Guitarsite News

Eastwood Hi-Flyer Phase 4 Electric Guitar

Eastwood Guitars brings back a classic guitar design with the new Hi-Flyer Phase 4, featuring a slanted neck pickup. [Click to Enlarge] This guitar is based on the original Univox Hi-Flier Phase 4 model, introduced in 1977 and was seen in Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box video. Although using modern materials, Eastwood Guitars designed the new Hi-Flyer Phase 4 guitar to be a true replica. It maintains all the fine details with regard to the asymmetrical shape and cut of the basswood body as well as the profile of the bolt-on maple neck. Eastwood hopes to provide the same vibe and sound as those found on vintage Univox guitars. The Eastwood Hi-Flyer Phase 4 Hardtail model is based on the white guitar that Kurt Cobain used on Nirvana’s 1993 music video “Heart Shaped Box”. It features the same aesthetics and build, including the white finish and pickguard. The guitar has a set maple neck with a maple fretboard. It follows the same scale length of 24.75″ and nut width of 1.625″. To replicate the vintage tone of the original, Eastwood equipped this guitar with Phase 4 Open humbuckers that follow the distinctive pickup configuration of the original. Tone controls are kept

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Eastwood Airline ’59 Coronado Sailor Jerry Custom

Eastwood Guitars team up with tattoo, rum and lifestyle marketing man Sailor Jerry to create the Airline ’59 Coronado Sailor Jerry Custom. This limited edition guitar is commissioned by Sailor Jerry and features his custom tattoo graphics on the front and back. Aside from the nice tattoo graphics, the Sailor Jerry Custom carries the same retro vibe and design that the other Airline ’59 Coronado guitars have. The Coronado series is Eastwood’s tribute to the Supro Coronado model that was used by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. At the core of this guitar is a Vintage Cream mahogany body wrapped in rubber body binding. It also features Eastwood guitar’s toned chambered design. The Airline ’59 Coronado Sailor Jerry Custom comes with a 25 ½” scale length bolt-on neck. This maple neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard that features block markers and vintage style zero fret. Nut width is measured at 1 11/16″. [Click to Enlarge] To guitar features some great looking hardware which include a TonePros Tune-O-Matic bridge, custom chrome tail and Wilkinson Tuners. The sound of this guitar is captured by two Alnico Hot-10 Humbuckers that can be switched on and off by mini-switches located just above

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Line 6 JTV-69S Guitar

Line 6 introduces another James Tyler Variax model, the JTV-69S with Strat-like design and 3 single coil pickups. This guitar is based on traditional Strat SSS configuration, equipping the guitar with vintage-voiced single-coil pickups loaded with alnico magnets. This new Variax guitar is also designed by luthier James Tyler, combining traditional boutique level quality with modern modeling capability. The JTV-69S expands on the familiar Strat shape, pickup configuration and sound by adding 29 built-in modeled instruments. Following traditional build, the body of the JTV-69S is made of Alder. The body is cut into a double cutaway Stratocaster like shape that is a bit sharper on the edges. The guitar has a bolt-on solid maple neck that measures at 25.5″ scale length, it is cut into Tyler ’59 neck shape. The neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard that carries 22 medium-jumbo frets and dot inlays. The nut however strays from the traditional, equipped with modern Graph Tech Black Tusq XL self-lubricating. 28 Guitar Models The headstock comes with sealed locking/staggered tuners with 16:1 ratio, and it works together with the guitar’s Tyler-designed tremolo bridge to keep the guitar in-tune. The hardware on this guitar is chrome. Being part of the

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Line 6 Variax Standard – NAMM 2015

Line 6 unveils the result of the first major collaboration between Line 6 and Yamaha, the Variax Standard, combining Yamaha’s craftsmanship and Line 6 instrument modeling technology. Related Feature:Line 6 Now Under Yamaha The guitar will be on display at the Line 6 2015 NAMM booth found in room 212A, and is described as the company’s attempt to make a Variax instrument that is more affordable and accessible. Since joining with Yamaha in January 2014, I have been expecting that Yamaha will be infusing their quality mass production expertise into Line 6’s existing manufacturing process. And it looks like this is this will be just one of the many products that will be produced by the collaboration of the two companies. As expected, the Variax Standard features Line 6 modeling technology that allows it to reproduce the sound of a wide variety of guitars, from vintage to modern and even exotic instruments. Variax HD technology has come a long way, and to my ears they are now much closer to the actual guitars that the model, even the sonic details, feel and response are convincing if not downright amazing. If the line up of virtual guitar models are not enough,

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Line 6 Variax Standard Limited Edition Emerald

Line 6 celebrate their 20th anniversary with the new custom-finished Variax Standard Limited Edition Emerald guitar. Related Feature:Line 6 Spider V Series Amplifiers This limited run release features the same technology that they co-developed with Yamaha, carrying the same playability, versatility and innovative technology while having a distinct emerald green finish. Limited to a very smalll production run of just 225 guitars, and considering that this guitar is available for all their customers around the world, this 20th anniversary commemorative model will probably fly off the shelves in a very short time. The main difference that this limited edition model brings to the table is its distinct look, courtesy of its custom emerald green finish. Other distinguishing features include a “Limited Edition” insignia on the neck plate, which also houses a serial number (1-225) that indicates the production number of the particular guitar. Other than these aesthetic difference this model is still a Variax Standard guitar through and through, with a double cutaway alder body that is obviously inspired by the Strat design. But it’s not just your average electric guitar though, because the it carries over Line 6’s Variax HD technology, which means that the guitar comes with built-in

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Line 6 Spider V Series Amplifiers

Line 6 finally unveils the new Spider V series, the latest iteration of their popular entry level amplifier line, with upgraded amp and effects modeling and other extra features. Related Feature:Best Practice Amps Love them or hate them, the Spider series is easily among the top selling amp in the market, so the details of this new version is very much interesting to guitarists everywhere, and I’m sure their competitors are eagerly anticipating as well. Everyone is expecting the new Spider V amps to come with even more features, specifically in the amp and effects modeling department, and with the information that they gave out, it looks like Line 6 did not disappoint. They list the Spider V as having over 200 amps, cabs and effects to choose from, and it breaks down into 78 amp models, 23 cabinets, and 101 effects. For the price, the Spider Amp V will have the more models than any amp within its price range, so it will definitely take quite a while to go through all the models, let alone trying out the many ways of combining them. Line 6 specifically mentioned that the DSP of these new amps will allow up to

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Roland New York Blues Tone Capsule for Blues Cube

Roland expands the tone options of their Blues Cube amplifier yet again with the New York Blues Tone Capsule. Related Feature:Eric Johnson Tone Capsule This new Tone Capsule is meant to transform the sound of the Blues Cube amp to the “Class A” British combo amplifier sound, with EL84 tubes flavor combined with the blues sound of New York. The Blues Cube amp is an interesting approach to amp modeling, combining analog solid state amp designs with digital sound processing to achieve realistic sound and feel. Instead of using pure DSP (digital sound processing), Roland combined DSP with solid state analog circuitry to replicate tube amp nuances like the interaction between the amplifier and the speaker. The in-depth reproduction of the feel and tone improves fidelity and realism, but it is not without drawback. Since it utilizes an analog circuit, it is bound by the same one-voicing limitation as regular analog solid-state amps, changing the tone requires changing the circuit itself. Interestingly, Roland found a way to make the design versatile by using a modular amplifier circuit, allowing you to conveniently swap out the part of the amp that can change the resulting sound. This particular component is called the

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Roland Blues Cube Stage – 2014 Summer NAMM

Roland introduces the 60-Watt amp Blues Cube Stage, a blues-friendly addition to their popular Cube amp series. Related Feature:Roland Cube GX Amps This amp is part of the company’s reinvented Blues Cube series, which they claim better reproduces the tone and feel of the tube amps that helped shape the blues guitar sound. Amp modeling technology is getting better and better, thanks to the stiff competition between amp and effects manufacturers. With so many new amp models released this year, Roland is not about to let up, expanding their line of guitar amplifiers. The Blues Cube series is quite ambitious because it targets blues guitar players. These are players that rely less on effects, so they are more particular with tone, feel, dynamics and amp response. Roland knows how to price their products competitively but in order to capture this market, the brand has to come up with a convincing tube-like amp. To recreate the behavior of tube amps, the company equipped the new Blues Cube Stage with their latest “Tube Logic” technology. It is described as a design philosophy that carefully reproduces the inner workings of tweed-era tube amps down to the minor details. All the components of the

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Roland ships Cube-80X guitar amplifier

Roland has announced general availability of the most powerful guitar amplifier in the CUBE-Series lineup, the new CUBE-80X Guitar Amplifier. Expanding on the top-selling CUBE-60, the CUBE-80X delivers a massive 80 watts of power through a 12″ speaker, and features a switchable clean and lead channel design derived from its predecessor. Not only does the CUBE-80X add more power, it brings exciting new features to the world of portable guitar amps, including a new looper function and SOLO function with memory ability. The instantly recallable SOLO function stores the settings of every LEAD channel control, allowing easy use as a third channel, boost and more and can be toggled via footswitch. Ten onboard COSM?? amp models include the new “DLX COMBO.” Also onboard are six classic Roland effects with independently controllable delay and reverb, including a model of the classic spring reverb for a natural sound. The CUBE-80X also offers a new convenient tuner function and multiple inputs and outputs, including an auxiliary input for playing along with external MP3 or CD players. With an incredible amount of useful features in one powerful compact amplifier, the CUBE-80X sets a new standard for portable guitar amplification. The CUBE-80X is now shipping

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Roland Cube-10GX Amplifier

Roland introduces the new Cube -10GX, a compact amp with COSM amp modeling and recording. Related Feature:Low Cost Guitar Amps This 10 Watt combo amp features a custom-designed 8″ speaker and comes with the company’s latest COSM amp modeling technology and built-in effects. By default, the new Cube 10GX has 3 COSM amp presets: Clean, Crunch and Lead. Instead of going with the trend of small amps having tons of amp models, Roland opted to for quality over quantity, leaving the amp with enough room for only 3 resource-heavy COSM presets. Thankfully, Roland thought of a way to conveniently replace the default presets with other COSM models via an app that works for both iOS and Android. The app mentioned is called Cube Kit, a convenient amp customization software that will let you use your Android or iOS device to change the 3 COSM presets of the amp. It currently comes with 10 different COSM amps that cover a variety of musical style, from jazz to classic rock to high-gain metal. You can also plug-in your acoustic guitar and use the acoustic-electric guitar amp preset that is available. Cube Kit is scheduled for release this month, and will be freely

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Roland Cube GX Amps

Roland welcomes the new Cube GX amplifier line, coming in20W, 40W and 80W combos, as well as in Micro Cube format. This new amps carry upgraded COSM amp models and digital effects, they also feature convenient iOS connectivity. With the success of the original Cube series, its only logical for Roland to take their portable amp product line seriously. They decided that the amps need more tonal flexibility and portability, features that are now found on the new Cube GX series. These new combo amplifiers retain the elements that made the Cube very popular, while adding essential features and improvements. Like the original, the Cube GX series come in a tank tough cabinet that is compact and easy to carry around. The amps also retain Roland’s COSM amp modeling and switchable channels, only this time there are even more amp models and effects to choose from. The amps come with three separate channels, first of which is the JC Clean which carries Roland’s popular chorus tone. The Lead channel gives you access to the many COSM amp simulations that covers everything from warm drive to high-gain. Finally, the Solo channel is where you store the sounds that you have set-up

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Roland Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule

Roland teams up with guitar tone wizard Eric Johnson to recreate his signature tones via the Blues Cube Tone Capsule. Related Feature:Roland Blues Cube Stage The Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule is a user installable voicing circuit that transforms the voicing of the Roland Blues Cube amp into a close approximation of the artist’s actual tube amp. The Roland Blues Cube amp features an interesting technology called “Tube Logic”, where they claim to achieve tube like response and attack using more reliable and lightweight solid state format. Interestingly they did not simply utilize their existing digital amp modeling technology, instead they went for a different approach. What makes this amp even more interesting is the ability to re-voice itself via the Tone Capsule socket on the chassis. You can think of it as a slot where you can plug-in capsules that will transform the Blues Cube into different sounding tube amps. The Tone Capsule is an interesting concept from Roland, and I would describe it as the analog version of amp modeling where in the capsule actually alters the circuitry of the amp resulting in a different tone. The idea seems pretty straightforward, but I did not think that

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Oakland Axe Factory Falcon Headless Guitar

Oakland Axe Factory unveils the Falcon, a customizable headless electric guitar available in 6/7/8 string configurations. Related Feature:Electric Guitar DIY Kits Like their previous offerings, the Falcon is available in open selection where you can put together your preferred pickups and hardware to build your own personalized electric guitar. With it’s headless design, this electric guitar is as efficient and practical as it gets without sacrificing playability and tone. Compared to regular electric guitars, the Falcon will look stripped down, but this is only true of the wood mass, weight and size because the company aims to provide the same functionality, playability and tone. According to the company, “The goal behind the Falcon was to make a guitar that pushes the boundaries, yet feels familiar and comfortable…” To achieve this, Oakland Axe Factory decided to use a sleek shallow C-profile neck, and paired with a deep contoured body. To ensure comfort, the top of the body is carved while the back has rounded edges. The body shape is designed to avoid any hard edges, especially in places where the guitar comes into contact with your forearm or your body. Even the belly cut is designed to hug your chest, along

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Dean Zelinsky Johnny Winter Signature Guitar

Dean Zelinsky Guitars unveil the John Winter Signature, a dual humbucker guitar with custom engraved top. Related Feature:Great Electric Guitars for under $500 This is based on the same guitar that Zelinsky made for the popular blues guitarist, which Winter used on many of his performances, until his untimely passing in July of 2014. The most notable feature of this signature guitar is its highly engraved flame maple top, which was specially designed for Johnny. The top looks like a fine piece of furniture with wood carvings, and has his name prominently engraved on the part where the right arm meets the body. It’s hard to miss the details of the carvings, which makes this instrument visually stand out when compared to conventional guitars. The engraved Canadian rock maple top is set on top of a thin mahogany body that follows the shape of traditional single cutaway electric guitars. This thin body is described as being really light, while still having the look and appeal of old heavy instruments. Finally, the body is wrapped in high gloss dark walnut finish to complete the signature guitar’s earthy appeal. Dean Zelinsky shared the story behind the signature guitar, he said, “I am

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PRS McCarty 594

PRS Guitars introduce the McCarty 594, a core production version of the February guitar of the month Private Stock 594. Related Feature:PRS John Mayer Private Stock Super Eagle The McCarty 594 gets its name from its distinct scale length of 24.594″, a departure from the usual 25″ and 24.5″ scale necks that they use on many of their popular guitar models. PRS describes the new McCarty 594 as vintage inspired, and this is justified with the the guitar’s cosmetics, attention to details and its four knob configuration. And this classic style control configuration, along with the coil split capable circuit and the use of a shorter scale length makes this guitar distinct from other PRS models. They also describe the McCarty 594 as having modern playability, and this can be attributed to the two 58/15 LT pickups that are wired to push/pull coil taps on the tone control. This means that you can enjoy both humbucker and single-coil sounds, without the inherent hum and noise found on regular single-coil pickups. The dedicated volume and tone knobs also allow for more control over the sound of each pickup, and allow for interesting blends. The resulting tone is described as having a

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Guild Starfire VI – NAMM 2016

Guild reintroduces the Starfire VI, the flagship model for their double cutaway semi-hollow electric guitar line. Related Feature:Guild Starfire V with Bigsby This new release is part of the continued expansion of the Starfire line, and showcases the company’s renewed interest in developing their electric guitar line up further. The Starfire models are obviously inspired by another popular guitar maker, but they are subtly different, enough for vintage specimens to be highly sought after. Even popular guitarists like John Mayer have used them on stage, and so having them reproduced today as production models is an easy call for the company, especially since they are now under Cordoba. As expected, the new Starfire VI follows after the Newark St. Collection’s Starfire V production model, carrying over the same double-cutaway body shape but with more cosmetic bling. The body itself is crafted from AAA flamed maple top, back and sides, which means that each plank is chosen for their grain quality. Following traditional semi-hollow designs, it comes with a solid centerblock. The neck is crafted from a three-piece maple/walnut/maple combination with a bound rosewood fingerboard. There is no mention of the neck profile yet, but if it follows that of the

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RJ Super Vintage 5-in-1 Guitar – NAMM 2016

The RJ Super Vintage is an electric guitar that can switch between five popular guitars without built-in DSP modeling. Related Feature: Best Semi-Hollow Guitars The guitar company from the Philippines designed this new 5-in-1 model to reproduce the tone of five iconic guitars that cover multiple musical styles, including the Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Fender Jazzmaster, Gibson Les Paul, and the Gibson ES335. The story goes that this guitar was released locally in 2014, and is now getting a worldwide release this year in time for the 2016 NAMM Trade Show. This move to export the guitar is said to be inspired by UK endorsers and positive user and expert reviews. The RJ Super Vintage guitar itself looks pretty straightforward, but it does have a unique appeal to it. What makes it special however are the special switching electronics and custom hand wound pickups that allow for on-the-fly voicing changes. Instead of copying the look of the five guitars that it is trying to reproduce, the guitar looks more like something inspired by Rickenbacker, with a semi-hollow double cutaway body. The body is crafted from locally sourced Philippine mango wood, which may not be a popular tonewood, but it does

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Knaggs Severn X

Knaggs Guitars introduce the Severn X, their latest hand-built Super Strat style guitar with proprietary Hinge tremolo. Related Feature:Best Electric Guitars for under $1000 This new guitar is based on the original Severn model, carrying over the same body shape with some adjustments and improvements done to the hardware installed and the neck playing feel. The company describes this new release as a modern update to the Severn model, designed to challenge other Super Strat style guitars in the market with its versatile tone, improved sustain and fast string action. And since this guitar is built by Joe Knaggs, you can expect it to be quite a challenger, considering his experience with similarly designed guitars. Joe was once part of PRS, and not just a part, but the head of their R & D department for some years. He even became the head of PRS’ Private Stock department, which meant that he had a hand on almost every Private Stock the company built during his time, as evidenced by his signature being found on the COAs and headstocks of these guitars. As expected, the Severn X guitar carries some PRS elements with it, but it offers important distinctions that helped

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Experience PRS 2016 Custom 24-08

PRS unveils limited run guitar in time for the 2016 Experience PRS event, it features an expanded control layout with mini-switches for coil splitting. Related Feature:PRS McCarty 594 This guitar commemorates the 8th Experience PRS Event, incorporating the intuitive switching system found on the PRS 408 model into the Custom 24 design, hence the name Custom 24-08. The Custom 24 is easily the most easily identifiable PRS guitar, it debuted at the first NAMM Show the company attended in 1985, and has since evolved into different variations. The Experience PRS 2016 Custom 24-08 is the latest iteration of this design, a limited run release that is meant to commemorate the recently concluded Experience PRS 2016 event. The most curious feature of this guitar is the addition of two mini-toggle switches that let you control the coil splitting of the two 85/15 Multi-Tap pickups. This in conjunction with the 3-way blade pickup selector switch expands the pickup combination that you can get from this guitar to eight, which is quite a lot for a dual humbucker equipped guitar. You can go from humbucker to single-coil and mix them as you please via the switches. PRS Guitars President Jack Higginbotham said, “As

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PRS Private Stock Custom 24 8-String

PRS unveils their August Guitar of the Month, the Private Stock Custom 24 8-string with Seymour Duncan Alpha and Omega pickups. Related Feature:PRS SE Mark Holcomb Signature The Private Stock department of PRS was born after the company finished their “Guitar of the Month” special releases in 1996. So it is only fitting that they celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Private Stock with a year long release of limited run Guitar of the Month models, which include this new Custom 24 8-String. The new PRS Private Stock Custom 24 8-String guitar is inspired by the 8-string that PRS co-designed with one of their artist endorsers, Mark Holocomb of Periphery. It will only be available within the month of August, and only 8 will be produced for the month, so it sure will be an exclusive release. PRS Director of Private Stock Paul Miles said, “When we were building Mark Holcomb’s 8-string model, the Private Stock team knew it was something special that we wanted to explore in The Guitars of the Month program. With each Guitar of the Month model, we celebrate our 20th Anniversary of Private Stock by exploring new designs and exceptional materials. The results are heirloom quality

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