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“I’ll stay at any hotel you offer me!”: How Steve Harris convinced Sabaton to let him play at their Sabaton Open Air festival
![[L-R] Steve Harris and Joakim Brodén of Sabaton](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Steve-Harris-Sabaton@2000x1500.jpg)
Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris managed to convince Sabaton to let his band British Lion play at their Open Air festival by offering to stay at any hotel they could land him.
Sabaton Open Air was founded in 2008 by the Swedish metal band, and ran until 2022. Located in their hometown of Falun at the Lugnet Ski Stadium, the event drew in thousands of people each year, and hosted a plethora of bands all picked out by Sabaton themselves.
Speaking to Metal Hammer about the festival, bassist Pär Sundström says that Harris’s offer to play at the event was a real surprise and honour for the band: “In 2017 Steve Harris’s British Lion played,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it! We toured with Iron Maiden, and Steve said he wanted to come and play the festival.
“I actually said no at first! I told him, ‘This is only a small town, we don’t have the infrastructure for an artist like you!’ But he said, ‘I’ve seen the crowds, I’ll stay at any hotel you can offer me, and I’ve seen you have a Sabaton cheeseburger – I’ll eat that.’ And he came! It was an unbelievable honour for us.”
Vocalist Joakim Brodén adds: “The only thing he demanded was access to some sports… That’s the one thing we have plenty of here. So we closed off the swimming pool for him [at the Lugnet sports complex] and he was happy as can be!”
Sabaton released their eleventh studio album, Legends, last week. They say it “takes listeners on an epic journey through the stories of some of history’s most iconic figures”, and that it delves into the lives of “legendary characters like Jeanne D’arc, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, and the master swordsman”.
In an official statement, they explain, “With Legends, we usher in a new era – while our sound and songwriting remains intact, we are now entering into a new chapter hand-in-hand with our new record label, Better Noise Music. This is the first time in our history that every current band member has played an active role in the songwriting process on a single album.”
Sabaton head out on tour in November, and you can still grab tickets via the official Sabaton website.
The post “I’ll stay at any hotel you offer me!”: How Steve Harris convinced Sabaton to let him play at their Sabaton Open Air festival appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The iconic rock band Wolfgang Van Halen thinks should have their own “Mount Rushmore”
Some bands have made such a seismic impact on the world that you could argue they deserve some kind of immortalisation in statue form. And Tool, Wolfgang Van Halen says, is one of them.
Speaking to Guitar.com about his five all-time favourite guitar players, the Mammoth bandleader and son of Eddie Van Halen is quick to name guitarist Adam Jones and his bandmates and single out their technical wizardry.
Wolfgang is a hugely proficient multi-instrumentalist himself, and therefore recognises the immense skill possessed by each Tool member.
“In terms of every instrument I play – bass, guitar, drums and singing – each member of Tool is on the respective Mount Rushmore for their instrument,” he says.
“The first song I heard from them was Third Eye [from 1996’s Ænima], which is funny, because it wasn’t a single or anything. It kind of opened my mind – opened my third eye, so to speak – regarding what music can be.
“I was like, ‘This is a 13-minute song! Not just a four-minute thing!’ It blew my mind when I was in seventh grade. There’s power in its simplicity: when Adam just holds down the rhythms and almost lets Justin [Chancellor, bass] take the lead, they have such a great connection.”
Wolfgang goes on to describe guitarist Adam Jones as the “Malcolm Young of metal”. “He is such a fucking awesome rhythm guy, and he’s a great lead guy, too,” he goes on.
But while Wolfgang Van Halen cites Adam Jones as one of his biggest inspirations, he says Tool’s influence on his music isn’t always so overt.
“In Mammoth, the influence of bands like Tool and Meshuggah will come out in places you don’t expect,” he says.
“If you listen to [the song] The End, the very end of it, there’s this double-kick, half-time, metal-ey thing. They just pop up! Even on the last album [2023’s Mammoth II], on Right?, there’s that Meshuggah-ey breakdown in the middle after the solo. It’s never intentional: I try not to stifle the creative process by overthinking and just do what feels right.”
Also in the interview, Wolfgang recalls his father Eddie being a “terrible teacher”, and even once calling virtuoso Paul Gilbert to give him a guitar lesson. “He laughed his ass off!” he says. “That just shows you how he felt about being a teacher!”
The post The iconic rock band Wolfgang Van Halen thinks should have their own “Mount Rushmore” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
From vintage oddball to alternative classic: the Gretsch CVT’s remarkable journey
Imagine, if you will, a vintage Gretsch electric. Chances are you’re thinking of a Falcon – the brand’s flagship guitars have largely been defined by big hollow bodies, bold accents and a maximalist approach to hardware and electronics.
What you probably didn’t imagine is the Corvette. It’s safe to say that Gretsch’s first solidbody design didn’t take the world by storm when it was launched in 1961, but in the following decades it developed a cult reputation and no shortage of artist associations – from Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallager, to Patrick Stump and Josh Homme.
The Gretsch CVT on the Guitar.com Cover. Image: Fiona Garden for Guitar.com
This is a golden-era guitar released by a major brand that still somehow has a certain outsider cachet. That’s a vanishingly rare concept in 2025 when everyone is looking for a guitar to stand out from the Strat– and Les Paul-toting crowd, and the most surprising thing is that it’s taken Gretsch so long to give the design its moment in the spotlight, albeit one with a new name: the CVT.
Perhaps it took Gretsch and its corporate stewards at Fender a while to realise the potential power of the Corvette because of how alien it is to the rest of the stable. Even 50 years on, it’s easy to forget what an impact guitars like the Les Paul, Strat and Telecaster had on what had been an exclusively air-filled existence for the electric guitar to that point.
Image: Fiona Garden for Guitar.com
“Solid bodies were like asteroids hitting guitar design!” explains Jason Barnes, the VP of the modern Gretsch guitar brand. “Looking back, it’s easy to get lost in what is and what is not ‘Gretsch’ – but think of the late 1950s and early 1960s. At the time music was so dynamic, sound was evolving so fast. Brands were just trying to make cool guitars that served the music of the day. The Corvette was certainly miles away from a Jet, and miles away from a G6120 – but maybe we have to temper the idea that Gretsch was breaking its own mould!”
The Corvette was, however, no Telecaster. Sales numbers never really took off, and it was discontinued by the mid-1960s. That wasn’t for a lack of variety – the Corvette shifted and changed just as quickly as the rest of the electric guitar world. The body bevels, the bridge and the number of pickups all varied across its short lifetime, and we got a couple of distinct variants, including the very edible-looking Peppermint Twist model and the Princess – the latter a guitar that instantly put the Corvette on a different course to the rest of the guitar world.
“The retro sensibility is there, but it still looks like it’ll kick you in the face!”
A Gretsch for her
“Now for the first time, a guitar that is unmistakably ‘hers.’ When she’s out in front of others, she’ll see the admiration in their eyes.” That was the marketing line that accompanied the launch of the Gretsch Princess in 1962 – a guitar designed to be “feminine in size, light in weight”, according to the catalogue.
The Princess was effectively a Corvette with a fabric pad on the back, a removable ‘Tone Twister’ vibrato and the word ‘Princess’ stamped on pickguard, but it was more than that. We may quite rightly cringe at the sheer 1960s-ness of it all, but the Princess stands out as a very early attempt to market the electric guitar – then an almost exclusively male-dominated cultural phenomenon.
Even by Corvette standards the Princess was not popular, and barely lasted a year in the Gretsch catalogue, but the intent, however clumsy, was there from the off: to appeal to those the mainstream electric guitar ignores.
Image: Fiona Garden for Guitar.com
“We’ve done some of our research that’s found that women are a much larger percentage of the market than perhaps we had been assuming,” Barnes explains. “So you wonder if the same thing happened with the Princess – was that what drove that decision to pitch it like that?”
Neither the Corvette nor the Princess was a big seller, but they had something. A definite spark of outsider cool means the guitar has regularly popped up in the hands of interesting and individual guitar players in the decades since – from G. Love to Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump.
“The Corvette is a guitar that’s being discovered by modern artists,” Barnes says. “It was short-lived, and wasn’t a commercial meteor, by any stretch of the imagination. So, as artists do, they stumble upon something and create an identity with it and for it. That’s definitely what led Jack Antonoff to it – the frozen-in-timeness of it!”
“It’s quirky, it’s cool, it’s got that approach of ‘grab something, mash it up, and see what the world says’.”
Doing what was needed
Ah yes, Jack Antonoff. The mega-producer might be the single most important driver behind the return of the Corvette to Gretsch’s production ranks for the first time in over a decade.
Last year, the Bleachers frontman revealed his signature model, based on his trusty 60s Princess – which fused the killer looks of the Corvette shape with a pickup configuration and tremolo borrowed from a Fender Jazzmaster.
It was a gloriously unconventional creation that this publication called “one of the most unique and fun electric guitars of 2024”. The internet agreed, losing its collective mind over what an undeniably cool and fantastic looking guitar the Antonoff Princess was. It was a culmination of a gradual building hype train for cool signature Corvettes – including models for Stump and G. Love – over the last few years.
“People loved it – we were blown away by the response,” Barnes says of the Antonoff Princess. “For that price, that look – you’ve just got to have it. It’s quirky, it’s cool, it’s got that approach of ‘grab something, mash it up, and see what the world says’.”
Image: Fiona Garden for Guitar.com
Crucially, it was also keenly priced compared to most artist signature models. It proved in many ways to be the first act of reviving the Corvette – keeping a focus on accessibility, but also evolving it so it didn’t slavishly recreate a guitar that was designed 50 years ago.
“We let the guitar do more of what I think it needed to do,” says Barnes. “Look at the Corvette’s neck pickup – it’s almost in the middle position! That gives it some of its sonic charm, for sure, but it’s not ideal for the killer double cut that we wanted it to be. We wanted something that looked cool, but we needed it to perform.”
So the CVT still costs just £499, but you get a pair of punchy Twin Six humbuckers, and a wrapover tune-o-matic bridge. Crucially, it’s also not a set-neck guitar – but being part of Fender meant that Gretsch’s team realised this was far from a downgrade. Instead, it was an opportunity to create something more sonically interesting.
“When you have the mahogany-on-mahogany thing, you can kind of get some cloudiness in high mids, and sometimes the low end gets a little fuzzy,” Barnes says. “The bolt-on clears things up and gives you some nice snappiness.”
Image: Fiona Garden for Guitar.com
And far from 3D-scanning in an original example, the chance was taken to switch up the body and its balance. “We thickened the body for a deeper, tighter low-end and a stronger midrange. And if you mess with the mass it shifts how the guitar sits on you, so we chilled out that upper horn too. In all, we’re really pleased with where it ended up. The retro sensibility is there, but it still looks like it’ll kick you in the face!”
Barnes also notes that the CVT’s slightly “meaner” look was a deliberate choice, too. You may have noticed that a lot of heavy bands in recent years have really embraced vintage and the weird – and Gretsch guitars are a big part of that. Liverpool band Loathe are the obvious example: guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe puts a vintage-style Gretsch Baritone to work wreaking absolute havoc in double-drop tunings.
Barnes stresses that Gretsch is “totally tuned into” what’s happening in that regard. “Those lower-output pickups mean you’re not absolutely pummeling the front end of an amp, and when you’re tuned to those low registers, you’re getting so much definition out of, say, Broad’Trons. It’s not pure saturation – it’s about width. It almost sounds like a piano!”
For Barnes, this all goes back to a foundational – and extremely loud – use of a Gretsch in rock music. “We’re very much about powerful sound and fidelity and articulation. And you hear it, most exemplary, with Malcolm Young. That Marshall Super Bass isn’t set incredibly crunchy, but man does it take up space!”
“You can get into business, market share and all this crap, but the reality of it is you’re not successful in music unless you start with the music and the musicians.”
An outlier no more?
All this is to say that the modern Gretsch brand has firmly diversified its image beyond just cattle-branded country and quiff-toting rockabilly. The new CVT is far from a massive handbrake-turn away from those touchstones of the Gretsch identity – it’s more the next step of a path Gretsch has been on for a while. Ever since, really, a Sparkle Jet found its way into Chris Cornell’s hands.
The approach has paid off – in 2025, indie-guitar-cool-kids are some of the most talked-about artists globally. It’s notable to see both someone like Antonoff – whose in-demand production skills have defined the 2020s’ most influential pop – and Boygenius – whose members are some of the most influential indie artists of the last decade – on the same artist roster.
“You can get into business, market share and all this crap, but the reality of it is you’re not successful in music unless you start with the music and the musicians,” Barnes says. “I mean, that’s just a proven factor – we’ve seen over time, new designs full of great innovations – not a lot of them land! Because in most genres, I would say, guitar players aren’t looking for the brand-new shininess. They’re looking at ways to make their music better, ways to be inspired by the instrument. And, honestly, ways to look cool and add to that performance aspect.”
Image: Fiona Garden for Guitar.com
And so the new Corvette isn’t a sign of Gretsch deliberately pivoting away from the flash of big-box country guitars towards ‘cooler’ modern artists. If anything, Orville Peck’s signature Falcon is proof that those two concepts are absolutely compatible. Instead, it’s another example of what Barnes said Gretsch was doing upon the launch of the original Corvette: making “cool guitars that serve the music of the day.”
“You’ve just gotta give people good stuff. Cool stuff that doesn’t feel kitschy, doesn’t feel arbitrary, doesn’t feel market-share driven. And that’s where the CVT was so much fun for us – because it was a blank slate. The guitar was what it was. We saw a little resurgence. But every one of us, myself included, always had an eye on that thing. We just knew that if we did it right, the guitar would crush.”
Words: Cillian Breathnach
Photography: Fiona Garden
The post From vintage oddball to alternative classic: the Gretsch CVT’s remarkable journey appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Sam Rivers 1977-2025: Limp Bizkit pay tribute to founding bassist, who has died aged 48
Limp Bizkit have paid tribute to founding bassist Sam Rivers, who has died aged 48.
Sharing the news in a poignant tribute on social media, the band write: “Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat.
“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player – he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound. From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.
We shared so many moments – wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones – and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.
He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.
We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends. Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal.”
Sam Rivers’ cause of death has not been disclosed at the time of writing.
Rivers was born in 1977 in Jacksonville, Florida, where he later founded soon-to-be nu metal titans Limp Bizkit in 1994, alongside frontman Fred Durst.
He played on all of the band’s six studio albums: Three Dollar Bill, Y’all$ (1997), Significant Other (1999), Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000), Results May Vary (2003), Gold Cobra (2011), and Still Sucks (2021).
He took a brief period of time out from the band between 2015 and 2018 while he fought liver disease resulting from chronic alcohol abuse.
Speaking to author Jon Wiederhorn for his book Raising Hell in 2020, Rivers revealed the extent of his alcoholism: “The doctor said, ‘If you don’t stop, you’re going to die.’ I had really bad liver disease. I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I fought liver disease for a couple of years and it won. I had to get a liver transplant in 2017.”
This is a developing story.
The post Sam Rivers 1977-2025: Limp Bizkit pay tribute to founding bassist, who has died aged 48 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Xvive Launches Charging Case for the A58 Guitar Wireless System
Xvive is building on its successful 5.8 GHz A58 Guitar Wireless System with the new BCA58 Charging Case, which is both a power bank and a custom-molded, highly protective carry case for the A58 system. BCA58 boasts enough onboard power to provide up to two full charges or multiple top-ups for the A58 Transmitter and Receiver. Also now on offer is the AC58 Guitar Wireless System, which pairs BCA58 with the A58 System.
The BCA58 is built with durable 1680D fabric and high-strength ABS engineering plastic, offering excellent impact resistance and wear protection. Its built-in 5000 mAh lithium battery can be fully recharged in 5 hours using any standard USB 5V/2A charger. The case can charge your A58 set anywhere, anytime—at home, on the way to a gig or between sets. BCA58 features auto full-charge detection and auto shutoff. Simply place your Transmitter and Receiver into the designated slots, and charging begins automatically. Once the units are fully charged, the case stops charging to protect battery health and extend lifespan.
The A58 Guitar Wireless System was launched in the summer of 2024 as a followup to Xvive’s popular U2 Guitar Wireless System. Operating on the 5.8 GHz wireless frequency allows A58 to avoid interference from other devices on the crowded 2.4 GHz band. A58 also supports both passive and active pickups, and its True Diversity receiver scans the available wireless channels and automatically connects using the most stable option. Guitarists and bassists already using the A58 System can now protect and charge their wireless units with BCA58; new A58 users can go all-in by choosing the AC58 system, combining a rock-solid, great-sounding wireless with a reliable charging and storage solution.
The BCA58 Charging Case is not available from US retailers at this time. The AC58 Guitar Wireless System retails for $189.99 USD and is available now from Xvive retailers and online dealers worldwide.
Official product pages:
BCA58: https://xvive.com/audio/product/bca58-charging-case
AC58: https://xvive.com/audio/product/ac58-guitar-wireless-system
The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 154
It’s the 154th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps, the call-in show where amp tech Skip Simmons fields your questions on all things tube amps.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:42 Skip is back on the Ferguson TO-35 tractor; Roy Clark & Joe Pass
7:04 What’s on Skip’s bench: A Marshall Plexi Super Bass, Marshall bright caps, the Pet Shop Boys
11:43 Our sponsors Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts; more Fender Champ mods; a Champ gain input baffler; Soursound transformers
23:51 200 more power cords; IEC hijinks; Steve Soest
28:13 A 1954 Fender Tweed Twins and the low-powered versus high-powered Twins; Tweed Pros; Fender Champion 600 amps
31:49 A Lafayette PA with ECL82 tubes (watch on Instagram)
33:45 A 1960s Airline 62-9021A amp; how to tell a Supro/Valco from a Danelctro amp
37:33 Skip’s advice for a future repair business; liability insurance; the Boilermaker; the amp that couldn’t be fixed
49:06 A listener-submitted baffler: A Supro that needed a speaker recone?
52:29 What should I do with my new Knight 93350 PA head?
58:03 Should I build a 6G4 or a 6G4A in this Northern Electric PA-20 with six pre-amp sockets?
1:04:28 Wiring a Danelectro DS-100 speaker output for use with other cabs
1:11:10 Recommended media: The Birth of Loud; The Sweeney; Taggart
1:12:52 Burning up chokes in a Princeton Reverb
1:14:13 Listers on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl-wAqplQAo
1:15:18 ESR meters and ceviche
Need amp tech Skip Simmons’ advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too.
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
Don’t forget, we have a Patreon page. Support the show, get behind-the-scenes updates and get to the front of the line with your questions.
Above: Listener Marcus’ Northern Electric amp, which he may turn into a Fender Super.
The post The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 154 first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
Stompboxtober 2025: Electro-Harmonix
Enter today’s #Stompboxtober giveaway to WIN the all-new Electro-Harmonix POG3 — the most powerful polyphonic octave generator ever. With lightning-fast tracking, stereo mixing, MIDI + expression control, and 100 presets, the POG3 unlocks endless creative potential for guitarists, synth fans, and sonic explorers alike. Don’t miss today’s chance — and check back tomorrow for more pedal magic!
Stompboxtober 2025 - Win Pedals All Month Long!
EHX POG 3
The world’s best octave effect just got better! The POG3 is the most powerful pedal in Electro-Harmonix’s revered line of polyphonic octave generators that continues to inspire and captivate musicians of all styles. At its core, the POG3 delivers lightning-fast tracking and perfect polyphony over 4 octaves with smoother tone and performance than ever before. From 12-string jangle to 6-voice drawbar organ sounds, the POG3 delivers an endless possibility of tone creation. The pedal has received many updates that further expand its tone shaping possibilities to enhance your performance on stage and in the studio.
Featuring 6 voices including DRY, -2, -1, +5th, +1, & +2, you can mix each with individual sliders and create enveloping stereo effects with dedicated pan knobs and selectable LEFT/RIGHT/DIRECT outputs. The effects section has been expanded to offer envelope control and adjustable Q for the new multi-mode FILTER, enhanced DETUNE section with SPREAD, and individual DRY effect selection, plus the famous ATTACK slider for subtle or dramatic swell effects. All voices, effects, and additional features are now controllable via expression and MIDI for even more creative control. Unlock new expression effects including Freeze, Glissando, Volume, Filter, X-Fade, and Warp with advanced programming and performance controls. The INPUT GAIN slider is an old friend from the original POG that can add girth and dirt to your tone mix.
With all of this fresh tone creation power on tap, additional storage and editing options simply workflow and sound saving capabilities. 100 onboard presets can be saved and rearranged easily thanks to the POG3’s high-visibility OLED display and NAVCODER knob. The EHXport desktop app also allows for easy preset storage and organization as well as streamlined preset editing on your PC or MAC.
Discover your most creative self with the POG3!
Electro-Harmonix POG3 Polyphonic Octave Generator Pedal
IK Multimedia launches TONEX Signature Bass Collectionand two TONEX Bass pedals
IK Multimedia launches TONEX Bass Editions, which include a new TONEX Signature Bass Collection and two hardware additions to the TONEX Ecosystem specially for bass players: TONEX Pedal Bass Edition and TONEX ONE Bass Edition, both preloaded with gig-ready Tone Models and presets from the collection.
TONEX Bass Overview
- A dream collection: Legendary bass amps and pedals captured at their sweet spots.
- Superior sound: Created with the new TONEX Modeler for clarity, punch, and feel.
- Phase-tight blend: Perfect dry/wet phase correlation keeps fundamentals strong while adding grind-perfect for blending DI + amp tones.
- Iconic sounds onboard: From vintage tube thump to modern drive, Tone Models deliver the precise response of the originals.
- With added tools: Exclusive VIR™: multi-IR cabinets and custom IR Loader, tuner, and 15 pre/post FX
- Signature look: Premium aluminum-silver enclosure with all-over neural design.
- Included software: TONEX Modeler, TONEX Editor, and TONEX CS
- ToneNET expansion: Browse, search, and demo thousands of Tone Models, including Signature and Tone Partner Collections
TONEX Signature Bass Collection
Discover a curated collection of 150 Tone Models that cover every style, from clean DI-friendly amps and classic tube stacks to modern solid-state punch and popular bass drives. Highlights include captures based on Ampeg SVT-CL/VR/2-Pro, Fender Bassman models ('53, '59, 100, 300), Markbass, Orange AD200, Gallien-Krueger RB/2001/Fusion, Trace Elliot, Darkglass heads and pedals, Tech 21 SH1/PSA/DP-3X/YYZ, ProCo RAT variants, and more.
From Studio to Stage
Powered by the new TONEX Modeler, each capture benefits from improved Dry/Wet phase correlation, resulting in a more natural, phase-coherent blend of DI and processed signals. This provides clear low-end fundamentals along with drive or saturation, helping the bass sit perfectly in any mix with clarity, punch, and authentic character.
TONEX Pedal Bass Edition
Featuring on-stage controls for easy tone switching, the TONEX Pedal Bass Edition comes preloaded with 150 bass-optimized Tone Models and presets, ranging from vintage tube sounds to modern, high-fidelity punch.
Presets are organized into 50 banks, each centered around a legendary bass amp and offering three tone model options per bank. 15 onboard effects are available to enhance or customize any tone model, giving players an unlimited variety of tones for songs of any genre.
TONEX ONE Bass Edition
TONEX ONE Bass Edition is perfect for home setup and easy transport in a gig bag. It offers 20 ready-to-use bass presets in a compact pedal, featuring legendary amp models that range from vintage smooth tones to modern punch and grit.
Each preset is designed to deliver a complete rig with optimized tones and onboard effects. While the pedal can store 20 presets at once, it also provides full access to the entire 150-model Bass Collection. Users can conveniently load their favorites using the included TONEX Editor or create custom Tone Models with TONEX Modeler for Mac/PC.
Customize for the Stage
For seamless editing, TONEX pedals include TONEX Editor for Mac/PC that enables real-time adjustments using a connected pedal. It provides access to the user's entire TONEX library, including Tone Models, presets, and ToneNET, enabling quick loading of favorites for auditioning and saving to a designated hardware slot on your pedal.
Capture your rig
TONEX software and the new Modeler can be used not only to model any rig but also as a standalone app or a plug-in integrated with any DAW to deliver the exact tone for live and studio use.
Designed and Crafted in Italy
Both TONEX pedals for bass feature a rugged aluminum chassis for reliable performance. With 24-bit, 192 kHz processing, an extremely wide 5 Hz - 24 kHz response, and a whisper-quiet 123 dB noise floor, they ensure any bass sounds as good as it ever has- even before it hits TONEX's incredible modeling.
It's About Time
The TONEX Bass Signature Collection and TONEX Bass Edition pedals offer players a modern and incredibly versatile way to add classic bass tones to their live rig and take center stage.
Pricing and Availability
TONEX Signature Bass Collection, TONEX Pedal Bass Edition, and TONEX ONE Bass Edition are now available from IK authorized dealers worldwide and through the IK Multimedia online store, at the following prices:
TONEX Signature Bass Collection - $/€99.99* - 150 Tone Models curated for bass covering every style.
- TONEX Pedal Bass Edition - $/€429.99 - Preloaded with 150 brand-new, gig-ready presets. Includes TONEX Signature Bass Collection, TONEX CS, TONEX Modeler, and TONEX Editor. AmpliTube 5, AmpliTube SVX 1 & 2 Collections.
- TONEX ONE Bass Edition - $/€199.99 - Preloaded with 20 brand-new, gig-ready presets. Includes TONEX Signature Bass Collection, TONEX CS, TONEX Modeler, and TONEX Editor. AmpliTube 5, AmpliTube SVX 1 & 2 Collections.
For complete details and information about the TONEX Signature Bass Collection and pedals, and to hear the tones, please visit: www.ikmultimedia.com/tonex-bass
Totally Guitars Weekly Update October 17, 2025
October 17, 2025 We started this week off with a new addition to the TG Library with Flowers Are Red by Harry Chapin. For too long the only songs of his we have had were Taxi and Cat’s In The Cradle. We are certainly looking to add even more and would love anybody’s suggestions. Next […]
The post Totally Guitars Weekly Update October 17, 2025 appeared first on On The Beat with Totally Guitars.
Blackstar Debut Bass 25 Review
The bedroom or the garage: In a game of Family Feud, those humble locations would likely be the top answers for the question “Where do music careers begin?’ I was relegated to the latter for the sake of my parents’ sanity. But nothing stops a career cold like a garage in winter, so an amp that ensures you can sound good while sharing tight quarters is a truly valuable thing. Blackstar Amplification’s Debut Bass 25 fits that bill.
Small for All
The Debut Bass 25’s small-space friendliness starts with its compact footprint. At 14" high and less than 10" deep, it’s unobtrusive to say the least. The control panel, with just volume, low, mid, and high EQ controls as well as a push-button boost, is about as simple as they come. The knobs themselves are smooth and accurate, with the feel of a high-end amplifier. Two 1/8" jacks accommodate headphones and an aux in for running backing tracks. And for additional tone shaping and punch, Blackstar included an OD switch that adds more depth.
Sings at Sensible Volumes
I tried out the Debut 25 using a Bluesman Vintage El Dorado (a passive J-style bass) and a Warwick Streamer I with active pickups. Beginning in more traditional style with the El Dorado, I set the volume relatively low and the EQ controls around the mid-point in their range. Here, I was struck by how fully the sound enveloped me—and by the amp’s ability to preserve the El Dorado’s character with such clarity. By dialing the midrange back a couple notches, and boosting the bass by the same amount, I found a sweet spot that made the El Dorado sing—all at a volume suited for the woodshed.
When the OD switch is engaged, the EQ is still effective and can shape big tones that move from swampy to in-your-face.
Active pickups pair nicely with the Debut 25 too, if the Warwick is any indication. I remained impressed with the range within the EQ controls. With the Warwick, the most pleasing tones came with the high-frequency control kept below halfway—push it much further, and things get a little too crisp for my taste. When the OD switch is engaged, the EQ is still effective and can shape big tones that move from swampy to in-your-face. The amp can also be loud with or without the OD in the mix. More than once, I had to remind myself that the amp only houses an 8" speaker, because when I turned the volume up my floor was quite literally shaking.
The Verdict
I’m glad the Debut 25 found its way to me. I confess, I haven’t plugged into a low-watt practice amp in a very long time, and all I can say is that I wish an amp this small, powerful, and tonally rich had been available when I was starting out. My only gripe might be the absence of a dedicated XLR out, which would extend the amp’s utility in live situations where sound re-enforcement is available. And while its modest $299 price tag is a bit higher than some of its competition, the Debut 25 is anything but ordinary. It offers a wide range of tonal colors, and can hold its own at any volume, whether you’re in the garage, bedroom, or beyond.
Best Damn Cable Co. Introduces Wireless Transmitter Cable
High-performance builder Best Damn Cable Co. has added to the company’s product offerings with a durable, pro-quality wireless transmitter cable line.
The new Best Damn Wireless Cables are designed and purpose-built for the gigging musician who needs a wireless transmitter cable that can stand up to the rigors of live performance, night after grueling night.
The Best Damn Wireless Cable boasts reliability, customization, and a lifetime warranty. Featuring options for all the top wireless system models – including Shure, Sennheiser, Line 6, Nux, and AKG – you’ll find the perfect cable for your rig.
Guitarists can get their Best Damn Wireless Cable with an array of options:
- Braided sleeving in 8 different colorways for durability, protection, and customization
- Three standard length options - 1.5 feet, 2 feet and 3 feet long
- Custom lengths available on request
- Straight or Right Angled Neutrik gold plugs
- Neutrik silentPLUG available on request
- Lifetime Warranty against defect and damage
All cables are built by hand, with love, and by musicians and guitarists that understand. The Best Damn Wireless Cable starts at $39.99 + shipping. Check ‘em out at bestdamncables.com.
“No, no! Not to this song!”: Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz recalls the time he heard one of his songs played in a strip club
It’s every artist’s dream to have a song become so huge that they begin to hear it being played everywhere, but sometimes such a level of success can be a blessing and a curse.
Just ask Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz, who recently revealed that the band’s successful debut single, Mr. Jones, became such a huge hit that he even heard it in a strip club, and it became somewhat of a buzz kill.
The song was released as part of their 1993 debut album, August And Everything After, and speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Duritz says the song was originally written for another band he was in before Counting Crows, but it ended up not being used.
He recalls writing Mr. Jones directly after a wild night in San Francisco’s Mission District with his friend and Himalayans bandmate, Marty Jones. At the time, Jones’ father, who lived in Spain, was over in the US performing.
“He’d become one of the iconic flamenco guitar players in Madrid, and was playing with his old flamenco troupe who he’d played with many years before,” explains Duritz. “There were singers, dancers, musicians, a whole bunch of people who were all part of the scene, and they played this show and it was fucking outrageous.”
He adds, “I remember going home and needing to go to work [on it] right away. I’ve never been one of those people who wrote over chunks of time, I used to just sit down and do it and I’d stick with it until it was done.”
The actual recording of the song became tricky, and Duritz says he must have done “fifty or sixty” vocal takes. Though released as Counting Crows’ first single, they didn’t expect it to become such a huge hit.
“After SNL [Saturday Night Live], it got pretty big on the radio. By that summer, when we were playing, there was a lot of people who wanted to hear Mr. Jones. It seemed like the audience was there for Mr. Jones. But I noticed that more after the fact. I didn’t notice it blowing the record up, I just noticed that once the record blew up, Mr. Jones was really big.
“I remember being in a strip club in New Orleans and Mr. Jones comes on, and I was like: ‘No, no, this is not the vibe. Not to this song!’ I don’t mind getting a dance every now and then, but not to my song,” he says. “That is not okay.”
Counting Crows released their eighth album, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets! back in May. Head over to their website to view their current tour dates.
The post “No, no! Not to this song!”: Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz recalls the time he heard one of his songs played in a strip club appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“We were getting bullied to our faces by our favourite bands”: Trivium’s Matt Heafy reveals the ‘intense cliquiness’ of the metal scene when they came up
Matt Heafy has looked back on the ruthless cliquiness of the metal scene back when Trivium were just starting out in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
According to Heafy, the band faced bullying from other bands that they admired, and physical violence from music fans. These days, he feels things have significantly improved, and with rock and metal having somewhat of a mainstream revival (though for us it never went anywhere), there’s no time like the presence to form a band.
Speaking to Metal Hammer in its new print magazine, Heafy – who is a big supporter of rising talent within heavy music – is asked about his thoughts on the state of the heavy music world right now.
“It’s a good time to be playing heavy music, man. It’s a good time to be a younger band, too,” he replies. “You’re not having to deal with as much of the bullshit that we had to deal with: there’s not this intense ostracisation, this intense cliquiness.
“When we were coming around, we were getting glass bottles thrown at our heads, fans waiting for us outside of our van to try to fight us because they didn’t like the kind of music we played, getting bullied to our faces by our favourite bands. That doesn’t happen anymore as much [to young bands].”
Interestingly, Devin Townsend has also spoken of how metal was overlooked and undervalued by the music industry when it first began to blossom, back in an interview with D’Addario in August.
He said, “Metal is a dynamic that I feel was undervalued by the music industry at large because it was tied to the aesthetic of Mötley Crüe and all that shit. Because I was a very sensitive kid and consequently, a very sensitive adult, I do find that it’s visceral in ways that other music isn’t, and it managed to scratch an itch, but as a dynamic, as a texture.”
The post “We were getting bullied to our faces by our favourite bands”: Trivium’s Matt Heafy reveals the ‘intense cliquiness’ of the metal scene when they came up appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
My Surprising Journey with Vintage Fender Amps
As an amp tech and vintage Fender amp collector for the last 30 years, I’ve been exposed to more guitars and amplifiers than I can possibly remember. But I do remember the best and worst ones. I’d like to share some ups and downs of my encounters with Leo Fender’s amps. I hope these examples inspire you to experiment and find your own joy with vintage Fender amps.
The Fender Super Reverb
In my 20s, I was all about maximum punch and output. I always went for efficient loudspeakers with a strong attack and a bassy punch. I still regret selling an almost-mint, transitional 1968 Super Reverb loaded with CTS alnico speakers in the late ’90s. It wasn't until 20 long years later that I started to appreciate these speakers after coming across similar amps.
My original amp, which first belonged to my brother, had a beautiful contrast between the brown, naturally aged grille cloth and the silver-sparkling aluminum frame around the speaker baffle. The CTS alnicos with the blue square magnet are famous for their low efficiency and vocal tone, with a dominant upper midrange and great touch sensitivity. They are perfect for that clean, touch-sensitive Mark Knopfler tone. These speakers, found in black-panel Supers and early silver-panels up to around 1970, are definitely worth trying out.
The Trouble with the Bassman
Next up is my complicated relationship with the black-panel Bassman. I had read a lot about it and knew it had a great reputation among both bass and guitar players. I first tried a 1964 Bassman, which was deafeningly loud. I found it almost impossible to dial in a warm tone. I thought the massive 2x12" enclosed cabinet with a pair of punchy Oxford 12T6 speakers was too much for a regular electric guitar. The attack was brutal from the diode-rectified 50-watt power amp with large power and output transformers. I also realized I’m dependent on reverb, which the Bassman lacked.
There wasn’t much I liked about the black-panel Bassman until I came across another model, an AB165, also from late 1964. I inspected the schematics and learned that the AA864 and AB165 circuits were different. The AB165’s “normal” channel uses an extra 12AX7 preamp tube, where both triode gain stages boost the signal. In the AA864, only the “bass” channel uses this preamp tube. This means the AB165 is capable of serious preamp distortion, but only if pushed hard, which still made it too loud.
“The attack was brutal from the diode-rectified 50-watt power amp with large power and output transformers.”
I then hooked up a 1x12" extension cabinet with an 8-ohm Eminence Reignmaker speaker that had a built-in attenuator. The impedance mismatch and attenuated speaker lowered the headroom significantly, allowing me to get heavily cranked tones at moderate levels—even quieter than a Deluxe Reverb, but with more distortion. With an SG plugged directly into the AB165, getting AC/DC tones was no problem. You can also push the AA864 into distortion this way, but it won’t deliver the same amount of preamp distortion.
The Vibrolux Reverb
Since I love Super Reverbs, I’ve owned and played many Vibrolux Reverbs, too. With two 10" speakers instead of four, plus smaller transformers, it’s a little brother to the tall Super Reverb. Its reduced weight and size are a big plus, but at the same time, the fewer speakers represent a risk worth mentioning. I’ve serviced several Vibroluxes with blown speakers, particularly Jensens and Oxfords, which have low wattage ratings. The weak paper cones and smaller coils of these delicate original speakers are easily damaged if you hit them with too much bass and volume from the 35-watt, 6L6-powered Vibrolux.
One time, I installed a 12" Eminence Swamp Thang along with a 10" Celestion Gold in an early-’70s Vibrolux Reverb—the original Utah speakers were too flat and bright for my tastes. I used the original baffle and simply drilled new holes for the 12" speaker screws. Those of you who are familiar with these speakers can imagine how much more powerful and punchy the amp became. The Swamp Thang, in particular, is famous for its chunky and fat tone—never muddy or brittle, no matter what I threw at it with guitars, pedals, and amp settings. When I had this amp, I used heavy .012-gauge strings and tuned down a half-step. The low-end response was impressive when I hit the bass strings and played 12-bar Chuck Berry rock ’n’ roll. I had a lot of fun with this amp, as it easily outperformed larger amps. For low-volume occasions, I simply disengaged the 12" speaker and kept my friendship with bandmates and the audience.
The Princeton Reverb
Finally, I have to mention the time I came across a great player’s silver-panel Princeton Reverb that taught me a few tricks I have used countless times. When I bought it, it had an ultra-light Celestion Century Vintage 12" neodymium speaker and a Deluxe Reverb output transformer. This Princeton Reverb was still super portable but played twice as loud as an original silver-panel equivalent. I regret selling this amp, and since then, I’ve had many Princeton Reverbs in my basement that have received the same mods for customers and friends. I’ve yet to hear of anyone who has rolled these amps back to original specs after trying these modifications.Does a better understanding of technique dim the magic of guitar playing? Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil weighs in…
While some guitarists thrive on expanding their technical and theoretical knowledge, others would much rather be without it – as is the case for Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil, whose love of guitar thrives on a lack of technique.
The Biff released a brand new album, Futique, at the end of September. The record went straight to number one, marking their fourth album to reach the top spot in the UK Albums Chart. One element of their success as a band may well lie in Neil’s freeing “creative relationship” with his guitar, as he believes there can be such a thing as knowing too much.
Speaking to Guitarist for its new print edition, Neil shares some of his view points on gear, and the joy he finds in being curious about his instrument: “We all use gear in different ways, sometimes for things beyond what it may have been designed for. I used to think you needed someone’s rig to sound like them, but actually it’s all about the expression through your fingers,” he says.
“I’m still enthralled by the magic of the guitar, probably because I never conquered the technique side. It’s this box of wonder that I approach as a creative instrument. A lot of songs on this record are in standard tuning, though a couple were standard a step down. I know I’m about to go down a creative period where I start fucking with tunings. I needed a wee break from the guitar before this album.”
The band’s most recent releases prior to Futique were 2020’s A Celebration Of Endings and 2021’s The Myth Of The Happily Ever After. The time off from their last album to now was intentional, as having some time away from guitar also helps Neil to come back to it with a clearer head.
“We’d released two records during the pandemic and my guitar was my companion through that [so] I couldn’t look at my guitar for a year after that; I was scared of it. I felt this responsibility, where I had to write music every time I picked it up. So instead I went away and made some heavy metal music in Empire State Bastard [with Mike Vennart],” he shares.
“As soon as I came home, I picked up the guitar and the songs started to come out. It was playtime again. Being a novice when you are creating is actually a good place to be. You can have too much knowledge. Again, it’s that battle I’m having between being a better player and not ruining the creative relationship I have with my guitar.”
There’s perhaps an element of decision paralysis that may come into play when composing music as an advanced player, in that the number of theoretical options available to you may prove overwhelming and take you out of your creative flow. So is Simon Neil onto something? You be the judge…
Futique is out now. Biffy Clyro are also currently playing a number of live acoustic shows, and will kick off a headline tour in January – you can find out more via their official website.
The post Does a better understanding of technique dim the magic of guitar playing? Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil weighs in… appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Comparing Taylor’s Gold Label Lineup: Which guitar is for you?
Ad feature with Taylor Guitars
Back in January 2025, Taylor’s Gold Label Collection was a bolt from the blue that shook up the perception of America’s most innovative guitar brand. Breaking with 50 years of Taylor sonic and visual ethos, the Gold Label Collection guitars were designed by Andy Powers to represent “a different flavour altogether” for the brand.
“It’s equally good, equally interesting, but probably speaks to a different musician, or a different use case” the man himself told us ahead of the launch. “And so this will be interesting to watch expand. There’s a lot that we can do with this coming in the future.”
Ten months on and Powers and his team have made very good on that prediction – after launching with four 800 Series models, the range has since expanded to offer 22 different combinations of wood, body shape, trim level and finish.
But such a rapid expansion of a concept can be a little dizzying for even the most dedicated of Taylor enthusiasts. With new Gold Label guitars coming thick and fast, how can you be sure you’ve picked the right one for you? Well, don’t fret, because Guitar.com is here to guide you through the most important stuff you’ll need to know…
The Body Shape
When the Gold Label Collection debuted, it also brought a new body shape to the Taylor recipe, the Super Auditorium. Adapted from the legendary Grand Auditorium body shape that has been a Taylor mainstay for decades, the Super Auditorium is a little longer and a little wider. This gives the Gold Label guitars more low-end power and an open, round response than a traditional Taylor.
But the Super Auditorium wasn’t alone for long in the Gold Label stakes – it was soon joined by a bigger brother… and boy is it big. The Gold Label Grand Pacific body shape is an evolution of the Grand Pacific design that Andy Powers created back in 2019. The Gold Label version keeps the handsome slope-shouldered dreadnought dimensions of the original, but makes things deeper in the body – 3/8-inch in practice. That means this is deeper even than a Martin dread or a Gibson Jumbo.
In sonic terms, that means you get a guitar that has the powerful acoustic projection and rich low-end warmth that you’d expect from a classic old-school dreadnought guitar.
The Wood Choice
The Gold Label Collection currently inhabits four different Taylor series levels, which determine the various woods used in their construction. As well as impacting the price of the guitar in question, these wood choices also impact the guitar’s overall sound – and so whatever you’re looking to spend, it’s important to know what you’re working with.
The most affordable guitars in the current range are the 500 Series models, and these guitars pair a top of torrefied spruce – where the wood has been cooked in an oven to get a jump on the way a guitar’s woods will naturally dry out over time – and mahogany.
This is, of course, an absolutely classic acoustic guitar combination, and as such offers a rich, earthy midrange character with a clear, woody response, powerful projection and hints of seasoned, aged-in sweetness right out of the box thanks to that torrefied top.
Moving up into the 700 and 800 Series models, we find another classic pairing in the shape of torrefied Sitka spruce and rosewood on the back and sides. On the 700 Series you’ll find Indian rosewood, while the 800 Series sports Honduran rosewood, giving subtle sonic differences. Both offer a blooming, harmonically rich tone with inspiring old-school sonic character when paired with spruce, though you may notice a little more midrange punch from the 800’s Honduran back and sides .
All of the above are available in either body type, but if you want something a little different (though still very classically Taylor) you can enjoy the Koa Series Super Auditorium, which offers a Hawaiian koa back and sides to add a rich midrange character to the Gold Label recipe.
All Gold Label guitars sport mahogany necks, West African Ebony fretboard and Honduran rosewood bridges, bringing some of the finest sustainable tonewoods on earth together in spectacular fashion.
The Looks
The first strum is with the eyes, someone probably once said – and there’s no doubt that the visuals of the Gold Label Collection are as striking as they are appealing. If you want your Gold Label guitar to look as classic and timeless as it sounds, every one of the guitars in the range is offered in the classic gloss natural finish – with a player-friendly satin-finished neck – but there are more eye-catching options to be found here.
The Gold Label Collection has debuted a new amber sunburst option that manages the rare feat of looking both very current and very classic at the same time – something that’s further enhanced by the option of either a cream or firestripe pickguard.
Want to really stand out however, and you can opt for the stunning Blacktop option for all 500 and 700 Series guitars. This painted top option really emphasises the visual inspiration that Powers took from guitars and banjos of the 1920s and 30s, but with all the usual Taylor charm, cleanness and precision.
Another more subtle visual delineation between the guitars are the inlays and peghead motif – the 500 and 700 Series guitars sport the new “Crest” inlays, while the 800 Series boasts the more elaborate mother-of-pearl “Continental” designs.
More In Common
While there’s a great degree of choice already in the Gold Label Collection, there are some killer features that are ever present throughout the range. For starters, all Gold Label guitars sport Powers’ latest guitar design innovation: the Action Control Neck. This patented design features a long-tenon joint that extends deeper into the body, enhancing the wood coupling to boost the low-end resonance. It also enables you to make quick, precise string height adjustments with a turn of a bolt through the soundhole – you don’t even need to remove the strings to do this, let alone the neck.
Another common feature of the Collection is the latest evolution of Taylor’s revolutionary V-Class architecture. The Gold Label guitars sport a fan-like arrangement of braces in the soundboard’s lower bout, giving the models a warmer, more resonant, more powerful sound than would be possible otherwise. Another common factor is the LR Baggs Element VTC pickup system that ensures you sound great plugged in, too.
There are no bad choices in the Gold Label Collection – each instrument is made with that remarkable blend of precision and care that makes Taylor guitars a lifetime companion. Now you know exactly which flavour is right for you, there’s nothing stopping you from making a Gold Label guitar your new favourite instrument.
Find out more about the Gold Label Collection at taylorguitars.com
The post Comparing Taylor’s Gold Label Lineup: Which guitar is for you? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Black Friday 2025: Everything guitarists need to know
Black Friday is set to deliver its annual deluge of deals once again this year. The event and its follow-ups Cyber Weekend and Cyber Monday give guitarists a great chance to grab a saving on anything from a few packs of strings, to that dream instrument. The entire span from the week before Thanksgiving right through to Cyber Monday – AKA Cyber Week – is what serious gear-heads should be watching. Savvy shoppers in search of a new guitar, amp or effects pedal understand that the true savings often begin well before the day itself, with retailers such as Amazon, Sweetwater, Thomann, Reverb and zZounds launching early bird promotions to capture pre-holiday spending.
Where can you find savings? Well, if you’re in the UK or the EU, there are some great deals to be had at Thomann and Amazon, as well as Reverb and PMT. In the US, you’ll be able to grab some savings at Guitar Center, Amazon, Reverb and zZounds.
The Guitar.com team is primed to find the best deals for you across all of Cyber Weekend – so be sure to check back here, as this page will be regularly updated with our best picks! Until then, here’s just some of the places we’ll be trawling for savings:
| UK/EU Deals | US Deals |
| Thomann Save up to 70% | Reverb Up to 80% off |
| Reverb UK Up to 80% off | zZounds Black Friday savings |
| Positive Grid Up to 50% off | Sweetwater Up to 80% off |
| Gear4Music Black Friday deals | Positive Grid Up to 50% off |
| PMT Up to 70% off | Guitar Center Save up to 50% |
| Amazon UK Big savings | Amazon Black Friday deals |
| Guitar Tricks 20% off monthly sub | Tim Pierce Masterclass Free trial |
| Tim Pierce Masterclass Free trial | Guitar Tricks 20% off annual sub |
| Ultimate Ears EU Shop savings | Music & Arts 20% savings |
When is Black Friday 2025?
Black Friday 2025 will officially commence on 28 November 2025, with Cyber Monday 2025 falling on Monday, December 1, 2025. Across this weekend you’ll want to keep an eye on all of your favourite retailers, and indeed this very site – Guitar.com will be trawling the guitar world to find you the biggest and the best deals we can, on everything from string-winders to seven-strings.
It’s important to not just focus on the physical gear, too! Deals on plugins and amp sims are standar often featuring really hefty discounts. If you’re a bedroom producer, it’s a great time to stock your virtual gear collection with some industry-leading plugins without breaking the bank.
Why You Can Trust Us
Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.
That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
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Ace Frehley 1951-2025: Guitar community mourns the death of Kiss’s trailblazing founding guitarist
Tributes have been pouring in from the guitar and wider music community following the news that Ace Frehley, Kiss’s trailblazing founding guitarist who was instrumental in their success, has died aged 74.
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” reads a statement from Frehley’s family, shared with Variety. “In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers, and intentions as he left this earth,” read a statement from the guitarist’s family.
“We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
No official cause of death has been given yet, but TMZ reported the guitarist was on life support following a recent fall at his home studio, which caused a brain bleed and forced him to cancel a string of upcoming tour dates.
Kiss lead the tributes to their former guitarist, with a statement on the band’s social media reading: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of Kiss’s legacy. Our thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello calls Ace Frehley his “first guitar hero”, thanking him for inspiring “generations to love rock ‘n’ roll” and for his “timeless riffs and solos”
Extreme virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt shares a similar sentiment, reflecting on how Kiss was the “first rock band I wanted to be like”, adding, “So long, Spaceman.”
“As far as I’m concerned Ace was the coolest dude out of the original four,” write Opeth. “He had some type of swagger that almost defined the term itself. A hard rocking Keith Richards of sorts, albeit in silver makeup and platform heels. Kiss was very much an introduction to my ‘school of rock’. All my childhood friends were fans of Kiss, and many of them regarded Ace as the ultimate rock-star.”
“I am so shocked and saddened that this happened to my hero and my friend,” adds John 5. “I’ve known Ace since 1988 and we’ve been very close ever since then. Ace changed the world. He influenced millions of people and changed my life. I will miss you my friend.”
Elsewhere, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick calls Frehley “truly an iconic guitar player”, noting his “undeniable role in the creation and success of Kiss”, and his influence on “millions of guitarists around the world”.
Rush’s Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee say they are “absolutely stunned and saddened” at the news of Frehley’s death.
“Back in 1974, as the opening act for Kiss, Alex, Neil [Peart] and myself spent many a night hanging out together in his hotel room after shows, doing whatever nonsense we could think of, just to make him break out his inimitable and infectious laugh.
“He was an undeniable character and an authentic rock star. RIP Ace… thanks for welcoming us newbies into the rock and roll world.”
Frehley was born April 27, 1951, and started playing the guitar aged just 13. After spending his early 20s playing in various rock bands, he would successfully audition for a new project being formed by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss in 1972. He would help conceptualise Kiss, and launch the band in 1973.
As Kiss’ Spaceman, Frehley brought an old-school hard-rock attitude to the band’s lofty theatrics, drawing on his early influences such as Cream, The Who and Jimi Hendrix. While the band slowly garnered an audience in its first year, he established a frenetic playing style that provided a grounded counterbalance to his sci-fi persona and the band’s overall bombastic stylings.
Frehley would co-write the occasional song for Kiss’ early material, but increased his writing credits by the late 1970s – 1979 and 1980 albums Dynasty and Unmasked both featured three Frehley-penned songs. Despite this, he began to find himself pulling in a more experimental, less commercial direction than Simmons and Stanley, especially after Peter Criss’ firing in 1980.
By 1982, he had left the group and embarked on a solo career. In 1987 he released the self-titled record with his solo band Frehley’s Comet, which was well-received.
Alongside Criss, Frehley rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a successful reunion tour. After the band’s original lineup embarked on a ‘farewell’ tour in 2001, however, he departed and resumed his solo career. Following some disputes with the remaining members of Kiss surrounding payment, he didn’t return to the band to participate in their final tours.
He continued releasing music under his own name after his departure, with his next LP scheduled for released this year.
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Podcast 521: Paul Rigby
Guitarist Paul Rigby joins us this week to talk about his 15-plus-year collaboration with Neko Case and so much more.
We hear about growing up in Calgary (and why it’s an oddly great town for guitarists); meeting Neko; writing for Broadway; songwriting help from the Black Stallion; and why his favorite electric guitar is a $123 partscaster.
https://www.instagram.com/paul.rigby003/
Neko Case’s new album, ‘Neon Grey Midnight Green, is out now. https://nekocase.com
Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it.
Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org
We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout).
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Manson x Cort MBM-2H review – as sparkly as it is playable
£569, mansonguitarworks.com
Christmas comes earlier every year, doesn’t it? Particularly in this year, when it arrived in June with the launch of the Manson x Cort MBM-2H. It’s the latest entry to the affordable side of Matt Bellamy’s signature line, and the most striking addition is a finish option that looks like Saint Nick himself carved the body out of peppermint and magical reindeer noses. That’s no coincidence, of course – the finish echoes Bellamy’s own more high-end custom guitar, one nicknamed ‘Santa’ for its sparkly red-and-white colour scheme.
Image: Adam Gasson
What is the MBM-2H?
So yes, in my hands is the new – sort of – Meta Series MBM-2H. It’s worth noting that, other than a new set of finishes and the addition of a neck humbucker rather than a P90, not much has changed from the previous Meta Series MBM-2. The rest of the spec-sheet all remains the same, with a basswood body, soft-V maple neck, compound 12-16” laurel fretboard and locking tuners
This particular model is also the most barebones version of the instrument, as there is also a slightly pricier option if you want to go with a Sustaniac in the neck position. You can even add a built-in ZVEX Fuzz Factory for a little extra again, if you want to get really close to Bellamy’s own loadout. And if you do happen to be a little less ‘LED shutter sunglasses’ in your aesthetic sensibilities, the MBM-2H does come in two other finishes that are a little less festive – olive green and black.
Image: Adam Gasson
Construction and QC
The construction and attention to detail here is generally pretty great for the price, but my eye is drawn to a few reminders that this is a sub-£600 guitar. The 12th-fret dot markers have been drilled noticeably askew, and a non-zero amount of glitter from the body has made its way under the otherwise plain neck finish. It’s worth highlighting that lopsided fret-dots were also present on previous iterations of this instrument, so it’s a little bit of a shame that this issue hasn’t been addressed. There’s also one pretty egregious tool mark along the fretboard edge, and the transition from the painted headstock to the laurel fretboard is rough at best.
Some of the hardware choices are similarly indicative of a more budget instrument, too – the line of strings is almost entirely flat to the body, but angled humbucker rings are still used, meaning that the pickups have one coil just slightly closer to the strings. Luckily, this issue is nowhere near as bad as it was on the similarly-priced Vintage REVO Integra, and the result isn’t audible here – especially as there’s no coil-splitting going on.
But in terms of any QC quibbles that impact playability, it’s thankfully a lot harder to find fault. There may be some rough spots to look at right up close, but under the hand, everything along the neck is smooth as can be, and the frets are polished and level. Intonation is also set perfectly out of the box, and the action has been dialled in for speedy riffing. So let’s do some of that.
Image: Adam Gasson
In use
In the hands and on the body the guitar is a very comfy experience – it’s light but well-balanced, and the soft-V neck and the generous comfort carves mean the guitar stays out of the way as you play. The factory action gives me a clue as to what this guitar has been dialled in to do – it’s low and slinky, which combined with a compound radius and a killswitch, makes this a guitar that invites big, silly riffs and shreddy solos. Not that I can shred very well, mind, but I’m not going to let that stop me.
Something that’s immediately striking when I plug in is just how damn good the bridge pickup is. It’s pretty much the opposite of a touch-responsive PAF, with bucketloads of output, quickly driving my amp into heavy saturation. This makes sense, of course. Subtlety is not a word neither Matt Bellamy or his LED sunglasses know: this is a guitar designed for big riffs and killswitch-stuttered solos.
With that said, though, the main addition here over the previous MBM-2 guitar is that the neck P90 has been replaced by a humbucker. This is, in my view, a bit of a strange change to make, as it does remove some of the versatility and identity from the guitar. There’s not even any coil-splitting to be had to compensate – the sheer power of these Manson-designed humbuckers makes the bridge position great for huge riffs, but can mean that the neck position becomes a little muddy and overwhelming.
So without the electronic curveball of a P90, a Sustaniac or a Fuzz Factory, this version of the MBM-2H approaches being generic. And generic does a disservice to a design rooted in kick-to-the-teeth impact and electronic whackiness, not to mention that finish.
There is still the killswitch, of course, which is a quality bit of kit. It has a nice smooth action and there’s zero crackle while using it. It is also well-placed on that upper-bout, being pretty easy to integrate it into your playing. This isn’t one of those killswitches that asks you to paw at hitherto unexplored areas of a guitar to activate the stuttering effect – it remains accessible in most imaginable playing positions. Equally, if you find yourself not wanting to use it for whatever reason, it is still a low-profile push-button – and so will stay out of the way.
Image: Adam Gasson
Should I buy an MBM-2H?
The MBM-2H has all of the hallmarks of a high-quality Indonesian-made instrument – and therefore will absolutely perform for you without breaking the bank. The playability-to-price ratio here is undeniable, and by most measures it’s an excellent guitar. Manson and Cort continue to prove themselves a worthy pairing when it comes to making excellent guitars at this price point.
However, there is something about it that doesn’t quite spark as much joy as, on paper, it should. It’s hard to put my finger on why. Maybe it’s the pretty generic satin-finished maple neck. Maybe it’s my aversion to the flashiness of the red sparkle. Maybe it’s the fact I’m looking at the slightly more anonymous version without a Sustainiac or a Fuzz Factory. Or maybe it’s the fact that the main change over the Meta Series MBM-2 makes the guitar, in my view, a little more generic.
But with that said, these are the kinds of criticisms that you may well easily dismiss. Maybe you personally would never have used a neck P-90, and are overjoyed about this change to a humbucker! And for the fans of Bellamy’s Santa guitars, it is cool to see such an out-there finish arrive at the more affordable end of things.
The post Manson x Cort MBM-2H review – as sparkly as it is playable appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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