By Matt McCracken
Contributions from Chris Barnes, Daryl Robertson
Get the low down on the best guitar gear deals, with big savings on Fender, Yamaha, Electro-Harmonix, and more
Jump To:
- Editor's picks
- Guitar sales to shop
- How we choose deals
- Why you can trust us
- Where to shop
- Deals to look for
We're back again with another glut of guitar gear savings for you from the Guitar World team. Admittedly there aren't huge amounts of deals out there at the moment - we reckon most retailers are waiting for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend for the really big stuff - but that doesn't mean we haven't managed to dig out some savings for you.
In terms of headline sales, there's not much out there aimed specifically at guitarists, but we've done some sleuthing and discovered some tasty deals over at the official Fender shop. You can get big money off select Player Series guitars as well as some tasty discounts on upgrades including tuners and tremolos.
The Musician's Friend Members Only sale continues on, with savings unlocked when you add to your cart whilst signed in. Signing up just requires an email address, so it's definitely worth perusing the full sale if you want to pick up some fresh guitar gear for less.
Over at Guitar Center, we spotted some select price drops on Fender and Gibson guitars. With hefty savings of $130 off a Fender Player Strat and $200 off a couple of Gibson Les Paul Standard guitars, there's plenty of choice for fans of the two biggest names in guitar.
Sweetwater is offering over 50% off microphones at the moment, which is a great option if you're looking to upgrade your guitar recording game. From boutique ribbon mics to the industry standard SM57 there's a huge array on offer no matter what your budget. There are plenty of dynamic microphones available too if you want to upgrade your rehearsal space.
That's all we have for you this week in terms of big sales, but as usual, we've delved into the deals pages all across the web to pick out some of our favorites for you below. With Memorial Day coming up next weekend, make sure you stay tuned for a bumper edition of Deals of the Week where we'll be breaking down all the biggest savings in one place for you.
Editor's picks
D'Angelico Excel Mini DC: Was $1,299.99, now $699.99
At just shy of half price, this D'Angelico semi-hollow body guitar is absolutely insane value for money. Available with a huge $600 discount at Sweetwater, it packs two Supro humbuckers that deliver plenty of power whilst remaining warm and dynamic. It will do a great job at a variety of styles, and if you're looking for a new guitar this week we haven't found any deals better than this.
Fender Locking Tuners: Was $99.99, now $69.99
One of the best ways to upgrade your existing Strat or Tele, a set of Fender Locking Tuners will make re-tuning your guitar a thing of the past. I've got a set on my Player Plus Telecaster, and it's a rare occasion that I have to do anything other than a minor tweak when I get it out of the case. With a $30 discount at the official Fender shop, this is a powerful upgrade for less than $100, making it exceptional value.
Yamaha CSF-TA: Was $799.99, now $679.99
Yamaha's CSF-TA TransAcoustic series are acoustic guitars with a difference, coming with ingenious in-built effects. Captured by a Piezo pickup in the bridge, some clever circuitry inside adds chorus, reverb, and delay while you're playing in real time, turning the sound hole into a speaker. It's an incredible experience and with a $120 discount at Sweetwater, yours to experience for a lot less.
EHX Germanium 4 Big Muff: Was $126.80, now $79.99
An underrated pedal in the Electro-Harmonix stable, the Germanium 4 Big Muff is part low gain boost pedal, part Big Muff/Fuzz Face hybrid. If you're bored of regular drive pedals and want to try something different, this is unbelievable value with a $46.81 discount at Guitar Center taking it down to just $79.99. It's a super versatile dual pedal and we particularly love the volts control which lets you simulate the effect of a dying battery on the fuzz side of the pedal.
Shure SRH240A: Was $59, now $29.97
If you're in the market for a fresh pair of headphones then this is an awesome deal. The Shure SRH240A currently have a $29.03 discount at Musician's Friend, giving you an excellent pair of headphones for less than $30. Whether you're looking for a pair for some late-night playing or monitoring while you're recording, these are a fantastic option at a price that won't break the bank.
Korg Nu:Tekt DIY Overdrive: Was $299.99, now $129.99
With all the furore surrounding the JHS Notaklon, it's worth mentioning that it's not the only solder-free DIY overdrive pedal you can buy. The Korg Nu:Tekt DIY Overdrive pedal is a great way to start your pedal-building career, with a huge $170 discount over at the official Korg USA Reverb store. Best of all you won't have to wait months for it to arrive either!
Guitar sales to shop
- Amazon: Today's top guitar deals
- Andertons: 50% off Chapman
- Fender Shop: 3 for 2 on Hammertone
- Gear 4 Music: Huge clearance deals
- Guitar Center: Up to 25% off live sound
- IK Multimedia: Save on software
- Musician's Friend: Members only sale
- Plugin Boutique: Save big on plugins
- Positive Grid: Smart amp sale
- Reverb: Save big on top brands
- Sweetwater: Electronic music sale
- Thomann: Hot deals on guitar gear
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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Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer
Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping guitarists find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the country in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When he's not holed up in his home studio recording new songs or tweaking with pedal settings, you’ll find him making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.
With contributions from
- Chris Barnes
- Daryl RobertsonSenior Deals Writer
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