Gear Of The Year: The best new guitars, pedals and amps of 2021
The best guitars, amps, pedals and more from another fantastic year for the guitar industry.
The ongoing pandemic has impacted the guitar industry in myriad ways, and here at the tail end of 2021 we’re still feeling the effects of that. On the positive side, the enforced downtime of 2020 led to a huge explosion of people picking up guitar for the first time, or coming back to the instrument leading to a demand for guitars, amps and effects that shows no sign of stopping – leading one industry analyst to declare that for guitar brands, “current prospects are brighter than during the post-Beatles era”.
If that’s the exciting stuff, then the flipside is that many brands are still trying to get back up to speed following the enforced closure of factories and workshops all over the world in 2020, something that has been compounded by the global supply chain crisis of 2021. Across the industry, order books are full, and even the biggest brands are struggling to keep up – in March, even Fender admitted that it was struggling to keep up with the demand for its beginner and intermediate guitars.
Which is all to say that it’s been another strange year for guitar, but a hugely exciting one with it. Despite the challenges and obstacles presented to them, the guitar industry has responded with fantastic innovation and creativity over the last 12 months. Whether that’s conversation-starting acoustic guitars, revolutionary new developments in the worlds of effects and modelling, or further refinements to some of the most iconic guitars ever made, 2021 has defied the odds to deliver some game-changing gear for us to get our teeth into – here’s our pick of the very best of it.
Best Acoustic Guitar
Winner: Gibson Generation Collection G-45
Also nominated:
- Epiphone USA Collection Frontier
- Bourgeois Legacy Series 000 DB Signature Deluxe
- Eastman AC722CE
- Cort Gold Edge
- Guild F-240E
- Fender American Acoustasonic Jazzmaster
- Taylor GT K21e
- Cort Core-OC Mahogany
- Guild BT-258E Deluxe Baritone
Best Affordable Effects Pedal
Winner: Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Drive
Also nominated:
- Greuter Audio Fokus
- Thimble Wasp Space Camp
- Stone Deaf QBoost
- Becos TS8-JZ
- Redbeard Angry Rhubarb
- Walrus Audio Polychrome
- JHS Legends Of Fuzz Bender
- Walrus Audio Eras
- EarthQuaker Devices Astral Destiny
Best Premium Effects Pedal
Winner: Benson Germanium Fuzz
Also nominated:
- Rift Amplification EL34
- Mythos Pedals Oracle Analog Echo
- Beetronics Vezzpa Octave Stinger
- Gone Fishing Effects Booooom/Blast
- Universal Audio Astra Modulation Machine
- JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk
- Chase Bliss Audio Automatone CXM 1978
- Origin Effects RevivalTrem
- Cornerstone Gladio Double Preamp
Best Affordable Electric Guitar
Winner: Fender Player Plus Nashville Telecaster
Also nominated:
- Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard
- Cort G300 Pro
- EVH 5150 Series Standard
- Guild Starfire I Jet90
- Epiphone Inspired By Gibson ES-335 Figured
- Cort KX300 Etched
- Fender Noventa Jazzmaster
- Gretsch G2622T-P90 Streamliner Center Block
- Jackson X Series Soloist SLX DX
Best Premium Electric Guitar
Winner: Macmull Stinger
Also nominated:
- Gibson Murphy Lab 1959 Les Paul Standard
- Eastman Romeo LA
- Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent Goldie
- Ivison Dakota
- Gretsch G6129T-89 Vintage Select ’89 Sparkle Jet
- Harmony Comet
- Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
- Epiphone USA Collection Casino
- Rivolta Regata
- Trent Model 1