Innehållsförteckning för January 2026 från Guitarist

Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Telephone 01225 442244 Email guitarist@futurenet.com Online www.guitarist.co.uk This month’s illustrious crop of Gear Of The Year-winning guitars, amps and effects always presents an occasion to muse about where guitar is headed. Gear design is, after all, often no more than a delayed reflection of what guitar players are into at a given point in time, which is itself a reflection of what’s trending in music. A few bolder companies come up with gear that embodies pure innovation every year – and they take a bigger risk, in that their work might fail to catch on. But, through their boldness, such companies ultimately drive forward the state of the art in guitar and music, which is incredibly important. And so the conflicting…

Five years ago the guitar world lost Edward Van Halen, a leading light and sonic visionary who shattered the glass ceilings of gear, technique and music itself. We are left with a legacy not only of his songs but also the innovative products he helped create. Back when Ed was developing his legendary ‘brown’ sound, which can be heard on the Roth-era Van Halen albums from ’78 to ’84, high-gain amplifiers didn’t exist. His techniques for squeezing out new levels of rich saturation without pedal assistance have influenced the amplifiers that now bear his initials. While some celebrity endorsers may be happy to lease their name simply for a kickback, Edward was not that guy. His critical perfectionism is lore among many techs and designers, such as Chip Ellis at…

The Tone Bender, that classic British fuzz pedal born in the mid-60s, was produced in several variations and under several different brand names back in the day, a practice that still continues as pedal companies bring out new creations based on the vintage circuitry. The latest is Electro-Harmonix’s Bender Royale, which is based on the three germanium transistor-equipped Mk III Tone Bender from the late 60s. The boffins at EHX have expanded its original three-knob feature set to create an evolved version with six knobs and a pair of toggle switches. Standard Volume and Fuzz knobs are still present, but you get individual Treble and Bass knobs, rather than a single Tone control. There’s also a Bias knob to adjust the input bias voltage of the fuzz circuit, and a…

Artist: George Hume Album: Georgie Hume & The Pity Party (ZeroFret) With their electrifying mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms and moody surf tones, London-based trio Georgie Hume & The Pity Party are making a name for themselves as purveyors of a more unusual, tropical kind of jazz. Led by guitarist George Hume, their new self-titled album is the kind of recording that draws influence from far and wide, with some truly breathtaking results. Mellow Mood What’s perhaps most interesting about this debut album is how it all feels led by the songs themselves; it’s less about noodling and more about telling a story through repetition and atmosphere. “I guess I wanted this music to feel quite song-driven, rather than starting with a head, me soloing for however long and then going…

I have an imminent acoustic gig that involves playing Kim Wilde’s big hit Kids In America with her dad, Marty, at his annual Society Of Distinguished Songwriters (SODS) dinner. American readers might not know Kim or her dad. Marty had 17 UK Top 20 hits in the late 50s and early 60s, while 80s superstar Kim remains hugely successful here and across Europe. She topped the Billboard Hot 100 with her cover of The Supremes’ You Keep Me Hangin’ On, too. Marty co-wrote Kids… with his son Ricky. “I proffered the quip: ‘You know, I’ve completely gone off ’Bursts.’ Just then I spied my perfect Les Paul: a Murphy Lab, heavily aged ’59 Standard” The aforementioned ‘do’ is at a posh London hotel, where a who’s who of British songwriting…

AUDIO ▸ http://bit.ly/guitaristextra The world of extended chords can appear quite unfathomable at times. The apparently benign 11th chord is a great example of this, as it falls between the cracks of many chord-naming conventions, inhabiting a world of its own. As you may know, extended chords go beyond the basic major or minor triad, adding the 7th (or b7th), 9th, 11th and finally the 13th. In music theory books, this usually happens neatly in ascending scale order and we hear increasingly beautiful, complex chords as we go. However, chords can become a little too ‘dense’ harmonically once we get to those 11th and 13th extensions, so the 3rd and 5th are very often omitted. Add this to the fact that we can’t physically play that many notes at once…

Vintage REVO Galactica The REVO range, which stands for REtro Vintage Originals, launched back in 2024, designed by Alan Entwistle and made in China. What impressed us about the range was the fabulous attention to detail and, in many cases, the unusual circuitry that’s often based on original models from the 60s. The mini‑humbucker‑loaded Galactica might be inspired by the Höfner Galaxy, but the multi‑switching guitar also features Entwistle’s five‑way rotary ATN 5 passive filter circuit. “If these REVO models aim to offer something a little different,” said our review, “with vibey and diverse sounds for not a lot of money, well, they succeed!” Price: £649 Website: www.vintageguitarsrus.com Epiphone Bonehead Riviera Of the trio of Oasis signature guitars launched as the band’s reunion tour comes to a close (which also…

Patrick James Eggle Oz-T Cabronita Thinline Plenty of small-production high-end makers pile on the posh when it comes to their sumptuous builds, but this Oz-T Cabronita Thinline from one of the UK’s most respected makers is almost the opposite. Featuring a new, unique headstock inlay, it has a swamp ash semi-hollow body and shows off the Wide Range-style Mojo humbucker, which can be split from the pull-switch tone control. The feel of the oil/wax finish to the vividly figured roasted maple neck is superb, like pretty much every other detail of this beautifully understated guitar. Our reviewer said: “One pickup, a host of sounds… Another jaw-dropping example of home-grown craft.” Price: £3,260 Website: www.eggle.co.uk Ivison Dakota Standard Ex-guitar-tech turned luthier Neil Ivison and his pickup-making cohort Paul Cross are making…

Blackstar DA100 Ruby Together with ex-Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich, Blackstar has tweaked its existing HT Stage 100 into a three-channel, crimson-clad behemoth with multiple voices, speaker emulating IR outputs and digital programmability. Glassy Fender-like tones can be swapped for AC30-style crunch in its Clean channel, while the overdrive gain ranges from ‘edge of break-up’ through to classic-rock chunk, arriving at 80s modified Marshall tones. The OD Voice controls scoop the boxier mids away together with a gain boost. Impressive reverb, solo boost, fully featured foot controller and computer-integrated programmability, plus a modest price tag, make this is a must-try amp. Price: £1,249 Website: https://blackstaramps.com Bad Cat Era 30 A lifetime of design excellence culminates in this, the final amp from designer Mark Sampson for Bad Cat: a beautifully built 30‑watt…

Crazy Tube Circuits Venus Used by David Gilmour and Billy Gibbons to name just two, the BK Butler/Chandler Tube Driver was never particularly pedalboard-friendly with its large footprint and AC power. But the Crazy Tube Circuits’ Venus puts Tube Driver voicings and features into a more compact pedal with improved practicality, not least its standard nine-volt operation. Use the included ECC832 valve or put in one of your own choice, find its sweet spot with the Bias knob and explore the pedal’s range, from just beyond clean to really creamy full-on drive, dripping with sustain and cleaning up nicely with guitar volume. An inspired, accessible take on a classic, relevant for the modern pedalboard. Price: £235 Website: www.crazytubecircuits.com ThorpyFX Hanami Germanium Fuzz Thorpy’s first pedal without a military theme, the…

Most supergroups are an exercise in egomania. But back in 2015, DarWin formed with the purest of intentions: to fill each position with the best musician in their discipline, set them loose on ambitious, narrative-driven material, and let the sparks fly. On drums and production, there’s god-amongsessioners Simon Phillips. On vocals (breaking from his familiar role as bassist), Ringo Starr and Elton John associate, Matt Bissonette. On rhythm guitar? Well, that’s a little trickier. In an age when we’re told mystique is dead in rock ’n’ roll, we know next to nothing about the project’s songwriter, svengali and namesake. Fortunately, while DarWin himself will only answer emailed questions about new studio album, Distorted Mirror, veteran guitar virtuoso Greg Howe and Mumbai-born bass sensation Mohini Dey are happy to fill the…

What was the first serious guitar you bought with your own money? “I guess, to me, they’re all serious! That’s all relative because my first guitar was an Ibanez copy, and it was 146 bucks. At the time, because I was nine years old, that was way more money than I had, so that was serious [laughs]. Aside from that, the first one that comes to mind would be a 1982 Fender Strat in Candy Apple Red. It was the actual ‘STRAT’ model that they made for a short period; I bought that when I was 15, and it was close to $1,000, which was massive money for me at the time.” What was the last guitar you bought, and why? “I haven’t bought one in a while, but I…

People do occasionally ask me to make pickups, but I’m not in the pickup business as such. Instead, I consider repairing and restoring pickups to be among the services I offer as a guitar tech. With the help and encouragement from Stuart Robson of Sunbear Pickups, I began experimenting during the Covid lockdown, and when I found a good deal on a Mojotone winder, I grabbed it. My research suggested I would break a lot of wire before I acquired sufficient skill to wind complete coils. With that in mind, I bought a spool of relatively cheap polysol magnet wire for practising and resigned myself to lots of frustration and wasted copper. It took me weeks to pluck up the courage to get winding, but I eventually mounted the skeleton…

Gary Moore Tutor Richard Barrett | Gear used Les Paul Custom, Ibanez Tube Screamer & Marshall JTM45 MkII Reissue Difficulty 20 mins per example BY THE TIME you read this the last remaining guitars of Gary Moore’s collection to be auctioned (see The Final Encore in issue 530) will have proud new owners. Though most of us can only imagine what it must be like to own one of those hallowed instruments, we can all take inspiration from the music Gary conjured from their fretboards. This example solo is influenced by a couple of landmark performances: first, Gary’s solo on the original (1974) version of Thin Lizzy’s Still In Love With You; and second, it borrows ideas from his live performances of Parisienne Walkways and Still Got The Blues over…

On The Record Elusive, easy to get wrong and often something of a black art… Michael Watts demystifies recording acoustic guitars on p42 Steve Stevens Billy Idol’s long-time guitarist on gear, sessions and the perhaps surprising truth that a lot of hard rock songs start on acoustic p48 Keith Urban The contemporary country king is also a certified tone-hound and his musings on gear loved and lost are an entertaining journey p112…

Yamaha will shortly be celebrating 10 years since it introduced its first TransAcoustic guitar at Summer NAMM in 2016, back when the guitar world circled the new technology with great suspicion. Was this a novelty? A passing phase? Or could it be seen as a serious instrument that might find space on a professional stage? After all, an acoustic guitar that could generate its own reverb and chorus without any external effects being called into play seemed like some kind of a bizarre magic trick. But it worked. And the sound it produced was simply uncanny. That same guitar world listened and ultimately nodded in approval. Since then, the technology that was turning heads a decade ago has been reworked to include more onboard effects in the shape of delay…

PRS 40th Anniversary Special Semi-Hollow Limited Edition £6,499 CONTACT PRS Guitars PHONE +44 (0)1223 874301 WEB www.prsguitars.com With new releases coming virtually every month, it’s been a very busy celebratory year for PRS Guitars. Alongside additions to the standard Core, Bolt-On, S2 and SE ranges, we’ve seen six specific 40th Anniversary Limited Editions of which we understand this latest Special Semi-Hollow is the seventh and final piece. At the time of writing, it’s the ninth Semi-Hollow PRS offers (five of which are three-pickup Specials), alongside five full Hollowbody models. Clearly, there’s something in the air. The Core-level Special Semi-Hollow is the base platform for this limited edition of just 280 pieces. The primary difference is the wood choice. The mahogany back and neck of that model are swapped for black…

What does a luthier do in his time off? Well, in my case, one Sunday morning in October I clad myself in Lycra and cycled 140km across the south of England to visit one of the UK’s finest musical instrument collections, which is located at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Five hours and a very big full English breakfast later, I found myself standing (no longer in Lycra, thankfully) before a glass cabinet containing ‘The Messiah’, a violin crafted by pre-eminent luthier Antonio Stradivari. Having been kept for most of its life under lock and key in a collection, the violin was often anticipated but – like its namesake – never appeared. For an instrument more than 300 years old, it’s in astonishingly good condition, which makes it the most…

STAR LETTER GOLD FINGERS? I am 72 (going on 32) and have been playing guitar for around 55 years now. As my playing days are pretty much over (sadly, my wife has Alzheimer’s), I have been listening to old cassettes, vinyl and CDs that I have done over the years and what has struck me is that, throughout all that time, I have pretty much sounded the same. I have been lucky enough to own virtually every bit of gear I have ever wanted. Now, whatever amp I have been playing through, from my first Hiwatt Custom 50 (£69 new, signed by Dave Reeves in pencil inside, in around 1969) to my Fenders, Marshalls, Orange, H&K, Vox, Roland, Boss, et cetera, to my recent Mesa/Boogie Mark VII and my Helix…

Epiphone Jeff Beck Oxblood 1954 Les Paul Apart from being a timely reminder of the loss of one of the true guitar greats, the Oxblood’s convoluted backstory of what was once a ’54 Les Paul (reflected by the one-piece wrapover bridge) adds to the allure. Our sample was a great weight at 3.89kg (8.56lb), with a huge neck – “dimensionally, it’s the biggest neck of any production guitar we’ve ever played,” said our review – plus superb sounds from the Gibson USA Custombuckers. Yes, a little DIY TLC was needed but nothing major, and it has character in spades. You don’t have to have Jeff Beck’s chops (we wish!) to enjoy this one. Definitely a stand-out Les Paul of 2025 and one we seriously regret returning. Price: £1,199 Website: www.epiphone.com…

Furch Pioneer-ER a High-quality workmanship combined with a supreme level of innovation always seem to go hand in hand with guitars we’ve seen from Furch’s Czech Republic-based workshop. The company’s Pioneer model is a sibling to its Little Jane travel guitar with its detachable, fold-away neck that returns to pitch on reassembly. Here, Furch addresses another plague of the weary wayfarer: changes to humidity levels. The Pioneer counters this by a cunning device in the neck joint that automatically sets the action depending on the prevailing climate. Furthermore, a side port ensures this mini-marvel comes equipped with a strident sound that belies its diminutive dimensions. Price: €1,149 Website: https://furchguitars.com Bourgeois Slope D Standard T/S This instrument is the result of an extraordinary alliance between Dana Bourgeois, one of the world’s…

TC Electronic Plethora X1 The Plethora X1 is an extremely pedalboard-friendly ‘chameleon’ – a single pedal that can be anything that you want. The whole premise here is that you may want, say, a flanger, chorus or phaser at some point in your set but don’t really want a dedicated pedal for each of those effects on your pedalboard. The X1 can provide those and more, albeit one at a time. What makes the pedal so versatile is that it’s a TonePrint Loader that can house any of the sounds you’ll find in TC’s TonePrint pedals, which include the Hall Of Fame reverb, Flashback delay and many more. Access to all of those makes it a compact powerhouse for any ’board. Price: £120 Website: www.tcelectronic.com Fractal Audio VP4 Fractal Audio…

Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble The Boss compact pedal range has been one of the most comprehensive ever in its almost 50-year history, but somewhat surprisingly there’s never been a rotary speaker effect in that format – until the RT-2 arrived a few months ago. Based on a full-size Leslie 122 cabinet with rotating horn and drum, the pedal has three differently voiced modes of operation selected by a toggle switch. Two are variations on the classic sound, while the third takes things into different territory with what is effectively an evolved version of rotary sound. With adjustable drive and speed change via a long footswitch press, here’s flexible rotary sound in a form that should suit any pedalboard. Price: £229 Website: www.boss.info Source Audio Encounter This ‘Ambient Delay+Reverb’ features two…

Gretsch had the Chet Atkins 6120, and Gibson offered various Les Pauls – but Fender’s most famous artist signature model was never officially anything of the sort. It’s maybe because the guitars were selling like hot cakes that Fender is better remembered for its manufacturing processes than marketing strategies. Unlike all the other big US guitar manufacturers, Fender never bothered with artist signature models during the pre-CBS era. Even so, the Mary Kaye Stratocaster eventually acquired that status in a de facto sort of way and has become the ‘holy grail’ of vintage Fenders for many serious collectors. There was nothing fancy about the neck profile, the pickups or the wiring. In fact, only two features distinguished a Mary Kaye Stratocaster from any other Stratocaster that might have rolled off…

VINTAGE DISTORTION, CHORUS, DELAY & REVERB FROM £44 CONTACT John Hornby Skewes PHONE 01132 865381 WEB www.vintageguitarsrus.com What You Need To Know 1 Vintage? I thought they just made guitars… Well, yes, that’s what the company is known for – but it also has a range of amps and accessories and has now entered the pedal market with a batch of 13 stompboxes. 2 So, why 13? Good question… It could have been a 15-strong collection if Vintage had added a compressor and phaser, but as it stands there’s a full complement of other pedalboard staples, plus three amp-in-a-box pedals. 3 Will these run off batteries? No, they all run from a standard nine-volt adaptor, which is not included. However, you can pick up the nicely compact VPS09 power supply…

“The back is beautifully figured with no centre seam – they carved it from a single piece of maple” “This isn’t a guitar I would normally choose for an article, but I think it demonstrates just how extreme Gibson’s custom division was prepared to get in order to make a customer happy back in the day. “Although T-Bone Walker and Sister Rosetta Tharpe played these guitars, the Barney Kessel has never been a particularly popular model, but this one is custom-made in every single way. The body shape was initially designed for Tal Farlow, but he clearly didn’t like it because his signature model eventually became a far more traditional single-cutaway. Instead, Barney Kessel lent his name to the project, despite having no design input, and the Barney Kessel Regular…

Gretsch tells us that the recently refreshed Electromatic and Streamliner Jets employ “time-tested craftsmanship and careful precision to fuel reckless creativity and untamed expression”, adding that these new Jets “represent Gretsch’s focused commitment to the next generation of musicians”. Well, we’re wondering whether we’re actually allowed access to this party as we’re not exactly ‘the next generation’, but these fresh Jets straddle both the Electromatic and lower-cost Streamliner levels, and add to a sizable number of existing Gretsch Jets. In brief, the seven new models feature dual or single humbuckers, a one-piece wrapover bridge and a simplified three- or two-control layout. The Electromatics all have glued-in necks, the Streamliners are bolt-ons, and pricing overall runs from the top-of-the-line Electromatic Jet you see here, down to the Streamliner Jet Club 1…

Players who like to record videos for social media on their phones will know that the in-built mics aren’t the best at capturing great guitar sounds. That’s why the Polar Go mobile audio interface by Blackstar is a welcome little addition to its range of audio interfaces, especially at well under £100, as its main job is to help you capture pro-quality audio that’s auto-sync’d to your phone videos. The Polar Go is built around a pair of high-quality mics housed inside the unit’s palm-size casing (though there’s no obvious grille or aperture for them to ‘hear’ through), but there’s also a combi jack input for either XLR or standard instrument cables. Between these two inputs, the Polar Go can be used to record everything from acoustic guitars to electric…

Artist: Larry McCray Album: Heartbreak City (KTBA Records) Now in his mid-60s, Larry McCray’s career has taken him all the way from new kid on the block to elder statesman of the blues. With mentors such as Albert King, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins, McCray was schooled in the art of pentatonic conversation like few others and learned how to make his guitar speak as profoundly as any human voice. This year the Michigan-based musician is back with new album, Heartbreak City, which was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith and features a host of special guests including the producers themselves, along with Kirk Fletcher and Double Trouble keyboardist Reese Wynans. This is a very uplifting record that crosses over into lots of areas of the blues. “That’s the…

Anyone who has pointed a condenser mic at an acoustic guitar in the hope of hearing an accurately captured and musically inspiring recording upon playback may have instead felt disappointment at the opposite. I know I have. The acoustic guitar – whether flat-top or archtop, steel- or nylon-strung, flat-wound or rubber-bridged – can be a bit of a pain to capture, especially for the self-recording player. The reality is the vast majority of acoustic recordings are tracked, at best, in a modest home studio, or, at worst, a completely untreated bedroom (or toilet…). Quality of sound at source is a vital part of the process. I had an in-depth chat with Nashville studio ace Rory Rositas (Tommy Emmanuel, Bryan Sutton) who has this to offer on the subject. “I’ve always…

Manson Mikey Demus Signature MD-3 Long-time fixtures of the UK’s vibrant maker community, Manson produces detailed, quality builds that are always a pleasure to feature. This is the third signature for Skindred’s Mikey Demus and it really reflects his needs as a hardworking, gigging player. Based on Manson’s MA outline, the brand’s take on the Telecaster, the obeche body keeps the weight in check, but it’s the in-house-made Benchmark+ dual humbuckers that are the treat here, with heat at the bridge and vintage style at the neck. Their secret weapon is the ability to voice either in parallel humbucker wiring: no-hum single-coil-like tones that really expand the voice. Price: £2,099 Website: www.mansonguitarworks.com PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow In past years, PRS’s lower-tier USA S2 level has seemed overlooked, but for 2025…

One minute, it’s a car alarm. The next, it’s a chewed-up cassette tape. And perhaps it’s that infinite capacity for metamorphosis – under the boots of players from Tom Morello to Jonny Greenwood – that has made the pitch shifter a pedalboard staple since the 70s. Needless to say, Boss is no newcomer to the market. The king of compacts released its first analogue pitch effects – the OC-2 Octaver and VB-2 Vibrato – in the early 80s, before going digital with 1987’s PS-2 Pitch Shifter/Delay, and pretty much setting the pace for the modern sector with 2010’s PS-6 Harmonist. But as global product marketing manager, Matt Knight, reflects, it still felt like there was more gas in the tank. And with the new XS-100 and XS-1 Poly Shifters –…