for pair and power

I/O AND CONTROLS RX RECEIVER 1/4" output, 9VDC in, USB-C (battery charge or record out), power on/off, Bluetooth pairing, LED indicators for pair and power

BATTERY Rechargeable internal Li-Po, user replaceable, 9-10 hours per full charge, 3 hours after 5-min charge

RADIO TECH RF channel diversity with automatic channelization and interference avoidance; operating frequency 2.4 GHz license-free (2402 – 2480 MHz, 80 channels)

OPERATING RANGE 120 feet spin range; 150 feet line-of-sight

INTERFERECE MITIGATION User-adjustable to overcome dense Wi-Fi environments

LATENCY 3.3ms/4.1ms/4.9ms depending on L/M/H Interference setting

AUDIO PERFORMANCE 118dB dynamic range

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz to 20kHz

DIGITAL AUDIO CONVERSION 24-bit A/D/A, 32-bit internal processing

BUILT U.S.A.

PRO Simple, reliable, rechargeable, flexible, attainable

CON No great to way to keep Transmitter fully out of the way on Strat-style inputs

In the history of guitar amplifiers, few inspire as much awe as those bearing the name Dumble.

Trevor Boone has just unearthed one of the maker's most mythical builds, and it has a new owner: actor Jason Momoa, who's using it to record his new album.

Each Dumble was hand-built by Howard "Alexander" Dumble. Only around 300 are believed to be in existence and have been owned and played by guitarists that include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford, Carlos Santana, Ben Harper, Joe Bonamassa and John Mayer.

Lowell's George's long-lost Super Overdrive Special is currently in Bonamassa's possession after a 15-year search, and there are parallels of that story here. However, it took Boone, of Seattle’s Emerald City Guitars, a slightly shorter but no less exhausting 10-year wait to get his hands on this particular Dumble.

It's one of three tube amps built for the Beach Boys. The trio of combos was assembled circa 1982, with this amp finished in white tolex to match the band's color scheme. The band’s roadies later covered it with carpeting, possibly to make it more roadworthy.

The amp was found, fittingly for a Beach Boys amp, in Hawaii.

“I’ve had to keep this long lost Beach Boys amp under wraps for a decade until the owner was ready to let this go,” writes Boone on Instagram, "and when the call came in I rounded up the shop to head to Kauai to pick this and 20 more amazing items up.

“The amp is a 100 per cent original ‘grail-era’ ODS and includes the original receipts and Beach Boys Road case.

“There are videos where you can see this amp live in original white, as well as carpeted shortly after. I had this photo of The Beach Boys Dumble ON A BEACH in my head for 10 years and it was a special moment to finally get it.”

The carpeted amp was used at Live Aid in 1985, among other historic events. Soon afterward, it appeared onstage when the Beach Boys filmed their 25th anniversary concert in Kauai in 1986 —which is how it Dumble ended up on the island for the past 35 years.

Momoa, a Hawaii-born actor and long-time guitar nerd, seems happy with his undoubtedly pricey purchase, considering his recent post on Instagram.

And considering that Howard Dumble died in 2022, Momoa won’t have to get special permission to call it his own, unlike previous owners who bought their Dumbles second-hand.

“There was a code of honor and ethics when it came to procuring a Dumble that didn't come from Dumble directly,” he explains. In short, you had to ask for the man's blessing.

“There’s a special kind of magic in certain pieces of gear that connects the past to the future,” he muses. “Trevor Boone has been part of my guitar journey since my very first instrument, and over the years we’ve tracked down more holy grails than we can count [including the first Martin D-28 ever made].

“But this amplifier carried a different kind of history — one we couldn’t let drift away. Too much heart. Too much story. We had to keep it in the family — and now it’s right where it belongs, ready to keep making music.”

In related news, Joe Bonamassa sold all his Dumbles in 2014 before asking himself why he did a dumb thing like that. Today, he owns more than ever, with Lowell George's ODS sitting proudly as part of “the world's most expensive three-channel amp”.

Another of the three Beach Boys Dumbles showed up, of all places, at a yard sale, with Ben Harper snapping it up before learning of its prestigious heritage.

Johnny A. understands that an artist needs to keep growing and shifting up the show to keep his audience on its toes. When GP Presents was on site at Yoshi’s in Oakland at the outset of 2025, he wowed a capacity crowd with his expert solo looping performance. He went so far down that rabbit hole that we wound up doing a feature interview about it.

When Johnny A. comes back to the Bay at the outset of 2026, the show will be totally different. He’ll bring a pair of aces up from Southern California: Evan Coniglio (Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach) on bass, and Vancil Cooper (Hamilton, Queen Latifa) on drums. They’ll help Yoshi’s kick off the New Year with a highly anticipated set on the first Wednesday in 2026.

Johnny changed from playing a signature Gibson to a Fender a few years back, and he confirms that element of his show remains the same, saying, “I’ll be playing my signature Strat.”

The material on tap is “a mix of a lot of classic-style blues rock, with a few of my instrumentals thrown in,” Johnny says. “Not as much chord/melody stuff on this run.”

Interestingly, that’s the stuff that originally put him on the map as a solo artist. Johnny is perhaps the last cat to have a bona fide instrumental guitar hit at terrestrial radio. “Oh Yeah” came out around the millennium flip when he stepped out from his role as music director with Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band) and released his acclaimed debut, Sometime Tuesday Morning.

After a string of successful solo albums, Johnny joined the legendary Yardbirds, where he manned the lead guitar spot once held by Jeff Beck.

Since Jeff’s passing on January 10, 2023, Johnny has been leading a tribute dubbed Beck-Ola, and these days he largely plays instrumentals with a whammy-infused, vocal type of melodic approach. He’s also doing some singing. Johnny used to tour the West Coast regularly with a trio, but it’s been a long time, so we’re thrilled to help facilitate that happening again.

If you’re planning to be in the San Francisco Bay Area at the outset of 2026, please come see Johnny A. at this special trio show presented by GP. We’ll have free Martin strings for players at the table in the lobby.

The best way to show support and get great seats is by snatching up advance tickets right now.

WIN TICKETS!

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Johnny A. in Oakland, California, on Wednesday, January 7, send an email to gp@jimmyleslie.com and put “Johnny A.” in the subject line. Include a sentence about yourself and why you want to go. Phone contact greatly appreciated for confirmation.

Winner must provide their own transportation to Yoshi’s in Oakland, California, and have their own accommodations in the Bay Area. Best of luck!

EVENT DETAILS

GP Presents Johnny A

Wednesday, January 7

Yoshi’s

Jack London Square, Oakland, California

7 p.m. doors; 8 p.m. show

We'll be handing out free packs of Martin strings

Get tickets

Strymon has put the equivalent of a vintage 1960s amp in a stomp box with its new Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive. Inspired by a little-known tube unit from the ‘60s, Fairfax is the first in Strymon’s new line of fully analog pedals dubbed Series A and is available today for $199.

Fairfax is unique in the world of drive and boost pedals in that it’s a full tube amp circuit that’s been miniaturized using only analog components. The inspiration comes from the Herzog tube drive, created in the 1970s by Garnet Amplifiers for Randy Bachman, who was then performing with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The Canadian group was Bachman’s followup to the Guess Who and recorded popular hits like “Let It Ride,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and “Takin’ Care of Business.”

The Fairfax pedal encompasses every element of an amp’s topology, including a tube preamp, a Class A power amp and a proprietary circuit that emulates the saturation characteristics of the output transformer, an integral part of a tube amp’s sound.

At the heart of the pedal is an internal power supply that boosts the incoming nine-volt DC power to 40 voltes to deliver a massive amount of headroom that creates the Fairfax’s amp-like sound and feel. Electric guitar tone moves from clean at low Drive settings to full transformer-like saturation as the gain is increased.

Fairfax also boasts a Bright circuit that modifies the treble response, as well as a variable Sag control that produces dynamic artifacts at low values, and full sputtering and gated sounds you get from a fuzz pedal at extreme settings.

“Man, this thing is such a chameleon,” says Sean Halley, Strymon’s Head of Marketing and a long-time session and live player. “It can be a creamy and gooey boost that works great with any style of amp, and it can also breathe saturated fire.

“Because it’s really an amp circuit, it doesn’t change your core tone, and it stacks brilliantly with other drive pedals.”

The Fairfax is the first in Strymon’s new new line of fully analog pedals dubbed Series A.

Gregg Stock, Strymon’s CEO and senior analog engineer notes that while Strymon is better known for digital signal processing, “our analog engineers are always coming up with interesting ideas for fully analog designs, so we created Series A to give them an outlet.

“There will be a number of pedals in the line by the end of next year, so we’re really excited to see some of these products come to market. It’s been a blast to work on this stuff.”

Fairfax is available now directly from Strymon and from dealers worldwide for $199 U.S.

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are officially over, and this year was a truly insane one in terms of the number of deals that were on offer. Retailers went earlier than ever with their sales, with some launching a full three weeks before Cyber Weekend itself, and the discounts were aplenty on guitars, amps, pedals, accessories and more.

If you somehow managed to miss the sales, some of our favorite deals are still around, but they won't be there for much longer. Some of the really hot deals, like a Player II Strat with its lowest price ever and a great value Epiphone acoustic have sold through, but we've gathered all the best remaining deals in one place for you.

Below you'll find our favorite deals still going, and there are even more deals still live on our Cyber Monday guitar deals page.

• 🇺🇸 US deals
• Amazon: Cyber Monday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Epic Cyber Week deals
• Fender: 10% off everything
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Cyber Monday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $150 off Tonex
• Musician's Friend: Cyber Monday 65% off sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Reverb: Cyber Week 80% off
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Cyber Week sale
• TrueFire: All-access annual sub only $79
• Universal Audio: Holiday software sale
• Waves: Last chance Cyber Monday

• 🇬🇧 UK deals
• Gear4Music: Cyber Monday deals are live
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: 33 plugins for the price of 1
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Spark bundle savings
• Reverb: 20% off CM deals
• Universal Audio: Holiday software sale
• Waves: Cyber Monday plugin sale

🥇 My top picks

Electric guitar deals

Beginner guitars

Fender & Squier

Gibson & Epiphone

PRS & PRS SE

Gretsch

Acoustic guitar deals

Bass guitar deals

Amp deals

Pedal deals

Wireless deals

Recording deals

Klon Centaur-style overdrive pedals are a constant obsession with us guitar players for a reason – they're incredibly versatile. An always-on sweetener, boost, drive, and great gain stacker with other pedals. And now I've found my favourite with the Wampler Tumnus, I couldn't be without it. I'd happily pay double, but now it's hitting a new low in price at Sweetwater for the next few days for $127.49, it's an absolute Cyber Week bargain.

The Wampler Tumnus is rated 5/5 by Guitar Player, and was good enough to win an Andertons blind test against an actual Klon, as well as a host of worthy klone competition. But that's not the only reason I depend on it as a guitarist.

It's much smaller than some of finest klone's around – positively tiny compared to its closest competition from the RYRA, Centavo and Centura. That means I get all the advantages, but have more space on my pedalboard for more pedals.

I use the Tumnus to stack with my Funny Little Boxes 1991 pedal for heavy drive, but the Tumnus always on with the gain dialed down for the mid-boost klones are known for – I'll then clean up as needed with my guitar volume pot. Brian Wampler has dialled in a wide sweep for the three controls here for maximum versatility, and I find the treble control can really help my stacked drive tones cut though with humbuckers in a band. And because it's a USA-made Wampler pedal, I know the components won't let me down.

And if you fancy spending a little more for added controls and a bigger footprint, the Tumnus Deluxe is discounted too – coming in with $30 off for a very tempting $169.97 .

• Amazon: Huge holiday savings
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

SansAmp was way ahead of the game with the amp pedal concept, and the likes of Nuno Bettencourt have gigged its ready-made pedalboards under the Tech 21 banner. The Mop Top Liverpool is its take on British Invasion amp tones of the Beatles and beyond, but how it's hit the low, low price of $99 down from $249 over at Sweetwater for Black Friday is beyond me.

That's 60% off the price of a lot of analog pedal, and the Sweetwater listing states that there are no restocks coming for this bargain – when it's gone, that's it.

Though it's not quite the Sweetwater bargain price, European players can take advantage over at Thomann for £133 (plus delivery) and the UK's Gear For Music even has a couple left at £139. Still a very significant saving.

The inspiration is unquestionably the Vox AC 30 for this two-channel amp pedal. It also has built-in speaker emulation to go straight to a PA or FRFR cab, – alternatively, you can just bypass it to go straight into a power or guitar. The Mop Top Liverpool is perfect for a light to fit in your gigbag rig or backup option.

The onboard switchable treble boost is your gateway to Brian May-style gain glory here. A three-band EQ with mid shift and high control makes it a user-friendly way to dial in your sound. With the two channels at your feet this could handle a whole gig, not bad for just $99!

The Mop Top Liverpool might just be the dark horse bargain of Black Friday.

• Amazon: Huge holiday savings
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

Green Day’s Mike Dirnt always wanted a signature instrument. He calls his new line of Grabber G-3 basses with Epiphone “manifest destiny.”

“I’ve been willing this to happen forever,” Dirnt tells Guitar Player. “I thought it was never gonna happen. And now, here we are.”

Then again, there was a time — albeit decades ago now — when Dirnt would not have expected to be playing bass, period.

Born in Oakland, California, and raised in El Sobrante, he started out playing guitar alongside future Green Day mate Billie Joe Armstrong, who he met at Carquinez Middle School when they were 10 years old. They would hang at Armstrong’s house learning to play punk rock and metal songs, with some Who and Lynyrd Skynyrd thrown in for good measure. They started Green Day precursor Sweet Children as a two-guitar outfit, playing Berkeley’s famed 924 Gilman Street club in its formative years.

“It’s one of those things. You gotta start somewhere,” Dirnt (né Pritchard) says with a laugh. “I wasn’t a great guitarist; I was a good rhythm player.”

He made the change when bassist Sean Hughes quit the band, making Sweet Children and, subsequently Green Day, a trio.

“When I jumped on bass, I felt like that opened the melodies I was hearing in my head, and I could do more stuff,” explains Dirnt, who still likes to play guitar and favors Matons at home. “I don’t have a lot of finesse; I muscle the instrument. I have finesse, but not like a really shreddy or great guitar player who has the dexterity to play gingerly and with speed. I just like picking around my bass like a guitar. That’s how I describe it.”

“I feel like I’m playing rhythm guitar but I’m looking for the melodies within (the patterns) and figuring out different ways to play it. There’s a lot of pull with my left hand, or rolling into notes a lot. It’s not traditional, for sure.

“First and foremost, me and Billie have similar picking styles in our wrists. A lot of people think I do all downstrokes, but I’m up and down all day long. My arm would catch fire if I did all downstrokes. The Ramones were amazing with that, but I don’t do it. Lately I’ve been building off the melody. I’ve been chasing (Armstrong’s) melodies right behind him, which is fun. I’ll play for countermelodies. I’ll play for rhythms of what he’s doing.”

Dirnt acquired his first Grabber bass, a Gibson model, in Minneapolis, during one of Green Day’s very early national tours. The strap had broken on his Peavey Patriot, which he used on 1990’s 39/Smooth, causing irreparable damage.

“We had a day off, and I picked it up out of the case,” he recalls. “And the only thing holding it together was the pick guard. I thought, Oh boy, this is a bigger problem than I know how to fix. And I don’t want to play a glued bass.”

Another musician on the tour, Scott Cook, had a new Gibson Grabber that he hadn’t even played yet and agreed to sell to Dirnt on installments.

“I plugged it in at sound check and hit it with my thumb and was like, ‘I’ll take it!’” Dirnt remembers. “The look on his face was, ‘Shit!’

“But he was very cool. I’m trying to chase him down now, ’cause I owe him a bass, to say the least.”

Dirnt says discussions with Epiphone about his signature Grabber G-3 began a couple of years ago, as Green Day were gearing up for the 2024 anniversary celebrations of their Dookie and American Idiot albums.

“I said, ‘If we’re serious about it, let’s go!’” he recalls. “‘I’ll send you my bass; you can really look at the specs on it and take it apart and see what makes it tick.’”

The Dirnt Epiphone Grabber G-3 comes in both Silverburst and natural finishes, with a double-cutaway maple body and a 34-inch scale three-piece neck with black abalone dot inlays. The guitar has three Gibson G-3 pickups with a three-way toggle switch for neck, middle and bridge, as well as open-gear bass tuners on its V-shaped headstock, a bone nut and Leo Quan Badass II bridge.

“They really hit it out of the park, man. They really did,” says Dirnt, who road-tested the prototypes during Green Day’s most recent tour, in support of its Saviors album. “This quality is ridiculous. If I play my original Gibson at the same show I played the new ones, I don’t see any difference. Honestly, these new models play a little better ’cause the Gibson has been broken a few times. It still plays great, but these play, man. They really do.”

Dirnt and the Grabbers have been off the road since September, when Green Day wrapped the Saviors tour. (A viral moment occurred on the road when a fan brought onstage to perform “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” began playing the Oasis hit “Wonderwall” instead. ) The band’s current focus is on New Year’s Rev, a feature film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, with wider release pending.

Subtitled A Green Day Story and directed and written by Lee Kirk — who worked with Armstrong on Ordinary World, the 2016 comedy-drama in which he starred as an aging punk — the film depicts a band of teenagers on a cross-country quest to open for Green Day on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. Dirnt, Armstrong and Cool co-produced and appear in the film as themselves.

“We’ve always wanted to do something like this,” Dirnt says. “It’s another band’s journey to get to us. They’re hilarious, and a lot of their hijinks and things that happen sort of shadow things that have actually happened to us in the past, when we were touring in vans. There’s so many Easter eggs in there that have to do with specific stories our fans will know about from throughout the years. We can’t wait for it to get out there so everyone can see it.”

Green Day also released a 25th anniversary deluxe edition of its sixth studio album, Warning, this fall, but Dirnt says it may be a minute before there’s new music from the band.

“We just kind of came home,” he notes, “so we need some family time, a little bit of life time, living life in order to collect ourselves before we go out and make another statement. We need to sort of sit and listen and marinate, play our guitars at home and then get together and talk about music and stuff.

“There’s a lot going on in the world right now; this is probably our time to listen for a minute and see what’s going on, and then decide what we want to say. But I know we’ll get there. We always do.”

Now this is what I call a Black Friday deal: a mini guitar amp from one of the top names in the game for only $99?!

The Friedman BE Mini is down from $249.99 over at Sweetwater. And at 30 watts it's still packing enough output to annoy the neighbours. This one is surely going to sell out.

This modded Plexi-inspired mini head pairs a 30-watt power section with amp designer Dave Friedman’s acclaimed BE preamp circuit. Plexi tones are revered for their harmonic detail and high-gain glory, and now you can enjoy them at home-friendly levels with this solid-state option. It could also make a great option for recording or gigs once you've paired it with your own choice of cabs.

The BE-mini features a 3-band EQ, plus Cut and Tight switches to shape your sound. It features a series effects loop for your time-based pedals and dual speaker outputs allow you to expand it for the stage.

It's currently sold out over at Friedman's own site at full price but at just $99 on Sweetwater's site here it's proved so popular that it's currently out of immediately available stock too. However, luckily you can still order it there for delivery soon. I'd move fast on this one!

Check out more Sweetwater Black Friday deals.

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

If you’re looking for a powerful but portable combo that packs shimmering cleans and a versatile lead channel voice for ’70s and ’80s rock tones, the PRS Archon 50 1x12 tube combo would be my first recommendation. And right now you can grab it for $200 off during Sweetwater’s Black Friday sale, making it just $1,149. And if you prefer an amp to a combo, you get all the features in the Archon 50 head for $170 off, making it a cool $979.

Esteemed Guitar Player reviewer Art Thompson was thrilled with the Archon 50 head when he reviewed it, praising it “a solid deal that keeps things simple and delivers great clean and overdriven tones.” It was versatile enough to use on live gigs for everything from rock to world music to backing a singer/songwriter, making it a solid choice for guitar players across the genre spectrum.

Check out our guide to the best guitar deals this Black Friday. Other amps in the Archon line are also on sale during Black Friday, so check them all out to find the perfect amp for you.

Check out more Sweetwater Black Friday deals.

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

When it comes to delay and reverb pedal bargains in this year's Black Friday deals, I honestly can't see it getting any better than this. The Walrus Audio Mako Series D1 Delay and R1 Reverb are the most fully-featured compact pedals of their kind that I've tried and are now $200 off at Sweetwater, making them just $149.99 each. They're bona fide pedal bargains!

You're going to read this a lot over the weekend, but I really mean it with this deal – I can't see Sweetwater's stock not selling out of these. While Mk II versions of both pedals are out now, these Mk 1 pedals are both still highly impressive and offer more sounds than you will probably ever need.

Some of the Mako MKII series is reduced by up to $90 too – including the ACS1 MK II amp pedal and MKII M1 Modulation Machine. You could build a monster pedalboard out of this lot!

Check out more Sweetwater Black Friday deals.

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

You probably don't need me to tell you that Black Friday is tomorrow, right? Chances are, your social media feeds have been filled with a colossal amount of Black Friday guitar deals. From affordable guitar accessories and dirt-cheap pedals, there's been plenty of fantastic deals to check out this week, but I'm particularly stoked to see one of Guitar Player's favorite guitar tech brands in the mix, too.

Positive Grid's range of Spark smart amps has revolutionized the practice amp world, and they've always been reviewed well on Guitar Player. Now, they are on sale for Black Friday, along with a tasty deal on the new Bias X software.

At the core of the Positive Grid stable is the Spark amp line-up. They all offer the same core functionality - with the Spark app giving players access to tones, with 33 amp models and 43 effects to choose from, alongside other features like Smart Jam and Auto Chords - but in 3 different form factors, from ultra compact to desktop.

Nearly all of PG's smart amps and accessories are on sale, so it's well worth a browse if you're in the market for something new. Below are a few of our standouts.

Shop more Black Friday sale

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument bargains
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

I’ve been covering the Black Friday guitar deals for many years now, and I’ve yet to see any Neural DSP hardware get a discount. Sadly it’s the same story this year, but if you really want a Neural modeler and want more bang for your buck, then this deal is for you. Simply purchase a Neural DSP Nano Cortex from any qualifying retailer and you can help yourself to a plugin of your choice.

You can grab a Nano Cortex at the following qualifying retailers, and those who buy from Sweetwater in the US will bag a free Eminence Impulse Response Sampler pack too:

• US - Sweetwater
• UK - Thomann

This offer is only live in the Black Friday period from December 21 to November 3, and you’ll need to provide proof of your purchase in the form of a receipt in .jpg, .png, or .pdf format. Once you’ve submitted your receipt, you’ll receive your free plugin within 21 days, and you can choose absolutely any one you like. You’ll need to bear in mind that you can’t run plugins on the Nano Cortex itself, but you can use it as an audio interface to run the plugin on your laptop or computer.

If you need more information on how to claim your plugin, just head over to the Neural DSP website for a step-by-step guide.

I’ve tested the Nano Cortex personally and it’s one of the most powerful pieces of guitar hardware around right now. It’s also incredibly popular, which means there’s not much reason for Neural to discount them right now so I don’t expect one to crop up over Black Friday. If you want one though, the free plugin is a great way to get some extra value from your purchase, and you get some extra sounds for your tone locker.

I’ve met a fair few players who’ve permanently swapped over to Neural modeling hardware, and we gave it a full five stars out of five in our Neural DSP Nano Cortex review, which tells you a lot. It’s great for players who don’t want to ditch their pedalboard, but want the convenience a modeler gets you when playing live shows.

There’s no screen like the bigger Quad Cortex has, which is admittedly a slight hurdle when you’re first getting used to it. It doesn’t take long to find your way around the pedal’s controls though, and you can use the companion app in lieu of a screen for fine-tuning settings. You can also pretty aptly control it using the knobs and buttons once you learn what everything does.

It’s also super compact, which makes it a great option for a travel or practice rig. It’s lightweight weight so you can easily chuck it into a backpack, and as well as being powered by a traditional pedalboard power supply, you can also run it off a 5V USB-C. Simply put, it’s an incredibly versatile piece of equipment.

Shop more Black Friday deals

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

Well, the countdown to Black Friday is marching on, with the big day taking place this coming Friday! As you can imagine, we're seeing a slew of incredible Black Friday guitar deals popping up everywhere. Now, I know the excitement can be overwhelming, but I've stumbled upon a guitar deal that you won’t want to overlook. There are some amazing discounts on Boss products available right now, including the Katana, loopers, classic compact pedals, and various accessories.

So, if you’ve been considering upgrading your home practice rig, adding some fresh stompboxes to your setup, or you want to see what all the fuss is about with lopper pedals, this is the ideal moment to take advantage of these fantastic offers.

Take a look at some of the top Boss items that are currently on sale, and seize the opportunity to snag a great deal before Friday.

Shop more Black Friday sales

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument deals
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

It’s that most wonderful time of the year when all your favorite gear goes on sale, and if you’re looking for some Black Friday guitar deals, I’ve got a doozy for you today. Over the past 12 months I’ve tested 12 audio interfaces for reviews, and 5 of them are already on sale for Black Friday. If you’re looking to upgrade your guitar recordings, then it’s a great time to pull the trigger.

Having tested so many audio interfaces and spending my time working between my home studio and a professional studio, I know a thing or two about what makes a great audio interface. At this level, it’s not so much about the preamps and AD/DA converters; instead, it’s about the features that each interface has, and how they simplify or amplify your workflow.

Below you’ll find 5 of my favorite audio interfaces, all of which have significant discounts for Black Friday, as well as a breakdown of what makes them particularly great:

Shop more Black Friday deals

• Amazon: Huge holiday savings
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Reverb: 80% off music gear
• Scan Computers: Pro audio savings
• Sweetwater: Black Friday deals up to 80% off
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale

Fender’s been absolutely killing it in the last decade, with player-focused innovations and variations on its quintessential library of era-defining instruments. Its Player series launched as a retooled umbrella for Fender’s Made-in-Mexico guitars, continuing a well-established reputation of incredible quality and accessible pricing. It took the opportunity to level things up a little, too, with juicier aesthetic choices and some player-focused tweaks for a faster and fun-er guitar right out of the box.

As far as ‘exemplary’ goes in this regard, there’s no better set of instruments to look at than the Player II-series Stratocaster and Telecaster. Both benefit from the same essential approach and build choices, not to mention the same arrestingly-sick visual presentation. What a joy – nay, what a privilege, then, to find such alluring examples on sale at a 30% discount, direct from Fender’s own Black Friday sale.

And what's more, spend over $100 in the sale and you'll receive a free Custom Shop calendar to help you plan all of your 2026 guitar action!

The discounted axes on offer are a Stratocaster and Telecaster each in Forest Green, a richly verdant green with just the right amount of smokiness. They’re by no means traditional-looking, but they are indeed fetching! Eye-catching color aside, both are actually quite traditional in design – keeping more to older iterations than to newer innovations (save for a more modern string-through-body bridge on the Tele).

Both of these Player II-series guitars benefit from a maple neck and slab rosewood fretboard, itself inlaid with 22 medium jumbo frets. The neck is shaped to modern C profile, a pet project of Fender’s that has resulted in some serious playability; between this and the medium jumbo frets, there’s an excellent balance of articulation and speed.

Both also benefit from a set of Fender’s own Alnico V single-coils, which serve each well in their own signal sound. The Player II Strat has all the attack you could ask for in the bridge, and all the honk you know and love in the neck (and, of course, everything in-between thanks to the classic 5-way switch); meanwhile, the Player II Tele maintains the glorious twang of its siblings. It’s not every day you get a gen-u-wine MiM Fender for less than 600 bucks – and if it was, every day would be the best day ever. Act accordingly!

Shop more Black Friday deals

• Amazon: Black Friday instrument bargains
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off

Forget waiting for next week, the Black Friday guitar deals have already landed. Thomann just launched a gigantic Cyber Week sale with humongous discounts of up to 70% off, making it the perfect place to bag your next bit of gear for less. It’s one of the largest percentage discounts I’ve seen so far this Black Friday, so definitely worth a gander to see what’s on offer.

The sale will be running until December 1st, although I noticed that more deals will be added in the run up to Cyber Weekend itself. With one of the biggest product selections on offer to the UK and EU, it makes the Thomann sale the perfect place to pick up a discount on your favorite bit of gear.

I’ve had a look through the sale already to see what I could find, and here are some of the best discounts I’ve spotted so far:

• Shop the full up to 70% off Cyber Week sale at Thomann

I’ll be honest, Black Friday deals on Taylor acoustics rarely surface in a way that feels genuinely worthwhile, but this year I think the discounts are real rather than token. If you already know your way around Taylor’s line-up, you can see exactly where the value lands in the $100 off deals currently live at Sweetwater and Guitar Center.

These Black Friday guitar deals are not clearance bin oddities or stripped-down variants; these are core models - discounts include the 100 Series, 200 Series, 200 Plus Series and 200 Deluxe Series, alongside three all-solid-wood cutaway Grand Auditorium models - with the usual build integrity, consistent neck profiles and the sound you expect from the brand.

Players who already understand the tonal fingerprints of Sitka, mahogany, sapele or rosewood will appreciate that these price drops put some solid instruments within reach without asking you to compromise on woods or construction. The same applies to the bracing. Whether you prefer the responsiveness and intonation stability of V Class or the familiar character of Taylor’s older architecture, the guitars here remain true to what our reviews praise. Projection, balance, usable dynamic range, low noise floors and honest articulation remain intact.

• Shop our pick of the best Taylor guitars

If you gig, record or just care about instruments that age well, the interest here is simple. You can buy a guitar you might normally consider a stretch, and you can do it without feeling like you are being upsold on cosmetics. Taylor’s Expression System 2 is still one of the few stock pickups that actually translates the guitar rather than painting over it, and that alone makes these models worth a harder look if reliability is part of your baseline.

Why pay attention at all? Because Taylor pricing tends to remain firm throughout the year. If you know the instruments, you know which ones speak to you. All this does is take the sting out of pulling the trigger.

Shop more great Black Friday deals

• Amazon: Huge holiday savings
• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Fender store: Player II Strat lowest price ever
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Guitar Tricks: $899 $99 annual sub
• IK Multimedia: Up to $300 off Tonex hardware
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Native Instruments: Over 50% off UA bundle
• Plugin Boutique: 100s of software savings
• Positive Grid: Up to $50 Spark savings
• Reverb: Black Friday early access
• Sweetwater: Up to 80% off Black Friday sale
• Universal Audio: 12 Days of UAD software sale
• Waves: Huge plugin bundle deals up to 95% off