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
Mooer Audio F40i / F40i Li Intelligent Amp
Guitars Mooer Audio’s flagship Intelligent Amp lets you find guitar tones using AI prompts
Man wearing black hat playing the Roland TD716 electronic drum set
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets in 2026: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video and audio demos
A woman plays an MPC XL and synthesizer in a home studio
Tech After years of covering the NAMM cycle I've never seen flagship gear hit the shelves so quickly - here are 6 of the hottest NAMM 26 releases you can pick up right now
NAMM 2026
Tech NAMM 2026: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show
All the best guitar gear from this year's NAMM Show
Guitars The best new guitar gear of NAMM 2026: More effects, more amps, more guitars and more tech than ever
Hottest music tech gear of NAMM
Tech The best music tech gear of NAMM 2026: Epic polys, acoustic synths, budget samplers, a Behringer Juno and more
Billy Corgan wears black robes as he performs live with his signature Reveren guitar. On the right, a player's eye view of his new signature pedal, designed in collaboration with Laney and Carstens Amps
Artists Billy Corgan and Laney Amplification unveil the ultimate Smashing Pumpkins amp-in-a-box pedal
Faith Guitars Nexus Neptune and Venus 2026
Acoustic Guitars “For those seeking acoustic power, projection and an enormous amount of volume": Faith unleashes a slew of updates and new models at NAMM
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Guitar Pedals Best multi-effects pedals: Our pick of the best all-in-one guitar FX modellers
A glam shot of a cherry red Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Firebird Les Paul Special in action
Guitars Epiphone revamps core lineup with the Inspired By Gibson series
A Spark Link receiver in a Spark Mini practice amp
Guitars Best guitar wireless systems 2026: Cut the cord and liberate your playing today
TC Electronic Polytune next to a Gibson Les Paul
Guitar Tuners Best guitar tuners 2026: From tuning pedals and clip-ons, to guitar tuning apps
A three amp setup from the Neural DSP Archetype John Mayer X guitar plugin
Guitar Plugins "I love that you don’t have to be a Mayer mega-fan to enjoy what’s on offer here": Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X review
Taylor Academy 10E
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitar for beginners: Strum your first chords with our choice of beginner acoustic guitars
Warm Audio Fluff Drive: the new signature overdrive for Ryan 'Fluff' Bruce is a five-knob pedal finished in white and Teal.
Guitars “I wanted to fix every issue I’ve ever had dialling in metal tones on similar pedals or even the original”: Warm Audio has just made Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce its first ever signature pedal and he explains why, yes, the world needs another overdrive
More
  • NAMM 2026: as it happened
  • Best NAMM tech gear
  • Joni's Woodstock
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars

The 6 best guitar innovations of 2018

News
By MusicRadar Team ( Total Guitar ) published 3 December 2018

The guitar gear moving things forward

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

6. DigiTech SDRUM

6. DigiTech SDRUM

The Total Guitar/MusicRadar Best in guitars 2018 polls received an astonishing 126,000 votes, and we're now ready to roll out the winners. The nominees were what we considered to be the guitarists and guitar gear that have excelled in 2018. Here, we present the best guitar innovations of 2018. First up we have the DigiTech SDRUM...

We say: For players who are seeking to get quick and easy rhythm tracks down, this is an inspirational tool.

Read the review: DigiTech SDRUM review

The MusicRadar Best in guitars awards are brought to you in association with Ernie Ball. #colorsofrocknroll

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
5. Line 6 Powercab Plus

5. Line 6 Powercab Plus

We say: Another guitar gear revolution from Line 6, and a perfect companion for modelling floorboard users.

Read the review: Line 6 Powercab Plus review

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
4. Positive Grid BIAS Amp 2

4. Positive Grid BIAS Amp 2

We say: Positive Grid has raised the amp plugin game with this fully featured, tone-filled update.

Read the review: Positive Grid BIAS Amp 2 review

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
3. TC Electronic Ditto Jam X2 Looper

3. TC Electronic Ditto Jam X2 Looper

We say: An innovative approach that offers clever beat sync functionality, the ability to slow down loops and tap tempo.

Read the review: TC Electronic Ditto Jam X2 Looper review

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
2. Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box

2. Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box

We say: The OX is a flawed yet potentially brilliant design, aimed shamelessly at the top end of the pro market, where most potential customers will already have the means to exploit its current capabilities.

Read the review: Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box review

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Winner: Fractal Axe-Fx III

Winner: Fractal Axe-Fx III

We say: Other, more affordable units will probably scratch the itch for most players, but if you simply, positively have to have the best road-ready modeller in the world, then accept no substitutes.

Read the review: Fractal Axe-Fx III review

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
MusicRadar Team
MusicRadar Team
Social Links Navigation

MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers...

  • GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high- quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
  • TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
  • STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music making that no other music website can.
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
All the best guitar gear from this year's NAMM Show
The best new guitar gear of NAMM 2026: More effects, more amps, more guitars and more tech than ever
 
 
Music technology gear of the year 2025
Music technology gear of the year 2025: Our favourite new synths, drum machines, plugins and more
 
 
NAMM 2026
NAMM 2026: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show
 
 
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Best multi-effects pedals: Our pick of the best all-in-one guitar FX modellers
 
 
A woman plays an MPC XL and synthesizer in a home studio
After years of covering the NAMM cycle I've never seen flagship gear hit the shelves so quickly - here are 6 of the hottest NAMM 26 releases you can pick up right now
 
 
Chris Buck RS02CB Revstar Signature Electric Guitar in Honey Gold
“The truest conduit between the acoustic resonance of the guitar and its electric voice” says Chris Buck of the custom P90-style pickups in his new signature Yamaha Revstar
 
 
Latest in Guitars
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Save a colossal $500 off one of my favourite Sterling by Music Man guitars, grab $200 off a super cool D'Angelico, plus all the week's biggest sales on music gear
 
 
Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir performs at Tons Of Rock 2025
Dimmu Borgir’s Silenoz on playing a guitar inspired by a shark – and why you can be black metal and still love the blues
 
 
Lamb of God's Mark Morton performs live on a stage lit in yellow and orange. He plays his new Les Paul Modern Quilt
Mark Morton and Gibson unveil a signature Les Paul that brings the fire with a “flamethrower” bridge humbucker
 
 
Vernon Reid of Living Colour [left] smiles as he plays his Reverend signature model live onstage. On the right, Jack White, bathed in blue stage lights, plays his Fender Triplecaster.
Vernon Reid says he hopes he and Jack White have started a trend for pro guitarists swapping signature models
 
 
EarthQuaker Devices ZEQD-Pre Tube Pre Amp
"The EF86 tube is often described as hi-fi, and honestly, that's the perfect way to describe what's coming out of this thing": EarthQuaker Devices EQD ZEQD-Pre review
 
 
Mooer Audio F40i / F40i Li Intelligent Amp
Mooer Audio’s flagship Intelligent Amp lets you find guitar tones using AI prompts
 
 
Latest in News
Skid Row poster on a brick wall
"This is not a contest or a gimmick": Could YOU be the next Skid Row frontman?
 
 
Janet Jackson on a French TV broadcast in 1986 . (Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images)
How Janet Jackson and Jam & Lewis made Control, the classic album that's just turned 40
 
 
behringer
Behringer unleashes the BMX, its $459 clone of the Oberheim DMX
 
 
2manydjs, aka Soulwax outside the Abbey Road entrance
“We have a perverse or healthy attraction to crazy ideas”: Soulwax are throwing a rave – at Abbey Road Studios
 
 
Harry Styles performs onstage
Not The Same As It Was: Harry Styles announces special one off Manchester show with cut price £20 tickets
 
 
Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold reveals just how much Tool he listened to during his free climb of the Taipei 101 skyscraper
 
 

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...