Guitar Week #38/2026
Sep 14, 2026 — Sep 20, 2026
This was a week where guitar history kept colliding with the present. Johnny Marr's instruments turned cultural memory into a £3.65 million auction, while Gibson revisited both Gustavo Cerati's ES-335 and its own electric-guitar catalogue, and MESA/Boogie brought a defining 1990s amplifier back into production. Away from the big launches, the week stretched from Rodrigo y Gabriela's Japan-shaped acoustic record to archtop gatherings, classical-guitar festivals and smaller releases that showed how wide the guitar world still is.
🚨 Top stories this week
Johnny Marr's guitar collection sells for £3.65 million at Christie'sThe 111-lot London sale more than tripled its estimate, led by Marr's Smiths-era 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo at £358,400.
Gibson Custom builds 60 Gustavo Cerati ES-335 replicas for Miami-only releaseThe Murphy Lab model recreates Cerati’s 1965 ES-335, a guitar heard and seen across landmark Soda Stereo and solo-era performances.
MESA/Boogie brings the 90s Triple Rectifier Standard back to the catalogThe 150-watt two-channel Rectifier returns in the black-chassis, chrome-knob and Diamond Plate configuration associated with its 1990s rise.
Gibson launches limited-run DES Series across six electric-guitar shapesThe Ghost Burst collection spans Les Paul, SG, ES, Explorer, Flying V and Victory models with compound-radius ebony boards and ELEV8 humbuckers.
Rodrigo y Gabriela release Japan-shaped acoustic album OurHomeThe duo's new 11-track record returns to acoustic textures and brings in guests including Marty Friedman and Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi.
Gibson and Baggs launch HiFi DNA acoustic pickup systemThe new dual-sensor system gives each sensor its own Class A preamp and rolls out across Gibson acoustics, with a standalone retrofit version also planned.
🎸 Gear worth a look
Yamaha adds high-end FG7 and FS7 acoustics, with X versions for stage useThe new Japanese-market FG/FS flagships arrive October 3 in acoustic and pickup-equipped versions, extending Yamaha’s long-running flat-top family upward.
Electro-Harmonix gives Adrian Belew his own limited-edition EchoflangerThe $239 all-analog signature pedal expands the cult EHX modulator with Belew-specific combination modes, stereo outputs and deeper control over its modulation.
Epiphone revives Joan Jett Olympic Special in Vintage SunburstJett’s stripped-down single-pickup signature returns worldwide with rosewood replacing laurel and a finish inspired by her Melody Maker.
MXR and Slash launch a 150-unit signature Talk Box exclusively through ReverbSlash's $499.99 limited-run Talk Box hot-rods the classic Heil concept with a guitarist-selected loudspeaker, revised tube adapter and Candy Apple Red enclosure.
👤 Players
Candlebox reunites with guitarist Peter Klett on new single ‘I Remember Everything’Due September 25, the track is Candlebox’s first new music with Klett since 2012 and follows his return after a decade away.
Hollow Front reunite with guitarist/vocalist Dakota Alvarez ahead of new singleAlvarez is officially back three years after leaving, with ‘So Long To Yesterday’ set to arrive September 18 as the first new song featuring him since his return.
Tampere Guitar Festival opens with four days of classical and flamenco guitarThe Finnish festival runs September 16–19 with Desiderio and Dukić's first Finnish duo appearance, Francisco Bernier, period instruments, flamenco and free masterclasses.
Clonakilty International Guitar Festival turns West Cork into Guitartown for five daysThe volunteer-led 22nd edition is underway through September 20, spreading guitar-focused concerts, workshops and sessions across venues and public spaces around Clonakilty.
Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival puts 30-plus builders and 60 hours of music in ArvadaThe September 18–20 gathering combines an archtop luthier showcase with more than 30 workshops and clinics, making the instrument itself the center of the weekend.
Lagoa International Guitar Festival opens September 18 across Portugal's AlgarveThe 13th edition runs through October 1 across multiple Lagoa venues, with the municipality and Algarve Guitar Association again building the programme around international guitar performance.
Silesian Guitar Autumn names second-round players for the Jan Edmund Jurkowski competitionThe September 18 list moves the international field from video preliminaries to live auditions in Tychy on October 20–21, ahead of an orchestral final on October 24.
🎵 New music
Pete Roth Trio release ‘Group Chat’, pairing guitar improvisation with Bill Bruford’s returnThe September 18 CD/DVD documents Pete Roth, Mike Pratt and Bill Bruford in a jazz-rooted trio that moves through funk, classical material and open improvisation.
Greta Van Fleet release riff-led ‘Tear It Down’ ahead of fifth albumThe September 18 single previews Palace for the People, due October 9, and arrives with a visualizer tied directly to the new recording.
Railroad Earth release ‘Will of the Water’ in their 25th-anniversary yearThe September 18 album captures a guitar-led roots band in a transitional lineup, with guests including Daniel Donato, Paul Hoffman and Ronnie McCoury.
BJ Cole and Secondson pair pedal steel with Cristal Baschet on There Is Wonder HereThe September 18 collaboration puts BJ Cole's pedal steel into a sparse electro-acoustic dialogue with one of the rarest glass-played acoustic instruments.
Deniz Cuylan returns to acoustic guitar on the intimate, borderless ‘For Luca’The Turkish-born guitarist's September 18 album folds acoustic guitar into ambient, jazz, folk and modern-classical textures with an international cast.
Renee Perez and Svitlana Remniakova release violin-and-guitar album ‘A Touch of Sound’The September 18 classical release pairs violin and guitar in arrangements and repertoire spanning Torelli, Vivaldi, Vaňhal and Paganini.- TIDES release debut album How To Survive A FallThe Jacksonville band's 11-song debut lands through A.D.D. Records and Little Rocket Records with Beau Crum and Alex Van Auken on guitars.
🤯 Moment of the week
🧠 Learn something
Brands & artists this week:Johnny MarrRickenbackerGibsonElectric GuitarRockGibson CustomGustavo CeratiMESA/BoogieMetalCesar GueikianMateus AsatoJordan RudessRodrigo y GabrielaMarty FriedmanAcoustic GuitarBaggsYamahaElectro-HarmonixAdrian BelewPedalsEpiphoneJoan JettMXRSlashPeter KlettCandleboxDakota AlvarezHollow FrontAniello DesiderioZoran DukićFrancisco BernierPatrik KleemolaClassical GuitarFlamencoTampere Guitar FestivalClonakilty International Guitar FestivalJazzRocky Mountain Archtop Guitar FestivalInternational Guitar Festival of LagoaInternational Jan Edmund Jurkowski Guitar CompetitionPete RothBill BrufordFusionPete Roth TrioGreta Van FleetRailroad EarthDaniel DonatoBluegrassCountryBJ ColeSecondsonAmbientDeniz CuylanRenee PerezSvitlana RemniakovaTIDESMozarteum International Guitar Festival