Introduction
The best guitar designs are often borne out of input from the players themselves, so it figures that your line-up of 2014's best signature guitars features some of the most forward-thinking models out there. Here, we present your favourites from the past year...
Farida Artist Designed Freddie Cowan GNA TV Deluxe
Created by and for Freddie Cowan of The Vaccines fame, the GNA's triple-pickup oozes retro cool, but eschews the price tag associated with some vintage gear.
There's an alder body and a mahogany neck, while an ingenuous switching system helps you make the most of the three Farida Jazz humbuckers.
5 out of 5
Read our full Farida Artist Designed Freddie Cowan GNA TV Deluxe review
Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS
We raved about the Kurt Cobain Jaguar upon its initial release in 2011, and the latest edition features all the same mods, but comes with an NOS (New Old Stock) finish.
If the road-worn look isn't your bag, this is the one for you. Everything else we loved about the original is pretty much unchanged and it's a versatile axe, capable of much more than simply aping Nirvana tones.
5 out of 5
Read our full Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS review
BUY: Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS currently available from:
UK: Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater
Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul
Another notch on the bedpost for one of Gibson/Epiphone's most prolific endorsees, the Rosso Corsa features an exclusive limited edition finish previously found only on a now-discontinued Gibson model.
The maple cap and weight-relieved mahogany body both looks and sounds the part, while the neck apes the mix of 50s and 60s profiles found on Slash's main Les Paul.
5 out of 5
Read our full Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul review
BUY: Epiphone Slash Rosso Corsa Les Paul currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann
PRS SE Zach Myers Signature
The SE Zach Myers Signature - named after its Shinedown patron - is notable for being the first ever semi-hollow Singlecut from PRS.
As expected, the build quality is typically flawless, the satin neck is super playable and you get all that history-making for a street price of less than £600/$700.
5 out of 5
Read our full PRS SE Zach Myers Signature review
BUY: PRS SE Zach Myers Signature currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater
Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster
Completing a trio of signature Fender models, the mahogany-bodied Jim Root Jazzmaster has quickly won a lot of fans among the metal community.
It looks the business, with its stripped-down matt black finish and brushed EMG humbuckers and is a boundary pushing signature that takes the Jazzmaster shape to new extremities.
4 out of 5
Read our full Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster review
BUY: Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass
LTD Ben Weinman BW-1 FM/ET
Dillinger Escape Plan man Ben Weinman was never going to have a conventional signature model, but - with the help of LTD - he's come up with a design to be truly proud of in the BW-1 FM/ET.
Packing an Evertune bridge and EMG-81/85 pickup pairing into a semi-hollow design and making it sound this good is a serious achievement. What's more, the build quality on our review model was very high, it looks great and somehow the pricing isn't set to 'totally unattainable'.
5 out of 5
Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6
Prior to this Pro Series model, a Jackson signature model for Megadeth's Chris Broderick would cost you the best part of four grand.
The Pro Series Soloist 6 brings a pared-down, but nonetheless seriously impressive metal-making machine in for under £700/$900. It's also a shred guitar that can actually deliver clean tones and there's loads of fun to be had with the in-built killswitch.
5 out of 5
Read our full Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6 review
BUY: Jackson Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist 6 currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater
“Ideal for maintaining clarity in extended-range instruments”: Abasi Concepts wants to take your tone to the next level with the Micro-Aggressor – a boost-style compressor voiced for low-end guitar
“Every once in a while we choose woods from our stock to create special instruments and these guitars are great examples of just that”: PRS adds super-versatile “08” pickup switching to the CE bolt-on with limited run black limba and swamp ash models
