New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2018)

If the January blues have kicked in already, why not see them off by gazing upon a bounty of beautiful guitar gear?

That is exactly what we reviewed throughout December, bringing you our verdicts on the finest new guitar products. Here, we take a digested look at everything that was appraised last month, kicking off with the SamSystems IM12.

MusicRadar's verdict:

“Check it out now and hear your on-stage sound improve.”

FULL REVIEW: SamSystems IM12

4.5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Guitarist)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A superbly made and conceived modern bolt-on.”

FULL REVIEW: Vigier Expert Classic Rock 

4.5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Guitarist)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A brilliantly realised take on the Strat whose appeal reaches far further than just Radiohead fans.”

FULL REVIEW: Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster

5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A great-looking cutaway dread’ with plenty to offer.”

FULL REVIEW: Yamaha A5R ARE

4.5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Guitarist)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A seriously good single-cut.”

FULL REVIEW: Eastman SB 59/v

4 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Guitarist)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“All in all, this is a collaboration that’s really worked, and you can’t say fairer than that.”

FULL REVIEW: Fender Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster 

4.5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Guitarist)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“Whether you favour a touch of breakup or a harmonically dense wall of sound, this pedal can get you there.”

FULL REVIEW: Orange Getaway Driver

5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“If the look appeals, you may well be surprised at where this guitar takes you - so much so we’d really like to see this pickup configuration on even more guitars.”

FULL REVIEW: Epiphone Ltd Ed Lee Malia Explorer Custom Artisan 

4 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“The mid-price market is a real street fight but the ML2 Modern more than punches above its weight.”

FULL REVIEW: Chapman ML2 Modern Standard

5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A very special signature model indeed.”

FULL REVIEW: Jackson X Series Signature Adrian Smith SDXQ 

5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A solid choice for those on a budget.”

FULL REVIEW: Guild M-240E Troubadour

4 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“An excellent pedal.”

FULL REVIEW: Maxon AF-9 Auto Filter

5 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)

MusicRadar's verdict:

“A great pedal blessed with a vast array of options.”

FULL REVIEW:  Electro-Harmonix Blurst

4 out of 5 

(Originally reviewed in Total Guitar)