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At 83 years old, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has no intention of hanging up his boots. In fact, he still spends considerable time penning new material while watching TV, as he explains…

In a new interview in the latest issue of Uncut magazine, Jagger explains how a large part of his creative process now happens in front of the TV while watching “rubbish”.

• EDITOR’S PICK: Matt Bellamy on Manson, why Instagram guitarists are the future, and his desire to build an AI prompt guitar
  

“I was sitting watching the TV last night in my flat,” he says, “then I picked up my acoustic guitar and wrote four different things. I said, ‘Turn the TV off. This is rubbish!’ It was quite late and I was banging out these tunes, then I put the TV back on after I’d done two.”

It turns out having the TV on nearby was a useful conduit for his creativity… “Then I thought, ‘Hang on, I’ve got this idea…’ I turned off the TV and wrote two more.

“I’m not saying they’re finished songs, they’re more like sketches. I thought, ‘Well, this is good going. You’ve got to do this every day.’ That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been writing quite a lot, but for what I don’t know.”

Yes, the big question is what will Mick do with those songs, and will they ever see the light of day? Well, he’s already making plans for 2027 and they include the possibility of some Rolling Stones shows. “I’d really like to do some shows,” he said, “so that’s in my head… but if not the Stones then any show!”

In the past few years, the Stones have added two new studio albums to their total of 25, with Hackney Diamonds (2023) and Foreign Tongues (2026) both well-received. Mick’s on a roll, and who would want to stop him?

The post “I picked up my acoustic guitar and wrote four different things”: At 83, Mick Jagger is still writing songs in front of the TV appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Matt Bellamy’s proudest moment as the owner of Manson Guitars might have happened about five minutes ago – when he got it wrong. “They actually tested me, and I failed the test,” the Muse frontman chuckles as we sit in a conference room in Manson’s brand new showroom in its Devon, UK headquarters.

The test in question was telling the difference between his original Manson 007 guitar, and the ding-for-ding, super-limited replica Black Edition version the company brought out last year. Despite Bellamy having used the guitar on stage and in the studio for years, knowing every inch of his most iconic instrument, he couldn’t work it out.

• READ MORE: The Close Up: Muse guitarist Matt Bellamy’s most iconic and beloved guitar, the Manson 007

“They put the two guitars up, and they said, ‘Can you tell which one’s original?’” he explains. “And I picked the wrong one! And I took my time! I was looking at all the looking details, the cracks, and everything – that’s how accurate it was!”

That the company was able to create such a remarkably accurate replica of his original, and sell them out almost instantly despite a five-figure price tag, speaks to the way the brand has evolved in the half a decade since he took ownership of the small guitar brand that had supplied him with custom instruments since he was a young guitarist hanging around Hugh Manson’s Exeter shop.

The fact that we’re sitting down surrounded by various Manson prototypes and legendary instruments represents another milestone. Bellamy is back in his hometown to christen Manson’s brand new showroom, which sits above an expansion to the Ashburton factory that will enable the brand to scale up their UK operation and meet the considerable demand the brand has been battling with in recent years.

Most of that has been driven by Bellamy, of course. Ever since Hugh Manson started building eye-catching t-style guitars for him, embedded with various wild and wonderful technology in the early days of Muse’s rise to fame, player and brand have become intertwined in a rare way – something that was codified when Bellamy took ownership of the company in 2019.

Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

History Lesson

The new artist showroom is a testament to this partnership – dotted around the walls and on stands are a mixture of iconic guitars and rare curios from the archives, everything from an aborted acoustic prototype, to Bellamy’s “GEO” mask guitar.

“Today is the first time I’ve seen it all laid out like that,” he marvels. “I mean, for me, it’s awesome. It’s like a museum of my history. I’ve got a couple of guitars at home actually, not far from here, that I was thinking of bringing in here, like the original DeLorean guitar. I think that was in here at one point, actually. But Adrian [Ashton, Manson MD] asked me to take it home because he’s scared of having something so valuable here!”

As nice as it is to take a tour through his personal guitar history, seeing the showroom in its current form sparks something: “Thinking about the future though,” he muses “I would love to see like a few other guitars on the wall that aren’t mine.”

Bellamy’s ownership of Manson has seen the brand diversify its artist roster outside of the core two that it started with Bellamy and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones (Manson was Jones’ longtime tech). Recent years have seen signature models for the likes of Skindred’s Mikey Demus and a collaboration with Adam “Nolly” Getgood, the Oryx. Bellamy reveals that the brand is currently working with Blur’s Graham Coxon on a signature model, and are also developing a guitar with online guitar sensation Emi Grace.

“I’m excited about us bringing in these new younger guitarists, who are going to take it to the next level,” he explains. “You know, it can’t just always rely on me. I like the idea of there being another face or two that start to become as associated with the brand as I am. That would be the long-term goal.”

Bellamy name-dropping Grace is not accidental – he was personally involved in getting the 22-year-old into the Manson orbit. “I reached out to her because she kept coming up on my feed on Instagram,” he chuckles. “I was like, who’s this amazing guitarist?!”

It’s a very 2026 way for an artist to be discovered, but it’s one that Bellamy is clearly enthused by – even if it flies in the face of how guitarists would traditionally earn their stripes.

“I see guitarists like her as being the future,” Bellamy notes. “These Instagram-type players. It’s an interesting development, because these people can now actually have a real career as an instrumentalist. For real, without needing to write songs and being a band in the traditional sense. I think that’s actually a good thing for players, you know? They have this new way of monetising what they do.”

Image: Press

Clean Slate

Bellamy, of course, was very much someone who was in a band and wrote songs as the bandleader and frontman of Muse. But his revolutionary and individual approach to gear – particularly his penchant for integrating effects, MIDI controllers and other tech directly into his instruments – was borne out of the limitations of being in a three-piece band that didn’t have a lot of support around it at the start.

“A lot of that digital stuff came from being a singer/guitarist and wanting to be able to do effects on the move rather than being restricted by the pedalboard,” he explains. “This was before I had techs that did stuff for me! So in those early years, I was like, ‘What can I have that’s integrated into the guitar?’”

Bellamy’s earliest Manson creations were notable for their onboard effects, but also because they weren’t quite the normal shape either – Tele-inspired sure, but different enough to be a clean slate to craft his music on.

“It’s got to be something unique. It’s got to be,” Bellamy says of his approach to guitar design. “That is literally how it started for me. Because every time I picked up a Tele, a Strat, a Les Paul, I just found myself playing music associated with those instruments. I always found that I needed my own thing to make my own thing. Otherwise, I’m just weighed down by the history of this instrument.

“So I wanted a fresh start, and that was really why I came up with the shape: as soon as I picked it up, it felt like a blank canvas to me. So that’s really how it started for me in terms of guitar design. Obviously that was when it was with Hugh [Manson], but that attitude is how we got to where we are now I think.”

Image: Press

Back To The Future

For two decades, Bellamy has been unapologetic in his quest to drive the electric guitar forward in technological terms – whether that’s using onboard effects, MIDI controllers or, perhaps most famously of all, mounting a Korg Kaoss Pad right into the body of his guitar. That was quite a long time ago, however, and its clear that Bellamy sees his ownership of Manson as an opportunity to push the boundaries once again.

“I want to update the tech in the guitar a little bit, and come up with some new ideas for that,” he confidently declares. “I like the idea of trying to integrate AI components into guitars, where you can prompt a guitar to sound a certain way. I’d like to explore that. That tech exists already in the pedal world, but I like the idea of trying to integrate some of that into guitar, so you can essentially talk to your guitar and tell it how you want it to sound. I’m not quite sure the tech’s there yet, but we’ll see.”

AI is of course an extremely polarising word to be throwing around in the music world, but Bellamy clearly sees that there’s a place for the technology to be used in the right scenario.

“I’ve got a big bank of synthesisers, and it can sometimes take hours and hours to get a sound out of it,” he explains. “Whereas the prompting synthesiser thing is interesting. The sound quality isn’t as good, but the interface is great, you know? I like the idea of prompting something, but then something analogue happens – that’s interesting to me. I think that’s probably a long way to go before we get that into a guitar, but the idea of it is interesting.”

One thing that isn’t up for debate is the enduring power of the real-life human element in all of this of course – and he can already see the backlash against AI coming from the next generation.

“I’m not that worried about AI music because I can already see a change with my kids,” he reflects. “They’re gravitating towards the real so much more now because half of what they see on their feeds now is AI. So for that reason, I think live music is going to be trending upwards, with real musicians playing. I think that’s what we’re going to be craving more than anything else, because it’s the only thing we know is real.

“Because everything that’s digital now, everything in our phones is starting to be like, ‘Is it AI? I don’t know!’ You know? But when you see it in person, you see it live, you know it’s real. So I think that real life experience of music is definitely trending upwards.”

Image: Press

New Horizons

The second decade of Manson Guitar Works has been characterised by evolution, and trying new things – whether that’s collaborating with Cort on the hugely successful affordable Meta series, getting into the high-end relic game with the Black Edition, or collaborating with ThorpyFX on the brand’s first effects pedal.

The future, Bellamy envisions, will involve more of all of the above, and maybe even some adventures into new territory…

“There are some of my guitars from the early years which were very special, and I think the fans really want. So I think we will keep doing limited runs of some of these early guitars, but at the same time, we’re always looking to create something new, as well.

“The Oryx eight-string, is a new arrival, and we’ve got the Wow! guitar (the red MB that ties in with Muse’s recent The Wow! Signal album) – that’s really nice and we’re going to start selling that soon. We’re also talking about maybe doing a pedal with Graham as well – an experimental one – and we’re going to do a second run of the Supermassive pedal with a couple of minor tweaks, so we’re expanding on the pedal front too.”

There’s also the question of amps – it seems like a logical place for Manson to explore next, but clearly its only a field that Bellamy would want the brand to get into if it was bringing something new to the table – the idea of sticking his name on a generic amp clearly doesn’t appeal.

“It’d have to be something innovative and different,” he affirms. “But that could be two different ways. It could be like the hyper hand-wired tube thing, or it could be something really on the futuristic side, like an AI prompt amp or something like that. I don’t know. We’ll see. But I could see that happening. We haven’t looked into it that deeply, as to how realistic it is on the manufacturing side, and you know it probably would have to be some kind of partnership. But I can see I could see something like that happening.

“I like the idea of getting some really amazing bass players involved with Manson, as well. I’d like to expand the bass side, and acoustic is something we never really tried,” he points to the prototype hanging on the wall in the room. “That one was made for me when I was trying to work out how to incorporate acoustic sounds live. We never sold it, it was the first attempt, but it’s a nice, lightweight electro-acoustic. But yeah, I like the idea that we can open up a little bit more.”

Reflecting on a relationship with Manson that has spanned the bulk of his musical career, and now eight years as an owner, Bellamy still marvels at the enthusiasm and loyalty that this small Devon boutique builder instills in others.

“I just love how the people love these guitars,” he smiles. “You know, I thought it was just my thing! But we have this really loyal fan base, and even when times are rough, the economy is, like they are now, they still have this enthusiasm for the guitars – that’s what keeps us going.”

The post Matt Bellamy on Manson, why Instagram guitarists are the future, and his desire to build an AI prompt guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

ADDAC System unveils its Rotary Exciter and Resonator Clamps

Swedish folk group Väsen performs “Byriln,” “Tändkulan” and “Kvarnbo kvarn” at Wintergrass 2026.

A companion video on our YouTube channel showcases the stories behind the duo’s fascinating instruments.

Register now for Wintergrass 2027. The lineup in 2027 will include Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas Band, East Nash Grass and other bluegrass favorites.

Video by Brad Wagner, audio by Juan M Soria.

We’ll be sharing more highlights from Wintergrass 2026 on a weekly basis here and on our YouTube channel.

The post Wintergrass Sessions: Väsen first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Journey Instruments has launched a new line of Comfort Elevate models, bringing the company’s ergonomic wedge-body and arm-bevel design to full-sized acoustic guitars with traditional dreadnought and grand auditorium shapes.

Journey Instruments developed the Comfort Series for players who prefer the familiar sound and proportions of traditional acoustic guitars but want an instrument that is easier to hold and play for extended sessions. The company’s wedge design angles the guitar into the player’s body, while the arm bevel softens the point of contact along the upper bout. Built around torrefied solid-wood tops, premium passive electronics, and upgraded appointments, the new models are particularly well-suited for players who experience wrist or shoulder discomfort while playing acoustic guitars.

GD480AG Guitar Goddess Comfort Wave: The first model in the new line is an ultra-comfortable dreadnought created in collaboration with Guitar Goddess. Its surf-inspired design pairs a hand-selected torrefied solid spruce top with an aquamarine/sea-glass glitter finish, layered acacia koa back and sides, maple binding and arm bevel, and pearl-themed appointments. The guitar retains the traditional dreadnought body shape while using Journey’s wedge construction to increase playing comfort at a street price of $589.

JCA470CBB / JCA780C Comfort Grand Auditorium: These new Comfort models bring the same ergonomic concept to Journey’s versatile Grand Auditorium format. The JCA470CBB features a torrefied charcoal burst solid spruce top, figured mahogany back and sides, rosewood binding and arm bevel, rosewood bridge and fingerboard, 18:1 precision tuners, and a full-gloss body and headstock with a matte neck. The model is offered in charcoal burst as well as an upcoming natural spruce-top finish identified as the JCA780C. Street price is $569.

Comfort Series Elevate features include:

• Ergonomic full-sized design—traditional guitar shapes combined with Journey’s wedged body and arm-bevel geometry for a more comfortable playing position.
• Torrefied solid-wood tops—torrefied spruce soundboards provide improved tonal character and responsiveness.
• Premium passive electronics—Journey EP001K passive pickup with volume wheel provides simple, transparent amplification without a large onboard preamp.
• Upgraded appointments—including18:1 precision tuners, wood binding, and rosewood bridge and fingerboard.
• Player-focused finish—full gloss on the body and headstock is paired with a matte neck for a smooth, understated hand feel.
• Ready to play and protect—each model includes a quality thick-padded gig bag for convenient storage and transport.

For more information, visit journeyinstruments.com.

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Del Casher – the guitarist credited with the invention of the wah wah pedal – has died at the age of 88 following a battle with cancer. His death has just been publicly announced, but he passed away on 1 October, 2026.

A studio guitarist who worked with many influential acts including Elvis Presley, Cher and the Mothers of Invention, Casher was also a keen inventor, and in addition to the first wah-wah pedal, he also notably developed a portable tape echo device called the Ecco-Fonic.

• EDITOR’S PICK: You won’t believe which guitarist wrote a screenplay for an Elf sequel…

While working as a guitarist and consultant for Vox, Casher and engineer Brad Plunkett developed the first wah-wah pedal from the tone control of a UK Vox amplifier. The unit was being adapted for the US market, following Vox’s purchase by the Thomas Organ Company. Likening the sound to a harmonica cupping the instrument around a microphone, Vox preferred the effect for electric trumpets, rather than guitars. By 1967, however, Casher was able to release a record using the wah-wah pedal, but he was not eligible for manufacturing royalties.

In the years since, the wah-wah sound has become as distinctive to rock guitar as harmonics or tremolo dives or right-hand fretting, and employed by prominent guitarists from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to Slash, John Frusciante, and the wah king, Kirk Hammett. You could throw Jeff Beck and Joe Walsh in there too – the pedal is in so many guitarists’ repoertoires, whether they take it out on stage or not.

In 2011, Del Casher told the New York Times that no one at Vox saw a future for the device. “I feel gratified that I was there at the beginning,” he said. “I would just like guitar players to think of me once in a while. The only thing I ask is: remember me.”

Following financial hardship due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, Casher began selling his collection of instruments to raise income. He is survived by his 89-year-old wife, Eiko, and a GoFundMe has been launched to support her.

The post Del Casher, inventor of the wah-wah pedal, has died appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Everyone has their go-to festive films when getting into the Christmas spirit and for many, Elf is at the top of that list. Buddy has been a seasonal staple since it landed in 2003, and has never needed a sequel to stay in rotation. But that hasn’t stopped U2 guitarist The Edge from apparently writing a screenplay for Elf 2.

On a recent episode of Obsessed: The Podcast, comedian Andy Richter, who played Morris in the original film, says Elf producer Shauna Robertson received a message saying The Edge had written a script for a sequel and wanted to talk to her about it.

• EDITOR’S PICK: Black Friday is a couple of weeks away, but these early deals might tempt you…

“Somebody reached out to her and said The Edge from U2 has written a sequel to Elf, and he wants to talk to you about it,” Richter explains.

Calling it the “weirdest story”, he continues: “Apparently it was fully written. Somewhere in the world, there is an Edge-penned Elf 2 out there. I would love for that to make the light of day. [But] it never happened. She said it’s just one of those things where she’s like, ‘Alright, sure I’ll meet him!’ And then it just petered out and never happened.”

But despite his intrigue at seeing The Edge’s screenplay, Andy Richter touches on how many films are tarnished by their sequels, and that it’s not worth the risk to make an Elf 2.

“I’m on the side of let it stand. Just let Elf be Elf, and just let it be. You don’t have to use every part of the animal. Just let it be. If anyone even attempted a remake… There’s already been an animated version. There’s been a stage version. There have been other versions of it. They have remade the sausage a few times. But they should just let it be. Don’t touch it.”

The Edge’s script wasn’t the only attempt at continuing Buddy the Elf’s story. Richter adds that The Hangover Part II writer Scot Armstrong, who reportedly did uncredited work on the original Elf script, wrote a separate Elf 2 in which angry South Pole elves mentioned by Buddy in the original kidnap Santa Claus. The script never made it to screen.

Of course, it wouldn’t be The Edge’s first venture beyond U2. His résumé includes contributions to many Hollywood soundtracks and one of Broadway’s most troubled productions, the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical he scored with bandmate Bono.

As for The Edge himself, he hasn’t publicly commented on the script. So for now, an Edge-penned Elf 2 exists only as a story told on a podcast.

Still, it’s hard not to wonder what an Edge-penned Christmas movie might have looked like. We can dream…

The post “Somewhere in the world there is an Edge-penned Elf 2”: U2 guitarist has apparently written a screenplay for an Elf sequel appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Richard Lloyd, co-founding guitarist of New York rock band Television, has died at 75 years old.

According to a statement from his family given to Rolling Stone, Lloyd passed away on Saturday, 7 November, at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile duct.

After his diagnosis in March this year, by August, a GoFundMe was launched to help cover his medical costs after the illness forced him to stop touring. Bassist Sean Seymour, who played in Lloyd’s solo band, said touring remained his main source of income.

At that time, Seymour also revealed the severity of Lloyd’s condition. “He has tumours in his liver, including one located dangerously close to a major blood vessel,” Seymour said. “Because of its location, doctors cannot safely operate to remove it at this time.”

Born in Pittsburgh on 25 October 1951, Lloyd first started out on the drums before switching to guitar. As a teenager he became a devoted gig-goer, catching greats including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Jeff Beck Group and The Grateful Dead. He left school early and moved to Boston, where he ended up playing with John Lee Hooker, before spells in Los Angeles and then New York.

In New York in 1973, Richard Lloyd met Tom Verlaine, then still Tom Miller. They formed that year, with Verlaine, bassist Richard Hell and drummer Billy Ficca. They became fixtures at the legendary New York club and punk-rock/new wave epicentre CBGB, alongside the likes of Patti Smith, The Ramones and Blondie. Bassist Fred Smith took over from Richard Hell in 1975, after which their debut single, Little Johnny Jewel, arrived, followed by their debut album, 1977’s Marquee Moon.

 

Television made one more album, Adventure, in 1978, before splitting amid tensions between Lloyd and Verlaine. Lloyd’s first solo album, Alchemy, followed in 1979.

He went on to release nine solo records in total, the most recent being 2018’s The Countdown and played on records by artists including Matthew Sweet, Stephan Eicher and John Doe of LA punk band X. He also published a memoir in 2018, Everything Is Combustible: Television, CBGB’s and Five Decades of Rock and Roll, a loose run of short pieces that covered his early years, his heroin addiction and his time alongside Hendrix, Keith Richards and the CBGB crowd.

 

Television reunited in the early ’90s, releasing a self-titled album in 1992 and touring on and off for the next few years. Lloyd left the band in 2007. Verlaine died in 2023, which Lloyd later said made him the last functioning member of the band. He said that gave him a responsibility to the fans and so he returned to playing Television songs live after years of avoiding them.

Lloyd was also candid about what the band meant to him. “I wanted to make a dent in rock history,” he told Guitar World in December last year. “That was my goal, and that came true.”

The post Richard Lloyd, guitarist of New York rock band Television, dies at 75 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Guitar Center’s pre-Black Friday sale event has officially kicked off, and you can save big on loads of guitars.

Weekly ‘doorbuster’ deals are also landing every Thursday through to Sunday, along with other big bargains on electric and acoustic models, pedals, amps and more.

• READ MORE: The best acoustic guitars under $500: six-string stunners from Guild, Gretsch, Cort, Fender & more

To help you out, we’ve selected some of the best sale finds so far this year.

Save nearly $50 on a Squier Affinity Series Telecaster in Ice Blue Metallic

Squier guitars are typically cheap and cheerful, and you can save even more on this Affinity Series Telecaster. Available in a Guitar Center exclusive Ice Blue Metallic finish, this model is priced under $300 and is highly-reviewed by players, with many praising its playability and factory set-up.

Save $80 on an Epiphone Hummingbird Studio

If you’ve always wanted to own an acoustic guitar with that famous Hummingbird pickguard design, then now’s your chance – this Epiphone Hummingbird Studio is now $419. In a Guitar Center Exclusive Ebony gloss finish, this version has a solid spruce top paired with layered mahogany back and sides, a Rounded C mahogany neck and bound rosewood fingerboard, complete by Fishman electronics.

Save $210 on an Epiphone Les Paul Standard ’60s Quilt in Ocean Water Perimeter

Now $489, this Epiphone Les Paul Standard ’60s Quilt is a limited-edition Guitar Center-exclusive model with a mahogany body, a quilted maple top, a SlimTaper ’60s C neck profile and ProBucker humbuckers.

Save $200 on a Schecter Demon-7 in Vintage White

If you’ve been wanting to try a 7-string model but have been put off by the price, now’s the time to grab one. For under $450, this Schecter Demon-7 is said to be “ready for your most face-melting riffage and heaviest down-tuned rhythms” according to Guitar Center. Fitted with Diamond Active pickups and offering a fast maple neck with smooth wenge fingerboard, it’s a great model to start exploring a heavier playing style with.

To shop all these deals and more, visit Guitar Center.

The post Save on brands like Epiphone, Squier, Schecter and more with these early Black Friday deals from Guitar Center  appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$2,499/£2,499, martinguitar.com

When you think about a Martin guitar, you probably have a pretty set image in your head. Very likely, you’re imagining a classic square-shouldered dreadnought guitar with a natural top and dark-stained back and sides. And that’s fair enough: Martin invented the dreadnought after all, and as such they are more than entitled to lay claim to this most iconic and imitated guitar configurations.

• READ MORE: Martin 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa review: “Forget the name on the label, this is a great guitar”

The thing about being iconic however, is that it’s not exactly something that stands out from the crowd. I could happily fill the rest of the word count of this review listing the names of legendary artists of literally every genre imaginable who have at one time or another sat down with a natural-finished Martin on their laps and made brilliant music.

For a lot of us, that’s part of the appeal – but clearly not everyone feels that way. If you’ve been paying attention to festival stages over the last few years, you’ll have noticed that artists – especially younger ones – seem to want their acoustic guitars to deviate from the norm. Where once practically anyone who was anyone would stride out with a natural-topped acoustic, increasingly we’re seeing painted tops and Gibson-adjacent body shapes favoured over the old faithfuls.

Martin has clearly noticed too, as its recently revamped 16 Series attests. This new range has brought a bunch of rather unconventional-for-Martin shapes to the party – including a slope-shouldered dread, a jumbo and the 00 you see here. Even more striking, however, are the tops – which in what must be a first for the brand, aren’t even available in natural finishes. Bright reds, blues, blacks and whites abound here – this is not your grandaddy’s Martin.

Image: Adam Gasson

What is it?

The 16 Series has been around since the 1980s, and in that time the range has existed to offer something a little different – the focus was always on providing instruments that catered to evolving player needs and tried something a bit different. The old D-16E for example, had a shallower body depth than standard, to make it a more comfortable player, while the 16 series was also the place where Martin’s controversial Streetmaster factory-worn shade top first arrived – it has long been a place where the brand has felt comfortable taking big swings.

The new 00L-16E certainly feels like a bigger swing than most however. Fundamentally, it’s a 14-fret sloped shoulder guitar, and it’s quite impossible to continue in this review without mentioning the Gibson-shaped elephant in the room. In contrast to say, the Joe Bonamassa 00 that we featured recently, the slope-shouldered design is very, very familiar to fans of Gibson’s 1930s small-bodied classic.

Of course, Gibson doesn’t own the exclusive rights to this shape any more than Martin does the dreadnought or auditorium. And, like the slope-shouldered DSS-16E, this is far from the first time that Martin has made guitars with this body shape in its long history. All that being said, it does make you do a double-take when you pair that headstock with that body – it’s a bit like seeing Lebron in a Phillies jersey… it doesn’t look bad per se, but it is a little jarring.

On closer inspection however, there’s plenty to differentiate it from an L-00. For starters, the neck has a 14th fret join and a 24.9” scale length – slightly longer than the 24.75” of a Gibson – which should make for an intimate but not cramped playing experience.

Image: Adam Gasson

It also sports Martin’s High Performance Taper neck, which means a roomy 1.75” at the nut, while my calipers register a roomier 2.13” at the 12th fret. The neck profile is Martin’s modified low-oval type, which means it has a little more shoulder than a vintage V-shape, with a little more general thickness all round.

In terms of build, we’re getting a spruce top with mahogany back and sides (another contrast to an L-00), with an ebony bridge and fingerboard. The neck itself is our old friend “select hardwood” – Martin uses this catch-all term to cover its bases around wood supply chain issues, and in practice that means it’s usually either tropical mahogany or Spanish cedar. The grain on this one looks like mahogany to me, but you will get whatever was available on the day the guitar was made!

The most striking thing about these new 16 Series guitars are the finishes. For the 00L-16E, you can choose between the shade topped 1935 Burst, or one of two solid colours – Black Smoke and this Blue Denim. This isn’t the first blue Martin guitar – Eric Clapton had a limited-run ‘Jersey Blues’ model a while back – but it is still quite an unusual colour to see on an acoustic. Interestingly, both of the solid colours are not really solid at all – they’re semi-transparent, allowing you to see the full grain pattern beneath the stain, at least up close. This does also head off the oft-repeated accusation that a painted top was just a convenient way to hide inferior quality wood – there’s no hiding place here.

The tops are all gloss-finished, which makes the decision to make the neck and sides (which are stained dark) in matt slightly confusing. I could understand doing the neck in satin from a playability perspective, but it does make the guitar look a little cheap from behind.

Elsewhere it’s all pretty restrained and stripped back – the binding is simple white plastic with a multi-stripe rosette, bridge pins are black plastic, while at the other end you’ll find a TUSQ nut and simple abalone dots.

Plugged in sounds are courtesy of a trusty Baggs Element system, and you also get Martin’s softshell case into the bargain – a reassuringly padded, semi-rigid affair that will protect your guitar from everyday bumps and thumps, but isn’t the sort of thing you’d want to check at an airport or toss into the back of a van with a load of other gear.

Image: Adam Gasson

Build Quality and Playability

Talking about ‘value’ when you’re dealing with a $2,499 guitar seems slightly churlish in this economy, but there’s no escaping the reality that these are the cheapest spruce-topped guitars that Martin currently makes in Nazareth, Pa. The only cheaper USA-made Martins are the all-mahogany 15 and 17 series, and you’ll need to stump up another 100 bucks to get an all-satin Standard Series D-18, for example.

All of which is to say that efficiencies have had to be made to get a guitar with this level of spec and materials made in the USA for this price, but pleasingly very few of them appear to be reflected in the build. On the outside, that Blue Denim finish had better be done well given how eye-catching it is, and it has a nicely even stain across the top, one that nicely showcases the spruce grain underneath. The satin-finished neck and headstock are equally nicely applied, and feel smooth and comfortable to the touch – there’s no stickiness here.

The neck has a nice middle-ground feel – it’s not so chunky that you’re going to struggle to grip it with smaller hands, but it doesn’t disappear in the way that some vintage Martin V-neck does either. It’s supportive in the right areas.

The body is compact without feeling too toy-like, even for someone as big as me, but it still feels very accessible. The slope-shouldered dimensions definitely help in this regard, with the svelte upper section and narrow waist giving way to a more substantive lower bout.

Peeking inside, and it’s all very neat and tidy – the spruce scalloped X-bracing and purfling is expertly cut and installed with no excess glue or any rough bits.

Image: Adam Gasson

Sounds

I’m always pleasantly surprised by the grunt and projection that a small-bodied Martin can present in the right circumstances. I will forever remember the speed at which my jaw hit the floor when I strummed Joan Baez’s 1880 Martin 0-40 in the Nazareth museum a few years ago – it was an absolute canon of a guitar.

Maybe this guitar will sound similarly life-changing when it has had 140-plus years to age, but there’s still plenty to be impressed about this little guy even in its earliest knockings out of the Martin factory.

Played with pick or fingers, it reveals a surprisingly versatile sonic character – more so than most small-bodied Martins I’ve experienced. It’s warm, with a focused mid-ranged and clear top-end, a fact that is no doubt helped by the mahogany back and sides – making it a rather charming and intimate strummer, but one that can really snarl if you dig in and give it some bluesy lines to work with.

Given my previous comments above, I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised by the projection on offer here, but it is still notable. While it’s not going to shout above a band without plugging in, it’s pokey and muscular in a way that is extremely enjoyable.

If you do need to shout over a band, however, the Baggs Element unit is a well-travelled performer. It’s simple and sounds good – avoiding any unpleasant piezo quack while giving a perfectly cromulent impersonation of the unplugged sound. It’s not going to change your life, but anyone expecting that from a plugged-in acoustic sound at this point is probably kidding themselves.

Image: Adam Gasson

Should I buy one?

Trying to work out the sort of person that might buy this guitar is an interesting conundrum. Because by and large, my impression of the average Martin customer is someone who is drawn in by the classic looks and unimpeachable heritage of the brand and its instruments. That’s not to say that Martin hasn’t been actively trying to innovate and try new things over the last 100-odd years, often with rather impressive results, but the perception is there.

The question for many of these new 16 Series guitars is, ‘Why would you buy this over a Gibson?’ – a brand for whom the slope-shouldered thing is much more familiar in the eyes of most musicians – and it’s one I’ve been wrestling with myself.

Visually, these guitars stand out in ways that may or may not pique your interest. If you want a Martin that stands out from the rank and file, there’s no better option than this – but that limited finish palette is unquestionably going to alienate a lot of players who don’t want their guitars to present in primary colours.

In terms of sonics and playability, the 00L-16E is a much easier sell. Its interesting blend of Martin and Gibson features makes it an interesting greatest hits package of smaller-bodied American acoustics, with projection, articulation and versatility that could make it a perfect songwriter’s guitar. It’s this, much more than the garish finish, that makes the 00L-16E a worthy and interesting new addition to the Martin canon, whatever colour it happens to be in.

Alternatives

Gibson’s L-00 Century ($2,299) – this is a fine alternative to the 00L-16E. It’s a tried and true Gibson classic for a reason, though the 12-fret configuration does make it a more compact playing experience.

Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e ($2,999) – Taylor has always known a thing or two about making great small-bodied guitars, but the new signature model is a lovely vintage-vibed bit of kit that has pretty unique looks itself.

Martin 0-17 Standard ($2,399) – all-mahogany Martins are a bit of a cheat code to getting wonderfully expressive Nazareth-made guitars for a bit less money than the spruce-topped versions, and this 0-style instrument is a nice compact but not too compact option.

Image: Adam Gasson

Specs

• Model name: Martin 00L-16E
• Price: $2,499/£2,499
• Type: 14-fret slope-shouldered 00
• Top: Spruce
• Back & Sides: Mahogany
• Neck: Select hardwood
• Fingerboard: Ebony w/ abalone dots
• Scale length: 24.9″ (632mm)
• Nut width (1st fret): 1.75” (45.45mm)
• Neck depth (1st fret): 19mm (0.75″)
• Neck profile: Modified Low Oval
• Body depth: 100mm (3.94″)
• Bridge: Ebony w/ black plastic pins
• Nut: TUSQ
• Tuners: Martin nickel open-gear
• Electronics: Baggs Element
• Weight: 1.7kg (3.7lb)
• Finish: Blue Denim gloss top, satin mahogany-stain back, sides & neck
• Alternative finishes: Black Smoke, 1935 Burst
• Extras: Martin soft shell gigbag

The post Martin 00L-16E review: “this is not your grandaddy’s Martin” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Friday, November 6th. I’m practicing for a wedding next Saturday, and it turned into a week about listening. Stand By Me The couple asked for a few processional songs. Two I knew well. Stand By Me I’d never really played. My first sloppy version just mimicked the melody. Then I did what I always do: […]

The post Ear Training, Perfect Pitch, And Why You Should Stop Reading Chords Over Lyrics appeared first on On The Beat with Totally Guitars.

I usually take on reviews of anything called “shimmer reverb” with a mild sense of trepidation. I like the effect in certain measures and settings, and many artists I adore use it (or some more primitive version of harmonizing reverb, anyway) on songs I love. But it goes without saying, perhaps, that shimmer 'verb can be used and abused in ways that are a bit cloying.

Leave it to Electro-Harmonix to create a tiny, affordable shimmer 'verb that even shimmer verb skeptics can embrace. It does everything a good shimmer ‘verb should, which is to say it’s killer for scoring romantic dramas about fictional undersea civilizations. But it also offers alternative “scenes” or algorithms that can turn the shimmer ‘verb formula on its head, as well as a versatile, wide-ranging control set, and secondary controls that widen the possibilities of each scene—enabling subtle or seismic-scale variations on a given sound.

Reflections On Deep Space

The Pico Shimmer, to some extent, builds on voices that some of you will know well—namely those from the POG, Oceans 11, and Canyon—so there are some familiar textures here. But the most enticing of the sounds here—like the glitchy etherdust effect, which fractures the signal with randomized delay times, to very compelling ends—can feel very novel and tread well outside known shimmer zone boundaries. Etherdust is one of three basic scenes. The other two are the more traditionally shimmery intergalactic mode and the smoother off-world scene, which uses hazier contours in the voice to conjure very effective vintage synth-like tonalities.

For all the variation in possible sounds here, EHX did a great job of keeping the controls streamlined and full of range. Some of the controls, the blend and tone, for instance, are self-explanatory. Others keep surprises in store. The time control, for example, ranges all the way to infinite reverb, which enables you to create endlessly droning sound beds and synth-like pads (you can literally hit a note, put your guitar down, go for a walk, and return to your guitar singing, mantra-like, on the floor). The voice control, meanwhile, enables you to dial out the shimmer effect completely, leaving a very useful and pretty plate reverb effect that extends the pedal’s practicality in a big way. At the secondary function level (which you activate by holding the scene button), you can also adjust the delay time of discrete echoes and alter modulation depth and rate.

“The bizarre, almost reverse-reverb effects I got by reducing the discrete delay time to a minimum were a total surprise.”

Take a Left Turn at Cygnus 6

Considering the reticence with which I approached the Pico Shimmer (I have not been in what you would call an ethereal mood), boy, did I have a blast. I loved the ease with which I could put the plate reverb voice to work and how well it worked with drive tones to create familiar but jarring, even lo-fi colors. The synth-like effects I could extract from the off-world voice compelled me to use the lowest three strings of the guitar in low registers to craft ominous pads that could be made doubly creepy by adding a touch of distortion downstream.

But the bizarre, almost reverse-reverb effects I got by reducing the discrete delay time to a minimum in the same mode were a total surprise, and I went missing for a while playing arpeggios with active vibrato arm technique and a bit of low-gain distortion to activate the clattering, downward-spiraling overtones. Everything that was strange and unsettling in that off-world environment was extra weird in the more fractured etherdust mode. And even at mellow wet/dry blend settings, these shards of deconstructed tone and time were enough to make me wonder, at times, if I was hearing phantasmal voices amid the wobbly din.

The Verdict

The Pico Shimmer Cosmic Reverb, as the name suggests, excels at doing classically shimmery things. But for me at least, it’s the many sound tangents extending out from that shimmer core that make this little pedal so interesting. It’s a breeze to use to unlock its full potential once you get a feel for the secondary controls. And while you can get deep into extraordinary and alien sound worlds, extracting yourself is easy if you stray too far. That quality, along with its compact size, makes this a very practical gigging tool and a deeply engaging and intuitive means of experimenting with exploded and enhanced reverb textures.

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This week’s show is a mini master class in the life of a working recording artist in 2026. Lance Allen (aka “the Guitarlancer”) is a jack of all guitar trades: He teaches guitar to students around the world; he works in the gear industry as a consultant and demo artist; and he’s a musician successfully navigating the world of digital streaming.

On this week’s show, we get Lance’s whole, fascinating story. We talk all about performance royalties, streaming trends, his favorite guitars, and how a couple of tracks on “peaceful guitar” playlists paid for his house! Plus, the Fretboard Summit, high-end Cort acoustics, the Chet Atkins Society, TikTok, backing Justin Trudeau (almost), coffee, and so much more.

https://www.lanceallenmusic.com/

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We are also brought to you by Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar: https://mmguitarbar.com, located in Seattle, Washington.

Above photo: Twila Allen

The post Podcast 570: Lance Allen first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

The Foo Fighters' stage-right riffer shares his winding journey that starts bumpy as high-school dropout but ends as a stadium-filling rockstar. In between those mile markers, Chris Shiflett fills in his past with an honest, open perspective that fondly remembers his time with No Use For a Name in the 90s alongside songsmith Tony Sly, recalls having fun with the punk-rock, cover-song circus that was Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and explains how his prototype Fender "Cleaver" Telecaster Deluxe signature almost met its demise during NOFX's final song.

Thanks to our Sponsor:

Visit Stewmac.com

Black Friday deals are already rolling out across Sweetwater this year, and we’ve found some of the best savings on guitar gear to save you time.

You can save on brands like Positive Grid, BOSS and Line 6 right now through to the end of December 2026.

• READ MORE: Laney Prism-Mini review – a sub-£100 desktop amp with sounds that’ll rival your main rig

Positive Grid deals

A huge load of Positive Grid products are reduced right now on Sweetwater. You can get $138 off the Spark LIVE combo amp and PA system, $135 off the Reactor 100-watt combo amp, and also save on its smaller goodies like the Spark GO ($50 off) and Spark NEO ($75 off).

Over $100 off IK Multimedia’s TONEX modeller

IK Multimedia’s TONEX modeller is now $299.99, saving you $130. This compact unit takes the IK Multimedia TONEX ecosystem and offers a portable, computer-free way to access your TONEX Tone Model library, with 150 preset slots to store your favourite amplifiers, cabinets, pedals, and full-size rig models.

Get $85 off the BOSS ME-90 multi-effects pedal

Now $299.99, the BOSS ME-90 is described by Sweetwater as “tone-packed”, with 11 onboard AIRD amp models, 60 flagship-grade effects, a dedicated amp section, and seven simultaneous effects categories. The ME-90 also supplies eight multifunction footswitches and an expression pedal for ease of control on the fly.

Get $100 of the Line 6 POD Go

Now $499.99, the Line 6 POD Go combines traditional controls with a large colour LCD display for reliable control over amps, stomps, and cabs. Inside the POD Go, users can access more than 270 Helix and legacy models of classic gear loved across the ages.

More great pedal deals

You can also save on brands like JHS, Warm Audio and Electro-Harmonix right now at Sweetwater. The EHX Octavix is now $79.99, while the JHS Good Vibrations chorus/vibrato pedal is now $199, and Warm Audio’s Fluff Drive is now $124.

For all these deals and more, visit Sweetwater’s Black Friday sale.

The post We’ve found some of the best early Black Friday gear deals at Sweetwater so you don’t have to appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

With Johnny Marr recently auctioning off over 100 if his instruments, it auctioneers have been inspired. A piece of Eric Clapton history is currently being flogged, meaning anyone could get their paws on one of the most pivotal rigs of his career – specifically his exact 1988 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster and Soldano SLO-100 stack that he played with during Cream’s 1993 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Hosted by ANALOGr, Clapton’s stack and guitar is estimated to sell for up to $3,000,000 at auction. It’s a pretty penny, but it’ll get you a grand piece of Slowhands history; the rig was Clapton’s preferred set up between 1989 and 1939, and it bears plenty of character from its time on the road.

• EDITOR’S PICK: Joe Satriani picks his favourite solo he’s ever laid down

The Strat served as Clapton’s very first signature Strat, and it was certainly well loved. From a burn mark capturing Clapton’s nicotine-addled era, a time when the rocker secured cigarettes beneath the strings on his headstock, to worn paint on the back of its body, the Strat has its fair share of battle scars. “I think this is the last smoking guitar,” Lee Dixon, Clapton’s personal Guitar Tech, tells ANALOGr, alluding to the fact Clapton gave up smoking in 1993.

Regardless of its imperfections, it should still sound the part; designed by Fender Custom Shop’s founder and Master Builder Mike Stevens, the axe has trio of Lace Sensor single-coil pickups, and an onboard boost. “This to me is one of the killer guitars,” Dixon explains. “It was played an awful lot through the early ’90s. It has no serial number on it because it’s the first [black] one, almost like a prototype. It was Eric’s suggestion at the time; he said we should really have a black one in the range. So this is the first officially sanctioned black [EC Signature] Strat.”

Credit: ANALOGr

As for the sights this Strat has seen, the list is seemingly endless. It’s performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Cream, a 1991 Japanese tour supporting The Beatles’ George Harrison, and it even graced the stage at Madison Square Garden during Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert in 1992.

Back in 2004, this exact Strat sold for $231,500 – but this auction listing also comes with Clapton’s Soldano SLO-100 stack (including a slanted Soldano 4×12, and a straight 4×12) which could explain the higher estimated price. It also comes with a few extra goodies, like an Eric Clapton pick, and a vinyl, and a signed booklet from the 2004 Christie’s auction.

For more information, head to ANALOGr.

The post The rig Eric Clapton played during Cream’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is up for auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Hello, and welcome back to Mod Garage. After polishing the frets last month, we’re almost done with our Harley Benton project, and it’s time to put the neck back on. I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed this experiment as well as all your questions and emails, which clearly showed that there’s a lot of interest in sprucing up guitars like this.

There’s not much work left now: We’re going to bolt the neck back on, string up the guitar, and adjust everything to individual taste. Reattaching the neck took less than two minutes, and because the neck pocket is really tight, it fits like a charm. I always use a simple but sturdy handheld screwdriver for this job because it gives me full control over the torque. A cordless screwdriver can be risky, so if that’s your preferred option, work carefully.

As for the strings, I decided to switch from the factory-installed .010s to a regular set of .009s to see whether heavy-gauge strings are necessary to get a heavy tone. There are countless famous guitar players who have used light—and sometimes even ridiculously light—string gauges, such as Brian May (.008s) and Billy Gibbons (.007s). I certainly wouldn’t say either of them has a thin or weak tone. I installed a standard .009–.042 nickel-wound string set—no fancy stuff like stainless steel, Monel, Cobalt, silk-coated, cryogenically treated under the third full moon in January, etc. Just plain and simple. The bone nut and new tuners made installing and tuning the new strings a real joy.

A complete setup on any electric guitar always involves adjusting neck relief, action (string height), intonation, and pickup height. On our Harley Benton, achieving a professional setup was easy. The dual-action truss rod and excellent fretwork straight from the factory are a pleasure to work with. This guitar would easily allow for a super-low action without any significant string buzz, but I decided on a medium-low setup to accommodate the preferences of most players, without interfering with picking techniques like chicken pickin’ or hybrid picking. Thanks to the compensated bridge saddles, the intonation was almost spot-on right out of the box, without any height-adjustment screws sticking out above the saddles.

I set the bridge pickup height at 2.5 mm (0.0984”) on the low E string and 2.0 mm (0.0787”) on the high E string as a starting point, then fine-tuned the rest by ear until all six strings had a balanced output.

The whole procedure took approximately 30 minutes, and we now have a completely assembled guitar again. It turned out really well, and the difference in tone and playability from where we started is clearly audible and visible.

Remember the “before” video from our friend Haiko Heinz? I asked him to make another one featuring our now-overhauled guitar, and here it is.

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I can honestly say that I’ve worked on countless guitars over the last three decades, so I think I’ve had more than enough opportunities to make comparisons. This Harley Benton can now easily hold its own against guitars with a much higher price tag—period!

Over the years, I’ve seen some really bad issues with quality and flaws on electric guitars costing more than 10 times the price of this Harley Benton, especially when it comes to fretwork. Naturally, I don’t know whether all Harley Benton guitars are built to the same high standard, but this one was randomly picked from a large batch, so we can be pretty sure they didn’t send us a hand-selected premium guitar for our project.

And remember: Our budget was $500, including the guitar itself, and we still have $100 left that we can spend on a case or a cool gig bag.

I know the math behind this experiment can be considered somewhat naive or misleading because it’s based on the assumption that you do all the work yourself and already have most of the necessary tools and materials in your arsenal. If you must outsource certain tasks— making a new bone nut, or cutting a new pickguard—to your local luthier or guitar tech, it’s easy to break the $500 barrier. The same applies if you happen to get a guitar with poor fretwork that requires leveling, re-crowning, etc., and you don’t want to do that work yourself. But hopefully you can see from this project that it’s possible to completely overhaul and spruce up a cheap guitar to a level of detail approaching that of a custom-shop instrument.

It’s important to me to reiterate something I’ve said several times before: This is just one example and one way of planning and carrying out a project like this. It’s my preferred approach based on years of experience, but it’s not set in stone, and, of course, it’s not the only way to do it. There are many ways to get to Rome, and there’s certainly no crime in taking a different route or adapting my approach to suit your own needs.

So, what can we learn from this experiment? Let’s take a look at where we started and what we ended up with, according to Common Internet Guitar Knowledge (CIGK).

CIGK: A lightweight electric guitar will have no sustain, no loud tone, and a thin sound.

We started with a lightweight 7.2 pound (3.3 kg) guitar straight out of the box. After replacing the hardware, we now have an even lighter guitar at 6.72 pounds (3.05 kg), and it sounds fat and mean, with sustain for days. The overall weight of a solidbody electric guitar obviously has no significant influence on its amplified tone or sustain.

CIGK: Basswood is not a tonewood, so it won’t sound very good.

I compared this guitar with a Telecaster made from ash and equipped with the same pickup. I can clearly hear the sonic differences between the two guitars when playing them unplugged. Through the same amp, however, the two guitars sound remarkably similar. So, the wood used for the body appears to have little to no influence on the amplified tone of a solidbody electric guitar.

“There are many ways to get to Rome, and there’s certainly no crime in taking a different route or adapting my approach to suit your own needs.”

CIGK: The guitar is constructed from a multi-piece body, which will result in inferior tone.

See above … no significant difference in the amplified tone.

CIGK: The body isn’t nitro-lacquered but has an ultra-thick polyurethane finish, which we all know kills tone because the wood can’t breathe and resonate freely.

This will certainly have an influence when playing the guitar unplugged, but this is an electric guitar, not an acoustic guitar. Once amplified, the guitar sounds excellent, despite its super-thick polyurethane finish.

CIGK: The one-piece maple neck isn’t really one piece. It also has a glued-on maple fretboard, which isn’t vintage-correct and therefore kills the high-end and attack.

Not vintage-correct? Hmm. Fender used one-piece maple necks through much of the ‘50s and again in 1969, and those instruments are definitely vintage now. The Harley Benton has plenty of snap and attack, as well as high-end chime, in its amplified tone.

CIGK: We all know that only heavy strings produce a heavy tone and that thin strings have no sustain.

Billy Gibbons and Brian May have no sustain and a thin tone? I think we should tell them, just in case they’ve never noticed.

This experiment clearly shows that most CIGK should probably be renamed CIGB—Common Internet Guitar Bullshit.

We took one of the cheapest guitars available, one with plenty of features widely regarded as drawbacks, and transformed it into an excellent-sounding and highly playable instrument. Sure, it’s still a guitar with a very low resale value, no matter what parts you put into it. But in terms of performance, playability, and tone, it can now easily outrun guitars that cost considerably more.

The bottom line: It’s up to you to judge for yourself. I can only encourage you to give it a try. There’s not much you can lose, but there’s a lot you can learn.

And so, our experiment has reached its successful end. Our guitar will go up for auction soon, with all proceeds being donated to our local animal shelter.

Next month we will return to guitar mods, so stay tuned.

Until then ... keep on modding!

Though every guitar company loves to have a legacy built on iconic, proven instruments, none want to be seen as unable to evolve. That’s why brands as different as Martin, Gibson, Taylor, and Fender always experiment with novel body shapes, electronics, and materials—even as their most famous and foundational axes continue to sell and flourish in the marketplace.

PRS staples like the Custom 24 and the McCarty 594 can, at this point, be counted among such bedrock instruments. They’re classics—plain and simple. And models like the Silver Sky and the Fiore have demonstrated that the company is willing to experiment beyond the business’ ballyhooed bulwarks. The new PRS Tekton line, however, which includes the standard Tekton, Tekton T (with PRS two-point tremolo), Tekton ”Floyd” (with a Floyd Rose 1000 double-locking tremolo), and Tekton SVN seven-string, represents one of the most radical additions to the company’s line in its history.

Body By Design

With a fresh, all-new, light and thin body design, an ultra-sleek “modern-D” neck shape, and the brand-spankin’ new PRS Stylus pickups onboard, the modern metal-aligned Tektons are more than an edgy new riff on traditional PRS methodology—they are a true departure. In some respects, in fact, they address the changing ways that modern metal and other technical players make music, most notably the move to digital modeling and amplification systems. They are future-gazing instruments.

Though the Tekton guitars mark a radical deviation from the norm, there are recognizable links to the PRS family line. For instance, it’s easy to see traces of the Custom 24 and the offset Vela in the profile. From there, though, the differences become apparent fast. The Tekton features the thinnest neck and thinnest body ever to emerge from the PRS factory, which is a bolt-on, rather than set-neck design. The bodies are crafted from mahogany and feature bold-figured mango tops, except for the Tekton Floyd, which trades mahogany for an all-alder body, which is lighter and offsets the weight of the Floyd Rose 1000 vibrato. The super-slim bodies are extremely comfortable to hold whether sitting or standing, and the violin-style top carve and sculpted belly make it feel like an extension of the player. Some players may find the mango top’s hard upper edge a bit tough on the picking-hand forearm. But that’s about the only potential gripe. Otherwise, it’s super comfortable.

With a 24-fret neck featuring stainless steel PRS jumbo frets (stainless previously appeared only on the Joe Walsh Limited Edition), you can access the upper reaches of the neck with ease—a sensation that is enhanced by the Tekton’s treble-side scoop, which, to this reviewer, feels deeper than that on a Custom 24. Combined with the thin neck profile, satin nitro finish, new-for-PRS 16" radius, and a lovely Indian ebony fretboard, the Tekton six-string necks offer instantly tangible extra speed and accuracy. You can really feel it, and the sensation is heightened by the slightly wider string-spacing, which will appeal to those with a bit of classical training (or just big hands). The more generous spacing is also a boon for sweep-picking or just playing similar scale and chord shapes up and down the fretboard. Neck stability, by the way, is supported by internal hormigo wood strength rods, which complement the truss rod. Another notable departure: PRS ditched the classic bird inlays for slightly offset dot markers and blue Luminlay side markers.

No Muck In These Pickups

Even with all the reimagined body and neck design going on here, the main story is arguably the new PRS Stylus humbuckers. These Alnico 5 units are notable not so much for their color or character, but for their relatively flat response. This makes them hard to peg as typically PRS in terms of voice, but it makes them very well suited for modeling and profiling platforms.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t great with big, loud tube amps. They are distinctly mud-resistant and bell-like, and this translates across amplification platforms. I couldn’t get a bad sound out of them, and where I often find humbuckers with push-pull coil taps thin or a bit of an afterthought, the coil tap on the Tekton and Tekton Floyd revealed many character-rich tones that sounded especially cool in lower-gain and clean settings and would be right at home in Vertical Horizon, Porcupine Tree, or Opeth-style applications.

“The Tekton six-string models offer instantly tangible extra speed and accuracy”

Take Me to the Bridge

There’s probably not much you can say to a diehard Floyd Rose fan to talk them out of the Tekton Floyd's 1000 tremolo. But I’d make the case that the hardtail Tekton (or the Tekton T, featuring PRS’ excellent two-point tremolo, which we did not review here) offer superior tuning stability, the most sustain, and less maintenance time when you’re re-stringing or adjusting intonation.

There are ergonomic considerations too. The edge of the palm rests much more naturally on the smooth, simple carved tops of the Tektons when a hardtail bridge is in place than with a Floyd Rose, I certainly noticed my palm mutes were more nuanced when using the hardtail. The hardtail bridge also looks more elegant on these sleek beauties. Plus, the PRS hardtail could be the best hardtail bridge on the market. It’s total class in my book.

The Verdict

PRS did not cut corners bringing the Tekton series to realization. The body design, neck, materials, and electronics all reflect a drive to serve contemporary technical players and the evolutionary approaches they use in their craft. The guitars aren’t cheap. You’ll pay $2,899 for the Tekton and Tekton T and $2,999 for the Tekton Floyd and SVN. But those prices are right in line with vintage-spec instruments from other manufacturers that offer little in the way of rule-breaking design. The sense of premium manufacturing and features is plain to see in the build quality, but also the dazzling mango tops and luxurious colors. But the serious R&D that went into these instruments makes these prices look especially fair. And to the extent that they can facilitate a fast-track trip to a shredder’s Mt. Olympus—at least for a certain sect of disciplined, technical players—this new breed of PRS offers an impressive convergence of design, quality, and practical value that can flat-out elevate your playing. PG

PROS An innovative and forward-thinking design from PRS. Light materials. Great ergonomics, along with the thinnest body and neck PRS has produced. Flat-frequency pickups that deliver in modeling situations and with trad tube amps. Super-fast and smooth playability.

CONS Some PRS players will miss the color in more traditional PRS pickups like the 85/15, 58/15 LT, and 59/09.

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Both with successful multi-decade careers under their belts, today’s a big day for Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, as it marks the first time the pair have ever released a collaborative full-length album.

Yep, The Sea of Emotion has officially arrived via earMUSIC, and brings a cornucopia of six-string virtuosity and dizzying leads from two of the most prominent shredders in the game, so if you’re in any way guitar-inclined, you need to add this to your weekend listening list.

• EDITOR’S PICK: Joe Satriani picks his favourite solo he’s ever laid down

Of course, one reason it’s so surprising this album took the pair so long is how far back their professional relationship actually goes. In fact, Vai was once a student of Satriani, and began receiving lessons from him all the way back in 1973 when he was just 13 years old, and Satch was only 17.

Now 66 and 70 respectively, it’s been decades since their paths first crossed, and they’ve worked together on numerous occasions on various solo projects and on the famous G3 tours – which featured Satch and a rotating lineup of virtuoso guitarists – but it’s taken over 50 years for them to commit to a full album together.

And the opportunity arose following the most recent G3 reunion tour in early 2024, when both realised they had a gap in their forthcoming schedules. Initially, the pair had the idea to record a single track, but after Satch sent Vai two song ideas, they committed to a full album instead.

“We’ve been planning this since 1973!” Vai jokes. “Just unconsciously.”

“The biggest surprise was that we write in completely different ways,” Satriani adds. “And that’s what made the project so fun and interesting.”

The album features a selection of originals, plus a reimagining of Dancing, a song by Italian singer and pianist Paolo Conte.

Perhaps most notably, the LP’s closing track, the final part of an epic trilogy, The Sea of Emotion, opens with a vintage reel-to-reel recording from one of Steve Vai’s early lessons with Joe Satriani, bringing their professional relationship full circle.

“It illustrates just how far we’ve come,” Satriani says.“We’re these two kids who haven’t found our sound yet, but we’ve got enthusiasm. We’re chasing something, and we’re determined.”

“It’s a beautiful coming together of me and my friend in a very intimate musical way,” says Vai. “That was the reason we did the record.”

Produced with keyboardist Eric Caudieux, the album also features contributions from drummers Gregg Bissonette, Jeremy Colson, Kenny Aronoff, Matt Chamberlain and Mike Mangini, plus bassists Billy Sheehan, Bryan Beller, Philip Bynoe, Matt Bissonette, Marco Mendoza and Henrik Linder.

SATCHVAI’s new album, The Sea of Emotion, is out now. Listen below:

The post If you have any respect for guitar playing, you need to listen to Joe Satriani and Steve Vai’s new album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$249/£199, orangeamps.com

Despite the name, the Orange Baby Terror is not a horrifying infantile reincarnation of the current US president, born through mysterious science in order to circumvent term limits and rule over the blasted nuclear wastelands of 2028. It is, in fact, a new amplifier from Orange, one that combines the versatility of the Baby range with the small format of a Micro Terror. Orange has previous for making excellent little lunchbox heads that punch well above their weight classes – will this be any different?

• READ MORE: Boss EX-4 Effects Expander review – a force multiplier for compact pedalboards

What is it?

The Terror series dates back to 2007, and under it Orange launched a variety of affordable, all-metal lunchbox heads, starting with the Tiny Terror – there’s an argument to be made that without the Terror, lunchbox heads wouldn’t even be a thing in the guitar amp market.

The Baby Terror is best viewed as a successor to the smallest in the range, the Micro Terror, and at 16.5cm by 14cm by 10cm is almost exactly the same size. The biggest changes are a more complex control panel (with more than one knob for EQ!) and an added effects loop. This comes at the cost of the tube preamp, as the Baby Terror is now fully solid-state.

This tubeless operation and the more fully featured back panel are the headline imports from the Baby range – what we don’t get is the same power rating. Those amps are somewhat defined by their 100-watt class AB power amps, but here we’re working with the same 20 watts as the Micro.

But hey, 20 watts can still be more than loud enough, and the expanded controls and I/O do, on paper, make this far more flexible than the Micro’s one-knob tone control and barebones connectivity. So, let’s see what Orange has packed us for lunch.

Image: Adam Gasson

Build quality and usability

From a build quality perspective, it’s pretty hard to fault the Baby Terror. It has a solid metal chassis and has a little bit more of a reassuring heft – 1.5 kilos compared to the Micro’s 850 grams. It’s still extremely light, all things considered, but the Baby Terror perhaps feels a little more sure of itself as an object. I’ve watched a punk band play with a Micro Terror on full-blast, and during the first song, the head walked backwards across its cabinet, chucking it into the mess of cables behind. That feels a little less likely here.

New for the Baby is that more densely-populated back panel, which offers an effects loop, a dry, direct line-out from the preamp, and a footswitch jack to switch between two pre-set master volume levels. It’s a little crowded thanks to the small size, perhaps, but it’s great to have this much flexibility in setup – particularly if you want to cleanly use reverbs and delays alongside the distortion from the preamp.

And speaking of crowded, the front panel controls are also far busier than the Micro – luckily not to the point where they’re actually difficult to turn, and perhaps smartly Orange has opted for pedal-style indented knobs rather than its in-house rounded ones. The extra controls are all pretty self-explanatory, with a three-band EQ, gain and presence joining the aforementioned dual volume controls. The final touch is the ‘Tubby’ switch, which acts as a low-end boost.

Image: Adam Gasson

Sounds

Upon plugging in to everything set to noon, I’m met with a fairly loud, slightly overdriven sound. It’s perhaps cleaner than you might expect, given Orange’s propensity for raucous drive tones. But it’s soon clear that this amp retains the surprising versatility that other single-channel Oranges can conjure, even more so now that you have a full EQ section and presence control to further adjust things.

The gain control has a very impactful sweep, and three almost-distinct ‘zones’ that it suddenly enters as you turn it. Below 40 per cent is sparklingly clean, between 40 and 60 per cent is where you’ll find edge-of-breakup morphing into bluesy overdrive, and above 70 per cent you’re in far fuzzier territory.

The first zone can be a little thin, but this is helped by engaging the Tubby switch to keep things round and Fendery, rather than anaemic and dry. The middle zone is perhaps more exciting for a clean sound, though, it allows for your playing dynamics to dance across that ever-enticing edge of breakup.

At the fully-dimed end of things, you don’t get the same wall of thick, overblown doominess that something like the OR15 will give you when you max the gain knob, but it is still a pretty pleasing sound. It’s worth noting that as soon as I enter high gain territory, that Tubby switch gets turned off. On the cleans it adds a nice bit of low-end depth, but I find it far more flubby than tubby in gainier territory. The sound, though, is still very pleasing – with a classic Orange throatiness in the midrange that will just make you want to start learning every single C#-era Black Sabbath riff.

The downside is that you don’t get true clean-to-dirty channel switching – if you want to do that across a song or a set, you’re going to need to set the amp clean and get your dirt tones with pedals. Doing this, I find that ragged rock sounds and scuzzy doom sounds are more than achievable with some classic Orange pairings like Big Muffs and RATs. They’re not my favourite tones that I’ve heard from an Orange solid-state head – but for £199, they’re hard to be too negative about.

Image: Adam Gasson

Where things do fall a little short is on the tighter, chuggy and modern side of things. It’s not a sound the amp can achieve on its own, as the gain tops out at Sabbathian stoner levels. And sadly, setting the Baby Terror to medium gain and boosting it with a TS-style pedal doesn’t get the best results either – with a bit too much high-end fizz, and a low-end that’s hard to clean up even without the Tubby switch engaged. This is a bit of a shame, but perhaps a less responsive and less boostable front end is the price we’ve paid here for going all solid-state.

What does help expand out the possible sounds is the effects loop. It’s a cool feature to see on a head this cheap, and obviously the more ambient-minded players will welcome the more flexible reverb and delay pedal setups it allows. The other benefit is that you’re no longer chained to the preamp that’s in here – if you wanted to run a preamp pedal or a modeller straight into the power amp here, you could – which is extra good news for giggers on a budget, given the upcoming avalanche of affordable NAM A2-capable modellers.

Speaking of gigging, a quick word on volume – this thing is loud, with a maximum volume that’ll be quite antisocial at home unless you live in the woods, and even then you’ll probably deafen a few squirrels. But that being said, it doesn’t quite match the kind of low-end impact you can get from something like the main Baby range or the Super Crush. It’ll likely be enough for most small gigs, as long as you’re not relying on your cab’s volume alone – and similarly, unless your drummer hits extremely hard, will be more than loud enough for practice rooms. Another gigging bonus is that footswitchable volume – for rock sets where the only effect you’ll need is a solo boost, all you’ll need is that footswitch.

One extra consideration is that the line-out is effectively just a balanced version of the preamp send – there’s no cab sim here. Having heard the analogue cab sim on the Super Crush, that’s not really a huge loss, but keep in mind it’s not quite viable as a straight-to-desk thing in a live situation.

This dry line-out also replaces the headphone jack that the Micro Terror had. Thanks to Positive Grid, the floodgates have opened for a bunch of digitally-driven mini practice amplifiers, and Orange seems totally uninterested in making this kind of amp. And so binning off the headphone jack seems to be making the assumption that you’ll use one of the many other far more flexible solutions for all-in-one coffee table practice – and it’s a fair assumption.

Image: Adam Gasson

Should I buy one?

There’s a reason the first Micro Terror was such a hit. It weighs as much as a loaf of bread, costs less than your average boutique pedal, and can fit into even the most fashionably tiny backpacks – all while still kicking out Orange tones at very respectable volumes. The Baby Terror commits to all of these good points with aplomb, and for many, the added effects loop will be worth the price of admission alone.

Of course, it is not as high-fidelity, tonally, as it could be. The low end can be a little hard to manage, and the midrange throatiness won’t be for everyone. But that’s just Orange being true to the Orange of it all – there are plenty of options if you want a more modern sound and digitally-driven flexibility. It’s great to see Orange stick to its loud-as-hell, analogue-as-possible character and not just sound like everyone else. This, ultimately, is an amp with ‘Terror’ in its name, and its nature.

Overall, it’s not that much pricier than the original Micro, and it’s a good deal more flexible, so, really, if you are walking to every gig, don’t need the earth-shaking power of a full 100 watts in your band and like that more raucous Orange approach, then it’s a very viable option

Alternatives

There are, of course, a good few different options for amps in this price range depending on what you need. The original Micro Terror ($159/£139) is great if you don’t care about an effects loop, and you just want a 12AX7 to abuse with a fuzz pedal. If you want a little bit more of a classically chuggy sound, Laney makes its own range of affordable-but-punchy solid-state heads – try the Ironheart Foundry Series IRF Leadtop ($299.99/£149.99) for size. If you do want the classic Orange sound from a portable, flexible solid state head but 20 watts feels a little dinky, I’d recommend the Tour Baby 100 – although it is a little over twice the price at $599/£459.

If your reasoning for wanting a wee little amp like this for home usage rather than gigging convenience, something like the Blackstar Beam Mini ($229/£169), Positive Grid Spark Go ($99/£95) or Spark Mini ($199/£199) will be far more flexible in terms of playing along to tracks and headphone connectivity.

The post Orange Baby Terror review: a minuscule lunchbox head that packs classic Orange punch appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.