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
Mark Tremonti plays a big chord on his signature PRS electric guitar as he performs a 2025 live show with Creed
Artists “If I sit down with a Dumble, the last thing I’m going to do is do any kind of fast techniques”: Mark Tremonti on why he is addicted to Dumble amps
Elton John and Davey Johnstone perform at the piano during their 2012 tour, with Johnstone playing the Les Paul Custom 'Black Beauty' that John originally bought for himself, but gave it to Johnstone after the band had all their gear stolen.
Artists Davey Johnstone on guitar shopping with Elton John – and how he ended up with his iconic Les Paul Custom
A Cort G200SE on a dirty white floor
Electric Guitars "Just as good as many affordable Squier, Epiphone, or Yamaha guitars I’ve played": Cort G200SE review
Fender has made an exacting replica of Tom Morello's 'Arm The Homeless' guitar, the mongrel S-style made from parts that became the cornerstone of the Rage Against The Machine guitarist's sound.
Artists Tom Morello’s favourite 'Arm the Homeless' electric guitar has just been recreated by Fender
Strymon Fairfax Class A Output Drive: the first in the Series A range, this is an all-analogue pedal inspired by the Herzog unit made famous by Randy Bachman
Guitars Strymon debuts Series A analogue pedals range with the Fairfax – a “chameleon” drive that can “breathe fire”
Tom Morello
Artists How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
Brian May performs live with his Red Special, and on the right, his old pal, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, plays the custom-built Red Special replica that Iommi got him as a festive gift.
Artists Brian May just got Tony Iommi the best Christmas present ever
A Fractal Audio VP4 Virtual Pedalboard multi-effects pedal on a concrete floor
Guitar Pedals Best multi-effects pedals 2025: Our pick of the best all-in-one guitar FX modellers
Gibson Les Paul Special DC
Electric Guitars “Virtually every sound I conjure recalls a classic player or style”: Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut review
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2025: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Adrian Belew with the Fender Stratocaster that he and Seymour Duncan relic'd in the back garden
Artists Adrian Belew on how he and Seymour Duncan made one of the first relic’d guitars
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
Fender and Jackson's Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary Collection: FMIC has unveiled a signature guitar and bass collection to celebrate 50 years of the British metal institution.
Artists Fender and Jackson celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden with limited run signature collection
Close up of a Yamaha FG800 acoustic guitar
Acoustic Guitars Best cheap acoustic guitars 2025: Top picks for strummers on a budget
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars

Total Guitar Reader Awards 2014: best signature guitar

News
By Total Guitar ( Total Guitar ) published 22 December 2014

7 of the best idiosyncratic electrics

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

Introduction

Introduction

The best guitar designs are often borne out of input from the players themselves, so it figures that your line-up of 2014's best signature guitars features some of the most forward-thinking models out there. Here, we present your favourites from the past year...

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Farida Artist Designed Freddie Cowan GNA TV Deluxe

Farida Artist Designed Freddie Cowan GNA TV Deluxe

Created by and for Freddie Cowan of The Vaccines fame, the GNA's triple-pickup oozes retro cool, but eschews the price tag associated with some vintage gear.

There's an alder body and a mahogany neck, while an ingenuous switching system helps you make the most of the three Farida Jazz humbuckers.

5 out of 5

Read our full Farida Artist Designed Freddie Cowan GNA TV Deluxe review

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS

Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS

We raved about the Kurt Cobain Jaguar upon its initial release in 2011, and the latest edition features all the same mods, but comes with an NOS (New Old Stock) finish.

If the road-worn look isn't your bag, this is the one for you. Everything else we loved about the original is pretty much unchanged and it's a versatile axe, capable of much more than simply aping Nirvana tones.

5 out of 5

Read our full Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS review

BUY: Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS currently available from:
UK: Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul

Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul

Another notch on the bedpost for one of Gibson/Epiphone's most prolific endorsees, the Rosso Corsa features an exclusive limited edition finish previously found only on a now-discontinued Gibson model.

The maple cap and weight-relieved mahogany body both looks and sounds the part, while the neck apes the mix of 50s and 60s profiles found on Slash's main Les Paul.

5 out of 5

Read our full Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul review

BUY: Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
PRS SE Zach Myers Signature

PRS SE Zach Myers Signature

The SE Zach Myers Signature - named after its Shinedown patron - is notable for being the first ever semi-hollow Singlecut from PRS.

As expected, the build quality is typically flawless, the satin neck is super playable and you get all that history-making for a street price of less than £600/$700.

5 out of 5

Read our full PRS SE Zach Myers Signature review

BUY: PRS SE Zach Myers Signature currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster

Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster

Completing a trio of signature Fender models, the mahogany-bodied Jim Root Jazzmaster has quickly won a lot of fans among the metal community.

It looks the business, with its stripped-down matt black finish and brushed EMG humbuckers and is a boundary pushing signature that takes the Jazzmaster shape to new extremities.

4 out of 5

Read our full Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster review

BUY: Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
LTD Ben Weinman BW-1 FM/ET

LTD Ben Weinman BW-1 FM/ET

Dillinger Escape Plan man Ben Weinman was never going to have a conventional signature model, but - with the help of LTD - he's come up with a design to be truly proud of in the BW-1 FM/ET.

Packing an Evertune bridge and EMG-81/85 pickup pairing into a semi-hollow design and making it sound this good is a serious achievement. What's more, the build quality on our review model was very high, it looks great and somehow the pricing isn't set to 'totally unattainable'.

5 out of 5

Read our full LTD Ben Weinman BW-1 FM/ET review

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6

Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6

Prior to this Pro Series model, a Jackson signature model for Megadeth's Chris Broderick would cost you the best part of four grand.

The Pro Series Soloist 6 brings a pared-down, but nonetheless seriously impressive metal-making machine in for under £700/$900. It's also a shred guitar that can actually deliver clean tones and there's loads of fun to be had with the in-built killswitch.

5 out of 5

Read our full Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6 review

BUY: Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6 currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Social Links Navigation

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
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
 
 
Craig 'Goonzi' Gowans and Steven Jones from Scottish metalcore heavyweights Bleed From Within pose with their weapons of choice: Goonzi [left] has an ESP LTD M1000, while Jones has a Caparison TAT Special
Bleed From Within’s Craig ‘Goonzi’ Gowans and Steven Jones on the high-performance shred machines behind their heavyweight metalcore sound 
 
 
Fender and Jackson's Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary Collection: FMIC has unveiled a signature guitar and bass collection to celebrate 50 years of the British metal institution.
Fender and Jackson celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden with limited run signature collection
 
 
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
 
 
Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut in Wychwood greenburst finish
"For garage, punk, and rock styles, it’s got the tonal firepower on offer": Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut review
 
 
Fender has made an exacting replica of Tom Morello's 'Arm The Homeless' guitar, the mongrel S-style made from parts that became the cornerstone of the Rage Against The Machine guitarist's sound.
Tom Morello’s favourite 'Arm the Homeless' electric guitar has just been recreated by Fender
 
 
Latest in Guitars
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score big savings on music gear ahead of Christmas from the likes of UAD, Casio, Waves, PRS and more
 
 
Gibson Les Paul Special DC
“Virtually every sound I conjure recalls a classic player or style”: Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut review
 
 
JHS Pedals x Electro-Harmonix Big Muff 2: This limited edition fuzz pedal was created from a long-lost blueprint that was unearthed while researching the upcoming book about the NYC pedal brand.
Electro-Harmonix and JHS Pedals team up for a Big Muff based on schematic that had been lying forgotten for 50 years
 
 
Seymour Duncan Dino Cazares Machete: the new pickup looks passive, but it's a fully active design, with bite, clarity and nice cleans too.
Seymour Duncan teams up with Dino Cazares for signature Machete humbuckers – and their versatility might surprise you
 
 
Crazy Tube Circuits Orama: the orange/peach coloured pedal combines classic preamp and fuzz circuits and promises a wide range of sounds
Crazy Tube Circuits squeezes out another sweet twofer with the Orama preamp/fuzz pedal
 
 
Brian May performs live with his Red Special, and on the right, his old pal, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, plays the custom-built Red Special replica that Iommi got him as a festive gift.
Brian May just got Tony Iommi the best Christmas present ever
 
 
Latest in News
Howie Weinberg
Mastering engineers reflect on the loudness wars, and ponder whether they really are over
 
 
A laptop in a music studio with Universal Audio plugins running on it
UAD's free plugin offer is the biggest no-brainer I've seen this year – but time is running out to get your hands on a world-class studio weapon for nothing
 
 
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Danielle Haim of Haim performs on the Park stage during day four of Glastonbury festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England. Established by Michael Eavis in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into the UK's largest music festival, drawing over 200,000 fans to enjoy performances across more than 100 stages. In 2026, the festival will take a fallow year, a planned pause to allow the Worthy Farm site time to rest and recover. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Redferns)
Danielle Haim names her biggest guitar influences, including the player she calls “the most underrated”
 
 
ABBA VOYAGE
Money Money Money: Abba Voyage has contributed over £2 billion to the British economy
 
 
Ed Sheeran in front of guitars
Council gives go-ahead for Ed Sheeran to convert pig farm into private recording studio
 
 
arturia
Arturia's MiniFuse 2 OTG promises to make recording and streaming easy for content creators
 
 

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...