GEAR OF THE YEAR

Let’s be honest, 2020 hasn’t been anybody’s idea of a good year, though it has certainly been memorable.

Fortunately, even in troubled, socially distant times, one can still take solace in playing guitar. And even though gigs have been mostly off the menu – a disaster for working musicians (see page 58) – we’ve nonetheless encountered some seriously impressive guitars, amps and effects in the past 12 months, among them some of the best items of kit we’ve ever played. As we look forward, hopefully, to a year in which live music can begin again, we hope that this hand-picked selection will inspire you to play like never before.

But first a word on how this year’s Gear Of The Year winners were chosen. The candidates were initially selected from a longlist that scored either a Guitarist Choice or a rare and coveted Gold award when it was first reviewed in these pages. We also allowed one or two wildcard entries from gear that just missed out on a Choice first time round, but proved itself in longterm testing or otherwise distinguished itself with a groundbreaking approach to tone creation that commanded our attention. This already overachieving list was then whittled away further by our team of reviewers, who duked it out in lengthy debates about which gear deserved to make the final cut. At last, we knew who would be standing on the podium.

So join us now as we reveal the 40 best items of gear that Guitarist’s reviewers had the pleasure to play in an otherwise hard year for music. We can’t promise all will be a perfect fit for your needs, but we can guarantee that all deserve your serious consideration next time you equip yourself for music-making on six strings.

SOLIDBODY ELECTRICS

High performance with boutique tone has never been so affordable

Words: Dave Burrluck