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“When I first plugged into it, I realised this s***’s good. I really wanted to dislike it! But I couldn’t”: Joe Bonamassa on digital amps winning him over
There’s something to say about how far digital modelling technology has come when even a self-confessed tube aficionado like Joe Bonamassa ends up using it on tour.
The blues guitarist has recently been “beta testing” Fender’s Tone Master range on the road and it’s clearly made more of an impression than he expected.
Speaking to MusicRadar, Bonamassa admits he went into the experiment ready not to like what he heard: “I’ve got to be honest with you and admit when I’m wrong,” says the virtuoso.
“I still have my other tube amps behind me. It’s just that the [Fender ‘59] high-powered Twin is now a Tone Master. When I first plugged into it, I realised this shit’s good. I wanted to dislike it, I really wanted to dislike it! But I couldn’t.”
The reaction wasn’t just his own, either. According to Bonamassa, the people around him on tour were hearing the same thing.
“My production manager, my sound tech, even my other guitar player Josh Smith – they were all telling me it sounds better and feels right. And I was like, ‘I know!’”
The “trick”, says Bonamassa, “is to be physically pushing out sound.”
“You have to be moving air. By having the right speakers, the Tone Master works. It’s not like I’m plugging into a direct box, which I could, but I don’t think that would sound good.”
“That’s where a lot of this digital modeling stuff can start sounding a little generic,” he continues. “With a lot of the things out there, you’re not moving air, and the dynamic range is limited. For me, moving air is essential, just like playing loud.”
First introduced in 2019, Fender’s Tone Master range was developed to digitally recreate the sound and feel of the company’s most iconic tube amplifiers. The lineup has since expanded to include digital versions of classics such as the Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, Princeton Reverb and more.
The post “When I first plugged into it, I realised this s***’s good. I really wanted to dislike it! But I couldn’t”: Joe Bonamassa on digital amps winning him over appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I want my guitar to do exactly what I need, so we took out all the ‘extra’ stuff”: Mammoth guitarist Jon Jourdan’s new PRS has just one pickup, one knob, and zero distractions
PRS has teamed up with Mammoth touring guitarist Jon Jourdan on a limited-edition signature guitar that’s “stripped back to the bare essentials”.
Designed with the guitarist’s touring needs in mind, the all-new PRS Jon Jourdan Limited Edition features a single bridge humbucker, one volume control and an all-mahogany construction built for life on the road.
- READ MORE: Anime fans can get a real-life version of the guitar from Rock Is A Lady’s Modesty thanks to PRS
Limited to just 200 units worldwide, the model takes a decidedly minimalist approach to electric guitar design. There’s no neck pickup, no tone control and very little standing between the player and their amp.
Instead, the guitar uses a single PRS Metal pickup in the treble position paired with a lone volume control in the tone pot’s traditional location. Given that Jourdan typically plays with the volume control wide open, the repositioned knob ensures that he won’t hit it when going all out during a performance.
The guitar also features a 22-fret Pattern Regular mahogany neck topped with an ebony fretboard that forgoes traditional inlays altogether. Visibility in low light is handled by green Luminlay side dots, while hardware includes a PRS adjustable stoptail bridge, proprietary nut material and Phase III locking tuners with ebony buttons.
“At the end of the day, my guitar is a tool. I want it to do exactly what I need it to, so we took out all the ‘extra’ stuff I don’t need,” says Jourdan. “This guitar sounds huge and is incredibly fun to play. There’s something about taking out any unnecessary wiring and removing the neck pickup so its magnets aren’t pulling on the strings that makes it feel alive. I can’t imagine anyone playing this guitar having a bad time.”
Only 200 units of the PRS Jon Jourdan Limited Edition will be made in 2026, with each guitar arriving with a backplate hand-signed by the guitarist.
Available in Platinum Metallic and Gunmetal Metallic finishes, the model is priced at $4,200 – not exactly pocket change, though we’re keeping out fingers crossed for an SE version down the line.
Learn more at PRS.
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Two Notes’ GENOME software gets a “full-bore” 2.0 upgrade – here’s everything you need to know
Two Notes has launched a 2.0 update for its GENOME platform, providing a “major evolution” that introduces iPad compatibility, a free intro trial for new users, and new capture technology.
GENOME was first teased in 2022 during NAMM, and was later awarded a 9/10 in our review for its focused set of virtual amps, cabs and pedals, making it a sturdy option for an affordable “full signal chain” plugin. Now, the platform is getting a much broader glow up by expanding beyond the desktop and bringing in new features and modern enhancements.
The GENOME 2.0 launch on iPad is described as “full scale”, meaning no watered-down mobile version features. Instead, the software has been “rebuilt for touch from the ground up”, with all the same capabilities as normal.
The launch of GENOME Intro also means new users can try the platform for free through desktop and iOS. Again, Two Notes stresses that this isn’t a basic version, but that it rather “delivers a complete rig-building experience with a curated selection of Amplifiers, Pedals, DynIR Virtual Cabinets and Studio FX”.
A key addition to the update is the Two Notes Capture Studio, a free standalone capture environment built to bring your own gear into your GENOME rig. Users can create static NAM captures for CODEX, or build multi-parametric AmpNet captures for an all-new PARADEX component, preserving how your amp responds across its full control range.
In response to demand, there’s also a new generation of stock TSM-Ai amplifiers on board, bringing “decades of legendary amplifier design” inside GENOME’s hybrid modelling engine. Global Transpose also unlocks full-system pitch control across an entire rig in real time.
Take a look at the video below to find out more:
“Since day one, GENOME has moved fast, each release pushing the boundaries of what the platform can be. With 2.0, we’re not just continuing that momentum – we’re redefining it. This is a new line in the sand…” says Guillaume Pille, CEO of Two Notes Audio Engineering.
“GENOME 2.0 is about innovation, effortless control, and precision – putting a truly uncompromised, next-generation rig-building experience into the hands of every player, wherever they are.”
To learn more about GENOME 2.0, visit Two Notes.
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This nylon electro-acoustic guitar is designed for “crossover musicians” seeking classical tone with “modern playability”
Winzz Guitars has launched the WCG 370, an electro-acoustic model with nylon strings that unites classical warm tone with modern playability.
The model is said to blend a familiar electric guitar feel with the expressive character of nylon strings “to answer a growing need” among today’s guitarists. Its body shape certainly resembles modern electric guitars, but its headstock retains classical guitar character.
The WCG 370 has a thin profile African mahogany body paired with a spruce top and flame maple veneer. It has a gloss polyester finish, available in Honey Burst, Vintage Sunburst, and Red Tiger Special colours. As Winzz is a budget-friendly brand, the model is also priced under $500.
The African mahogany neck, constructed with a 4-bolt joint with a satin finish, offers a comfortable C-shape profile and a 25.5” scale length. The neck is completed by a rosewood fingerboard with a 16” radius, 22 medium nickel silver frets, white position inlays, and Luminlay side dots. Its 1.89” bone nut, narrower than traditional classical dimensions, is tailored to players accustomed to steel-string and electric neck widths.
The WCG 370 also utilises an under-saddle piezo pickup powered by an onboard, 9-volt battery, and comes with controls for Master Volume, Bass Control, and Treble Control.
The model is finished with a rosewood bridge and bone saddle for “enhanced tone and improved transfer of string vibration to the top of the guitar”, and 18:1 tuning machines for “reliable tuning stability”.
Credit: Winzz
Winzz was founded in 2006 through a partnership between guitar builders from Germany’s village of Winz and Aileen Music in China. It believes music should be accessible to everyone, and says the WGS150 embodies that mission by offering “a professional instrument that welcomes beginners, creators, and seasoned musicians alike”.
The WCG 370 is available now for $399.99 USD. Find out more via Winzz Guitars.
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Thomann Music Days deals are here: guitars, pedals, amps and accessories we’d actually buy
There are only two things that really help you deal with a heatwave – powerful AC, and saving big on some great gear. Thomann has launched its summer Music Days deals, and there are some awesome discounts to be had on amps, guitars and pedals as part of its big summer savings event. Let’s dive into our favourite deals across the huge deal event Thomann has just launched.
Best electric guitar deals
D’Angelico Premiere Mini DC and SS in Sky Blue – over 50% off each
These two excellent semi-hollow guitars have had their pricetags cut by over half – a huge saving for fans of D’Angelico’s gorgeous design.
The SS version is a single-cut, also available in that lovely Sky Blue finish:
Epiphone Bonehead Riviera – 19% off
This signature guitar for Oasis guitarist Bonehead is a tidy 19% off, meaning you won’t need to look back in anger about this purchase…
ESP LTD EC-401 – 44% off
Almost 50% one of the best heavy-focused single-cut guitars out there? This EC-401 is loaded with all that you need for bone-crushing riffs – and is only £489.
ESP E-II Horizon NT-II – €1,100 off
There’s a saving of 34% to be had on this high-spec’d S-style shredder from ESP. With 24 extra jumbo frets and an eye-catching purple finish, this premium riff machine might be the last guitar you need.
Best acoustic deals
D’Angelico Premier Gramercy – 60% off
This great acoustic from D’Angelico is a whopping 60% off, meaning that for under £200 you’re getting a solid sitka spruce top, high-quality electronics, and a unique look thanks to the Black Cherry finish and antique bronze hardware.
Martin Guitar 00-18 – 29% off
This classic Martin Grand Concert guitar is almost £900 off for the Music Days event, neaning that now would be a great time to commit to getting that high-end acoustic you always dreamed of.
Martin Guitar 000-16 StreetMaster – 29% off
For something a little less traditional, this Auditorium guitar in a darker, aged finish with vintage-style hardware is a real enticing guitar at only £1,555.
Taylor GT811E Grand Theater – 30% off
This classic Taylor acoustic is over £800 off for the Music Days event, and features classic Taylor appointments and a timeless look.
Best deals on effects pedals
EarthQuaker Devices Ledges Glaciers Reverberation – 26% off
This is a fantastic little reverb pedal that doesn’t do anything too fancy, instead it just offers some brilliant takes on Room, Hall and Plate reverb modes, with preset save/recall and expression control to boot.
Eventide H9 Max Harmonizer – £40 off
This pedal is famously powerful, offering over 50 effects algorithms, all which sound utterly phenomenal, particularly if you’re of a more ambient persuasion.
KHDK Night Of The Living Shred
Get half off this limited-edition version Zacky Vengeance’s signature preamp. The Avenged Sevenfold player has crafted a high-gain fuzz and preamp alongside KHDK, and there’s some gloriously retro zombie art to go with it.
Marshall Drivemaster – 47% off
The Marshall Drivemaster may not the most famous of Marshall’s original overdrive lineup from the 1990s, but this authentic recreation has just as much of a cool saturated distortion sound, albeit a little heavier than its Bluesbreaker sibling. A discount of almost 50% has brought the price down to a nice £69 for the Music Days event.
Best deals on amps
Mesa Boogie Mark Five:25 – 12% off
Save on this compact but powerful head from Mesa Boogie. An integrated load and cab sim lets you record it direct – while a 25 watt power section still lets you bring the volume on stage.
PRS Archon Classic 50 Head – £43 off
This vintage-style amplifier head from PRS is a no-nonsense 50-watt monster – and it can be acquired for an excellent price right now.
Blackstar Debut 30E – 29% off
Looking for a great starter amplifier? The Blackstar Debut is a great amp for the price anyway, but for Music Days its been discounted by almost 30%. Clean-sounding and loud, this is a great starting point for new players who want to move some air for the first time.
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The Close Up: Muse guitarist Matt Bellamy’s most iconic and beloved guitar, the Manson 007
“When I pick up this guitar, it makes me play the way I play and come up with the ideas I come up with that are different to when I play any other type of guitar.”
Muse’s Matt Bellamy is one of the most influential guitarists of the last two decades, but the way he approaches the construction of the instrument is as vital and interesting as the actual notes he plays. This is because for the majority of Muse’s career Bellamy has used custom instruments created by UK luthier Manson Guitar Works – but the 007, also known as “Black Ed”, is perhaps his most iconic and famous. It’s the guitar that can be seen in the video for Time Is Running Out, it’s the guitar one you hear on New Born, Stockholm Syndrome, Uprising and Starlight. It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s the most often-heard guitar in the entire Muse canon.
“I would say that on every album Muse has made since this guitar was built it has been featured on about 50 per cent of every song we’ve ever recorded,” Bellamy explained to Manson MD Adrian Ashton. “It’s the number one, most go-to recording guitar for me. I did use it on stage a lot as well, and it took a bit of a beating! And I won’t say it was the only one, but it was pretty much the only one that was always getting recorded consistently on Muse albums.”
Plug In, Baby
Back in the early 2000s, Bellamy came to Manson founder Hugh Manson with a plan. He’d already been getting Hugh Manson to install various pedal circuits into the T-style guitars Bellamy had been using, enabling him to tweak his sound on the fly without having to mess with a pedalboard. But now he wanted to squeeze the much more involved gubbins of a DigiTech Whammy pedal into one of the customised T-type guitars Bellamy had been using in Muse.
Rather than load the guitar with a bunch of heavy electronics and batteries, Manson suggested that a more elegant solution would be to: install a touch-sensitive strip that could control the pedal via MIDI, and achieve the same results. The idea spurred Matt Bellamy to take the idea further – just how much could you squeeze into one conventionally-proportioned instrument? A lot, it transpires.
The finished guitar ended up with a Fernandez Sustainer pickup to offer crazy infinitely sustaining notes, a killswitch for stuttering effects, a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory for distortion and perhaps most uniquely of all, a Z.Vex Wah Probe. The Wah Probe is a bizarre, unique creation that uses a theremin-like copper plate to alter the sound of the effect depending on where your finger sits. Naturally, Manson built the plate into the guitar’s pickguard with a specific purpose.
“Whenever we went to Japan, we used to always go and buy weird pedals, basically,” Bellamy recalls. “That was just a thing that we did. A lot of [bassist Chris Wolstenholme]’s synth pedals come from Japan. There were certain shops we used to know in Tokyo, and they had all the best collections and stuff. And I remember seeing a Z-Vex Wah Probe over there for the first time. I bought one and played it and said, ‘Let’s do this!’
“The idea behind it was to try to get this theremin vibe going – with a sustainer holding the note, but just trying to get the note to have some movement.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, the fretboard also lights up with LEDs, kicking off Muse’s longstanding practice of making their instruments just as part of the visual spectacle of a show as everything else.
Back In Black
Fitting it wasn’t a problem, said Hugh, but the resulting guitar would weigh a huge amount purely because of the number of batteries you’d have to squeeze in there to run the tech.
A better solution, Hugh suggested, would be to install a MIDI controller in the guitar. MIDI is the standardised means of digital communication for music technology, and Hugh reasoned that Matt could use it to control an outboard Whammy just as effectively.
The resulting guitar sported a touch-sensitive MIDI control strip above the pickups to control said Whammy, but Matt wasn’t done there. Manson had already been building various other pedals into Matt’s guitars, and with 007 he kicked it into high gear. The guitar features internal circuitry and controls for a Z.Vex Wah Probe (the theremin-like control plate takes the place of a scratchplate on the bottom horn), a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory, and an MXR Phase 90, as well as the addition of a Fernandes Sustainer pickup above the Seymour Duncan hot P-90 neck pickup. Oh, and the fretboard also lights up with LEDs, kicking off Muse’s longstanding practice of making their instruments just as part of the visual spectacle of a show as everything else.
Bellamy first began using this unique and remarkable instrument Black Ed in 2001, and it quickly became his go-to guitar. As you can see from Guitar.com’s photos, the guitar had taken some serious punishment over its time as a stage instrument, and around 2011 Matt decided to retire it from the stage for practical reasons. “It has a very specific tone, but it was a bit heavy for me on stage,” he reveals. “Some of my latest guitars, I’ve had them made deliberately from lighter woods, sometimes with hollowed-out bodies to be extra light. And that’s one of the reasons why I stopped touring with it so much: because it was heavy. But it had the best tone of all the guitars.”
You might start to spot it again soon, however… sort of. Last year Manson (which Bellamy took ownership of in 2020) released the Matthew Bellamy Signature Black Edition – an identical replica of the 007 guitar down to every scratch, chip and repair, while exactly replicating the guitar’s truly unique internals. “If I could only have one guitar in the world, the Black Edition would be it,” Bellamy explains. That’s how important this guitar is to him, and why Manson spared no expense to ensure he can continue using a version of it for years to come.
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“I couldn’t imagine them being left unplayed”: Johnny Marr is auctioning off nearly 100 bits of gear, including pivotal Smiths guitars
Smiths legend Johnny Marr is having a clear our, with plans to auction off nearly 100 pieces from his personal collection later this year. Consisting of almost 80 instruments, as well as amps and other bits of gear, the collection will be a chance to take home a piece of Marr’s diverse and colourful musical back catalogue.
The auction will be held in collaboration with Christie’s auction house, with prices ranging from £1,000 to £80,000. One of the higher ticket items could potentially go for up to £150,000 though – namely his 1960 Cherry Red Gibson ES-355, a gift Marr received from Seymour Stein when signing to Sire Records. The guitar is a pivotal piece of Smiths history, featuring on the iconic Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
Another notable guitar up for grabs is Marr’s iconic black and white 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo, which was another staple instrument of his Smiths era. Featuring on the band’s self-titled 1984 debut, the guitar can be heard throughout, including on cuts like This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Make?
The Manchester-born Marr also leant this guitar to fellow Mancunian Noel Gallagher during the recording of Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, so that’s some extra Northern spirit contained within this axe. Oasis even gave a little nod to the Rickenbacker’s influence by featuring it on the cover of 1994 single Supersonic.
Other highlights include Marr’s Martin D-28 (famously featuring on the timeless There Is A Light That Will Never Go Out), as well as a one‑of‑a‑kind Roger Giffin Korina Custom ‘Tele’ (an engagement gift from his now-wife), and a 1984 Gibson Les Paul Standard, which Marr apparently claims has been used on more recordings than any other guitar up for auction.
One of the most modern guitars available is Marr’s 2018 Fender Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar. But that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in experience – the guitar was used to record on Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for the 2021 James Bond instalment, No Time To Die. It features on both the film’s instrumental theme, as well as Billie Eilish’s Oscar‑winning theme song.
Speaking about the upcoming auction, Marr explains: “I have loved guitars for as long as I can remember, since the first one I got at the age of five. Each guitar I have acquired over the past 50 years or so has helped me evolve as a musician, bringing new songs, new sounds and techniques.”
He notes that writing his 2023 book, Marr’s Guitars, gave him some perspective on his collection. In his mind, it’s time to set these instruments free so they can go forth and make some more memories. “The book turned out to be a cathartic experience and when it was time for these beautiful instruments to go back into storage, I couldn’t imagine them being put away and left unplayed,” he writes.
“It’s bittersweet to be parting with these guitars but I want them to go to new homes and new people who will love them as much as I have,” he concludes. “I hope they bring as much joy, inspiration and fun – and new songs – as they have given me.”
Marr is promising to donate 100% of the profits from 10 lots to a pair of charities: The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and The National Autistic Society.
The public will be able to view a selection of collection highlights prior to the auction. New York will have a chance from June 25th to July 1st, before returning to Christie’s headquarters in London. Then, the public will be able to view the collection from September 9th to 16th.
Following the grand clear out, Johnny Marr will surely be able to focus on his new album The Age of Everything. The record is due to drop October 2nd, with latest single Spin serving as a taste of what to expect.
For more information, head to Chirstie’s auction house.
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“Slip and destroy!”: Kirk Hammett took a tumble offstage during Metallica’s Dublin show
There’s no denying that Kirk Hammett is a masterful, coordinated guitarist – but he can be pretty clumsy on his feet. What with the Metallica axeman injuring his leg onstage back in 2023, he took his antics up a notch last weekend in Ireland, taking a tumble right into the crowd.
The fall happened at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Friday 19 June during Seek & Destroy. In an effort to treat front-row fans to a clear view of his fretwork, the heavy metal legend stood right on the edge of the stage – and things got a little more up-close and personal than he’d intended.
In a video of the fall, you can see Hammett moving closer to the eager fans. Everyone looks delighted – before he slips and falls down onto their heads, that is. Thankfully, the crowd all reacted accordingly, helping Hammett back up and on his feet without much of a hitch.
Despite the head-first dive, Hammett was easily able to continue on with the show. He’s seemingly not got any injuries from it either, if we consider his joke-y response on Instagram hours after the show: a simple “SLIP AND DESTROY!!!!” over a video of the incident.
Again, Hammett has been known to be clumsy. The internet is full of videos of him slipping on his wah pedal, slipping on thin air, and even a few of him just collapsing to the ground.
Hammett’s plunge isn’t the first onstage antic that’s gained him attention on this leg of Metallica’s M72 world tour. On 13 June, Hammett’s choice of attire raised a few eyebrows, with the guitarist opting to wear a comedic shirt reading “Taylor Swift Is A CIA Psyop”.
Moving forward, Metallica’s M72 tour will continue with their two-night stops in each city, with the promise of no repeats across the pair of shows. They’ll be hitting the rest of the UK throughout the end of June and into July, with dates schedules in for Cardiff, Glasgow, and London.
View the full list of tour dates at the Metallica website.
Kirk Hammett wears t-shirt that says "Taylor Swift is a CIA Psyop," mocking conspiracy theorists during a show in Budapest.
This satirical shirt humorously critiques and mocks the absurdity of the real-world conspiracy theories that assert Swift is a government asset.
The…
— BBQ Chiefs (@BBQChiefs) June 19, 2026
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Thomann sues Fender over Stratocaster cease and desist letters
Thomann is suing Fender over its recent campaign of cease-and-desist regarding alleged infringement on the Stratocaster body shape. The retailer has also confirmed that its sub-brand Harley Benton has received a letter over its own guitars.
Per a statement published by Thomann, the brand said it has been following the development of Fender’s cease-and-desist campaign “with great concern,” and noted that the original legal decision that empowered the letters was a default judgement, delivered when the defendant did not appear in court. The statement continues: “On this basis, Fender is now attempting to enforce a fundamental copyright claim to the body shape of the Stratocaster and is simultaneously taking action against European dealers and manufacturers. American manufacturers who sell their instruments in Europe, however, are also affected.”
“After careful consideration, we have decided to take legal action. We have done so because we are convinced that the questions raised here go far beyond a mere legal dispute and affect the future of diversity, innovation and competition in our industry.”
Until now, it was known that the letters were fairly widespread, however PRS and LSL were the only two brands to publicly confirm that they had received them. Thomann’s statement confirms what many commentators suspected – Harley Benton was one of the brands to receive a letter.
The statement as a whole asserts that Thomann wants to see the matter resolved in unbiased court proceedings. As the initial decision was simply a default judgement, legal proceedings were limited – discovery relating to the usage of the S-style body shape didn’t take place, and so it is possible that a more involved case could come to a different conclusion to the copyright and/or trademark status of the body shape.
While the letters have inspired furor and backlash on social media and YouTube for weeks – particularly due to the size disparity between Fender and LSL – LSL only recently confirmed it was gearing up for a legal fight, hiring experienced guitar lawyer Ron Bienstock. Thomann’s lawsuit is the first legal rebuttal to the campaign from an affected brand that goes on the offence rather than the defence.
CEO Hans Thomann echoes this David-and-Goliath within Thomann’s statement: “We used to be a small music store ourselves and know exactly where we have come from,” he says. “Diversity, fairness and respectfully dealing with each other have always been part of our philosophy. Many of those affected do not have the financial and legal means to conduct such a legal dispute. We therefore see it as our responsibility to have this matter clarified in court not only for our own company, but for all parties involved.”
The full nature of the lawsuit and Thomann’s actual legal arguments are not yet public, however the existence of the suit itself is a notable shift in temperature for Fender. Thomann is the biggest musical instrument retailer in Europe, and doubtless one of Fender’s own biggest dealers. The fact that Thomann is initiating its own legal action, rather than waiting for Fender to follow-through on the threats within the cease-and-desist, indicates a certain level of confidence regarding the issue, and that strength of feeling around Fender’s campaign is not limited to just social media and YouTube commentators.
Fender has been contacted for comment.
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“Those amps are part of the DNA of rock music”: Jared James Nichols on becoming a Marshall endorsee
Blues ace Jared James Nichols has commented on becoming an official Marshall Endorsing Artist, after announcing he was parting ways with Blackstar last month.
JJN released a number of signature amplifiers with Blackstar during a long partnership with the British amp brand, but he’s now pivoted to Marshall – arguably the leading amp manufacturer for rock music of the past few decades.
“I’ve always associated Marshall with the sound that made me want to play guitar in the first place,” the guitarist says.
“Those amps are part of the DNA of rock music. To now be part of that family genuinely means a lot.”
“Jared represents everything we look for in a Marshall artist – feel, power, and a real connection to the instrument,” adds Hugh Gilmartin, Artist Relations & Marketing Manager at Marshall.
“His approach to tone and performance reflects the spirit that has driven Marshall for over 60 years.”
During a recent conversation with Tyler Larson (Music Is Win), Nichols recalled trying out a number of new amps for his rig.
“About a year ago, I started supplementing my rig with different amps. I was trying everything: Fenders, Supros, even some old-school Sunn and EVH amps,” he said [via Guitar World].
“But a friend of mine gave me a 1968 Plexi on permanent loan, and that was the sound. When I played, it was almost like I made every note count even more. It was rejuvenating; I could still feel my fingers, no matter how much gain I stacked on top of it. Marshalls are the heartbeat of rock n’ roll and the sound that I love.”
The new Marshall partnership arrives following the release of Nichols’ latest album Louder Than Fate, which was recorded in part at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in LA.
Jared James Nichols has a number of tour dates lined up for 2026. View a full list at Ticketmaster.
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Be aware – AI deepfake scammers of women guitar influencers are on the rise
From plagiarism to miming, the online guitar space has been rife with controversy in recent years. Unfortunately, things might have just gotten even worse; guitarist Sophie Burrell has discovered that an AI ‘influencer’ is regularly generating deepfake replicas of her content.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Burrell recalls the first time she encountered one of her AI counterparts. “I was scrolling on TikTok and got recommended a video of a ‘girl’ playing guitar,” she says. “It was identical to my setup. Same camera angle, same room, same guitar, same movements. It took me less than a second to realise it was literally my video, except I’d been replaced by an AI-generated character.”
Around the time, Burrell shared her discovery with her followers by comparing her own video with the AI replica. Just as she explains to Guitar World, everything is a perfect parallel, right down to her facial expressions. Though, there are a few tell-tale signs of it being AI – namely the finger placement, with AI infamously having issues with consistently generating fingers.
“She is so good that she can even do bends without putting her fingers on the fretboard – why didn’t I think of that!” Burrell joked.
Despite the uncanny performance and slightly bodged fretwork, the AI influencer has steadily gained traction. “It honestly feels like a Black Mirror episode,” Burrell tells Guitar World. “It blows my mind that instead of learning an instrument or developing a skill, people would rather steal someone else’s work, slightly alter it with AI, and then take credit for it themselves.
“I’m angry that people can steal my content without my consent, replace me entirely using AI, repost it without crediting me, gain attention from it, and then use the engagement to funnel people towards whatever they’re selling – which is usually something inappropriate,” she adds.
To add insult to injury, Burrell has had to defend herself against AI accusations in the past. A video of her trying to make her riffs sound like Beethoven got a particularly high influx of “fake!!” claims, with Burrell having to post a stripped back version. In it, she only performs with a metronome.
“I don’t want you to ever think of me as someone who fakes my playing,” she later commented on the Instagram post. “I’d rather show you my stuff with mistakes and me sounding sloppy, than deliver something inauthentic. So this is me and this is what it sounds like.”
The stripped back performance video is serving as one of the only ways to prove your genuine skill – even viral shredder Ichika Nito was forced to post a one-take, no edits performance back in February to prove his innocence against “fake” performance accusations.
Elsewhere in the Guitar World interview, Machine Gun Kelly guitarist Sophie Lloyd also spoke out about her own experience with AI cloning her work and using her likeness. “I’ve received dozens of emails from people claiming they’ve been speaking with me over video calls for months – clearly scammers using AI impersonation,” she says. “Some of the situations are genuinely devastating, with people being scammed out of large amounts of money.”
“The idea that our music and content can be stolen so easily is really disheartening,” she continues. “We rely on interactions with our content for visibility, monetisation, and opportunities. It’s literally our livelihood being stolen, and platforms need to start treating it that way.”
Back in 2025, Joe Bonamassa shared his own fears of generative AI scamming his fans. The guitarist shared a deepfake based on an old 2021 clip of himself, which, though slightly robotic, felt unnervingly uncanny. “This is so fucked up,” Bonamassa wrote at the time. “An AI generated designed to mislead and scam people. Please be aware… 2025 is a scary time my friends.”
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Danelectro Dan O. Cool review: is this the most polarising Dano ever?
$599/£599, danelectro.com
Danelectro’s place in the history of electric guitars is as unique as it is impactful. When Nathan Daniel started producing no-frills, low-cost guitars made of Masonite and tape in the late 1940s, you wouldn’t have imagined he expected his creations would end up in the hands of some of the most influential musicians of the next seven decades.
But whether it’s Jimmy Page and Bob Dylan or Phoebe Bridgers and Mac DeMarco, the unique sound and vibe of a Danelectro guitar (or very similar examples sold under the Silvertone brand) has remained captivating for guitarists of every stripe.
The original US Danelectro brand disappeared in 1969, but since the late 90s, the brand has been reborn (now made in China) and has set about producing a steady stream of instruments mainly based on the company’s early designs.
Now though, the brand has changed the recipe somewhat – introducing a new model that pulls together various parts of Dano history and makes something a bit different…
Image: Press
Danelectro Dan O. Cool – what is it?
Everything about the Dan O. Cool has a touchstone with the company’s 1950s heyday. So, that distinctive ‘full bell’ headstock shape is from 1954, the ‘skate key’ tuners are from 1958, while the rosewood-saddle bridge is from 1958. The body shape is of course Dano’s classic ’59 design, while the pickguard is a rare textured type from a 1955 U3.
The five colours – including this very fetching shade of Aqua – are also pulled from Danelectro’s 50s locker, and of course you get that most impactful and unique Nathan Daniel innovation from this decade, the lipstick pickup.
In this case, the lipstick pickups are hotter than ones seen on previous models – offering around 20 per cent more volume in the neck and 30 more from the bridge pickup. Construction is also very classic Dano – a solid spruce frame with Masonite (aka hardboard) panels for the top and back.
So why then, are Dano purists up in arms about it? Well, in part it’s because of that headstock – compared to the elegance of the classic ‘Coke bottle’, most of the other pegheads in the Dano range are something of an acquired taste, to say the least.
But mainly, it’s not the shape but what’s on it that has gotten the Dano faithful worked up – because instead of the classic Danelectro box logo, we have a new and rather stark “DANO” word mark.
On the one hand, it should be no big deal – after all, most musicians will call the guitar a Dano anyway – but there is something a little off about the execution. In a guitar that tries so hard to signal its 1950s credentials, it’s hard to imagine a 1950s guitar leaving any factory with such a modern minimalist logo on the headstock.
Image: Press
Danelectro Dan O. Cool – build quality and playability
There’s a weird tension whenever you pick up a Danelectro guitar – and I should know as I own both an original US-made model and a modern Chinese reproduction. The fundamental truth is that these are not made like other electric guitars, and there’s a certain level of inherent jankiness about them that you have to be willing to embrace as part of its unique charm.
You might argue that this is a polite way of saying that Danelectro guitars are not made as well as other Asian guitars at this price point, but again, to compare this to a solidbody guitar made in more traditional fashion is somewhat missing the point.
This is for all intents and purposes a guitar made of board held together by tolex tape – that doesn’t make it flimsy, but it does mean you have to approach it differently than you would a normal instrument.
And by the standards of Danelectro guitars old and new, the Dan O. Cool is a pretty solid example – the finishing of the body and neck is decent, the body tape is evenly and neatly applied.
The frets are a little duller than I’d like, but they are perfectly smooth in operation, and so are the new tuners, with a rosewood bridge providing solid resonance and decent tuning stability. Personally, I can take or leave the rosewood bridge and its intonation compromises – Danelectro also produces an adjustable six-saddle bridge that drops in, and I’d swap it out in a heartbeat.
The C-shaped neck isn’t going to win any awards for character, but it’s plenty comfortable – a nice palmful that remains an easy player all the way up the fingerboard.
Image: Press
Danelectro Guitars Dan O. Cool – sounds
The lipstick pickup sound is the primary reason why generations of musicians have been drawn to Danelectro guitars, and they are wonderfully unique. Nathan Daniel’s decision to wrap a crude bar magnet in wire and shove it inside a lipstick tube might have been done mainly for cost, but it gives the pickups a jangly, chiming, clear, and detailed sound that is unlike anything else.
This type of pickup on vintage guitars can be somewhat anaemic and brittle in use, however – you often need a pedal or a cranked amp to boost them enough to really make them usable. The Dan O. Cool has none of these drawbacks – the extra output offered from these new pickups makes this a much more muscular experience than I’m used to. It’s plenty loud in all positions, while the middle position – with both pickups engaged – is the real cream of the crop, offering an almost mini-humbucker-like tonality.
Danelectro Guitars Dan O. Cool – should I buy one?
I understand a little of why the purists are freaking out about this Dan O. Cool, but I think the reservations about that new headstock logo have distracted from what is a very Dano-coded instrument that retains much of the vintage mojo we know and love, just put together slightly differently.
The Dan O. Cool looks like a good time before you even pick it up, but with its comfortable playing experience, improved tuning stability and most of all, those upscaled pickups, it takes that mojo and makes it more usable in the real world.
The lack of a gigbag is a drawback given the guitar’s unique shape, but otherwise it takes much of the temperamental nature and fragility of vintage Danos and banishes them without losing the unique sonic and visual qualities that make the brand’s guitars so iconic. It’s two thumbs up from me, Daddy-O.
Danelectro Guitars Dan O. Cool – alternatives
There’s nothing really like a Dano out there, but if you want something that’s more of a faithful recreation of a classic model, the 59M ($569) is a wonderfully fun instrument. The reborn Silvertone offers a bunch of the brand’s classic guitars, including the Dano-in-another-name 1303 ($399). For more esoteric catalogue-style recreations, Airline’s Jetsons Jr 2P ($799) offers the classic Res-O-Glass look with more normal construction, while if you want a US-made alternative, Harmony’s Juno ($1,499) is a compact, US-made single-cut with gold foil humbuckers.
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This is the best-selling guitar gear on Reverb this month
Thinking of upgrading your guitar rig, but with the insanely large amount of gear on the market, don’t know where to look? Following the masses is never a bad idea…
Generally, when a particular piece of guitar gear is flying off the shelves, it’s because guitarists are trying it for themselves, having a great experience and recommending others do the same.
So if you’ve got a bit of coin and don’t know where to spend it, online gear marketplace Reverb has just released a list of its best-selling guitar gear of the last month. It is as follows…
Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai
If you’re looking for a delay pedal that’ll get the job done, plus a looper on the side, the Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man w/ Hazarai is just the ticket. Described by EHX as “one of the most creative instruments you will ever own” – a sentiment clearly echoed by the throngs of people who have picked one up for themselves, the Memory Man boasts a looper with 30 seconds of loop time, plus a cornucopia of delay and modulation options for bending your guitar signal to your will and coming up with some of your best tones yet.
Way Huge WHE900 Atreides Analog Weirding Module
Okay, you’ve got your standard distortion, reverb, and delay, but you need a pedal on your ‘board for the real experimental. The Way Huge WHE900 is a synth-inspired guitar pedal that blends fuzz, an envelope filter, sub-octave, and phaser into a single unit. Weird by name, weird by nature – so get ready to make some of your downright strangest sounds yet.
Positive Grid Spark 40
In the world of portable smart practice amps, the Spark 40 makes a strong play for the crown. Boasting 40 watts of room-filling sound, intuitive on-board controls – plus a companion app for browsing and crafting tones – as well as smart features like Smart Jam Live, Auto Chords and a plethora of onboard tone profiles, the Spark 40 might just be the practice amp of your dreams.
Darkglass Electronics Anagram
One for the bass guitarists now: the Darkglass Electronics Anagram is a compact multi-effects processor and amp modeller for bassists, powered by six-core DSP architecture, with a seven-inch high-brightness touchscreen for clear and intuitive control, and able to add up to 24 simultaneous effects blocks for complex signal chains. This one’s perfect for both live, studio and practice environments, so it could be the perfect new heart of your bass rig.
JHS The Fumble
The result of the “biggest mistake in JHS history”, the Fumble was born when the company accidentally put the wrong circuit into a run of 15,000 pedals. The mistake was publicly acknowledged and the remaining units sold through, but it turned out pedalheads actually loved the mistakenly put-together clean circuit. JHS originally sought to recreate the rare A Box Later clean circuit used and loved by John Mayer, but instead accidentally used a Dumble BBC-1 circuit. The Fumble is its faithful reproduction.
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“Sustainability isn’t someone else’s job”: Bob Taylor on why the guitar industry has a responsibility to take care of the environment
Ever since 2011, Taylor Guitars’ Bob Taylor has been on a mission of tonewood sustainability. However, while Taylor has been replanting ebony trees in Cameroon for 15 years, he’s now urging the rest of the guitar industry to become more environmentally conscious – because wood isn’t an endless resource.
In an essay originally published in The Washington Post, Taylor insists: “if your business depends on a natural resource, stewardship isn’t optional – it’s part of the job”. With trees taking hundreds of years to grow back, Taylor explains that big guitar manufacturers need to consider how sustainable their business practices are.
As Taylor explains, his company first began giving back to the environment in 2011. “We became co-owners of an ebony mill there, seeing it as an opportunity to take greater responsibility for our wood in a complicated region of the world,” he writes. “Ebony has long been prized for stringed musical instruments, but basic questions about it – how much exists, how it grows, how it reproduces – were surprisingly hard to answer.”
After working with scientists at the Congo Basin Institute, Taylor worked to support a long-term research and reforestation initiative known as the Ebony Project. As he explains, “the work has planted tens of thousands of ebony and fruit trees on community-controlled lands bordering protected forest areas”.
While Taylor sought to discover more about where he was sourcing his ebony from, plenty of other manufacturers remain in the dark. It’s an issue that is seemingly rooted in complacency: “The species [companies once] relied on – spruce, maple, mahogany, rosewood, ebony – [have] been used for generations and [at a certain time] seemed abundant, locally available and affordable.”
“Over five decades, I’ve seen the materials we use become more expensive, like everything else,” he later continues. “I’ve also watched available trees get younger and smaller, and, if you’re not careful, less predictable in quality. But perhaps the biggest change has been the paperwork: There is now an ever-growing list of requirements tied to national laws and international agreements.”
And it’s not simply a case of planting trees for your own usage – trees can take up to 100 years to grow to a sufficient level for crafting instruments. So the focus shouldn’t be on the self, but on the future of the environment.
He also notes that ebony trees are also seeing a decline due to the mass poaching of elephants. As elephants tend to snack on the fruit of the ebony tree, they pass on seeds in their faeces – but, without as many elephants, the ebony tree isn’t getting replanted as much as it used to.
“The future of a material used to make guitars is tied to the fate of a critically endangered animal…” Taylor says. “In 1974, I was a kid from San Diego who wanted to build guitars. I could never have imagined it would one day lead to me supporting elephant dung research in Africa. But you can’t unknow what you know.”
“It’s a reminder that supply chains don’t begin in factories,” he says. “They often begin in ecosystems, which are complex, interdependent and often poorly understood.”
To round off, Taylor ends on a very serious final note, emphasising just how important it is for manufacturers to consider their environmental impact: “The question isn’t whether businesses should help sustain the resources they use – it’s whether they can afford not to.”
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“If I don’t do this right, my life will be over”: Wolfgang Van Halen on the extreme anxiety he felt performing Van Halen songs during Taylor Hawkins tribute shows
Since the passing of his father Eddie Van Halen in 2020, Wolfgang Van Halen has, on numerous occasions, explained why he doesn’t want to make a career out of playing classic Van Halen songs, and instead carve his own musical path.
He has largely stuck to his guns on that one, to date releasing three albums of original material with his band Mammoth: Mammoth WVH (2021), Mammoth II (2023), and The End (2025), and supporting some of rock’s most revered names live including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Foo Fighters.
But despite mostly charting his own musical journey, Wolfgang made an exception back in 2022, when he performed a selection of classic Van Halen tracks during two concerts paying tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Specifically, the multi-instrumentalist and bandleader played three of Van Halen’s biggest tracks: On Fire, Hot For Teacher and Panama.
Speaking in a recent interview with Andy Guitar at last week’s Download Festival, Wolfgang elaborated on his decision to perform Van Halen songs, saying “it was like closing a book”.
“It was my way of being able to not only honour Taylor, but honour my dad by playing some of his material… And so it was definitely a do-or-die thing for me,” he says [via Blabbermouth].
Wolfgang also recounts the severe anxiety he experienced prior to the show, as the weight of what he was about to do became more and more apparent.
“I was losing it that day,” he says. “‘Cause to me, it was, ‘If I don’t do this right, if I don’t serve this justice, then my life will be over.’ [laughs].
“I ended up playing it pretty all right. I still made mistakes, but it was just all live and in the heat of the moment. But it was really special. Being able to have Dave and Justin and Josh there supporting me, being able to play with three idols of mine supporting such an emotional and difficult thing for me to do was really special, and I don’t think I could’ve done it without them. Yeah, that was a day of catharsis, for sure.”
Since 2022, Wolfgang has remained adamant that he won’t revisit his father’s catalogue during live shows, but he’s taken pleasure in teasing fans who are hungry for him to do so.
Indeed, during a recent show in Cincinnati, he ‘rickrolled’ the crowd by pretending to gear up to play a Van Halen song, only to perform a cover of Rick Astley’s now-memified classic, Never Gonna Give You Up.
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Heritage Standard II H-575 review: “a hell of a lot of guitar for the money”
Editor’s note: Heritage Guitars and Guitar.com are both part of the Caldecott Music Group.
$4,499, heritageguitars.com
The venerable Gibson ES-175 holds a particularly auspicious record in the long and varied history of guitar. Because between its arrival in 1949 and its rude interruption in 2019, Gibson’s supreme Florentine-cutaway jazzbox held the distinction of having the longest uninterrupted production run of any electric guitar – bang on 70 years without a single year going by where you couldn’t buy one.
Despite that remarkable run, it’s all the more perturbing that since 2019, you’ve been unable to buy yourself a production ES-175 from Gibson since then. Dark times.
Interesting trivia that may be, but it does also help explain perhaps why the H-575 – a Florentine-cutaway jazzbox – has become the fourth model to enter Heritage’s US-made Standard II range.
Image: Adam Gasson
Heritage Standard II H-575 – what is it?
The H-575 model, like all Heritage guitars, aims to offer a refined reimagining of a classic Gibson design – one that was created in the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan, originally by a team of ex-Gibson employees.
The H-575 has been a regular feature of Heritage’s brand since the company was born of Gibson’s move to Nashville in 1985, and the Standard II is the brand’s recent evolution of its most affordable Kalamazoo-made line. In this specific case, it might also be the only game in town for a player searching for a new instrument to fulfil their big box Jones.
With all this preamble in mind, the sophisticated-looking hollow body before me is a joyful sight. Coming correct with a sharp Florentine cutaway (F# remember?) and an outrageously pleasing sunburst over a flamed maple top, this is a good-looking beast. Let’s take a closer look.
Image: Adam Gasson
Heritage Standard II H-575 – build quality and playability
It may look like a standard jazzbox, but there’s more going on here than meets the eye – with some features that elevate the Heritage 575 from the competition. First off, that maple top is carved.
While some players might argue that by definition a true archtop guitar – such as Heritage’s Eagle classic model – must sport a carved solid spruce top, the fact that this is solid wood and not a bent laminate is welcome news. The maple theme extends to the whole body – the back is also carved – and there is a decent amount of flame on offer throughout.
Continuing the woody theme it is an absolute delight to see a carved, adjustable rosewood bridge instead of yet another tune-o-matic. This should give us a world of warm, detailed tones to explore.
Image: Adam Gasson
The guitar is built around a 24.75” scale length and arrives strung with GHS 11-52 round-wound strings – although I suspect many of these instruments will be living the flatwound life as soon as they get home.
The mahogany neck features a standard C carve and it feels like an old friend. I’ve reviewed a few Heritage guitars in recent years and have come to the conclusion that the brand makes very nice necks indeed, and this is no exception.
The big news from the electronics point of view is the pair of Heritage Custom Shop 225 Standard Archtop humbucking pickups shining happily from their black plastic surrounds. They get a tone and volume control each and there is no coil tapping – in fact the Alnico 2 pickups are completely unpotted in order to capture the full character of this instrument.
The Heritage snakehead headstock is an ongoing source of controversy, but the recent application of a veneer with an inlaid heritage logo makes it less jarring than it has been on other instruments by the brand. In the words of the great Charlie Christian – it’s time to “Wake Up And Pluck”.
Image: Adam Gasson
Heritage Standard II H-575 – sounds
While many guitars come with a single pickup at the neck – á la Herb Ellis – this Heritage is loaded with a brace of humbuckers and it would be rude not to try the bridge for some rockier Steve Howe meets Pat Metheny moments.
This is a very smooth bridge sound – there’s still some bite if you need it but I’m impressed at the creamy transients even with the tone on full. Thumbed octave work and fingerstyle Bossa nova chord voicings have a degree of sheen to them that just doesn’t happen on a neck pickup. Given that jazz players are often the rare few who will actually use their tone controls it is extremely rewarding to hear such a wide variety of textures as we roll the tone off.
As in-between sounds go the H-575 may seem limited at first glance – this is never going to be a funky Strat or Tele voice but what is lost in shimmer is more than compensated for in blend ability, allowing me to really fine-tune my tone. Nice.
As hoped, the neck pickup is a velvet delight – warm and inviting. Expensive chords with names like zip codes come rolling out without losing focus, while shell chords and double stops sound rich and girthsome. Lead lines, either picked or fingerstyle, are immediate and nourishing. Pull out a Jazz III or a Bluechip and you’ll be having a very good time.
This guitar design predates rock and roll and as such gentle gain is as heavy as we’re going to get here. Anyone hoping for the hollowbody roar of Noel Gallagher or Billy Duffy will find that the guitar spirals off into feedback as soon as you start to really hit the filths. Hardly a surprise. There are some grunty blues tones to be had and if you’re a cool kid running a mucky DI then it’s all to play for, but the vast majority of players will know what to expect from one of these woody wonders.
Heritage Standard II H-575 – should I buy one?
Throughout my playing session the H-575 feels lightweight, well balanced and immediate. Despite the resemblance and, well, heritage, this guitar will gently remind you that it is not intended to be an ES-175. The combination of a solid, carved soundboard and unpotted vintage-voiced pickups makes for a much more sensitive instrument – this is good news.
Players looking for this sort of thing will probably be exploring the upper echelons of the Epiphone catalogue for a fully laminated guitar, turning to boutique makers such as Collings for an alternative or rolling the dice on a second-hand purchase. Yes, it’s a significant investment but the Heritage Standard II H-75 represents a hell of a lot of guitar for the money.
I began this review with a question and I will end it in the same way. Are you a guitarist looking for an articulate, woody jazz and blues voice that responds beautifully to your touch. If so, do you also happen to have the thick end of five grand to invest? You do? Great! Have at it!
Heritage Standard II H-575 – alternatives
If you’re looking for a similar vibe but for a much more affordable outlay, the Chinese-made Eastman AR372CE (£1,569/£1,099) is an impressive alternative. If you want something at the higher end of the market, Ibanez’s Japan-made LGB300-VYS Prestige George Benson (£3,599) comes with the jazz great’s seal of approval. Otherwise, if you’re after a Gibson Custom Shop ES-175 Reissue on the used market, or a vintage one for that matter, be prepared to pay above and beyond what the Heritage is going for.
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Player Fusion: metal-ready takes on classic Fender blueprints – including a Floyd Rose Tele and a Baritone Jaguar
Fender has unveiled its new Player Fusion series, comprising heavy-ready takes on classic Fender blueprints, “stripping away everything that doesn’t serve the riff”.
Boasting high-output humbuckers and noiseless single coils just waiting for you to throw at them some aggressive riffs, the Player Fusion series is made up of four models, an HSS Stratocaster, a double-humbucker Telecaster with a Floyd Rose, a Baritone Jaguar and a double-humbucker-loaded Precision Bass.
Player Fusion Telecaster HH Floyd Rose
Credit: Fender
“Built for the riff”, this Player Fusion Telecaster takes the classic Tele silhouette and gives it a full hard-rock overhaul, with a pair of high-output humbuckers and an all-black Floyd Rose bridge. Ever wanted to play divebombs on a Tele? Now you can… There’s also a 12”-radius ebony fingerboard for consistent bends. This one’s available in Black and Aura Metallic.
Price: $1,399.99 / £1,149 / €1,349.
Player Fusion Stratocaster HSS
Credit: Fender
Offering the full tonal palette of an HSS pickup configuration, the Player Fusion Stratocaster comes loaded with a high-output humbucker and two noiseless single coils, and sports a 12”-radius ebony fingerboard and two-point tremolo with black hardware. Available in Black and Olympic Pearl.
Price: $1,149.99 / £1,049 / €1,249.
Player Fusion Jaguar Baritone
Credit: Fender
Offering the classic Jaguar design in a baritone configuration, this guitar features a 27” scale purpose built for drop-tunings, and comes tuned B to B. The classic Jaguar rhythm circuit control gets an upgrade with “Spin-a-Split wiring via Fender roller pots that progressively transform the humbuckers into single coils. There’s also a TBX Tone circuit for additional tone sculpting options. Available in Black and Silverburst.
Price: $1,299.99 / £1,049 / €1,249.
Player Fusion Precision Bass
Credit: Fender
And lastly in the Player Fusion series is a new Precision Bass, sporting a pair of high-output humbuckers that “push deep, tight low end with enough midrange presence to cut through a wall of guitars”. It features a thin Jazz Bass neck profile plus a 12”-radius ebony fingerboard. Available in Black and Halo Metallic.
Price: $1,149 / £1,149 / €1,349.
The Player Fusion series will be available from September 2026. Learn more at Fender.
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“The whole guitar world has benefited from his hard work and wisdom”: LSL confirms that its legal fight against Fender is being coordinated by the same attorney who won 2009 trademark case against the brand
LSL Instruments says it has “full confidence” in Ron Bienstock, as it confirms it hired the attorney – who famously won a 2009 trademark case against Fender – as its representation following a widely publicised cease-and-desist campaign from Fender.
Fender sent shockwaves through the guitar industry last month when it sent cease and desist letters to a number of guitar manufacturers ordering them to stop building guitars reminiscent of the Stratocaster, arguably the most iconic guitar design in history.
Strat-style guitars – commonly referred to as ‘S-type’ or ‘S-style’ guitars – are ubiquitous across the guitar market, with large Fender-competing brands like Ibanez, PRS and Yamaha making their own variations, as well as many smaller boutique builders like Suhr and LSL Instruments.
But following a default judgement at a court in Germany in March 2026 against Chinese instrument manufacturer Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instruments – which ruled that the Stratocaster was a “copyrighted work of applied art” in the EU after Yiwu failed to turn up to court – Fender embarked on a campaign against guitar builders closely replicating the Stratocaster design, saying they were infringing on Fender’s copyright.
The case has provoked intense backlash towards Fender from the guitar community, with some high-profile content creators including Rhett Shull, Rick Beato and Tim Pierce publicly condemning the company over the move.
Though the ruling upon which the latest action was based pertained to the copyright of the Stratocaster design, Fender previously lost a trademark dispute in 2009, after it tried and failed to obtain trademarks for the body shapes of the Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass.
Generally speaking, copyright protects creative works, like music and art, for example, while trademark protects things that identify brands, including business names, logos and slogans.
The 2009 trademark case was won by attorney Ron Bienstock, who represented a consortium of brands campaigning against Fender’s pursuit of the Strat, Tele and P-Bass body shape trademarks.
And it’s been confirmed that Bienstock is once again taking the fight to Fender on behalf of LSL Instruments, one of the first boutique builders that confirmed it had received a cease and desist letter.
Writing that he has “full confidence” in Bienstock’s abilities, LSL Instruments Director Of Business Development Johny Miller says in a statement shared with Guitar.com: “He has a great team and a history of working through cases like this with giant guitar brands.
“He has spent six years of his life in the trenches in a similar situation and the whole guitar world has benefited from his hard work and wisdom. I don’t think there is a person on Earth with more in-depth knowledge of this than Ron.
“We are trusting him and his team with our part in this matter. All the love and support has been truly overwhelming and beautiful. We are not alone. Unity prevails.”
As Fender’s cease-and-desist campaign continues, CEO Edward “Bud” Cole recently responded to backlash at a recent dealer event, saying the company is “not suing anybody”.
“What we’ve done is reach out thoughtfully and [respectfully] to a handful of companies whose guitars come extremely close to replicating the iconic Fender Stratocaster design,” he said.
While it’s true that Fender does not yet seem to be engaged in active litigation over the issue, the numerous cease and desist letters sent to guitar builders contained the threat of litigation if demands were not met.
This is an ongoing story. Stay tuned to Guitar.com for more updates.
The post “The whole guitar world has benefited from his hard work and wisdom”: LSL confirms that its legal fight against Fender is being coordinated by the same attorney who won 2009 trademark case against the brand appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Dimebag Darrell estate launches Dime GuitarZ with luthier Dean Zelinsky as legal battle over guitar designs continues
The estate of Dimebag Darrell has launched Dime GuitarZ, a new guitar brand developed in partnership with Dean Zelinsky – the luthier behind many of the late Pantera guitarist’s most recognisable instruments.
The move arrives as long-running legal disputes over Dimebag’s legacy continue to unfold, centred around the ownership and use of his iconic guitar designs.
A 2021 lawsuit filed by In Dime We Trust – the organisation led by Dimebag’s longtime partner and estate trustee Rita Haney – accused Dean Guitars of unlawful use of the guitarist’s Stealth and Razorback body shapes, as well as “unauthorised fraudulent trademark registrations”. A recent court ruling has swung in favour of Dean, though Haney has stated her intention to appeal the decision.
The launch of Dime GuitarZ also comes just days after Dean Guitars’ parent company, Armadillo Enterprises, filed for bankruptcy, making the timing of the new venture particularly notable.
Positioning itself as the “exclusive home of Official Dimebag Darrell guitars”, the company says its mission is simple: “To build the guitars Dimebag Darrell would be playing today.”
“There seems to be a misconception that Dime had a relationship with the Dean Guitars of today,” the estate said in a statement announcing the launch. “It simply isn’t true. He was killed three weeks after signing the deal.”
Instead, they point to Zelinsky as the key creative partner behind many of Dimebag’s early guitars, including original versions of the ML design and the famously modified ‘Dean From Hell’.
“He had a relationship with Dean Zelinsky,” the statement says. “He went there because DZ brought him there. That was Dime’s only relationship.”
The estate also argues that Zelinsky’s designs were central to Dimebag’s identity as a player.
“Dean Zelinsky built the beloved guitars he played including the Dean From Hell. That is who he wanted building his guitars and he stated that many times throughout his notes. In this case, imitation isn’t flattery, it’s a crime!”
“Dime played Dean Zelinsky’s MLs when he had braces on his teeth and he died with one in his arms,” Haney adds. “Dime’s innovation for tech, his love and trust of DZ’s brilliance, this is what the direction of this company is, to fulfill those wishes.”
Credit: Dime GuitarZ
Alongside the launch, Dime Guitarz has unveiled its flagship model, the Culprit – a design originally conceived by Dimebag before his death and first teased back in March 2025.
The model will be offered in both USA and Standard Series variants, priced between $1,999 to $5,999. Core specs include mahogany bodies with flame maple tops, three-piece maple set necks, ebony fingerboards with a 12-16” compound radius, and Floyd Rose 1000 tremolos.
Other features include Seymour Duncan Dimebucker and ’59 pickups, Grover-style tuners, and a push/push “DimeBooster” circuit delivering a 15dB gain boost. USA models also feature Zelinsky’s patented Z-Glide neck, designed to reduce friction for faster playing.
Visually, the guitars lean heavily into Dimebag’s aesthetic language, with finishes such as Dime Slime and Dimebolt, plus a razor blade inlay at the 12th fret and the signature winged headstock shape.
Zelinsky, who sold Dean Guitars in 1991 and later stepped away from the company entirely in 2008, says the project carries personal significance: “I’ve been fortunate to have a long and incredible career in the guitar business… After everything I’ve accomplished in this industry, helping carry Darrell’s legacy forward may be the most meaningful work I’ve ever done.”
Learn more at Dimeguitarz.
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“If you wanna listen to the studio recording, listen to the studio recording”: Why Halestorm refuse to use backing tracks during live shows
Between click tracks, pre-recorded parts, and tightly programmed setlists, the modern rock show can be a remarkably polished affair. Halestorm guitarist Joe Hottinger, however, believes that mistakes are part of what makes rock concerts exciting.
Speaking to Andy Guitar at last weekend’s Download festival, Hottinger weighs in on the use of backing tracks in live music, arguing that concerts should feel like living, breathing performances rather than note-for-note recreations of studio recordings.
“To me, a live show is an interpretation of your record. And it doesn’t need to sound [exactly like the album],” says Hottinger [via Blabbermouth]. “If you wanna listen to the studio recording, listen to the studio recording. To me, rock and roll is supposed to be a little dangerous. Like, are we gonna fuck up tonight? Who knows what the song’s gonna be like? What does it sound like when the four of us are making as much noise as we can?”
While he has no problem with other artists choosing to use backing tracks, the guitarist explains that the approach simply doesn’t suit Halestorm’s way of performing.
“Whatever – if people do their tracks and stuff, I don’t give a fuck,” says Hottinger. “That’s how they choose to run their business, and we just like to have fun. I don’t think it would be fun to have like a ‘clink, clink, clink, clink’ [in my in-ear monitors on stage].”
“How do you tap into the flow when there’s a cowbell banging inside of your head? Things should go wrong. It’s a rock show. There should be fuck-ups every [show]… We fuck up every show. It’s awesome.”
The debate around backing tracks, however, is still a live one in rock. While some artists have embraced them as a practical way to recreate a fuller and more layered sound on stage, others have taken a far harder line.
Bruce Dickinson, for one, has previously made his position on the issue unmistakably clear, saying he would rather “quit” than start using backing tracks live.
“If it’s not real, it’s not Maiden!” Dickinson told Classic Rock. The singer also warned against turning live shows into what he called “Disneyland Maiden” through the use of backing tracks and other live enhancements.
The post “If you wanna listen to the studio recording, listen to the studio recording”: Why Halestorm refuse to use backing tracks during live shows appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.