NEW GEAR 30/24: Zappa's Strat, Keeley Echo, Laney Combos and Fuchs Cabinets

Mogabi V3: foldable guitar with Bluetooth

Mogabi AMT Inc. is advertising an unconventional model of the Mogabi V3 travel guitar on Kickstarter, which has a foldable articulated design, a built-in 10 W amplifier with a full range speaker (40 mm diameter), an effects unit and a wireless Bluetooth module. The sound is carried by a pair of Strat 580 single coils or a combination of 648 Modern (HB + SC) and the body frame is made of walnut wood, metal and ABS. The sound system is also compatible with a dynamic microphone and the memory of the recording section can hold up to 32 GB of audio, while the mode Mix allows you to use the recorded backing track together with the guitar signal, which will be appreciated by buskers, among others. The manufacturer prices this model at about 940 dollars, including a special compact case.

Shabat Lynx DZ: Dweezil Zappa's new superstrat

The Lynx DZ from Shabat Guitars is a faithful replica of the heavily modified Shabat Lynx model by Dweezil Zappa (son of Frank Zappa), including an HSS pickup configuration with push/pull phase switching on the middle single coil, simplified controls with a volume potentiometer and five-position switch, Kluson Deluxe pickups and a Vega-Trem VT1 tremolo. There's a Lollar El Rayo bridge humbucker and two Special S singles, the alder body has a relic finish, the Medium-C profile maple neck carries a fingerboard made from the same material, fitted with 22 Dunlop Nickel Steel 6105 frets, and the scale measures a standard 25.5 inches. The price of the custom-made instrument starts at around 4500 dollars.

Phat Cat Silencer: noiseless P-90 pickups from Seymour Duncan

While the concept of "silent" P-90 pickups, which are sonically somewhere between single-coils and humbuckers, isn't exactly new, Seymour Duncan has decided to produce these models in the size of a standard humbucker for the Phat Cat Silencer edition, making it easier for many guitarists to upgrade their instruments. Players can choose from the Vintage (10.23 kOhm resistance) or Hot Bridge (11.76 kOhm) variants, and add a single neck version (9.74 kOhm). You can choose between sheet metal covers in classic or golden chrome, and all variants share ceramic magnets and double-core cables. Prices for individual pickups start at about 140 dollars.

Fuzz/overdrive Red Witch Hypostasia

Ben Fulton, head of Red Witch, has announced the release of the limited edition Hypostasia Fuzz Overdrive Amalgam pedal. The hand-assembled model, whose chassis is adorned with an Art Nouveau painting, is being released in just 59 units, and the manufacturer is so convinced of the quality of the workmanship and components used that they offer a lifetime warranty. The flexible pedal features a pair of inter-mixable clipping circuits: the Fuzz section is controlled by input sensitivity and output level potentiometers, while the Overdrive unit offers gain and overall volume parameters. According to Fulton, the Hypostasia delivers "drive from tasteful rhythm overdrive to full-on, singing lead sounds, from classic Clapton Beano era Rangemaster drive to Hendrixian walls of speakers tumbling to the ground. " Price: about 350 dollars.

Keeley Halo Core: limited edition of Andy Timmons' delays

Effects guru Robert Keeley has simplified the Andy Timmons Halo Dual Echo reverb pedal and the result is the Halo Core delay with a more affordable price tag of about 200 dollars. Like its predecessor, the Core version features modulation, saturation and compression to give the sound a tape-style echo character, the quarter note mode has been retained and the maximum delay time is 1500ms. The Infinite Hold function has been redesigned and the triple potentiometers Level, Time and Feedback can also be used to adjust the Saturate, Tone and high-pass filtering parameters. You can choose between true or trail bypass, there is the tap tempo and dual inputs and outputs for a true stereo connection. The Halo Core series is limited to 300 units.

Laney combo amps from Lionheart Foundry edition

The new affordable Laney Lionheart Foundry Series combos, the LF60-112, LFSuper60-112 and LFSuper60-212, bring the sound of the Lionheart tube series in the transistor form, including dynamic interactivity and responsiveness. Critical sections such as the tone stack, gain and EQ circuits have been faithfully converted using discrete analogue components set to match the behaviour of the tube templates. All versions are dual-channel with Pre Boost, reverb, Bright/Dark switches, Low Power function, effects loop, emulated line out, Aux In, headphone jack and HH H1260 speakers. Super60 variants add tremolo, chorus or enhanced LA-IR emulation.

Upgraded mini models Kala California U-Bass 2024

California-based Kala has relaunched the California U-Bass series, dedicated to handmade professional basses in ukulele size, including the four- and five-string UB4 and UB5 models in KOA and MAP versions in both fretted and fretless variants. Common features include swamp ash bodies, maple necks, 24 frets, a piezo pickup tied to an LR Baggs active preamp and a high-quality Graph Tech HeliumX bridge with Ghost bridge saddles. You can choose between a maple or rosewood fingerboard and a top made from Hawaiian koa or big-leaf flame maple. The instruments, equipped with magnetic electronics cover, deluxe gig bag and service keys, are priced around 1,500 dollars for the UB4 with a 21-inch scale and 1,600 dollars for the UB5 version with a 23.5-inch scale.

Collection Music Man Bongo 2024

The Music Man Bongo 2024 edition of four, five and six-string modern basses is now fitted with durable and increasingly popular stainless steel frets. At the same time, the San Luis Obispo, California-based company has added Mantis Green and Blood Orange gloss lacquers or Stealth Black and Titan Gray satin finishes. The lime body shape and maple neck with ergonomic joint offer unrestricted access to the higher positions of the two-octave fingerboard, while the sound is carried by two Music Man humbuckers with neodymium magnets and an active preamp (18V DC) with four-band EQ and superior dynamics.

Bass cabinets Fuchs FAT112C and FAT112N Neo

Fuchs Audio launches a pair of compact FAT 1x12 bass cabinets measuring approx. 40.5 x 40.5 x 34.5 cm, made of lightweight plywood with an Italian poplar core and birch shell, coated with a durable, textured black latex coating. Both cabinets feature bass-reflex and internal structural bracing to eliminate unwanted resonance or vibration, offering clean projection, tight bass, rich mids and fast attack. The 94dB, 500W version of the FAT112C features a Celestion Pulse-12.20 ferrite speaker (50 Hz – 4 kHz), while the neodymium FAT112N Neo uses a Celestion BN-12-300 (32 Hz – 2.2 kHz) with 300W and 99dB sensitivity.

Fender x Teufel Rockster Series Bluetooth Speakers

Fender continues to diversify its catalogue of portable Bluetooth speakers with the Rockster edition, developed in collaboration with German company Teufel. The flagship of the collection is the premium "party" model Rockster AIR 2, which can handle larger events, DJing, etc., features high-resolution sound, a high-capacity battery and can also be connected to a microphone or guitar. The more compact, water-resistant Rockster Cross variant uses the Teufel Dynamore technology for an especially wide soundstage, also found in the smallest version, the IP67 dust-proof Rockster GO 2. Official pricing: AIR 2 about 600 dollars, Cross about 250 dollars, GO 2 about 130 dollars.