NEW GEAR 36/24: MXR Randy Rhoads, Jackson Virtuoso HT, EHX POG 3 and Grotbox Monitor

Superstrats Jackson American Series Virtuoso HT

The Virtuoso HT collection represents the next chapter in the history of Jackson American-made superstrats. The HT Series differs from the previous Virtuoso series mainly in the use of a hardtail bridge from the renowned Hipshot™ brand, which allows players to quickly adjust the type of tuning. At the same time, its low profile ensures right-hand comfort when playing with the palm muting technique. The tried and tested design features an alder body, a neck glued from five layers of roasted maple and an ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets. Sound is carried by two Seymour Duncan TB-4 / SH1-N humbuckers and the headstock features Gotoh MG-T locking tuners. The Virtuoso HT is available in Satin Black, Red Crystal, Snow White or Mystic Blue.

Five Gibson Dark Walnut series models

Gibson has launched a new range of its most popular electric guitar models in an exclusive Dark Walnut finish, including the Flying V, Les Paul Junior Double Cut, Les Paul Standard 60s Plain Top, SG Standard and the semi-hollow ES-345. These pay homage to the popular walnut finishes of the 1970s and showcase the natural beauty and rich character of this wood. The limited edition of timeless instruments in gloss nitrocellulose lacquer is available exclusively on the manufacturer's website or at Gibson Garage speciality stores in Nashville and London. Prices start at approximately 1700 dollars for the LP Jr. DC, equipped with a single Dogear P-90 pickup.

Polyphonic octave pedal EHX POG3

The POG series pedals, some of the most popular models in the polyphonic octave generator category, have received their best-equipped addition yet – the POG3 programmable version with extremely fast tone detection and perfect polyphony over a four-octave range. There are six voices (Dry, -2oct, -1oct, +5th, +1oct, +2oct), each of which can be mixed with tension faders and you can also create stereo effects using the pan potentiometers and Left/Right/Direct outputs. The effects section has been expanded to include envelope control, an adjustable Q parameter for the new multi-filter has been added, and the Detune unit has been improved. Editing is easier thanks to an OLED display and Navcoder knob, levels are now controllable via expression or MIDI. The bank can hold a hundred presets and of course, the EHXport app (PC, Mac) is included. Price: approx 645 dollars.

MXR RR104 Randy Rhoads MXR Distortion+

Back in December last year, the MXR brand hinted that it was preparing a reissue of the Distortion+ pedal, more precisely a replica of a particular vintage model that Randy Rhoads (6 December 1956 – 19 April 1982), guitarist of Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne's backing band, had in his pedalboard. This special edition is finally being released, in a "polka dot" design taken from Randy's popular Flying V built in 1979 by Karl Sandoval. It comes with an exclusive booklet, certification, rubber potentiometer caps and other accessories. Price: approximately 170 dollars.

Tube combo amp Peavey invective.112

In addition to the invective.120 and MH amplifiers, built according to the preferences of Mishi Mansoor of the band Periphery, Peavey introduces the invective.112, a compact combo based, like its predecessors, on the legacy of the legendary 6505 series. The 20W model, which can be switched to 5 or 1W, is equipped with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, 3x12AX7 / 2xEL84 tubes, an effects loop, a USB port and an emulated XLR output with MSDI technology. The two-channel preamp with selectable boost and noise gate offers registers ranging from crystal-clear sound to wide crunch to modern high-gain. Price: approx 1200 dollars.

Fender Cobalt Chrome Bass pickup sets

Fender has announced the production of Chrome Cobalt low-noise pickup sets for Precision, Jazz Bass or their more modern P/J relatives combining both pickup variants. The development was handled by renowned engineer Tim Shaw, who based the single coils on FeCrCo magnets made from a proprietary compound that provides increased dynamic range, punch and maximum clarity of the resulting tone. Both the split P single and the JB version have adjustable pole extensions and metal covers that act as a shield to help eliminate the mains hum.

Minicombo Phil Jones Bass Double Four Plus BG-80

The bestseller in the professional bass mini combo category is now available in a new Double Four Plus BG-80 version, whose stereo Class-D power amp provides 90W (2x 45W). The single-channel model with a pair of patented four-inch speakers and a three-band equaliser is equipped with an aux input, headphone jack, line recording output, Bluetooth module (V5.1, aptX HD) and, in addition to a power cord, you can use the USB-C port (DC 20V) and power the combo via a mobile power bank. Despite its compact size, the BG-80 can handle even down-tuned or five-string instruments with passive and active electronics.

Rattlesnake Rick-O-Sound Splitter Bundle

For those who own Rickenbacker basses with the Rick-O-Sound system or instruments that use a combination of piezo and magnetic pickups with a single TRS output, American manufacturer Rattlesnake Cable has prepared the Rick-O-Sound Splitter Bundle, which enables you to easily split and route the signal to two mono outputs. This allows for connection to two separate amplifiers, various pedalboard connections or other creative configurations. The set includes a quality TRS Snake Head cable and a TRS to Dual Mono Splitter Box in the standard pedalboard size.

Sound card Blackstar Polar 4

Not long after the premiere of the Blackstar Polar 2 sound card, designed mainly for guitarists, there is a similarly conceived, more luxurious version of the Polar 4. The number in the name indicates that this time there are four channels with XLR/jack inputs with +48V phantom power, and compared to its predecessor there is also a second headphone output with a separate volume. The number of line outputs has increased to four and there are also DIN MIDI In/Out connectors. The instrument inputs have received high-quality FET circuits with function Enhance, mimicking the behaviour of the input section of tube amplifiers. There is also a practical loopback, proprietary software, etc.

Secondary Reference Monitors Subdust Grotbox GBOXM1

To ensure clarity of the final recording not only on Hi-Fi sets but also on various cheaper and more compact systems, sound engineers use so-called secondary reference monitors in studio mixing, whose characteristics are close to those of mass-market loudspeakers. The Grotbox GBOXM1 active mono speaker from the British company Subdust is designed precisely for this purpose. The model with a plastic chassis measuring just 85 x 85 x 80 mm can be powered via USB-C port, the signal connection is handled by a minijack, there is an in-line control and the output reaches 3 W (4 ohms). The price of the version with a black, blue, grey or red front grille is around about 20 pounds.