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Podcast 568: Joe Heiland (Boveda)
PSA: As winter approaches, it’s time to protect your cherished instruments from drying out and damage. Today, we’re talking to Joe Heiland from Boveda about their ridiculously simple (and ingenious) two-way humidity control packs. Joe walks us through the history of Boveda, their roots in the cigar (and cannabis) industries, and some best practices for looking after your guitars, mandolins, banjos and more.
Learn more: https://store.bovedainc.com/collections/for-music
We first met Joe and Boveda at our Chicago Fretboard Summit and we now have their control packs on nearly all of our guitars here at the Fretboard Journal. No matter what method you use, we hope this conversation inspires you to protect your instruments.
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The post Podcast 568: Joe Heiland (Boveda) first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
Noel Gallagher admits he’s a guitar “hoarder” – but he did once gift an axe to an Oasis tribute act
Unlike his pal Johnny Marr, who feels more sentimental about jackets than guitars and even auctioned off over 100 axes back in September, Noel Gallagher struggles to part with his instruments. In fact, he’d go so far as to label himself a guitar “hoarder”.
The confession came in a new episode of Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg. However, the Oasis guitarist followed it up by adding he does occasionally find the strength to give away a guitar – if someone is worthy, of course. In fact, Gallagher admits that he once bestowed one of his beloved guitars on a Noel Gallagher impersonator. “I’m a hoarder… [but] I’ve given a few [guitars] away,” Gallagher explains. “I once gave a guitar to a guy who played me in a tribute band.”
As he recalls, the tribute act was called Noasis, one of the most recognisable Oasis cover bands on the scene – and don’t just take our word for it. “We went to see them [and it was] sold out!” Gallagher says. “I brought [a guitar] down and gave it to the lad.”
In a way, it makes sense why the Oasis brother might have found the strength to hand his guitar over to Noasis. In a way, he wasn’t even giving it away, he was just giving it back to an alternate version of ‘himself’.
However, Gallagher might have been keen to bring along a present consider he had snubbed the band in the past. When one of the members appeared on Radio X in 2022, he remembered that Gallagher had declined to attend a Noasis gig when the band invited him back in 2008.
“It was 2008 and [someone we know] had done some work on Noel’s house and told us where he lived,” the bandmember explained. “So when we were down [performing] in London, and we went and knocked on his door like school girl [fans]. His wife answered, and we told her who we were. She said ‘oh, I know you! I’ll go get him.’”
“Noel came to the front door, and we just said ‘we’ve got a gig in town later, do you fancy coming along?’” he recalls. Unsurprisingly, the band were met with a very Noal Gallagher response: ”He said ‘No, I’m not interested.’”
Of course, Gallagher more than made up for it by attending a gig and gifting an axe later down the line. As for the gifted axe’s current whereabouts, it seems the Noasis performer still has it. In fact, Gallagher tells Dimoldenberg that he caught up with his tribute clone a year and a half after the gig he did attend; “I bumped into him working in a clothes shop, and I said to him, ‘How’s the band going?’ He said, “It’s not so good now… We’ve been overtaken by the Urban Verve.’”
While Noasis might have been overtaken by a Verve tribute band at the time, the Oasis comeback is sure to have helped them have a massive boom in popularity. In fact, they’re on tour right now, with plans to perform in Oxford the day before Halloween. Then, they’ve got a spattering of gigs across November, December, and well into the new year.
If you didn’t manage to get hands on Oasis tickets for next year, perhaps Noasis could be a good backup plan. Hell, they’ve got a gold-star of approval from the man himself – and, if they’re good enough for Noel Gallagher, you’re sure to have a good time.
For more information on Noasis, head to their site. Oh, and Oasis are on tour next year too.
The post Noel Gallagher admits he’s a guitar “hoarder” – but he did once gift an axe to an Oasis tribute act appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Epiphone Prophecy Victory FR review: “This is a guitar that is asking you to play it fast”
$1,499, epiphone.com
For the best part of two decades, Epiphone’s Prophecy collection has been the best place in Gibson’s range for guitarists of a heavier persuasion to find instruments that retain the timeless looks of a Gibson guitar but with features and spec that make them ready for the most high-performance shredding demands.
You may have also noticed that in recent years, Gibson has been giving heavy guitarists more love than they have done for quite some time – whether that’s through signature models for the likes of Adam Jones, Kirk Hammett and Dave Mustaine, or adding guitars with Floyd Rose vibratos and baritone scale lengths to the standard range.
Right on time then, arrives the brand new Prophecy Collection – Epiphone’s full-bore assault on the world of high-performance heavy guitar, which includes for the very first time a Victory guitar without the USA price tag.
Image: Press
What is it?
The revival of Gibson over the last eight years has, understandably, been driven by the brand focusing on making its most famous and classic as good as they can be, but the Victory stands out as quite a unique part of the story.
This forgotten 80s curio was revived a few years ago as a guitar built for the needs of today’s modern technical players, and has proved a smash hit – spawning various hard-rocking variants including a very impressive Floyd Rose-equipped version I reviewed earlier this year. Its first ever appearance in Epiphone colours then, is a big deal – probably the biggest deal of the five-strong Prophecy revival (alongside the baritone Les Paul).
All of the guitars in the Prophecy collection share several pretty serious features that are worth noting, most notable of which is probably the thermally aged, graphite-reinforced one-piece maple neck. This features the new Hyperglide 10-14 inch compound radius, while the ebony board sports 24 stainless steel frets along its extended 25.5-inch scale length.
Pickups are once again Fishman Fluence units developed specifically for the range, but this time they’re mounted to the body using a new trademarked Dual-Axis Pickup Stabilization (DAPS) system, which Epiphone claims keeps the pickups “securely aligned and parallel to the strings while allowing precise height adjustment”. The humbuckers also feature advanced onboard electronics to offer active, classic bucker and single-coil tones at your fingertips courtesy of push/pull pots on both volume and tone.
The Prophecy Victory has a mahogany body with a rather fetching flamed maple cap. The guitar is satin-finished all over and you can choose between either this Obsidian Storm Satin or the greeny Aqua Smoke Satin finishes. In terms of hardware, the success of the FR version of the Gibson model is reflected with a Floyd Rose 1000 Series locking tremolo and locking nut here, plus locking Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners – all the metal is matt black, of course. You also get a Protector Ultralite gigbag into the bargain.
Image: Press
Build Quality & Playability
When I reviewed the Gibson Victory, I was struck by the level of fit and finish that Gibson’s production line was bringing to the party – it was near-Custom Shop levels, and felt like a guitar much more in line with that sort of price tag.
The Epiphone Prophecy version replicates the same trick in a lot of ways – if not for the Epiphone logo on that hockey stick headstock, I would not have batted an eyelid at this being a USA production guitar, and in some cases even beyond. The satin finish may not be to everyone’s tastes but I think it really suits a mean and moody rock machine like this, and its expertly applied all over, with no blemishes or overspray, while the fretboard is immaculately inlaid, while the bound fretboard is nicely done to avoid any friction or sharp edges.
Stainless steel is a tough material to work with but clearly no corners have been cut here, and every one of the 24 frets here has been expertly installed, polished and filed to make the playability effortlessly smooth.
And smooth is the order of the day here for sure – this new Hyperglide neck is slim without feeling too skinny, while the asymmetrical carve and compound radius means that you can chug in the lower reaches and blaze away without impediment up top. This is a guitar that is asking you to play it fast – like a sports car with a five-speed manual shifter, it wants you to rev it up, hug the corners, and hold on for dear life.
Import Floyd Rose units don’t always have the best reputation, but I find the FR 1000 unit here to be a fine example of the form – you can dive bomb to your heart’s content and it returns to pitch every time, while the general action is very smooth and fluid.
Image: Press
Sounds
Fishman’s Fluence pickups have become hugely popular in heavier circles, and so its no surprise that Gibson tapped Larry Fishman’s company to provide some custom units for the Prophecy when it was revamped a few years ago.
As far as I can tell, the pickups here are the same custom-voiced units found in previous Prophecy guitars, and that’s no bad thing. In practice that means you have a pair of active humbuckers (there’s a mercifully easy battery access on the back of the guitar) that offer three distinct voices: modern active humbucker, passive PAF-style bucker, and a single-coil.
The active mode is, as you might well expect, a more modern sounding voice – one that’s designed for the most brutal amounts of gain, which it accepts with pleasure, while still maintaining note and chord integrity. When other pickups might get mushy, this one continues to provide clarity and power in spades.
The PAF mode is more suited to classic rock and metal tones – if you want to let the amp or your pedals do more of the work, and provide a less overly compressed tone, this is the sound you’ll be drawn to.
I’m less overly taken with the single-coil mode – as is so often the case with any kind of coil tap/split, it just left me wanting more. It’s fine in a pinch, and it frees you up to take one less guitar to a gig if you only need a single coil sound for a few songs in your set, but you’d certainly want something a little fuller and rounder if you wanted to record this sound, for example. Still, it remains impressive that a guitar at this price point can offer so many sounds in one package.
Image: Press
Should I Buy One?
It’s interesting to consider the Prophecy Victory in the context of its Gibson bigger brothers, because they do feel like quite distinct instruments – despite the fact that they look very similar on first glance.
This Prophecy version – like the rest of the line – feels like the brooding, darker sibling to its Gibson equivalent. This is a metal guitar first and foremost – one that is designed to tame vast amounts of gain in a way that its passive-pickup’d sibling could never hope to do. It’s also fast in a way that very few other guitars in the Gibson/Epiphone catalogue are – slinky and unrestrained in a way that you’d normally expect from a Kramer or a Jackson.
And that is perhaps the most encouraging and heartening part about the Prophecy collection, and this Victory in particular. Too often metal guitarists have to make do with instruments from smaller brands or from metal-focused sub-brands of the big dogs. It’s great to see the mainstream Epiphone marque catering so explicitly to heavier musicians – and to see the Victory become a more engrained part of the wider Gibson line.
Image: Press
Alternatives
It would be remiss to talk about affordable metal axes without bringing Ibanez into the discussion, and the venerable Genesis RG550 ($1,199) is a great rock machine – though it doesn’t have active pickups. The Sterling by Music Man Sabre ($1,499) is a rare example of a guitar in this price point that also sports Fishman Fluence humbuckers, while the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR ($1,499) offers a Floyd and a pair of EMG pickups.
The post Epiphone Prophecy Victory FR review: “This is a guitar that is asking you to play it fast” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Epiphone refreshes its metal-focused Prophecy Series with new shapes and a baritone
Metalheads of the world! Epiphone’s most metal-friendly series has had a makeover. That’s right, the Prophecy series is expanding, welcoming in five new models – the Victory FR, Les Paul, Les Paul Baritone, SG, and Flying V – all tailor-made for high-speed performance, lower tunings and chunky riffage.
At face value, the new Prophecy collection drenches five of Epiphone’s most iconic guitar shapes in darkness, with each boasting a gothic new look complete with black nickel hardware and satin finishes. But the collection doesn’t just look cool – improvements have been made to ensure your tone is gnarlier and more consistent than ever.
- READ MORE: Hudson Freeman wants to soundtrack the end of America. All he needs is a nylon-string guitar
While the Prophecy line has always dedication itself to speed and precise performance, the new collection ups the ante. All five new models boast reinforced, thermally-aged Hyperglide necks to ensure nothing gets in the way of your high-speed fretboard carnage, while locking Grover tuners and new bridge systems are also in place to keep your tuning consistent regardless of how much you thrash around.
As well as the slick new necks, each axe also comes with a bound ebony fretboard with a 10-inch to 14-inch compound radius, 24 stainless steel frets, and extended scale lengths to aid with anyone chasing lower-tuned chugs. Each model also comes with custom-voiced Fishman Fluence pickups developed exclusively for the Prophecy line, allowing players to flick between modern active humbucker tones, or experiment with more vintage-inspired or articulate cleans.
Across the new collection, each axe comes with its own unique perks. The mahogany Prophecy Victory FR comes in at 25.5-inch scale length, and features a Floyd Rose 1000 Series locking tremolo, Floyd Rose R3 locking nut, and locking Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners. It also comes in Obsidian Storm Satin and Aqua Smoke Satin.
Credit: Epiphone
The Prophecy Les Paul comes as one of the lighter options in the new collection, thanks to the single-cutaway axe’s weight-relieved mahogany body. This model comes with a LockTone Modern bridge and through-body, and a Frequensator-inspired tailpiece to nail even the tightest of low tones. As for colourways, the Prophecy Les Paul is available in Obsidian Storm Satin, Forest Phantom Satin, and Crimson Fog Satin.
Credit: Epiphone
As the name suggests, the Les Paul Baritone is great for those keen to dip deep into lower tunings. The 27-inch axe has an extended scale and comes with .012 to.060-gauge strings optimised for baritone tunings. It also has the perk of a weight-relieved body, with a Modern Contoured Heel and rear belly carve for improved upper-fret access. The Prophecy Les Paul Baritone comes in just one colour – a classy Obsidian Storm Satin.
Credit: Epiphone
Elsewhere, the Prophecy SG boasts a double-cutaway design with a mahogany SG Modern body and comes in at 25.5 inches. This model is available in Obsidian Storm Satin and Crimson Fog Satin.
The Prophecy Flying V comes in as the coolest model of the lot – after all, it’s a Flying V – and pairs it with locking Grover Rotomatic tuners, a Graph Tech nut, LockTone Modern bridge, and through-body tailpiece. In terms of colour options, the Flying V comes in Obsidian Storm Satin and Orchid Bloom Satin.
Credit: Epiphone
Credit: Epiphone
Of course, this isn’t just a guitar for metal lovers. The design is perfect for any genre that’s a little messy, chaotic, and needs some reliable stability when performing. “Heavy music comes in more than one shape, and the players pushing it forward aren’t coming from just one scene,” Lewis McKinney III, Marketing Manager at Epiphone, says. “The rebuilt Prophecy Series gives guitarists across metal, hardcore, and beyond an instrument they can count on gig after gig, with the range to turn the sound in their heads into something you can feel in the room.”
The new collection is also being launched alongside a new Epiphone Prophecy apparel line. New ‘Fulfill the Prophecy’ hoodies and t-shirts are available now.
Every new Prophecy model costs £1,249. For more information, head to Epiphone.
The post Epiphone refreshes its metal-focused Prophecy Series with new shapes and a baritone appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Epiphone Unveils Redesigned Prophecy High-Performance Series
Epiphone has introduced a redesigned Prophecy Series, its line of performance-oriented electric guitars. The series includes five sleek-looking models: the Prophecy Les Paul, Les Paul Baritone, SG, Victory FR, and Flying V. The new models feature Hyperglide necks, stainless steel frets, and custom-voiced Fishman Fluence pickups, and each comes with a Protector Ultralite case.
The Prophecy’s stealth-style visual aesthetic is a tip-off to an expansive feature set designed to enhance playability and performance. Every Prophecy guitar has a thermally aged one-piece maple neck with graphite reinforcement and a Hyperglide profile. The neck carries a bound ebony fretboard with a 10"–14" compound radius and 24 stainless steel frets. The models use extended scale lengths meant to keep lower tunings tight and defined, and each has its own hardware and ergonomic changes. Locking Grover tuners come on every model. All five have black nickel hardware and satin finishes.
Each of the new models has a pair of Fishman Fluence pickups voiced specifically for the series. They offer three voices: a high-output modern active humbucker, a vintage PAF-style humbucker, and a single-coil-style sound. The switching gives players quick access to all three. The pickups are mounted using DAPS (Dual-Axis Pickup Stabilization), Epiphone’s own body-anchored mounting system. DAPS keeps the pickups aligned and parallel to the strings while still allowing height adjustment. Stabilization wings and precision-machined pockets hold string-to-magnet spacing steady. The system also does away with conventional pickup rings.
“The Prophecy Series is built for players who expect more from their instruments,” said Aljon Go, Epiphone’s product development manager. “By pairing our iconic designs with modern performance features like custom-voiced Fishman Fluence pickups, Hyperglide necks, and stainless-steel frets, we’ve built a lineup that’s fast, versatile, reliable, and built for today’s players. Every detail was engineered to help musicians focus less on their gear and more on their performance.”
“Heavy music comes in more than one shape, and the players pushing it forward aren’t coming from just one scene,” said Lewis McKinney III, Epiphone’s marketing manager. “The rebuilt Prophecy Series gives guitarists across metal, hardcore, and beyond an instrument they can count on gig after gig, with the range to turn the sound in their heads into something you can feel in the room.”
The Prophecy models are available for a street price of $1,499 each and come with a Protector Ultralite case. Here are key details for each model.
- Prophecy Victory FR: Victory body shape in mahogany with a flamed maple veneer, a 25.5" scale, and an Explorer-style headstock. Hardware is a Floyd Rose 1000 Series locking tremolo, a Floyd Rose R3 locking nut, and locking Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners. Finishes are Obsidian Storm Satin and Aqua Smoke Satin.
- Prophecy Les Paul Baritone: 27" scale, strung at the factory with .012–.060 strings for baritone tunings such as B to B. It has an Ultra Modern weight-relieved mahogany body with a maple top and flamed maple veneer. A Modern Contoured Heel and rear belly carve make the upper frets easier to reach and the guitar more comfortable to hold. The tailpiece is a through-body design inspired by the Frequensator, meant to balance string tension and help with low-end definition and sustain. The only finish is Obsidian Storm Satin.
- Prophecy Les Paul: Ultra Modern weight-relieved mahogany body with a maple cap, flamed maple veneer, rear belly carve, and Modern Contoured Heel. Its 25.5" scale adds tension for drop tunings. Hardware is a LockTone Modern bridge and a through-body, Frequensator-inspired tailpiece. Finishes are Obsidian Storm Satin, Forest Phantom Satin, and Crimson Fog Satin.
- Prophecy SG: Mahogany SG Modern body with a maple cap, flamed maple veneer, and a 25.5" scale. It shares the series’ Hyperglide neck, compound-radius ebony fretboard, and 24 stainless steel frets. Finishes are Obsidian Storm Satin and Crimson Fog Satin.
- Prophecy Flying V: Flamed maple veneer, multi-ply binding, and a 25.5" scale. It has a bound ebony fretboard, locking Grover Rotomatic tuners, a Graph Tech nut, a LockTone Modern bridge, and a through-body tailpiece. Finishes are Obsidian Storm Satin and Orchid Bloom Satin.
Prophecy Series
Epiphone has introduced a redesigned Prophecy Series, its line of performance-oriented electric guitars. The series includes five sleek-looking models: the Prophecy Les Paul, Les Paul Baritone, SG, Victory FR and Flying V. The new models feature Hyperglide necks, stainless steel frets, and custom-voiced Fishman Fluence pickups, and each comes with a Protector Ultralite case.
The Almighty Dreadnought—The Design, Players, and Music that Shaped the World’s Defining Flattop
The best acoustic guitars under $500: six-string stunners from Guild, Gretsch, Cort, Fender & more
If you ask us, the opportunity to play guitar should be a human right. World leaders haven’t quite realised this yet, so the most affordable way to start playing is to buy a reasonably priced acoustic guitar. With no amplifier required, all you need is a couple of limbs, the guitar itself and a little spare time.
You can get very good new acoustic guitars for under $500 – and decent ones for as little as $50. There are all sorts of styles, designs, tonewoods and finishes to choose between, so to help you navigate through the noise, we’ve reviewed ten of our favourite budget-friendly models below.
More than just an affordable entry point for beginners, lower-budget acoustic guitars present an opportunity for experienced players to explore different styles of the instrument. You can get reasonably priced 12-strings, parlour guitars, open pore guitars and nylon-stringed guitars, as well as affordable takes on classic designs such as the Dreadnought. (The original was released by Martin in 1916, but it’d cost a trifle more than $500 to buy one of those on the vintage market).
On a similar note, you might be an electric guitarist looking for an occasional-use acoustic to play on the side. If this sounds like you, then you might get along best with a playability-focused acoustic guitar that has a relatively low action and a slim neck. Whether you’re an experienced musician or you’re just starting out, we’ve included a diverse selection of acoustic guitars that might fit the bill below.
Worried about the cost? Schools in the United States can apply for grants towards buying musical instruments from the Guitar Center Music Foundation. In the UK, Music for All provides similar grants to schools, groups and individuals.
At a glance:
- Our pick under $500: Guild D-320
- Best dreadnought under $500: Gretsch Jim Dandy Dreadnought
- Best all-mahogony under $500: Cort Earth L60M OP
- Best nylon-stringed under $500: Córdoba Guitars Fusion 5
- Best 12-string under $500: Epiphone DR-212
- Best from Fender under $500: Fender CD-60S
- Best electro-acoustic under $500: Tanglewood TA4CEGR
- Best bargain under $500: Gear4Music Student Acoustic Guitar
- Best parlour under $500: Harley Benton CLF-50E
- Best folk guitar under $500: Alvarez Artist AF30
- Why you can trust Guitar.com
Our pick under $500: Guild D-320
This could be the benchmark for entry-level acoustic guitars, with great looks and beautifully rich sounds. For a price far lower than our $500 upper limit, you’re getting traditional styling, a solid mahogany top, a rosewood fingerboard and nice details including pearloid dot markers and fancily-shaped machine heads.
With narrow string spacing, the D-320 is a comfortable choice for new guitarists (or for experienced electric guitarists). The action is fairly high, but strikes a good balance between providing slick playability and limiting fret buzz. Give it a strum and you’ll encounter a tone that’s more characterful than anything you’d hear from some guitars that cost double the price: bold, warm and woody.
Need more? Read our Guild D-320 review.
Best dreadnought under $500: Gretsch Jim Dandy Dreadnought
Any guitar collector can tell you that the right affordable instrument might have just as much character as a top-of-the-range model. This Dreadnought-style Gretsch is a good example, with 1930s-style looks and a slightly reedy tone that sounds fresh from the campsite. It’s quite similar to the classic Gretsch Jim Dandy – an affordable parlour guitar that’s also worth checking out – but it packs some added bass and volume.
What our reviewer enjoyed most about this guitar, besides its exceptionally cool appearance, was its playability. The vintage-style frets feel slick and smooth, while the edges of the fretboard roll smoothly into the neck, inviting you to reach for that next chord.
Need more? Read our Gretsch Jim Dandy Dreadnought review.
Best all-mahogony under $500: Cort Earth L60M OP
A guitar’s tonewood is definitive to its sound, and in the Cort Earth L60M OP’s case, it’s all about the warmth and balance of mahogany. The finish is open pore (unlacquered), so the wood’s tone and grain can really shine through.
This plays and sounds like a considerably costlier acoustic guitar, with just the right action, easily tweakable tuning pegs, and far more projection than you might expect from such a modestly proportioned acoustic. Its tone is relatively trebley, which will suit guitarists who like to occupy the mid-range frequencies in an ensemble. Acoustic and electro-acoustic versions are available.
Need more? Read our Cort Earth L60M OP review.
Best nylon-stringed under $500: Córdoba Guitars Fusion 5
Want the sweet sound of nylon strings, without the finger workout that tends to come with playing a classical guitar? This hybrid model is our top pick for ‘contemporary’ players, with a comfy neck and a distinctive shape that opens up the higher end of the fretboard for exploration – at least across the higher strings.
Seated comfortably on the lap, the Fusion 5 sounds lively and surprisingly loud – not unlike a flamenco guitar. It’s an electro-acoustic model with an under-saddle pickup, so you can tweak that sound (as it’s heard through an amp or PA) using the discreetly integrated tone and volume controls.
Need more? Read our Córdoba Guitars Fusion 5 review.
Best 12-string under $500: Epiphone DR-212
The full, bright sound of a 12-string guitar is a lovely option to have within reaching distance – but shelling out on one is often a stretch. This Gibson model is a reasonably priced compromise, with a modified Dreadnought-style format that will feel familiar to most acoustic guitarists.
If you haven’t played a 12-string before, the DR-212 could make a fine introduction to the type. Its mahogany neck and fretboard have a comfy feel, and the well-considered action makes fretting manageable (you’ll need a little extra finger strength for a 12-string) while avoiding fret buzz. Restringing a 12-string is always a bit of a faff, but the DR-212 makes it relatively easy with straightforward bridge pins.
Best from Fender under $500: Fender CD-60S
You might associate Fender mostly with electric guitars and basses, but this mahogany dreadnought acoustic is a wallet-friendly classic in its own right. The neck is glossily finished and has rolled edges where it meets the fretboard, which makes for accessible playability that will suit guitarists whose hands are more accustomed to electric guitars.
The CD-60S has plenty of personality, as you’d expect from anything bearing the Fender logo. Its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides make an eye-pleasing pairing, while delivering a balanced tone with plenty of brightness. There’s an all-black version that goes nicely with acoustic covers of The Cure, too.
Best electro-acoustic under $500: Tanglewood TA4CEGR
If you’re looking for an acoustic guitar that’s simple to record or amplify through a PA (or amp), then you’re probably best off getting an electro-acoustic model with an in-built pickup and output. This eye-catching model from brilliant budget guitar-maker, Tanglewood, is our top pick.
The body shape (which Tanglewood calls ‘Super Folk Cutaway’) feels great on the knee, and perhaps surprisingly, the bold green finish uplifts the guitar’s natural beauty, highlighting the gorgeous grain to its quilted ash top. On a less organic note, Tanglewood’s Premium Plus EQ system gives you a preamp and tuner at your fingertips, which will come in handy for gigs and open-mic nights.
Best bargain under $500: Gear4Music Student Acoustic Guitar
Costing around one-tenth of the price limit we’ve set for this article, theGear4Music Student Acoustic Guitar gives you a decent platform for learning guitar – or a way to keep playing when funds are tight.
Look, there’s nothing fancy going on here, but you’re getting a serviceable full-size instrument with basswood construction, a laminated poplar fretboard that plays smoothly enough, and a C-shaped neck that essentially gets out of your hand’s way while you practice chord shapes and scales. It also has guitar strap buttons, so you can sling it over your shoulder and take it out busking, once you’ve honed your repertoire.
Best parlour under $500: Harley Benton CLF-50E
A parlour guitar is a smaller-bodied acoustic guitar that pretty much begs you to pick it up and play it, whenever you set eyes upon it. In an ideal world, every guitarist would have one (and we would also have a room to which we refer as a parlour).
If access to cash is what’s holding you back, this ultra-affordable, prettily finished parlour model from Harley Benton would be a great pick. Its mellow, twangy tone is ideal for the living room – or for a campsite jam – while the streamlined mahogany body makes for low-effort transportation. This is an electroacoustic model, so you can always boost the volume via the mixing desk in a live performance setting.
Best folk guitar under $500: Alvarez Artist AF30
With plenty of hollow to sit on a bouncing knee and a beautiful combination of tonewoods (sitka spruce on top; mahogany pretty much everywhere else), this entry-level Alvarez guitar is a great match for delicate fingerpicking and soulful strumming. It looks just as folksy as it sounds, with a natural wood finish.
Despite its accessible pricing, the AF30 has some features that you might associate with a higher-end acoustic guitar, including a real bone nut (typically produced as a byproduct of cattle farming – yuck!/yum!), creative shaping to the saddle and scratchplate, and a 50/50 gloss and satin finish on the neck.
Why You Can Trust Us
Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.
That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
The post The best acoustic guitars under $500: six-string stunners from Guild, Gretsch, Cort, Fender & more appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The Art of Acoustic: A Custom Grand Orchestra with Bold Character
Positive Grid Introduces Spark CAB 2
Recording Dojo: What Is Phantom Power?
There’s a little button on nearly every modern mixing console marked +48V. On a live sound desk, it may be tucked into the channel settings; on a small recording interface, it might be the only button besides gain and monitor controls. This is phantom power: a clever way to run a microphone’s electronics without a separate power cable. Its name may sound mysterious, but its engineering is beautifully practical.
Life Before +48V
Remember, there are many different types of microphones. But by far the three most common are ribbon, dynamic, and condenser. It is the latter of these that really drove the development of phantom power. As transistorized microphones arrived in the 1960s, designers found they could supply power over ordinary balanced microphone wiring. From there, through a process of simple evolution, the various designs and voltage schemes gradually coalesced into the +48V standard we know today.
Put simply, condenser microphones require electrical power. Their capsules and internal electronics cannot just be plugged into a passive input and expected to work. Early condenser designs, which often used vacuum tubes, required an external power supply. This meant—and still means—connecting a specialized cable from the mic to the power supply, then running a standard XLR cable from the power supply to the equipment receiving the signal. This is still the case today with both vintage and modern professional large-diaphragm condenser mics, such as the U47, 251, or C12.
That said, certain modern active ribbon microphones, as well as some dynamic microphones with built-in electronics, also need external power, so each microphone’s manual is the final authority.
Caution: Passive ribbon mics deserve special care. A properly wired connection should not put DC across the ribbon, but faulty cables, mis-wired adapters, or making connection changes while phantom power is already on can remove that protection. Hence the old safety-first guideline: Never use +48V with a passive ribbon mic, and leave phantom power off whenever the microphone does not require it. Active ribbon mics, on the other hand, are designed to use phantom power.
What is +48V?
In short, it’s 48 volts of direct current. The + describes the positive DC voltage applied to both audio conductors—pins 2 and 3 of a conventional three-pin XLR connection, with pin 1 serving as the ground and completing the electrical circuit. Interestingly, the audio signal effectively ignores this voltage, allowing +48V and the audio signal to share the same cable. It does not mean that the audio signal itself is 48 volts, and it has nothing to do with a mic’s output level or the gain setting on a preamp. The power is there on the cable, but because the same voltage is applied to both audio conductors, it is effectively invisible to the differential audio signal. Hence the term “phantom” power.
“Never use +48V with a passive ribbon mic, and leave phantom power off whenever the microphone does not require it.”
Where the Power Comes From
In a live PA, the mixing console or stage box commonly sends phantom power to condenser microphones onstage. In a studio, the recording console or microphone preamp does the same. In a desktop setup, an audio interface with a phantom-capable XLR mic input usually supplies it.
Keep in mind that controls vary by device. One console may offer a separate +48V switch for every channel, while another may switch a group of inputs together. On an interface, a single button may cover multiple mic inputs. Know which inputs the control affects before turning it on, especially in a setup that mixes condensers, passive ribbons, and other equipment.
Best Practice
When connecting mics, make sure your monitors and headphone levels are completely down and/or muted. This helps avoid loud pops that can damage your speakers and your ears. Bring each channel’s gain all the way down, and connect all mics before switching phantom power on or off.
If a condenser is silent, +48V is one of the first things to check. If an unfamiliar ribbon, adapter, or vintage microphone is on the stand, identify its power requirements before pressing the button.
Phantom power made the condenser microphone easier to use just about everywhere: on a vocal in a bedroom, above a drum kit, at a broadcast desk, or across a stage full of microphones.
Until next time, namaste.
50 Synth Sounds and 70+ Instruments Without a MIDI Pickup | Melofty Axom Max
Melofty is a new name for most guitar players, and the Axom Max is a big first statement. The company calls it a hybrid audio processor, which in practice means an amp modeler, effects unit, guitar synth and audio interface sharing one floorboard.
Axom Max
MELOFTY Axom Max is a Hybrid Audio Processor that combines amp modeling, synthesis, instrument modeling, AI-powered tone generation, and professional recording capabilities in a single platform, bringing together a broad range of tools for tone shaping, sound exploration, and music production.
Axom Max features MELOFTY’s proprietary MFIM (Multidimensional Fusion Inverse Modeling) technology, which precisely analyzes the sonic characteristics and dynamic responses of classic amplification and audio equipment to achieve highly realistic and flexible digital tone reconstruction. Its DeepSynth technology requires no MIDI pickup, providing more than 50 electronic synthesizer tones and 70+ instrument models inspired by instruments from both Eastern and Western musical traditions. This allows guitarists to move beyond conventional guitar sounds and explore a broader range of musical expression.
The Axom Max includes 880+ professional tone resources and supports expansion through the NAM A2 open tone ecosystem. It also features an 8-in/8-out professional audio interface, a 60-minute looper, and a 7-inch high-definition color touchscreen. Its intuitive graphical interface allows users to quickly edit tones, manage signal chains, and configure performance settings, making complex audio processing functions easy to control.
Tom and Roman Morello: Fully Equipped
Tom Morello didn’t want Everyone Gets Everything They Want to feel the least bit nostalgic, and it doesn’t. Rather, it’s a contemporary, wide-ranging rock record that mixes heavy riffs, electronic elements, and modern production with stripped-down acoustic and piano songs. Not to mention the fact that several solos are played by a 15-year-old. Even so, much of the gear behind it is made up of old friends. When we asked about the guitars, amps, and pedals he used, he was, unsurprisingly, thorough and exact, even stopping to pull up the track list on his laptop so he could go through the album song by song. “Let me be professional about this,” he said with a laugh.
What were your main guitars on the new record?
Tom Morello: It was recorded over a stretch of time, so it’s a little hard to remember track by track. One was my new SG, which I also played a lot at the recent Power to the People show. It’s got a brutally heavy sound that I really enjoy. I used my “Arm the Homeless” guitar a lot too, both the original and one of the Fender ones. And there’s my first guitar, the $50 Kay I got in 1978 or so, which was refurbished maybe 15 years ago. It plays an intro on the record.
Roman plays a lot on the record too. His main drop-D guitar is the “Atlas Underground” Tele, which is basically a stock Tele I used on the Atlas Underground tour. For the songs in E, he plays the Fender Soul Power model.
What do you like about that Tele, Roman?
Roman Morello: It has a very specific tone when you play it with the bridge pickup, and it’s very easy to play.
And the Soul Power Strat?
Roman: It has a Floyd Rose, and the action is lower on the top strings, so it’s easier to play up high and fast. That made it easier to play “Everyone Gets Everything They Want” on it. It also stays in tune more easily, which is a big help.
You also used an Ibanez miKro, a short-scale model, on the record. What do you like about that one?
Roman: I have a lot of reps on that guitar, so it feels kind of close to home. It’s smaller, so you have more reach, and you can do solos better. It’s also a very good travel investment. It was given to me by my grandma, so it’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Getting back to the SG, is it anything special? A Custom Shop model?
Tom: No, it was a gift. I got it backstage on the Rage Against the Machine tour in 2022. The Gibson rep came backstage holding a Les Paul in one hand and an SG in the other, and I said, “That one’s lighter—I’ll take it!” It has a fantastic, Sabbath-y, brutal low end.
I’ve also seen you recently with an “Arm the Homeless” model in a black finish. Is that a Fender too?
Tom: Yeah, it’s a Fender, but it’s not for sale. We had a black one made for me and a pink one for Roman. The black one is my drop-D guitar, which helps me keep them straight, and we used it on “Adjourn It” on the new record. The regular blue one, the one that’s for sale everywhere, that one I use interchangeably with the original.
What amps are you running on the record?
Tom: I’m a creature of habit, so there’s nothing new. It’s my Marshall 50-watt channel-switching 2205 head with a few different cabinets: the regular Peavey 4x12, a stock Marshall 4x12, and a white 4x12. For the Back to the Beginning show [Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert in July 2025, for which Morello was musical director] we recreated the “Mr. Crowley” video, and we found a white 4x12 like the one Randy Rhoads uses in that video. It’s up in my studio now, and Roman plays through it.
Roman, what do you like about the 2205?
Roman: It’s very versatile. You can be clean with it, or you can go distorted. And the one up in the studio is one of my favorite tones of all time. I can’t think of many that are better.
And pedals?
Tom: The record starts with “Beth From Electronics,” which is the Fender “Arm the Homeless” through the POG pedal. That wasn’t a written song. I just clicked the POG on and started playing a riff, and it’s about 40 seconds long. Afterward I asked the engineer, “Did you record that?” He said yeah, and I said, “We’re gonna start the record with it.” The POG sounds like two or three Black Sabbaths playing at the same time.
“It’s making heavy music in a way I haven’t made it before, while using the things I do best.”
On “Everyone Gets Everything They Want,” Roman plays the solo. He’s an Angus Young, plug-straight-in kind of guy. That song’s in E, so it’s the Soul Power guitar through the Marshall. My part is pretty straightforward, just some Jimmy Page-style guitar doubling.
On “Adjourn It,” the POG is all over the riffs again. My solo uses the toggle switch and the wah pedal. The outro solo starts with the Whammy set to an octave down and then pressed forward.
We recorded “Soldier in the Army of Love” a while ago, and it’s straight-into-the-amp riffing. Roman plays the solo on that one too, plugged straight in. On “Everything Burns,” I went back to the POG for the heaviness on several riffs. “Pretend You Remember Me” is the DigiTech Whammy, as always.
“Untethered,” that one’s played on the Tele, the “Harlem Hellfighters” guitar, through a Fender Twin and then doubled. Sam [Nelson Harris] from X Ambassadors produced it, and I was over at his house without any of my own amps. I asked him, “What do you got?” I like that it came across with a different kind of heaviness.
What are you playing on the acoustic songs?
Tom: “They Can’t Kill Us All” is my Gibson steel-string, the “Black Spartacus.” “The Last Rung on the Ladder” is my “Whatever It Takes” nylon-string.
What’s it like working with Roman?
Tom: His riffs definitely have my DNA, those heavy pentatonic riffs, but they come through a young artist’s mind. It’s not my mind, so I’m constantly surprised by them. The first surprising thing is being in a band with a little kid who happens to be your son. The second surprising thing is when that becomes completely normal. You’re just used to that guy being in the band, and you love some of his riffs, and you put them in your songs.
And how was it working with your dad?
Roman: It’s very fun, obviously, because I like the guy! But he’s also a very, very talented musician and producer, and he has great ideas, so that’s fun as well.
What did you try to bring to your guitar parts?
Roman: Mostly the riff writing. I tried to bring a classic Tom Morello feel, but with a Roman Morello twist. My dad always says it’s weird, because I write riffs that give off the same vibe as his, but they’re something he would never think to write. And some of his riffs are something I would never think to write. We have it in our DNA, I guess, but the way we put it down into a riff is different.
How would you describe Roman as a player?
Tom: At this point he’s a much more technical player than I am. He’s already put in his 10,000 or 15,000 hours. I remember when I was in the middle of learning all the Randy Rhoads solos and the David Gilmour solos, and he’s right in the middle of that now. People ask me, “Does that make you want to practice more?” I say, “No, I’m just gonna let him do that.” I’m going to curate and counsel and borrow, and try to put each of us in a position to succeed.
Do you have a favorite song on the record, Roman?
Roman: I’ll go with one of the classics, “Soldier in the Army of Love.” It was the first song we wrote together. It has a killer riff, it has some singing that will blow you away, and it has my guitar solo in it. It really has everything. Other than that, probably the title track. It has a killer riff as well, and another one of my solos.
Tom, how did you keep a riff-heavy record from sounding like the old days?
Tom: I didn’t want it to feel like I was retreading anything. What this record has in common with the first Rage record and the first Audioslave record is that it feels like being on the edge of discovery. It’s making heavy music in a way I haven’t made it before, while using the things I do best. A lot of that is thanks to the producers. Tyler Smyth and Zakk Cervini have long histories of making more modern heavy music, and Carl Restivo is my longtime musical consigliere. It couldn’t sound like what I’ve sounded like before, four guys in a room. These songs are very much rebellion as self-care, and finding a way to make that come through a Marshall half-stack was the goal.
Tom Morello’s Gear
Guitars
- Gibson SG
- Original “Arm the Homeless” custom
- Fender “Arm the Homeless” (blue, standard tuning)
- Fender “Arm the Homeless” (black, drop D)
- Fender Telecaster (w/ Harlem Hellfighters / Black Rattlers handmade pickguard by Dave Petillo)
- Kay K-20T
- Gibson J-45 “Black Spartacus” (played on “They Can’t Kill Us All”)
- Ibanez GA60SCE Galvador “Whatever It Takes” nylon-string (played on “The Last Rung on the Ladder”)
Amps
- Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head
- Fender Twin
- Peavey 4x12 cabinet
- Marshall 4x12 cabinet
- Marshall 4x12 cabinet (white “Mr. Crowley” replica)
Pedals and Plugins
- Electro-Harmonix POG
- DigiTech Whammy WH-1
- Dunlop Tom Morello Cry Baby
- Neural DSP Archetype: Tom Morello plugin (played on “Unconquered” solo, “Adjourn It,” “Untethered” solo, and “atmospheric stuff”)
Roman Morello’s Gear
Guitars
- Fender Tom Morello Soul Power Stratocaster (played on “Everyone Gets Everything They Want”)
- Fender Telecaster “Atlas Underground” (in drop D; played on “Adjourn It” and “Soldier in the Army of Love”)
- Ibanez miKro (used on intro to “Date Night,” taken from demo, played through Positive Grid Spark GO)
- Trussart T-style hollowbody (played on “Unconquered”)
Amps
- Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head
- Positive Grid Spark GO
Tom Morello is Still Catching Fire
At 27, Tom Morello was at rock bottom—or so he thought. After growing up in Chicago’s northern suburbs and attending Harvard, Morello had moved to Los Angeles to pursue his musical ambitions. His band at the time, Lock Up, had signed to Geffen Records, and his plan to make it in music had seemed to be trending up and to the right.
Then came some tough lessons. During the recording of Lock Up’s 1989 debut, the band deferred to their A&R rep and producer, only to realize afterward that the finished album wasn’t a fully accurate representation of their sound. But the experts know best, right?
Wrong.
“The record was out for about 15 seconds before they stopped returning our phone calls, and at 27 years old, I had failed,” Morello says today. “I moved to Hollywood to try to be a rock star, to make albums. I had the opportunity, and I failed.”
He continues, “So I made a solemn vow that I was never going to play another note of music that I didn't believe in. That's when I began conjuring the riffs that would in part make up the first Rage Against the Machine record.”
Over the past three decades, few, if any, artists have been as synonymous with the guitar as Morello. He’s shredded with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, joined Bruce Springsteen on several tours and made a prominent appearance on the Boss’ 2014 album, High Hopes, showcased his singer-songwriter side with the Nightwatchman, and released music with Prophets of Rage, Street Sweeper Social Club—his project with multi-hyphenate Boots Riley—and the Atlas Underground, where he collaborates with a wide range of artists.
But don’t let the baseball-card stats fool you. Morello is as selective as he is prolific, and his sonic palette is remarkably wide.
That said, when it came time to compile the riffs that comprise his new solo album, Everyone Gets Everything They Want, he knew exactly how it would work within his vast discography.
“I wanted to make an album that took the Morellian riffs, the Morellian DNA of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and brought it not just into the present, but into the future,” he says. “I wanted to make the heaviest record since the Rage Against the Machine debut. Then the other goalpost is my love of Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town, the Woody Guthrie side, and not shying away from that. I wanted it to have the purity of vision of the acoustic records that I've made.”
Unlike his previous albums, where he approached the material with a clear creative vision, here he had to find his footing as a frontman. “I wanted to make this record kick as much ass as any record that I've made, and the bar is set pretty high,” Morello says.
“I made a solemn vow that I was never going to play another note of music that I didn't believe in.”
Inspiration, and some of the album’s biggest and baddest riffs, came from a source that surprised Morello: just down the hallway.
“There’s a great quote about Van Gogh, that he found the way to concentrate sufficiently to catch fire in a way. My son Roman, on this record, was my muse who allowed me to concentrate sufficiently to catch fire,” Morello says of the 15-year-old. “What that basically means is I stole some great riffs by listening through his bedroom door.”
In addition to his son’s bombastic riffs, the album includes longtime pals such as System of a Down singer Serj Tankian and Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo. Sonically, Everyone Gets Everything They Want showcases the many faces of Tom Morello. The album glides across genres, from the straightforward hard rock of “Soldier in the Army of Love” to the Knife-inspired electronic beats of “Unbreakable,” which features Irish rabble-rousers Kneecap, to the folky “They Can’t Kill Us All.”
Following Rage Against the Machine’s sudden halt after a successful 2022 tour, Morello has spent much of his time on the road, performing at festivals around the world and mixing battle-tested classics with new songs that appear on Everyone Gets Everything They Want. Playing the new material in front of those crowds made him confident that the songs were strong enough to anchor a proper solo album. And from a performance standpoint, Morello says, the shows captured the same high-octane energy his bands have always been known for.
For Morello, those shows also became a way to unite the disparate strands of his musical life onstage.
“Not shying away from paying tribute to Chris Cornell, not shying away from people’s love of Rage Against the Machine riffs and the timeliness in 2026, not shying away from my love of the existential dread woven into my favorite folk music and some blistering guitar solos,” he says, surveying the scope of his sets. “We’re playing in front of 80-90,000 people, with a song wholly unfamiliar to them, and they’re going absolutely ape shit. I was able to give a test run to some of these jams and really try them out in front of a discerning metal audience.”
But the album also faced another astute listener: his mother, Mary, whom he calls a “candid music critic.” She’s been a massive influence on multiple levels: Morello’s long history of activism is rooted in the lessons he learned from Mary, who was a fervent advocate for free speech, a civil rights champion, and a longtime volunteer for causes that helped the less fortunate. A presence across his platforms—she famously introduced Rage Against the Machine at a 1996 concert in Chicago and frequently appeared on Morello’s SiriusXM show One Man Revolution—she died earlier this year at age 102.
Morello says he played her his new album before she passed, noting that it earned her approval. Of all the brave things she did and all she accomplished in her life, however, one stands out to him.
“I wanted to make an album that took the Morellian riffs, the Morellian DNA of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and brought it not just into the present, but into the future.”
“The bravest act she might have been a part of was allowing my punk band to play in her basement when I was in high school,” he says with a laugh. “In the more recent years, she lived next door, where my studio is actually in her basement. So I was once again playing in my mom's basement, where she would freely make editorial comments about whatever was going on downstairs.”
Morello is keeping his mother’s legacy alive through the Mary Morello Memorial Project, which will support many organizations that were meaningful to her, ranging from animal shelters to homeless shelters to human rights organizations.
In early October, a year after serving as musical director of the Black Sabbath tribute show Back to the Beginning, Morello curated the Power to the People festival. Billed as a “non-partisan celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action,” the one-day festival took place at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, with a lineup including the Foo Fighters, Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Jack Black (performing with Roman Morello and other young musicians in a Black Sabbath cover band), Killer Mike, Serj Tankian, and others.
“This is something that we don't need to just do at Hotel Cafe [in Los Angeles] and raise 1,500 bucks for a homeless charity,” he says. “We did it on a much bigger scale here, and the artists stepped up.”
Whether through the festival or Everyone Gets Everything They Want, Morello remains focused on the same mission that has guided him for nearly four decades: using rock ’n’ roll as a vehicle for both expression and action. Along the way, he’s experienced just about every high and low the music business can offer. But as he continues forward, the lesson he took from Lock Up all those years ago—the one that ultimately led him to Rage Against the Machine—remains remarkably simple.
“There is only one barometer, there’s one North Star,” Morello says. “It’s to be true to yourself as an artist, as a musician, and not care what anybody thinks.”
Esoterica Electrica: Too Many Boxes to Check
The last time I looked into it, the Guild of American Luthiers claimed more than 3,500 registered members, but you and I know that’s just the tip of the peghead nowadays. Most of the builders I run across don’t care about, belong to, or even know about guilds, associations, or trade shows. I’ve been making instruments for over 50 years and never considered registering with any trade show outside of NAMM, and when I first did, it was the only one of its kind in America. The joke some builders tell is that there seems to be more people cutting, gluing, and screwing together guitar parts than there are guitarists, and the only people making any money are the tool and wood suppliers. That’s a little harsh, but not a total stretch. It’s one thing to make guitars, but selling them is a whole other kettle of fish.
But I’m not here to rain on guitar makers’ parade—I’m also concerned about the buyers. When it comes to the supply of instruments, we live in le bel âge of guitar building, and you would rightly imagine that’s a good thing. Today you can find guitars in every shape, color, and combination of features imaginable. There are short scales, long scales, fanned frets, compound radius necks, and every type of wood choice. Pickups are so plentiful that you could write a doctoral thesis about magnet strength, impedance, and inductance as they relate to tone shaping. Body shape, once confined to variations on the violin and lute motifs, have reached a point where the 1960s Wandre guitars of Antonio Vandrè Pioli look tame. It has gotten to where styling—not to mention hardware choice—are no longer selling points as much as just considerations. You must navigate the seemingly infinite constellation of boxes to check when deciding whose origin story resonates with you at the moment. But that’s great, right?
According to studies such as Iyengar and Lepper’s “When Choice is Demotivating” (2000), there is an inverse relationship between the number of options we are presented with and the long-range satisfaction we derive from our choice: as the former rises, the latter falls. Counterintuitively, it may be that the impulse buy might be the happier route. It seems that when you spend endless time comparing features, reviews, and alternatives, the more likely you are to doubt your decision later. People descend into a spiral of second-guessing the calculations they employed to part with their cash—revisiting every data point they scrutinized along the way. This is called the excess choice effect, and I’m as guilty of it as anyone.
I blame the internet for everything, but mostly for providing me with details, specifications, measurements, and reviews of everything I need or want to buy. Maximizing and optimizing are trendy lifestyle mantras that feed into our daily lives, and therefore our purchases. But I know that if the house was on fire I might grab the things that came to me in a flash, not ones that involved an excruciating search and mental spreadsheets. It seems that the more choice we’re given the more Faustian the bargain seems to get.
And for the sellers of musical hardware, providing endless specifications may actually be counterproductive. This explains some brands moving towards selling vibe and story, hoping that somehow they will short-circuit the decision-making process—switching it from a scientific experiment into something like a buddy movie where the guitar buyer co-star in the film. This approach is akin to the artist endorsement sales pitch, only the builder is your quasi-famous-on-the-internet buddy. Like we say in Chicago, “I got a guy.”
So in a way, it’s okay that every block has a guitar builder, even if a large number of them are screwing together Telecaster clones. Get the one with the funky pickguard or the selector switch in an unusual place. Support micro businesses and hang that butcher-block hippie guitar next to your genuine Les Paul. Buy the one that makes you happy. Don’t discriminate, collect them all.
“Every instrument has something that it does better than others. You just need to enjoy that one thing.”
I know this is starting to sound a little like a feel good-script at this point—go with your gut, follow your bliss, and my favorite, just flow into it. But the good news is something I’ve written about before: every instrument has something that it does better than others. You just need to enjoy that one thing and not get hung up with attempting to “design” a guitar that fulfills every wish. That way you’ll always need one more guitar.
Positive Grid Introduces the Spark CAB 2 Powered FRFR Cabinet
Positive Grid announces Spark CAB 2, a powered FRFR speaker cabinet designed as the rig expander for the Spark guitar amp family. Redesigned inside and out, Spark CAB 2 features re-tuned acoustics, an upgraded signal path, and a visual aesthetic matched to the Spark 2 amp. It also serves as a compatible full-range cab for any modeler, pedal or amp with a line level output, offering players a seamless solution for home, rehearsal and live performance.
The new powered cabinet brings a tighter low end, a refined signal path and a new finish matched to the Spark 2 amp, for home, rehearsal, and live performance
Refined Sound and Engineering
Spark CAB 2 features a lightweight, wood cabinet design with acoustics re-tuned for additional detail and clarity plus a tighter, more defined low end. An updated conversion stage and revised gain staging refine the signal path for cleaner, more composed sound. A 10-inch woofer and two 1" tweeters deliver clear tone from lows to highs and a full-range response suited to a wide variety of playing styles.
A Complete Rig for Spark Amps
Spark CAB 2 brings 140 watts RMS of full-range power to any Spark amp or the new Spark PEDAL, with ample headroom and room-filling sound. It also powers and charges Spark amps from a single outlet, consolidating setup into one power hub.
Connectivity for Any Setup
A dedicated Spark input provides direct connection to Spark amps, while stereo combo XLR/TRS inputs and a balanced XLR output accommodate modelers, pedals, and other amps and gear with a line-level output.
The XLR output can also feed a PA while the cabinet simultaneously functions as a personal stage monitor. Independent volume controls allow performers to set their levels and audience levels separately.
A USB-C port powers and charges Spark MINI, GO, and PEDAL, and handles firmware updates. DC output powers Spark 40 and Spark 2.
Additional controls include:
- Contour switch: Emphasizes low and high frequencies for more balanced sound at lower volumes
- Ground lift switch: Reduces unwanted hum and noise, for quieter operation
Pricing and Availability
Spark CAB 2 is available in Black or Pearl for USD $399.
Special upgrade pricing is available for current Spark CAB 1 owners (log in for details)
Find Spark CAB 2 at positivegrid.com/products/spark-cab-2, local retailers, and Amazon.
Spark CAB 2
Positive Grid announces Spark CAB 2, a powered FRFR speaker cabinet designed as the rig expander for the Spark guitar amp family. Redesigned inside and out, Spark CAB 2 features re-tuned acoustics, an upgraded signal path, and a visual aesthetic matched to the Spark 2 amp. It also serves as a compatible full-range cab for any modeler, pedal or amp with a line level output, offering players a seamless solution for home, rehearsal and live performance.
Joe Bonamassa promises a “generous reward” for the return of Josh Smith’s lost Two-Rock amp head
From Mason Stoops to Chris Buck, plenty of artists have unfortunately had their gear swiped this year. And it seems there’s no end to the bad luck; blues guitarist Josh Smith suspects that his Two-Rock amp head has gone missing, and his close collaborator, the legendary Joe Bonamassa, seems to suspect it was stolen.
According to an Instagram post from Bonamassa, Smith’s Two-Rock was last seen in Cologne, Germany. “Friends, please help us retrieve Josh Smith’s Two-Rock head that was last seen at the WDR Big Band gig in Cologne, Germany,” the guitarist writes. “It is in a black Two-Rock road case with the letters JS stencilled on it.”
- READ MORE: Hudson Freeman wants to soundtrack the end of America. All he needs is a nylon-string guitar
“Any info please reach out as there is a generous reward for its safe return,” he adds. “Please email rachael@jr-adventures.com if you see it around.”
Considering Smith often serves as Bonamassa’s second guitarist in his live band, he’s keen to protect those nearest and dearest to him. And the post will surely stir up some conversation about the whereabouts of the amp head, as Bonamassa has a skill for reconnecting with his stolen gear after a good ol’ public call-out post.
Back in 2021, Bonamassa reported that his Fender Custom Shop 1951 #6 Nocaster was supposedly ‘stolen’ during transit when he posted it out to Guitar World for a review. Within two days of his post, it conveniently made its way back to him.
“Many thanks to all of you out there who helped us in locating JB006,” he wrote in a thank you post. “It is back safe and sound and finally on its way to Guitar World Magazine for review after spending two weeks in brackish custodial custody. This time we are shipping it via Autogyro with the help of the Prussian Consulate.”
As for Smith, we sincerely hope he is reunited with his Two-Rock amp head. And, as Bonamassa says, make sure to email rachael@jr-adventures.com if you have any helpful leads or information.
The post Joe Bonamassa promises a “generous reward” for the return of Josh Smith’s lost Two-Rock amp head appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Fender and Kim Gordon Introduce Signature Jazzmaster
Fender has unveiled the Limited Edition Kim Gordon Jazzmaster, a new signature guitar created in collaboration with the iconic Sonic Youth and solo artist. Designed around Gordon’s distinctive approach to guitar, using the instrument as a vehicle for experimentation, texture and sound, the model pairs classic Jazzmaster character with the specific features and playing preferences she has developed throughout her career.
Kim Gordon has consistently challenged expectations around what an artist can sound like, look like and create. As a guitarist and bass player, she has developed an unmistakable approach to both instruments. Her relationship with the Jazzmaster reflects that same instinct for experimentation, making the instrument part of a sound and aesthetic unmistakably her own.
“One thing that’s great about the Jazzmaster, if you have a guitar that sounds good by just plugging it into an amplifier, it doesn't need effects,” said Kim Gordon. “That’s really satisfying…I just really like the sound…Electricity in the guitar is the gateway to losing yourself.”
The Limited Edition Kim Gordon Jazzmaster combines the familiar feel of the iconic offset with a versatile pickup configuration, comfortable playability and reliable hardware. An Olympic White alder body with matching headcap, Modern “C” maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and vintage-style floating tremolo combine with a Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 bridge humbucker and Alnico V Jazzmaster neck pickup, giving players a broad range of tones from articulate textures to heavier, more aggressive sounds. This Jazzmaster is designed for players across styles and sounds, reflecting the specific preferences and playing style Gordon has developed throughout her career.
Key features include:
- Olympic White alder body: Classic Fender alder construction delivers balanced resonance, punchy mids and robust low end, finished in Olympic White with a matching headcap.
- Modern “C” maple neck: A comfortable Modern “C” profile and silky-smooth back finish provide an inviting feel suited to a wide range of playing styles.
- 9.5” radius rosewood fingerboard: Rolled edges and white pearloid block inlays pair with a 9.5” radius for a smooth, broken-in feel and fluid bends.
- Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 humbucker and Alnico V Jazzmaster pickups: A chimingPlayer Series Alnico V Jazzmaster neck pickup pairs with a high-output Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 bridge humbucker for a broad range of tones, from articulate to high-output and aggressive.
- Jazzmaster bridge and floating tremolo: A Jazzmaster bridge with Mustang saddles and floating tremolo delivers expressive vibrato, precise intonation and reliable tuning stability.
- ClassicGear tuning machines: An 18:1 gear ratio combines with vintage-inspired styling for smooth, precise and reliable tuning.
Designed in collaboration with Kim Gordon. Full technical specifications are listed below.
Fender’s Kim Gordon Signature Jazzmaster carries a street price of $1,099.99.
“Kim has always used the guitar as a tool for exploration rather than following convention, and that spirit is at the heart of this Jazzmaster,” said Justin Norvell, Fender Chief Product Officer, Guitars and Basses. “Her impact reaches far beyond any one genre, with a creative practice that has shaped music, art and culture. With this new Jazzmaster, we wanted to capture that sense of individuality and experimentation while staying true to the character and feel of the Jazzmaster. With two distinct pickup types offering incredible sonic versatility, we wanted to give players the freedom to explore and approach the instrument in their own way, whether they're experimenting with texture and noise, writing songs or simply looking for new sounds.”
The launch arrives as part of The One. For All., Fender’s broader celebration of the artists, instruments and communities that continue to move music forward. The campaign brings together iconic Fender instruments and the artists who reinterpret them through their own creative voices, showing how an instrument can become something entirely different in the hands of the person playing it.
For more information, head to Fender.
Limited Edition Kim Gordon Jazzmaster
Fender has unveiled the Limited Edition Kim Gordon Jazzmaster, a new signature guitar created in collaboration with the iconic Sonic Youth and solo artist. Designed around Gordon’s distinctive approach to guitar, using the instrument as a vehicle for experimentation, texture and sound, the model pairs classic Jazzmaster character with the specific features and playing preferences she has developed throughout her career.
Seymour Duncan Unveils Iron Maiden Pickup Collection
It’s the company’s biggest and most expansive artist collaboration in years: Seymour Duncan has unleashed the new Iron Maiden Pickup Collection, featuring collectible packaging and new offerings from Janick Gers, Dave Murray, and Steve Harris.
Showcasing the pickups used by a trio of heavy metal titans, the collection includes the Dave Murray Strat Set and Loaded Pickguard, Steve Harris P-Bass pickup, and Janick Gers Strat Set and Loaded Pickguard.
Every pickup set and loaded pickguard now ships in its own individually illustrated box, each a unique twist on the band’s official artwork and featuring Eddie, Maiden’s iconic mascot.
New to the collection is the Janick Gers Signature Strat Set and Loaded Pickguard, now available for the first time. The set combines a JB Jr. for Strat in the neck and bridge with a Hot Rails for Strat pickup in the middle, delivering the same searing lead tone and hard-hitting rhythm crunch Janick has brought to Maiden’s legendary performances.
Since first joining Iron Maiden in 1990, Janick Gers’ guitar mastery and songwriting have powered the band’s legendary live performances and albums. On stage and in the studio, Janick has always gravitated towards Strat style guitars. But to get a heavy metal sound powerful enough for Maiden’s music, he experimented with several Seymour Duncan Strat-sized humbuckers. His favorite combination became a JB Jr. for Strat in the Neck and Bridge positions, paired with a Hot Rails for Strat pickup in the middle. The JB Jr. in the bridge delivers the classic JB humbucker sound – high output with plenty of punch for leads that sustain from here to eternity. In the neck it offers fullness for singing solos or delicate chime for rhythm and clean playing. Hot Rails in the Middle gives Janick the option of aggressive rhythm playing or more variety in his clean tones in the 2 & 4 positions. These pickups all use small ceramic magnets, 4-conductor lead wire, and are vacuum wax potted for squeal-free operation.
Now packaged together as a set and a loaded pickguard, each with special Iron Maiden collectible packaging, you can access Janick Gers’ signature sound in your Strat-style guitar.
Hand built in Santa Barbara, CA, this fully loaded Strat pickguard uses an 11 screw ‘USA’ pickguard pattern. Available in White or Black pickguard options - with all matching pickups or Janick’s favorite black-parchment-black pickup color scheme.
- Signature pickup configuration used by Iron Maiden’s Janick Gers: JB Jr. for Strat in the neck and bridge, and Hot Rails for Strat in the Middle
- High output humbuckers in a Strat-Sized package: Janick’s distinct distorted crunch and singing lead tones without modifying your Strat
- Color options: pickups all matching or black/parchment/black (Janick’s preferred look)
- Available in Black or White 11-hole Strat pickguards
- Smooth turning Volume and Tone Pots, 4 Conductor wiring
- Hand-built in Santa Barbara, California
- Special Collectible Iron Maiden Packaging
The Loaded Pickguard set carries a street price of $419. The Janick Gers Strat set carries a street price of $319.
The new set joins the rest of the collection, including the Dave Murray Signature Strat Set and Loaded Pickguard, capturing his iconic tone. It includes Dave Murray’s road-tested set up of a JB Jr. flanked by two Hot Rails, this Strat pickguard offers an array of classic metal and hard rock tones, all without any hum. The Hot Rails bridge delivers a fat crunch with biting harmonics. The JB Jr. in the middle lends punch and clarity in positions 2, 3 and 4. And the Hot Rails neck nails Dave’s signature expressive lead tone.
Hand built in Santa Barbara, CA, the fully loaded Strat pickguard comes in special Iron Maiden collectible packaging and uses an 11 screw ‘USA’ pickguard pattern. These pickups all use small ceramic magnets, 4-conductor lead wire, and are vacuum wax potted for squeal-free operation. Available in Pearloid, White, or Black pickguard options.
- Signature pickup configuration used by Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray: Hot Rails for Strat in the neck and bridge, and JB Jr. for Strat in the Middle
- High output humbuckers in a Strat-Sized package: Dave Murray’s fluid lead tones and hard-hitting riffs, without modifying your Strat
- Available in Black, White, or Pearloid 11-hole Strat pickguards
- Smooth turning Volume and Tone Pots, 4 Conductor wiring
- Hand-built in Santa Barbara, California
- Special Collectible Iron Maiden Packaging
The Loaded Pickguard set carries a street price of $419. The Dave Murray Strat pickup set carries a street price of $319.
Rounding out the collection is the Steve Harris Signature P-Bass pickup, a medium output pickup originally developed in the company’s Custom Shop. The P-bass pickup possesses a low-mid boost that adds punch and body while maintaining a crisp and clear high-end attack. This design uses hand-ground Alnico 5 rod magnets and a special vintage-hot custom wind of 13k DCR to achieve its uniquely aggressive bite.
“I was having some problems with the original pickups in my bass and Seymour Duncan said they could make pickups that did what I needed – and they did!” Steve said. Handcrafted in Santa Barbara, CA, the Steve Harris P-Bass pickup comes in special Iron Maiden collectible packaging and is vacuum wax potted for squeal-free operation.
- Signature P-Bass pickup voiced for Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris – Medium Output wind with plenty of low-mid punch and high-end attack
- Hand-Ground Alnico 5 rod magnets
- Aggressive tonal character suited for Metal Bass
- Drop in Replacement for split coil P Bass pickups
- Hand-built in Santa Barbara, California and Wax Potted for reduced noise
- Special Collectible Iron Maiden Packaging
The Steve Harris Signature P-Bass pickup carries a $99 street price.
For more information about Seymour Duncan’s new Iron Maiden collection visit seymourduncan.com.
Iron Maiden Pickup Collection
It’s the company’s biggest and most expansive artist collaboration in years: Seymour Duncan has unleashed the new Iron Maiden Pickup Collection, featuring collectible packaging and new offerings from Janick Gers, Dave Murray, and Steve Harris.
“It doesn’t feel like a lot of legacy artists go out of their way to do that”: Hudson Freeman on the praise he’s received from John Mayer
If you’ve ever wondered what a lo-fi country Kurt Cobain might sound like, look no further than Hudson Freeman. Last November, the grunge-folk guitarist’s If You Know Me riff went viral, with some branding his nylon-stringed sound as a home-grown ‘country Nirvana’. In fact, it got so much attention that even John Mayer covered the track.
That’s right – after hearing Freeman’s riff, Mayer picked up his PRS Collection Series 2014 Nylon Acoustic and recorded a cover for his Instagram. Nearly a year on, Freeman has signed to a new label, Mom + Pop (who also represent Beach Bunny, Courtney Barnett, and Tom Morello), and has a new record, Doom Country on the way – but he admits that support from a respected, mainstream guitarist came as a massive boost.
- READ MORE: Hudson Freeman wants to soundtrack the end of America. All he needs is a nylon-string guitar
In a new cover interview with Guitar.com, Freeman praises Mayer for his endless support of up-and-coming artists. “I have a lot of respect for him being a major artist who co-signs younger, unknown artists,” he says. “It doesn’t feel like a lot of legacy artists go out of their way to do that.”
For years, Mayer has constantly gone out of his way to uplift new artists. In 2024, he brought Madison Cunningham, a then-27-year-old folk artist, out on the road with him. At the time, Mayer publicly praised her at every opportunity; in an Instagram post, he said that, if he were to see her show and had never played guitar before, he would “race out and buy one the next day”.
Elsewhere in his Guitar.com interview, Freeman also praises Mayer for his enduring public appeal. “Most people know who John Mayer is,” he notes. “He’s probably the last seriously palatable guitarist on a mainstream scale, so for him to co-sign If You Know Me was cool.”
However, Freeman isn’t in any rush to collaborate with Mayer. He believes that the pair exist in their own lanes of music, and he “wouldn’t make a song with him”. In a way, it’s Freeman’s way of braving things out on his own; while Mayer’s support was a blessing, he’s keen to retain that attention through his own grit, style and merit.
With that in mind, Doom Country is set to be a deeply “personal” record, boasting his usual shoegazey, grunge-folk, lo-fi flavour alongside a peek into his own upbringing. “Growing up as an Evangelical Christian, the idea of the apocalypse, the Rapture, the idea of being left behind is pervasive,” he tells us. “When Jesus takes all of the Christians to heaven, I had this fear that my parents would be taken, and I’d be left behind.”
“Everything feels kind of apocalyptic now,” he adds. “Political institutions are falling apart, all these various ways where society is collapsing. I really did imagine that I’d be left behind. There’s this quality to living in America right now, where it’s not just bad. It’s stupid. It’s a tragedy… I really want to make an album about the fallout of the Rapture, but it’s farcical.”
Doom Country is out 6 November on Mom + Pop Records. Hudson Freeman will tour Europe and the UK from February 2027.
The post “It doesn’t feel like a lot of legacy artists go out of their way to do that”: Hudson Freeman on the praise he’s received from John Mayer appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
How Californian car, surf and skate culture inspired Powers Electric’s revolutionary guitars
Ad feature with Powers Electric
For Andy Powers, “someday” had arrived.
For years the Taylor guitars CEO, President and Master Guitar Designer had been coming up with ideas that he thought would be interesting and innovative on an electric guitar design, but with his day job solely focused on being the creative fulcrum of the world’s most innovative guitar company, he admits that those ideas usually were put on the shelf, in the hope that “someday I’ll get to it”.
Then the pandemic hit, the world closed down and, as Powers recalls in the new Guitar.com original film, “Powers Electric: California Soul“, all of a sudden he had time to think about those ideas that he’d put on the shelf, and see if they could make something interesting.
The result, was Powers Electric – a new electric guitar sub-brand that arrived out of nowhere in 2023 with a radical and innovative approach to the electric guitar. The brand’s first instrument, the A-Type, was a remarkable feat of engineering and ingenuity, combining a host of new bespoke innovations in terms of pickups, hardware and body construction, all wrapped up in a shape that was completely new, but felt timeless and classic with it.
The A-Type instantly set Powers’ stall out as one of the most inventive and exciting new guitar makers on the planet, bringing something totally fresh to the table in a world of instruments that owe their lineage to a narrow group of classic designs.
But for Powers, the way the A-Type melds the classic, the innovative and the eccentric was a natural extension of what he’d always done as a builder. Growing up in Southern California surrounded by surf, skate and hot-rod culture, these other passions have always been deeply entwined with Powers’ musical life.
Powers Electric gave him a chance to explore this pool of influences more deeply than he ever had before: as the man explains, “the acoustic guitar should largely be a traditional form, and I love it for that. But in the world of electric guitar, anything goes.”
This gestalt of so many of his passions can be found across the A-type – his innovative woodworking heart is explored in the guitar’s unique ‘trussed’ construction, the metalworking skills he learned from Encinitas’ chop shops is found in the innovative Camshaft vibrato and the guitar’s unique Faraday pickups, while the guitar’s unique curves are inspired by the surfboards he builds and how they are designed to sit in the water.
It all feels like something that the guitar world has rarely seen before, but Powers believes he’s merely continuing a tradition that has powered the evolution of the instrument for over six decades. “I think of the electric guitar as being a Southern California invention,” he observes. “I mean, a lot of the kind of the forefathers of electric guitar, they lived within a few miles of each other here in Southern California. If I had been alive back then, what would I have made? What would I What would I do? What would it look like? What would it feel like? What would it sound like?”
The result is Powers Electric, and the A-Type – a guitar that has California Soul baked into every fibre of its being, created to carry on that proud tradition and inspire a whole new generation of artists.
Find out more at powerselectricguitars.com, watch the full film here.
The post How Californian car, surf and skate culture inspired Powers Electric’s revolutionary guitars appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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