Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s sparkly new gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.
From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.
To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.
In terms of quantity, there haven’t been too many gear drops this week, but in terms of quality, the ones we did get were pretty darn big. The long-awaited arrival of Noel Gallagher‘s mystery Oasis reunion Les Paul? Fender’s answer to Suhr, Tom Anderson, and other boutique builders? The revival of a cult classic Gretsch? Mk.gee’s tone in a pedal?!
All that, and more, can be found below…
Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage
You may have thought Fender had all angles and price points covered with its comprehensive catalog, but it turns out there was something missing: a high-end answer to Fender’s boutique rivals – such as Suhr and Tom Anderson – who have been putting ultra-modern spins on classic S and T type models.
The American Ultra Luxe Vintage looks to address that gap, debuting an Heirloom finish (Fender’s own Murphy Lab?) that creates a subtle, ‘closet classic’ vibe, along with a bevy of premium appointments, including stainless steel frets, expansive switching, top-tier pickups and comfort contours.
All of this modernity and upgraded playability, though, is packaged in guitars that look as though they’ve been pulled through from yesteryear – and while some traditionalists may balk at the concept, there are others who will no doubt be thrilled by the prospect.
That White Blonde ’50s Strat is particularly pleasing on the eye, as is that ’60s Telecaster Custom, which we’ve already reviewed.
For more: Fender
Gretsch CVT Double-Cut
Ever since I reviewed the Jack Antonoff signature guitar last year, I’ve been waiting for Gretsch to bring back its cult Corvette model – upon which that guitar is loosely based – for a standard production guitar. Now, the long wait is finally over.
Introduced in 1961 as an answer to the Gibson Les Paul/SG Junior, the Corvette slipped into obscurity but still became a firm favorite with some key players, such as Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix and Josh Homme.
This new-for-2025 reissue puts a budget spin on that sought-after vintage gem, and the results are quite irresistible. At $420, is this Gretsch’s best-value release of the year? Probably – this will be hard to beat.
For more: Gretsch
PRS CE 24 Special
PRS has pulled out plenty of show-stoppers for its 40th Anniversary celebrations this year so far and the CE 24 Special is certainly no exception, offering – for the first time ever on the CE bolt-on platform – an HSH configuration.
Something reserved for more premium PRS builds, the HSH pickup layout is headed up by the NS-01 middle pickup from the high-end Modern Eagle V, and a pair of 85/15 humbuckers. There’s plenty of added versatility thanks to that, with PRS promising scooped tones associated with traditional five-way switch-equipped guitars.
For more: PRS
Gibson Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard
When Noel Gallagher took to the stage for the hotly anticipated Oasis reunion earlier this year, he took with him a mystery Les Paul that quickly became 2025’s most talked-about guitar. Forums theorized and social media fans speculated, and after Gibson finally spilled the tea over what the guitar actually was, it then teased a signature model was on the way.
Well, that signature model is here, but there’s a few caveats: only 25 will be made (each representing a classic Oasis song), and they will be made available exclusively through the Gibson Garage London.
It’s been touted as the ultimate Oasis fan guitar package, with each guitar replicating Gallagher’s OG model with custom nickel P-90s and Light Murphy Lab aging. Whether we’ll see a Standard version – or, heck, even an Epiphone variant – remains to be seen. That would be quite something, though, and Gibson has teased more Oasis-themed releases are indeed on the way…
For more: Gibson
The ‘most metal guitars of the week’ award (is that a thing?) goes to Jackson’s Pro Plus Pure Metal Series, which has been expanded with its ‘Phase II’ drop. This time, there looks to be a new bass added to the bunch, which now comprises a Concert Bass, Kelly, King V, Rhoads, Warrior and Soloist.
What you see is what you get: no-frills, no-nonsense metal machines that are built for one purpose and one purpose only.
For more: Jackson
JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage
It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? After dropping his debut album last year, break-out lo-fi guitar hero Mk.gee sent tone chasers down a wild deep-dive into the ins and outs of his guitar tone, and countless guitar players around the world have since been clamoring for vintage Tascam Portastudios and other pieces retro gear to emulate his sound.
The key to his unique tone was indeed a Tascam 424 – a vintage multi-track recorder used in lieu of an amp – which has now been transformed into a pedalboard-friendly stompbox by JHS Pedals.
To turn one of the internet’s most sought-after tones into an accessible pedal is certainly a savvy move, and while independent builders have been doing this for some time, JHS’ 424 Gain Stage will no doubt be the most influential.
It does sound great, too, capable of everything from squishy cleans too all-out, untethered blasted fuzz. It’s the sound that many people used to work to avoid, but now players can’t get enough of it. Funny how tone trends work, eh?
For more: JHS Pedals
Chase Bliss Lost + Found
It might not look like it at first glance, but the Lost + Found is actually Chase Bliss’ first true multi-effect – the firm’s words, not ours. Its latest stompbox is a compact gadget capable of kaleidoscopically epic proportions, and (in true Chas Bliss fashion) offers up an awe-inspiring array of reverbs, modulations, synth effects, pitch effects, lo-fi textures and more.
Lost + Found looks like the type of pedal you need to get, erm, lost in, in order to truly tap into its potential. Tone-tweak to your hearts content and see where you end up – like all Chase Bliss pedals, the destination will probably sound absolutely superb.
For more: Chase Bliss
