AXL Badwater Jacknife Guitar Review

Legendary guitarists like Randy Roads of Ozzy Osborne played V-shaped guitars; their extreme edge appearance brings the meaning ‘axe,’ which explains why so many metal guitarists prefer them. They’re unique looking, give a tight heavy sound and just look metal. The Badwater Jacknife guitar is yet another radical—V-shaped—guitar, but unlike many others, is geared toward guitarists on a budget, while giving more features than other economy V-shaped guitars. Most metal guitarists will enjoy this guitar’s unique, vintage-style design and groovy sound. Read more

Fender ramps up its Squier line for 2012

It’s that time of year again, when everyone is on the edge of their seat—waiting and watching, for the shiny new products to be rolled out at NAMM. Calm down – this isn’t a game changing miracle device, but it’s still pretty cool.

Fender has introduced the new Squier models for 2012, putting some nice touches on a guitar line that has had less than impressive results in the past. Read more

Top 5 Acoustic Guitars for the Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! Having trouble thinking of the perfect gift for a loved one? Why not an acoustic guitar? How many people do you know that always say “I always wanted to play the guitar, but never had the time or energy”? Now is your chance to bring music into their lives with a nice new axe they can call their own. But, with the thousands of guitars available today, it can be a pretty complex and confusing ordeal, so Gear Vault is here to help. Here are the top 5 selling acoustic guitars for the Holidays. Read more

Gibson Les Paul Studio Swirl Guitars

The Les Paul Studio Swirl is a stunning new addition to the popular Studio series, which has been bringing full-fledged Les Paul performance and tone to hard-working musicians since its introduction in 1983. These guitars include all the classic ingredients that have made the Les Paul Standard legendary since humbuckers first hit the model 1957, but add four exotic swirl finishes to the formula, while retaining the down-to-business package that is light on frills, heavy on swagger, and easy on the pocket. Not one element of construction or component quality is sacrificed to bring you this high-performance electric guitar, and the Gibson USA Les Paul Studio Swirl might just be the most head-turning Studio model ever produced.

A handful of cosmetic simplifications help to bring this Les Paul in at a truly astounding price. A minimalist finishing process results in a thin nitrocellulose finish in one of four gorgeous new “swirl” options: Black/Green Swirl, Black/Silver Swirl, Gold/Blue Swirl, and Silver/Blue Swirl. A lack of binding around the body top and fingerboard also gives a tactile, organic look and feel to the instrument as a whole. Where tone and performance are concerned, however, the Studio Swirl model stays right in the legendary Les Paul Standard’s wheelhouse, with the timeless hardware that has helped to make Les Pauls total sustain monsters for more than five decades. The pickups are a pair of Gibson’s most popular humbuckers, a 490R in the neck and a 498T in the bridge, both made with 42-AWG wire and genuine Alnico magnets (Alnico II and Alnico V respectively) just like the original PAF humbuckers. Wrap it all up, and it’s an unparalleled package for anyone from the discerning studio musician to the hard-touring artist in search of a no-nonsense tone machine that stands out on the stage. And at this price, there’s no reason not to check out the Les Paul Studio Swirl today—and make it your very own. Read more

Vox Classic Plus AC50CPH head and V412BN Cab Review

Here’s a great review for those Vox lovers. I know I am one! For several decades Vox was pretty much considered a onetrick pony when it came to amp production, but the Vox AC30 was one hell of a studly stallion to build any company’s stable around. Since the dawn of the new millennium, Vox has introduced several impressive amp models to expand the company’s appeal beyond AC30 aficionados, including the acclaimed Valvetronix digital modeling series and the Custom Classic series, which adds modern features and flexibility to the timeless Vox sound.

Vox’s Classic Plus range further broadens the company’s offerings by providing an even wider palette of tube tones, including high-gain distortion as well as classic Vox chime and grind. The line currently consists of 50- and 100-watt heads and a 50-watt combo. I tried out the AC50CPH 50-watt head with a matching Vox V412BN cabinet loaded with four Vox vintage-style 12-inch speakers. Read more

GuitarCenter Coupon – $20 Bucks Off

GuitarCenter is offering another spectacular deal that’s just too good not to mention here on Gear-Vault. With gas prices toppling $4.00, maybe the extra $20 will put enough change in your pocket to afford some gas to mow your grass… Hey look, I’m a poet and didn’t know it =)

Okay, here’s the deal, spend $99 bucks at GuitarCenter (online); get $20 bones off your order. What you need to do is click this link, shop till you drop at GuitarCenter, then enter the code GCSAVE20 into your shopping cart at checkout.

Click: Save $20 off purchases of $99 or more at Guitarcenter.com. Use code GCSAVE20. Expires 5/22

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Kramer Delta Wing Simulator R Guitar Review

Gary Kramer Gained celebrity in the Eighties as the primary guitar supplier for Eddie Van Halen. He was also one of the first manufacturers to feature the era-defining original Floyd Rose tremolo. He stepped away from guitar building for more than a decade, but now he’s back with another inspiring line of guitars and a fresh set of ideas on guitar design.

Kramer’s Delta Wing Simulator R looks like an alien weapon, but the wild mahogany body shape actually serves to align the neck perfectly when standing or silting. The sweeping upper horn braces the extremely lightweight guitar against the player’s chest in such a way that it’s nearly impossible to slump into an uncomfortable posture. Similarly, the body contours ease tension on the right wrist liberating feature that’s evident when performing difficult techniques. Other high-tech attributes include recessed controls, a licensed Floyd Rose tremolo, a push/pull coil tap, a slick matte finish on the 24-fret neck and molten alnico pickups that are aimed right at players who want extreme rock and metal tones. Read more

Godin Velocity Guitar Review With Video

Godin’s success with its line of acoustic-electric guitars has overshadowed the company’s ferocious solidbody guitars. Today we review the Godin’s Velocity electric guitar, with its unique High Definition Revoicer feature, affords an opportunity to discover some of the hidden treasures from Canada’s most celebrated guitar manufacturer. Read more

PRS SE Custom 24 Review

Do not think of the Paul Reed Smith SE Custom 24 as an “economical” guitar. Think of it as an awesome electric guitar for guitarists on a budget.

Ever since the mid 80′s, Paul Reed Smith Guitars have earned a respectful reputation for their instruments, which are known for being excellent sounding, effortless to to play, and, all too often, high priced. Comparable to most guitar manufacturers, Paul Reed Smith have released a low-priced series of guitars to render PRS instruments more reachable to a broader crowd who may not otherwise be able to afford a Paul Reed Smith axe. With this series, the Korean-made SE Custom guitars, have been very well received by guitarists on a budget.

PRS’ original axe was the Custom 24, so, of course, it’s only appropriate that one of the finest SE guitar models is the SE Custom 24, a lower-cost version of the original Custom 24 flagship electric guitar. It priced nearly at a quarter of a “original” PRS Custom 24, so how do they compare? Read more

EHX Micro POG Guitar Octave Pedal Review

Bored with the guitar’s four-octave range (and that’s only if you have a 24-fret guitar)? You could succumb to the seven-string itch, but that will only increase your range by a perfect fourth (or five half steps). No wonder many guitarists lust for other instruments like the bass, six-string bass, 12-string guitar or—the horror—ukulele or mandolin. Thanks to the ElectroHarmonix Micro POG, you can expand the range of your guitar by two octaves without cheating on your faithful ax. Read more

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