Gibson, much like Fender, are continuing to update their guitar range and the latest model to undergo a makeover is the trust old workhorse, the SG. Since it’s introduction in 1961 when it replaced the Les Paul for a little while the guitar has been a mainstay for many classic rock and blues artists but while the guitar is undoubtedly full of tone it’s never been the most versatile beast. The SG Diablo aims to correct this and give the SG a metal edged makeover.

The SG Diablo has a “double-locking” Floyd Rose vibrato bridge, 24 frets for extended soloing range and a simplified no-nonsense control layout with a hand-sprayed nitrocellulose finish in gloss Ebony Black. The Diablo also features two of Gibson’s popular PAF-style humbucking pickups—a 490R at the neck and 498T at the bridge, made with Alnico II and Alnico V magnets.

What the Experts say about the SG Diablo

We asked several respected Gibson’s dealers about this guitar and this is what they had to say.

“…the guitar certainly looks cool. An interesting departure for Gibson to add a Floyd Rose to an SG, it’ll be interesting to see how well that goes down with the guitar playing public. It’s sure to be a love/hate product, but as with anything Gibson, those that love it, will REALLY love it! ”

Jamie, Hartnolls Online Guitar Centre, Plymouth UK

“The Gibson Diablo with Floyd Rose Tremolo, as the name suggests, is designed and equipped for the darker and heavier styles of rock. It is the prefect addition to any heavy rock players, especially shredders. The typical double cutaway ‘devil-horn’ body is made of mahogany along with the neck and it looks very cool.

It has Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers for higher output and great versatility, but the major feature is of course the tremolo meaning it keeps tuning stable during extreme pitch changes. I think if you’re looking for a heavy metal machine that looks and sounds dark, but in all fairness sounds with crystal clear clarity, then look no further.”

Steve Williams, Dawsons UK

“…it’s certainly an interesting looking model. Gibsons with Floyd Roses are always a nice alternative to ESP/LTD guitars. The proof will be in the pudding though!”

GAK, UK

The Gibson SG Diablo will retail at around £1,500 in the UK & $2,799 in the US.

The Gibson Jeff Tweedy SG 61 is one of several impressive signature guitars unveiled by Gibson at NAMM 2012. The famous Wilco front man took the leading role in making this is a signature guitar to remember giving Gibson a precise specification based on his early ’60s SG. The resulting guitar is something that is becoming ever more popular: a vintage guitar with a modern twist.

The design, unsurprisingly, is very much that of the original, the finish perfectly captures the era in which these guitar were made with a beautiful Blue Mist finish with cream detailing. This vintage feel is emphasised by the authentic Lyre Vibrola tailpiece with tremolo. The authenticity doesn’t just stop with looks, beneath the surface a there is a mahogany neck and body and even a North American Mahogany fretboard in a slim SG profile. Unlike the original however the neck is an unpainted satin finish.

You’ll be pleased to know that pickups on the Gibson Jeff Tweedy match them of the original with Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers meaning you get the vintage tone you know and love. The pickups are renditions of the PAF humbuckers found on the early SG guitars so you can perfectly replicate their rich, warm tone. However Jeff Tweedy was by no means a close-minded artist and experimented with various playing styles and genres from country to punk rock. So it was important to replicate this and create a versatile guitar that is capable of many tonal possibilities.

There is no opinion involved; the Gibson Jeff Tweedy SG 61 is a breathtakingly attractive guitar, fact! Whether you’re a Wilco fan or not, it doesn’t matter when it looks and sounds this good. In my opinion when guitar manufacturers create signature guitars and put a little time and effort in rather than simply creating replicas, they are a cut above the rest. Especially if you want to reproduce that vintage sound that you just can’t get with modern guitars.

Price: £1,300 GBP / $1,700 USD

The corrosion on the bridge is more evident in the photo above.

Above: More corrosion along the top of the bridge and if you look hard enough you can see quite a bit of rust behind the saddles.

Above: The neck is now looking great after a thorough clean and some new strings (D’Addarios, .009-.042).

Above: Close up of the Pacifica 1511MS headstock

Overall the guitar plays really well, the electrics are sound and the pickups (Seymour Duncan ’59′ in the neck and a ‘Hot Rails’ in the bridge) sound superb. I think with a bit of TLC this guitar could be one of my favourites and I particularly like the vintage-profile unfinished maple neck which makes neck both fast and playable.

In the next few weeks I’ll be documenting which parts I replace and will post some more photos of the restoration. If anyone has any recommendations on where to source Yamaha spare parts or similar quality replacements then please leave a comment below.

The  FRM100TR is the Chinese manufactured version of the new FRM100 signature model that Ibanez have designed with Paul Gilbert.  However given this signature model’s excessive price tag, Ibanez have wisely chosen to produce a cheaper model for general release that includes many of the same great features.

It’s a unique design  featuring a distinctive reverse Iceman body. The FM100TR’s also have a mahogany body which gives it a more solid tone than many standard strat based guitars. The Ibanez Tight-Tune bridge and tailpiece also promote what Ibanez call “superior transfer of string vibration without unwanted movement” and is a great feature on the guitar giving an incredible level of tuning stability.

“The neck of FRM100TR is different than the previous RG shapes in the Paul Gilbert signature series. It’s thicker and fatter – 22mm@1st fret and 24mm@12th fret – for a classic feel. The 3 pc mahogany/maple/mahogany neck offers the player a fat and tight sound with a solid grip for comfortable playability (something which Paul demanded).  It’s slightly less fat than the high end FRM100 model.”

In addition to the new neck, Paul’s new signature guitar features taller and narrower frets than on his older PGM models. These allow you to physically bend the notes more easily, especially in those higher positions. This is something that will appeal to many guitarists who employ a lot of string bending and vibrato in their playing.

In a similar fashion to his previous signature models, the FRM100TR features a specific layout to keep the volume knob location in ‘Paul’s favourite’ spot.  This might not suit all players but it’s not radically different to many guitars so shouldn’t take too much getting used to. As well as the volume knob the guitar also features a pickup selector switch and an added tone control which allows you to roll off the treble and achieve a tone more accustomed to traditional humbucking pickups. In the demonstration video Paul rolls down the tone knob to around 3-4 to achieve this type of tone.

“Burning tones scream out of this guitar! The FRM100TR is more shocking proof that Ibanez listens to what guitar players want. In this case, the guitarist was ME. It all started when I flipped their Iceman body upside down, renamed it the FIREMAN, and created a guitar that looks like an electric brontosaurus. I demanded a beefy set-neck and a Tight-Tune bridge for maximum sustain and solid feel. Big, natural tones come from the DiMarzio® Injector™ pickups on the outside and an Area 67™ in the middle. I chose tall frets to make bending and vibrato easy and the intonation accurate. The knobs are out of the way, so I don’t bump into them when I attack the strings. And most importantly, the Fireman inspires me to play ALL THE TIME. You know what to do. Pick one up and ROCK!”

Paul Gilbert

Gretsch G5445T with Bigsby

Gretsch has just announced the launch of several new Electromatic Series guitars. The series includes nine new models, including two basses and two left-handed guitars (yay!)

New to the series are the Black G5445T and Gold G5448T Double Jet models. These double-cutaway guitars include a chambered basswood body (a welcome addition as Gretsch guitars have been notoriously heavy in the past) an arched maple top; a two-tone body color scheme; dual “Black Top” Filter’Tron™ pickups and a Bigsby® B50 tailpiece.

Other features include a 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and “Hump-Block” inlays; three-position pickup toggle switch; anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge, G-arrow knobs and a white pearloid Gretsch-logo pickguard.

Gretsch G5105 Electromatic

The Cherry G5103 and Black G5105 CVT III guitars offer a slim design with a thundering sound. These sonically stellar models sport the original Gretsch “CVT” thin-profile mahogany body design; a bolt-on maple neck that joins the body at the 18th fret, and three Gretsch mini dual-coil pickups that sound hi-fi rich and high-gain friendly. Additional features include three-position pickup toggle switch; 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets; G-arrow knobs and anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with stop tailpiece.

Gretsch G2210 Bass

The series also welcomes the Junior Jet™ Bass. “The Great Gretsch Sound” rings true with this solid body bass equipped with classic Gretsch appointments capable of filling a room with massive subsonic tones. Features include a 30.3” scale neck; Gretsch mini dual-coil pickup; 12”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets; four-saddle bridge and a black Gretsch-logo pickguard. This model is available in Black and Tobacco Sunburst finishes.

Also new to the collection are the Two-Tone Sunburst G5434, Black G5435 and Gold G5438 Pro Jet™ models. These chambered, single cutaway classics, also available in left-handed models (G5435LH and G5434LH), have an arched maple top; a 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and “Hump Block” inlays; three-position pickup toggle switch; anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge and stop tailpiece; G-arrow knobs and white pearloid Gretsch-logo pickguard.

The new Electromatic series guitars are available at authorized Gretsch dealers. For more information, and to locate a dealer near you, visit www.gretschguitars.com.

Not sure how I managed to miss this one but the new Richie Kotzen TLR-RK/LTD Signature Telecaster is now available from Fender Japan. Check out the photos, spec and video demo below.

Close up of the Richie Kotzen TLR-RK Headstock

Close up of the DiMarzio TWANG KING and CHOPPER pickups

Specifications

BODY: BASSWOOD
NECK: MAPLE SATIN MAT
ORIGINAL GRIP SCALE: 324mm
FRETBOARD: MAPLE ONE PIECE
FRETS: 22 SUPER JUMBO Frets
RADIUS: 305R
NUT WIDTH: 42mm
PICKUPS: DiMarzio TWANG KING ×1, DiMarzio CHOPPER T×1
CONTROLS: 1VOL
SWITCH: 3WAY SW,MODE SW
BRIDGE: 6SECTION BRASS SPECIAL XN
TUNER: SGS510 XN
COLOR: BLK

Price: ¥183,750 (approx £1,399 GBP / $2,300 USD)

Check out this demo of the Richie Kotzen TLR-RK/LTD

Check out the Fender Japan website for more details on the TLR-RK/LTD Signature Fender Telecaster.

The PRS SE Torero retails at £799 and is another high quality instrument from PRS to emerge out of their Korean factory. The SE Torero features several firsts for PRS, including a Floyd Rose bridge, EMG pickups, and neck through body construction which should appeal to both existing PRS players and new musicians (particularly metal guitarists).

The minimal/unpronounced heel smoothly blends into the body and the deeper, lower cutaway gives easier and smoother accessibility to the upper frets while the pick-ups provide power, clarity, and definition. These features all contribute to the Torero£s notable sustain, and the bound ebony fretboard with jumbo frets and no inlays paired with a mahogany body and flame-maple veneer give this guitar a very distinct look.

EMG 81 and 85 pickups are tied to a three-way switch with master volume and tone controls. Hardware is chrome and the bridge is an original Floyd Rose 1000 series.

From the PRS Website

The PRS SE Torero is a beautiful looking guitar

Check out this excellent video review from Anderton’s Music.

Specification:

Body:Â Bound Mahogany Body with Flame Maple Veneer
Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 25 1/2″
Neck Wood: Maple
Fretboard Wood: Ebony
Neck Shape: Wide Thin
Fretboard Inlays: No Inlay
Bridge: Floyd Rose Tremolo
Tuners: PRS Designed Tuners
Truss Rod Cover: “PRS”
Hardware Type: Nickel
Treble Pickup : EMG 81
Bass Pickup: EMG 85
Pickup Switching: Volume and Tone Control with 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector

Colours: Scarlet Red or Royal Blue

Price: £799 GBP / $995 uSD

Fretpoint Verdict:

This is another fine instrument from PRS as you would expect. It’s competitively priced and is about as good a guitar as you’ll get from a Korean factory. It’s also somewhat of a departure for PRS as it’s squarely targeting the metal and hard rock fraternity with the Floyd Rose and EMG combination. It might not be the most subtle guitar in PRS’ collection but we love it!

The Les Paul PlusTop PRO/FX is a one of the most recent guitars from Epiphone and is basically the budget version of the Gibson Les Paul Axcess. This will be a welcome sight for many budget conscious guitarists considering the price tag of the Gibson Les Paul Axcess (currently around $2500 / $5000 USD according to the Gibson website). The Epiphone comes in at a fifth of the price looks every bit as impressive on stage.

The Epiphone Les Paul Plustop PRO/FX combines a lot of the great features of a Les Paul and adds a double-locking Floyd Rose Special vibrato system and coil-tapping with gives it a really nice combination of crunch tones and versatility. You could probably get away with playing any style of music on this guitar other than country where some double string bends might be tricky with a Floyd Rose.

The Floyd Rose Special vibrato system allows you to pitch bend up to 2.5-3 semitones due to the cutaway beneath the trem unit which is really impressive. It’s basically the same as the licensed Floyd Rose tremelo system just with slightly cheaper parts. Interestingly since the guitars’ debut at Musicmesse there has been some bad press online regarding the Floyd Rose tremelo and how it doesn’t stay in tune however this is most likely a result of some of the guitars being badly setup at the factory.

Our advice is to support your local Epiphone dealer and actually get out there and try the guitar before you buy. Any local dealer worth his salt will have set the guitar up properly and you can easily review the guitar for your self. If your not convinced then check out this video from Andertons Music in the UK. They just couldn’t get the Les Paul PlusTop PRO/FX out of tune despite some monsterous whammy bar abuse!

The guitar is available in some classic finishes including Desertburst, Honeyburst, Heritage Cherry Sunburst, or Vintage Sunburst finish. The neck is also highly playable and features a superfast Slim Taper “D” profile. The back of the neck is finished in satin making it even faster.

In terms of pickups, you have an Epiphone Alnico Classic Humbucker in the neck position and an Epiphone Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker in the bridge position. This is perhaps one area that could be improved on as the bridge pickup in particular is a little muddy. Of course given the price of the guitar, a couple of Seymour Duncans or EMG’s wouldn’t be out of the question for most guitarists and would make the guitar really sing.

Having said that,  the coil tapping feature is a great addition and allows you to get some great twang like sounds out of the guitar. This adds plenty of flexibility and means the guitar has much more potential outside of playing classic rock and metal.

Specification:

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Top Material: Flame Maple
• Neck Material: Mahogany
• Neck Shape: Options 1960′s Slim Taper D profile
• Neck Joint: Glued-In
• Truss Rod: Adjustable
• Scale Length: 24.75″
• Fingerboard Material: Rosewood with mother-of-pearl Trapezoid inlays
• Neck Pickup: Epiphone Alnico Classic Humbucker (4-wire)
• Bridge Pickup: Epiphone Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker (4-wire)
• Controls:
  • 3-way Pickup Selector
  • Neck Pickup Volume with push/pull coil-tapping
  • Bridge Pickup Volume with push/pull coil-tapping
  • Neck Pickup Tone
  • Bridge Pickup Tone
• Binding:
  • Fingerboard – 1 ply (cream)
  • Body – 1 ply (cream)
• Fingerboard: Radius 14″
• Frets: 22; medium-jumbo
• Bridge: Floyd Rose Special Tremolo with locking R4 nut
• Nut Width: 1-11/16″ (R4 nut)
• Hardware: Nickel
• Machine Heads: Grover 14:1 ratio
• Finish: Gloss

Guideline Price: £499 UK / $1100 USD

Fretpoint Verdict

At this price it’s hard to say anything bad about the PlusTop PRO/FX. Our advice would be to make sure you try the guitar out at a local dealer, make sure the guitar is setup correctly (otherwise you may have tuning issues) and if you are serious about tone think about installing some quality pickups.

Paul Reed Smith SE Carlos Santana signature is a double-cutaway electric guitar with a mahogany body, maple top and flame maple verneer. 24.5-inch scale length wide fat mahogany neck with a 22 fret rosewood fretboard with PRS Old-School Birds inlays. Other features of the Paul Reed Smith SE Carlos Santana signature electric guitar include a PRS designed tremolo, PRS designed tuners, volume and tone controls, 3-way pickup toggle switch, and dual PRS designed Santana humbucking pickups.

Carlos Santana’s influence as a Paul Reed Smith guitar player led to the development of the PRS SE series of electric guitars. The new Paul Reed Smith SE Carlos Santana signature electric guitar is the first guitar in the SE series with a shorter 24.5-inch scale length and the first SE with the shape based on Santana’s American-made PRS models.

SE Santana Model Specs

Body

• Top Wood Maple with Flame Maple Veneer (no veneer on opaque finishes)
• Back Wood AAA Mahogany

Neck

• Number of Frets 22
• Scale Length 24 1/2″
• Neck Wood Mahogany
• Fretboard Wood Rosewood
• Neck Shape Regular
• Fretboard Inlays PRS “Old-School” Birds

Hardware/Electronics

• Bridge PRS Designed Tremolo
• Tuners PRS Designed Tuners
• Truss Rod Cover “PRS”
• Hardware Type Nickel
• Treble Pickup PRS Designed SE 245 Humbucker
• Bass Pickup PRS Designed SE 245 Humbucker
• Pickup Switching Volume and Tone Control with 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector

Our Verdict

The Santana SE is something special considering it’s price tag is well under a thousand dollars (approx £700) and has the playability and quality that is synonymous with PRS. The guitar comes in black, orange and the classic Santana yellow which fans will love. Although the top isn’t as beautifully carved as the Santana Signature edition and the abalone strip inlays are missing from the body this will deter none but the most hardcore of collectors. You’ll get the classic thick santana tone from this instrument with little trouble as well as a range of other hard rock tones which makes it a great guitar for gigging.

The pickups run a little hotter than a typical PAF humbucker which will suit a lot of rock guitarists and the neck is both wide and fat, the 24 1/2–inch scale also makes it easier to play. It’s also worth noting that the frets are particularly smooth and you’ll find this hard to distinguish from the top of the range models at times.

All in all you’ll be hard pressed to find a better instrument at this price even though competition is fierce right now. Well done PRS!

You can find out more about the PRS Santana SE Guitar by visiting the PRS website.

The details below are taken from the press release

The Pawn Shop Fender 51 melds Fender elements from the 50s, 60s and 70s into one truly distinctive-looking, dynamic-sounding guitar. It has a Stratocaster body and a C-shaped Telecaster neck, with a single-coil Texas Special neck pickup, Fender Enforcer humbucking bridge pickup and an early-50s Precision Bass-style dual-knob chrome control plate. Other features include a maple fretboard with modern 9.5″ radius and medium jumbo frets, master volume control with push-pull coil split function to get single-coil tone from the humbucking bridge pickup, three-position rotary pickup selector knob, 70s-style hard-tail Stratocaster bridge, vintage-style tuners and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag.

The Pawn Shop Fender 72 presents an unusual combination of classic Fender design elements, not the least of which is its semi-hollow Stratocaster body with an f hole. The result is a truly distinctive instrument with a huge sound, with other features including a U-shaped Telecaster neck, rosewood fretboard with modern 9.5″ radius and 6105 frets, Fender Wide Range humbucking neck pickup and Fender Enforcerâ„¢ humbucking bridge pickup, early-50s Precision Bass-style dual-knob chrome control plate with master volume and center-detented pickup blend controls, 70s-style hard-tail Stratocaster bridge, 70s-style Fender tuners, mint green pickguard, bullet truss rod, three-bolt neck attachment and deluxe gig bag.

The Pawn Shop Mustang Special is a classic in everything from a venerable Fender model name to its sleek amalgam of design elements and matchless tonal versatility. Its modified offset Mustang body imparts a sleek 1960s vibe, and its 24″ short-scale maple neck with a 60s-era C shape is comfortable for those accustomed to vintage-style instruments. Other features include a rosewood fretboard with modern 9.5″ radius and medium jumbo frets, dual Fender Enforcer humbucking pickups with 70s-style covers, pickup toggle switch, three-way coil selector slide switch for each humbucking pickup (enabling 18 different tonal options), mint green pickguard, 70s-style hard-tail Stratocaster bridge, vintage-style tuners and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag.

Update: Premier Guitar have added a great video review of the Pawn Shop series guitars which you can view in HD below.