Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s sparkly new gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.
From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.
To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.
There was some serious G.A.S. this week: my obsession with DIY pedals reached new heights – and I don't imagine it will be long before my entire pedalboard is made from build-it-yourself stompboxes – and Hotone released a palm-sized amp to rival the Positive Grid Spark Go. All the and more below...
Collision Devices FZ Sparks Series
Thought the DIY pedal hype train had already pulled into its final stop? Well, think again, because thanks to Collision Device's FZ Spark Series – which has been debuted with a build-it-yourself gated fuzz pedal – DIY stompboxes aren't going anywhere.
JHS Notaklön, Third Man's Fuzz-a-Tron and Catalinbread's Knight School have all flown the flag for DIY pedals in the past few years, and now Collision has got in on the act with a very solid-sounding gated fuzz that, if I'm being frank, I would absolutely love to get my hands on.
The Notaklön is still on my pedalboard, and has been ever since I put it together many moons ago, so I have full faith in these DIY pedals. Some may call it a cop out and moan that this is just firms shifting the assembly to the player, but Collision is also offering it as a ready-assembled pedal.
Either way, who cares – I have a great time playing my Notaklön, had an even better time building, and I can't wait to give the FZ Spark Series fuzz a go. I am actually looking for a new fuzz pedal, come to think of it...
For more: Collision Devices
D'Angelico 60th Anniversary Grateful Dead Collection
If you're a Grateful Dead fan and have been planning your celebrations for the band's 60th birthday, you might want to pay attention to D'Angelico's celebratory drop, which – let's face it – caters directly to die-hard Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir fans.
The red/white/blue Lightning Bolt design – revived from D'Angelico's first Grateful Dead model from 10 years ago – is back once again, and though it might look a tad out of place at your average bar or club gig, there's no denying it carries an unmistakable Grateful Dead flair.
Two electrics and an acoustic make up the drop, and one of which variant will be hand-painted and sold to raise money for charity. In the spirit of Grateful Dead, we're now wondering what a Lightning Bolt PRS Silver Sky would look like...
For more: D'Angelico
Hotone Pulze Mini
Since flipping the practice amp market on its head, Positive Grid has had to fend off competition from a legion of enthusiastic rivals, with the likes of Mooer and HeadRush all aiming to wrestle in on the compact modeling amp market and take top spot.
Now, Hotone has thrown its hat in the ring with the Pulze Mini – a smaller-than-small travel amp that looks to beat the Positive Grid Spark GO at its own game. At first glance, it's a pretty piece of kit, and at just $116, makes a viable alternative.
"A palm-sized powerhouse designed for guitarists, bassists, and acoustic players," the Pulze Mini promises to punch above its weight class and offers the "jaw-dropping" realism of a much larger amp. Hotone has impressed with some of its previous launches, so there's reason to believe this could be a genuine competitor to Positive Grid's reigning champ.
For more: Hotone
Reverend Reeves Gabrels Spacehawk Supreme
A souped-up Spacehawk Supreme is on the cards for Reeves Gabrels, whose eye-popping double-cut has been treated to some new finishes and an additional pickup. Now, the Spacehawk offers a trio of Railhammer pickups – a Alnico Grande and two Hyper Vintage – for up to seven pickup configurations, and flashes either a Metallic Silver Freeze or Venetian Gold colorway
A bold tonal and aesthetic take for an even bolder guitar design, and while this sort of thing isn't usually in my wheelhouse, I kinda dig it.
For more: Reverend
Cornerstone Effects Nucleo
Where do you turn to when your cranked Hall reverb simply isn't enough, and your Chamber patch doesn't feel... well, Chamber-y enough? You'll probably have to turn to Cornerstone's newly launched Nucleo – a signature pedal for YouTuber Paul Davids, which was inspired by the natural reverb of an abandoned nuclear reactor.
Reverbs don't get as expansive as this, and as you can imagine it's capable of some otherwordly ambient tones. But the novelty isn't lost on the nuclear links: it's also a pretty practical-looking gadget with loads of usable reverbs.
I am particularly obsessed with the parameter layout, which gives off serious nuclear reactor control panel vibes. I'd probably get one for the sliders alone...
For more: Cornerstone Effects
NUX Amp Academy Stomp
What's this? Another compact multi-effects amp modeler with a 'Stomp' tag? We've certainly see our fair share of those over the years, so what makes this one different? Well, apart from a font that looks like it was lifted from MS Paint, it has three footswitches like the TONEX – as opposed to just two, as found on the HX Stomp – and boasts an L/R CYBER IR Engine, which apparently ushers in "a milestone evolution for NIX".
Honestly, there's a lot to like here. It looks tactile, easy to operate, and even has a color screen for displaying your signal chain. If this new tone engine sounds as good as the pedal looks (we'd still change that font, mind) this could be a decent 'Stomp' indeed.
For more: NUX
Walrus Audio Xero Looper
Looper pedals are often the best tools for guitarists to help spark inspiration and creativity. Sometimes, spending just 15 minutes jamming over a self-made loop can snowball into song ideas, new licks and fresh phrases, and can help players unlock new nuances to their style.
The Xero Looper by Walrus Audio looks like it can take that up to a whole new level with a dual-channel stereo design that could completely redefine the way you loop. Two fully independent loops with their own playback speed and direction controls, as well as three flexible loop modes, head up the Xero, which aims to push "looping into new dimensions".
It comes at a cost though – $299 to be precise – so this might be one for more seasoned loopers and not your average Ed Sheeran fan.
For more: Walrus Audio
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Bathing
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Old Blood Noise Endeavors releasing a wild pedal you didn't know you needed, but now definitely want. Bathing – a delay, reverb and modulation powerhouse – is no exception.
It offers the "difficult-to-describe" phase repetition from the firm's Dweller, and marries it with a bunch of delay-charged goodness that's further bolstered by stereo I/Os, expression and MIDI control, and a bunch of effect-tweaking parameters. Not one for the faint-hearted, but we're feeling brave...
For more: Old Blood Noise Endeavors
Line 6 Helix Stadium (Demo)
Not strictly a gear release, but something that should be included nonetheless: weeks after the Line 6 Helix Stadium was announced – and following a bunch of demo-less hands-on videos – we have now been given our first tease of what the potentialy game-changing new Agoura modeling tech actually sounds like.
We've read all the headlines, we've combed through the spec sheet, but until this week we had no idea what Agoura – which is replacing the HX software – actually sounded like. A bit of an oversight, especially since Line 6 says it has been designed from the ground up to deliver next-level dynamism and feel.
Well, early signs are promising: the Brit Plexi Jump sounds pretty darn good, with plenty of juice to boot. Hopefully this opens the floodgate for more demos ahead of the official launch later this year...
For more: Line 6
Neural DSP NanOS 2.1.0
The second update to Neural DSP's Nano Cortex might just have made the ultra-tiny amp modeler completely gig-proof, introducing – at long last – tap tempo functionality, along with a host of other new features.
There's plenty of meat to this update, but it's the tap tempo that has got us really excited. As a Nano Cortex loyalist myself who doesn't gig without one, the lack of a tap tempo function has been largely missed – but now Neural DSP has answered players' prayers by finally rolling it out. Hallelujah!
For more: Neural DSP
