NEW GEAR 47/24: EVH Star T.O.M., Soldano Preamp, Alesis Kit and Bergantino Cabinet

Special Series PRS CE 24-08 Black Limba and Swamp Ash 2024

Two models of PRS guitars from the CE 24-08 Black Limba and Swamp Ash limited series are expected to appear in European distribution at the end of the year, enhancing the CE bolt-on neck collection with instruments with different sound characteristics. Both the Black Limba version in Natural finish and the Swamp Ash variant, available in six transparent lacquers, share 85/15 humbuckers with two mini-toggle coil-tap pickup switches that offer eight configurations in combination with a classic three-position toggle switch. The neck has a comfortable Pattern Thin profile, there is the company's patented tremolo and lightweight Low-Mass locking tuners.

EVH Limited Edition Star T.O.M. 2024

The EVH brand has released another limited edition of Star guitars, whose extravagant lime body is fitted with a solid tune-o-matic bridge and a stop bar tailpiece. The quartersawn maple neck has a vintage hockey stick headstock carrying Gotoh tuners and the ebony fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets received a variable radius. Electronics include an EVH Wolfgang bridge humbucker, Bourns volume potentiometer with treble bleed circuit and a killswitch. In addition to the black or cream finish, a Silverburst finish is now available. Price including gig bag: about 1300 dollars.

Luxury acoustics Gibson Jimmy Page 1964 SJ-200 and SJ-200 Collector’s Edition

Jimmy Page chose a mid-60s Gibson SJ-200 acoustic guitar when recording his debut Led Zeppelin album (1969) The Nashville-based brand is now launching replicas of that guitar in the form of the Jimmy Page 1964 SJ-200 and SJ-200 Collector's Edition models. Made in close collaboration with Page, the deluxe series offers the same design, sound characteristics and aged Cherry Tea finish as the original. The back and sides are made from the highly flamed AAA maple and the top is from equally high-quality Sitka. The Super Jumbo body is slightly deeper at the neck joint than the standard SJ-200, which, along with the tune-o-matic bridge, contributes to a unique sound unmatched by any instrument in the related line. The new model will cost about 13000 dollars and the limited Collector's Edition (50 pieces) will be available for about 20 000 dollars.

JHS Pedals Flight Delay with modulation

This easy-to-use mono delay offers Analog, Reverse and Digital modes inspired by the favourite delays of JHS Pedals' boss Josh Scott – the EHX Memory Man, Boss DM-2, Boss DD-5, Ibanez DE7 and the reverse mode included in the Line 6 DL4. In addition, you can use the rhythm section (quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted eighth notes), the chorus/vibrato modulation section with associated Rate and Depth parameters and the Trail function. The right footswitch is reserved for tap tempo, which can also be selected by an external switch with a dedicated Tap/Exp input, also serving as an expression pedal changing the reverb time. With a price tag of about 250 dollars, the versatile Flight Delay is available in white or blue.

Humbuckers Gibson Dirty Fingers Onyx and Dirty Fingers SM Onyx

The Gibson Pickup Shop has added the Dirty Fingers Onyx and Dirty Fingers SM Onyx humbuckers, which may be an ideal choice for rock or metal guitarists looking for an aggressive sound with more flexibility. The Onyx series adopts the concept of the Dirty Fingers pickups from the 1970s, with the standard version featuring a trio of ceramic magnets and rewound coils, while the SM variant uses a single ceramic magnet for increased midrange clarity. Both humbuckers have a resistance of 15 kOhm, can be placed to the bridge and neck and four-conductor wiring allows for a variety of wiring options. The model is fully wax-potted to eliminate microphonic feedback. Price: about 130 dollars.

POD Express Black: the metal edition of Line 6 modeller

The Line 6 POD Express series of small modellers, designed primarily for practice or home recording, has been expanded with the Black Edition, aimed at players of more punchy genres looking for a classic and modern sound with high gain. Like its predecessors, the Black version scores points with its user-friendly interface and sound derived from the flagship Line 6 Helix. There are 7 virtual instrument types in the base plus quickly accessible compressor, boost, distortion, modulation and reverb sections. The Alt button provides access to settings for EQ, gain, etc., and there's also a tuner, preset storage and a 4x4 USB card.

Soldano X88-IR: the legendary preamp is back

One of the iconic tube guitar preamps is definitely the rack model X88R from 1988, which designer Mike Soldano decided to upgrade and re-launch as the X88-IR. The new version adopts both the purple 2U chassis and the three-channel concept (5x 12AX7) with fully independent control. In addition to the Bright switches, there are new features, such as a Master potentiometer, front input, headphone output with custom volume, eff. loop, MIDI, USB port, stereo XLR outputs, as well as a switchable IR section. The latter has 6 individually programmable slots, while the editing software includes 12 more IRs, filters or Depth/Presence parameters tied to AI emulation of the power amp (120 W, 4x 6L6). Price: approx. 2800 euros.

Bergantino NV610T bass cabinet

As part of a special edition, Bergantino has launched a reissue of the NV610T cabinet, this time also featuring an adjustable tweeter extending the frequency range up to 12 kHz. In addition to six 10-inch woofers with ceramic magnets, the cabinet is equipped with a crossover, the body is made of high-quality Baltic birch plywood, the maximum power output is 1000 W RMS, the sensitivity is set at 103 dB and the low-band projection starts at 48 Hz. The official price of the professional model, producing a solid, clear tone with a fast attack and creamy mids, is below 2500 dollars.

Alesis Strata Core electronic kit

According to the manufacturer, this compact addition to the professional Strata line of electric kits can compete with alternative drum kits with higher prices and larger sizes. Alesis has equipped the Core model with a two-zone snare, a trio of 2x 8" + 1x 10" toms and an eight-inch bass drum that can handle dual pedal connections. The shells, fitted with fully tunable all-mesh heads and patented pickup technology, are complemented by a 12" Active Magnetic hi-hat and a trio of three-zone ARC cymbals (2x crash 12" + 1x ride 14"). In addition to the cymbal rack, there's a BFD module with a 25G sound bank. Price: approx. 2000 euros.

FM synth / groovebox Elektron Digitone II

Digitone II from Swedish Elektron is a multitimbral polyphonic synth framed in a modular workflow. Its 16 tracks can be used together with MIDI within different engines or filters, there are 16 voices available. Flexibility is provided by FM Tone, FM Drum, Wavetone and Swarmer units, Legacy LP/HP filter section, 24db low-pass and a new morphable multimode filter, parametric EQ and 2x comb filter. There's a 128-step sequencer, improved modulation (3x LFOs per track), a note editor, an extended effects menu, etc. Price: approx. 1000 euros.