It’s Halloween, folks. Congratulations, we made it. The witch hat knobs are officially in season. Pumpkin spice lattes are back on the menu – please enjoy responsibly. Oversized spiders constructed of nylon and wire are descending from doorways, and the gear just keeps on coming.
If there is a common thread, a narrative through line that joins this month’s biggest gear releases together, then we haven’t found it. But maybe there was some seasonal spice to Fender’s decision to launch John 5’s signature Phantom Telecaster – and his Ghost Tele – this month.
And if Halloween really is the heavy metal Christmas, then Christmas came early on Wednesday when Epiphone announced its refreshed and upgraded Prophecy Series. It comprises its most high-performance metal guitars yet – and the range includes a baritone Les Paul that promises a whole lotta chug from that extra scale length and those custom-voiced Fishman humbuckers.
There has been a lot of cool stuff. Kim Gordon’s signature Jazzmaster is definitely cool. The new bedroom-friendly Katana-25 combo from Boss is definitely cool. And Mark Hoppus’ limited edition Stoned Fruit Jaguar Bass is definitely cool (especially if you like stickers).
This was the month that brought us the big news from Fender that the American Professional Series had landed with a raft of player-friendly updates. Ovation brought back the Viper for a limited anniversary run, and MXR teamed up with Sonic Research for its first-ever guitar tuner. Gibson’s Flying V celebrating 50 years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also arrived, and it will surely break some hearts.
But what was the shut-up-and-take-our money release? Jackson’s Legend Series, in which it recreated four of the most iconic metal signature models of all time for Randy Rhoads, Scott Ian, Marty Friedman and David Ellefson would be in the running.
The aforementioned Kim Gordon Jazzmaster, with its Seymour Duncan JB/Fender Alnico V single-coil pickup configuration, has to be in the conversation too. And then PRS Guitars made its play for the shred/metal market with the all-new Tekton series – six and seven-string guitars, with or without Floyd Rose vibratos, all with the Maryland brand's high-end attention to detail.
There was much to get excited bout. Here we are going look at some of the highlights from October’s gear releases, and having just written “definitely cool” three times in the one paragraph, we've summoned something Candyman-style into being that fits that very description…
Dr No Effects Blameshifter
We are suckers for a Queens Of The Stone Age pedal, official artist tie-in or not. Often these stompboxes come with the promise of unlocking the band’s arcane tone secrets, such as the Skeleton Key from Funny Little Boxes.
But the Blameshifter is different. This is a clever little high-end routing box and buffer to mark 10 years of collaboration between QOTSA guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and Dr No Effects, and is also available as part of a specially designed capsule collection that comes boxed, limited to 10 units worldwide (only eight of which are available to the public), and bundled with TVL’s Raven and Octavia stompboxes.
The idea for it came from QOTSA inside joke. What if there was a pedal that could shift a mistake to another player’s amp? Well, this doesn’t shift blame per se but it does offer the player with a complex live rig options. There’s one input, one buffer, four outputs, a finger that points to where you want the signal to go.
Each unit is handmade, and at $375, it is not the cheapest signal switcher on the market, but it gives the finger to passive units by promising to preserve your tone with that buffer.
Check it out at Dr No Effects.
Boss Katana Artist Gen 3 10th Anniversary Edition
The big Boss news from October was most definitely the Katana-25 launch, but the figured maple veneers and translucent blue finishes on these 10th anniversary Katana Gen 3 amps is all kinds of boutique, dispelling the notion that digital guitar amps have to look dull and functional, and as aesthetically utilitarian as the dashboard on a family sedan.
We could use more amp design like this.
Find out more at Boss.
Seymour Duncan Iron Maiden Signature Set and the 50th Anniversary Duncan Distortion
If Halloween really is the heavy metal Christmas then here’s a gift for all Fender Stratocaster owners who celebrate, with Dave Murray and – for the first time – Janick Gers’ signature pickups. Both are available as a standalone set or bundled with a pre-loaded pickguard.
We could go into the magnets, the wiring, all these design details, but isn’t that quite redundant when we all know what they sound like? And if not, crack open a cold one, stick on Nights Of The Dead, Legacy Of The Beast and have yourself a good time.
This time the bass guitar players are not left out; there’s a Steve Harris set for dropping into your Precision Bass (wedge monitor for planting your foot on, sold separately).
Pretty cool, and as speaking as someone who owned No Prayer For The Dying on cassette, I dig the packaging.
Lastly, we are getting unconfirmed reports that the Janick Gers set contains some kind of technology that helps you balance a Strat on your index finger. Of course, if you’re more of a full-fat humbucker kind of player, there’s also the 50th Anniversary Duncan Distortion – a limited edition doozy from the Custom Shop.
See Seymour Duncan for more details.
Walrus Audio Storybook Series Lore MK II and Fable MK II
For the pedalboard that has everything, or at least has all the essentials covered, the latest from Walrus Audio’s Storybook Series offers something completely different – a pair of sequels that take your sound somewhere surreal.
The Lore is a reverse delay and reverb with pitch-shifting capabilities, while the Fable is a granular delay pedal with a number of tools for creating off-kilter textures, glitches, swells, weirdness and textures.
And while effects like this can seem a little niche, there is so much to explore, and so many sounds, that they’re not just the preserve of the bedroom soundscaper.
Check ‘em out at Walrus Audio.
Neural DSP Morgan Amps Suite X
Okay, this is a big one for those who prefer their boutique tube amps to be digital, in-the-box and ready for recording at any time of the day or night.
The X edition updates the user experience, adds a bunch of design features to make it more easy to use, and it’s a free update to existing users – check it out at Neural DSP.
Fender x Pokémon Telecaster and Strat
Fender has teamed up with Pokémon Center for this 30th anniversary MIJ Strat and Tele that was originally thought to be a Japanese exclusive – and one that you actually had to enter a lottery to be in with a chance to buy – but is now coming to the US and UK some time later, details TBC.
Now, yes, this is for Pokémon fans and collectors, but the most interesting thing from our perspective is this onboard 8-Bit effect that is activated via a push-push function on the volume knob that gives the guitar tone some retro arcade texture.
Taylor Guitars Legacy Koa
Taylor adds a pair of Hawaiian koa models to its Legacy Series for the very first time, but they’re strictly limited to 52 instruments each – 52 because these mark the brand’s 52nd anniversary.
We’ve got a jumbo-sized Legacy K65e LTD 12-String that’s koa all over and is so highly figured it looks animated even in still photography. And there’s the spruce-topped Custom Legacy K10 LTD dreadnought, koa on the back and sides. They're pricy, exquisitely crafted, and typically Taylor.
“Koa has been part of the Taylor story for a long time, and bringing it into the Legacy Collection felt like a natural fit,” says Andy Powers, Taylor’s chief guitar designer, president and CEO. “One of these guitars looks back to the 12-strings that helped put Taylor on the map, and the other takes a fresh look at the Dreadnought. Both are a celebration of what this wood can do.”
Find out more at Taylor Guitars.
Positive Grid Spark Cab 2
A welcome expansion of the Spark digital tone universe, these upgraded FRFR Speakers are available in Pearl or Black and are packing 140-watts, and promise tighter low end and more detail and clarity thanks to its retuned acoustics.
It is obviously designed for Spark users but has stereo combo XLR/TRS inputs and a balanced XLR for connecting any amp modellers, amps or outboard gear you like.
There is also an XLR output for sending your signal to a PA system, plus USB power outputs for Spark MINI, Spark Pedal, and Go, and DC power for your Spark 40 and Spark 2.
The price is $399 and you can find out more at Positive Grid.
Emerald Guitars X20
What happens when your favourite guitar brand just gets up one morning and decides – what the fudge! – time to discontinue every single model we make?
Well, if it’s Emerald Guitars, you just hang on a tick, because the Irish brand has no intentions of going anywhere. It was just time to clear the decks, and the X20 is pretty radical and futuristic carbon-fibre build available with steel or nylon-strings, and as a 12-string guitar.
For more details head over to Emerald Guitars.
Ernie Ball Music Man Ball Family Reserve editions of the John Petrucci Majesty, and Albert Lee Collection 2026
It has been all systems go at Ernie Ball Music Man as it reminds us that John Petrucci’s Majesty is one of the most state-of-the-art high-end electric guitars ever made, and that Albert Lee’s signature model is one of the most slept-on.
Lee’s guitar is quintessential EBMM, a guitar with a angular, retro-futuristic body shape that looks straight out of the late ‘50s. The finish options are magnificent.
But setting aside the aesthetic, its googie vibe, the Albert Lee model is a quietly radical and super-versatile HSS electric that crosses the streams with a pair of Lee’s signature Seymour Duncan single-coils and a DiMarzio humbucker at the bridge.
As for the BFR Majestys, you’ve got a six- and a seven-string option, both finished in a Blonde Roast or the delightful Chocolate Grizzle (a celebration of the fact Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man is getting a Criterion release on Blu-ray?), and each numbered and signed by Petrucci himself.
Yes, we’re talking $5,999 for the six-string, $6,199 for the seven-string, but these are collector-grade instruments (only 75 and 30 units of each respectively), and have the DiMarzio Dreamcatcher/Rainmaker humbucker combo plus the Fishman Powerbridge piezo, the curliest of maple tops, everything totally on point.
Find out more at Ernie Ball Music Man.
DiMarzio unveils The Chopper and Cruiser Tele pickups, teams up with Phillip Knight for the Northern Lights humbucker
DiMarzio’s big release of the month is aimed at Telecaster players whose heart sinks whenever they switch to the neck pickup. Apparently, this is a large percentage of Tele players.
Well, The Chopper and The Cruiser might help rehabilitate your relationship with the Tele neck sound – and they’re both hum-cancelling.
Also, YouTuber Phillip Knight partnered with DiMarzio to make his Blackstock Northern Lights humbucker because everybody kept ordering them and he couldn’t keep up with demand. They’re also cheaper now thanks to this partnership – find out more at the Know Your Gear Podcast page, and head over to DiMarzio to see what it can do for your Tele.
Crazy Tube Circuits Rapture
At first I was disappointed to learn that this was not a Trey Azagthoth distortion pedal to nail the tone to one of Morbid Angel and death metal’s greatest songs. But it was no small thing to learn that what CTC had really done was taken the low to mid-gain drive section out of the Triptychon (a pedal that I was disappointed to learn wasn’t a Tom G Warrior signature drive), and made it a standalone overdrive.
CTC adds interactive More and Mod switches to “extend its headroom, gain structure and clipping response”.
Find out more at Crazy Tube Circuits.
EarthQuaker Devices Plumes Jr and Blumes Jr Ltd Edition Mosfet Mods
EQD shrinks down the Plumes and Blumes into a mini-pedal format and adds a third Mosfet clipping stage to make this versatile tube-style drive pedal even more useful.
What difference does the mod make? Well, EQD says the new Mosfet mode produces “a harmonically rich, focused overdrive with enhanced low end and a dynamic response similar to a modern high-gain tube amp”.
Find out more at EarthQuaker Devices.
Gibson Baggs HiFi DNA acoustics
Having partnered with acoustic guitar pickup specialist Baggs to develop the HiFI DNA system, Gibson is now rolling it out, and this quartet of fresh acoustics from the Original Collection showing us how this unobtrusive solution to the age-old problem of amplified acoustic tone can be applied to a traditionally built instrument.
The J-45 Original, J-45 60s Original Fixed Bridge, Southern Jumbo 40s Original and Country Western 60s Original look little different to their vintage counterparts, but plug them in and you’ll notice the difference.
Find out more at Gibson.
Fender Dark Horse Records George Harrison Stratocaster
This is one to file under “Japan gets all the cool stuff” but it’s worth having a look at this Strat that’s built in honour of Harrison’s Dark Horse Records label, and comes with a capsule collection that was launched on October 16 at Fender’s Tokyo store with George’s son, Dhani, and Fender CEO Edward ‘Bud’ Cole.
See Fender for more.
Wylde Audio Acoustics
Zakk Wylde told us these were coming. You can hear them on the latest Black Label Society album. He told me over many cups of espresso that these were coming. And yet somehow I couldn’t quite envisage what an acoustic guitar designed by Wylde would look like.
Now we know, and they’re, well, firstly, you couldn’t impale anyone like you – theoretically – could with his electrics. These Grand Auditoriums conform to the cutaway shape. But there is a bullseye version. There are runic fingerboard inlays. And they’re the most Viking acoustics you could get for under $1,000.
Find out more at Wylde Audio.
Harley Benton Guitar MAX Fusion LH
You can read all about the YouTuber and shred virtuoso Maxxxwell Carlisle’s signature guitars here. But this was the month that the German budget gear giant answered the call of left-handers everywhere to give us a southpaw model.
Find out more at Harley Benton.
Fulltone OCD’Lux
The OCD is one of the most cloned, copied, maybe even misunderstood, but definitely one of the great drive/distortions of the modern era, and so Fulltone decided to jam two circuits together, each with switchable voices, and it’s as much OCD as you could ever want.
As an owner of the OCD Germanium, I can confirm that it sounds incredible. Those sounds are here and more.
“There are a lot of OD’s comparing themselves to and stealing from the Fulltone OCD, and that’s to be expected when you’re the best selling handmade overdrive of all time,” said Mike Fuller. “There are many out-and-out clones of the OCD, and that’s some form of a compliment I suppose, but I’d like to personally thank you for buying and supporting the original...the one and only OCD.”
Find out more at Fulltone.
Behringer Zentara
Speaking of cloned overdrive pedals, who here remembers Behringer’s $69 Klon clone that flew too close to the sun design-wise, and then the legal stooshie that followed?
Well, Klon Centaur designer Bill Finnegan wound down his legal campaign because Behringer did a little bit more designing and made it a little different. Now it’s back as the Zentara and it’s still as cheap as chips (and it has the same circuit).
Found out more at Behringer.
JHS Pedals Pherb and Wanderer
Josh Scott has had a busy month. Not only did he announce that he is selling hundreds of pedals on Reverb, but he launched the Wanderer, a twofer that combines the legendary Morning Glory and NOTAKLÖN circuits in one dual-footswitch pedal, and he also added the Pherb to his $99 3 Series. Yes, Pherb.
The people kept on asking for Flerb, i.e. that setting from the EHX Holy Grail reverb pedal that some love, most hate, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Flanger inside of a reverb just makes my skin itch,” he says. But what about phaser inside of a reverb? That works. That’s Pherb.
Find out more at JHS Pedals.
Zoom Neurig
In the amp modeller space, there is a new next-gen innovation arriving every other day. This month it’s Zoom’s Neurig.
Riffs, Beards & Gear’s Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce did a deep dive on it so you can hear it what this “next-gen” modeller sounds like in action above. Another YouTuber, Landon Bailey, asked the provocative question: “Is this the Quad Cortex Killer” but that just made us think of Crazy Horse and Neil Young.
Anyhoo, metaphorically dancing across the water with its galleons and guns and presets, the Neurig has AI tools, NAM A2 Lite integration, DNA Engine neural modelling... There are so many buzzwords in its spec that it’s probably unhealthy, definitely next-gen.
Check it out at Zoom.
Line 6 Helix Stadium Eras update
The Eras Stadium update is Taylor-made* for those who want to take a track and break it down into its constituent elements – drums, bass, guitar, vocals, and “other” – via stem separation tech, and then mute whichever you desire and play along. It’s a powerful learning tool.
Oh, and the update also includes three new Agoura amps, four distortions… Look, you’ve got a Helix Stadium? Hook that mother up and patch this in.
Find out more at Line 6.
[*sorry]
Neko Pocket Wireless Guitar Studio
This thing is only at the Kickstarter stage but it’s racking up the investors and offers the tantalising prospect of a full guitar studio and recording tool that fits inside your pocket.
It's just the thing when staying at some huge Airbnb in the English countryside and are suddenly taken by the urge to go Full Led Zeppelin IV and make an album.
See more at the Neko Kickstarter.
EHX Wailer Wah Pro
The constant bombardment of new features, options, switches all over the place, secret settings and easter eggs, it is reassuringly refreshing when one of the pedalboard stalwarts just comes out with something so uncomplicated.
The Wailer Wah Pro doesn’t let you adjust the sweep every way ’til Sunday. Just step on it. The “Pro” bit in its designation speaks to the build quality, with EHX promising road-readiness from its rugged aluminium enclosure. And it’s EHX, so the price is very competitive at 88 bucks.
See EHX for more.
Keeley Electronics Compressor Plus Germanium
This has been a big month for anniversaries. Here’s another one to celebrate 25 years of the industry standard compressor pedal, which is upgraded with a germanium transistor as a buffer and all-round sweetener of tone. Lovely stuff.
Find out more at Keeley Electronics.
Dunable Riley Pinkerton Minotaur Summoner
Let’s finish up with something metal, a single-pickup axe for battle from the Dunable Custom Shop that's spec’d up for Riley Pinkerton of Brookyln-based doom band Castle Rat.
This was originally part of a super-limited four-model run alongside her Castle Rat bandmate’s signature models: the Crimson Burst Cyclopse for Franco ‘The Count’ Vittore, and a Thunderclapper for Charley ‘The Plague Doctor’ Ruddell.
All sold out in no time, so Dunable brought back the Rat Queen’s Minotaur for a limited build-to-order run. Alas, is it gone for good? The Dunable site suggests as much. But you should have seen it. Oh, man… It was white, with a gold sparkle pickguard, and one humbucker doing the dark lord’s work....
Who knows, maybe Dunable will bring it back some day? Address your spells and hexes, and whatever black magic you’ve got at your disposal, to the Dunable Custom Shop. It can't hurt.
