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
More
  • Seven Nation Army
  • Avril Lavigne
  • Prince and The Beatles
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Kids hands on a beginner keyboard
Keyboards & Pianos Best keyboards for beginners 2025: Get started with our expert pick of beginner keyboards for all ages
Man playing Roland TD716 electronic drum set in a studio
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets 2025: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video and audio demos
Drum kit with a red overlay and blue text saying 'best Christmas gifts for drummers'
Drums Best Christmas gifts for drummers 2025: my pick of affordable festive gifts they'll actually use
Sennheiser in ear monitors on a lit up dj controller
Studio Monitors Best budget in-ear monitors 2025: My pick of cheap in-ears for every type of musician
Man sits behind a Roland digital piano in a white room
Keyboards & Pianos Best Roland digital pianos
Man holding acoustic guitar in front of a silver laptop
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN
Electric Guitars “Some might say a guitar at this kind of price point has no business resonating so well”: Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN review
TC Electronic Polytune clip-on tuner on a Martin acoustic guitar headstock
Guitar Tuners Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: Top headstock and soundhole tuners to buy right now
Man in orange shirt playing drums with a guitar player
Drum Gear Best drum thrones 2025: my pick of budget-spanning stools for comfort behind the kit
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
A Fender Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster on a white piece of wood with lots of holes in it
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
A Yamaha Revstar electric guitar on a blue background
Electric Guitars Thomann's Guitar Days sale just hit up to 70% off with £474 off an Epiphone semi-hollow, £132 off a Death By Audio pedal, plus loads more massive savings
PRS SE Semi-Hollow Special
Electric Guitars "A stellar build complements a gorgeous aesthetic, and thankfully, it has the tones and playability to back it up": PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow review
Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut in Wychwood greenburst finish
Electric Guitars "For garage, punk, and rock styles, it’s got the tonal firepower on offer": Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut review
  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
Read more
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
 
 
A Fender Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster on a white piece of wood with lots of holes in it
Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
 
 
Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN
“Some might say a guitar at this kind of price point has no business resonating so well”: Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN review
 
 
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
 
 
A Yamaha Revstar electric guitar on a blue background
Thomann's Guitar Days sale just hit up to 70% off with £474 off an Epiphone semi-hollow, £132 off a Death By Audio pedal, plus loads more massive savings
 
 
PRS SE Semi-Hollow Special
"A stellar build complements a gorgeous aesthetic, and thankfully, it has the tones and playability to back it up": PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow review
 
 
Latest in Guitars
Harley Benton Halloween raffle
If you could have €500 worth of Harley Benton gear, what would you choose?
 
 
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: The early Black Friday sales are here - score big on Gibson, PRS, Universal Audio, Casio and more
 
 
Davey Johnstone and Elton John are back-to-back as they perform live, with Johnstone playing his Captain Fantastic Les Paul Custom
Davey Johnstone on the making of Elton John’s 1975 masterpiece, Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
 
 
The Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard enters the Gibson mainline range, sporting the same ebony finish and dual-P-90 configuration that made it the electric guitar of 2025.
Gibson celebrates the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ Wonderwall by releasing the most talked-about electric guitar of 2025
 
 
Jackson Pro Series Cory Beaulieu King V: refreshed with quilt maple top, signature Seymour Duncany pickups and offered in six and seven-string versions – both with a Floyd Rose vibrato.
Jackson and Corey Beaulieu ante up with the Trivium guitarist's new Seymour Duncan-loaded next-gen King V
 
 
Blues phenom Christone "Kingfish" Ingram with his new signature Fender Telecaster Deluxe in Daphne Blue
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram on how the Telecaster won him over – and his new Delta Day signature Tele Deluxe
 
 
Latest in News
Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck
“He would always put himself down”: Ritchie Blackmore remembers Jeff Beck
 
 
Armin Van Buuren piano
“I feel a freedom behind the piano”: Armin Van Buuren on his surprising new musical direction
 
 
slower fragments
This free plugin captures the "evocative warmth and warped textures" of half-speed tape recordings
 
 
Loveday
"Artists have always been resourceful”: Emerging artist Loveday on why she’s turning to OnlyFans
 
 
halloween
SampleRadar: 196 free spooky samples
 
 
Bohemian Rhapsody picture disc
Roger Taylor names the early Queen song that's "a lot more complicated in many ways than Bohemian Rhapsody"
 
 

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...