Welcome to the MusicRadar monthly gear round-up, a highlights package covering all of September’s hottest drops – the signature guitars, the signature stompboxes, and the metal guitars for when you have finally been admitted into the guild of Norwegian black metal practitioners.
This month has brought us – finally – a Phil Collen signature Jackson that is priced for the jobbing musician, with the PS1-E an Ensenada-made version of his Californian über-guitar that has all the bells and whistles, including the Def Leppard guitarist’s signature DiMarzio pickups and the active Sustainer system, but a distressed nitro finish, too.
Harley Benton took the opportunity to upgrade the SC-550 Plus with Fishman Fluence humbuckers, Positive Grid put the Spark and all its tones inside a pedal, and Boss unveiled the EX-4 Effects Expander and promised more from your pedalboard.
It was the month that brought us the Squier Paranormal Troy Van Leeuwen Tele XII, a pair of Gretsch guitars in limited edition black limba, and Tone3000 made its library of NAM A2 captures available via guitar plugin.
Meanwhile, PRS and John Mayer teamed up with Jaguar Land Rover for a limited run of Silver Skies finished in classic Defender paint jobs, Fender promised an end to single-coil hum, and Seymour Duncan’s Joe Bonamassa collab continued apace with the Pawn Shop Special P-90s. Also, in pickups, Gibson and Baggs heralded an all-new pickup system for acoustic guitars.
Speaking of which, lets kick things off with some high-end acoustic guitars. Because Taylor just expanded its Next Generation series…
Taylor Guitars Next Generation 12-Fret Grand Concerts
Those with a little cash to spare, a penchant for a smaller-bodied cutaway acoustic guitars and a taste for the finer things in life – like, say, the scent of immaculately polished sinker redwood – will fall head over heels in love this expansion of Taylor’s Next Generation lineup.
There are five models in total, including the 512ce, PS12ce, K22ce, 712ce plus the 12-string 552ce, each assuming the compact player-friendly dimensions of the Grand Concert, each offering a different take on what has become a real player’s favourite over the years.
You get all the high-end appointments of the Next Generation Series: the Claria electronics, the Action Control Neck and the scalloped V-Class bracing.
The $11,999 PS12ce 12-Fret is Taylor at its most ornate, complete with that aforementioned sinker redwood, and the more restrained builds we know and love, including that very tidy western cedar 512ce that offers a 100 per cent pro-quality instrument for $2,999.
Find out more at Taylor Guitars
Yamaha Matteo Mancuso Signature Revstar RS20MM
Matteo Mancuso’s meteoric rise has reminded anyone who needed reminding that Yamaha’s Revstar remains one of the finest guitar designs of the modern era.
His signature Revstar is based off his Custom Shop model, and features a pair of DiMarzio PAF Pro 36th Anniversary humbuckers, and offers players something a little different.
Just be warned: it won’t make the Sicilian virtuoso’s fingerstyle fusion approach any easier, but with that chambered mahogany body, topped with figured maple, a carbon-reinforced neck that’s glued to the body, and five-way switching to get the most out of those PAF Pros, it’s a lot of guitar for $1,599.
See Yamaha for more.
Yamaha FG/FS7 Series
This has been a big month for Yamaha. Don’t sleep on its F7 Series acoustic guitars.
They are made in Japan, have an exceptional all-solid build, with Sitka spruce on top, Indian rosewood or mahogany on the back and sides, and an understated aesthetic. The natural finish and clean lines belies the fact that playing a flagship Yamaha acoustic can be a revelatory experience.
For £/$1,999, they are a must-try for serious players and jobbing pros, with the series comprising dreadnought and concert-sized models.
Find out more at Yamaha.
Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus colors
Rounding out the Yamaha launches, we have a round of fresh finishes for the for one of the all-time classic S-style workhorses. Now available in Sonic Blue, Ice Blue, Fired Red, and Tobacco Brown Sunburst.
Gibson DES Series
So this is what happens when the CEO learns how to make electric guitars? The former Gibson CEO now board member and artist ambassador Cesar Gueikian made it a priority in his time in charge of the Nashville-based guitar brand to learn the job from the shop floor up, stealing some time for himself on a Friday to head down to the Craftory in the company of master luthier and sensei Jim De Cola.
Much of being a CEO is about dealing with figures, making decisions that could affect people’s livelihoods. Making guitars was not that; it was a moment’s relief, and the guitars he made have been played by the likes of Billy Gibbons and Kirk Hammett.
Gueikian did tell us we might see his builds for sale one day, and the DES (his motto, “Do epic shit”) Collection is a super limited run that sports the Ghost Burst finish that he developed – and Tool’s Adam Jones named.
The range comprises a Flying V, SG, Les Paul, and Victory, and is all but sold out. But here’s hoping we see this finish again – and this DES aesthetic and spec – now that it is officially a thing. Gibson’s new Alnico VIII Elev8 humbuckers come as standard, compound radius ebony fingerboards. A portion of the proceeds goes to Gibson Gives.
Find out more at Gibson.
Strandberg Boden Essential Tremolo
Every now and again a guitar brand comes along that can claim the revolutionary tag, and Strandberg, this pioneer for neo-headless guitar designs – catnip to the prog-metal and math-rock set – is one of them.
Its latest is a $1,099 version of its flagship model now comes with the Arc TILT tremolo unit, and it is still super lightweight and has that ergonomic neck profile that’s approved by the likes of Plini et al. See Strandberg for more.
See Strandberg for more.
ESP/LTD Black Metal
ESP’s refresh of the LTD Black Metal series introduces a little red to the colour scheme with this new Black Red Burst finish – in satin, presumably because it’s borderline homophonic with Satan, and he/she/it is the core demographic for a shreddable über-metal build that houses a single Seymour Duncan MortalCoil at the bridge position. Just one pickup? Ah, don’t worry, it’s got multi-voices.
The M-7HT seven-string baritone with the reverse headstock is using one of those voices to speak to us. You’ll have to play us backwards to reveal what that message is, but it’s something along the lines of !em yuB !em yuB.
See ESP Guitars for more.
Reverend Billy Corgan Infinite Sadness
Everyone flipped their wig when they saw Billy Corgan play one of these live onstage at Lollapalooza and now Reverend has released the Infinite Sadness – in very small quantities – to mark the 30th anniversary of the Smashing Pumpkins’ most audaciously massive album.
Available in baritone or regular six-strings, these look exceptional in Black Sparkle, especially with that graphic finish. And although they are limited edition, they are affordable.
See Reverend Guitars for more – and good luck finding one.
Sterling By Music Man Cory Wong StingRay II
Finally, the affordable SBMM version of the funk-master’s humbucker-equipped signature model has arrived. We could tell you more about why the Vulfpeck guitarist went for humbuckers, but Cory Wong already told MusicRadar all about it – and what the StingRay II can give him that his Strat can’t.
Guild Starfire 2026 lineup
A semi-hollow Starfire is a wonderful thing indeed, and Guild has just dropped a whole bunch of them. There is a four-string bass version. There is a single-cut, a Deluxe, a Custom. Some have Guild’s Bigsby-esque vibrato. Others have their TOM-style bridge and tailpiece.
There are 17 of them and in some stunning finishes. This being a Newark St release, the price tag is pretty reasonable.
Check them out at Guild.
Fender Lee Sklar Precision Bass
It’s not uncommon for session aces to modify their number one instrument over the years, adding features, taking some away, knowing what works for the widest variety of musical scenarios, and that’s how Lee Sklar ended up with the Precision Bass on which this new signature model is based on.
It’s not your typical P Bass. There are mandolin frets, a pair of active EMGs, a Hipshot BT3 Bass Xtender and a Badass II bridge, and perhaps the most important feature is one you’ll only notice when you pick it up. It has the neck of a “shaved down” Jazz Bass. Wild.
See Fender for more.
Gibson Custom Artisan Hummingbird and SJ-200 Koa
The Artisan Series is not so much end-of-the-month, let’s blow the paycheck kind of proposition. It’s more a blow-the-retirement instrument, but what a way to spend it.
Here the Hummingbird and SJ-200 are giving a bougie koa makeover and we can well believe that those open chords will never have sounded sweet on them.
See Gibson for more.
Vox AC Mini
If the Vox AC30 and AC15 could get you evicted if you were to open them up and throttle them in a domestic setting, perhaps applying a Dallas Rangemaster to the front end to live out your Rory Gallagher/Brian May fantasies, then consider the AC Mini the solid-state compact powerhouse you can crank up at home, and still have a roof over your head the following morning.
See Vox Amplification for more.
Two Notes Engineering Torpedo Captor X Pro
Two Notes’ latest flagship reactive load box, passive attenuator, stereo DI and all-round backline power tool was co-developed with Ampete Engineering and antes up what was already a fully featured proposition.
Those features translate to usefulness. You can use the Torpedo Captor X Pro for “studio-grade” direct recording, taming a fire-breathing tube amp and adjusting its feel, resonance and attack, and with all the key parameters adjustable via the front panel – the centre of which is an easy-to-read colour display – and the accompanying Torpedo app, Two Notes gives you total control over the unit, and, ergo, your backline.
Find out more at Two Notes Engineering.
HeadRush FRFR Cab Series
HeadRush has been building out its digital tone ecosystem nicely, with the latest Core, Prime and Prime Flex guitar multi-effects pedals and amp modellers now offering native support for Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) captures and full integration with the Tone3000 platform. Well, you need something to play these units through, and so these new FRFR Cab Series Speakers might do the trick nicely – and they’re only 399 bucks or so.
See HeadRush for more.
Strymon La Brea
Strymon’s analogue project has already chalked up some stone-cold classics. The Canoga Fuzz is one of the best things we’ve had on the pedalboard this year. The Fairfax was, surely, impossible not to love.
And now this, the La Brea, or just La Brea, a pedal inspired by the development of the Deco tape saturation and double-tracker, which offers you compression and saturated drive, all the way up to fuzz sounds.
Check the sound samples in the demo above. We need to try this one quick.
See Strymon for more.
Fortin 3.33 Fredrik Thordendal signature dual channel boost pedal
Everyone loves ‘the ultimate whatever.’ It’s what we’re all searching for. The ultimate overdrive. The ultimate fuzz. The ultimate moderately powered tube combo with real spring reverb. And so on.
Well, the sequel to Fredrik Thordendal of Meshuggah’s signature Fortin boost pedal might just be one of the ultimate boost for high-gain metal players. It can even change the channels on your amp, and will help shape your sound so that riffs cause maximum damage.
See Fortin for more.
JAM Pedals Wahcko MK2
We lose our minds about vintage gear but what would players in the late ‘60s and ‘70s have done to have one of these on their ‘boards. Chances are, it might sound quite similar to the units they’ve been using, with Jam developing an inductor inspired by the OG TDK inductors in ‘60s Vox wah pedals.
But you’ve got some modern updates, with a six-way adjustable sweep and input gain control. And the enclosure design is very cool.
See Jam Pedals for more.
Flattley Reaper 10th anniversary Dual Mode Distortion
The Golden Age of Effects Pedals is a time of great abundance. Who can remember every drive and distortion pedal that came over the transom? But wait, didn’t Flattley already make a Reaper?
Well, yes, it did, and this 10th anniversary reimagining of the concept swaps out the old rotary control, retains the op-amp architecture, then adds soft and hard-clipping, and a boost mode.
As ever, you’ve got the cool Mexican-inspired enclosure art and what we’d expect to be a tip-top build.
Find out more at Flattley Guitar Pedals.
EarthQuaker Devices Stereo Easy Listening
The tiny pedal amp simulator gets a stereo upgrade. Sure, digital amp modellers are really exciting, what with all those options, but don’t forget you can do this the analogue way, too. Use it for silent practice, going direct into the PA, with “zero latency and no harsh digital artefacts”.
See more at EarthQuaker Devices.
Walrus Audio Fundamental Lo-Fi Delay
Walrus Audio updates its slider-equipped Fundamental range with a delay pedal that could scarcely be more on-trend.
Everyone and their indie-folk soundscaping cousin is turning looking for that gauzy, soft-focus magic in their tone, repeats that sound like a memory fading… Or something like that. Texture is the buzzword we’re looking for. And it is just $99.
See more at Walrus Audio.
Keeley Electronics Tube Drive
And for his next trick, breadboard magician Robert Keeley sticks a a Russian 12AX7 triode into an overdrive pedal, offers two drives (“high-voltage tube drive” and the Keeley Phat Mod) and the capability to stack them and change the stacking order with a flick of your big toe.
It has switchable bypass, is build in Oklahoma, and the tube is already burned in, ready to go, on your ‘board, on the road, and if you look under that K-shaped grille you can see it at work. Let it cook! Okay, $399 is not cheap but it’s a serious drive.
See Keeley Electronics for more.
Warm Audio Mod Series
SolidGold FX Fuzzbox
The Fuzzbox is SolidGold’s modern reinterpretation of a classic Tone Bender MkII, adding Bias and Sag switches, plus switchable Modern and Vintage modes.
Purists can get sniffy about switching up the classics, but when it comes to fuzz pedals, surely it makes sense, a practical and fun upgrade that makes it easier to find that Jimmy Page LedZep fire – and some tones of your own.
Find out more at SolidGold FX.
