36 minute read
ELECTRIC GUITARS
Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, August 2022
For anyone not in the know about Eighties metal, Jake E. Lee is revered for formerly making his mark with Ozzy Osbourne, and with a super-slim maple neck and a 12-16-inch compound radius rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges, the new Charvel signature JEL encourages comfort and nimble playability. The JEL has one of the slimmest neck curves I’ve come across, which automatically puts you at an agile advantage for wide-interval finger stretches or wrapping your thumb over three strings from the top of the fretboard. The JB humbucker dishes out a punchy midrange and a broad bottom end with just enough searing gain for cutting through, while the reversed SDS-1’s boosted output adds a darker and fuller single-coil quack that never loses its lustrous detail. A single volume Strat-style skirt control knob and five-way blade switch govern the pickups, and there’s a hardtail bridge with a black base plate and Charvel tuning machines with pearl buttons. $1,299.99 street,
charvel.com
Charvel Satchel Signature Pro-Mod DK22
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, August 2022
Steel Panther guitarist Satchel is famous for carrying the torch of the Eighties, the decade of headbanging music and debauchery, and his signature guitar is a stripped-down time machine that sounds ferocious and is built to elevate your technical prowess game. Sporting a 12-16-inch compound radius all-maple neck with rolled edges and 22 jumbo frets, the Satchel is geared toward dexterous fret burning. The active firepower comes courtesy of two Fishman Fluence Classic humbuckers with black/white bobbins, and the sole volume knob offering push/pull activation for the pickups’ dual voices. Other features include a three-way toggle pickup switch and a top-loaded (non-recessed) Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo bridge system. The Satchel feels thoroughbred fast with a slimmer “C”-profile neck and a low-action Floyd setup that makes harmonics scream and squeal louder than the audience at Budokan. It’s a wildly fun guitar to brazenly wield even if you don’t own spandex or drown yourself regularly in Aqua Net. $1,399.99 street, charvel.com
Cort G290 Fat II
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, December 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
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Cort’s G290 FAT II is a serious and worthy electric that has all the potential to be on the radar of many discerning players. From its alder body with a gorgeous flamed top and one-ply white binding to its roasted maple neck and fretboard, everything about the G290 FAT II appears elevated. The offset body feels snug pressed against you, with a generous belly carve and soft forearm contour for playing comfort. The Ergo-V neck profile is a palm-filling profile that’s close to a “60’s” “C” shape with a soft satin finish on the back of the neck. Articulate and detailed tones come courtesy of its Voiced Tone VTH-77 direct-mount pickups merged with a custom pickup wiring to the 5-way switch that offers single-coil sparkle and full-body humbucker roar. Rounding out the guitar is Cort’s smooth traveling and floating CFA-III tremolo bridge mounted over a recessed cavity. It’s a very measured and dialed-in instrument. $799.99 street, cortguitars.com
Dean Guitars MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, January 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
This streamlined superstrat ticks all the shred-tastic boxes without forcing you to cough up Bezos bucks. The excellent MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple combines knockout looks with contemporary upgrades at a price guaranteed to make you “shred” tears of joy. The MD24 shares the wider cutaways, 24 frets and headstock logo of a Dean DS90 superstrat from the early Nineties, but that’s where the similarities end. This bolt-on constructed MD24 is not a remake at all, but an inspired bare-bones model with taut refinement and tactile ergonomics. The premium roasted maple neck and fingerboard ensures exceptional stability, while the Seymour Duncan TB5 bridge and APH-1 neck pickups telegraph the right amount of kick and punch while being firmly articulate. This is a big sounding guitar that’s substantially well-constructed with a setup that’s prepped for one speed: fast. And considering its bold look, you’ll agree you can no longer ignore the orange guitar in the room. $899 street, deanguitars.com
Donner Seeker Series DST-400
By Art Thompson, Guitar Player, December 2022
The Seeker Series DST-400 is an S-style guitar that features a solid alder body, a satin-finished maple neck and a laurel fingerboard carrying 22 medium frets. As with any budget guitar, how it feels in the hands is everything, but the DST-400 passes the test, offering good playability thanks to a factory setup that was good enough for a gig right out of the box. The guitar packs a humbucker in the bridge position and a pair of singlecoils in the neck and middle slots. The controls are volume and two tone knobs: one for the neck and middle pickups and a dedicated tone for the humbucker. The tones are clear and balanced, and if a traditional S-style pickup complement is needed, pulling the rear tone knob provides a decent bridge single-coil sound. In all, the DST-400 is great value for a guitar that plays and sounds as good as it does. $259 street,
donnerdeal.com
Eastman Juliet/v Bigsby
By Dave Hunter, Guitar Player, November 2022
Part Firebird, part SG, Juliet is Eastman’s first original solidbody design and something very different, both in looks and specs. In addition to the raised center section, the bass-side body wing is perhaps slightly Tele-derived, but with contours for ribcage comfort at the back and forearm at the front, while the treble side leans a little towards single-cut Les Paul. The 25 ½-inch scale length adds a little extra chime and low-end tightness to the otherwise classic-inspired formula. The neck is full in the hand without being clubby, and feels comfortable and easy to play, right up to the joint. It’s a natural roots-rocker, with a big, warm voice that’s laced with good clarity and just a little grit. These characteristics enable it to clean up well when you need something a bit twangier. Tone-wise, it’s bold and characterful with a personality all its own — neither SG nor Firebird as such, but something truly quite different. $2,240,
eastmanguitars.com
Eastman Romeo LA
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, February 2022
The Eastman Romeo LA is one of the coolest concepts for a semi-hollow model that I’ve ever seen. Its asymmetrical, compact body design makes a bold first impression thanks to its smaller, sharper treble horn with a deeper cutaway, but closer examination reveals several other distinctive details, including Seymour Duncan Phat Cat pickups and Göldo hardware. What knocked me out was the Romeo LA’s distinctive yet versatile tonal character. The radiator Duncan Phat Cats are the coolest P-90-style pickups I’ve encountered, with that “just right” balance between singlecoil bite and definition and humbucker bark and power. The Romeo excelled at any style of music I tried, from rockabilly twang to fist-pumping metal. The semi-hollow construction provides extra midrange punch, but the small f-holes help prevent unwanted feedback. A good semi-hollow thinline offers players exceptional versatility, but a great semi-hollow model like the Eastman Romeo LA is an ideal instrument that offers a lifetime of playing satisfaction. $1,990 street, eastmanguitars.com
Eastman T184MX
By Dave Hunter, Guitar Player, April 2022
Considering Eastman got its start building quality carved-top violins and cellos, the T184MX is right out of the company’s wheelhouse. Following the popular format of guitars based on a reduction of the traditional ES-335 body size, this model is built in the tradition of fine acoustic archtops, though in a thinline body that’s hollow but for a mahogany block beneath the bridge and tailpiece. The arched top is carved from solid flamed maple, with back and sides of solid mahogany, and there’s natural flamed-maple binding. The neck is carved from solid mahogany, with an ebony fretboard adorned with small pearl dots and multi-ply binding which extends up and around the headstock. The pickups are a pair of U.K.-made Bare Knuckle Old Guard custom humbuckers, wired through a traditional four-knob control section with three-way switch. This all comes together in what is simply a gorgeous instrument, one that plays beautifully and expresses a confidence-inspiring quality of sound even unplugged. $2,229 street, eastmanguitars.com
Eastman T64/v
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, April 2022
The Eastman String Company has long defied any “budget-brand” preconceptions normally heaped upon Chinese-made guitars, delivering instruments that punch well above their weight for build quality, tone and playability. The T64/v comes in a stunning cherry red and is a 1964-style, ES-330-inspired thinline hollowbody guitar, with a genuine Bigsby vibrato tailpiece (a non-vibrato version is also available), a fully hollow maple neck and ebony fretboard. The T64/v’s resonant and balanced acoustic performance translates to a tasty plugged-in tone, and one that’s surprisingly versatile. The Lollar P-90s deliver the requisite throaty snarl from each position but are also impressively clear and crisp when you want them to be. Putting the neck pickup through a clean amp delivers a delicious jazz tone: Flick the switch and step on a pedal, and it all translates to rock and roll with a vengeance. All in all, it’s an inspiring guitar, and earns an Editors’ Pick Award for its achievements. $1,939 street,
eastmanguitars.com
Ernie Ball Music Man Cutlass HT
By Dave Hunter, Guitar Player, November 2022
The Cutlass HT might appear familiar, but it represents a significant shake-up for a modern classic from the Ernie Ball Music Man stable. It’s their take on the classic asymmetrical-double-cutaway, bolt-neck model from Fullerton, with three single-coil pickups, vibrato and a 25 ½-inch scale length. The neck on the Cutlass HT represents a component long regarded as one of EBMM’s most innovative. The five-bolt attachment with sculpted heel, body-end truss-rod adjustment point, and four-plus-two headstock are joined by an extremely comfortable asymmetrical profile. The HT pickups are extremely dynamic and expressive, and capable of doing anything I’d hope to achieve with this style of guitar. They’re also well balanced, with just enough added grunt from the bridge position to beef up the twang and sidestep the ice-pick treble, while attaining traditional tones. Overall, the HT represents a significant upgrade and an advanced level of performance that plenty of players should really dig. $2,899,
music-man.com
Ernie Ball Music Man Dustin Kensrue Stingray
By Art Thompson, Guitar Player, March 2022
Designed in collaboration with Dustin Kensrue, Thrice’s heavy-hitting guitarist and singer, this latest variant in the revamped StingRay series has several notable features, including being tuned D to D to deliver the gutsy crunch that Kensrue often deploys, along with a stealthy, push-button pickup-wiring scheme. Going sans amp with this guitar is a fun way to get in touch with its deep, muscular vibe, and the Kensrue StingRay is a vibration machine that resonates with authority and sustains beautifully. It delivered the goods whether cruising on the neck single-coil for girthy clean tones and fat overdriven textures, or summoning twangier and more open sounds with both pickups selected. The Dustin Kensrue StingRay is an impressive guitar that stands out not only for its low-down sound but also for its ability to wring a ton of tones from its passive pickups. It presents a unique spin on the StingRay that earns it an Editors’ Pick Award. $2,999, music-man.com
ESP LTD Deluxe SN-1000HT Fire Blast
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, November 2022
The LTD Deluxe SN-1000HT Fire Blast sounds as wickedly tremendous as it looks. The first thing you’ll notice is its stunning sandblasted threetoned Fire Blast finish blended over a swamp ash body. The bolt-on roasted maple neck combines a sculpted heel for easy upper-fret access along with a compound radius that encourages speed and instant comfort. The guitar comes loaded with Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers (an alnico in the neck position and a ceramic in the bridge), with a push-pull at the tone control to activate each pickup’s second voicing, plus a three-way blade switch. These humbuckers have been lauded for being noise free and for their ability to clearly accentuate note articulation and pick attack while also capably executing a spectrum of tones that range from fat-sounding cleans to high-definition, high-gain crunch. This guitar screams so loudly that you can’t help but want to burn notes all day long on it. $1,299 street, espguitars.com
Fender 60th Anniversary Jaguar
By Art Thompson, Guitar Player, August 2022
In 1962, Fender rolled out the Jaguar, going offroad with a 24-inch scale neck that had a bound rosewood fretboard, a pair of tall single-coil pickups, and an elaborate switching system that occupied three separate chromed plates and eight controls: two knobs, two thumbwheels and four slider switches. The 60th Anniversary Jaguar is a time capsule affair that suggests what it must have been like to open the case and revel at the radical new Fender back in the day. Played clean and overdriven, the Jag is fun and easily deployable on everything from alt-country to rock, soul, R&B, jazz and world music. Kudos to Fender for celebrating the Jaguar in this 60th Anniversary rendition while also providing a different spin with the Ultra Luxe version, which — with its dual humbuckers, 25 ½-inch scale and no trem — highlights what a great platform the Jaguar is for those who love hot-rodded classic Fenders. $2,499, fender.com
Fender JV Modified ’50s Stratocaster HSS
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, September 2022
During the late Seventies, several Japanese guitar factories were making copies of classic American electric guitars: Instead of suing the competition, Fender opted to join forces with them. This led to Fender’s acclaimed Japanese-made Vintage reissue models in 1982: These guitars played important roles in reviving the company’s reputation during the CBS era and by providing manufacturing facilities during the transition to FMIC. The new JV Modified series (with JV meaning “Japanese Vintage”) marks a return of Japanese-made Fender guitars to the export market. The ’50s Stratocaster HSS is equipped with a Hot Vintage Alnico humbucker at the bridge and Vintage-Style single-coil Strat pickups at the neck and middle. A five-position blade selector switch provides the usual separate and “in between” settings. The Strat’s humbucker delivers fat midrange bark, and I particularly liked the bridge/middle setting with the bridge humbucker’s tone control at 1. It’s a welcome return to the US market of the Japanese Stratocaster. $1,329.99, fender.com
Fender JV Modified ’60s Telecaster HSS
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, September 2022
Fender’s new JV Modified series (with JV meaning “Japanese Vintage”) includes this ’60s Custom Telecaster, whose primary appeal lies in the modifications that provide an ideal balance of timeless classic features and upgrades that are essential for modern players. Instead of traditional ash or alder, the body is made of light, resonant basswood, with a maple neck and a slab rosewood fingerboard. The Telecaster has a pair of Vintage-Style single-coil Tele pickups and a four-position pickup selector switch that engages bridge, neck/bridge parallel, neck and neck/bridge series settings. The hardware is vintage correct, including a vintage-style Tele bridge with three barrel brass saddles. The Tele’s voices are all very useful, including the out-of-phase settings, a couple of which had the funky nasal bite of some of Jimmy Page’s Led Zep tones. The coolest feature is how it provides all of its beloved original vintage tones along with making an expanded palette of modified voices instantly available. $1,349.99,
fender.com
Fender Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, January 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
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In 1993, Fender approached Kurt Cobain about collaborating on the design of a guitar. Cobain quickly conceived a new design that combined features of his favorite guitars: a modified 1965 Fender Jaguar and a 1969 Fender Competition Mustang. The Nirvana guitarist called his creation the Jag-Stang, and used it for a handful of shows before he took his own life on April 5, 1994. Fender produced the Jag-Stang from 1995 through 2005 when it was discontinued, but recently revived the model in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind album. The new version differs slightly from the original run, which had a basswood body: This version’s body is made of heftier alder and feels well balanced thanks to the extended lower treble bout. The large CBS-era-style headstock also enhances the tonal range, resulting in a surprisingly big sound for a relatively small guitar. The slim “C” neck is exceptionally comfortable as well. $1,249.99, fender.com
Fender Noventa Stratocaster
By Art Thompson, Guitar Player, January 2022
Players seeking to improve Stratocaster performance have often replaced the thin-sounding single-coil in the bridge position with a humbucker, or perhaps a P-90 — a single-coil pickup introduced by Gibson in 1946. Fender has gone down the P-90 road in the past, but the pickups haven’t been offered on recent production-line Strat and Telecaster models until the Noventa series landed in 2021. The Noventa is louder and meatier than a standard Strat, and the pickups sound great combined for a full, crisp tone that’s less biting than the bridge pickup by itself. The neck position is balanced and has plenty of top-end for solos, yet easily cops a cool jazz vibe with a downward twist of the tone knob. As a do-it-all guitar that can cover a lot of bases, the Noventa Strat could easily be a go-to axe for players who gig in a variety of situations and need one guitar that can do it all. $1,009 street, fender.com
Fender Player Plus Meteora HH
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, July 2022
One of Fender’s most recent successful ventures was the Meteora, introduced as part of their Parallel Universe Collection back in 2018. Its radical offset body design proved to be a success, so it’s back again as an affordable Player Plus series model, with a few changes that promise to make it the most desirable Meteora yet. Like the previous version, the dual-humbucker format remains but the tuneomatic-style bridge is replaced by a two-point vibrato. Under the hood it’s truly a modern instrument. The neck has a slim Modern “C” profile, flat 12-inch radius fingerboard with rolled edges and 22 medium jumbo frets, and the pickups are a pair of Fireball humbuckers with medium output. Combining several classic style elements with a forward-looking design, the Fender Player Plus Meteora is a great choice for guitarists who love the feel and vibe of a Fender but want something bolder and more modern in terms of looks and sound. $1,149.99, fender.com
Gibson Theodore
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, August 2022
In 1957, Gibson president Ted McCarty designed a guitar in a doodle, which was stashed away and forgotten for 65 years. In 2022, Gibson has finally turned McCarty’s forgotten design into a very special custom shop Archive Collection model called — appropriately — the Theodore. Gibson is building only 318 Theodore guitars offered in natural, cherry or ebony finish versions. The Theodore is not 100 percent faithful to McCarty’s sketch — most notably the pickup switch is moved to the lower bout and the pickguard shape and knob locations are modified. Thanks to the body’s slim 1 ½-inch thickness, narrow shape and alder material, the Theodore is quite comfortably light, but it still provides that solid, distinctively Gibson feel. The Theodore’s tone occupies a distinct territory between a Les Paul Special and a Telecaster, delivering a punchy attack and bright overtones. Construction and attention to detail is perfect, as one would expect for a Gibson Custom Shop product. $4,999, gibson.com
Peavey HP 2
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, July 2022
The original Peavey Wolfgang model, developed by and for Eddie Van Halen in 1995, was one of the company’s biggest successes. That success continued when the model re-emerged as the HP 2, now being built in Europe. The specs of the new HP 2 remain consistent with the original iteration, including a thick, carved, figured maple top over a basswood back and select birdseye maple neck. The electronics consist of Peaveydesigned zebra-coil high-output humbuckers with master volume and tone controls, each with push/pull switches to engage coil tapping. Playability is top-notch, with a very comfortable feel and exquisite playability. The humbuckers are expertly dialed in to deliver outstanding tone with detailed definition, expressive midrange, crispy upper harmonics and robust bass that is tight, punchy and percussive. The HP 2 sounds like a beast when played with high-gain distortion, but it sounds equally impressive when played with clean settings, delivering full-bodied tone with an alluring treble sparkle. $2,499.99 street, peavey.com
PRS S2 Custom 24-08
By Art Thompson, Guitar Player, June 2022
Evolution is the name of the game at PRS, so it’s not surprising that the S2 Custom 24-08 carries things forward with a switching system that puts a range of tones at your fingertips. The 85/15 S pickups don’t present exaggerated midrange or bass frequencies, and they stay very smooth on the top, even when digging in on the bridge setting. Activating the single-coil mode on the rear pickup reduces output and brightens the response, but without causing spikiness. The noise is nil in split-coil mode too, which is another benefit of the 85/15 S design. Using the mini-toggles to select splitcoil on the neck pickup and full humbucker on the bridge yielded tones that cover everything from crisp, funky cleans to ballsy dirty-rhythm tones. Paul Smith changed the game in 1985 by creating the Custom 24: this guitar carries forth the legacy, earning an Editors’ Pick Award for doing so. $1,929 street, prsguitars.com
PRS SE Silver Sky
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, April 2022
PRS’s Silver Sky SE is a more affordable version of John Mayer’s signature PRS, the Silver Sky. The guitar is crafted in Indonesia and comes with a poplar body instead of the original’s alder, and if you’re willing to opine the differences between the two, I’d argue they’re almost negligible. The bolt-on satin-finished maple neck with a rosewood fretboard preserves Mayer’s “635JM” evenly-rounded C-shape neck carve found on the original, and the three single-coil 635JM “S” pickups have been voiced to mirror the original model too. With import guitars, you can generally feel or find areas on the instrument where corners are cut to make it less costly. With the SE Silver Sky, everything about its fit and finish is astonishingly on point. It’s easy to see why Mayer didn’t just sign off on it solely as an affordable alternative — he’s just as at home playing this SE version as he is playing the original one. $849 street, prsguitars.com
ACOUSTICS
Reverend Billy Corgan Signature Z-One
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, November 2022
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan started collaborating with Joe Naylor on his first Reverend signature model more than six years ago. The new Reverend Billy Corgan Signature Z-One is now his third signature model. At first glance, the Z-One looks similar to the original with its dual humbucking pickups, roasted maple neck, and maple fingerboard. However, the Z-One has an alder body and a pair of specially voiced Railhammer humbucking pickups. The neck pickup is aggressive, with a throaty growl like a hot-rodded Strat neck pickup, while the high-output bridge pickup delivers a distinctive midrange voice along with mellower treble and tighter bass. Backing down the tone knob summons throaty “woman tone” mids, and the bass contour focuses and slightly thins the tone. Playability and construction are top notch, particularly the neck profile that maintains Reverend’s reputation for speed and comfort. Thanks to the versatility of the newly voiced Railhammer pickups, the third time’s the charm. $1,799 street, reverendguitars.com
Reverend Reeves Gabrels Dirtbike Royale
By Art Thompson, Guitar Player, May 2022
Reeves Gabrels has a long list of credits that includes stints with Tin Machine, David Bowie and the Cure. The Dirtbike Royale is his latest Reverend Guitars signature model: it’s a sleek guitar with an offset double-cutaway korina body, and a set, three-piece korina neck. It differs from the original Dirtbike in two ways: It has a Wilkinson GTB Stop-Bar wraparound tailpiece with an adjustable B-string saddle, which helps steer it in a Les Paul Junior direction, and to further the LP leanings it has P-90–style pickups, specifically a MojoTone Hot ’56 Quiet P-90 in the bridge position and a standard ’56 Quiet P-90 at the neck. The tones that the Dirtbike Royale dishes out range from very clear with a touch of twanginess to rich, mids-forward growl when you unleash the beast. The fact that Gabrels deploys it onstage for all the textures that Cure tunes require is a testament to the DBR’s versatility. $1,199 street, reverendguitars.com
Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, June 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
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Priced 40 percent less than previous models, Fender’s new Acoustasonic Player Telecaster makes it easier for guitarists to add an Acoustasonic to their arsenals as a second, third, fourth or 20th instrument without as big of an economic commitment. The regular Acoustasonic has an ebony fingerboard, three pickups, and a five-way switch that provides 10 different acoustic and electric voices. The Player Telecaster has a rosewood fingerboard, two pickups, and a three-way switch. Also, the regular Acoustasonic is built in Corona, California, while the Player model is made in Mexico. In terms of craftsmanship and playability, the Acoustasonic Player Telecaster is essentially identical to the regular Acoustasonic. The small body and dreadnought voices provide an ideal selection of balanced, warm tones, and the Player Telecaster is better suited towards players who mainly want to switch between acoustic and electric sounds without needing the nuances that acoustic specialists often require. $1199.99,
fender.com
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, October 2022
The Fender Paramount PM-180E Mandolin is an acoustic-electric instrument with a classic A-style teardrop shape. Typical of the Paramount line, it’s not made of solid woods but rather of laminated mahogany back and sides, with a laminated spruce top. The overall aesthetic is down-home handsome, with a modern classic sensibility. Playability is easy enough right out of the box. It facilitates everything from running scales to playing primary chords or stabbing out singular notes with good intonation and minimal fret splat. The PM-180E features parallel tone-bar bracing, which Fender says is designed to deliver a bright, clear tone, and that’s exactly how I’d describe the sound. This mandolin is loud and lively, and it does a bang-up job filling a small room with sound. It’s equipped with a passive Fishman pickup that delivered a signal faithful to the acoustic tone to my Fender Acoustic Junior GO. Importantly, the level was well balanced from string to string. $399 street, fender.com
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, October 2022
Fender’s Paramount concept is about modern takes on vintage designs, and the Bluegrass Series takes it a step further, applying elements such as onboard electronics and modern neck profiles to old-time Americana instruments. The factory action is slightly on the high side compared to a standard steel-string, and that’s certainly advantageous for an instrument that so easily lends itself to bottleneck Delta blues and lap-style slide playing. It’s easily adjustable via the dual-action truss rod as well. The PR-180E’s tone is an interesting blend of wood and metal, warmth and clarity, attack and sustain, all with plenty of punchy volume. The real surprise is how good it sounds amplified. The PR-180E comes equipped with a Fishman Nashville Series pickup, which delivered a balmy, robust tone. This addition to the Paramount Bluegrass Collection will appeal to players who have come to love the Fender feel, trust the brand name and want to expand their styles in an Americana direction. $549 street, fender.com
Fender Paramount PD-220E Dreadnought
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, December 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
Fender’s excellent Paramount Series of acoustics are not only budget-friendly, but also include all the classic body styles of a Dreadnought, Orchestra and Parlor. The PD-220E aesthetics seem to draw from the Dust Bowl era of folk instruments. For a few weeks, I was able to brush up on my (poor) bluegrass chops with the mighty Fender Paramount PD-220E Dreadnought, digging into its nimble playability and loud projection. The guitar includes a Fender and Fishman-designed Sonitone Plus preamp with soundhole-mounted controls for volume and blend. It’s solidly built, with a powerfully bright, mid-ranged voice that has thunderous volume for a budget dreadnought, and there’s a pleasant brassy chime to the guitar if you pick softly. I might persuade you to consider this acoustic over anything else in a room full of dreadnoughts: For its price, the Fender PD-220E ticks all the proper boxes in sight and sound — and that’s paramount. $829.99 street, fender.com
Gibson Generation G-00
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, January 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
Recently, Gibson joined the ranks of guitar builders that offer side sound ports with the introduction of its new Generation Collection guitars. The G-00 is based upon the design of the 14-fret neck Gibson L-00 introduced in the Thirties, with a Sitka spruce top, walnut back and sides, and utile (an African tonewood with properties similar to mahogany) neck with striped ebony fingerboard. The top has traditional scalloped X-bracing and the bodies and necks have a satin nitrocellulose finish. The Gibson Player Port on the side is surrounded with a plastic ring that reinforces the hole and prevents damage. Construction is clean, solid and meticulous, and the guitar provides outstanding playability thanks to the slim neck profile. The small-body G-00 sounds like a good parlor-size acoustic should, with well-balanced overall tone that’s ideal for fingerstyle playing. What this guitar lacks in glitz, it more than compensates for in tone and dynamic responsiveness. $999 street, gibson.com
Gibson Generation G-45
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, June 2022
Gibson’s Generation Collection G-45 replaces the original Generation G-45 Standard and Studio models introduced in 2019, and has modest aesthetics. The woods appear unrefined and barely finished in an open-pore matte satin style that appears so natural, the guitar could perhaps have come straight off a workbench. In terms of playability, the G-45 falls between modern and classic. The “advanced response” neck profile is basically a C shape — on the slim side, but not too slim. Like the other Generation Collection models, the round-shouldered dreadnought G-45 has a Player Port, which certainly adds dimension and a deeper sense of immersion for the player, and delivers a welcome element of fun. The assumption must be that younger, more adventurous players on a budget would dig such an unconventional element on a guitar that’s otherwise designed to deliver fundamentally classic tones with modern playability. Kudos for that and for putting American-made instruments within reach of the masses. $1,599 street, gibson.com
Gibson Generation G-200
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, January 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
Over the years, luthiers have experimented with placing sound ports on an acoustic guitar’s side to direct some of the guitar’s output upward towards the player as well. Thanks to this port, the Gibson Generation G-200’s sound is louder, but also more focused and direct than one might expect. While some of the sound is directed out of the side toward the player, the side player port does not adversely affect the primary tone coming out of the traditional soundhole. The G-200 has a 25.5-inch scale length, and is decorated with single bar fret marker fingerboard inlays and single-layer black binding surrounding the body’s top and back. It includes a built-in LR Baggs Element Bronze under-saddle pickup and preamp with soundhole mounted volume control, and delivers outstanding natural acoustic tone, big bass and bold treble, with a nice, warm midrange that makes strummed chord rhythms drive like a freight train. $1,999 street, gibson.com
Gibson G-Writer EC
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, June 2022
The square-shouldered dreadnought cutaway Gibson Generation Collection G-Writer has a tight sound all around, with powerful projection that its Player Port seems to bolster. I could sense the booming low sound waves impacting the bones in my ears: It made me want to chunk away percussively with muted strings like John Fogerty at the start of “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.” The Writer takes to lowered tunings like a duck to water. When I sat down and played in a low C tuning, I swear I could feel resonations passing into the floor. The G-Writer EC was obviously designed with the performer in mind, as it has Baggs Element Bronze electronics and cutaways for upper-register access, hence the “EC” designation for electronics and cutaway. The sonorous G-Writer is particularly well suited for a variety of applications, from bedroom to the studio and the stage, and it earns our Editors’ Pick Award. $1,599 street, gibson.com
Martin 000-42 Modern Deluxe
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, September 2022
The elegant 000-42 MD is a favorite Martin style because it’s upscale, yet not as extravagant or expensive as the top-tier 45. This 000-42 is stunning in classic fashion, featuring plenty of Golden Era abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays. I love the snowflake inlays on either end of the bridge, and on this MD the Liquidmetal bridge pins are golden, with top inlays that bring them in line with the rest of the design. Like all Modern Deluxes, the neck is modeled after the 1930 OM-45 Deluxe hanging in the Martin Museum, but this one feels a little less asymmetrical and more C-shaped. It’s awesome for playing anything from country blues to classic rock, using varied approaches from a pick to fingerstyle or hybrid picking. The sound is right in the sweet spot as well: not too booming, not too bright — a real Goldilocks zone. This guitar looks as fabulous as it plays. $7,199, martinguitar.com
Martin 0012-28 Modern Deluxe
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, September 2022
Martin’s Modern Deluxe Series in 2019 was a major move, replacing the Vintage Series with this forward/retro series just above the Standard line. This year’s six new MDs have progressive features, including torrified tops, titanium truss rods, Liquidmetal bridge pins and carbon-fibercomposite bridge plates, the concept being not to reinvent the wheel but to update it by applying modern technology to classic platforms. The parlor-sized 0012-28 MD has the same Modern Deluxe appointments as its predecessors and represents a move into smaller sizes. Unlike the “regular” 00-28 MD, this 0012 has 12 frets to the body, with that classic, more slender look of a pre-1930 Martin parlor guitar. It’s wonderfully compact, yet very loud and super resonant, with sustain for days. If you’re a dedicated fingerpicker or simply want a parlor-sized, old-world Martin with the contemporary functionality and above-Standard aesthetics that Modern Deluxe has to offer, then the 0012-28 MD has all the right moves. $4,399 street, martinguitar.com
Martin Grand J-16E 12-String
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, January 2022
Martin’s standard J is essentially a deeper M/0000 style, but this Grand J combines the shallower depth of an M or triple 0 with a broad, jumbosized waist designed for maximum top surface and ergonomic comfort, plus a dual-element Fishman electronics system. The guitar has a few nice appointments, including a bold herringbone with multi-stripe rosette, and antique-white body binding. The classic wood combination is solid East Indian rosewood with a Sitka spruce top. This instrument is ergonomically engineered for a fantastic feel, and it was comfortable to play. The Grand J-16E’s high performance neck taper felt comfy in hand, and the combination of extra-light strings on a shallow body with a wide waist all adds up to a chimey 12-string tone, with a shimmering top end, plenty of mids and a decent bass response. Martin’s Grand J-16E covers a ton of ground without breaking the bank, and for that it earns an Editors’ Pick Award. $2,099 street, martinguitar.com
Martin SC10-E
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, May 2022
Martin Guitar took a plunge in 2020 by introducing the avant-garde SC-13E model geared toward players who favor an acoustic guitar with the same degree of playability as an electric. It was a bold move, but the gamble paid off because, for 2022, Martin Guitar launched three additional SC Models. The SC-10E retains the radically innovative Sure Align Linear Dovetail neck joint that affords guitarists tweakable adjustments: It’s effortless to play, because the SC-10E is set up as low and fast as some of my favorite electric guitars, making it all the more astonishing that an acoustic could command such swift playability. The low-profile velocity neck facilitates wide interval stretches and easy bends, and if you navigate past the 12th fret, your range of travel is practically unimpeded. If you’ve ever thought you couldn’t find a reasonably priced acoustic that plays as easily as an electric, you absolutely need to experience the wonder that is the SC-10E. $1,299 street, martinguitar.com
Martin SC-13E Special Burst
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, May 2022
In 2020, Martin rolled the dice on a radical new S design, and it paid off by becoming the company’s most popular acoustic-electric. Martin has expanded the range to include the fancy SC-13E Special Burst, boasting a stunning back and sides made of a fine ziricote veneer with dark-brown grains, highlighted by a glossy finish and attached to the top with bright-white binding. There’s heartiness to the tone, and it doesn’t come at any loss of presence. The sound is as deep as it is wide. Like all S models, the SC-13E Special Burst is built to shred, and the helical nature of its neck profile is key. In lower positions, it’s full and chunky on the bass side. Move up the neck a bit, and the form becomes more evenly balanced to make barre chords a cinch. Considering its playability, sound and stage presence, the Martin SC-13E Special Burst earns an Editors’ Pick Award. $1,999
street, martinguitar.com
Taylor 724ce Koa Grand Auditorium
By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player, November 2022
Whereas Taylor’s luxurious Koa Series guitars are made from the highest instrument-grade wood, these koa additions to the 700 series take a more workmanlike approach. This essentially straight-grain koa is more uniquely streaked and less extravagantly figured, and the treatment here is super thin and practically unfinished. A dark-stained maple pickguard blends seamlessly, and the polished bronze tuners practically match the wound phosphor-bronze strings. The clear, natural sound matches the feel, which is lighter and far less dampened than the Koa Series. It takes very little pick energy to set the 724’s top in motion, and it is capable of a wide variety of tones, from mellow to bright, depending on the attack. The focus is a warm, sweet middle range, with a detailed sparkle on top. The 724ce invites fingerpicking and playing with a flexible plectrum. Play too hard and the top end becomes more brittle, so heavy strummers may prefer the heartier Koa Series models. $3,499, taylorguitars.com
Taylor AD22E Flametop
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, April 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
Most acoustic flattop steel string guitars built today feature spruce tops — more than 90 percent of them, in fact — but Taylor’s new AD22e is built from a tonewood recipe combining a solid Sapele back and sides and solid mahogany top. It’s similar to the previous Taylor AD27 American Dream model, but this is the first time Taylor has offered that tonewood combination on a smaller Grand Concert guitar. The AD22e also features a mahogany neck and eucalyptus fretboard. With its 15-inch body width, it is ideal for players seeking a smaller instrument with focused midrange, whether they specialize in folk, Celtic, blues or even jazz styles. It supplies a compellingly rich and woody tone, although its overall range is more midrange focused, with less bass thump and slightly more sparkling treble. Still, it sounds much bigger than its body size, making it ideal for players who prefer the comfort of a smaller body without sacrificing too much range. $1,699 street, taylorguitars.com
Taylor AD27E Flametop
By Chris Gill, Guitar World, April 2022
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
Recent supply chain issues inspired Taylor Guitars master guitar designer Andy Powers to use available materials when developing new models. The new AD27e uses big leaf maple for the back, sides and, most interestingly, the top. Powers modified the V-Class bracing to provide a warmer, rounder tone that still delivers bold projection, and other important features include a 16-inch wide body with satin “Woodsmoke” finish, eucalyptus fretboard and 25 ½-inch scale length. The AD27e Flametop delivers a big, masculine voice with exceptionally dynamic response. Its tone is truly unique thanks in part to the nickel bronze strings, which enhance the softer, mellower textures when played with a light touch and make the guitar sound brighter, bigger and bolder when played with heavier force. This guitar covers an impressive range of tones just through playing dynamics, but with a consistent roundness and woodiness throughout, even when amplified via the Expression System 2 electronics.
$2,199 street, taylorguitars.com
