Fender

The Made-in-Mexico Vintera line is only four years old, but Fender has overhauled it anyway. We've had the quirky 70s Strat for a week, and at less than half the cost of an American Vintage II, it plays beautifully and presses all the retro buttons.

Presonus has overhauled some of the world's best-selling studio monitors. The new Eris speakers deliver reference-grade audio at surprisingly affordable prices, with more low end, wider sweet spots for mixing, and the nifty inclusion of Bluetooth.

Fender is pushing hard to expand and refine its flagship DAW software package, a recording-studio-in-a-box packed with everything you need to write, record, mix, master, perform, livestream and present music, podcasts and videos. It's a monster.

For more than 10 years, Loog has been making learning to play a guitar a less daunting task for youngsters. Now the company has teamed up with Fender for a pint-sized Tele and Strat – each rocking three strings, a single pickup and a short skinny neck.

Shoegaze heroes My Bloody Valentine are one of the loudest bands on Earth, so much so their wall of sound has even caused buildings to crack. Chief noisemaker Kevin Shields has now made a pedal so you can DIY your own guitar-triggered home demolition.

Like Fender's Parallel Universe guitars, the Squier Paranormal series explores bizarre model combinations and "what if?" oddities, but at more budget-friendly price points.

Eddie Van Halen was more than just a keyboard player. He was also pretty good at guitar, and through endless brutal hacking of his instruments, became a pioneering innovator in design. The Wolfgang is the final, and greatest guitar he left the world.

Fender has released a whole range of guitars that come set up with quirky, 50s-style "gold foil" pickups – a nod to old-school pups you'd need to dig out of a vintage guitar or go to the aftermarket for. And they certainly have a unique vibe going on!

Fender has dug deep into its storied history to recreate 12 of its most famous guitars and basses of the 50s, 60s and 70s with a new American Vintage II production lineup. We've spent the last month getting to know a Buddy Holly-era '57 Stratocaster.

Styled similarly to the older Jazzmaster model, the favored underdog of artists like Kurt Cobain, Tom Verlaine, J Mascis and John Frusciante has now reached its 60th birthday and Fender is celebrating with two new Jaguar guitars.

Following in the creative footsteps of the Old Growth Strat, the Front Row Legend Esquire and the 80 Proof Blues Jr, Fender has now used wood reclaimed from a famed Toronto nightclub for a pair of limited edition guitars by Master Builder Ron Thorn.

Fender has released an ultra-versatile new guitar and bass into its Player Plus series. The Meteora HH will split opinions with its out-there, asymmetrical looks, but its all-new "Fireball" pickup system feels like an absolute classic in the making.