Palmer PDI-03 Speaker Simulator (£460)
Every month, MusicRadar’s industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm and Future Music - publish the best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.
We’ve collated the latest electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers and effects to have fallen under the expert eyes and ears of Guitarist and Total Guitar's test teams. All the gear on show here was originally reviewed in Guitarist issues 326-327 and Total Guitar issue 200. It was published on MusicRadar throughout March.
Scroll on for this month’s top picks and click through to read each product’s full review and check out video and audio demos. First up: here's Palmer's legendary Speaker Simulator reissued.
MusicRadar’s verdict:
"Easy-to-use hardware cabinet simulation for recording guitarists."
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: PDI-03 Speaker Simulator
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 326)
Patrick James Eggle Linville Gareth Pearson (£1900)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"A cracking electro with bags of presence and punch built for a long life on the stage."
5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Linville Gareth Pearson
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 326)
Mesa/Boogie Multi-Watt Dual Rectifier 100W head (£2329)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Plug into one and you'll find it very hard not to be impressed – the updated Dual Rectifier is set to be amp of the decade… again!"
5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Multi-Watt Dual Rectifier 100W head
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 327)
Fuchs Overdrive Supreme 50-watt 2 x 12 combo (£3099)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"For serious players only (and those with plenty of cash), the Fuchs is a pro-level tone machine that will never let you down."
4.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Overdrive Supreme 50-watt 2 x 12 combo
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 326)
Vox AC30C2 2 x 12 combo (£822)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"If you've been put off by previous AC30s, this, finally, is the one to opt for and enjoy."
4.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: AC30C2 2 x 12 combo
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 327)
Boss TU-3 pedal tuner (£80)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Simple: a classic, updated. Success awaits you, TU-3."
4.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: TU-3 pedal tuner
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 327)
Blackstar HT Stage 60 2 x 12 combo (£699)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"This workhorse gigging amp will pay for itself."
5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: HT Stage 60 2 x 12 combo
(Reviewed in Total Guitar magazine issue 200)
Gibson Dusk Tiger (£2799)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"An exciting new toy for well-heeled experimentalists. The rest of us will have to wait for the technology to filter down the food chain."
3.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Dusk Tiger
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 327)
Moog E1 guitar (£2899)
MusicRadar's verdict:
"An innovative approach has created a new genre of our chosen instrument. If you want easily controllable and infinite sustain, this Moog is the place to find it, albeit at a price."
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: E1 guitar
(Reviewed in Guitarist magazine issue 327)
“Not that I was restricted in any way with Rush. I’m very proud of what we did. But this is a whole different kind of experience”: Alex Lifeson on disguised guitars, soloing strategies and finding fresh sounds and freedom with Envy Of None
“A vast tonal palette from gnarly, aggressive distortion to smooth, creamy overdrive. ”: Crazy Tube Circuits cooks up a crazy tube circuit for real – meet Venus, an overdrive pedal with an “oddball” ECC832 inside
“Not that I was restricted in any way with Rush. I’m very proud of what we did. But this is a whole different kind of experience”: Alex Lifeson on disguised guitars, soloing strategies and finding fresh sounds and freedom with Envy Of None
“A vast tonal palette from gnarly, aggressive distortion to smooth, creamy overdrive. ”: Crazy Tube Circuits cooks up a crazy tube circuit for real – meet Venus, an overdrive pedal with an “oddball” ECC832 inside
