Guitar Week #43/2026
Oct 19, 2026 — Oct 25, 2026
PRS pushed deeper into modern metal with the four-model Tekton family, while Gibson turned the Heartbreakers’ winged logo into a 250-guitar Flying V run. John Mayer also opened Sob Rock Records with “Tom and Jerry,” linking a new song to the label carrying his next chapter.
Start with John Anderson, the ‘Swingin’’ and ‘Seminole Wind’ singer-songwriter who died at 71. His hard-country songwriting and guitar-led arrangements ran through more than four decades of hits, explaining why the Country Music Hall of Famer leads this issue.
The week by the numbers
- stories
- 19stories
- new products
- 8new products
- brands
- 12brands
- artists
- 14artists
10 gear · 2 players · 5 music · 1 videos · 1 industry
Most active topics: Electric Guitar (3), Rock (2), Bass Guitar (1), Pedals (1)
🚨 Top stories this week
John Anderson, ‘Swingin’’ and ‘Seminole Wind’ singer-songwriter, dies at 71The Country Music Hall of Famer carried hard-country songwriting and guitar-led arrangements through more than four decades of hits.
PRS Plants a Flag in Modern Metal With the Four-Model Tekton FamilyThe US-built bolt-on range brings PRS’s thinnest production neck and body, stainless-steel frets and new Stylus pickups voiced for digital rigs.
Gibson Turns the Heartbreakers’ Winged Logo Into a 250-Guitar Flying V RunThe Tom Petty Flying V 50th Anniversary spans five finishes, 70s Tribute humbuckers and just 50 examples of each color.
The Offspring guitarist Noodles steps away from live shows over health issueKevin Wasserman says the band will continue its scheduled performances while he takes an open-ended break from the stage.
John Mayer launches Sob Rock Records with new single “Tom and Jerry”His first solo release since 2021 pairs a new song with a Mercury Records-backed label built to carry his next chapter.
Ovation brings the Viper electric guitar back in two 60-piece editionsThe 1970s solid-body returns with Lace Sensor humbuckers, coil splitting and a choice of hardtail or tremolo hardware.
Teenage Engineering turns the EP-35 into a portable amp, recorder and wireless performance hubThe $399 battery-powered 35-watt amp combines guitar, microphone and line inputs with built-in effects, USB multitrack audio and Auracast linking.
🎸 Gear worth a look
Fender gives Mark Hoppus’ Stoned Fruit Jaguar Bass a 182-hour made-to-order releaseThe $1,499.99 Guava Green signature bass recreates Hoppus’ current stage instrument and lets buyers place its psychedelic fruit decals themselves.
Fender and Paul Smith put the Signature Stripe across a limited Made in Japan TelecasterThe $2,580 preorder pairs Paul Smith’s colour treatment with modified Tele pickups, brass saddles, locking tuners and an individually numbered neck plate.
Darta Persona: Zero One combines a captured amp, four pedals and NAM supportThe Brazilian plugin packs a complete guitar rig into VST3, AU and standalone formats at a R$249 launch price.
DiMarzio redesigns the Tele neck pickup with Chopper T and Cruiser T hum-cancelling modelsThe $126 Chopper T Neck and $119 Cruiser T Neck hide twin-blade neodymium designs beneath familiar Tele-style metal covers.
Richie Kotzen teases a baby-blue Stratocaster for 2027The one-off-looking build keeps his figured-top, gold-hardware formula but points to a slimmer neck and a possible new Fender chapter.
Turbulent Audio’s Big Business combines a three-band EQ with a separate clean boostThe $199 boutique pedal adds variable crossover points and internal 18-volt headroom to an end-of-chain tone-shaping format.
🎵 New music
MxPx announce twelfth album Living in the Chaos and release “Panic Attack”The self-released record arrives January 29, 2027, while its first single and official video are available now.
Charlie Robbins reveals eight-track guitar role on the Street Fighter soundtrackThe Syncatto guitarist’s selective-picking vocabulary runs through a 39-track film score released by Milan Records.
Eagles extend their Sphere residency into January 2027 with two more Las Vegas showsThe January 8 and 9 additions take the record-setting run to 74 performances across 37 weekends, with presales opening October 28.
Dance Hall Crashers unearth “Don’t Call” from the sessions after PurrThe recovered ska-punk track previews a deluxe edition that adds four recordings left behind when the band went on hiatus.
▶️ Watch this
🤯 Moment of the week
Notable releases this week
Brands & artists this week:John AndersonPRSGibsonTom PettyThe OffspringKevin “Noodles” WassermanRockSob Rock RecordsJohn MayerMercury RecordsOvationElectric GuitarTeenage EngineeringFenderblink-182Mark HoppusBass GuitarPaul SmithDarta Digital AudioDiMarzioRichie KotzenTurbulent AudioMxPxCharlie RobbinsSyncattoEaglesVince GillJoe WalshDance Hall CrashersPizza of Death RecordsDeep PurpleearMUSICSimon McBrideJHS PedalsReverbJosh ScottPedals