New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (April 2011)
Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar HH (£335)
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.
This is a collection of electric and acoustic guitars, amps and effects - all of which have been meticulously tested by either Guitarist or Total Guitar in recent months and published on MusicRadar throughout April 2011.
Flick through this month's picks and follow the links to read each product's full review. First up is a rockin' new Squier...
Verdict:
"It's not the prettiest Jag of all time, but its beefy tones are perfect for hard rockers and Kurt Cobain devotees."
4 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar HH review
BUY: Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar HH currently available from:
UK: DV247
Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster (£335)
Verdict:
"A pair of sweet-sounding single-coils make this Jazzmaster an afforordable tone machine."
4 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster review
BUY: Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater
Fender Mustang III (£287)
Verdict:
"The Mustang III offers a vast array of usable tones for practise, recoding and occasional gigging. It's crazy value for money, too."
4.5 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Fender Mustang III review
BUY: Fender Mustang III currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass
Trace Elliot Trace Acoustic TA200 (£1225)
Verdict:
"The TA200 offers a room-filling spacious sound and an impressive feature list. If you're serious about your sound, it really should be considered."
4.5 out of 5
PRS Studio (£2999)
Verdict:
"For any player who values a guitar's sound over fashion, the Studio is going to take some beating. A high-level, thoroughly pro and highly versatile instrument."
4.5 out of 5
Fender 60th Anniversary Telecaster (£1414)
Verdict:
"An American Standard Telecaster with a thin-skin lacquer finish and unique neck plate, so what? So it's one fo the nicest standard production Fender Teles we've played for a long time. Join the party."
4.5 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Fender 60th Anniversary Telecaster review
Martin Westside Custom Edition Style X (£3250)
Verdict:
"A superior deluxe dread with much more to offer than simply being part of a collection."
4.5 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Martin Westside Custom Edition Style X review
Fender Road Worn Player Telecaster (£1019)
Verdict:
"A must-try for Keef-o-philes and anyone else wanting maximum tonal breath from a Tele. As long as you like fake ageing…"
4 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Fender Road Worn Player Telecaster review
Vintage V1800N (£579)
Verdict:
"Vintage turns a vintage parlour trick with aplomb."
4.5 out of 5
Recording King ROS-626 (£640)
Verdict:
"A tasteful, largely faithful vintage 000 re-creation."
4.5 out of 5
Jetter The Vibe (£179)
Verdict:
"This could be the way to go if you want Univibe-esque sounds in a small pedal: a cool modulation source for the crowded pedalboard."
3.5 out of 5
Martin Westside Custom Edition Style XIII (£2817)
Verdict:
"With a punch, mid-heavy output, this offers something a little different tonally."
4 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Martin Westside Custom Edition Style XIII review
Fender Road Worn Player Stratocaster (£1055)
Verdict:
"A rewarding mix of vintage and modern aesthetics and features. The ageing will be the decider."
4 out of 5
Read the Guitarist Fender Road Worn Player Stratocaster review
Hudson HDM-2P Vincent Fat Neck (£599)
Verdict:
"A slot-head, fingerstyle dreadnought well worth checking out."
4 out of 5
Jetter Red Shift (£159)
Verdict:
"For two distinct flavours of amp overdrive that still retain your guitar's true voice, this is a great pedalboard addition."
4.5 out of 5
Blueridge BG-140 (£699)
Verdict:
"A sunburst, all-solid J-45-style acoustic for this price? It's a winner."
4.5 out of 5
AER Pocket Tools Colourizer (£279)
Verdict:
"A great tool for shaping the sound of your electro-acoustic."
4 out of 5
Read the Guitarist AER Pocket Tools Colourizer review
BUY: AER Pocket Tools Colourizer currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music