Ed Mitchell

Looking for a great-sounding, affordable electric?

Fender's rebooted 'student' model

There was a time when Paul Reed Smith guitars were seen by some as elitist playthings - too expensive for the working guitarist, and too pretty to risk pranging at a gig.

The original mouse that roared, the Duo-Sonic is, a short-scale student model that has become highly prized for its excellent playability and tone.

If you've spent any time in a recording studio, you'll recall that after laying down a great rhythm track the engineer will normally ask you to play it again, man.

The S-200 T-Bird was first hatched back in 1963, but asides from brief flings with Muddy Waters and Lovin' Spoonful's Zal Yanovsky, in the 60s, it never really got much kudos.

Avid followers of the work of Black Stone Cherry frontman Chris Robertson will know that his Southern hard rock sound has its foundations in a love of the blues.

The WireTap is a mains only, ultra-compact stompbox that allows you to capture song ideas as you play.

A reboot of the PDF-1 distortion – the first Stone classic launched in 2010 – the aptly stamped PDF-2 trumps the performance of its Josh Homme-beloved older brother with some added gain.

Fig Fumb is an anagram of Big Muff, but this is no clone.

The Kliptonite is a two-for-one deal featuring superb-sounding overdrive and fuzz circuits in a single box.

This prickly customer has the same neck profile and flat 14-inch radius ebony 'board as the recently-reviewed Odin and Warhammer.

There is no getting away from it.

Named after the one-eyed Norse god with an affinity for ravens, in case you were wondering, the Odin is a cool twist on Zakk's beloved Gibson Les Paul format.

The new Washburn Woodline 10 Series is a range of affordable but well-appointed guitars based on the vintage Martin OM body style.

Sinking our teeth into a new Resonator

New for 2016, Fender has shown the spec sheets of its popular Mexican-built Deluxe Series Roadhouse Stratocaster model some love to create a reboot that comes seriously well appointed.

The So-Cal defines the 'SuperStrat' concept as originally nailed by Eddie Van Halen in the late 70s.

Leslie rotating speakers were designed for use with Hammond organs, until The Beatles had the bright idea of using one to amplify guitars.

Unlike most of its modern guitars, the new Danelectro '64 is not a reissue pulled from the iconic brand's back catalogue.

Given the simplicity of a wah pedal – basically a tone knob you control with your foot – Dunlop has a huge catalogue of Cry Baby models.

Assembled in Long Island, the Supro 1695T Black Magick is a recreation of the amplifier Jimmy Page used in the early days of Led Zeppelin.