Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
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
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Electric Guitars Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
native instruments
Music Production Tutorials "As nuanced as the real thing, but only if you know what you're doing": The ultimate guide to plugin guitars
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
Gretsch Electromatic CVT: The bolt-on double-cut assumes a familiar form to the Jack Antonoff signature model, and features dual humbuckers, a wraparound tailpiece, and some neat vintage finishes.
Guitars Like the Jack Antonoff signature Gretsch? Then you are going to love the CVT Electromatic
A black-and-white image of Jimmy Page using a violin bow on his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
Guitars Bare Knuckle supremo Tim Mills reveals the tone secrets of Jimmy Page’s ‘Number One’ Les Paul
Laney Lionheart Foundry Supertop
Guitars Laney unveils the IR-equipped 120W Supertop head with onboard effects and matching cabs
Spira S-450 TPP
Electric Guitars "Up there as one of the better value for money metal guitars that you can currently buy": Spira S-450 TPP review
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL: The new flagship amp modeller and multi-effects unit is a dramatic expansion of the Helix framework with a suite of state-of-the-art features
Guitars Line 6 debuts all-new AI tech as it supercharges its amp modelling platform with the Helix Stadium
Blackstar ID:X 50: The new combo from the British amp titan is described as "this is the most natural-sounding" modelling amp on the market.
Guitars Blackstar unveils ID-X combos – complete with 6 amp voices, over 35 effects, CabRig and OLED display
Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo: the metallic gray box has cream dials, an LED that lights up blue and/or red, and is photographed here against a wooden background.
Guitar Pedals “A perfect melding of vintage sound with modern practicality”: Strymon EC-1 review
Atlas DSP - Your Final Steps
Plugins Atlas DSP, Your Last Steps Review
Steven Wilson performs live onstage with his custom shop Fender Telecaster. The stage is illuminated in green stage lights.
Artists Steven Wilson reveals the $20 plugin he used on all the guitars on his new space rock epic
A guitar VST running in Kontakt player on a computer
Plugins Best guitar VSTs 2025: Get the best simulated guitar tones for your next production
Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac: the new semi-hollow signature model is a stunning singlecut with a quilted maple build in a natural finish.
Electric Guitars “Unbeatable... A play-anything guitar”: Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac Session Man review
  1. Guitars

The best guitar gear of the year: 2012

News
By Rob Power published 5 December 2012

2012's essential guitars, amps, effects and more

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

The best guitar gear of 2012

The best guitar gear of 2012

Have you been good this year? No? Didn't think so. It's a shame really, because as ruddy-cheeked seasonal worker Santa prepares his yearly breaking and entering spree, all the non-naughty guitarists out there - you know, the ones who practice hard and don't down seven pints before a gig - will surely be receiving some of the best gear of 2012.

It's the same every year: just when you think you've seen every possible guitar in every conceivable shape, every handy gizmo and heavenly amp, a brand new stack of gear hits the shops and makes you want to part with your hard-earned cash all over again.

In the spirit of Christmas - for here at MusicRadar the bells never stop jingling at this time of the year - we've trawled through every review and new release to bring you the very best of this year's guitar goodness. Over the next few pages you'll find new spins on old classics, impressive newcomers and plenty of reasons to put a hefty dent in your end-of-year pay packet.

So here it is: the very best guitar gear of 2012, complete with links to full reviews and the noble runners-up in each category. Enjoy, and have yourself a cracking Christmas surrounded by your nearest and dearest guitars. Oh and family and friends, don't forget them...

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Solid body electric guitar of the year

Solid body electric guitar of the year

It shouldn't be possible to be able to improve on a classic so many years after its introduction, but with the Les Paul Classic Plus, Gibson has done exactly that.

It's a stunner of a guitar, somehow managing to be both beauty and the beast. It's got the looks, sure, but we're after much more than that for north of £1500, and the Classic Plus delivers: bell-like tone, sustain that will still be hanging around when you've retired and a choice of neck profile (either a rounded '50s or slim '60s style neck is available) all help make the Les Paul Classic Plus our solid body of the year.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Gibson Les Paul Classic Plus

Also in the running

Jackson Adrian Smith SDX

Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar

BUY: Gibson Les Paul Classic Plus currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Andertons Music Co. | Thomann | Gear4Music

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Semi-acoustic electric guitar of the year

Semi-acoustic electric guitar of the year

It looks beautiful, it plays like a dream and Elvis played on in the '68 Comeback Special - yep, the Hagstrom Viking Rex-Tone was hands down the best semi we saw this year.

That's no small feat in an incredibly crowded and competitive area of the market, but if you can get your hands on one of these you'll see why it came out on top instantly. Fantastic playability, a smorgasbord of tonal variety thanks to all those lovely switches, and a pair of smashing pickups meant that this King-approved beauty ruled in 2012.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Hagstrom Viking Rex-Tone

Also in the running

Gibson Midtown Standard

PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow with Bigsby

BUY: Hagstrom Viking Rex-Tone currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Thomann | Gear4Music

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Best small guitar amplifier of the year

Best small guitar amplifier of the year

A proper Orange head, with all the tone that heritage implies, for under £100? What fresh madness is this?

In a year packed full of genuinely great sounding small amps, the Orange Micro Terror managed to top the lot. How? With a combination of killer rock tones, surprising volume and the ability to punch way above its diminutive weight, that's how. The eye-wateringly low price point didn't hurt, either...

4.5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Orange Micro Terror

Also in the running

Vox AC4HW1

Blackstar HT-5R

BUY: Orange Micro Terror currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Andertons Music Co. | Thomann | Gear4Music
USA:
Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Best medium guitar amplifier of the year

Best medium guitar amplifier of the year

In the year that we said goodbye to Jim Marshall, it's fitting that a descendent of his world-changing amplifiers demonstrated exactly what makes Marshall such a revered brand.

The updated DSL40C blew our reviewer's mind-hole with its effortless ability to throw out everything from pristine clean tones through to rock raunch and ultra high-gain goodness. Loud and loaded with everything the discerning rocker could ever require, it's the mid-sized combo that proved once again that there's nothing quite like a Marshall.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Marshall DSL40C

Also in the running

Egnater Tweaker 40

Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 36

BUY: Marshall DSL40C currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Andertons Music Co. | Thomann | Gear4Music
USA:
Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Best large guitar amplifier of the year

Best large guitar amplifier of the year

It looks and sounds like it came from outer space, so sweet are the tones that can be wrung from the Carvin VL300 Legacy 3.

Steve Vai has really outdone himself with his signature head this time. Three channels of super-versatile tonal nirvana, running the range from sweet and soulful cleans all the way to filthy ultra high-gains that are filthier than a whore's drawers. Mightily impressive, with superb build quality and head-turning looks, the Legacy 3 wins the heavyweight battle for the best large guitar amp of 2012.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Carvin VL300 Legacy 3

Also in the running

Laney L50H

Kemper Profiling Amp

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Best acoustic guitar of the year

Best acoustic guitar of the year

It would seem that in 2012, you've really gotta have Faith.

The brand has gone from strength to strength this year, winning all sorts of plaudits and a stream of stunning reviews here on MusicRadar. On the evidence presented with the Neptune, it's easy to understand why. A highly impressive baby jumbo bursting with character, the Neptune stuck out a mile in the incredibly competitive acoustic market. Impressive.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Faith Neptune

Also in the running

Washburn WD7S

Martin D-18

BUY: Faith Neptune currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Andertons Music Co. | Gear4Music

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Best electro-acoustic guitar of the year

Best electro-acoustic guitar of the year

Snappily named it may not be, but the Ibanez AW250-ECE LG makes all the right moves when plugged in.

Ibanez may not be widely known for their acoustics, but we were highly impressed with this feature-packed electro-acoustic. Boasting a Fishman Sonicore, cedar top and a choice of jack and XLR outputs, it's as sweet a sounding an electro as we had out hands on all year.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Ibanez AW250-ECE LG

Also in the running

Taylor 712CE

Vintage Paul Brett VE8000PB-12

BUY: Ibanez AW250-ECE LG currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Andertons Music Co. | Thomann

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Guitar FX of the year

Guitar FX of the year

Any pedal that proudly proclaims itself to be 'pure valve filth' is going to do well with us, but it's the fact that the Blackstar HT-Metal backs up its claim to dirtiness so well that impressed us most.

Have no doubt, this is a seriously heavy pedal, able to dial in the very darkest of tones but with enough versatility to find space in any discerning distortionite's pedal board. Almost frighteningly good at its job, the HT-Metal is an essential buy for any worshipper at the altar of rock.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Blackstar HT-Metal

Also in the running

EC Custom The Mystical Sustainer

Dr Scientist The Elements

BUY: Blackstar HT-Metal currently available from:
UK/Europe:
Andertons Music Co. | Gear4Music | Reddog Music
USA:
Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Guitar accessory of the year

Guitar accessory of the year

Like all the best innovations, the Rock Slide Swamp Slide makes you wonder why the features it boasts weren't thought of decades ago.

The tapered interior makes for a supremely comfortable slide playing experience, and does something we didn't think possible - brings the slide bang up to date. Superb.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Rock Slide Swamp Slides

Also in the running

IK Multimedia Amplitube Slash for iPad

TC Electronic Polytune Mini

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Rob Power
Read more
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
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
native instruments
"As nuanced as the real thing, but only if you know what you're doing": The ultimate guide to plugin guitars
TC Electronic Polytune clip-on tuner on a Martin acoustic guitar headstock
Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: Top headstock and soundhole tuners to buy right now
Gretsch Electromatic CVT: The bolt-on double-cut assumes a familiar form to the Jack Antonoff signature model, and features dual humbuckers, a wraparound tailpiece, and some neat vintage finishes.
Like the Jack Antonoff signature Gretsch? Then you are going to love the CVT Electromatic
Laney Lionheart Foundry Supertop
Laney unveils the IR-equipped 120W Supertop head with onboard effects and matching cabs
Latest in Guitars
Third Man Hardware x Black Mountain Roto-Echo: the roller wheel equipped delay pedal is a compact and performance-friendly stompbox that's available in black or limited edition white. Jack White has used it onstage and in the studio during the sessions for No Name.
Jack White’s Third Man teams up with Black Mountain for the Roto-Echo, a delay controllable by foot
Gibson Tony Iommi Humbucker: the all-new humbucker, a reissue of its first-ever signature pickup.
Gibson goes back to the beginning with reissue of its first-ever signature pickup for Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi
John Fogerty wears a blue plaid shirt and plays his Fireglo 'Acme' Rickenbacker live onstage in 2022
“Dumb idea to give a guitar away that meant so much to you”: John Fogerty explains why he let go of his iconic guitar
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score a massive $1,000 off Roland V-Drums, up to $320 off a range of Fender guitars, and so much more
PRS Guitars' new limited edition Custom 24 Satin photographed at the brand's Maryland factory with wood blanks in the background.
PRS swaps maple for mango to give its “flagship” Custom 24 a 40th anniversary satin nitro makeover
Jimi and Billy in 1968
“I was playing the Fender Strat that Jimi Hendrix gave me”: Billy Gibbons on the making of ZZ Top's greatest blues song
Latest in News
Marek "Ashok" Šmerda wears corpsepaint that makes him look a little like Hellraiser's Pinhead as he performs live with Cradle of Filth.
Cradle of Filth guitarist Ashok fired mid-tour, days after keyboardist wife quits citing low pay and “toxic” atmosphere
Rick Rubin .
"He made so many of those songs better with just one little nudge”: Daron Malakian on Rick Rubin
Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye performs on stage during the 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' at MorumBIS on September 7, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Weeknd is looking to raise $1 billion using his back catalogue as collateral
Every Breath You Take video still
Sting sued by ex-Police colleagues for a share of Every Breath You Take royalties
bitwig
Bitwig takes its flagship DAW to "another level" with Bitwig Studio 6
Gorillaz pop-up
“Gaming stations, giveaways, live game streams and DJ performances”: Gorillaz announce Fortnite pop up event

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

  • 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...