By Discontinued Guitar gear I wish was still around – Things I miss and things I want to try!
Introduction
There has been some amazing gear in the past, such as the Klon, Tube Screamer, Deluxe Reverb, and much more! However, there has also been some amazing discontinued guitar gear. We thought we would put together an article about discontinued gear that we wish would be reissued or brought back! Each one has a few reasons why we think they should come back, and we will touch on that with each item. We will cover a range of gear including amps, guitars, and other accessories. This encompasses any kind of discontinued guitar gear.
So let’s start with our first Discontinued Guitar gear, which is also the most controversial one! They received a lot of criticism when they were first released. What is it? Well, it’s the Gibson Robot Tuners!
Gibson Robot Tuners
I remember when these were first released; I never understood the hate! From day one, people were criticising them. However, for me, I thought they were a great idea and I could see the upside. Being able to automatically tune all your strings at once would be fantastic! Imagine being a lead singer and being able to strum your guitar to tune it while speaking to the audience.
Now, granted, when they came out, they didn’t fully work. People were discussing their issues with them, and they were quickly scrapped. However, with products like the Roadie 3 Tuner, there is clearly a need for fast and semi-automatic tuning. I can’t help but feel that if Gibson had stuck with the Robot Tuners and improved on them, we would have something amazing by now! Sadly, they were scrapped and are no longer available.
Marshall JMP-1
What an amazing piece of gear this was! Personally, I think it was ahead of its time! For those who don’t know, the Marshall JMP-1 was a rack-mount amp with presets, MIDI, effects loop, and stereo outputs! In the modern era of modelling and plugins, this was one of the first, and it was killer! I remember a friend had one, and what I loved about it was the ability to quickly get any sound you required from it.
When this was released, the reviews at the time praised it! Great sounds, amazing functionality, and I believe it wasn’t a bad price at the time! I think it was around £500 back in the 90s. In today’s era of silent stages and making rigs easy to carry, I can’t see why Marshall hasn’t looked to bring this back! Update it with a few more features, and I believe it would sell! I would buy one at the very least! Maybe I should try to get hold of an original and do a retro review!
Line 6 POD
I remember buying Total Guitar magazine and seeing the Line 6 POD advertised in it! At the time, it blew my mind; I couldn’t work out how you could do it without an amp! It was wild! In case you don’t know, the Line 6 POD was a portable, “kidney bean” shaped modeller with simple controls and a whole host of sounds.
I know that modelling is a huge thing now, but the design, layout, and functionality of the POD made it a classic! Everything was WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)! All controls were physical knobs and switches, offering hundreds of sounds and possibilities. We reviewed a cheap knockoff of the POD (read here), and while the sounds weren’t great, I loved how I could adjust something with a simple twist of a knob, kind of like an amp! However, it also contained loads of sounds and features!
I feel Line 6 could re-release this with the tech they have developed for the Helix but keep it in the same shape and with similar controls, and people would fly out to buy it! They were so popular with people who played at home and for practice.
Update:
Now, since writing this article, Line 6 did announce the Line 6 POD Express, which is very similar to what we were discussing above. However, I’m not a fan that they made it a pedal instead of a unit. Like we said above, they should have released it in the original “bean” design, then had some TRS jacks for foot switches (or even MIDI).
Saying this, it does look very cool. I love the idea of it, and I might try one out to see if I like it! It has lots of effects and options and could be very good! However, we will save our thoughts for if we ever do a review.
Gibson RD
Let’s be honest, Gibson is a company everyone knows! Their logo is recognisable, and we have all seen their guitars: The Les Paul, Flying V, and Explorers! However, there is one that many people don’t know or have never seen: The Gibson RD! This was a groovy shape that people loved and many people didn’t! The shape was a mix between a Firebird and an Explorer but with very rounded edges!
As hated as this guitar was, it was also massively popular and commands a very strong price in the second-hand market. It is a shape of guitar I’ve never seen Gibson reissue (apart from the few in 2014). The originals had some clever circuits which involved bass and treble boosts as well as a bright switch. They altered scale lengths and various colours, and I just think it is a kick-ass guitar that would sell well today. It would be huge in the metal and rock scene but also be suited to the Blues scene! Hopefully, they bring it back soon!
Rack Gear in General
This one is more general, but I just think rack gear should make a comeback! Especially now more and more people are leaning towards modellers and rack-mounted modellers! You could have a hybrid rig but fully rack-mounted! We see plenty of bands tour with full IEM rigs with the Kempers built-in; why not put a few rack effects in? Or even combine it with the JMP-1 that we spoke about above and have a full rack unit rig! It would be cool and compact!
Effects like delay, chorus, and reverb would be amazing back in a rack format for use live or in the studio. Being able to have outboard effects and use them in conjunction with your modeller while keeping it all in a small footprint would be super useful! Now I am aware that people still make rack gear; however, I am talking about the classic effects, the ones that companies like Boss and TC Electronics are bringing back in pedal form; why not also do a rack unit!
Conclusion
Is there any classic Discontinued Guitar gear that you would like to see make a return? Anything you wish they still made? Let us know over on our Instagram or send us an email! Also, if you have any of the Discontinued Guitar gear mentioned above, please get in touch if you would be willing to lend it to us so we could create some content and reviews with it. I have got myself in the mood to create a full rack gig rig now! Being able to roll up with my case, plug in directly, and away we go! It would be like an old-school Kemper, but easier to adjust and learn!
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