OUR FAVORITE GEAR OF THE YEAR

THERE WAS AN ONSLAUGHT OF NEW GUITAR PRODUCTS RELEASED OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS. HERE ARE THE ONES THAT HAD US ALL TALKING

- AMIT SHARMA

EVH

SA-126 SPECIAL

$1,799, evhgear.​com

GOOD THINGS, AS the old adage goes, come to those who wait. Having been teased by Wolfgang Van Halen two years ago, following an intensive period of testing on the road and in the studio, the SA-126 Special semi-hollow was finally made available to the public in May. Given that it was the first instrument designed without any input from Eddie, it marked a new chapter for EVH Gear, while still referencing the guitar hero’s January 26 birthday. It comes with a chambered mahogany body, a basswood center block and a pair of hot humbuckers designed by Fender pickup guru Tim Shaw for more aggression and punch than typical guitars of this ilk. Despite this, it can handle high-gain situations without feeding back and also deliver more chimey tones on cleaner settings. “The SA-126 is way beyond a typical semi-hollow,” Wolfgang told us. “It’s like a hot rod, but with a soupedup modern engine. Nothing like this existed until we made it.”

WARM AUDIO

WARM BENDER FUZZ

$199, warmaudio.​com