Gear of the Year 2023 – Musical Instruments
Published on Thursday 14 December 2023
Always on call to anticipate your every need, the Bax Music specialists are our very own year-round treats. Today, they get to gush over the gear that they’ve fallen in love with in 2023, so get comfy and dream along with our experts as they let us in on their Gear of the Year 2023 rundown – the Musical Instrument edition.
Click on an item to open the product page on our website and get more info on specs, pricing and stock levels as well as pictures, videos and more.
Check out…
Fender Tom DeLonge Stratocaster
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Barry
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“We had to wait for almost twenty years, but the Fender Tom DeLonge Stratocaster is back with a vengeance! This iconic electric guitar helped soundtrack the noughties and still has the same satisfyingly pure, no-nonsense design, making it a Strat-collector’s must-have.”
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Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz
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“Here, Josh Scott of JHS Pedals fame has designed an unadulterated, seventies-style analogue octave fuzz for pedal legend, Electro-Harmonix. As well as your standard-issue sound-shaping controls, the volume of the added octave can be pushed up as far as you want it. The EHX Lizard Queen is definitely a solid team-mate for the guitar, but works just as well with basses and synthesizers.”
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Danny
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Yamaha FG9 R Rosewood
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Barry
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“The Yamaha FG9 R acoustic guitar is the undeniable jewel in the FG Series crown. The body features a solid Indian rosewood build which, combined with the solid Adirondack spruce soundboard, completes a dreadnought model with sublimely rich tone. To finish, the whole guitar has been sealed in a thin coat of high-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer.”
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Strymon Cloudburst Ambient Reverb
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“Without doubt, the Strymon Cloudburst shapes some of the most mesmerising reverb in the known universe. There is very literally no other pedal like it. Here, Strymon has presented a single effect pedal that’s capable of packing your sound with full, melodic life. Once you have one, you’ll never let it go.”
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Barry
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Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass
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Danny
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“Built for bassists seeking out short-scale playability alongside unique sound, Squier presents the affordable Paranormal Rascal Bass. Here, you’re getting the comfort of a 30 inch scale-length combined with the full output of two Fender-designed Wide-Range Bass Humbuckers.”
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Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet
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“The Boss IR-2 is basically a complete amplifier rig neatly stuffed inside a compact Boss pedal. This stompbox has been kitted out for every situation – simply plug in, choose from the stack of eleven different amplifier emulations, each matched with an impressive Celestion-developed speaker Impluse Response, quit faffing with amp microphones and leave your amp head and cabinet at home.”
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Danny
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Roland Gaia-2
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Maarten
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“The vintage Roland Gaia synthesizer is already an underground hero, so when Roland dropped the Gaia-2 in 2023, they retained those classic Roland looks but loaded in some fast and future-proofed, hands-on controls. A new hero in the making!”
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Friedman IR-X
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“Ingeniously constructed, the Friedman IR-X sticks a high-powered valve preamp inside a pedalboard-friendly box. The IR-X supplies two programmable channels complete with onboard impulse responses plus six speaker emulations that can be swapped for your own IRs or even combined.”
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Ben
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Pearl Demon XR
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Eelco
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“Pearl Demon XR 3500 pedals set up drummers with fast kick drum playability. All of the unnecessary functions have been stripped away to result in a faster rebound, a more accurate strike and insanely solid build quality. While definitely designed for metal drummers, the smooth action of these pedals can support any genre.”
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Roland VMH-D1
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“If you’ve already set yourself up with a Roland V-Drums electronic kit but you’re having to put up with a standard set of headphones, then the Roland VMH-D1 headphones will change the game. These headphones have been exclusively calibrated to match standard V-Drums specifications, resulting in fully optimised sound.”
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Eelco
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Tasty gear! Where can I get it?
Just click on any of the links included above and you’ll be whisked away to the product page where you’ll find even more info. Not in stock? You’re always welcome to pre-order.
What made your Gear of the Year list in 2023? Let us know in the comments below.
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