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Black Midi guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin has died at 26 after mental health battle
Guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, who was instrumental in shaping the sound of Black Midi from its formation in 2017 until his departure in 2021, has sadly died at the age of 26.
His family say that the young musician had faced a “long battle with his mental health”. They announced his death through a statement which was shared on social media by the band’s label, Rough Trade Records.
It reads, “It is with deep sadness that we as a family regret to inform you that Matthew Kwasniewski-Kelvin has died after a long battle with his mental health. A talented musician and a kind, loving young man finally succumbed; despite all efforts. Matt was 26 years old. He will always be loved. Please take a moment to check in with your loved ones so we can stop this happening to our young men.”
Rough Trade also added its own statement in the caption: “Rough Trade Records would like to extend deepest sympathy to the Kwasniewski-Kelvin family who have shared this statement on the tragic passing of founding black midi member Matt – an incredibly talented person who will be truly missed,” it says.
“If you are struggling with mental health issues please reach out to your loved ones or one of the range of charities such as Mind, CALM and Samaritans who provide services and someone to talk to in any time of need.”
Kwasniewski-Kelvin co-founded the band in 2017 while attending London’s BRIT School alongside members Geordie Greep, Cameron Picton, and Morgan Simpson. In early 2021, he stepped back from the band to focus on his mental health.
In their early days of gigging, the band established a residency at the Windmill in Brixton. It was here they met producer Dan Carey, who worked with them on their debut album, Schlagenheim. The venue has also released a statement regarding the tragic news in what it calls “the hardest post” it’s ever had to make.
“Our deepest condolences to his dad Tony (who came to loads of the early Black Midi shows) and the rest of the family. It’s so so emotional thinking back to those really exciting times when Matt would come in for soundcheck after a day’s work inspecting air vents (hence, the song Ducter) and produce some of the best sounds our little stage had ever witnessed, including this night with the late Damo Suzuki,” it reads.
“While it might look like someone has the world at their feet and all is great, things are not always what they seem. So please look and read the message from his family on slide two and keep checking in on each other so that we can all help to avoid tragic gut-wrenching news like this. RIP Matt, you were such a lovely guy.”
In 2019, Geordie Greep spoke to Guitar.com, in which he explained why the sound of their debut was not restricted by genre: “At first we were much more conscious of the style of music we wanted to make and were careful not to let it fall into certain taboo genres. But as we played more and more, we stopped thinking about all that and did only what we found interesting in one way or another, sometimes without knowing why. This yielded better results,” he said. Black Midi entered an indefinite hiatus in August 2024.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, you can find a full list of helplines via Mind. You can also search for support in over 130 countries through Find A Helpline.
The post Black Midi guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin has died at 26 after mental health battle appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Slash used specially designed pickups at Black Sabbath’s final show – now he’s releasing them as a signature set with Seymour Duncan
If three is the magic number, then Slash’s third collaboration with Seymour Duncan might just prove to be the Guns N Roses legend’s best set of pickups yet. The Slash 3.0 Pickups Set serves as rock legend’s most “aggressive” signature set to date, created especially for Slash’s appearance at Black Sabbath’s historic Back To The Beginning gig last July.
For over four decades, Slash has put his faith in Seymour Duncan pickups. From his first signature set, to the Slash 2.0 set’s bold, stadium-suited grandeur, each set of humbuckers has upped Slash’s game. In order to impress Ozzy Osbourne and the gang, Slash needed some extra oomph; the guitarist wanted new pickups for his Gibson SG.
The Slash 3.0 is vintage-inspired and built with rough cast Alnico 5 magnets, allowing guitarists to dish out tighter lows, while also offering a more instant attack.
Slash describes the hand-built humbucker as a “step up” in his line. “You have more output, but still that same clarity and honesty of the sound of the guitar,” he explains in a promo clip. “The 3.0 is obviously a little bit raunchier than the 2.0… it gives that extra boost that I need in certain guitars.”
“I’ve got the best of all worlds now because I have my original Slash pickups that I’ve been using on most of my guitars forever, [as well as the] 2.0 and the 3.0 for different guitars and different situations where it calls for that,” he goes on to add.
As Slash notes, “pickups are really personal”, and Seymour Duncan has yet again helped him express his true sonic personality. “It really depends on the guitar player… if you want to get just a little bit more kick-ass out of your guitar sound, but you still want clarity, definitely try a 3.0.”
The set is also available to feel even more personal thanks to its multiple configurations. The set offers both single or four-conductor wiring, as well as standard or Trembucker spacing, and long and short-leg options.
In terms of pricing, you can get a pair of Slash 3.0s for $258, while each single pickup costs $129.
Learn more at Seymour Duncan.
Credit: Seymour Duncan
The post Slash used specially designed pickups at Black Sabbath’s final show – now he’s releasing them as a signature set with Seymour Duncan appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Looking for your first headless guitar? Save big on Strandbergs at Sweetwater right now
If you’re looking for a sign to buy your first headless guitar then let this be it – Sweetwater is offering a range of huge deals across Strandberg Boden models, including its Standard and Essential variations.
There is a generous range of Strandberg deals available, with some saving you over $300. The Boden Essential 6, which we reviewed back in 2024 and rated a perfect 10/10 no less, is one of many of its headless guitars that you can save your pennies on.
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The Boden Essential 6 is a six-string, conventionally fretted model that acts as a gateway into the headless guitar world thanks to its lower price point, as opposed to the majority of its more high-end models.
Just as its name suggests, this guitar may not offer fancy paintwork or any spectacular bells and whistles, but it does offer all the necessities, and is super lightweight at just 4.7lbs (2.15kg).
Fitted with Strandberg’s in-house-designed OEM humbuckers, these guitars can handle “squeaky cleans and gut-punching grind”. The finishes on sale via Sweetwater include Black Granite, Future Dusk (lilac), and Galactic Blue.
To shop all deals on these Essential 6 models and more across the Strandberg range, head over to Sweetwater.
The post Looking for your first headless guitar? Save big on Strandbergs at Sweetwater right now appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Mark Tremonti names his five favourite extreme metal guitar players
Most people wouldn’t characterise Mark Tremonti as an extreme metal shredder. Famed for his work in multi-Platinum-shipping hard rockers Creed and arena-filling alt-metal outfit Alter Bridge, he’s far more synonymous with soulful ballads and intense, immediate hooks. But it’s not a career that he envisioned for himself.
- READ MORE: Trivium’s Matt Heafy names the five up-and-coming metal bands everyone needs to watch in 2026
“When I was younger, I thought I’d be in a band that was, like, a metal band,” the guitarist says. “The first sign was my long hair. I had long hair and it looked terrible. I wanted to be that long, straight-haired, head-banging, Flying V-shredding, speed metal guy.”
Plans changed when Tremonti co-founded Creed with bassist Brian Marshall, drummer Scott Phillips and vocalist Scott Stapp in 1994, but his passion for the heavier end of metal did not. While playing guitar on such earnest anthems as With Arms Wide Open and Higher, he continued to harbour a love for the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Celtic Frost and Kreator. Eventually, Creed imploded and gave way to Alter Bridge, where Tremonti, Marshall and Phillips were joined by new frontman Myles Kennedy, and the guitarist got to unload some groovier riffs and wilder solos. Still, he was dealing in fare so melodic that it didn’t point towards an adolescence as a thrash addict.
Mark Tremonti. Image: Press
“It just so happens that I ran into guys in college who weren’t into metal, so we did different styles of music,” Tremonti reflects. “Even in Alter Bridge, because I’m with the same rhythm section, when I come in with a metal riff, they kind of look at me funny.”
The guitarist also admits he’s more focussed on writing a good chorus than an intense knock-about section. “The chorus is arguably the most important part of any song,” he says. “So, if you start there and you have a great chorus, everything else will just boost that great chorus. But, if you don’t have a chorus and everything else is great, it’s never going to be a great song.”
Mercifully, Tremonti has his namesake solo band Tremonti on the side, where’s he free to let breakneck guitar parts fly with abandon. Also, the new Alter Bridge album has its fair share of gnarly moments. Self-titled for a reason, the platter explores the full breadth of the band’s sound, with songs ranging from acoustic ballads to white-knuckle ragers.
Alter Bridge. Image: Press
“Trust in Me is probably my favourite riff,” Tremonti says of the new album. “It actually has two of my favourite riffs. It has the main intro riff chugging part. I like something that can be heavy and slow at the same time. It sounds just like a train coming down the tracks that’s going to get you. And then the bridge and the outro of that song has a finger-picked part that I feel sounds very Alter Bridge. It’s something that feels big, but not poppy big.”
Frankly, Tremonti’s passion for the most brutal end of metal music is one of his most underrated characteristics. So, we asked him to list his favourite extreme metal guitar players. As he rallies off names from Dave Mustaine to Hank Shermann and Michael Denner, his passion for the extreme becomes very, very obvious.
Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, Slayer
“Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman from Slayer, as far as riffs go, I think they’re my favourite writers of all time. Reign in Blood is probably the best riff record in all of the metal world: an incredible record.
“I think I discovered Slayer in seventh grade. My older brother, he was into extreme metal. My other brother was into more, like, Van Halen and Kiss and Ted Nugent and stuff, but my brother Dan had the Reign in Blood record. Back then, when you heard music like that, it was scary! It was like, ‘Ooh, this is intimidating music! This is edgy! I don’t want my parents to catch me listening to this,’ you know? And the kids at school that listened to it were the bad kids who’d be smoking weed. It drew me in. When I heard [opening song] Angel of Death, just the first 10 seconds of it, I was just like, ‘This is incredible!’
“Still, to this day, Reign in Blood is one of the most important records – probably in my top five records ever. Kerry and Jeff’s speed metal, right-hand-rhythm stuff, that spilled over [into my playing]. If you listen to Tremonti, there’s a lot of that – much more than in any of my other bands. But, that’s what I grew up on.”
Tom G. Warrior, Hellhammer / Celtic Frost / Triptykon
“As far as the chord progressions and the mood and the doom and the vibe, Tom G. Warrior is one of my favourite songwriters ever. I think he’s an absolute genius. I had a friend called John Hitchon back in sixth or seventh grade, and he would burn tapes and make copies of things, and he gave me [1987 Celtic Frost album] Into the Pandemonium. Right out of the gate, Inner Sanctum, first track on that record, I was like, ‘This is something different.’ And then you’d hear such creativity on that record. There are so many different, weird vibes going on.
“To me, Slayer made more sense – I grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and stuff – but Celtic Frost were interesting. It was dangerous and different, and it was hard to understand the direction of it. I got to meet Tom and he’s great. He knew I had said that Celtic Frost were my favourite band for all of these years, and he thanked me for saying that probably in a million interviews. He said it would be interesting if I got up and played with his band at a festival or something. That would be cool to do.”
Dave Mustaine, Megadeth
“I’ll say Dave, but [I look up to] all of the guitar players who’ve been in Megadeth, especially Chris Poland. I think, when it comes to speed metal, James [Hetfield], Kirk [Hammett] and Dave were the guys who were the outlines for that. Mustaine, he had a fire in him and you could tell the music was intense. He’s underrated as an architect of the speed metal movement.
“[1988’s] So Far, So Good… So What! was the first record I bought from them, and then I went back and got Killing Is My Business… and Peace Sells…. So Far, So Good… So What! means a lot to me because I love that record. I probably wore that sucker out!”
Alex Skolnick, Testament
“When it comes to speed metal bands, Metallica were the biggest of them all, and they were the one that shaped me the most. Back then, I didn’t know who was doing what: James is rhythm and Kirk’s lead, but I loved every bit of it. I loved Alex Skolnick from Testament [for different reasons]. Alex is a big jazz fan, but back in the day you wouldn’t have known it. When he was playing metal stuff, it was dark and it was pointedly speed metal-ish, but it was tasteful. That’s what you could hear in his playing. In a lot of speed metal, the lead stuff was blistering and kind of harsh. His stuff had a smoothness and a polish to it.
“I used to hear rumours, ‘Oh, Skolnick’s the best, he’s the best in this genre,’ and you started paying attention to it more. You start buying the records and trying to see if you could learn a few riffs here and there. I was too young to be able to even think about playing his lead parts!
“If you were to ask me for my favourite Testament riff or solo, [1989’s] Practice What You Preach has them all. Trial By Fire [from 1988’s New World Order] is the song that got me to be a Testament fan, but I’d have to go back through Practice What You Preach and find the one.”
Hank Shermann and Michael Denner, Mercyful Fate
“The guys from Mercyful Fate were some of the most classic [guitarists]! For me, they just embodied that era with their tones. I think they were playing the old Marshalls and it just sounded so good! The riffs were so great. King Diamond is one of my favourite artists ever. Mercyful Fate, I remember seeing them at Hellfest or Copenhell, watching them live for the first time. I’d seen King Diamond, but never Mercyful Fate, and it was perfect. It was spot on. King Diamond crushed it; the band crushed it. I got to talk to King Diamond after the show for like half an hour.
“Mercyful Fate wasn’t extreme, blast beat-ey stuff at all. There weren’t a lot of guitar players [like Hank and Michael]. A big part of what I grew up on was Metallica and Slayer: that almost exclusively E-string open picking. The moodier, heavy, detuned stuff was just wanting to get vibes like Celtic Frost, but Mercyful Fate was more, like, almost dreamy and 70s. Moody. It didn’t even seem metal to me. It was more just badass hard rock.”
Alter Bridge’s self-titled album is out now via Napalm.
The post Mark Tremonti names his five favourite extreme metal guitar players appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Hot from the oven: this polishing mitt from D’Addario is the guitar accessory you didn’t know you needed
On this week’s episode of ‘guitar accessory or kitchen utensil’, we have a new guitar polishing mitt from D’Addario that wouldn’t look out of place among your finest collection of oven gloves.
As a guitarist, you’ll know the dust and other muck that can accumulate on your guitar with moderate to heavy use. And sure, a conventional cloth is usually enough to tidy up your instrument, but if you’re anything like us, you’ll have wished your whole life for a mitt you could wear to do the job instead.
The Micro-Fiber Polishing Mitt is a reusable, chemical-free cleaning tool you can wear on your hand to remove dust, dirt, oils and smudges from your guitar.
Made using ultra-fine microscopic fibres, the mitt is designed to give guitarists “maximum control” when cleaning hard to reach areas like under strings, around hardware and tuning pegs, or inside cutaways. It can also be used to wipe down strings to extend their lifespan and preserve tone.
Credit: D’Addario
Of course, it’s essentially just a cleaning cloth in the form of a glove, so can also be used to wipe down other instruments including keyboards and even drum kits.
And the best part? It’s both reusable and machine washable, so you can say goodbye to filthy guitars for good.
We’d recommend, perhaps, keeping the Micro-Fibre Polishing Mitt away from your oven glove collection, as a mixup may end up proving painful…
The Micro-Fiber Polishing Mitt is available now, priced at just $7.99.
For more information, head to D’Addario.
The post Hot from the oven: this polishing mitt from D’Addario is the guitar accessory you didn’t know you needed appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
We rated Universal Audio’s Paradise Guitar Studio plugin 8/10 – get it now at 25% off for today only
Today is your final chance to grab Universal Audio’s Paradise Guitar Studio plugin with 25% off.
Available from Plugin Boutique for £132 while the offer lasts, Paradise works with the DAW of your choice and was described by Universal Audio at its launch as “the most complete ‘end‑to‑end’ virtual experience we’ve ever built”.
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Given that the plugin arrived in December 2025, it’s still relatively new, meaning a deal like this one isn’t so common. We reviewed Paradise Guitar Studio following its launch, and gave it an 8/10 as it nailed all the basics.
We said that it offered a simple interface, top-quality amplifier sounds, and included all major effect types. We did, however, not recommend it for the high-gain guitarists out there, and noted that its simplicity means there are limited tweaking options.
- READ MORE: Victory sends blind guitarist custom braille amp in the most wholesome moment of 2026 so far
The plugin was essentially made to be a gateway to the studio of your dreams, offering everything you need for a pro guitar recording chain, including its acclaimed UAD guitar amp emulations along with classic cabinets and mics, pedals, and studio effects – all built upon its analogue modelling.
Inside, you get 11 hand-picked vintage and modified tube amps, over 300 presets – spanning genres such as rock, blues, indie, funk, and pop – as well as a generous range of effects like 1176 compression, vintage tape echo, and more.
Find out more in the video below:
Today is your last chance to shop this deal. Head over to Plugin Boutique to find out more.
The post We rated Universal Audio’s Paradise Guitar Studio plugin 8/10 – get it now at 25% off for today only appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Sound System: is this up-and-coming next-gen game set to be the next Guitar Hero?
For a decade, the Guitar Hero franchise reigned supreme, before fading into the shadows after the release of 2015’s Guitar Hero Live. Now, some of the Guitar Hero team are back with next-gen rhythm game Sound System – and its free.
With plans to drop this spring, Sound System will pick up where Guitar Hero left off. Developed by the Echo Foundry Interactive team, the game revitalises the original franchise’s arcade-inspired roots, with the core Sound System experience available to play without paying a dime.
While the game is currently in its pre-alpha phase, the trailer already showcases some familiar Guitar Hero-like gameplay. The clip shows someone jamming out to Drist’s Decontrol, a track that was on the first Guitar Hero game back in 2005, notes racing down the iconic 5-string note highway.
The game is is also promising support for guitar, bass and vocals, as well as offering a mass of customisability. Users will be able to personalise their experience, with multiple themes and backgrounds to choose from.
There’s also the ability to flick between Classic and Pro modes to suit your personal playing style; Classic mode will allow a more relaxed playing experience, with “no-fail” states and more forgiving note timing, while the Pro option will suit those seeking a challenge.
The customisation even extends to the music and songs you’ll be performing. Creator Tools will allow users to create their own note charts and upload their own tracks. In fact, the ability to upload your own tracks will play a central role in Sound System, with the game heavily focusing on “free music” and “community-driven gameplay”.
Its an aspect that has already caused some waves amongst Guitar Hero fans. While the original franchise has always allowed normal people to feel like a rockstar, letting you jam out to classic rock bangers from the comfort of your own home, the focus on “free music” removes that appeal.
Of course, premium tracks can be accessed at a price; a Complete Edition of the game will include 60 launch tracks at a cost of $34.99, with other tracks available as DLC. However, Redditors are already voicing their concerns; “Seems kinda soulless to me… the game being built around copyright free music is missing the point of why we all loved Guitar Hero,” one user notes.
Its still early days, so there’s no saying how Sound System may advance prior to its release. When it does, its set to be available on PC first, with PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and Xbox versions also in development for the future.
The Sound System team is also working on adding drum pad and keyboard support later down the line.
But, for now, its worth digging out your old Guitar Hero controllers… or, if you’re wanting something fresh, Drakong’s latest InfinaKore Telecaster Edition dropped last year, almost like it knew a new rhythm game was in the works. The Fender collaborative controller is also fully modular, which falls perfectly in line with Sound System’s love of customisation.
For more information, head to Sound System.
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You can save over $1,000 on a PRS McCarty 594 10-Top with these huge deals at Sweetwater
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a PRS McCarty model then now might be the best time to get your hands on one – Sweetwater has some pretty huge deals on, saving you over $1,000 on a number of McCarty models.
The models on offer right now are single-cut 594s with PRS’ revered 10 Top status, meaning each one has a clearly defined figure across the entire top. They’re now reduced to $4,399, saving you over $1,000.
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The 594 McCarty gets its name from its 24.594-inch scale length. Named after the late Ted McCarty, these guitars have a maple-capped mahogany body, two 58/15 LT pickups, a full yet comfortable Pattern Vintage neck profile, and much more. Across the sale, finishes on offer include Black Gold Burst, Charcoal Burst, Faded Blue Jean, Fire Red, and Grey Black.
In more PRS McCarty news, the brand has teased that something related to the McCarty name will be unveiled later this month, just in time for the NAMM show. Although no details have yet been confirmed, it looks like either a new product or possibly a documentary exploring the life and legacy of Ted McCarty will be landing on 22 January.
In a video shared by PRS on Instagram, a video recaps how the original McCarty model first released in 1994 was unveiled at the NAMM show, and features footage of McCarty discussing how the guitar came to be. He says, “One day, Paul met me at the trade show in New York. We talked about guitars and he said, ‘how about if we make a Ted McCarty guitar?’
“I said, ‘well, perhaps it would be fine. And I would be very thrilled and honoured to have one of your guitars with my name on it, but who’s gonna buy it? Because I’m not a musician, I don’t go around and play guitars.’ Paul said that he didn’t think I knew quite the reputation that I had.”
Shop all PRS McCarty deals over at Sweetwater.
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Johnny Marr reveals “mind-blowing” experience of playing with Paul McCartney – and the unique thing that sets him apart from other bass players
![[L-R] Johnny Marr and Paul McCartney](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Johnny-Marr-Paul-McCartney@2000x1500.jpg)
Johnny Marr has recalled the “mind-blowing” experience he had playing with Paul McCartney when he was younger, waxing lyrical on the Beatles legend in a new interview on The Overlap podcast.
The Smiths guitarist says McCartney’s genius is such that “he’s like having your 12th man” when playing alongside him.
- READ MORE: Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir dies aged 78 – the guitar world reacts to the passing of a legend
“If you take a band like the Beatles – they always come to mind because they’re the yardstick everyone thinks about, you know. Ringo is so important to the sound. If it was anyone else it would be a completely different band,” Marr says. “But, pretty lowkey, George Harrison – speaking as a guitar player – [he was] one of the greatest guitar players ever.
“Paul McCartney on the other hand – and speaking as a musician – I had a mind-blowing experience playing with Paul McCartney when I was younger. He’s like having your 12th man.
“In a band he really is like having two guys. Because he’s so melodic, he’s so attitude-y, and just [has] amazing musicality.”
Marr adds that due to his massive fame beyond his time in the Beatles, it’s easy to forget about his prowess as one of the best bass players in the world.
“He’s so famous and has become such a cultural person now – there’s quite a lot of people like this in the culture, I think, not just musicians,” he goes on.
“You forget, actually, about what their craft is. And Paul McCartney reinvented a way of playing the bass. You think of him as a songwriter and a singer really, but as a bass guitar player, it’s next-level, really.
“I think that was really deliberate. I think he took great pride in being – he wanted to be the best bass player in the world.”
Last month, it was revealed that Höfner – the maker of Paul McCartney’s legendary violin bass – had filed for bankruptcy. In a tribute post on social media, Macca wrote:
“It is very sad to see Höfner go out of business. They have been making instruments for over 100 years, and I bought my first Höfner bass in the ‘60s. I have loved it ever since. It’s a wonderful instrument to play: lightweight, and it encourages me to play quite freely. It also offers pleasing variations in tone that I enjoy.”
The post Johnny Marr reveals “mind-blowing” experience of playing with Paul McCartney – and the unique thing that sets him apart from other bass players appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source Audio Encounter review: “one of the most sonically adventurous pedals I’ve ever played”
$399/£369, sourceaudio.com
Let’s just get this out of the way up top: I’m typically not a fan of pedals that combine both delay and reverb. Sure, there are exceptions – the most famous being some of the many variants of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo – but the exception is not the rule.
Many companies have attempted this approach with varying degrees of success, and more often than not in my experience, the trade-offs outweigh the savings in cost and real estate.
That said, I am a huge fan of lush, ambient sounds and expansive textures. Pedals like the Walrus Audio Slö or the Chase Bliss MOOD have long been staples in my ambient arsenal. Despite my general reservations about the concept then, Source Audio’s latest hybrid offering – the Encounter – certainly piqued my interest.
Part of this is because Source’s previous attempt to fuse delay and reverb – the superlative Collider – was an ambient guitarist’s dream. Can it be two in a row?
Image: Press
Source Audio Encounter – what is it?
Ostensibly the Encounter is a very similar experience to the Collider – it has the same basic format of two footswitchable sides for reverb and delay, and a centralised rotary that selects which delay and reverb algorithm you’re currently using.
While the Collider was a fusion of the usual suspects of delay and reverb however, the Encounter is exclusively dealing in the most ambient and weird sounds you can find – there’s no room, spring, tape or the like here.
Instead you’ll find the likes of Hypersphere, Kaleidoscope, Trem Verb and Noise Tape – quite what those actually mean, well – you’ll need to take a look at the manual. The delay and reverb sections can be combined or run independently of the other, and the dry signal is routed around the signal processor for applications that demand unaffected tones via parallel routing. There’s also a 100 per cent wet/dry control for those effect-loop junkies.
Other highlights include onboard expression compatibility with depth and direction control, as well as complete MIDI functionality via 5-pin MIDI DIN input and thru jacks. The pedal offers eight onboard presets, with access to a total of 128 presets via MIDI.
If you want to unlock even more tweakability however, you can pair the pedal with Source Audio’s Neuro 3 smartphone app. This enables deep effect editing, MIDI control, interchangeable algorithms, preset sharing, and a wealth of other features – many of which are crucial for anyone looking to truly harness the full potential of this pedal.
Image: Press
Source Audio Encounter – usability and sounds
So, enough of the Star Trek technobabble – how does this thing actually sound? And is it too atmospheric for the normie who just wants a really good time-based pedal? To answer that hypothetical question, I grabbed a Jazzmaster and plugged it straight into a Vox AC15 to put it through its paces.
Before exploring the fusion food element of this particular meal, I decided to test each side on its own. I found the results to be both immediate and delightfully head-scratching.
For instance, one of my favorite delays – the Kaleidoscope – proved to be distinct from any kind of echo I’ve encountered before, but quite hard to describe. The best way I can think of is to imagine that your repeats have been chopped up and then sent down a giant helter skelter. It sounds strange, I know, but it’s immensely rewarding and enjoyable in practice.
Another standout delay is the expertly crafted Noise Tape, which is based on the tape delay section of the aforementioned Space Echo. I found this Space Echo emulation to be both dynamic and nearly identical to my actual 1984 RE-201. With a bit of modulation dialed in, I found myself channeling my inner Kid A almost by default – I would wager it’s the sound that the majority of us would use most frequently.
If the delays are fun and weird, the reverbs take things to a whole new level. The Hypersphere algorithm, for example, might be the closest we’ll ever get to hearing what the natural reverb of the universe sounds like. A wonderfully blooming effect that expands in all directions at once.
As you’d expect from an atmospheric pedal, there’s a fair helping of varied shimmer algorithms. These don’t necessarily reinvent the shimmer formula, but they’re tonally distinct enough to satisfy either the hardcore Sigur Rós enthusiast or those simply looking to add a slightly pitched, angelic voice to their Sunday service.
The Encounter’s greatest strength truly reveals itself when you combine delay and reverb to create richly atmospheric, creatively inspiring textures that ebb and flow between luscious sound pads and almost sequence-like lo-fi patterns.
One of my favorite pairings is the Drum Delay coupled with the Lo-Fi Reverb. This combination is perhaps the best starting point for ambient newcomers: you still get a touch of that ambient warble, but the drum delay remains straightforward enough to be usable in virtually any musical context.
When it comes to editing and saving presets, Source Audio has taken a refreshingly straightforward approach, offering both onboard editing and deep control via the Neuro 3 app. I found Neuro 3 to be especially intuitive in its design – the GUI is visually pleasing, easy to navigate, and thoughtfully laid out. In a world of overly-complicated app-based solutions, it’s nice to use something that doesn’t require a doctorate to get to grips with.
Image: Press
Source Audio Encounter – usability and sounds
So, did the Encounter change my mind about dual delay/reverb pedals? Certainly in this case, absolutely. It’s a pedal that builds upon the original concept of the Collider and takes it in a far more adventurous, sonically lush direction.
While there’s usually some sort of compromise in these sorts of pedals, by making it squarely focused on creating ambient textures does negate that impressively – as an all-in-one ambient unit, it might be the only one most of us ever need.
The flipside of this is that it’s certainly not cheap – at very nearly $400 you can definitely ask yourself whether that money would be better spent on two independent pedals, especially if your needs aren’t as esoteric as what’s on offer here.
But for its intended soundscape-y, textural audience, it’s one of the most sonically adventurous pedals you can get – and that’s well worth the price of entry.
While I initially had my apprehensions, Source Audio more than delivered, creating a pedal that could very well be the only ambient unit most players will ever need.
At $400, it’s certainly a significant ask for those simply looking for a straightforward delay/reverb combo. However, for the audience the Encounter is clearly aimed at, it stands as one of the most sonically adventurous pedals I’ve ever played – and that alone more than justifies the asking price.
Image: Press
Like this? Try these
- Del-Verb Ambience Companion by Universal Audio
- Qi Etherealizer by Walrus Audio
- M309 Joshua Ambient Echo by MXR
The post Source Audio Encounter review: “one of the most sonically adventurous pedals I’ve ever played” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir dies aged 78 – the guitar world reacts to the passing of a legend
Legendary Grateful Dead founding member and guitarist Bob Weir has died, his family has announced. He was 78, and had been undergoing treatment for cancer since last year.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Weir’s family paid tribute to the hugely influential musician, stating: “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”
Weir co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965 alongside fellow guitarist Jerry Garcia. The Dead would become a hugely influential and enduring musical force that transcended the San Francisco counterculture they grew out of. They would go on to become the greatest jam band of them all, with a songbook of timeless classics and an army of devoted fans – Deadheads – that continued to grow and diversify with each passing generation.
The Grateful Dead were a remarkable anachronism in American music. They had just one Top 40 hit in their entire career (1987’s Touch of Grey). But were one of the most popular and enduring touring acts in the country, emphasising the remarkable power of the Dead’s live experience and the unique community it fostered.
The Grateful Dead proper ended with the untimely passing of Jerry Garcia in 1995, but Weir and other surviving members of the band continued to tour and keep the music alive – first as The Other Ones and then, from 2010, teaming up with John Mayer to form Dead & Co.
Dead & Co would bring the magic of the Greatful Dead’s music to a whole new generation, leading to sold-out tours until 2022, a remarkable Las Vegas Sphere residency in 2024 and finally, a three-day hometown run at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in July 2025 that marked 60 years of The Dead, and would be an unplanned but fitting coda to Weir’s incredible legacy.
Unsurprisingly given the huge impact he had on American music, the guitar world united from all corners to pay tribute to Weir as news of his passing broke.
“He was always ready to ‘Kick up a fuss’,” wrote bluegrass phenom Billy Strings on Instagram. “He always had boundless time and knowledge to share with everyone and was truly one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. The world is a better place because of him. I’m extremely grateful to have crossed paths with him in this life.”
“This guy was such a hero,” wrote Heart’s Nancy Wilson. “The world is a sadder place without him in it. He spread a lifetime of magic around and always had that twinkle of good nature in his eyes. His good vibrations will never end. He gave such a gift to us all.”
Phish’s Trey Anastasio paid heartfelt tribute to Weir in a lengthy post on Instagram, but was keen to highlight his modesty and self-depracating sense of humour: “Bobby was completely allergic to compliments in the most endearing way. I’d say, ‘Man, that guitar riff you were doing on that song sounded really killer’ and he’d respond, ‘Well, I’m sure I’ll fuck it up next time.’ I loved that about him.”
Don Was, who played with Weir in the Wolf Bros highlighted the power Weir as a live musician, “Night after night, he taught us how to approach music with fearlessness and unbridled soul – pushing us beyond what we thought was musically possible,” he wrote. “Every show was a transcendent adventure into the unknown. Every note he played and every word he sang was designed to bring comfort and joy to our audiences.”
Maggie Rogers was another paying tribute to Weir’s embracing of young musicians: “This man showed me so much kindness so early in my career,” she wrote. “And welcomed me into a spirit of making music that has everything to do with community and connection and soul, and always with a twinkling of perfect mischief at the edges.”
Joe Satriani simply and poignantly posted, “It was an honour to know you and share the stage with you.”
Weir’s passing follows on from the death of bassist Phil Lesh in 2024, and leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving founding member of the band. Regardless, Weir’s family believes that it was his dream and wish that the band’s music carried on long after him.
“There is no final curtain here, not really,” wrote the family’s statement on Instagram. “Only the sense of someone setting off again. He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him. May that dream live on through future generations of Dead Heads. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth livin’.”
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Is PRS teasing another McCarty model for this year’s NAMM Show?
PRS has shared a video to Instagram that suggests something related to the late and great Ted McCarty will land this month.
Although no details have yet been confirmed, it sure looks like either a new product or possibly a documentary exploring the life and legacy of McCarty will be landing on 22 January – just in time for this year’s NAMM event.
The video recaps how the original McCarty model first released in 1994 was unveiled at the NAMM show, and features footage of McCarty discussing how the guitar came to be: “One day, Paul met me at the trade show in New York. We talked about guitars and he said, ‘how about if we make a Ted McCarty guitar?’
“I said, ‘well, perhaps it would be fine. And I would be very thrilled and honoured to have one of your guitars with my name on it, but who’s gonna buy it? Because I’m not a musician, I don’t go around and play guitars.’ Paul said that he didn’t think I knew quite the reputation that I had,” McCarty concludes in the footage.
Ted McCarty was a pioneer of the electric guitar and the musical instrument industry. He was president of Gibson during its “golden age”, and became a longtime friend and mentor to Paul Reed Smith of PRS.
In the late 1980s, Paul Reed Smith asked McCarty to consult with him on guitar design and production techniques, and in 1994, PRS released the first McCarty guitar. Over the years since, the brand has launched a number of McCarty models across its brand.
More recently, PRS launched a 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition model in summer 2025 – a single-cutaway model that was both “a tribute to tradition and a modern performer’s dream” – limited to just 400 pieces worldwide. It also launched McCarty III pickups last year: vintage-inspired humbuckers that bring a vocal clarity to their full, warm tone.
Whatever it might be, PRS says the Ted McCarty news will land on 22 January. You can view its full product line up over at PRS Guitars in the meantime.
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The Sterling Kaizen was my favourite guitar of 2025 – but it looks like the new Ibanez Alpha Series is coming for the crown
[Editor’s note: I’m fortunate enough to get many guitars across my desk to review, but as a metal player, few impressed me last year quite like the Sterling By Music Man Kaizen 6. The quirky, prog-metal geared offset impressed me so much, in fact, that I gave it 9/10 in my review, and even included it in our roundup of the best new guitar gear of 2025. But is the all-new prog-focused Ibanez Alpha Series set to take its crown? It certainly looks a strong contender, and I’ll pass you on to my colleague, Rachel, to tell you all about the radically innovative new series… – Sam, News Editor]
Ibanez has launched a new lineup of prog-rock-ready electric guitars, the Alpha Series, offering seven or eight strings and contemporary body styles.
The Alpha series is described by Ibanez as being “forged for the modern, cutting-edge guitar player”. It says they “boast an array of truly unique and contemporary features”, including an ergonomically designed body silhouette and contours, and claims that the series “won’t just change how you approach playing; it will open completely new horizons for your music.”
The aesthetics of the Alpha models appear to be Ibanez’s answer to modern shred culture booming online, with progressive rock and metal causing new trends and desires to emerge among guitarists. The Alpha models were developed with both 7- and 8-string multi-scale configurations in mind, tailored to technically advanced players who may want to play around with tuning and expressive playing techniques.
Both the seven-string A527 and eight-string A528 offer a three-dimensional structure designed through “extensive analysis of ergonomics and playing posture”. Each also has a three-screw neck joint design — utilising two screws mounted within an oval-shaped stainless-steel plate, and one additional screw driven directly from the body into the neck – for better joint strength and improved access to the high frets.
The guitars are fitted with Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, accompanied by a Fishman Fluency Voicing switch. Three finishes are on offer: Iron Pewter, Nebula Shift and Coral Mirage. Check out the videos below for more:
The features implemented in these guitars certainly echo that of Abasi Concepts and other modern brands including Kiesel and Strandberg. Tosin Abasi of prog outfit Animals As Leaders founded Abasi Concepts in 2017, with a focus on ergonomic design. Abasi had also worked with Ibanez on a prototype signature the year prior, and more recently teamed up with Ernie Ball Music Man on the Kaizen in 2022.
The seven-string Ibanez Alpha model has an estimated price of $1,899, while the eight-string comes in around $1,999. Find out more about the range via Ibanez.
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Victory sends blind guitarist custom braille amp in the most wholesome moment of 2026 so far
The news hasn’t been all that rosy so far in 2026, but we assure you, there’s plenty of really heartwarming things still going on.
Like British amp brand Victory sending a custom braille amp to blind guitarist and skateboarder Anthony Ferraro, who captured the moment it arrived on his doorstep in what’s sure to be one of the most wholesome clips of the year. And we’re just nine days in…
In the video – posted to his Instagram page, which boasts nearly 430,000 followers at the time of writing – Ferraro can be seen bursting through the door holding a massive Victory-branded box exclaiming: “I’m blind, what’s in this box?!”
“Dude, it’s an amp!” he yells, taking the white-finished combo amp out of its box to reveal its custom braille labels under each of the control knobs and on the routing information board on the back. “Are you kidding me? I’m gonna cry!”
A special braille note addressed to Ferraro also came in the box, which reads: “Dear, Anthony… We heard you wanted to try a Victory amp. So we set ourselves a challenge and came up with this unique design just for you.”
“I think this is the first amp in the world to ever do this,” Ferraro says. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to ask a friend, ‘Hey, what’s this control?’ This is the most amazing amp I’ve ever touched and I can’t wait to play this.”
Barely able to contain his excitement, Ferraro takes his shiny new amp to his jam room, plugging it into his PRS SE Silver Sky electric guitar and impressively kitted out pedalboard, where he showcases his enviable chops with a series of bluesy lead lines.
“[This is] quite truly one of the greatest things I have [ever] been given,” he writes in the post’s caption. “To say I cried when I opened it wouldn’t be a lie. I’ve been blind my whole life and music was one of the only things that made it feel like I wasn’t blind… until I felt my gear or had to ask someone to help me adjust a knob or tune my guitar.
“When I felt the braille on this amp my whole world changed instantly. I was free to do it on my own for the first time ever. Advocating for braille has become one of my biggest passions in life. As actual companies begin to take initiatives in accessibility it makes me think maybe it’s working… I can’t believe this is real. Someone pinch me.”
In a highly liked comment (61,157 likes at the time of writing) under the video, Victory responds to Ferraro’s heartwarming video: “It means the world to us seeing you connect with your amp like this, Anthony. Thank you for letting us be part of your journey.” Ferraro replies: “You actually changed my life. I don’t even know how to say thank you enough.”
It’s moments like these that make us proud to be part of the guitar community. Fair play, Victory. Fair play.
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“The Stratocaster hasn’t really changed since 1954”: Outgoing Fender CEO Andy Mooney says electric guitarists have “generally been reluctant to really accept innovation”
Innovation in the guitar world certainly happens, but it’s often in small increments – updates to single components as opposed to radical new guitar designs altogether. Big changes do happen, mind; just look at the MIDI-enabled self-playing Circle Guitar which we recently called “the most revolutionary new guitar in half a century”.
There’s perhaps an argument to say that the electric guitar – at its core – is a pretty great technology, and that the infrequency of massively radical new designs is more a reflection that guitarists are just happy where things are.
Outgoing Fender CEO Andy Mooney certainly has some insights, and in a new conversation with Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto on his Inside the Noise podcast, speaks on the current demands of guitar players, and how things are different when it comes to amp innovation.
“Artists, generally, in the electric side, have been reluctant to really accept innovation,” Mooney says. “I mean, one of the guitars in my collection was a collaboration we did with Roland, which I thought was a very interesting guitar, but it didn’t attract an audience.
“I say to people that, you know, the Stratocaster hasn’t really changed since 1954. The only thing that’s changed is the neck, the frets, the pickups, the tremolo arm, and the paint application. And every one of those things, even the height of the frets, all are a reflection of what current artists are really demanding.”
He goes on: “On the amplifier side, it’s completely the opposite. Generally speaking, the player is now very receptive to digitisation. I know when I started using either digital foot pedals or digital amps, the quality just wasn’t there, and they developed a bad reputation. Now, when you listen to what’s capable with a digital amp and a digital signal chain, it’s actually amazing.”
In 2026, artists – particularly touring artists – are keener than ever to strip back their physical rigs to cut costs, and simply reduce the effort it requires to lug around a heavy, complex rig around on the road.
Many of the worlds’ top rock and metal artists have made the switch to digital amp modellers for live shows. Metallica guitar tech Chad Zaemisch even attributes the band’s improved live shows with their decision to do so. And in 2024, after saying he’d “never” use amp modellers, Slipknot’s Jim Root revealed he had been using a Neural DSP Quad Cortex live.
Mooney recognises this shift in player demand, too, adding: “In Eddie Van Halen’s day, he would have carted around 18 4x12s or nine heads. Now, people are moving towards a silent stage. Def Leppard are moving towards an entirely silent stage.”
Prior to his post at Fender, Andy Mooney worked at Disney as Chairman of Consumer Products. There, he gained invaluable insights from Steve Jobs, who was CEO of Pixar.
“We were a bit late coming to the party [with digital amp modellers],” he goes on. “But one of the things I learned from the conversations with Steve was that it’s okay to be second as long as you’re better.
“So when we looked at the Tone Master Pro again… Steve, one of the things he really did with his products was the user interface had to be so elegant that you didn’t need an owner’s manual, that you could take it straight out of the box, [and you] didn’t need an MIT degree to figure it out. So that’s what we tried to do with the Tone Master Pro, everything is intuitive.”
It was revealed this week that Andy Mooney is to step down from his position as CEO of Fender next month, with the company’s current President of its Asia-Pacific operations Edward “Bud” Cole to step into the role.
“Leading Fender has been a highlight of my career,” says Mooney. “I’m deeply grateful for the creativity and commitment of the Fender teams around the world and proud of what we’ve accomplished. I’m excited to pass the baton on to Bud and confident that under his leadership, Fender will continue to inspire players for generations to come.”
During his time as President of Fender Asia Pacific, Edward “Bud” Cole has overseen the expansion of Fender into 14 countries across the region including mainland China and Korea, established full regional commercial and operational capabilities, and played a pivotal role in numerous Made-in-Japan launches.
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Ted Nugent brands Yungblud as “the real McCoy” among a flurry of strange praise for rock artists
Ted Nugent kicked off the new year with a video on his YouTube channel, in which he dished out a bunch of praise – and quite a few insults too – for the rock musicians of today.
Among those he both praised and criticised all at the same time were Jack White, Green Day, and Yungblud, who came out the most unscathed. Nugent celebrated Yungblud, who’s garnered a whole new swathe of fans since his performance at the Black Sabbath Back To The Beginning event, as “the real McCoy”.
In the video, titled Let’s Talk Music, Nugent begins discussing Yungblud by mentioning his recent EP collaboration with Aerosmith: “Now, I got to tell you this, what’s this Yungblud guy? Limey freak madness. This guy’s the real McCoy. Watch this Yungblud that’s working with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It gives you hope that the really piss and vinegar, the James Brown, the original Chuck Berry, Little Richard is alive and well and this kid called Yungblud, he’s a screamer,” he says.
Nugent then moves on to Jack White, discussing his half time show with rapper Eminem at the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving football game in November: “Jack White, is that his name? Anyhow, he was great. It wasn’t like a 10 like Sammy Hagar or James Brown. I think Sammy Hagar and James Brown and Steven Tyler, those are tens. Angus Young of AC/DC, that’s a 10. The guy’s a maniac. Billy Gibbons in the blues, rhythm, and soul music category, he’s a 10.
“Jack White, he’s not a 10. He’s like a four and a five, but he really delivered real rock ‘n’ roll. Real Detroit piss and vinegar. And Eminem… Both of those guys, Eminem and Jack White: total idiots,” he says. Nugent then goes on to berate their political views, with “they don’t want their country to have secure borders. They think men should destroy women’s sports” being just two of his claims.
He then goes on to add, “Green Day – there’s not a brain amongst them, I don’t think. But man, can they play. Really, really killer stuff, like Tom Morello. Come on, Tom – you’re not raging against the machine, you are the machine.”
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Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster review – “this guitar is like spending time with an old friend”
$1,599/£1,349, fender.com
There’s an argument to be made that Fender’s Vintera II range is the absolute sweet spot in the company’s line-up – electric guitars that look, feel and sound impressively close to the Golden Era originals, but with prices more in line with guitars made in FMIC’s Ensenada, Mexico factory.
Back when the range initially launched in 2023, my colleague Josh went so far as to call the Vintera II Strat “the new benchmark for import Strats” and you can see why – for less than half the price of an American Vintage II guitar, you can own a Strat that has much of the mojo and a fair dollop of the vintage accuracy of the USA flagship. And now they’re about to turn all that up to 11.
It’s been a decade or more since Fender first experimented with factory ageing in the Ensenada factory. The original Road Worn guitars were well-received back in 2013, but even at the time the artificial wear and tear felt a little templated. Since then, Fender has clearly been hard at work – the Mike McCready Strat that came out late in 2023 showed that Ensenada’s factory relic’ing had come on leaps and bounds, but it also suggested there might be limits to mass-produced wear and tear as well.
For the revival of the Road Worn concept then, Fender has taken a more considered path – but one that might be the best of all worlds.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – what is it?
In simple terms, it takes Fender’s Vintera II 60s Strat, strips it off the standard gloss polyurethane finish, and swaps it out for a bona fide nitrocellulose lacquer job. However, unlike the previous Road Worn guitars, you won’t find any over-the-top wear patches or faux-buckle rash here. Not a single pair of heavy keys has been chucked at it in anger. Instead, you have something that, from a distance, has more in common with Fender’s Lacquer series from 2015 – a Mexican guitar with a nitro finish that appears pretty much pristine. However, when you look closer you’ll find it’s more interesting than that.
Rather than spray a lacquer top coat on the guitar and wait 60 years for anything interesting to happen to the finish, Fender has helped it along by a few decades. That means that while the guitar’s finish is factory-fresh at a distance, closer inspection reveals lacquer checking across the body and neck, while the hardware has all been aged too.
It’s the sort of Closet Classic treatment that previously has only been available at a Custom Shop level, which will set you back the thick end of five grand, though it’s interesting that the USA-made Ultra Luxe Vintage range took a similarly restrained approach to factory ageing with its ‘Heirloom’ finish – are we finally seeing players move away from the heavier relic thing? Time will tell.
Image: Adam Gasson
Finish asides, it is, as mentioned, a Vintera II 60s Stratocaster – that means you get an alder body, Vintage-Style 60s Single-Coil Strat pickups, bent steel saddles, and the Vintera II policy of ‘close but not quite’ when it comes to vintage accuracy.
For example, while the guitar has the body contours of a 60s guitar and a vintage-style 7.25-inch radius and tall vintage frets, it doesn’t go so far as to give you a period-correct three-way selector switch – and that’s probably a smart choice.
The neck is slightly more perturbing, however – this black finish comes with a one-piece maple neck: a combination that was only available in 1965 as a custom order. Given that this combination of finish and neck was much more standard in the 50s, I’m somewhat at a loss as to why they didn’t give it a single-ply white pickguard instead of the green-hued three-ply version here, throw in some 50s pickups and go full Clapton’s Blackie.
There is a rosewood-boarded Sonic Blue option if you want something that feels more traditionally 60s. But occasional concessions to historical incongruity are part and parcel of the Vintera II range, and if you want something that’s more rigorously faithful, well you’re welcome to spend an extra grand to get yourself an American Vintage II.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – build quality and playability
Cork-sniffingly accurate it might not be however, but pulling the guitar out of its supplied vintage-style hard case it’s hard not to be impressed. The finish is beautifully thin, and the Road Worn effect is impressively restrained. You have to hold it up to the light to really see the cracking and checking, while the hardware is dull but doesn’t look like it’s been sitting at the bottom of a lake for 50 years. It all adds up to a beautiful ever-so-slightly worn-in feel to the whole thing – like a pair of good boots that have just been broken in.
The contours of the body are convincingly svelte like many a 60s original, and the alder body is nicely lightweight at just under 7.5lbs.
That maple neck’s 60s C-shape profile is reassuringly chunky, but not so much that it ever gets uncomfortable in the palm – sitting down with this guitar is like spending time with an old friend. That said, the tint to the fingerboard and the level of checking around the headstock are perhaps the only areas of the guitar where the relic job starts to look a little fake, in my opinion.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – sounds
Played unplugged, the light weight, and perhaps the lack of heavy finish to the body and neck, combined with that lovely feeling neck and vintage frets, add up to a resonant and chimey voice with sparkle, body and plenty of sustain.
The natural place to go from here is to plug in my old Deluxe Reverb and see if things continue to impress – they certainly do, greeting me with a superb classic Strat tone from the bridge single coil. To my ears, vintage-sized frets can also sound a touch clearer and more defined than modern jumbo ones, and played clean the Road Worn has all the clarity and definition you could require for funk and pop playing, while still having ample midrange to cut through a mix.
Switching to the middle pickup we get plenty of Stevie snarl and bite, and with a bit of overdrive, the most vocal of the three voices. Adding some fuzz, I revel in the Hendrixy neck pickup tones that offer plenty of flutey chime to single notes, double stops and chordal fills, especially when reducing the volume a touch.
The in-between positions give us authentic Mayer and Knopflerisms aplenty, and it’s to this guitar’s genuine credit that each position really does demonstrate an almost cliché level of appropriateness of how a dream Strat should sound.
Despite the midrange having an authentically 60s-style light scoop, the pickups demonstrate plenty of bite, snap and twang across the board, beautifully enhancing the sonic characteristics of the alder body, maple neck combo. Compared to my vintage 1962 Strat, the Vintera perhaps doesn’t quite have the 3D depth and top-end sweetness to the pickups, but to be this close to the real deal for this price? That’s hugely impressive.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – should I buy one?
The original Vintera II 60s Strat was a seriously impressive instrument, and while the price bump to make it Road Worn is significant, in terms of feel, playability and overall vibe I think it’s worth the extra $300 – it elevates this guitar into something that really could be your guitar for life.
While I still think it’s crying out for a more 50s treatment given the spec sheet, there’s no denying that it’s a superbly resonant, tuneful and enjoyable instrument. Some players will want bigger frets and a 9.5 radius, but that’s not really what the Vintera II range is for, and this Road Worn version doubles down on that in the best way.
This is a guitar that doesn’t embarrass itself put up against not just the USA-made American Vintage II range, but also Custom Shop guitars – it’s a long time since I’ve played a Mexican-made Fender guitar that was this inspirational, and I don’t think I’ve ever played one that captures the vintage aura so well.
The only downside, really, is that they’re limited edition – so don’t wait on this one, grab one while you can, you won’t regret it!
[products ids=”3oUtJohp5K1H1ERKxVHCZB”]
Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster – alternatives
If the nitro thing isn’t an issue for you, the regular Vintera II 60s Strat is a steal at $1,209/£999. If you want something that nails the vintage thing even more closely, the American Vintage II 1965 Stratocaster is a lot of guitar for $2,419/£2,299. If you want something that veers from tradition while still keeping a lot of the vintage vibes, John Mayer’s PRS SE Silver Sky ($949) is seriously impressive.
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“What could have been”: Andertons and Chicago Music Exchange team up with Fender on exclusive Lavender Haze-finished guitars and basses
UK retailer Andertons and Chicago Music Exchange have partnered with Fender on an exclusive Lavender Haze-finished line of classic guitar and bass models.
Comprising a Jazzmaster, Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazz Bass in the “never-before-seen” finish, each model also sports Chicago Music Exchange’s new proprietary Fender “Full Dip” pickups.
Developed in collaboration with Fender and informed by “decades of vintage expertise and player feedback”, these Full Dip pickups are infused with DNA from Big F’s Vintera II line, but with two key refinements: Alnico 2 magnets to smooth harsh frequencies and 5% overwound coils for “added punch and grit”.
Elsewhere, each model in the limited-edition range features unique circuit enhancements which unlock tonal options not available with standard wiring.
Described as the “could-have-been-but-never-was” finish, Lavender Haze is inspired by mid-century appliances, classic cars and the golden era of electric guitars, Andertons and CME say.
“The Player II already delivers exceptional tone, feel, and reliability, and this collaboration takes it even further,” says Lee Anderton, Managing Partner at Andertons.
“Pair that with CME’s new ‘Full Dip’ pickups, which have real warmth and musicality, and you’ve got guitars and basses that don’t just look incredible, they inspire you to play. We’re thrilled to bring them to Andertons customers!”
Credit: Andertons/Chicago Music Exchange
“I love to romanticise the golden years at Fender and imagine what could have been, but simply wasn’t – Lavender Haze is exactly that,” adds Daniel Bordonaro, Product Director at Chicago Music Exchange.
“Anyone desiring something comfortable and familiar, but overtly distinctive both aesthetically and sonically should look no further.”
The Andertons x Chicago Music Exchange Fender Player II RW Lavender Haze Collection is available now for pre-order.
For more info, you can head to Andertons or Chicago Music Exchange.
The post “What could have been”: Andertons and Chicago Music Exchange team up with Fender on exclusive Lavender Haze-finished guitars and basses appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Dave Mustaine thinks there’s a “changing of the guard” at the top of metal: “All of our elder statesmen have satisfied their roles”
2025 saw the loss of some of the metal genre’s greatest figures, including, but not limited to, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Mastodon’s Brent Hinds.
And in a new interview in the latest issue of Metal Hammer, as Megadeth gear up to launch their last ever album and embark on a landmark world tour to wrap things up, frontman Dave Mustaine reflects on the “changing of the guard” at the top of metal.
“All of our elder statesmen have satisfied their role as models,” he says, remembering some of the legends who have passed, both recently and in the last two decades.
“Some of the people we lost have really affected me. Lemmy [Kilmister, Motörhead frontman], [Ronnie James] Dio [Black Sabbath singer], Ozzy [Osbourne]… You hear about them going and you think, ‘No!’ That’s the way of the world now, though.”
Last year saw the passing of other legends including founding Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley at the age of 74, as well as some outside the metal realm including Beach Boys pioneer Brian Wilson.
Dave Mustaine himself has suffered his share of health conditions in recent years, famously revealing in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. While he confirmed that he was “100% cancer-free” the following year, in 2022 he shared that he had almost lost control of his left hand while undergoing chemotherapy.
“I wish I would have kept in touch with [late Megadeth drummer] Gar [Samuelson],” he said in a recent interview with Guitar World.
“You see that Ace Frehley passed away and how sad that is. Whenever stuff like that happens, I feel fortunate because I’m still kicking. But on the opposite side of the coin, I think, ‘Fuck… that could have been me,’ but by the grace of God, it’s not.”
Megadeth are due to commence their mammoth swansong tour on 15 February in Victoria, British Columbia, before putting on a number of Canada shows, and then heading to South America, Mexico, Europe and the US later in 2026.
But despite the band’s long list of members who have passed through the fold in the last four decades, Mustaine says former members won’t be performing with them during the tour.
“We’ve already done that with Marty,” he told Guitar World, referring to the times Marty Friedman joined the band onstage twice in 2023. “And I mean, let’s look at the other people we’ve played with… there’s a lot of people. [laughs]
“That would be a huge undertaking. I don’t think I want to do that. I’d rather keep doing what we’re doing and let the fans [experience] Megadeth music and be happy about it. It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth.’”
You can see a full list of dates on Megadeth’s upcoming final tour on their official website.
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Taylor’s 2026 acoustic refresh brings new neck tech, new pickups – and an expanded Gold Label collection
Taylor has announced two major releases for 2026: a Next Generation update to its flagship Grand Auditorium guitars, and an expansion of the Gold Label Collection that adds square-shoulder dreadnoughts plus a pair of ultra-premium 900 Series models.
“As guitar makers, we see the ever-wider variety of players and styles,” said Andy Powers, Taylor’s Chief Guitar Designer and CEO. “This means different types of sounds, feels and aesthetic presentations—all in step with the creative world of today’s players.”
Next-Generation Grand Auditorium guitars
Taylor’s Grand Auditorium has long been its Swiss-army-knife acoustic. Rolling out across the brand’s best-selling 300, 400 and 800 Series models — including both Standard and Builder’s Edition versions — the updated Grand Auditoriums introduce three main upgrades: a new Action Control Neck, a scalloped version of Andy Powers’ V-Class bracing, and Taylor’s all-new Claria pickup system.
The Action Control Neck is a particularly player-friendly change. A long-tendon neck joint helps the neck and body work together so the guitar feels warmer and more alive, while the shimless action control feature lets you adjust string height with a simple turn of a bolt through the soundhole.
Inside the body, Taylor has refined its V-Class bracing with a scalloped design that allows the top to move more freely. The result is a warmer sound with more low-end response, while still keeping the pitch accuracy and sustain that V-Class fans appreciate.
Finally, there’s Claria, Taylor’s latest pickup system. Designed with live players in mind, Claria pairs a reimagined under-saddle piezo pickup with a new proprietary preamp, eliminating traditional piezo harshness. Simple soundhole-mounted Volume, Mid-Contour, and Tone controls also make it easy to dial things in quickly, whether you’re playing a coffeehouse gig or a larger stage.
Next Generation Grand Auditoriums start at $2,499 and include the following models: 314ce, 414ce, 814ce, Builder’s Edition 324ce, BE 814ce Indian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce, 324ce, 454ce, 854ce, BE 814ce Honduran Rosewood/Sinker Spruce, BE 814ce Indian Rosewood/Adirond.
Credit: Taylor Guitars
Gold Label expands with square-shoulder dreadnoughts
One year after the line’s debut, Taylor has introduced square-shoulder dreadnoughts with deeper bodies, aimed squarely at players who want more thump, warmth and projection.
The new lineup features three tonewood pairings: the mahogany/torrefied Sitka spruce Gold Label 510e, the Indian rosewood/torrefied Sitka spruce Gold Label 710e, and the Honduran rosewood/torrefied Sitka spruce Gold Label 810e. Prices begin at $2,799.
New Gold Label 900 Series models
Rounding things out are two new Gold Label guitars at the top of Taylor’s range: the Super Auditorium Gold Label 914e and the Grand Pacific 917e.
Both pair Honduran rosewood with Adirondack spruce and feature exquisite paua-shell trim across the top, fretboard and headstock, in natural or golden-brown sunburst finishes. As with all Gold Label models, both guitars feature the collection’s signature innovations: fanned V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck, and heritage-inspired aesthetics.
“It’s like players are stepping into a different musical skin with our Gold Label guitars,” says Powers. “Songwriters, bluegrass players, Americana players, rhythm players, weekend strummers, worship leaders, all kinds of different players saying, ‘Wow, I love this sound. This is a whole different face of Taylor.’”
Learn more at Taylor Guitars.
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