THE YEAR IN GEAR : 2021 By Doug Doppler
As 2021 comes to a close , we wanted to share some of the cool things that happened this year in the world of guitar gear .
FENDER PLAYER PLUS TELECASTER As I frequently say , not everyone who plays at church just plays at church , and the Player Plus Telecaster does a brilliant job of bridging the gap between the worship and mainstream world . Since this guitar has arrived for review , I have played the daylights out of it and that is not going to stop any time soon . Crafted at Fender ’ s plant in Ensenada , Mexico , this guitar is just awesome and has become my go to Tele , which is saying a lot since my Tele collection is at least ten deep . The Player Plus Noiseless Telecaster pickups are awesome .
The neck pick-up is chimey and the bridge pick-up gets grimy when and where you need it – perfect for rhythm and lead alike . The
12 ” fingerboard radius makes for choke-free bends , and the rolled edges on the fingerboard feel great . The locking tuners do a great job of holding tune , and the push-pull tone control function enables to you engage both pickups in series , regardless of where the pickup selector is set . Love this guitar !
$ 999.99 MAP Fender . com
GIBSON GENERATION G-WRITER EC Crafted at their Boseman , Montana plant , The Generation Collection of acoustic and acousticelectric guitars reflect the fact that Gibson is back in a serious way . All the instruments in this line feature the Gibson Player Port , a second sound hole that directs some of the sonic goodness up towards the player . While Gibson may not have been the first company to bring this to market , the design is based on drawings in Gibson ’ s archive that date back to 1964 . The Gibson Player Port is invaluable in that it gives you real time feedback about the how the instrument is responding to your playing . This feature is particularly valuable for worship guitar players who traverse the divergent sonic worlds that separate at home practice , rehearsals , and Sunday services . The G-Writer EC features a speedy 25.5 ” scale neck , solid Sitka spruce top with walnut back and sides , Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners , a TUSQ nut and saddle , and is outfitted with an LR Baggs Element Bronze pickup system . This guitar plays and sounds great and earned its place on this list .
$ 1,599.00 MAP Gibson . com