Get 2022 off to a rockin’ start with the sixth installment of Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide
GW’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput dive into the Epiphone Joan Jett Signature Olympic Special electric, CloudVocal ISOLO GT-10 wireless system and PRS Private Stock Orianthi Limited Edition guitar
It might only be the middle of winter, but 2022 is already heating up with plenty of awesome guitars, amps and accessories. To see just how hot it is, we welcome you to Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide.
In this sixth installment, Guitar World’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput select some eye-catching guitars – and an ear-catching guitar wireless system – that are guaranteed to get 2022 off to a red-hot and rockin’ start.
First, Paul and Alan check out a true (Black)heart-stopper of a six-string: Epiphone’s new Joan Jett signature Olympic Special electric.
Based on Jett’s longstanding onstage guitar of choice, the Olympic Special’s features include a mahogany body, mahogany neck and 22-fret Indian laurel fingerboard, and there’s also an adjustable wraparound bridge/tailpiece for full intonation adjustability and excellent sustain. A Graph Tech nut, nickel plating and a reproduction of Jett’s signature on the back of the headstock complete the package.
Electronics are similarly straightforward, consisting of a PowerHammer PRO humbucker wired to a single CTS volume potentiometer. And since that single pickup means there’s no need for a pickup selector toggle, you get the added bonus of a kill switch in its place. Just set to stun, and prepare to rock.
Next up is CloudVocal’s ISOLO GT-10 guitar wireless system, which offers pristine sound without having to bore a hole in your cherished acoustic to install a pickup.
Features include a dual-head microphone for detailed audio capture, a hi-fi amp circuit and support for two types of wired input and balanced audio output. And best of all, there’s no drilling required – just connect the microphone to your guitar via CloudVocal’s innovative silicone stand.
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The receiver provides eight different effects, including reverb, delay, chorus and more, as well as EQ and preamp functions for easy performance in a variety of environments.
From the capsule of the microphone to the amplification controls, the GT-10 has been expertly designed by a team of engineers and musicians to faithfully reproduce a guitar’s original sound with ease.
Finally, Paul and Alan check out PRS’ impressive Private Stock Orianthi Limited Edition electric.
The new signature model from the Australian guitar ace features eye-popping looks, with a “Blooming Lotus Glow” colorway newly developed to showcase the Private Stock grade maple top, and an intricate Lotus Vine fretboard inlay made from pink mussel and mother of pearl.
The guitar itself is based on a one-off artist build back in 2017, and features a figured maple top, mahogany back and a 24-fret, 25-inch-scale-length Pattern Thin mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. Electronics are a pair of 58/15 neck and bridge humbuckers, controlled by conventional master volume and tone controls, and a five-way switch – as found on the Custom 24 – is also included.
Other features include Phase III Locking tuners, a Patented Gen III tremolo and a Private Stock Eagle inlay and Orianthi logo on the headstock.
To find out more about PRS’s Private Stock Orianthi Limited Edition and all this amazing gear, check out the video above.
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Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
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