Latest articles by Jonathan Horsley
Fender unveils the Champion II series, a trio of affordable modelling combos with onboard effects
Priced from $129, the Champion II series presents a dozen or more amp voicings in 1x8, 1x12, and 2x12 formats, with effects including reverb, delay and echo, chorus, tremolo and Vibratone
Cort unveils the KX700 TT, a high-end S-style with True Temperament frets for on-point intonation
Intonation, intonation, intonation... This top-tier electric is for the tuning freaks and players with minds open enough to give the curved-fret True Temperament tech a go
Abasi Concepts unveils the Micro-Aggressor, a boost-style compressor promising low-end clarity
The Micro-Aggressor features dual-compressor circuits running in parallel and has a tilt EQ for adding top-end clarity or thickness and warmth to taste
PRS unveils limited edition black limba and swamp ash CE models with eight-position pickup switching
As the man whose name on the headstock says, these are "player's guitars" – a pair of top-tier bolt-ons with limited edition tonewoods and a huge array of tones from its 85/15 pickups
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith on Tears For Fears’ restless creativity and the beauty of independence
Orzabal and Smith talk collaboration, high-concept pop-rock production and songwriting chemistry, and why they've never been just a “couple of guys with synths and a backing tape”
Queen hated the drum sound on their debut so much that they “augmented” every beat for its reissue
Their eponymous debut is a stone-cold rock classic but Queen have never been happy with its sound, especially Taylor’s drums. For its “rebuilt” and renamed reissue, they forensically applied digital tech to transform the sound of each individual drum hit
EVH Gear’s Star TOM is a single-pickup shred machine with kill-switch and classic Van Halen vibes
No whammy bar? No problem. This super-aggressive shape presents a high-performance platform for rock and metal. And who wouldn’t want an arcade-style red button for a kill-switch?
Boss promises a “universe” of tones from the small but mighty GX-10 amp modeller and multi-effects
It’s the GX-100, only smaller, and it has 23 guitar amp models, nine bass amps, and 170 different effects to choose from – plus there’s MIDI, an effects loop, IR support, optional Bluetooth and more
Line 6 serves up a compact $179 high-gain treat for metal players with the POD Express Black
The POD Express Black packs top-quality Helix amp models and effects in a convenient feature-packed stompbox that can be powered by AA batteries and delivers totally crushing tones
Monster Dual Rectifier tones in a compact pedal? Universal Audio unveils the UAFX Knuckles ’92
The Dual Rectifier shaped an era of rock and metal tone and the Knuckles '92 Rev F Dual Rec Amplifier pedal brings its Metallica and Foo Fighters-approved firepower to your pedalboard
Gibson unveils stunning $19,999 Murphy Lab replica of Jimmy Page’s 1964 SJ-200 acoustic guitar
The Murphy Lab has been turned loose on a limited run of two super-collectible acoustics inspired by the SJ-200 that Page played on Led Zeppelin’s debut album
JHS Pedals unveils Flight Delay, an easy-to-use stompbox with analogue, digital and reverse delays
Available in blue or white, Flight Delay draws inspiration from three stompbox classics and is designed to offer these sounds in an easy-to-use package. No faffing around with an LED screen here
“The ultimate weapon for metal guitarists”: Blackstar unveils Series One MK II 100W tube amp head
After more than 30 updates to the circuit and channel voicings, Blackstar's flagship high-gain amp is here, and it's equipped with power scaling, MIDI connectivity, effects loop, and more zero "unwanted fizz"
Epiphone and Tak Matsumoto strike gold with 1955 Les Paul Standard based on his vintage original
This Epiphone x Gibson Custom shop collaboration is liberally finished in Antique Gold and features USA Burstbucker Pros, but it’s only available in Japan and from the Gibson Garages
Joe Bonamassa reveals the secret to tube amp consistency on tour and he “nicked it” from Angus Young
Tube amps are like fine wine; they often don’t travel well. But a power gizmo designed for clinical settings keeps Bonamassa’s epic touring rig in top form
Fractal packs “over 400” effects from the Axe-Fx III into its compact VP4 ‘Virtual Pedalboard’
The Fractal VP4 stakes a claim for pedalboard supremacy offering players hundreds of sounds in an easy-to-use format, 104 user configurable presets, and a signal path that can be populated by up to four effects simultaneously,
Friedman unveils Jake E. Lee IR-J tube preamp pedal, a high-end solution for nailing ‘80s Ozzy tones
The former Ozzy guitarist’s tone is all about ‘70s hard-rock and the box-office hard rock and metal of the ‘80s, and this fully featured, IR-equipped tube preamp pedal nails it all
Gretsch unveils a stunning limited edition Center Block electric for Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore
The G6618-MG Martin Gore Anniversary Center Block betrays the synth-pop pioneer's rock 'n' roll influences, and features a top-tier build with TV Jones pickups, a Two-Tone Smoke Green finish, and we just can't get enough of that G-cutout tailpiece
Johnny Marr on how “Moogs, Korg 101s and Space Echo” shared space with guitar to shape his sound with the Healers
With Johnny Marr and the Healers’ Boomslang receiving a deluxe reissue, the guitar icon reflects on the album's sessions and the impact technology had on writing and recording it
Fender gives its classic models a high-performance makeover with the American Ultra II series
The American Ultra II series features all-new pickups, compound radius fingerboards, premium components, fresh finishes and Fender’s “fastest-playing necks” as standard
Furch unveils the Booster Soundport, an “innovative resonator” to transform acoustic performance
Can six linear holes on the top-side of an acoustic enhance its tone, volume and your playing experience? Petr Furch believes so, promising “clearer, louder, and more resonant sound” via the Booster Soundport
Schecter and the Cure’s Robert Smith join forces for charity with the release of the Shellflower UltraCure
This limited edition run comprises an UltraCure electric guitar and its 30" scale six-string bass sibling, and $500 from the sale of each instrument goes to the World Cancer Research Fund
Have Ernie Ball and John Mayer found the Goldilocks option between light and heavy strings?
Whether or not you agree with the assertion that Mayer plays the strings or the guitar – or both – his signature set runs from 10.5-47 and will be a crowd-pleaser for players in-between gauges
