2021 a Few of Our Favorite Things

Like the headline says, here’s a solid sampling of new gear that struck our fancy over the past 12 months

- By Amit Sharma, Paul Riario and Damian Fanelli

THE WORLD MIGHT world-class designs getting still be in a state of recovery, but it’s been a spectacular year for gear, with all kinds of enticing offerings and launched across the past 12 months. If anything, the guitar trade has been remarkably buoyant — maintaining momentum even when the biggest events and exhibitions were unable to take place. There were some big surprises, like recording hardware and software specialists Universal Audio moving into the effect pedal market, Gene Simmons teaming up with Gibson for his own G² guitars and basses, Boss launching their very first six-string, as well as a whole host of truly innovative ideas coming from companies old and new. So, without further ado, here’s our roundup of some of the best guitar gear released in 2021.

GIBSON

JERRY CANTRELL “WINO” LES PAUL CUSTOM

$8,999, gibson.com

They’ve signed a few big names over the last couple of years, but teaming up with Jerry Cantrell was an especially wise move for Gibson. The Seattle riff lord has always used Les Pauls alongside his G&L guitars — one of which being the Wine Red Les Paul Custom that inspired his first “Wino” signature. Limited to only 100 and each hand-signed by Cantrell, the guitars feature Gibson’s 490R and 498T pickups, as well as a Fishman Powerbridge piezo pickup-equipped bridge to cover the acoustic tones Alice in Chains have long utilized. With a Murphy Lab aged finish, it’s an instrument that looks as good as it sounds. “The Wino has a bit more of a rounder tone than the other three Les Pauls I own… it’s a fuller, richer and warmer sound,” Cantrell explained in August.