Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars

Best guitar gear of the month: March 2010 review round-up

News
By Guitarist, Total Guitar, Chris Vinnicombe ( Guitarist, Total Guitar ) published 1 April 2010

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Palmer PDI-03 Speaker Simulator (£460)

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)

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Patrick James Eggle Linville Gareth Pearson (£1900)

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)

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Mesa/Boogie Multi-Watt Dual Rectifier 100W head (£2329)

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)

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Fuchs Overdrive Supreme 50-watt 2 x 12 combo (£3099)

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)

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Vox AC30C2 2 x 12 combo (£822)

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)

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Boss TU-3 pedal tuner (£80)

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)

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Blackstar HT Stage 60 2 x 12 combo (£699)

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)

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Gibson Dusk Tiger (£2799)

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)

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Moog E1 guitar (£2899)

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)

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Chris Vinnicombe

Chris Vinnicombe worked with us here on the MusicRadar team from the site's initial launch way back in 2007, and also contributed to Guitarist magazine as Features Editor until 2014, as well as Total Guitar magazine, amongst others. These days he can be found at Gibson Guitars, where he is editor-in-chief.

The magazine for serious players image
The magazine for serious players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Latest in Guitars
D'Angelo and Prince
D’Angelo was so in awe of Prince that he refused to play his guitar on the one occasion they shared a stage
 
 
Keeley Electronics Nocturne: this new stereo reverb is the latest signature pedal for Andy Timmons and has a dark metallic blue enclosure with a similar control surface to his Halo Core pedal.
“I turn this thing on, I don’t want to stop playing”: Keeley Electronics has made Andy Timmons fall in love with reverb with his new signature Nocturne pedal
 
 
Paul McCartney points to the crowd and raises an eyebrow as he performs with his iconic Höfner Violin Bass
Paul McCartney's favourite bass company is in trouble – Höfner's future uncertain as it files provisional insolvency proceedings
 
 
Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X – The latest and most high-profile addition to the Finnish brand's signature plugin range, Mayer's plugin is replete with captures of boutique, rare and one-off amps and pedals
It’s official! Neural DSP’s John Mayer Archetype plugin suite is here – and with Dumble, Klon and Reverberator captures, it is the motherlode for boutique electric guitar tone
 
 
Joe Walsh plays a PRS SE electric guitar live onstage
Joe Walsh on the best guitar solo he ever recorded (and how it officially made the talk box a thing)
 
 
Olivia Rodrigo playing guitar
Olivia Rodrigo explains why she loves playing her custom Ernie Ball Music Man St Vincent Goldie signature model
 
 
Latest in News
Portrait of British musician Kirsty MacColl (1959 - 2000) and Irish musician Shane MacGowan, the latter of the group the Pogues, as they pose together, each holding a toy gun with one hand and, in the other, a Christmas cracker over an inflatable Santa Claus, 1987.
“In operas, if you have a double aria, it's what the woman does that really matters. The man lies, the woman tells the truth": The story of Fairytale Of New York
 
 
Chris Rea circa 1970
Tell Me There’s A Heaven: Chris Rea has died, aged 74
 
 
Lady Gaga performs during her 'JAZZ & PIANO' residency at Park MGM on August 31, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada
“Being a human being isn’t going to go out of style anytime soon”: Why Lady Gaga is unafraid of AI
 
 
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 27: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Alanis Morrisette performs live on stage at The O2 Arena on July 27, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage for ABA)
Alanis Morissette reveals what she thinks is “the real irony” of the fuss caused by the lyrics in her 1996 hit
 
 
 Morrissey performs at The SSE Arena, Wembley on March 14, 2020 in London, England
Back To The Old House: Morrissey signs again to Warners subsidiary Sire
 
 
Artist Paul Simon arrives for the Polar Music Prize at Konserthuset on August 28, 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden
“One of music’s great storytellers”: Paul Simon among artists to be given Lifetime Achievement award at 2026 Grammys
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...