NEW GEAR 7/25: Kiesel Kyber, Trickfish cabs, Synergy preamp and Moog Messenger

Jackson X‑Series Scott Ian King V KVXT: Anthrax's guitarist Flying V 

Scott Ian, Anthrax’s guitarist and co‑founder, continues his collaboration with Jackson, now with a more affordable signature model: the King V KVXT from the X‑Series. This modified Flying V has a 24.75″ length scale, maple through‑neck with graphite reinforcement, mahogany wings and a laurel or rosewood fretboard with variable radius. It features dual high‑output Jackson humbuckers, a 3‑way switch, volume and tone controls, and gold‑hardware including a stop‑bar tailpiece, TOM bridge, and branded tuners. Retro flair comes from the classic old‑school logo and block inlays on its Gloss Black finish.

Kiesel Kyber: modern guitars for djent, prog & beyond

The Kyber series represents “Kiesel’s most advanced design yet, combining extreme playability with stunning aesthetics,” according to Kiesel. It shines in its ergonomic body contours, premium materials, top‑tier electronics and extensive customization options. The base model has an alder body, maple neck, ebony fretboard with 24 stainless-steel frets, dual Kiesel Thorium / Empyrean passive humbuckers, a Hipshot fixed bridge, and locking tuners. Available in 6‑ and 7‑string versions, with a standard 25.5″ length scale or multi-scale setup.

Keeley Manis Overdrive: a new take on the Klon?

Robert Keeley’s new pedal, inspired by the Klon Centaur, replaces typical diodes with cold-war-era Russian germanium NOS transistors in its drive circuit. This delivers more compression and saturation and includes a switchable +3 dB bass boost, making it a more flexible pedal than Klon copies, with a broader frequency response and smoother, tube-like attack. You can choose true bypass or quiet buffered modes, and it’s the first drive pedal to support up to 18 V power.

Ernie Ball Earthwood Bell Bronze: John Mayer’s acoustic strings

Ernie Ball adds Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings, co-developed with John Mayer. Available in four gauges (10–50, 11–52, 12–54, 13–56), they use a patented alloy similar to that used in bells or cymbals, offering rich, full tones with strong harmonics and projection. Mayer says, “Earthwood Bell Bronze strings are a giant leap forward in tone, playability, and durability... they are ideal for solo performance. They produce an orchestral quality.”

Tone King Imperial MKII: new Synergy preamp module

This modular tube preamp (using two JJ ECC83S tubes) offers two channels with tones reminiscent of Fender Blackface and Tweed amps. Rhythm and Lead each have dedicated volume, two-band EQ and a master located in an Attenuation section with a switchable HF filter for smoother highs. Additional features include analogue bias tremolo and a Cathode Select function. It’s built on Synergy’s Zero Watt Poweramp tech, where one tube emulates the harmonics and dynamics of a power section for a responsively rich tone.

Laney LF‑Supertop: 120 W analogue head

This dual-channel 120W RMS amplifier takes the Lionheart Foundry concept to a higher level, introducing new onboard modulation effects. It delivers a tonal range from shimmering cleans to saturated distortion, with impressive warmth and dynamic response for its category. A built-in ‘60s-style vintage tremolo is complemented by a Spiral Chorus and Modulation section, based on the acclaimed BCC Spiral Array Chorus pedal, offering everything from subtle chorus to lush, flanger-like textures. There’s also a spring reverb emulation derived from the BCC Secret Path algorithm, along with onboard boost, a Bright/Dark switch for the Lead channel, switchable power reduction down to 1W, IR loader (with two impulse slots), headphone output and more.

Trickfish L Series: lightweight bass cabs

Trickfish Amplification introduces the L Series – a new line of lightweight bass cabinets including the L112, L112M, L115, and L410 models. These cabs retain the rich, punchy tone players expect from traditional plywood cabinets with ceramic speakers. Innovative design choices, combining Italian poplar and Baltic birch plywood, premium components, and neodymium magnets, deliver exceptional clarity and articulation without sacrificing output or adding unnecessary weight. Prices: L112 1079 dollars, L112M 949 dollars, L115 1129 dollars, L410 (4 or 8 ohms) 1649 dollars. 

D’Addario NYXL Multi-Scale and Ernie Ball Pino Palladino Smoothie Flats bass strings

D’Addario’s new NYXL Multi-Scale strings are built for fanned-fret basses with dual-scale designs. The 5-string NYXL45130MS and 6-string NYXL32130MS sets promise powerful tone, rich harmonics and superior tuning stability. Meanwhile, Ernie Ball teams up with bass icon Pino Palladino for signature Smoothie Flats, available in two 4-string sets: 38–98 and 43–108. Made from cobalt alloy, they blend vintage warmth with flexibility and modern playability.

Zildjian Kerope: boutique cymbal line returns

Eleven years after its debut, Zildjian brings back the Kerope series, an artisan cymbal collection honouring company head Kerope Zildjian. The revived line includes four ride cymbals: the 20″ Kerope Thin High Ride, 20″ Medium Thin Low Ride and their larger 22″ counterparts. These high-end cymbals deliver warm, dark tones and sonic complexity. Each one is hand-hammered with a traditional finish to enhance articulation and undergoes a special waxing process for added nuance.

Monophonic analog synth Moog Messenger

The Moog Messenger is a monophonic analog synthesizer designed for intuitive exploration and creative sound design. Its clear layout and well-labeled controls invite immediate hands-on experimentation, helping users develop a deeper understanding of sound shaping. Under the hood, Messenger features two oscillators, a sub-oscillator with continuously variable wave shapes, two looping ADSR envelopes, and Moog’s legendary ladder filter, enhanced with bass compensation for added punch at low frequencies. The synth is equipped with 32 full-size semi-weighted keys with velocity and aftertouch, making it a performance-friendly instrument. Other highlights include: 256 preset slots across 16 banks, a probability-based sequencer, Eurorack connectivity, an arpeggiator, a variety of modulation options. With its rich analogue sound and modern performance tools, the Moog Messenger is built to be the centrepiece of your studio or live rig.

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