Guitar World deals of the week: save a huge $1,000 on a Guild acoustic, $440 off a Sterling by Music Man bass, plus a blanket 15% off all PRS SE

It’s that time of year again. We’re right on the cusp of the Black Friday guitar deals and things are already starting to heat up. Last year we saw major savings appearing in late October/early November, and it seems that things have kicked off even earlier this year. We’ve got loads to get through this week, so let’s get cracking…

The biggest news we’ve heard all week is that PRS is offering a blanket 15% off every single SE series guitar. Including three of our most highly rated models like the PRS SE Hollowbody II, PRS SE NF3, and the PRS SE CE 24, these deals are available at all major PRS distributors including Sweetwater, Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, and loads more.

Sweetwater announced their Beat The Rush sale via email yesterday, and although it’s not on the front page of their website at the time of writing, you can get up to 50% off in the sale which is live right now. Proof that signing up to mailing lists ahead of Black Friday is a great way of getting in on the sales early.

Over at Musician’s Friend their Rocktober sale continues, with up to 40% off a range of guitar gear. We spotted some cheeky price drops on Walrus Audio and Behringer guitar pedals, great if you’re looking for a bargain buy for your ‘board.

If you’re after some really good deals, there are a couple of nice sales on second-hand gear at the moment too. First up, Guitar Center is offering 10% off used gear over $499, and you can get some serious discounts of up to $500 off. There’s loads of stock available for guitarists, well worth a browse if you don’t mind something pre-owned.

Similarly, at Reverb you can get some amazing deals of up to 77% off in the Reverb Outlet. It’s mainly second-hand gear, but a lot of it is in mint condition or B-stock, so for all intents and purposes, it’s pretty much new. There is a small selection of brand-new gear available too if you must have something box fresh.

That’s it for major sales this week. We’re honestly surprised to see so many deals this early, and it definitely feels as though Black Friday is already in play. We’ll be keeping you abreast of all the best deals in the run-up, so stay tuned for more bargain gear. In the meantime, we’ve picked five of our favorite deals for you below. Until next week, happy hunting!

Editor’s picks

Sterling StingRay Ray34: Was $899.99, now $459.99
We don’t show enough love for bass players here, so a cool $440 off this Sterling StingRay Ray34 at Musician’s Friend had to make the cut this week. The budget version of one of the most popular bass guitars in the world, it’s still a fantastic instrument in its own right. Sterling’s build quality is unrivaled at this price point, and with a 3-band active preamp, roasted Maple neck, and that stunning sparkle finish, this is a properly good bass guitar despite the relatively low price.

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Pigtronix Gloamer: Was $279, now $199
If you like your pedals wild and unpredictable, the Pigtronix Gloamer should satisfy your need for the weird. It’s got a nice $80 discount at Guitar Center, taking it down below the $200 mark. Best paired with other pedals like reverbs and delays, its compressing, volume swelling action can get you some properly out-there tones.

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Guild F-55E: Was $4,499, now $3,499
If you’re looking to splurge on an acoustic we can’t think of many that are better, or bigger, than the Guild F-55E. It’s got a hefty $1,000 discount at Sweetwater, making it an incredible deal on a premium instrument. In our recent Guild F-55E review, we praised it for its loud and well-balanced tone, slim neck with fantastic playing feel, and outstanding build quality.

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JHS Morning Glory: Was $199, now $159.20
Based on the classic Bluesbreaker circuit, the JHS Morning Glory V4 may have a hand in classic pedal territory, but it’s no straight clone. With a cool $39.80 discount at the Dynamic Pedals store on Reverb, it’s great value if you want a transparent overdrive. It’s super versatile and we love it at low gain settings in front of a tube amp.

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Sonnox Oxford Limiter: Was $264, now $39
If you want to instantly amp up your home recording efforts, you should buy this plugin right now. It’s got a huge $225 reduction over at Plugin Boutique and is designed to be placed at the very end of your mix bus. The Sonnox Oxford Limiter will hugely increase the loudness and clarity of your mix without clipping. We’ve just bought one ourselves, and it’s had an instant effect on our mixes, helping bring our guitar tracks to life.

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Guitar sales to shop

• Amazon: Today’s top guitar deals
• Andertons: Fender USA sale
• Fender Shop: $200 off guitars
• Gear 4 Music: Huge clearance deals
• Guitar Center: 10% off used
• Musician’s Friend: Up to 40% off
• Plugin Boutique: Money off plugins
• Positive Grid: Save on Spark
• Reverb: Up to 77% off sale
• Sweetwater: Up to 50% off
• Thomann: 70th anniversary sale

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