Peavey Unleashes Aggressive New PXD Series Guitars

NAMM–Peavey proudly introduces the PXD Series, a new breed of extreme electric guitars that captures the aggression and attitude of modern metal guitar players. Read more

Paul Reed Smith Sweet 16 Amplifier

Paul Reed Smith is well known in the guitar community for his ultra-plush, high-end guitar designs and has recently made the move into making a line of tube amps, as well. His latest offering is the Sweet 16 head, which gives players a mighty 16 watts of cathode-biased 6v6 tube power, a full TMB tone stack, reverb, and PRS’ completely transparent master volume circuit. Read more

The Tone King Video Music Gear Review Channel On YouTube

Buying music gear, especially online, can be a little tricky. It can be hard to know how something really sounds and how it performs in real-world situations just by reading manufacturer’s websites and eBay ad copy. The whole process should be a little easier these days, however, thanks to the new gear review video channel launched by The Tone King on YouTube. Read more

ESP Guitars – EX, EX Diamond Plate & FX

ESP Guitars is proud to announced 12 new models to be released this fall 2009. The new Standard Series models include some juicy updates to the Eclipse, EX, and V lines, plus two new 7-string guitars and a whole new body style for ESP: the Phoenix-II. Click the hyperlink to view pictures and the specs of each new Standard Series ESP guitar models. p://gear-vault.com/esp-guitars-phoenix-ii-phoenix-ii-bass” title=”ESP Guitars Phoenix-II & Bass” rel=”dofollow”>Phoenix-II. Click the hyperlink to view pictures and the specs of each new Standard Series ESP guitar models.

EX, EX Diamond Plate & FX
The ESP EX/EXP models have been the source of some great music in the past. Down through its development, this model has been the favorite of many great players including James Hetfield of Metallica. Well it’s time to bring the EX back into the ESP family! The new ESP EX comes in the classic 24.75” scale and features a mahogany body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard and EMG 81 and 60 pickups. Black nickel Gotoh tuners and bridge look sweet on the black finish.

Now, take that same guitar, beef it up with an anodized aluminum diamondplate body shield and you have the EX Diamond Plate! This guitar is so metal, it’s actually made from metal…at least the top, anyway.

If you’re into the EX shape and a natural finish, check out the ESP FX. It’s a natural mahogany-finished guitar in the EX body style, with the headstock shape from our F series. It features Sperzel locking tuners, a Gotoh bridge, and those amazing EMG 81/60 active pickups.

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EX

Spec:

• Set-Neck
• 24.75” Scale
• Mahogany Body
• Maple Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• 42mm Bone Nut
• Thin U Neck Contour
• 22 XJ Frets
• Black Nickel Hardware
• Gotoh Tuners
• Gotoh TOM Bridge & Tail
• EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u.
• Finish: SW, BLK

EX Diamond Plate

Spec:

• Set-Neck
• 24.75” Scale
• Mahogany Body
• Maple Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• 42mm Bone Nut
• Thin U Neck Contour
• 22 XJ Frets
• Black Nickel Hardware
• Gotoh Tuners
• Gotoh TOM Bridge & Tail
• EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u.
• Finish: BLK w/Diamond Plate

FX

Spec:

• Set-Neck
• 24.75” Scale
• Mahogany Body
• Mahogany Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• 42mm Bone Nut
• Thin U Neck Contour
• 22 XJ Frets
• Black Nickel Hardware
• Sperzel Locking Tuners
• Gotoh TOM Bridge & Tail
• EMG 81 (B) / 60 (N) Active p.u.
• Finish: PBS (Padauk Brown Satin)

Guitar Amps 101 – Choosing the right Guitar Amp

Guitars are simple, right? Most of us know what we like, which family tree (Leo or Orville) our axe of choice descends from, and all of that. Amps, however, are another matter, entirely. There are more types of guitar amplifiers available today than ever before and, to the uninitiated, picking the proper amp to suit our musical and financial needs can seem like a crapshoot. Read more

Ibanez Xiphos XPT700XH Video Review

The Ibanez Xiphos XPT700XH has an extreme look and an even more extreme tone. 27 frets, ripping-fast Wizard II neck and Dimarzio pickups are just a few of its shred-friendly features, with Mahogany Body – Wizard II Neck-Thru Neck includes Dimarzio Pickups – Edge III Bridge – Green Shadow Flat Finish. The Ibanez Xiphos XPT700XH makes guitar gods of mere mortals. Read more

Guitar Amps 101 – Modeling Made Easy

Modeling amplifiers, or those who digitally replicate the tones of other amps, started out as kind of a fad but have stayed around and now have what appears to be a permanent place in the MI marketplace. It is easy to see why these types of amps are attractive to many players. Even a small practice amp with modeling technology will deliver just about any effect or tone that a player would want and also make an excellent choice for recording great guitar tracks. Read more

Guitar Amps 101 – Tube or Solid State Amps?

There is always a lot of discussion in guitar amp circles about tube amps vs. solid state amps. Traditionalists and tone snobs always lean towards tube amps, as they are what produced the great tones of yester-year that inspired most of us to play guitar in the first place and the warm, natural sound that they produce have become what the electric guitar is all about to many people. Read more

Gibson Robot Guitar Review

Gibson has taken a bold technological step with the introduction of their Les Paul and SG robot guitars. While they may not be for everybody, these two models get high marks for both innovation and functionality. Plus, they’re really cool. Read more

Washburn WM526 Review

For many players, the notion that shred has died is nothing but a bold faced lie, even though the rumors have been bouncing around since the beginning of the same. Shred still maintains a solid fan base, thanks to fast-fingered players like Via, Satch, John Petrucci, and a few select others. Of course, when it comes to near godlike technique, one needs an equally well built axe that can dish out the shred (as well as take the abuse…seriously, have you ever seen Vai live?). Fortunately, Washburn Guitars has recently released their HM series of guitars which are designed with shredders and heavy metal warriors (hence the HM) in mind. Of course, one couldn’t have shred without being quirky, so oddly enough the model numbers do not begin with HM. Today, we’re checking out the Washburn WM526.

If you are looking for a guitar that is built for speed, the WM526 is it. The Washburn guys gave the WM526 a set Mahogany neck that comes in a 25.5” scale, a carbon glass composite fretboard, Parker stainless steel frets, a Buzz Feinten tuning system, an original Floyd Rose tremolo setup (mandatory for dive bombing and screeching), Grover tuners and pair EMG active pickups (namely an EMG 85 in the neck and an EMG 81 at the bridge). OK, you can breathe now.

The Washburn WM526 is an American-made guitar with very sleek looks. Fortunately for those non-shred types, the guitar doesn’t appear so extreme that it would be out of place in less-than-shred bands, but it’s weapon-like appearance does fit nicely into metal applications.

The WM526 has a somewhat neutral tonality, thanks to its Mahogany body and active pickup system. What does that mean? Your amps and effects will play a much larger role in the overall tonality of your sound. While this may be a turn-off for some, it’s sure to bring a smile to the face of gear fanatics.

A demo of the WM526 through AmpliTube Metal (a software plugin by IK Multimedia) yielded some interesting results. The WM526 was able to easily adapt to various effects and gain models without sounding muddy (regardless of the amounts of gain). The clarity and definition of the notes were excellent, and the WM526 easily churned out major seventh chords under high gain without the total chaos that a passive pickup system would unleash.

Anybody who has ever attempted to change strings on anything with a Floyd Rose knows that there are some obstacles involved, and the WM526 is no exception to this. Of course, one is usually willing to sacrifice a little ease of use in order to have a guitar that stays locked in tune despite all of the insane whammy bar antics that your typical shredder can dish out.

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The WM526 doesn’t weigh a ton (like some other Mahogany guitars), and is comfortable in both sitting and standing positions. The neck is neither too fat nor too thin, and the set joint is smoothly curved with almost no body bump. Reaching the higher frets on this guitar is very easy. Also, the fretboard is built for speed, featuring its carbon glass composite with an almost flat radius and virtually no resistance.

With the WM526, Washburn has created a monster shred machine. With its high-tech fretboard, high clarity, and well-behaved tonality, the WM526 will allow you to lash out with ease, all while staying in tune thanks to the Floyd Rose tremolo system.

• Price: $1,799
• Places to buy: Hot Buys – Guitars
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