Reviews:

Gibson Melody Maker Special

Recent Melody Makers have been great, save for the skinny single coils. Now an uncool band are responsible, indirectly, for a very cool guitar. Would would have thought it? Review by Richard Purvis ...

Markbass Bass Tube Marker

The Italian bass specialists’ new pedal range should satisfy almost every sonic need. We select a subtle overdrive. Review by Gareth Morgan ...

Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 Combo

With clever valve trickery, digital reverb, a four-step power soak and a tiny Thiele-Small enclosure for the Celestion speaker, this mini-combo sets out to accomplish a lot. Review by Richard Purvis ...

Fender Modern Player Marauder

Take one near-forgotten Fender oddball, change it lots and lots, add a monster pickup, and you’ve got the Marauder – the freshest guitar in the Chinese Modern Player series. Review by Rick Batey ...

Cort Classic Rock CR100

The latest cost-effective range from major manufacturer Cort lives up to its name via some decidedly familiar looks. Review by Roger Cooper ...

TC Electronic Flashback Delay and Looper

This compact delay offers a swathe of pristine echoes, a 40-second looper and downloadable custom settings. Review by Richard Purvis ...

Ibanez Grooveline G104

Bravely, radically sculpted and totally modern both inside and out, the Grooveline G104 pushes Ibanez basses into a price bracket we’re unused to. Review by Gareth Morgan ...

Italia Maranello Speedster 2

A revamped racer hits the road running courtesy of Korean retro-electric specialist Italia. Review by Roger Cooper ...

Krampera KVB 800 Amplifier

A brand-new premium bass amplification brand is big news, and this one seems to have the know-how and the quality. Review by Gareth Morgan ...

Fender Classic '70s Series Precision

Take a regular maple-neck Precision, add a few Jazz-flavoured details from the decade of disco, and you’ve got Fender’s latest Classic Series four-string. Review by Gareth Morgan ...

Electro-Harmonix Ravish Sitar

Now why don’t more pedals have a picture of the Taj Mahal on the top? This new E-H effect is hell to use… but it’s unique. Review by Alex Lees ...

Randall RG8040

To commemorate the company’s 40th anniversary, Randall has reissued this old-school 75W solid-state combo with a few added tweaks for contemporary players. Review by Huw Price ...

Eastwood Airline '59 IP

Crazed looks plus a minimalistic approach: Eastwood’s latest retro-styled high flier combines a distinctive body with bare-bones electrics and hardware. Review by Roger Cooper ...

Orange OPC

Beneath its chirpy citrus tolex the Orange OPC is no valve-powered air-pusher but a personal computer for the recording guitarist with AmpliTube III and a pair of DAWs. Review by Richard Purvis ...

Music Man Stingray 4 Classic

Simple, stylish and faultlessly practical, this authentic reissue of an all-time great –complete with two-band EQ and string mutes – will take you straight back to the ’70s, at a price. Review b ...

Warwick Hellborg Preamp

Reassuringly loud, sophisticated and pricey, this top-of-the-line Warwick rig will cope with your world tour just fine. Review by Gareth Morgan ...

Hayden HGT-A20

A mere four hundred drinking vouchers sounds like a good deal for an all-valve combo with three channels and reverb, especially as the first ones will be put together in the UK. Review by Huw Price ...

Superdrive 30 Series II

For seekers of sweet cleans and filthy overdrives in one poky package, there’s an amp in Budda’s Superdrive family that’ll cope with every task from tiny clubs to enormous stages. Review by Dave ...

Electro-Harmonix Stereo Talking Machine

Electro Harmonix's new stomp box is a demented tool of the very devil. ...

Charvel Wild Card

Charvel's Production-Mod San Dimas and So-Cal series now has a new chameleon member in the form of the Wild Card, a guitar which changes its specifications every three months. ...

Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster

Squier's Vintage Modified Series lives up to its name by updating and increasing the appeal of two more old Fender favourites. ...

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar HH

Squier’s Vintage Modified Series lives up to its name by updating and increasing the appeal of two more old Fender favourites - the Jaguar and the Jazzmaster ...

Orange Dark Terror Head

With yet more delicious valve-driven filth and a Shape control that bestrides the Atlantic ocean like an electronic colossus, this latest Orange sets out to rule the world of rock. Review by Richard P ...

Vigier Excaliber Supra

No vibrato, no truss rod, no frills, no messing: this Excalibur Supra is a French-built speed machine that should provide tons of adaptability plus rock-solid reliability. Review by Martyn Casserly ...

Danelectro Wild Thing

Even by Danelectro’s famously out-there standards, the new Wild Thing model looks extreme. Can this latest crazed number from the reissue specialists make everything… groovy? Review by David Greev ...