Guitarsite News

Washburn Apprentice Series

Washburn Guitars expand their entry level guitar offering with the new Apprentice Series acoustic-electric guitars. Washburn AG40CE Related Feature:Washburn WCDM55K The Apprentice Series starts off with two new models, the AG20CE and AF40CE, both feature a grand auditorium style body with cutaway, and both are stage ready with piezo pickup, preamp and related electronics built-into them. Washburn’s ability to produce quality guitars at super affordable price points continues to propel the brand’s popularity. And as expected, they are pouring in their resources into creating affordable beginner friendly instruments, the latest result of which is the new Apprentice series. Since they are both part of the same series, the two new models have mostly the same features, with the main difference being the type of wood used on the back and sides. As mentioned, the two guitars come in Grand Auditorium shape, which combines the big size of dreadnoughts with the comfortable shape of orchestra style guitars. Both also feature a cutaway for easier access to the upper frets. The specs of both guitars are similar, having the same 25.5″ scale length, and 43mm wide Graphtech Nubone nut. Also featured on the new Apprentice line is the Barcus-Berry LX4 pickup system

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The Resonator Guitar : Resophonic Guitar, Dobro, National Guitar

Have you ever played a Resonator Guitar? Also known as at resophonic guitar, it was invented in the early 20s before The Electric Guitar came into being. Many of the Guitarists in the 20s and 30s used this Guitar so they could be heard better when playing in a band. Related Feature:Guide to the Best Guitar Slides Blues legend Son House playing a Resonator In the old days before The Electric Guitar came on the scene, If you can imagine a Guitar player who was playing a juke joint that was noisy, you can see why the louder Resonator Guitar was desirable. And to those so called legitimate Guitarists who read music, and played in large orchestras, and could barely be heard with an acoustic Guitar made of wood, with no amplification, the Resonator Guitar was heaven sent. So the Resonator Guitar caught on pretty fast. The Hawaiian Guitar Players loved the Resonator Sound as a Slide Guitar. The Blues players would do their bottle neck style on the Resonator instrument, and the Guitar gave them a very special sound they loved. The old time Country Musicians Found the Dobro to be an instrument they wanted for their music. Before

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Wahtz Wah Pedal Kit

Build your own custom Wah pedal with the new Mod Kits DIY Wahtz WAh Pedal Kit. Related Feature:The Persuader Deluxe Tube Drive Kit This kit will let you experiment and modify the circuitry so you can build a personalized Wah Wah pedal that’s suited to your playing style. Mod Kits DIY is known for providing musicians with DIY gear that can be tweaked and modified to individual tastes. They have a number of stompbox effects and amp kits that cater to both experienced and novice guitarists. Now they are expanding their products to cover an expression pedal effect – the wah-wah. The Wahtz Wah Pedal Kit is based on classic wah specifications. If you build the pedal without modifications, the sound is described to have the familiar wah tones of vintage pedals, while having a bit more bite and growl. All the required components to build the pedal are included in the kit, including the circuit board, potentiometer and the sturdy exterior. The circuit utilizes point-to-point construction that makes it easy for nthe inexperienced, advanced kit builders on the other hand will find the point-to-point circuit easy to modify and tweak. Like most modern pedals, this pedal utilizes True Bypass

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T-Rex Shafter Wah

T-Rex Effects introduces the Shafter Wah, a versatile wah pedal with 3 distinct voices, slope control and boost. Related Feature:T-Rex Vulture Distortion This versatile wah pedal is part of the company’s multiple new guitar pedal releases for 2014, bringing with it modern reliability, control and sonic versatility. Because of the three completely different “Wah” characters, you are essentially getting three distinct wah pedals in one. You can choose between two types of wah-wahs, and a dual-filter yoy-yoy effect. If that’s not enough, you can fine-tune all 3 effects for even more sonic flexibility. Setting the pedal to “Wah 1” gives you a light and subtle effect that is similar to classic Wah pedals. This is ideally paired with clean guitar sounds for funky riffing and rhythm works. “Wah 2” is more aggressive, with a deeper and thicker voicing that is more akin to modern Wah pedals. Paired with distortion, this setting will let let you play expressive solos and melodic lines. The third setting is called “YOY YOY”, and is described as a wah with talk-box like properties. T-Rex utilized dual-filter technology to give your guitar tone more pronounced vowel like shapes. Further fine tuning of the three voices is

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Vox V847 Union Jack Wah

Honoring their UK roots, Vox Amps introduces the limited edition V847 Union Jack Wah with Union Flag graphic. Related Feature:Vox Night Train NT15C1-CL As the name implies this wah-wah pedal features multiple Union flag graphic decals that go along with its striking blue, white and red color combination. Using water pressure transfer printing decal technology, they gave the swivel pedal a bright multi-colored finish, and wrapped the lower portion of the pedal with a nice looking graphic that depicts the national flag of the United Kingdom. This limited run wah pedal is sure to turn heads with its colorful theme and unique looks. Surprisingly it doesn’t add much to the price tag when compared to the production model, at least from what I’ve seen from online sellers. Underneath all the bling though, this pedal stays true to the regular V847 Wah pedal. The innards follow the V847’s design down to the smallest details, ensuring that it sounds equal to the company’s latest production model wah-wah pedal. The V847 Union Jack wah lets you get as close as possible to the original wah pedals that Vox developed in the ’60s. It sports improved wah inductors that are based on the specifications

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Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

The Cry Baby continues to be the most popular wah pedal in the market, thanks to its expressive sound, intuitive controls and efficient design. Having graced countless albums and live performances, the wah effect it produces continues to please guitarists worldwide. With the sheer number of pedals currently available, it is quite impressive that an old pedal like the Cry Baby Wah is still a staple on many pedalboards. The GCB95 Cry Baby continues the legacy of the original 1966 Thomas Organ design, staying true to the original design while utilizing more robust and reliable parts. The current production model GCB95 Cry Baby still follows the same mid-range boost design as the original, It morphs your guitar tone to give it human-like “wah” sounds as you rock the pedal back and forth. The toe down position emphasizes the mid-high frequencies, while the heel down position gives you more mid-bass. The speed by which you rock the pedal along with your pick attack determines the speed of the frequency sweep and the amount of effect applied. Tasteful use of the Cry Baby Wah have been exemplified by guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix, frank Zappa, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and

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NAMM 2016 Cool Guitar Gear Roundup

With so many new products at this year’s Winter NAMM, going through all of them can get a bit tedious, so we have come up with a list that features our favorite guitar gear. As always, different manufacturers have brought their A game into this trade show, showcasing their latest music gear. However, it seems that most manufacturers played it safe this year, because there are no truly ground breaking technology that was unveiled, rather most new releases are basically improved versions of their predecessors. Still, there are some cool and interesting products that caught our attention, we have listed them here for your convenience. Marshall Code Amps Marshall Amplification finally dived into modern digital modeling technology, resulting in the Marshall Code Amp line, which is one of the coolest new product line in this year’s NAMM. Not sure why they shied away from this technology for so long, but they should have come up with this product a while back – especially considering the quality that is being showcased by the demo videos. In addition to modeled effects and amps, these amps also feature bluetooth connectivity and realtime control via smart phone apps, features that are not necessarily new,

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Fender Sonoran SCE Wildwood IV

Fender introduces the Sonoran SCE Wildwood IV, featuring exotic woods – Dao and Purpleheart – for the back and sides. Related Feature:Fender Acoustic Custom Shop Tour The guitar’s design is inspired by the colorful Fender Wildwood guitars released back in 1966. The new Sonoran SCE Wildwood IV comes with Fender’s familiar pairing of a dreadnought body with a Stratocaster style headstock, which makes it hard to miss when sitting besides traditional acoustics. Unique to this new guitar is the use of exotic tonewoods for the back and sides. It comes in two models, one with Dao back and sides while the second model features Purpleheart wood. Fender describes the effect of these exotic tonewoods: “Dao wood imparts a gentle tropical look with balanced tone, while purpleheart wood has an elegantly striking look and extended dynamic range.” The use of exotic woods was contrasted by the guitar’s conventional design formula. It sports a solid spruce top with a quartersawn scalloped X bracing for stability and improved resonance. This use of traditional design adds a familiar element into the guitar’s exotic visual and sonic signature. The neck is made of maple topped by a 20-fret rosewood fingerboard. It has “C” shape neck

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Fender Kingman Pro Custom Bolt-On

Fender expands their high-end acoustic line with the new Kingman Pro Custom Bolt-On, a modern version of the ’60s era Kingman dreadnought. Related Feature:Fender Sonoran SCE Wildwood IV This new version features a bolt-on neck with a ’68 era Stratocaster headstock, with a hybrid design that allows for an acoustic guitar to have the neck feel of an electric guitar. Although the Kingman Pro Custom Bolt-On looks different from your typical acoustic, the body utilizes traditional building methods and tonewoods. It features a solid sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, forming the guitar’s familiar dreadnought shape. Being part of Fender’s high end line, it features elegant appointments including the dual checkerboard rosette, aged white body binding and the nitrocellulose lacquer 3-color sunburst finish. Giving the guitar it’s stability and projection is Fender’s own forward shifted scalloped x bracing that utilizes red spruce. The guitar’s maple neck takes you from acoustic to the realm of electric guitars – featuring a maintenance friendly 4-bolt joint. It has a “C” shape neck profile with a fingerboard radius of 10″, nut width of 1.7″ and a slightly longer 25.625″ scale length. It has a 20 fret rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl dot position

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Gretsch G6112TCB-JR Center-Block LTD 2-Tone

Gretsch unveils the G6112TCB-JR Center-Block LTD 2-Tone guitar, a thinline model with elegant two-tone finish. Related Feature:Gretsch G6137TCB Panther in Flagstaff Sunset This limited run guitar is a special Nashville Junior model that features a semi-hollow body with chambered spruce center-block. It has a distinct looking Jaguar Tan finish for the top and Copper Metallic finish for the back and sides. The Nashville Junior is a smaller version of the original Nashville “6120” guitar model that Chet Atkins used to popularize the Gretsch brand. This guitar was sought after for its comfortable body profile, making it easier to play and carry around. Now Gretsch is offering a limited edition Nashville Junior model that has some interesting things to offer. The most notable feature of this limited edition guitar is its chambered spruce center-block. Instead of the usual solid center blocks that other thinline guitars use, the new G6112TCB-JR Center-Block LTD 2-Tone comes with a semi-hollow center block. According to the press release, the chambered center-block helps in reducing the weight of the instrument, and is said to produce more lively, spirited tone. Body resonant feedback are also minimized, making this limited run guitar more high-gain friendly. The guitar’s thin 1.75″

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New TC Electronic Mini Pedals

TC Electronic introduces four new Mini Pedals, the Flashback Mini Delay, Shaker Mini Vibrato, Corona Mini Chorus and Vortex Mini Flanger. Related Feature:TC Electronic PolyTune Mini These pedals carry all the features of the original TonePrint pedals, only this time they are miniaturized to fit inside compact metal boxes. This means you get the same effects with less pedalboard space requirements. TC Electronic utilized the same small enclosure that worked for their other mini pedals, and I have to say that I’m impressed at how ridiculously compact the pedals are! A set of TC Electronic Mini Pedals is probably easier to bring to gigs than the average rack or floorboard guitar processors! These new pedals add to the other Mini pedals that they offer, which include the PolyTune Mini, Hall of Fame Mini Reverb, Spark Mini Booster and Ditto Looper. Because of space limitation, TC Electronic reduced the knobs for all the new Mini pedals to just three. As expected some real-time control is compromised, but Mini pedals are loved for being convenient and straightforward to use so the simpler interface may actually be a good thing. Making up for the lack of control is TC Electronic’s TonePrint technology, the

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Fender Tom Petty Kingman Signature Acoustic Guitar

Fender Custom Shop introduces the limited edition Tom Petty Kingman, a black dreadnought with Strat style headstock. Related Feature:Fender Kingman Pro Custom Bolt-On This acoustic and Stratocaster hybrid is built to reflect the style and specs preferences of the artist, bearing his signature on the soundhole label and on the back of the headstock. Best known as the lead vocalist for the Heartbreakers, an as a founding member of the Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty has quite a number of hits under his belt. With a career that now spans five decades, it should go without saying that he knows what he wants when it comes to his guitars. Now Fender and Tom have come up with a premium signature acoustic guitar, set for a very limited production run. According to the press release, all of Petty’s proceeds from each instrument sale will benefit the non-profit organization Heal EB, an organization dedicated to researching and identifying treatment strategies for Epidermolysis Bullosa. The guitars are also meant to help raise awareness of the disease. As expected, Petty’s signature Kingman is quite the eye candy, with a dreadnought body wrapped in nitro gloss black finish. The body is built using premium tonewoods, featuring

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Fender Brown Derby Resonator

Fender introduces the new Brown Derby Resonator, combining traditional design with a Tele-shaped headstock. Related Feature: Fender Tom Petty Kingman Signature This new guitar is part of the two new acoustic models that the company added to their resonator line, which now offers six models to choose from. As the name implies, this particular model comes with a brown stain finish that gives the guitar a vintage appeal. Unlike traditional Resonators, this one retains the playability of regular acoustic guitars. This reduces the learning curve required to play the instrument and makes it ideal for guitarists that want to try Resonators, or want to add its sonic palette into their music. While the sound of this instrument is truly distinct, the C-shaped mahogany neck wand rosewood fretboard with 16″ radius is designed to be familiar and comfortable for guitarists of all levels. With its 25″ scale length, 20 vintage style frets and 1.73″ nutwidth, minimal if not zero adjustment to your fretting hand will be required to play this guitar properly – unless ofcourse you’re learning to play the slide. And speaking of slide, the maple-topped body comes with a special Eastern European “Continental” cone that is built using hand-spun

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Fender Tim Armstrong Ghost White Hellcat

The Fender Tim Armstrong HC, Rancid guitarist’s signature acoustic-electric, is now available in limited edition Ghost White finish. Related Feature:Fender Tom Petty Kingman Signature This guitar follows the style of ’60s era Fender acoustic that Tim Armstrong himself used to write many of the classic punk rock songs of the now iconic West Coast punk band Rancid. This Ghost White finish version does not stray far from the design and specs of the other Hellcat (HC) acoustic-electric models. It features the same concert-style body and carryies over the same raw materials, build techniques and aesthetic elements. More importantly, this signature guitar comes with the same affordable price tag as the original model. To give the guitar a warmer tone that fits rock and punk – Fender and Tim Armstrong opted for a solid mahogany top supported by thinner than usual scalloped braces. The back and sides are crafted from laminated mahogany, which form the “concert” style body shape of the Hellcat series. This combination results in improved top resonance, enhancing the overall tone of the instrument. The body is wrapped in aged white binding to give it a vintage appeal. The guitar has a maple neck, carved into “C” shape

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Fender Wayne Kramer Signature Acoustic-Electric

Fender introduces the Wayne Kramer “Royal Tone” Dreadnought CE acoustic-electric guitar, co-designed by the MC5 guitarist himself. Related Feature: Fender Kingman Pro Custom Bolt-On This affordable instrument has a vintage appeal, featuring a classic vintage sunburst finish, aged white binding and the white pearloid Filgree inlays. Wayne was going for a classic look when they were designing his signature acoustic, as evidenced by the finish that he went with, vintage sunburst top with dark brown stained back and sides. He also looked at old Fender headstock shapes until he found one that he was happy with. The resulting instrument successfully hides its modern production genesis with its classic appeal. The body of the guitar features laminated spruce top with laminated mahogany back and sides, combined into a familiar dreadnought with cutaway shape. Aside from the aged white binding, the guitar features specially a designed rosette on the top, and a rope line on the back – both adding to the guitar’s visuals. The neck is made of mahogany and is carved into a soft “V” profile. Kramer specified that the guitar should come with a rosewood fretboard, having a nut width of 1.69″, fingerboard radius of 11.81″ and scale length

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Fender Dave Murray California Series Stratocaster – NAMM 2015

Fender teams up with the Iron Maiden guitarist yet again for another variation of the Dave Murray Stratocaster. Related Feature:Fender Fishman TriplePlay Stratocaster HSS This new release is part of Fender’s California Series, a traditional looking instrument that comes equipped with a trio of modern single-coil-sized humbuckers. Dave’s signature Strat has changed in a number of ways since he started officially endorsing Fender 10 years ago, and this release is going to be the latest version. Inspired by Murray’s longtime onstage go-to guitar, the 2015 Dave Murray Stratocaster blends classic looks with modern sounds, featuring the timeless Strat body paired with a 2-color sunburst, and three Seymour Duncan humbuckers. It starts off with an alder body carved into the familiar double cutaway shape of the Strat, and finished in vintage style 2-tone sunburst. These features giving it all the makings for a vintage style Strat, but as expected it gets a modern twist thanks to the two Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for the bridge and neck pickup, and how they work with the Seymour Duncan JB Jr. on the middle position. These pickups are meant to handle the high-gain tones that Dave would usually be requiring, while still having the

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Fender Classic Series ’60s Jaguar Lacquer

The Fender Classic Series ’60s Jaguar Lacquer is a modern reproduction of the original Jaguar that was first released in the ’60s. Related Feature:The Fender Jaguar Story This guitar is designed to be as close to vintage models as possible and was among the new releases that took center stage at Fender’s booth in the recently concluded 2015 NAMM Show. First released in 1962, the Jaguar was intended to be Fender’s top-of-the-line model, but unfortunately it did not sell as well as the more popular Telecaster and Stratocaster. Still, there were pockets of guitarists that appreciated the design causing its popularity to bloom – it soon became a mainstay guitar for surf, punk rock, and grunge and has since branched out to various other music styles in the present. The Classic Series ’60s Jaguar Lacquer is meant to capture the vibe of the original top-of-the-line model release in the ’60s. It is described by Fender as having the “original-era Jaguar sound, look and feel”, they add that it “epitomizes the instrument during its debut decade, when guitarists from coast to coast used it to ride waves of reverb-drenched surf and instrumental music”. The alder body of the guitar is carved

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Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster

Fender drops a big surprise for the coming holidays, unveiling the highly anticipated Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster. Related Feature:Jimi Hendrix Conspiracy Theory This new artist series guitar carries over the distinctive features of the flipped over guitar, and making it more affordable and accessible for today’s players. Being one of the most influential guitarists to date, Jimi’s flipped-over Strat continues to be among the most iconic instrument in rock history. As such, many have been waiting for Fender to release a mass production version. Finally, the long wait is over with the release of the new Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster, an affordable recreation that features the same inverted headstock and pickup configuration. Because of the rarity of left handed Stratocasters in the late ’60s, Hendrix had to make do with right handed versions, flipping them over and restringing them to fit his southpaw guitar playing. This reverse configuration had a subtle but important effect on the resulting sound of Hendrix, and is something that up to now inspired many guitarists to try flipped over guitars, including right handed players. Since simply flipping over a lefty guitar would be a little too easy, Fender decided to retain the right handed body configuration while

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Wilcox Atlantis With LightWave Optical Pickups – Summer NAMM 2015

Willcox Guitars introduces “Atlantis” acoustic-electric guitar, featuring innovative LightWave optical pickups. Related Feature:Best Acoustic Guitar Amps! Instead of using conventional magnetic pickups, mics and piezo electronics, this special pickup system utilizes infrared light technology to capture guitar tone. It will be put to the test and will be on display at the upcoming Summer NAMM Show 2015 in Nashville, TN. Wilcox Guitars have been developing this guitar and optical pickup technology for years now, its latest incarnation is now ready to take the spotlight and be inspected by curious industry people and participants at the coming 2015 Summer NAMM Show, which will be held from July 9 to July 11, 2015. Their proprietary pickup design is interesting because it can sense string vibration via infrared technology, utilizing the resulting shadow to detect movements of the strings, and transforming these movements into acoustic guitar tone. The company says that this results in a “rich, natural amplified acoustic guitar sound, rich in harmonic content – without the feedback of mics or the harshness of piezo pickups.” Another important distinction that the LightWave Optical Pickup brings is its enhanced sensitivity and wide dynamic range. This allows the pickup to capture subtle nuances and

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