Every year at Guitarist magazine we get our heads together to select what we think is the best gear we’ve tried in 12 months of reviewing. The most important purpose of this, of course, is to provide a reliable guide to the guitars, amps and effects we think will deliver readers the most satisfaction for their money. But in the process we also have a chance to take stock of the ways in which the world of guitar is changing.
At the entry level, the trend towards offering high-end features – from stainless-steel frets to torrified maple necks – at unprecedentedly low price points continues. But this year we’ve noticed a subtler but somehow even more gratifying trend: the general fit and finish of guitars from the sub-£1,000 seg ment of the market is getting insanely good. Never mind ‘mug’s eyeful’ spec details that look good on paper – the way an average Epiphone, PRS SE model or Mexican-made Fender is turned out these days, from core hardware to finish, is so impressive. And the aforementioned are by no means the only makers to achieve this.