It’s that time of year again; the Christmas bells are ringing and half of the country is panic buying enough bread and milk to see them through to 2012.

On the upside, at least if you’re snowbound then it’s a good excuse not only to spend some quality time with your beloved instrument, but also also to have a think about the gear that you’d like to shell out on in 2011.

2010 has been a difficult year for all concerned in the MI industry, but happily there has still been no shortage of drool-worthy guitars, amps and effects. What will 2011 bring? It’s difficult to be sure, but we expect to see plenty more retro and artificially aged instruments and small valve amps at NAMM 2011 in January alongside a smattering of leftfield innovations and all-new super-guitars.

What follows – in no particular order – is a gallery of MusicRadar’s best guitar gear of 2010, taking into account the Guitarist and Total Guitar reviews published on the site and our own hands-on experiences with this year’s finest products.

So, without further ado, let’s kick off with a bang and present 2010’s electric guitar of the year.