I write about guitar gear for a living - here are my Top 5 bargains from the Guitar Center Holiday Sale

By Matt McCracken
published

If you’re looking for an early Black Friday deal these are the ones we’d go for

A Fender acoustic guitar and Epiphone Les Paul Custom on a vintage white background
(Image credit: Fender/Epiphone)

Despite only just entering into November, Guitar Center has already gone live with their Holiday Sale, offering guitarists huge savings of up to 35% off a massive range of guitar gear. Whilst we were anticipating that some good savings would start landing soon, we didn’t expect them quite this early.

There’s a gigantic array of gear available and having scrolled through the majority of it, I’ve used my many years of experience writing gear reviews to bring you my personal top five. They’ve all got some serious money off and are sure to find a place in even the most discerning guitarist’s collection. 

PRS SE Custom 24: Was $879, now $699

PRS SE Custom 24: Was $879, now $699
Part of PRS’ wider SE sale, this stunning guitar has got a tasty $180 discount in the Guitar Center Holiday sale. The build quality on these guitars is absolutely impeccable, and we love the versatility offered by the splittable 85/15 "S" humbuckers. The discount is - unfortunately for us - not available on the Bonnie Pink version, but if you like your colors traditional there are some great options here.

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Epiphone Les Paul Blackback: Was $799, now $599

Epiphone Les Paul Blackback: Was $799, now $599
A less usual Epiphone Les Paul Custom, this Blackback version quite literally has an all-black back, contrasted by the Antique Ivory top and stunning gold hardware. It’s currently rocking a hefty $200 reduction in the Guitar Center Holiday sale and has got the voice to match its looks with a pair of powerful Epiphone Probucker pickups that can handle a range of modern and vintage tones.

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Fender CC-60SCE: Was $349.99, $249.99

Fender CC-60SCE: Was $349.99, $249.99
If you’re in the market for a new acoustic guitar, there’s a trio of Fender models in the Guitar Center Holiday Sale that will catch your eye. With two concert-sized models including an all-Mahogany version, and a dreadnought model there are some great choices here. All of them have a nice $100 discount and feature Fishman electronics making the great gigging guitars. The two concert models have a couple of finish options too. 

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UAFX Dream '65 Reverb: Was $399, now $319

UAFX Dream '65 Reverb: Was $399, now $319
Don’t fancy carting around a hefty tube 2x12? Well the Universal Audio UAFX Dream ‘65 Reverb might be the next best thing to one of the greatest pedal platforms ever conceived and it’s got a sizeable $80 discount at Guitar Center. We reviewed this pedal earlier in the year and praised it for its realistic sound, and simple yet powerful control set. We loved that you could set preset amp tones to recall them later on and the choice of impulse response cabinets is excellent.

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Hughes & Kettner TM40: $1,299, now $999

Hughes & Kettner TM40: $1,299, now $999
If you’re more of a ‘proper’ amp person, the Hughes & Kettner TM40 TubeMeister Deluxe has a huge $300 discount at the moment. It’s got a real power soak so you can play it at lower volumes and even have it completely silent for recording, alongside a powerful full range, flat response DI out for use during live shows. We love the clear plexiglass front of the amp that displays the internals too, it looks incredible on a backline at a show.

As we move closer towards the big Cyber Weekend event, we’ll be regularly updating our Black Friday guitar deals page, so it’s well worth bookmarking it and checking back throughout the month if you don’t see anything you like right now. 

Matt McCracken
Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

I’m a Junior Deals Writer at Guitar Player. I regularly test and review music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, and pedals, as well as being responsible for over 60 buying guides, and helping musicians find the best deals on gear. I worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars, and have written for various music sites including Guitar World, MusicRadar, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.

I’m a regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands covering everything from jazz to djent. When I’m not buying new plugins for my studio or guitar pedals for my pedalboard, you’ll find me making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.