Guitar World deals of the week: get $150 off a Martin acoustic, $50 off Universal Audio, plus half-price amp sim software
We’ll admit it, deals are a little thin on the ground at the moment. Memorial Day is over and no major summer sales have started to ramp up but don’t worry, we’ve searched the web far and wide and pulled some stonkers out of the hat for you this week.
If you’re looking for a new guitar then there are two big sales to shop at the moment. First up, Guitar Center is giving acoustic players some excellent discounts with up to 35% off acoustic guitars. It includes Martin, Fender, Breedlove, and more, so well worth a browse if you’re in the market for a new steel string.
Musician’s Friend is the place to be for electric guitarists, they’ve got an excellent sale on with up to 40% off electric guitars. Plenty of big brands are represented including Fender, Epiphone, Squier, Jackson, and Schecter so there’s something for every guitarist, whether you’re a complete beginner or a metal monster.
Over at the official Fender shop, the deals continue on select Player Series guitars, with discounts of up to 15% off. You can also bag plenty of guitar parts and accessories for less, as well as some excellent bundle deals for beginner guitar players.
Finally, if you head over to the Positive Grid website, you can grab yourself a last-minute Father’s Day gift, with up to 25% off a selection of their highly rated smart amps, as well as up to 40% off amp sim software.
That’s it for major sales action this week. As always, we’ve handpicked some of our favorite deals on gear for you below. Happy hunting, and see you at the same time next week for more bargains!
Editor’s picks
Squier Affinity Telecaster: $284.99, now $229.99
This dual humbucker, Squier Affinity Telecaster is an absolute stunner thanks to that matching headstock. It’s got a cool $55 discount at Musician’s Friend at the moment, making it great value for the beginner guitarist. It’ll make a great upgrade platform too if you like the look and want to stick a couple of more powerful pickups into it.
Martin Special Dreadnought: $1,149.99, $999.99
When it comes to acoustic guitars, Martin needs little introduction. This Martin Special Dreadnought has got a tasty $150 discount over at Guitar Center, bringing its price down just below a grand. The dreadnought body gives it a massive sound, with plenty of boomy low end whilst retaining a crispness at the top. It’s a fantastic guitar for the money, and well worth the price if you’re upgrading from an entry-level acoustic.
UAFX Orion Tape Echo: Was $199, now $149
There are a lot of tape emulation pedals out there, but the Universal Audio UAFX Orion Tape Echo is one of our favorites. An excellent Echoplex EP-3 emulation, it’s got a tasty $50 discount in the Musician’s Friend sale at the moment. The level of control is unrivalled versus its competitors, and it’s undoubtedly one of the most realistic recreations of the Echoplex unit we’ve ever heard. You can even use the preamp as an always-on tone sweetener.
Positive Grid Riff: Was $109, now $79
If you’re looking for a compact home recording solution, Positive Grid’s Riff is a great option for getting awesome tones on the go. It’s got a hefty $28 discount at the Positive Grid website at the moment in their Father’s Day sale, which is great for a last-minute gifting idea.
IK Multimedia Tonex: Was $199.99, now $99.99
IK Multimedia’s Tonex features some of the best amp models we’ve ever heard, easily competing with big hitters like Neural DSP and Line 6. With everything from Fender cleans to Mesa saturation, it’s got a huge amount of choice that means you won’t run out of great tones anytime soon. Best of all, it’s half-price over at IK Multimedia.
Guitar sales to shop
- Amazon: Today’s top guitar deals
- Andertons: Save big on gear
- Fender Shop: Money off Player Series
- Gear 4 Music: Huge clearance deals
- Guitar Center: Up to 35% off acoustics
- IK Multimedia: Save on software
- Musician’s Friend: Save on electrics
- Native Instruments: 50% off software
- Plugin Boutique: Save big on plugins
- Positive Grid: Father’s Day sale
- Reverb: Save big on top brands
- Sweetwater: Up to 40% off pedals
- Thomann: Hot deals on guitar gear
- Yamaha: Save big on acoustics
How we choose our deals of the week
Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products we recommend.
First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want to match other players with the right products for them, at the best prices.
For us to recommend a deal it has to be a product we rate that’s a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers where you will have a positive shopping experience.
Why you can trust our choices
We spend a lot of our time scouring guitar retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite gear. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides, but we’re also dedicated to helping players get the best deals for the gear they need, too. After all, the only thing better than new gear day is a hearty discount.
We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, Black Friday, 4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.
Where are the best places to shop?
Online shopping is definitely a lot easier and more secure than it used to be, and we like to recommend a small handful of online retailers who have a sterling reputation and offer fantastic benefits like fuss-free returns, great customer service and, in some cases, full checks and setup of guitars before they are dispatched. So, all the deals we’ll recommend on this page are from retailers that tick these boxes.
What sort of deals should I look for?
Great deals come in all shapes and sizes. There are a few key types to look out for:
- Single item – A single product with a great discount
- Site-wide discounts – A single discount percentage on a large range of products across a site
- Discount codes – Load your basket to a certain value and redeem a discount code for money off your basket contents
- Added value deals – These include multi-buy discounts, or additional products or software for free when you buy certain items
November has arrived and with it a flurry of early Black Friday deals have landed in our inboxes. We were expecting an influx but this year has already surpassed the expectations of the writing team here at Guitar World, with pretty much every retailer and many manufacturers either going all-in on their Black Friday sale or tempting us with some sweet early savings.
First up, Sweetwater’s early Black Friday sale has landed offering massive savings of up to 70% off gear. Big hitters like Mesa/Boogie, Taylor Guitars, and Universal Audio all feature
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