From Guitar World · · 2m
Gibson's Alnico 8 era and Bonamassa's P-90s
Nine gear drops from one week, from a $199 modeling pedal to Gibson's first Alnico 8 humbuckers.
In brief
Nine gear drops from one week, from a $199 modeling pedal to Gibson's first Alnico 8 humbuckers. The best gear this week is cheap and clever: a $199 Spark Pedal and a $599 12-string Squier Tele lead a list where boutique ideas keep sliding down in price. Originally reported by Guitar World.
A week of gear, sorted
Guitar World's weekly round-up picks out what actually landed across seven days of releases, from major-brand launches to boutique drops you probably scrolled past.
Positive Grid goes floor-based
The Spark Pedal is Positive Grid's first floor amp modeler and multi-effects unit, taking the popular practice-amp formula and putting it under your feet.
$199 and hard to beat
It packs amp models, effects, a looper, stereo output, Spark AI tone creation and the community preset library. The review called it nigh on impossible to craft a bad tone with.
“nigh on impossible to craft a bad tone”
Bonamassa's P-90 origin story
A 1961 Gibson SG fitted with P-90s is the guitar that made Joe Bonamassa fall for the pickup. He worked with Seymour Duncan to recreate it as the Pawn Shop set.
A 12-string Squier Tele
The Paranormal Series gets its first signature model, a Troy Van Leeuwen Telecaster XII in Copper. The Queens of the Stone Age guitarist has played a Custom Shop version for years.
Built to stay in tune
Van Leeuwen skipped the vintage-style bridge on purpose. At $599, the priority was a 12-string that works straight out of the box.
“when you've got 12 strings, you really need them to stay in tune”
John Cruz lands at Farida
Ex-Fender Master Builder John Cruz has teamed up with Chinese builder Farida on the JC-1, a debut model that looks awfully familiar given the current market.
Fresh paint and pedalboards
Yamaha's Pacifica Plus adds Sonic Blue, Ice Blue, Fired Red and Tobacco Brown Sunburst. RockBoard finally shipped Second Tiers, its most requested product ever.
Gretsch goes black limba
The Electromatic CVT and Jet get a black limba makeover, putting a striking tonewood on Gretsch's affordable electrics.
Gibson's first Alnico 8
ELEV8 humbuckers move from the Victory Baritone to the aftermarket. It is the first time Gibson has ever used Alnico 8 magnets in a pickup.
Three pedals worth a look
SolidGoldFX's FUZZBOX updates the Tone Bender MKII silicon fuzz for modern boards, EarthQuaker's Easy Listening headphone amp goes stereo, and Walrus adds a Lo-Fi Delay to the Fundamental line.
What it means
The best gear this week is cheap and clever: a $199 Spark Pedal and a $599 12-string Squier Tele lead a list where boutique ideas keep sliding down in price.
