New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)

10th Jan 2012 | 16:40

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New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five (£1099)
The genre-defining Rectifier Series gets its own Mini-Me. Enfant terrible or chip off the old block?

Every month MusicRadar's industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm and Future Music - publish the world's best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.

This is a collection of electric and acoustic guitars, amps and effects - all of which have been tested meticulously by either Guitarist or Total Guitar in recent months and published on MusicRadar throughout December 2011.

Flick through this month's picks and follow the links to read each product's full review. First up, an iconic hard rock tone in a smaller package...

Verdict:

"Tiny, surprisingly loud and chock full of great tones. A preconceptions gauntlet thrown down for rock guitarists everywhere."

BUY: Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co. | Thomann| Gear4Music
USA: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Read the Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
TwinStomp S21 Overdrive (£189)
Two channels, tons of character

Verdict:

"High-calibre drive pedal that's worthy of your attention."

Read the TwinStomp S21 Overdrive review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Nik Huber Orca DSB (£4199)
With obvious influences, but build quality of the highest order, this German beauty makes its own mark in the densely populated boutique sector

Verdict:

"Nik Huber needs little introduction to the high-end guitar world. Great craft, vintage-credentials - this is a truly superb single-cut."

Read the Nik Huber Orca DSB review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary (£149)
Tried everything but the swirl? Give this a spin

Verdict:

"If you're after a versatile trem pedal, give this a look."

BUY: Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary currently available from:
UK/Europe:Andertons Music Co. | Thomann | Absolute Music
USA: Sweetwater | Full Compass | American Musical

Read the Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
EVH Wolfgang Stealth (£2662)
Thirty-odd years after Eddie Van Halen met Floyd Rose, the pair's iconic ideas are still bearing fruit

Verdict:

"It may be a modern rock guitar but it's the Wolfie's old school feel that makes it such fun to hang with. Yes, the price tag is eye-watering, but in this case you really do get what you pay for."

BUY: EVH Wolfgang Stealth currently available from:
UK/Europe: Thomann
USA:Sweetwater | American Musical

Read the EVH Wolfgang Stealth review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Larrivée 000-3R Ltd (£1299)
Larrivée continues its attack on the entry-level pro market with a fine, affordable 12-fret picker

Verdict:

"Impressive pro-quality picker that deserves a permanent slot in Larrivée's roster."

Read the Larrivée 000-3R Ltd review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Fender Blacktop Strat HH Floyd Rose (£682)
This new Blacktop reminds us just how good a Floyd Rose looks on a Strat

Verdict:

"We'd like to see a bit more quality control but overall the Blacktop Strat HH Floyd Rose is a good working musician's rock guitar."

BUY: Fender Blacktop Strat HH Floyd Rose currently available from:
UK/Europe:Andertons Music Co. |Sounds Great Music | Gear4Music
USA:Sweetwater | American Musical

Read the Fender Blacktop Strat HH Floyd Rose review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Fender Modern Player Marauder (£442.80)
A Triplebucker loaded design 45 years in the making

Verdict:

"The Fender classic that never really was, now 'is'. Fender virgin or not, everyone should test-drive this cool alternative to the usual Strat models."

BUY: Fender Modern Player Marauder currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co. | Thomann | Gear4Music
USA:Sweetwater | Full Compass | American Musical

Read the Fender Modern Player Marauder review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Fender EC Series Vibro-Champ 1 x 8 (£1102)
What's the baby of Fender's new EC series of signature amps got to offer?

Verdict:

"Like most signature models it's mostly for the fans - but worth a look if you're a wealthy bluesman."

BUY: Fender EC Series Vibro-Champ 1 x 8 currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co. | Thomann| Gear4Music
USA: Sweetwater | American Musical

Read the Fender EC Series Vibro-Champ 1 x 8 review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Fender Modern Player Jaguar (£442.80)
Can this stripped-down Jag bring new players into the Fender fold?

Verdict:

"It's not the prettiest representative of the Jaguar family, but this Modern Player edition pumps out some great P-90 tones."

BUY: Fender Modern Player Jaguar currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co. | Thomann
USA:Sweetwater | American Musical

Read the Fender Modern Player Jaguar review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Fender EC Series Twinolux 2 x 12 (£3022)
It's been a while coming, but this new EC Series comprises Fender's first ever signature amplifiers

Verdict:

"Mainly for Clapton fans, but if blues is your thing then definitely check them out."

BUY: Fender EC Series Twinolux 2 x 12 currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co. | Thomann
USA: Sweetwater | American Musical

Read the Fender EC Series Twinolux 2 x 12 review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Orange TH100 head (£999)
Orange's cleanest and dirtiest amplifier to date promises thrills, spills and lots of volume...

Verdict:

"This is an amp for the road, not the pub at the end of your road. Crystal cleans and blistering raunch make this a must-try amp in its class. Turn it up, stand back and grin!"

BUY: Orange TH100 head currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co. | Thomann | Gear4Music
USA:Sweetwater | Full Compass | American Musical

Read the Orange TH100 head review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Charvel Pro Mod Limited Wild Card #7 Primer Scream (£838)
Back to basics with the latest Japanese limited edition. It's a blank canvas in more ways than one…

Verdict:

"Guitars don't come much more stripped-down than this. Grab a brush and have some fun while you rock."

Read the Charvel Pro Mod Limited Wild Card #7 Primer Scream review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Framus Vintage Hollywood Singlecut (£718)
A new singlecut revives one of the earliest solidbodies to bear the Framus name

Verdict:

"An instrument that successfully looks back to the past but also possesses modern performance appeal."

BUY: Framus Vintage Hollywood Singlecut currently available from:
UK/Europe:Thomann

Read the Framus Vintage Hollywood Singlecut review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop PRO/FX (£499)
More evidence of the return of the Floyd Rose or defiling a perfectly good LP? We investigate…

Verdict:

"Like a sweet and sour recipe, this classic/modern combo shouldn't work - but it does."

BUY: Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop PRO/FX currently available from:
UK/Europe: Andertons Music Co.
USA:American Musical

Read the Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop PRO/FX review

New guitar gear of the month: review round-up (January 2012)
Framus Vintage Hollywood Doublecut (£769)
A rockin' doublecut revived by this famous old German name

Verdict:

"With gorgeous vintage looks and great tones, this guitar packs old-school charm and modern appeal. Here's hoping it'll soon be part of a bigger range."

Read the Framus Vintage Hollywood Doublecut review

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