• Walrus Audio’s Mako Series MKII

    VG Approved Gear

    Walrus Audio’s Mako Series MKII

    Walrus Audio’s Mako Series MKII bolster the sounds of their first-gen predecessors, using altered algorithms, new controls, and better tonal quality. The most-obvious changes are new fine-tune settings and a menu screen. The M1 High-Fidelity Modulation Machine offers Chorus, Phaser, Tremolo, Vibrato, Rotary, and Filters. Running between a Deluxe Reverb a Les Paul Traditional or…

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Way Cool Version: Newman Guitars’ Honeycomb Chambered Jr.

Following Ted Newman Jones’ passing in 2016, protégé Jeff Smith took over Newman Guitars and is furthering the vision, using the same offset body as Jones’ original guitars but  employing…

Relic the Hague’s Scumbag

Rock-and-Roll Animal

On the surface, the Scumbag is a simple rock beast. With a 25.5″-scale neck, maple fingerboard, and bolt-neck construction, it has the design and spunky nature of a Strat or…

J. Rockett Audio Archer, The Dude, and El Hombre

Overdrive Ecstasy

Part of the success behind J. Rockett Audio Designs lies in the fact that, like any player who might tackle building a pedal for themselves, Chris Van Tassel and Jay…

Matchless DC-30

Matchless DC-30

Preamp Tubes: One EF86, three 12AX7s (one for PI) Output Tubes: Four EL84s in class A, cathode-bias. Rectifier: GZ34 Controls: Channel 1 – Volume, Bass, Treble: Channel 2 – Volume,…

Tech 21 English Muffy

Killer Combo

The Tech 21 Character Plus Series aims to combine a vintage amp with one classic overdrive/fuzz/booster circuit, essentially giving two pedals in one chassis. The English Muffy pairs Hiwatt sounds…

Fender Blu DeTiger x Player Plus Jazz Bass

Ladies’ First

With a quick glance and a dash of judginess, Fender’s Blu DeTiger x Player Plus Jazz Bass looks like what you’d expect when a Gen Z TikTok influencer storms the…

Gretsch G5191BK Tim Armstrong Electromatic

Cool Player, Punk Heart

Few punk-rock guitarists have made their mark like Tim Armstrong. Through his work with renowned punkers Rancid, Armstrong has torn it up on stages worldwide, and key to his presence…

Blackstar Limited Edition JJN-20R MkII

Rockin' Blues Power

If you don’t know about Jared James Nichols, you likely will soon. One of the hottest up-and-coming blues/rock players on the planet, he recently teamed with Blackstar to develop a…

Danelectro Doubleneck

Twice the Tone

  Jimmy Page. Don Felder. Even Elvis Presley. In fact, who amongst us hasn’t drooled over a 6/12 doubleneck at one point or another in our musical lives? Danelectro knows…

Ernie Ball Earthwood

A Big ABG

Way before “unplugged” became a popular way to play music and fretted acoustic bass guitar (ABG) models began appearing from so many manufacturers and independent luthiers, Ernie Ball bought a…

SX SST-57 Guitar and SJB-57 Bass

Redefining "Low-End" Gear

SX SST-57 guitar. Once upon a time, cheap guitars were just that – inferior imported planks bought as Christmas gifts then replaced as fast as one could afford. But with…

Taylor Baritone-8

Crazy Eight

The Taylor Baritone-8 Price: $3,998 list; $3,200 street Info: www.taylorguitars.com Some guitarists are happy with conventional guitars and basses. Others, however, feel the urge to explore other sonic ranges. In…

EHX Walking on the Moon Flanger/Filter Matrix

Andy Flange

With its mouthful of a name – The Andy Summers Walking On the Moon Flanger/Filter Matrix – the latest Electro-Harmonix stompbox is modeled after Summers’ legendary tone, with nuance that…

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT

Japanese Silk (and Stomp)

Providence Silky Drive and Stampede DT Price: $394 (Silky Drive); $249 (Stampede DT) Info: www.providence-ltd.com. From the Land of the Rising Sun, Providence pedals have been building an audience among…

Rainbow Electronics Warmenfat Micro Amp

Tiny Tube Infusion

Warmenfat Front Rainbow Electronics is, as the kids say, “old-school.” How old? Well, if you lived in the Sacramento area in the mid 1960s and your color television went on…

IBANEZ-RGA8_HOME-MAIN-BIG

Ibanez RGA8

In the Deep End

Ibanez RGA-8 Price: $1,102.21 (approx. $800 street). Info: ibanez.com In the annals of cool, weird, and unusual guitars, they’re nothing like an eight-string axe. It’s a strange beastie, sporting a…

Mesa/Boogie Badlander 25 1×12

Tonal Muscularity

In the solar system of amplifier badassery, the name Mesa/Boogie needs no introduction. From the mellifluous guitar sounds of Carlos Santana to the hard-charging intensity of Metallica, Mesa continues to…

Sonic Machine Factory 15 Watter

With tube amp gurus like Mark Sampson and Rick Hamel piloting the crew, we had a sneakin’ hunch that the Sonic Machine Factory’s 15 Watter we received for review was…

Jammy Instruments’ Jammy G

Digital Six

Digital, MIDI, and synth guitars have been around for decades. One newer entry in the field is the Jammy G, a digital guitar connected to an app that accesses its…

Taylor Classic, Custom, and Standard

Worth the Wait

Taylor SolidBody Classic. For years, Bob Taylor fended off the question, “When are you going to build a solidbody guitar?” Well-known as a builder of top-notch acoustics, for his company,…

Ibanez M522S

Ibanez M522S

F-Style For Less

Thanks to acts such as the Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, and the Punch Brothers, the mandolin is suddenly hip again, particularly among guitarists interested in expanding their stringed horizons.…

DOD Meatbox Subsynth

Bass Balls

A reissue of the cult ’90s pedal from the grunge and alt-rock era, the Meatbox Subsynth is a combination booster, octaver, and lo-fi bass synth. The box has four knobs…

Danelectro ’84

Love Struck

The Danelectro name first surfaced on amplifiers in the late 1940s, then later on guitars made with Masonite bodies and lipstick-tube pickups, along with electric sitars, baritone guitars, and “Longhorn”…

Bad Cat Black Cat 1×12 Combo

Roarin’ Back

When Bad Cat Amplifiers trimmed its line to just four models with modern circuits, some wondered if they’d capture the magic of the hand-wired wonders that built the company’s reputation.…

Gibson ES-Les Paul

ES-Les Paul

F-hole with soul

ES-Les Paul Price: $2,799 to $3,199 (list) Contact: www.gibson.com Gibson’s latest version of the Les Paul isn’t the first with f-shaped sound holes. Various Florentine models have been offered, but…

Epiphone USA Coronet

Simple Screamer

Single-pickup guitars are flat-out cool: think Leslie West, Keith Richards, Johnny Thunders, Steve Marriott, Johnny Marr, and Jimi Hendrix. Once fluffed off as a one-trick pony or a kid’s guitar,…

Washburn Pilsen Idol electric and D78SW acoustic

Ready For Prime Time

Washburn Pilsen. Most often when you see a Washburn guitar, it’s in the hands of artist endorsees (including Nuno Bettencourt, Dimebag Darrel Abbott, etc.). For whatever reason, though, the brand…

ValveTrain PowerTrain Studio 20

Tube Savior

We’ve all watched the guitar amp deconstruct before our eyes, as pedals, preamps, and power amps all shrink – and migrate to the pedalboard. The builders at ValveTrain know this,…

Keeley Electronics Dark Side

Floyd Explorer

In the multi-verse of effects, Robert Keeley’s gizmos are a thing of beauty – particularly those that provide multiple sounds. Guitarists hankering for fuzz, delay, and modulation will dig the…

Zemaitis’ CAG-200HS

Heart And Soul

The lutherie art of Tony Zemaitis resulted in some of the rarest, most admired, and most valuable of guitars. Among his creations, including the famed metal- and mother-of-pearl-fronted electrics, his…