Guitar Week #36/2026
Aug 31, 2026 — Sep 6, 2026
This week pushed guitar technology in two directions at once: bigger programmable ecosystems and stranger, more personal instrument ideas. IK Multimedia's TONEX Board and Strandberg's revived modular UME concept led the gear side, while Polaris, Accept and the long-awaited SatchVai studio project gave the music half real weight. Away from the headline names, the week also carried a historic Tárrega instrument back onto a concert stage and surfaced strong classical-guitar, bluegrass and independent-player stories.
🚨 Top stories this week
IK Multimedia launches TONEX Board with four simultaneous Tone Models and a 5-inch touchscreenThe new $999.99 flagship expands TONEX into a full pedalboard rig with dual signal paths, 76 effects, flexible routing and more than 1,400 preset slots.
Strandberg revives its modular UME concept — and this one will have a headstockOla Strandberg has reopened a decade-old modular guitar project around the needs of a mystery player, including an adjustable headstock and open-source body modules.
Polaris return with 'Without You', their first new music in three yearsThe Sydney metalcore band channels the loss of guitarist Ryan Siew into a new single built around heavy riffs, a prominent guitar solo and a stark performance video.
Accept release 50th-anniversary album with 50 guest musiciansTeutonic Titans 1976–2026 re-records 19 Accept songs with guests including Kirk Hammett, Rob Halford, Paul Gilbert, Billy Corgan and Matthias Jabs.
Satriani and Vai finally make a studio album together: The Sea of Emotion lands November 6The pair's SatchVai project turns from a touring band into a record, previewed by the single Mayhem.
🎸 Gear worth a look
NAM 9000 v1.13 adds Stage and Studio views, MIDI-ready Scenes and three multichannel amp packsThe independent NAM-based guitar rig gets a live-performance interface, scene switching and a signal-chain view in a substantial September 2 update.
Kuassa posts Amplifikation 360 v1.4.0 with NAM A2 supportThe September 2 update brings Kuassa's all-in-one guitar rig host into the Neural Amp Modeler Architecture 2 ecosystem.
Taylor refreshes the 12-fret Grand Concert with five next-generation acoustic modelsTaylor's September launch brings new 12-fret Grand Concerts across Presentation, Koa, 700 and 500 Series lines, including a compact 12-string 552ce.
TONE3000 releases a free, open-source plugin with access to more than 700,000 NAM capturesThe largest Neural Amp Modeler library is now a plugin and standalone app that pulls community captures and IRs directly, with no downloading or file management.
Ibanez quietly drops new Vai, Satriani and Nita Strauss signatures plus a seven-string IcemanA surprise September catalogue update brings a gold-leaf PIA for Steve Vai, a fresh JS for Joe Satriani, a Torch Red JIVA for Nita Strauss and a multi-scale Iceman.
Solar Guitars turns its CHUG circuit into a pocket headphone ampThe new CHUG PLUG puts Solar's high-gain circuit into a rechargeable plug-in practice amp with cab emulation and an aux input.
Keeley's Tube Drive Twin Triode runs a real 12AX7 next to a Super Phat Mod circuitA dual-overdrive pedal that pairs a genuine high-voltage tube stage with one of Keeley's best-known drive voices, built in Oklahoma.
👤 Players
Edgar Barrera says he is producing a Santana album — and still starts almost every song on guitarA new PRS interview reveals that the Grammy-winning Latin producer is executive-producing a Santana album while keeping guitar at the center of his writing process.
Artur Menezes named 2026 Unsigned Only Artist of the YearThe Brazilian-born blues-rock guitarist won the independent-music competition's top honor with 'Once Again' and a $20,000 prize.
Mexican rock guitarist Felipe Souza dies at 61The former El Tri and El Haragán y Compañía guitarist was remembered by both bands for his playing, friendship and role in Mexican rock.
Igor Klokov and Hao Yang receive the 2026–27 GSI Foundation classical-guitar scholarshipsThe two classical guitarists have been named the newest scholarship recipients at USC Thornton, extending a program focused specifically on advanced classical-guitar study.
Francisco Tárrega competition names four finalists for its 2026 Benicàssim finalFilip Mišković, Sohta Nakabayashi, Luka Lovreković and Francisco Luís reached the final of one of Spain's longest-running international classical-guitar competitions.
Sibiu's Guitar Meeting Festival opens a four-day 2026 edition built around a 1,200-player guitar gatheringThe Romanian festival has expanded to four days, combining concerts, workshops and its mass-participation Manifest concert in Sibiu.
🎵 New music
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🤯 Moment of the week
🧠 Learn something
Notable releases this week
Brands & artists this week:Guitar ModelingAmp ModelingProfilingMulti-FXStrandbergElectric GuitarHeadless GuitarsPolarisMetalWolf HoffmannKirk HammettPaul GilbertOla EnglundJoe SatrianiSteve VaiGlenn HughesNAM 9000KuassaTaylorAcoustic GuitarTONE3000AI & GuitarIbanezNita Strauss7-String GuitarsKeeleyPedalsEdgar BarreraCarlos SantanaPRSArtur MenezesBluesRockFelipe SouzaEl TriEl Haragán y CompañíaIgor KlokovHao YangClassical GuitarClassical/Nylon-String GuitarFilip MiškovićSohta NakabayashiLuka LovrekovićFrancisco LuísMolly TuttleCountryPopGibsonBilly GibbonsJacob KellermanFrancisco TárregaNick JohnstonMastodon