Norse Guitar Feeds

We travel to the southwest Chicago suburbs to visit Best-Tronics to see how they design, build, and assure premium quality for their pedalboards, pro audio racks, input splitters, cables, big-rig setups, and all things tone. Join along as John Bohlinger gets the full breakdown of everything they do at BTPA.

[Editor’s note: I’m fortunate enough to get many guitars across my desk to review, but as a metal player, few impressed me last year quite like the Sterling By Music Man Kaizen 6. The quirky, prog-metal geared offset impressed me so much, in fact, that I gave it 9/10 in my review, and even included it in our roundup of the best new guitar gear of 2025. But is the all-new prog-focused Ibanez Alpha Series set to take its crown? It certainly looks a strong contender, and I’ll pass you on to my colleague, Rachel, to tell you all about the radically innovative new series… – Sam, News Editor]

Ibanez has launched a new lineup of prog-rock-ready electric guitars, the Alpha Series, offering seven or eight strings and contemporary body styles.

The Alpha series is described by Ibanez as being “forged for the modern, cutting-edge guitar player”. It says they “boast an array of truly unique and contemporary features”, including an ergonomically designed body silhouette and contours, and claims that the series “won’t just change how you approach playing; it will open completely new horizons for your music.”

• READ MORE: Extending the range – the essential guide to seven-string guitars

The aesthetics of the Alpha models appear to be Ibanez’s answer to modern shred culture booming online, with progressive rock and metal causing new trends and desires to emerge among guitarists. The Alpha models were developed with both 7- and 8-string multi-scale configurations in mind, tailored to technically advanced players who may want to play around with tuning and expressive playing techniques.

Both the seven-string A527 and eight-string A528 offer a three-dimensional structure designed through “extensive analysis of ergonomics and playing posture”. Each also has a three-screw neck joint design — utilising two screws mounted within an oval-shaped stainless-steel plate, and one additional screw driven directly from the body into the neck – for better joint strength and improved access to the high frets.

The guitars are fitted with Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, accompanied by a Fishman Fluency Voicing switch. Three finishes are on offer: Iron Pewter, Nebula Shift and Coral Mirage. Check out the videos below for more:

The features implemented in these guitars certainly echo that of Abasi Concepts and other modern brands including Kiesel and Strandberg. Tosin Abasi of prog outfit Animals As Leaders founded Abasi Concepts in 2017, with a focus on ergonomic design. Abasi had also worked with Ibanez on a prototype signature the year prior, and more recently teamed up with Ernie Ball Music Man on the Kaizen in 2022.

The seven-string Ibanez Alpha model has an estimated price of $1,899, while the eight-string comes in around $1,999. Find out more about the range via Ibanez. 

The post The Sterling Kaizen was my favourite guitar of 2025 – but it looks like the new Ibanez Alpha Series is coming for the crown appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Peavey Electronics® is always thinking about the customer and this time, they’ve made touring life a whole lot easier with their new MegaBass 410 and 115 speaker cabinets. With reduced weight, more durable construction, and pop-out casters included, these new cabinets are compatible with any bass head and deliver bass the way it is supposed to be…felt. Not stale through a digital modeler or direct to the board.

The long standing miniMEGA™ series of bass amplifiers from Peavey® have always been a staple of bass rigs worldwide for a number of years. These new cabinets are an extension of that design philosophy and bring new building techniques for a more convenient experience. Four heavy-duty 10” neodymium woofers deliver that nice tight, bottom end at a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a power handling of 1200 watts program and 2400 watts peak. A 1” diaphragm compression driver, horn-loaded tweeter with adjustable level control delivers full range bass performance.

The MegaBass 115 houses a 15” BW speaker and includes a 1” diaphragm compression driver, horn-loaded tweeter with adjustable level control to allow the cabinet to be used as a standalone unit or in combination with the MegaBass 410. To deliver the gut punching low end, the MegaBass 115 also runs at a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a power handling of 1200 watts program and 2400 watts peak.

The ultra-light weight ported cabinet design uses a reinforced plywood construction to keep weight down and long-lasting performance up. Black vinyl covering, heavy-duty steel hardware, and an eye-catching power coated metal grille will keep these cabinets performing night after night for years on the road. And with recessed, spring-loaded handles and pop-out casters included, load-in and load-out is a breeze. Two twist-lock combo inputs ensure solid signal performance every time.

For more information booth 210A at NAMM, or online at www.Peavey.com

Street Price:

MegaBass 410 $999.99 USD

MegaBass 115 $799.99 USD

Running two effects of the same kind concurrently can yield amazing results. Stacked fuzzes or RATs? I’m in heaven. Other effects work less reliably well in pairs. Two reverbs, for instance, can sound killer but can turn an otherwise carefully crafted signal to smog. Twin phasers, in my experience, can be counted among the effects that are delicious together. It takes just two simple one-knob phasers to get very weird. Build two phasers into one, though, and add a few extra tone shaping controls, and the weird gets weirder fast.

Keeley’s new U.S.-made, digital Oaxa twin phaser can feel nearly as simple and straight ahead as two Small Stones running side by side, and honors the elegance and ease of that solution in many ways. There’s just three knobs—for rate, feedback, and depth. A small 3-position toggle switches between 10-stage phase, 4-stage phase, and a Uni-Vibe-style mode. Two footswitches select between the individual phaser or a combination of the two. If you want to keep things simple, you can dive in no further than that and have a great time. But Oaxa bears many secrets for deeper diggers.

Working the Waves

The phase effect is fun to use intuitively. And adding it in and out can be low stakes. Feeling that a riff sounds lifeless? Add a phaser and twist the rate. Maybe it’ll be exactly what a song needs. Maybe it will sit like rotten mayonnaise. But it won’t have taken much effort to try, and you’ll probably have fun along the way. The Oaxa is deeply satisfying in this manner.

The brilliant, big rate knob can be adjusted with precision using just a toe (provided you have the right shoes). And while the depth and feedback controls might be an affront to Phase 90 and Small Stone users, Oaxa’s controls open up useful phase possibilities without leaving you feeling doomed to get lost in the weeds. The depth control, for instance, has so much range it can render the phaser all but subliminal—making it a killer always-on sweetener that can be nudged in and out of prominence via the depth knob. Those just-barely-there depth settings can also be subtly re-shaped by the similarly rangey feedback control, which acts like a filter, adding wah-like focus at mild depth. At more intense depths, the feedback adds appreciably more vowelly “wow” tonalities that give Oaxa more than a hint of a Mu-Tron’s beautiful vintage essence. This variation—and interactivity—among depth and feedback colors alone makes Oaxa a great production, arrangement, and guitar layering tool, particularly in spacious arrangements.

Bear in mind that all the phase phenomena I’ve described here were observed in the 4-stage phaser voice—my most natural and familiar phase space. But the 3-way toggle can also be configured for 10-stage voicing or as a Uni-Vibe-style phase effect. The 10-stage voice is a little more binary than the 4-stage, and can obscure some overtone nuance in the wash. At extreme depth settings it can even sound almost tremolo-like. For a lot of players, the more focused modulation waves in the 10-stage voice will be a perfect fit for rhythmic delays or staccato passages begging for a little extra wobble and a more interesting tail. The Uni-Vibe style setting, meanwhile, is a pretty authentic version of the effect and delivers a recognizable take on the drippy “whoop”-like phase created by a Uni-Vibe’s optical circuit. Like the real deal, it sounds fantastic with fuzz.

Multiplied by Two ... and More

When both phasers are on, Oaxa’s jewel lamp flashes blue and red, and the visual suggestion of a party is apt. There are deep and crazy sounds here that can take you deep into the wee hours. But not all combinations are magic. Certain pairings of modulation rate and harmonic peaks can obscure details that might make a single phase voice pleasing. But the option to run the two phasers in parallel or series enables more or less detailed versions of a compound phaser voice, respectively. And just-right phase-rate relationships combined with contrasting voices, depth, and feedback can yield fantastic results. Fast-throbbing U-Vibe style modulations combined with slow, deep 4-stage phases are extra dimensional—as are just about any two high-contrast rates. Nailing these combinations and hearing them via stereo—the other great force multiplier on Oaxa—can pull you deeper still into the pedal’s capacities.

The Verdict

Do you remember what I said at the top about the Oaxa being simple? It’s true. It’s just that Oaxa’s elegant design also has a lot in store for troublemakers willing to dig a bit. And if the stereo and dual-phase settings aren’t trouble enough, you can use the footswitches and knobs to introduce compression or extra filtering, or reconfigure the toggle to include 2- and 6-stage phaser voices. I’d venture that using the most basic functions will make the $199 price well worth it over time. But you’ll likely celebrate the day you stumble across one of Oaxa’s more complex finds. I suspect such days will be many in number, too.

The news hasn’t been all that rosy so far in 2026, but we assure you, there’s plenty of really heartwarming things still going on.

Like British amp brand Victory sending a custom braille amp to blind guitarist and skateboarder Anthony Ferraro, who captured the moment it arrived on his doorstep in what’s sure to be one of the most wholesome clips of the year. And we’re just nine days in…

• READ MORE: “What could have been”: Andertons and Chicago Music Exchange team up with Fender on exclusive Lavender Haze-finished guitars and basses

In the video – posted to his Instagram page, which boasts nearly 430,000 followers at the time of writing – Ferraro can be seen bursting through the door holding a massive Victory-branded box exclaiming: “I’m blind, what’s in this box?!”

“Dude, it’s an amp!” he yells, taking the white-finished combo amp out of its box to reveal its custom braille labels under each of the control knobs and on the routing information board on the back. “Are you kidding me? I’m gonna cry!”

A special braille note addressed to Ferraro also came in the box, which reads: “Dear, Anthony… We heard you wanted to try a Victory amp. So we set ourselves a challenge and came up with this unique design just for you.”

“I think this is the first amp in the world to ever do this,” Ferraro says. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to ask a friend, ‘Hey, what’s this control?’ This is the most amazing amp I’ve ever touched and I can’t wait to play this.”

Barely able to contain his excitement, Ferraro takes his shiny new amp to his jam room, plugging it into his PRS SE Silver Sky electric guitar and impressively kitted out pedalboard, where he showcases his enviable chops with a series of bluesy lead lines.

View this post on Instagram

“[This is] quite truly one of the greatest things I have [ever] been given,” he writes in the post’s caption. “To say I cried when I opened it wouldn’t be a lie. I’ve been blind my whole life and music was one of the only things that made it feel like I wasn’t blind… until I felt my gear or had to ask someone to help me adjust a knob or tune my guitar.

“When I felt the braille on this amp my whole world changed instantly. I was free to do it on my own for the first time ever. Advocating for braille has become one of my biggest passions in life. As actual companies begin to take initiatives in accessibility it makes me think maybe it’s working… I can’t believe this is real. Someone pinch me.”

In a highly liked comment (61,157 likes at the time of writing) under the video, Victory responds to Ferraro’s heartwarming video: “It means the world to us seeing you connect with your amp like this, Anthony. Thank you for letting us be part of your journey.” Ferraro replies: “You actually changed my life. I don’t even know how to say thank you enough.”

It’s moments like these that make us proud to be part of the guitar community. Fair play, Victory. Fair play.

The post Victory sends blind guitarist custom braille amp in the most wholesome moment of 2026 so far appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Innovation in the guitar world certainly happens, but it’s often in small increments – updates to single components as opposed to radical new guitar designs altogether. Big changes do happen, mind; just look at the MIDI-enabled self-playing Circle Guitar which we recently called “the most revolutionary new guitar in half a century”.

There’s perhaps an argument to say that the electric guitar – at its core – is a pretty great technology, and that the infrequency of massively radical new designs is more a reflection that guitarists are just happy where things are.

• READ MORE: Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster review – “this guitar is like spending time with an old friend”

Outgoing Fender CEO Andy Mooney certainly has some insights, and in a new conversation with Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto on his Inside the Noise podcast, speaks on the current demands of guitar players, and how things are different when it comes to amp innovation.

“Artists, generally, in the electric side, have been reluctant to really accept innovation,” Mooney says. “I mean, one of the guitars in my collection was a collaboration we did with Roland, which I thought was a very interesting guitar, but it didn’t attract an audience.

“I say to people that, you know, the Stratocaster hasn’t really changed since 1954. The only thing that’s changed is the neck, the frets, the pickups, the tremolo arm, and the paint application. And every one of those things, even the height of the frets, all are a reflection of what current artists are really demanding.”

He goes on: “On the amplifier side, it’s completely the opposite. Generally speaking, the player is now very receptive to digitisation. I know when I started using either digital foot pedals or digital amps, the quality just wasn’t there, and they developed a bad reputation. Now, when you listen to what’s capable with a digital amp and a digital signal chain, it’s actually amazing.”

In 2026, artists – particularly touring artists – are keener than ever to strip back their physical rigs to cut costs, and simply reduce the effort it requires to lug around a heavy, complex rig around on the road. 

Many of the worlds’ top rock and metal artists have made the switch to digital amp modellers for live shows. Metallica guitar tech Chad Zaemisch even attributes the band’s improved live shows with their decision to do so. And in 2024, after saying he’d “never” use amp modellers, Slipknot’s Jim Root revealed he had been using a Neural DSP Quad Cortex live.

Mooney recognises this shift in player demand, too, adding: “In Eddie Van Halen’s day, he would have carted around 18 4x12s or nine heads. Now, people are moving towards a silent stage. Def Leppard are moving towards an entirely silent stage.”

Prior to his post at Fender, Andy Mooney worked at Disney as Chairman of Consumer Products. There, he gained invaluable insights from Steve Jobs, who was CEO of Pixar. 

“We were a bit late coming to the party [with digital amp modellers],” he goes on. “But one of the things I learned from the conversations with Steve was that it’s okay to be second as long as you’re better.

“So when we looked at the Tone Master Pro again… Steve, one of the things he really did with his products was the user interface had to be so elegant that you didn’t need an owner’s manual, that you could take it straight out of the box, [and you] didn’t need an MIT degree to figure it out. So that’s what we tried to do with the Tone Master Pro, everything is intuitive.”

It was revealed this week that Andy Mooney is to step down from his position as CEO of Fender next month, with the company’s current President of its Asia-Pacific operations Edward “Bud” Cole to step into the role.

“Leading Fender has been a highlight of my career,” says Mooney. “I’m deeply grateful for the creativity and commitment of the Fender teams around the world and proud of what we’ve accomplished. I’m excited to pass the baton on to Bud and confident that under his leadership, Fender will continue to inspire players for generations to come.”

During his time as President of Fender Asia Pacific, Edward “Bud” Cole has overseen the expansion of Fender into 14 countries across the region including mainland China and Korea, established full regional commercial and operational capabilities, and played a pivotal role in numerous Made-in-Japan launches.

The post “The Stratocaster hasn’t really changed since 1954”: Outgoing Fender CEO Andy Mooney says electric guitarists have “generally been reluctant to really accept innovation” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Ted Nugent kicked off the new year with a video on his YouTube channel, in which he dished out a bunch of praise – and quite a few insults too – for the rock musicians of today.

Among those he both praised and criticised all at the same time were Jack White, Green Day, and Yungblud, who came out the most unscathed. Nugent celebrated Yungblud, who’s garnered a whole new swathe of fans since his performance at the Black Sabbath Back To The Beginning event, as “the real McCoy”.

• READ MORE: Yungblud claims that the “bitterness” and “blind negativity” he experiences is discouraging the next generation of rock artists from “trying at all”

In the video, titled Let’s Talk Music, Nugent begins discussing Yungblud by mentioning his recent EP collaboration with Aerosmith: “Now, I got to tell you this, what’s this Yungblud guy? Limey freak madness. This guy’s the real McCoy. Watch this Yungblud that’s working with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It gives you hope that the really piss and vinegar, the James Brown, the original Chuck Berry, Little Richard is alive and well and this kid called Yungblud, he’s a screamer,” he says.

Nugent then moves on to Jack White, discussing his half time show with rapper Eminem at the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving football game in November: “Jack White, is that his name? Anyhow, he was great. It wasn’t like a 10 like Sammy Hagar or James Brown. I think Sammy Hagar and James Brown and Steven Tyler, those are tens. Angus Young of AC/DC, that’s a 10. The guy’s a maniac. Billy Gibbons in the blues, rhythm, and soul music category, he’s a 10.

“Jack White, he’s not a 10. He’s like a four and a five, but he really delivered real rock ‘n’ roll. Real Detroit piss and vinegar. And Eminem… Both of those guys, Eminem and Jack White: total idiots,” he says. Nugent then goes on to berate their political views, with “they don’t want their country to have secure borders. They think men should destroy women’s sports” being just two of his claims.

He then goes on to add, “Green Day – there’s not a brain amongst them, I don’t think. But man, can they play. Really, really killer stuff, like Tom Morello. Come on, Tom – you’re not raging against the machine, you are the machine.”

The post Ted Nugent brands Yungblud as “the real McCoy” among a flurry of strange praise for rock artists appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$1,599/£1,349, fender.com

There’s an argument to be made that Fender’s Vintera II range is the absolute sweet spot in the company’s line-up – electric guitars that look, feel and sound impressively close to the Golden Era originals, but with prices more in line with guitars made in FMIC’s Ensenada, Mexico factory.

• READ MORE: Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage Stratocaster HSS review: “probably the best marriage of vintage and modern features out there”

Back when the range initially launched in 2023, my colleague Josh went so far as to call the Vintera II Strat “the new benchmark for import Strats” and you can see why – for less than half the price of an American Vintage II guitar, you can own a Strat that has much of the mojo and a fair dollop of the vintage accuracy of the USA flagship. And now they’re about to turn all that up to 11.

It’s been a decade or more since Fender first experimented with factory ageing in the Ensenada factory. The original Road Worn guitars were well-received back in 2013, but even at the time the artificial wear and tear felt a little templated. Since then, Fender has clearly been hard at work – the Mike McCready Strat that came out late in 2023 showed that Ensenada’s factory relic’ing had come on leaps and bounds, but it also suggested there might be limits to mass-produced wear and tear as well.

For the revival of the Road Worn concept then, Fender has taken a more considered path – but one that might be the best of all worlds.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – what is it?

In simple terms, it takes Fender’s Vintera II 60s Strat, strips it off the standard gloss polyurethane finish, and swaps it out for a bona fide nitrocellulose lacquer job. However, unlike the previous Road Worn guitars, you won’t find any over-the-top wear patches or faux-buckle rash here. Not a single pair of heavy keys has been chucked at it in anger. Instead, you have something that, from a distance, has more in common with Fender’s Lacquer series from 2015 – a Mexican guitar with a nitro finish that appears pretty much pristine. However, when you look closer you’ll find it’s more interesting than that.

Rather than spray a lacquer top coat on the guitar and wait 60 years for anything interesting to happen to the finish, Fender has helped it along by a few decades. That means that while the guitar’s finish is factory-fresh at a distance, closer inspection reveals lacquer checking across the body and neck, while the hardware has all been aged too.

It’s the sort of Closet Classic treatment that previously has only been available at a Custom Shop level, which will set you back the thick end of five grand, though it’s interesting that the USA-made Ultra Luxe Vintage range took a similarly restrained approach to factory ageing with its ‘Heirloom’ finish – are we finally seeing players move away from the heavier relic thing? Time will tell.

Image: Adam Gasson

Finish asides, it is, as mentioned, a Vintera II 60s Stratocaster – that means you get an alder body, Vintage-Style 60s Single-Coil Strat pickups, bent steel saddles, and the Vintera II policy of ‘close but not quite’ when it comes to vintage accuracy.

For example, while the guitar has the body contours of a 60s guitar and a vintage-style 7.25-inch radius and tall vintage frets, it doesn’t go so far as to give you a period-correct three-way selector switch – and that’s probably a smart choice.

The neck is slightly more perturbing, however – this black finish comes with a one-piece maple neck: a combination that was only available in 1965 as a custom order. Given that this combination of finish and neck was much more standard in the 50s, I’m somewhat at a loss as to why they didn’t give it a single-ply white pickguard instead of the green-hued three-ply version here, throw in some 50s pickups and go full Clapton’s Blackie.

There is a rosewood-boarded Sonic Blue option if you want something that feels more traditionally 60s. But occasional concessions to historical incongruity are part and parcel of the Vintera II range, and if you want something that’s more rigorously faithful, well you’re welcome to spend an extra grand to get yourself an American Vintage II.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – build quality and playability

Cork-sniffingly accurate it might not be however, but pulling the guitar out of its supplied vintage-style hard case it’s hard not to be impressed. The finish is beautifully thin, and the Road Worn effect is impressively restrained. You have to hold it up to the light to really see the cracking and checking, while the hardware is dull but doesn’t look like it’s been sitting at the bottom of a lake for 50 years. It all adds up to a beautiful ever-so-slightly worn-in feel to the whole thing – like a pair of good boots that have just been broken in.

The contours of the body are convincingly svelte like many a 60s original, and the alder body is nicely lightweight at just under 7.5lbs.

That maple neck’s 60s C-shape profile is reassuringly chunky, but not so much that it ever gets uncomfortable in the palm – sitting down with this guitar is like spending time with an old friend. That said, the tint to the fingerboard and the level of checking around the headstock are perhaps the only areas of the guitar where the relic job starts to look a little fake, in my opinion.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – sounds

Played unplugged, the light weight, and perhaps the lack of heavy finish to the body and neck, combined with that lovely feeling neck and vintage frets, add up to a resonant and chimey voice with sparkle, body and plenty of sustain.

The natural place to go from here is to plug in my old Deluxe Reverb and see if things continue to impress – they certainly do, greeting me with a superb classic Strat tone from the bridge single coil. To my ears, vintage-sized frets can also sound a touch clearer and more defined than modern jumbo ones, and played clean the Road Worn has all the clarity and definition you could require for funk and pop playing, while still having ample midrange to cut through a mix.

Switching to the middle pickup we get plenty of Stevie snarl and bite, and with a bit of overdrive, the most vocal of the three voices. Adding some fuzz, I revel in the Hendrixy neck pickup tones that offer plenty of flutey chime to single notes, double stops and chordal fills, especially when reducing the volume a touch.

The in-between positions give us authentic Mayer and Knopflerisms aplenty, and it’s to this guitar’s genuine credit that each position really does demonstrate an almost cliché level of appropriateness of how a dream Strat should sound.

Despite the midrange having an authentically 60s-style light scoop, the pickups demonstrate plenty of bite, snap and twang across the board, beautifully enhancing the sonic characteristics of the alder body, maple neck combo. Compared to my vintage 1962 Strat, the Vintera perhaps doesn’t quite have the 3D depth and top-end sweetness to the pickups, but to be this close to the real deal for this price? That’s hugely impressive.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – should I buy one?

The original Vintera II 60s Strat was a seriously impressive instrument, and while the price bump to make it Road Worn is significant, in terms of feel, playability and overall vibe I think it’s worth the extra $300 – it elevates this guitar into something that really could be your guitar for life.

While I still think it’s crying out for a more 50s treatment given the spec sheet, there’s no denying that it’s a superbly resonant, tuneful and enjoyable instrument. Some players will want bigger frets and a 9.5 radius, but that’s not really what the Vintera II range is for, and this Road Worn version doubles down on that in the best way.

This is a guitar that doesn’t embarrass itself put up against not just the USA-made American Vintage II range, but also Custom Shop guitars – it’s a long time since I’ve played a Mexican-made Fender guitar that was this inspirational, and I don’t think I’ve ever played one that captures the vintage aura so well.

The only downside, really, is that they’re limited edition – so don’t wait on this one, grab one while you can, you won’t regret it!

[products ids=”3oUtJohp5K1H1ERKxVHCZB”]

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – alternatives

If the nitro thing isn’t an issue for you, the regular Vintera II 60s Strat is a steal at $1,209/£999. If you want something that nails the vintage thing even more closely, the American Vintage II 1965 Stratocaster is a lot of guitar for $2,419/£2,299. If you want something that veers from tradition while still keeping a lot of the vintage vibes, John Mayer’s PRS SE Silver Sky ($949) is seriously impressive.

The post Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster review – “this guitar is like spending time with an old friend” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

We don’t often talk about Renaissance high art and ’50s rock ’n’ roll guitars in the same breath, unless we’re forming a new rockabilly-prog band called Hot-Rod Maximus. (You’re welcome.) But in the modern world of art and guitar collecting, items reputed to be the work of either Leonardo Da Vinci or Leo Fender are subject to much the same scrutiny from experts in the field, are known for fetching vast prices from discriminating buyers, and, given the millions of dollars potentially involved in even a single sale, are likewise expected to stand up to the most rigorous high-tech scientific analysis. Right?

Well, almost. While the worlds of high art, medicine, astronomy, police forensics, and environmentalism have all taken that last cue to heart by making data-driven determinations with the latest tools of chemical analysis, the vintage guitar market—and its many rightfully respected authorities—has generally proven resistant to sharing the process of authentication with the likes of spectrometers, microscopes, and 3D imaging, tools that have long proven their worth in identifying the material composition of everything from planets to polyps to paint thinners. Black lights on the backs of headstocks have typically been about the latest “tech” in the room.

Until now. In a story that feels ripped from The Da Vinci Code or Cold Case Files, two remarkably down-to-earth—if undeniably intrepid—guitar-shop guys from Nashville, Jon Roncolato and Zach Riemer, have quietly upended the vintage-guitar market in a matter of months. Fueled by rotating batches of fresh-ground coffee, an abundance of nerve, and stomachs for study, they’ve tapped some of the most advanced and expensive analytical machines available to capture, catalog, and compare hundreds of thousands of data points from countless vintage and modern instruments—their lacquers, pigments, pots, pegs, pickups, and parts—building the largest dataset for guitar-component and finish comparison in existence.

In the process, they’ve issued a gentle challenge to dealers, appraisers, and collectors—and yes, they’ve even shifted the status of some long-held vintage “treasures.” Although they no longer appraise or sell instruments themselves, they’ve still managed to ruffle a few feathers and attract more than a few legal threats. At the same time, they’ve leveraged their diligence and strong reputations to assemble a trusted advisory team made up of some of the most respected minds in guitars, art, and hard science: icons like George Gruhn, repair guru Joe Glaser, cultural-heritage scientist Dr. Tom Tague (who authenticated Da Vinci’s “lost masterpiece” Salvator Mundi), Music City session legend Tom Bukovac, pickup mastermind Ron Ellis, and analytical chemist Dr. Gene Hall, among others.

Jon and Zach are guarded about the technology, as you might expect. They don’t post selfies, they don’t have a podcast, and they won’t be starting one. As Riemer puts it, they’d much rather “keep our heads down and keep hammering away” with laser-based spectrometers, plumb the deepest secrets of Fullerton Red Strats, and compare the chemical makeup of Duco paints (ironically, both Pollock and Fender’s mutual go-to.) In their scrupulously clean Nashville HQ—which will expand to offices in L.A. and N.Y.C. in 2026—they seem pretty resigned to their current controversial status, and remain motivated primarily by going after, y’know, the truth.

Okay, that and a good cup of coffee.

What was the genesis of this idea to apply these types of cultural heritage sciences to vintage guitars? Is the problem with inaccuracies, refinishes, and forgeries really that widespread?

Jon Roncolato: We met while I was the GM at Carter’s Vintage Guitars, later North American Guitars, here in Nashville. I was photographing and cataloging the instruments for our online store, among other things. Zach’s originally from California but had come over to Carter’s after learning the ropes at Joe Glaser’s legendary repair shop in Berry Hill. At some point, it was decided that rather than us owning most of the guitars we’d sell, the business should follow more of a consignment approach, which meant hitting the road [and going to] dozens of guitar shows, bringing hundreds of instruments back from other dealers to consign.

And, look, there were instances at the store even with good-faith experts making the calls where we’d catch a refinish being passed off as an original color. But at the guitar shows, we really began to see how wild west this all was: $8,000 guitars passed off as original that literally had the wrong headstock glued on them. Things like that.

Zach Riemer: Everybody misses now and again. Most dealers are trying their absolute hardest with their experience, eye, and gut to tell an original from a fake or a refin. There’s simply some things you just can’t know unless you look at them with the kinds of tools that we’re bringing to the table. And it shouldn’t be that controversial: after all, literally every other collectible industry has a third party unassociated service like ours. The most obvious one is PSA with collectible sports cards. PSA is a little different than it used to be, but everybody still sees a sports card and a PSA box and if it says, “PSA 9,” for instance, you know you’re in good shape.

“In the art world, scientific validation has long been standard practice—pigment analysis, canvas fiber studies, dimensional scans. Sometimes it changes the story. That’s not an attack on tradition. It’s the pursuit of truth.” —George Gruhn, Gruhn Guitars

Jon Roncolato: In the art world, if you can’t scientifically confirm the authenticity of a piece, then you can’t certify that it’s attributed to a given artist. In the world of dealing guitars, though, even if you’re not 100 percent sure, you have to absolutely stake all your credibility on a guitar, even if there’s some doubt. You’re not going to sell a $250,000 custom color Fender if you come out and say, “Well, I think it's a custom color. It looks good to me.” So that’s just been the structure of the industry. Being in the underbelly of the whole thing, as we were, we realized what a big problem this was.

There must have been a ridiculous learning curve. You guys are guitar dudes, not scientists. Takes a bit of brass to bite off something like that, no?

Jon Roncolato: We have a framed picture in the kitchen, a quote from Wilbur Wright: “There are two ways of learning to ride a fractious horse: One is to get on him and learn by actual practice how each motion and trick may be best met. The other is to sit on a fence and watch the beast awhile, and then retire to the house.” That said, we spent the first year-and-a-half not offering any services at all, just studying the science, including week-long training seminars where everybody but us had a doctorate attached to their name, consulting with the top experts in the cultural heritage field.

Zach Riemer: I can't even express how difficult it was to make heads or tails of any of this at first. John and I were not chemists, and basically what we do now is largely analytical chemistry. So the learning curve on that was incredibly steep. We always joked that we were smart enough to have the idea but dumb enough to think we could do it. And while this process exists in other industries, the finished-instrument industry is totally unique. The instruments are so modular, and you have finishes, plastics, hardware, pickups, so you have to have an answer for all that information.

Jon Roncolato: That’s right. The process is designed to have an answer for anything and everything on the instrument. The headstock decals, the finish, the hardware, the fret wire, the fingerboard inlays—we have a data-driven answer for everything. That was really critical, because we didn’t want to give incomplete information. Another absolutely critical principle for us was that anything we put in one of these reports has to be defensible in court. If we get subpoenaed to go to court, which inevitably we will, we need to know that Zach or I can show up and we can defend this and prove this. Our other guiding principle is that we remain completely independent, and not touch the buying and selling of the instruments.

“Vintage Verified is doing what we couldn’t do 20 years ago. They’re bringing in real tools—from forensics, from art conversation, from aerospace—and applying them to guitars. And it’s not about replacing experience. It’s about supporting it.” —Joe Glaser, Glaser Guitars

Fair enough. So, what’s the most difficult or highly sensitive area of your analysis?

Jon Roncolato: Finish is easily the most complicated part of what we do—an absolute maze of information, and it’s also where you see the biggest value swings. Traditionally, if a guitar’s been refinished, even if it’s just a standard guitar (not a custom color) refinished, the rule of thumb is that it cuts the value in half. Nowadays, it probably cuts the value by 40 percent. But if you start talking about custom colors, like a Fender sherwood green Strat, or the fullerton red we have in our lab right now—this Strat here is probably a $250,000 Strat, assuming the finish is original. If the finish is, in fact, not legitimate, then potentially you’re looking at a $20,000 Strat.

And to determine this, you don’t just need that guitar’s own fingerprint, if you will, but you need to be able to conduct comparative analysis against a bulwark of trustworthy data. Where does that come from?

Jon Roncolato: We’ve been very fortunate to have guys like Joe Glaser and George Gruhn in our corner, who put their own cred on the line to help us scan and analyze literally thousands of vintage guitars, plus Dr. Gene Hall, whose work decoding Jackson Pollock paintings means he has the largest collection and database of Duco paints on the planet, the same paints Fender used in their golden era. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. We now have millions of data points across several different machines, a good $300,000 worth of spectrometers and other analyzers. We spent eight hours a day collecting data as much as we possibly could.

So is it very much a one-to-one comparison? “This finish’s chemical composition is true to the year this guitar purports to be, so we’re good”? Or is it more complex than that?

Zach Riemer: A little of both. Sure, the data that I just grabbed matches this certified sample pretty well, so therefore we can say with certainty that’s period-correct. But what really blew the doors open for us was when we got past that level, and started to have a fundamental understanding of these lacquer formulations, how various formulations over time were interacting with each other, and how the different components in a lacquer formulation—plasticizers, pigments, etc—all interact and evolve. How did those components morph over time?

If the industry set regulations, what was the regulation attached to? If you look at a piece of data on a lacquer, you’ll have hundreds of chemical compounds—a ton of information in there. What we had to do was figure out which chemical compounds were going to be chief identifiers of who was using what, and when. Building out this timeline for the major manufacturers was the bulk of our work, just as much as developing an understanding of the complexity of the materials. In other words, you have to understand your data as much as you need to own the data, right?

You’ve gotten some backlash, and some dealers who ended up being supporters eventually even got their lawyers on the phone early on. What’s your message to dealers, appraisers, collectors, working players, and the business as a whole?

Jon Roncolato: If something like this does not happen in this industry, the industry will go away at a certain point, and that’s already happening. For instance, right now you have literal billionaires who won’t buy custom color Fenders, and won’t buy Explorers and Flying Vs. Won’t touch them. Because they’re under the impression that they’re all fake. This is the top of your market, and they won’t touch this guitar unless we look at it. So, already we’ve seen that many of these people who previously were not buying custom colors are now joining that market again because they have the trust that these are authentic.

Zach Riemer: Our mission is to make sure that the data and the information we provide is absolutely correct. That’s our lane. We’re not the guitar police. We are not policing transactions, and we do not appraise or assign values to any instrument, ever. We’re hoping that we can help dealers begin to understand that this is designed to be an asset. It’s designed to help you protect yourself. And look, as soon as we print out a report, and I hand it to you, you can throw it in the garbage if you want. But it’s an option for you. Ultimately, it’s something that we believe helps give people the confidence to buy that rare instrument, and know exactly what they’re getting.

Andertons Music Co. and Chicago Music Exchange have teamed up with Fender to introduce an exclusive new range: the Andertons x Chicago Music Exchange Fender Player II RW Lavender Haze Collection. The lineup features four classic shapes – the Jazzmaster®, Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, and Jazz Bass® – each finished in a striking, never-before-seen Lavender Haze colourway and equipped with CME’s all-new proprietary Fender “Full Dip” pickups.

Lavender Haze is a could-have-been-but-never-was finish, inspired by mid-century appliances, classic cars, and the golden era of electric guitars. Matching painted heads on the Jazz Bass® and Jazzmaster® select models complete the look, giving the series a cohesive and unmistakable visual identity.

At the heart of the Lavender Haze collection is Chicago Music Exchange’s proprietary “Full Dip” pickups, developed in collaboration with Fender and informed by decades of vintage expertise and player feedback. Built on Fender’s Vintera II pickup recipe, “Full Dip” introduces two key refinements: AlNiCo 2 magnets to smooth harsh frequencies and allow notes to bloom naturally, and 5% overwound coils to deliver added punch and grit. Each model also features unique circuit enhancements that unlock tonal options not available with standard wiring, expanding the range of these Player II instruments.

“The Player II already delivers exceptional tone, feel, and reliability, and this collaboration takes it even further. Pair that with CME’s new “Full Dip” pickups, which have real warmth and musicality, and you’ve got guitars and basses that don’t just look incredible, they inspire you to play. We’re thrilled to bring them to Andertons customers!” said Lee Anderton, Managing Partner of Andertons Music Co.

“I love to romanticize the golden years at Fender and imagine what could have been, but simply wasn’t - Lavender Haze is exactly that. Anyone desiring something comfortable and familiar, but overtly distinctive both aesthetically and sonically should look no further.” said Daniel Bordonaro, Product Director at Chicago Music Exchange.

The Andertons x Chicago Music Exchange Fender Player II RW Lavender Haze Collection is available now in limited quantities. For more information, visit Andertons Music Co. and Chicago Music Exchange.

Model Line-Up & Key Features

Player II Jazzmaster® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway with matching painted headcap
• CME “Full Dip” Jazzmaster pickups (AlNiCo 2 magnets, Non-Beveled .472, Flat Pole, +5% Turns)
• 4-way series/parallel blade selector switch
• Body pre-routed for traditional rhythm circuit installation

Player II Stratocaster® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway
• CME “Full Dip” Strat pickups (AlNiCo 2 magnets, Non-Beveled, Vintage Stagger, +5% turns)
• Strat “Blender Mod” electronics circuit for added pickup combinations

Player II Telecaster® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway
• CME “Full Dip” Tele pickups (AlNiCo 2 magnets, Non-Beveled +5% turns)
• 4-way series/parallel blade selector switch

Player II Jazz Bass® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway with matching painted headcap
• CME “Full Dip” Jazz Bass pickups with hybrid magnet design:
  • Bass: AlNiCo 5 Beveled .781, Flat Pole, +5% Turns
  • Treble: AlNiCo 2 Beveled, .781, Flat Pole, +5% Turns

Concentric stack knobs for independent volume and tone control

The Lavender Haze Player II Telecaster and Stratocaster each carry a $949.99 street price. The Lavender Haze Player II Jazzmaster and Jazz Bass carry a street price of $979.99 each. For more information visit chicagomusicexchange.com.

Andertons Music Co. and Chicago Music Exchange have teamed up with Fender to introduce an exclusive new range: the Andertons x Chicago Music Exchange Fender Player II RW Lavender Haze Collection. The lineup features four classic shapes – the Jazzmaster®, Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, and Jazz Bass® – each finished in a striking, never-before-seen Lavender Haze colourway and equipped with CME’s all-new proprietary Fender “Full Dip” pickups.

Lavender Haze is a could-have-been-but-never-was finish, inspired by mid-century appliances, classic cars, and the golden era of electric guitars. Matching painted heads on the Jazz Bass® and Jazzmaster® select models complete the look, giving the series a cohesive and unmistakable visual identity.

At the heart of the Lavender Haze collection is Chicago Music Exchange’s proprietary “Full Dip” pickups, developed in collaboration with Fender and informed by decades of vintage expertise and player feedback. Built on Fender’s Vintera II pickup recipe, “Full Dip” introduces two key refinements: AlNiCo 2 magnets to smooth harsh frequencies and allow notes to bloom naturally, and 5% overwound coils to deliver added punch and grit. Each model also features unique circuit enhancements that unlock tonal options not available with standard wiring, expanding the range of these Player II instruments.

“The Player II already delivers exceptional tone, feel, and reliability, and this collaboration takes it even further. Pair that with CME’s new “Full Dip” pickups, which have real warmth and musicality, and you’ve got guitars and basses that don’t just look incredible, they inspire you to play. We’re thrilled to bring them to Andertons customers!” said Lee Anderton, Managing Partner of Andertons Music Co.

“I love to romanticize the golden years at Fender and imagine what could have been, but simply wasn’t - Lavender Haze is exactly that. Anyone desiring something comfortable and familiar, but overtly distinctive both aesthetically and sonically should look no further.” said Daniel Bordonaro, Product Director at Chicago Music Exchange.

The Andertons x Chicago Music Exchange Fender Player II RW Lavender Haze Collection is available now in limited quantities. For more information, visit Andertons Music Co. and Chicago Music Exchange.

Model Line-Up & Key Features

Player II Jazzmaster® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway with matching painted headcap
• CME “Full Dip” Jazzmaster pickups (AlNiCo 2 magnets, Non-Beveled .472, Flat Pole, +5% Turns)
• 4-way series/parallel blade selector switch
• Body pre-routed for traditional rhythm circuit installation

Player II Stratocaster® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway
• CME “Full Dip” Strat pickups (AlNiCo 2 magnets, Non-Beveled, Vintage Stagger, +5% turns)
• Strat “Blender Mod” electronics circuit for added pickup combinations

Player II Telecaster® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway
• CME “Full Dip” Tele pickups (AlNiCo 2 magnets, Non-Beveled +5% turns)
• 4-way series/parallel blade selector switch

Player II Jazz Bass® RW – Lavender Haze

• Lavender Haze colorway with matching painted headcap
• CME “Full Dip” Jazz Bass pickups with hybrid magnet design:
  • Bass: AlNiCo 5 Beveled .781, Flat Pole, +5% Turns
  • Treble: AlNiCo 2 Beveled, .781, Flat Pole, +5% Turns

Concentric stack knobs for independent volume and tone control

The Lavender Haze Player II Telecaster and Stratocaster each carry a $949.99 street price. The Lavender Haze Player II Jazzmaster and Jazz Bass carry a street price of $979.99 each. For more information visit chicagomusicexchange.com.

UK retailer Andertons and Chicago Music Exchange have partnered with Fender on an exclusive Lavender Haze-finished line of classic guitar and bass models.

Comprising a Jazzmaster, Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazz Bass in the “never-before-seen” finish, each model also sports Chicago Music Exchange’s new proprietary Fender “Full Dip” pickups.

• READ MORE: Taylor’s 2026 acoustic refresh brings new neck tech, new pickups – and an expanded Gold Label collection
  

Developed in collaboration with Fender and informed by “decades of vintage expertise and player feedback”, these Full Dip pickups are infused with DNA from Big F’s Vintera II line, but with two key refinements: Alnico 2 magnets to smooth harsh frequencies and 5% overwound coils for “added punch and grit”.

Elsewhere, each model in the limited-edition range features unique circuit enhancements which unlock tonal options not available with standard wiring.

Described as the “could-have-been-but-never-was” finish, Lavender Haze is inspired by mid-century appliances, classic cars and the golden era of electric guitars, Andertons and CME say.

“The Player II already delivers exceptional tone, feel, and reliability, and this collaboration takes it even further,” says Lee Anderton, Managing Partner at Andertons.

“Pair that with CME’s new ‘Full Dip’ pickups, which have real warmth and musicality, and you’ve got guitars and basses that don’t just look incredible, they inspire you to play. We’re thrilled to bring them to Andertons customers!”

Credit: Andertons/Chicago Music Exchange

“I love to romanticise the golden years at Fender and imagine what could have been, but simply wasn’t – Lavender Haze is exactly that,” adds Daniel Bordonaro, Product Director at Chicago Music Exchange. 

“Anyone desiring something comfortable and familiar, but overtly distinctive both aesthetically and sonically should look no further.”

The Andertons x Chicago Music Exchange Fender Player II RW Lavender Haze Collection is available now for pre-order.

For more info, you can head to Andertons or Chicago Music Exchange.

The post “What could have been”: Andertons and Chicago Music Exchange team up with Fender on exclusive Lavender Haze-finished guitars and basses appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

2025 saw the loss of some of the metal genre’s greatest figures, including, but not limited to, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Mastodon’s Brent Hinds. 

And in a new interview in the latest issue of Metal Hammer, as Megadeth gear up to launch their last ever album and embark on a landmark world tour to wrap things up, frontman Dave Mustaine reflects on the “changing of the guard” at the top of metal.

• READ MORE: “I finally said, ‘Where the f**k are these guys?’ and set my guitar down”: How Dave Mustaine got the Metallica gig just by warming up

“All of our elder statesmen have satisfied their role as models,” he says, remembering some of the legends who have passed, both recently and in the last two decades. 

“Some of the people we lost have really affected me. Lemmy [Kilmister, Motörhead frontman], [Ronnie James] Dio [Black Sabbath singer], Ozzy [Osbourne]… You hear about them going and you think, ‘No!’ That’s the way of the world now, though.”

Last year saw the passing of other legends including founding Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley at the age of 74, as well as some outside the metal realm including Beach Boys pioneer Brian Wilson.

Dave Mustaine himself has suffered his share of health conditions in recent years, famously revealing in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. While he confirmed that he was “100% cancer-free” the following year, in 2022 he shared that he had almost lost control of his left hand while undergoing chemotherapy.

“I wish I would have kept in touch with [late Megadeth drummer] Gar [Samuelson],” he said in a recent interview with Guitar World. 

“You see that Ace Frehley passed away and how sad that is. Whenever stuff like that happens, I feel fortunate because I’m still kicking. But on the opposite side of the coin, I think, ‘Fuck… that could have been me,’ but by the grace of God, it’s not.”

Megadeth are due to commence their mammoth swansong tour on 15 February in Victoria, British Columbia, before putting on a number of Canada shows, and then heading to South America, Mexico, Europe and the US later in 2026.

But despite the band’s long list of members who have passed through the fold in the last four decades, Mustaine says former members won’t be performing with them during the tour.

“We’ve already done that with Marty,” he told Guitar World, referring to the times Marty Friedman joined the band onstage twice in 2023. “And I mean, let’s look at the other people we’ve played with… there’s a lot of people. [laughs]

“That would be a huge undertaking. I don’t think I want to do that. I’d rather keep doing what we’re doing and let the fans [experience] Megadeth music and be happy about it. It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth.’”

You can see a full list of dates on Megadeth’s upcoming final tour on their official website.

The post Dave Mustaine thinks there’s a “changing of the guard” at the top of metal: “All of our elder statesmen have satisfied their roles” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

“Captain” Kirk Douglas joins the Axe Lords for a wide-ranging conversation about how guitars shape a life—musically, culturally, and sometimes, literally. The longtime guitarist for The Roots (who also serve as the house band on the Tonight Show) traces his path from growing up with reggae, church music, metal, and soul to finding a musical voice that incorporates them all.

Along the way, he reflects on the profound effect that Ozzy Osbourne had on his young psyche, how the music that we consume in our youth has an impact that never really fades, real amps versus modeling rigs, and the many wonders of Gibson SG. As an excruciating bonus, the episode also includes the unbelievable story of the vintage Epiphone Crestwood Prince borrowed from him for a live performance on the Tonight Show—and then proceeded to destroy right in front of Douglas’ eyes in an astonishing display of music royalty privilege run amok. Beam us up!

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. Follow @axelordspod for updates, news, and cool stuff.

Follow Captain Kirk @kirklloyd

Follow @axelordspod for news, updates, and cool stuff

When it comes topedals aimed at replicating the sound, feel, and response of an all analog tube amplifier, the only options at a guitarist’s disposal are typically limited to digital approximations or boutique offerings that sound great, but are financially out of reach for many musicians.

It’s a predicament that’s prompted two of Northeast Ohio’s most renowned sonic engineering firms–EarthQuaker Devices of Akron and Dr. Z Amplification of Cleveland–to join forces to formulate a compact, affordable, all-analog thirst quencher for parched tone purists who have spent years wandering through the digital desert.

“Dr. Z, having been an amp manufacturer for nearly 40 years, really has an ear for these kinds of circuits and recognizes the impact digital modeling amps is having on tube amp sales,” President and Founder of EarthQuaker Devices Jamie Stillman explained. “The digital modelers do a pretty good approximation of emulating an amp, but they always lack a certain depth and warmth, so I was quick to embrace the idea of developing a product with Dr. Z that would reintroduce some tube-like sound into a signal chain–even when used in front of a modeling amplifier.”

Designed to live at the end of a signal chain, the ZEQD-Pre adds classic tube character to everything upstream. Its passive Three-Band EQ provides precise tonal control enabling users to fine-tune their amp's voice, push its preamp into rich harmonic overdrive, or breathe dimension and life into their modeling setup.

The pedal is a simple, modern tool devised to give you all the organic sonic character and dynamic response of a tube amp in a compact and convenient form factor. There are no menus to dive through. No IR loading. No firmware updates. No 0s, 1s, or any other pesky digital artifacts to get in the way of a player and their tone.

The ZEQD-Pre features a built-in analog cabinet simulation for realistic amp feel during quiet practice sessions to deliver full tube character without disturbing the neighbors. This feature is handily disengaged via the Cab Bypass switch enabling users to send a pure signal to their preferred IR loader or modeling software and making it perfect for direct recording, backline-free gigs, or hybrid rigs with multiple signal paths.

When the Boost footswitch is engaged the Three-Band EQ drops out completely. This function unlocks Dr. Z’s initial design for the circuit, and provides a full-range boost with its own dedicated level control.

At the heart of the ZEQD-Pre is the EF86 pentode—the same tube that gives many Dr. Z amplifiers their pristine HiFi tone and makes them such responsive pedal platforms. For the player, this means dynamic and nuanced touch sensitivity, full frequency clarity, and a balanced signal that is both predictable and highly responsive.

“You hit this pedal on and your amp becomes huge,” Mike “Dr. Z” Zaite, Owner and Founder of Dr.Z Amplification explained. “And it's not just distorted and clipped, it's just this big, big sound that is produced with this [EF86] tube."

There are a few characteristics inherent in the ZEQD-Pre that Stillman says customers should consider when purchasing the pedal.

"Part of what makes the ZEQD-Pre interesting is its simplicity. Stillman explains. “People shouldn’t get it thinking they’re going to be able to do all the stuff they can do when using a tube amp. They won’t be able to make it break up into a crunchy overdrive like a classic British tube amp for example, but they should get it knowing that it’s a really good HiFi clean platform to run pedals into.”

He says users should also know that the ZEQD-Pre requires a supply of 500 milliamps (mA) of power in order to function as advertised and that the direct signal from the onboard balanced XLR output is very hot and best used with a pad engaged on the user’s interface or mixing console.

Though designed with guitarists in mind, the ZEQD-Pre’s broad range of EQ voices and tube warmth can enrich the sonic color and harmonic content of just about any instrument a musician could dream of plugging into it, including, but not limited to, bass, synthesizers, electric pianos and keyboards, and microphones.

Ultimately, Stillman hopes the pedal will be adapted by younger players who haven’t had the opportunity to ever own a tube amplifier.

“It’s starting to bother me that there is a whole generation of kids that have never plugged a guitar into a tube amplifier in their life because they're expensive and they have a free one on their laptop,” Stillman said. “And I hope a pedal like this could be a turning point for players and make them realize that there is something special about analog technology that they’ve been missing. It just thickens up the signal in a way that just feels a little more organic to the player and familiar to the listener.”

Each ZEQD-Pre is built by one sophisticated droid and many kind-hearted flesh and blood artisans in the tropical metropolis of Akron, Ohio USA.

Features:

• Three Band EQ
• Boost
• Balanced XLR Direct Out (With Ground Lift)
• All Analog Cabinet Simulator (With Bypass Switch)
• Headphone Out (TRS ¼”)
• True Bypass Switching
• Lifetime Warranty
• Input Impedance: 10 MΩ
• Output Impedance: Variable
• Headphone Out Impedance: 39Ω
• Direct Out Impedance: 100Ω
• Current Draw: 500mA
• Retail Price: $399.00

Taylor has announced two major releases for 2026: a Next Generation update to its flagship Grand Auditorium guitars, and an expansion of the Gold Label Collection that adds square-shoulder dreadnoughts plus a pair of ultra-premium 900 Series models.

“As guitar makers, we see the ever-wider variety of players and styles,” said Andy Powers, Taylor’s Chief Guitar Designer and CEO. “This means different types of sounds, feels and aesthetic presentations—all in step with the creative world of today’s players.”

• READ MORE: “I played it like a baby giraffe on roller skates – but it was heaven”: Steve Vai recalls surreal encounter with the Brian May as he celebrates his own custom Red Special guitar

Next-Generation Grand Auditorium guitars

Taylor’s Grand Auditorium has long been its Swiss-army-knife acoustic. Rolling out across the brand’s best-selling 300, 400 and 800 Series models — including both Standard and Builder’s Edition versions — the updated Grand Auditoriums introduce three main upgrades: a new Action Control Neck, a scalloped version of Andy Powers’ V-Class bracing, and Taylor’s all-new Claria pickup system.

The Action Control Neck is a particularly player-friendly change. A long-tendon neck joint helps the neck and body work together so the guitar feels warmer and more alive, while the shimless action control feature lets you adjust string height with a simple turn of a bolt through the soundhole.

Inside the body, Taylor has refined its V-Class bracing with a scalloped design that allows the top to move more freely. The result is a warmer sound with more low-end response, while still keeping the pitch accuracy and sustain that V-Class fans appreciate.

Finally, there’s Claria, Taylor’s latest pickup system. Designed with live players in mind, Claria pairs a reimagined under-saddle piezo pickup with a new proprietary preamp, eliminating traditional piezo harshness. Simple soundhole-mounted Volume, Mid-Contour, and Tone controls also make it easy to dial things in quickly, whether you’re playing a coffeehouse gig or a larger stage.

Next Generation Grand Auditoriums start at $2,499 and include the following models: 314ce, 414ce, 814ce, Builder’s Edition 324ce, BE 814ce Indian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce, 324ce, 454ce, 854ce, BE 814ce Honduran Rosewood/Sinker Spruce, BE 814ce Indian Rosewood/Adirond.

Credit: Taylor Guitars

Gold Label expands with square-shoulder dreadnoughts

One year after the line’s debut, Taylor has introduced square-shoulder dreadnoughts with deeper bodies, aimed squarely at players who want more thump, warmth and projection.

The new lineup features three tonewood pairings: the mahogany/torrefied Sitka spruce Gold Label 510e, the Indian rosewood/torrefied Sitka spruce Gold Label 710e, and the Honduran rosewood/torrefied Sitka spruce Gold Label 810e. Prices begin at $2,799.

 

New Gold Label 900 Series models

Rounding things out are two new Gold Label guitars at the top of Taylor’s range: the Super Auditorium Gold Label 914e and the Grand Pacific 917e.

Both pair Honduran rosewood with Adirondack spruce and feature exquisite paua-shell trim across the top, fretboard and headstock, in natural or golden-brown sunburst finishes. As with all Gold Label models, both guitars feature the collection’s signature innovations: fanned V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck, and heritage-inspired aesthetics.

“It’s like players are stepping into a different musical skin with our Gold Label guitars,” says Powers. “Songwriters, bluegrass players, Americana players, rhythm players, weekend strummers, worship leaders, all kinds of different players saying, ‘Wow, I love this sound. This is a whole different face of Taylor.’”

Learn more at Taylor Guitars.

The post Taylor’s 2026 acoustic refresh brings new neck tech, new pickups – and an expanded Gold Label collection appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

How much of an audition do you actually need to land a gig? A blistering solo? A perfectly memorised setlist? Or, if you’re Dave Mustaine, maybe a few minutes of warming up is all it takes.

Following the recent revelation that the band’s next album will be their last, the Megadeth frontman has been revisiting the unlikely beginnings of his Metallica tenure, sharing how his very first jam with James Hetfield and original bassist Ron McGovney ended before it had really begun.

• READ MORE: Megadeth wont be returning for any surprise ‘reunion’ tours, insists Dave Mustaine

Looking back on the trip to Norwalk, California, where it all kicked off, Mustaine admits he had no idea what to expect: “When I went to Norwalk the day that I met James Hetfield and Ron McGovney, I didn’t know what was gonna happen,” he tells Premier Guitar. “Nobody did. But I had my style, and it was based around the riff.”

“I went in there and I didn’t have any Marshalls yet because I was just starting to get serious,” he continues. “I had these Risson amps – they were tan, so from the moment I set up my stack, I was different.”

“I plugged in my guitar and I started warming up, and I kept warming up and warming up,” says Mustaine, who recalls being puzzled by Hetfield and McGovney’s absence.

“And I finally said, ‘Where the fuck are these guys?’ I set my guitar down and switched my amp to standby. And then I went out there and I said, ‘Man, where’s my audition?’ They said, ‘You got the gig.’ So I got my job just by warming up.”

And while he has previously described himself as one of the four “best rhythm guitar players in the world”, alongside James Hetfield, AC/DC’s Malcolm Young and Scorpions’ Rudolf Schenker, Mustaine admits he much prefers to be called “a guitarist that sings”.

“The term ‘rhythm guitar player’ seems a little diminishing for me,” he says. “I love the riff.”

The post “I finally said, ‘Where the f**k are these guys?’ and set my guitar down”: How Dave Mustaine got the Metallica gig just by warming up appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Steve Vai has told the story of his long-running admiration for Brian May after receiving a custom-built reimagining of the Queen guitarist’s iconic Red Special.

Built by master luthier Andrew Guyton of Guyton Guitars, the instrument channels the spirit of May’s original DIY classic while introducing a series of bold, Vai-approved updates, including a quilted maple top, jumbo EVO-gold frets, a mahogany neck and a striking translucent green finish.

The original Red Special is, of course, one of the most famous handmade guitars in rock history. Constructed in the early 1960s by a teenage Brian May and his father Harold using repurposed materials, it became central to Queen’s sound and a constant presence at the band’s most historic performances.

• READ MORE: Brian May believes it should be “impossible” for someone who has a “love of art and music” to be cruel to others 

Describing May as one of his “absolute heroes” when he was “a kid in Carle Place trying to figure out how to play anything in tune”, Vai says the Red Special was never “just a guitar” to him, but “a mythical object, an alchemical wand built by a young genius and his dad”.

“I studied every photo and rumour I could find,” he recalls. “That guitar planted the seed that maybe someday I could build my own, which thankfully never happened, due to a total lack of expertise.”

That mythology became reality in 1980, when a 20-year-old Vai – newly arrived in Los Angeles and working with Frank Zappa – crossed paths with May at the Rainbow Bar and Grill.

“One night I walk in… and see Brian just standing there. Alone. Like a normal human. I thought I was hallucinating,” he says. “Brian was incredibly kind to this unknown kid and then did the unthinkable, he invited me to a Queen rehearsal at Zoetrope. Sitting in a room with the entire band was already unreal enough, but then I saw the Red Special. I pointed and said, ‘Is that it?’ Brian said, ‘Yup. Want to try it?’ Time definitely slowed down.”

“After idolising that guitar my whole youth, holding it was seismic,” Van continues. “I thought, ‘This is it, I’m finally going to sound like Brian May.’ But much to my chagrin, I didn’t of course. I sounded like me. And between the gauge .08 strings, ultra-low action, and a neck the size of a small tree, I played it like a baby giraffe on roller skates. Still, it was heaven.”

Years later, after Passion and Warfare had cemented Vai’s legacy, another full-circle moment arrived. While working with May on a Guitar Legends concert in Seville, the Queen guitarist recalled a young player he once invited to try his guitar.

“Brian told me the story about a young guitarist he once let play his guitar at rehearsal, a kid who was in town working with Zappa and who played amazingly well,” says Vai. “I let him tell me the whole story and then said… ‘Brian, that was me.’ This stands as one of the most satisfying full-circle twists the universe has offered me.”

Vai says he is now “truly humbled” to own the ‘Green Red Special’, describing the instrument as “beyond beautiful” and praising Guyton’s work as “devotion made tangible”.

“I own a lot of guitars, but this one stands alone,” he adds. “Its soul and history are baked into it and topped with a healthy smattering of love. I will treasure it for the rest of my life, and yes, I’m taking this one to the grave with me.”

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The post “I played it like a baby giraffe on roller skates – but it was heaven”: Steve Vai recalls surreal encounter with the Brian May as he celebrates his own custom Red Special guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Let it be known that Mark Tremonti is not doomscrolling Spotify’s New Guitar Music playlists. If given the choice between checking out what today’s guitar heroes are up to or dropping the needle on a Frank Sinatra record, the Alter Bridge guitarist already knows which one he’s choosing.

In a new interview with New Noise magazine, Tremonti opens up about the band’s upcoming self-titled album – due 9 January via Napalm Records – while offering a candid take on songwriting, inspiration, and why he doesn’t feel much pressure to keep up with modern rock trends.

• READ MORE: “If you come up to the factory and draw it with me, I’ll do it!”: Mark Tremonti reveals how Paul Reed Smith challenged him to design his “coolest” custom guitar

Dishing on his creative process, Tremonti explains that for him, the music always comes first: “Usually, the riffs come first and then the lyrics and melody follow suit,” he says. “Intuitively, you spit out or pull out what the music is drawing out of you.”

That approach was put to the test while working on the new album, which saw Alter Bridge head to the legendary 5150 Van Halen Studios in Los Angeles for writing sessions and pre-production, with the help of longtime friend Wolfgang Van Halen.

According to Tremonti, the challenge wasn’t a lack of ideas, but rather, avoiding repetition after two decades as a band.

“For us, it’s a constant journey,” he says. “It becomes more challenging along the way because we try not to repeat ourselves. There are so many songs written in the band that you have to make sure you’re not hitting similar song structures, progressions, melodies, or lyrics.”

To keep things fresh, Tremonto says he tries to “approach things differently whether it’s writing a song using a different instrument or using some weird software program or a drum loop or a different guitar tuning, getting inspiration from different angles.”

The guitarist also speaks of the distinct challenges of writing experimental tunes and radio-friendly music: “Sometimes the simplest, straight-forward songs are the hardest to write,” he says. “They might sound like they’re easy, but to make something commercially successful that doesn’t have any fat or dead space and has hook after hook, is way more difficult than it sounds.”

And while Tremonti acknowledges that rock music spent a long time operating under a ‘don’t bore us, get us to the chorus’ philosophy – and is now becoming more experimental again – he admits he doesn’t spend much time monitoring what’s currently dominating the airwaves.

“I don’t spend too much time keeping up with what’s getting played right now because I can just tap in and play a Frank Sinatra record, that’s what I’ll do,” he says. “Back in the day, you had no choice. You either had a CD player or the radio; you listened to the radio. Now it’s one of the many things you can do.”

Back in 2022, Mark Tremonti teamed up with surviving members of Frank Sinatra’s band – as well as other musicians – to create his Sinatra covers album, Mark Tremonti Sings Frank Sinatra, even performing a handful of shows promoting the project.

The post Mark Tremonti admits he doesn’t really listen to modern guitar music – he’d rather listen to Frank Sinatra appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Pursuing the sounds we hear in our head, be it an avenue like sprawling pedalboards, vintage guitars or handwired tube amplifiers, can feel like an endless journey. While effects and preamplifier circuits can have a huge effect on our sound, of course, they’re also merely processing their input.

Good technique, choice of strings, pickups and the guitar’s wood itself have a more drastic effect than any pedal or amplifier, the auxiliary effects serving as tools to augment our good playing, rather than fix it.

• READ MORE: I was wrong: I’ve been building my own guitars for over a decade, and here’s the most important lessons I’ve learned

One overlooked tool is your choice of plectrum, be it the factory manufactured plastic and nylon picks many of us use today, or found picks like Brian May’s sixpence coins. There’s more special-use picks like the felt options for use with ukulele, as well as a growing number of companies producing boutique guitar picks.

Like the addition of a new pedal or a different amplifier, the choice of material has a drastic effect on the sound the strings produce when struck, and as such, the resulting sound as it travels through pickups, tone pots, pedals and amplifiers is also radically effected.

Many of us have a go-to pick selection, but understanding why we like it and how it affects our tone can be really helpful to performing different songs, styles and techniques.

Material Matters

Many modern plectrums are made from various types of plastic including nylon, delrin and celluloid. More esoteric options include metal, carbon fibre and even wood.

Dunlop’s Tortex is one of the most widely used materials – a proprietary acetal-based invention that closely mimics the texture and feel of tortoiseshell picks. Yes, back in the day people actually used to use plectrums made from the shells of the endangered Hawksbill sea turtle. As well as being morally wrong, making picks from real shell has been banned since the 70s, and so alternatives have been developed such as Tortex.

Tortex provides a consistent picking experience, sounding similar regardless of where the pick strikes the string, whereas nylon and cellulose provide a warmer sound as long as you’re picking correctly. The edges and sides of cellulose can be used to create a scratchier sound, which can be used to great effect or expose bad technique.

Nylon picks are generally softer and more flexible, even at the thicker end of the range, and provide a little attenuation to the brightness of your guitar for a more rounded sound. Because of the zingy, bright character of steel string acoustic guitars, nylon picks are a common choice for players to help balance out the tonality on the whole.

Metal picks, as you’d expect, provide a metallic zing that really demands pick control at the mercy of scratchy, noisy playing, and otherwise provide little to no resistance from the pick. Great for some styles, but not for all!

Felt picks are common for classical guitar and ukulele that both have nylon strings, and provide a nice, muted tone. While they’re entirely usable to great effect on an electric guitar, they won’t last long up against a nickel or steel string, so they’re often just used for a specific sound, technique or moment in a song.

Many guitarists find themselves coming back to same style or pick, having built their technique around the feel of it, though it can be good practice to experiment with different picks, you’d be surprised what a big difference they make to the resulting tone— even with a handful of choice pedals distorting and processing your sound!

All of these materials are available in different thicknesses that provide different levels of resistance, allowing you to further control the dynamics of your playing, which leads me to the next point in choosing your pick.

On bass guitar, for example, your pick can be used to great effect to balance out your playing like a compressor would. With a thinner nylon pick, picking harder causes the plectrum to fold and bend more, ultimately attenuating the resulting sound. Softer picking retains dynamic, but as you begin to dig in, the loudest notes are saved from being picked overtly hard, acting like a soft limiter to balance out of your tone overall.

All Out Attack

While we’re on the subject of having some different sonic options at our fingertips, they’re the next subject. Fingerstyle guitar isn’t always the right choice for every genre, but our fingers also provide a warm and balanced response, even capable of popping and slapping for more attack. Like softer materials, fingerstyle picking can tame the brightness of a steel string acoustic guitar, or warm up a bass part.

Slapping and plucking your bass yields an entirely different attack than a pick does, falling somewhere between the warmth of fingerstyle and the punch of picked sounds. Guitar players like Brian Setzer switch seamlessly between chicken pickin’ and more articulate picked stuff, Setzer himself tucking the pick away with his thumb when he switches to fingerstyle, ready for when he jumps back to picking.

All in all, your choice of plectrum is as important as your choice of guitar, pickups, strings and technique. While effects and amplifiers can do a lot to change and process the incoming signal, they’re only able to process what they’re fed, and you can do a little or a lot to process that on the way through.

A sound really is the sum of all its parts, a huge piece of that coming before there’s even an amplified sound. Pedals are fun, as are amps and circuits, but their input can be changed drastically by your technique as well as the pick itself. Different materials yield different timbres, and even influence the way you play and feel out notes. A go-to option is great, but a handful of alternatives to build on a great sound will help to round out your sound.

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