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17 Mar

Reviewed: Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent Signature Model

CMC Music Australia | cmcmusic.com.au | Expect to Pay: $4295

To be frank, signature guitars can often be more trouble than they're worth. All too often guitar manufacturers are tempted into drafting up a slightly redesigned version of an already in-production model, slapping the artist's name on the headstock, jacking up the price and calling it a day. Thankfully, Ernie Ball's St. Vincent signature model strays far away from this notion. With hands-on production ideas contributed from Annie Clarke at every step of the way, the result is a guitar that is unlike any other on the market today - a unique beast reimagined from the ground up.

17 Mar

16 Mar

JACKSON SCOTT IAN KVXT X-SERIES ELECTRIC GUITAR

Fender Music Australia | fender.com.au | Expect to Pay: $1899

Jackson Guitars have never been one to shy away from the spotlight. They deal in heavy metal and everything that comes with it: the pulverising tone, pulsating riffs, even hotter leads and audacious looking weapons. All of which was founded upon a 1980 collaboration between Jackson and Randy Rhoads, from which the Flying V-inspired Concorde was born. From that very moment the ‘V’ body shape became synonymous with Jackson, and so too the typical pointed headstock, as well as a penchant for producing guitars that play unbelievably fast. Touching upon all of these traits is the X Series Scott Ian King V KVXT. A signature guitar made in the name of thrash metal legend and Anthrax founding member Scott Ian, the KVXT is an axe pulled straight from the heyday of 80s metal.

16 Mar

10 Mar

REVIEWED: THE GUILD S100 POLARA ELECTRIC GUITAR

Zenith Music | zenithmusic.com.au | Expect to Pay: $1699

1992 was twenty-five years ago this year. Janine Garofalo was the funniest person in America; MTV ruled the airwaves and those were truly halcyon days for guitar bands, as we all know. Now, with kids in their late teens aping almost every fashion miss-step, it seems enough time has past for that whole thing to be cool again. Aside from having to pretend we like the PVC hibiscus on our friends’ tube-tops this means the welcome return of some of the vehement, angst-addled rock music that so tempered the decade that broke punk.

10 Mar

22 Feb

TC ELECTRONIC FORCEFIELD COMPRESSOR

Amber Technology | ambertech.com.au | RRP: $109

A good compression pedal is an extremely useful thing to have for guitarists who perform live, allowing the creation of diverse tonal and dynamic sections within your playing with ease. It is true however, that many musicians may not have a proper understanding of exactly what a compressor does or is operated, and consequently they are often used merely as boosters. This may be the perfect unit then for guitarists who are interested in experimenting with the functionality of a simple compressor without spending a large amount of money on it.

22 Feb

20 Feb

FENDER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL STRATOCASTER

Fender Australia | www.fender.com.au | RRP: $3399

The hallmarks of an American-made Fender Stratocaster will forever be a classic combination, embraced by guitarists, and imitated by competitors. There’s no going past the versatility of three quality single-coil pickups, that classic double-cutaway body shape and a vibrato bridge. With rumours mounting in late 2016 that Fender was planning to discontinue the production of the American Standard Stratocaster, a sense of panic was unleashed amongst the guitar community. What we weren’t aware of at the time, however, was that Fender were planning to unveil a new Strat – the American Professional Stratocaster. It’s with this new model that Fender have both honoured and enhanced that of its predecessors – most notably with the instalment of newly developed pickups. For this reason alone it’s a welcomed upgrade from what we have seen in the past.

20 Feb

15 Feb

FENDER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL TELECASTER DELUXE HH SHAWBUCKER

Fender Australia | www.fender.com.au | RRP: $3399

Fender is a guitar manufacturer always excited by the prospect of entering new ground, lead by a team intently focused on what will come next. Hence the decision late last year to discontinue their American Standard Series line of guitars, and to replace it with the freshly inspired American Professional Series. Rather than resting on their laurels, with this shift in production Fender have provided us with a newly evolved Tele and Strat, along with the addition of three new models – one which is the American Professional Telecaster Deluxe Shawbucker. This guitar here is an ode to The Deluxe of the ‘70s – when Fender made their first foray into the world of humbucker pickups – and is a reinvigorated upgrade of the Classic Series ’72 Telecaster Deluxe that the company released in 2004. Like the entire American Professional Series, this Tele Deluxe comes with new pickups, a new neck shape and a treble-bleed tone circuit – and as such, a whole lot of intrigue.

15 Feb

6 Jan

ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN S.U.B. SILO3 ELECTRIC GUITAR

CMC Music Australia | cmcmusic.com.au | Expect To Pay: $495

The Silo3 is based on the Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette, a workhorse guitar that has proved itself popular in hard rock and fusion circles for decades. It offers much of the tonal muscle of a really nice Strat but with certain ergonomic tweaks. The Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. Silo3 is a budget priced version of the Silhouette.

6 Jan

7 Dec

FENDER DELUXE NASHVILLE TELE

Fender Music Australia | www.fender.com.au | RRP: $1999

Fender is the undisputed home of the solid-body electric guitar. You simply can’t go past the trailblazing nature and subsequent longevity of their Tele and Strat models. For 66 years the Tele has been produced in multiple forms, never failing to surprise or surpass its own lofty expectations. It makes complete sense then that Fender would release the Deluxe Nashville Tele – channelling the sounds of Music Row in the home of country music. The guitar represents a total embrace of the typical Telecaster twang and bluesy warmth, with some juicy Strat-like additions.

7 Dec

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