XLR

Latest

On the calendar

· Trade shows and launch events, this week's stories from each corner of the industry, and what its press is covering.

On view

This week, from that corner the newest stories from the corner of the industry you picked

The wire their own posts, translated

How records get made in 2026 from the industry's own reports

Sources

Fetched every three hours, linked to the original

About

XLR is a magazine, a radar and a diary about music gear and the making of music — for the people who make records and put on shows, wherever they do it.

The name is the three-pin connector that every signal in the business passes through: the microphone on stage and in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX cable that runs the lights. Studio, stage and lighting rig share it, and so does this magazine. Every few hours XLR collects what the makers shipped, what the reviewers heard, what the studios and the touring crews are doing, which producers and collectives are surfacing and what they are saying — synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lights, the rooms and the people — from a few hundred sources in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and more, then plots what is moving. The editor writes a letter every few days. Nothing is sold here; when a link leads to a shop, that is the maker's shop, not ours.

← XLR Archive

Guitar WorldGuitars

“The most natural, studio‑grade live tone ever achieved from an acoustic guitar”: Gibson and Baggs might have just revolutionized acoustic guitar pickups

September 16

Gibson is continuing to invest in the future of pickup technology. This time, it’s collaborating with Baggs to take acoustic guitar amplification to the next level with the all-new HiFi DNA pickup system. After unveiling

Electric guitars & amps Acoustic guitars Studios & rooms

Read at Guitar World ↗

Have Gibson and Baggs cracked the code for amplified acoustic guitar tone? Their new HiFi DNA pickup system promises “unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance, and clarity”

GearHave Gibson and Baggs cracked the code for amplified acoustic guitar tone? Their new HiFi DNA pickup system promises “unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance, and clarity” MusicRadar

Gibson unveils two stunning luxury acoustics – a Hummingbird and SJ-200 built using elegant koa wood

Makers2nd Generation of Guitars Featuring TransAcoustic™ Technology Expanded with New Lineup Yamaha TransAcoustic Guitar TAG1 C, TAS1 C, TAG1E, and TAS1E Yamaha Music News

“Classical guitar is under-appreciated in heavy music. No-one would think it could hold a drop A# tuning”: Alt-rock nomad Emma Ruth Rundle on channeling Smashing Pumpkins, her nylon-string awakening, and what made her sell her beloved Gibson SG

Guitars“Classical guitar is under-appreciated in heavy music. No-one would think it could hold a drop A# tuning”: Alt-rock nomad Emma Ruth Rundle on channeling Smashing Pumpkins, her nylon-string awakening, and what made her sell her beloved Gibson SG Guitar World

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

“The most natural, studio‑grade live tone ever achieved from an acoustic guitar”: Gibson and Baggs might have just revolutionized acoustic guitar pickups

Related

GearHave Gibson and Baggs cracked the code for amplified acoustic guitar tone? Their new HiFi DNA pickup system promises “unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance, and clarity” MusicRadar

GuitarsGibson unveils two stunning luxury acoustics – a Hummingbird and SJ-200 built using elegant koa wood Guitar.com

GuitarsAsk the Expert: Why Do Acoustic Guitar Bodies Taper from Heel to Tail? Acoustic Guitar

GuitarsMaisy Owen’s Mesmerizing Songcraft | Acoustic Guitar Sessions Acoustic Guitar

Makers2nd Generation of Guitars Featuring TransAcoustic™ Technology Expanded with New Lineup Yamaha TransAcoustic Guitar TAG1 C, TAS1 C, TAG1E, and TAS1E Yamaha Music News

Guitars“Classical guitar is under-appreciated in heavy music. No-one would think it could hold a drop A# tuning”: Alt-rock nomad Emma Ruth Rundle on channeling Smashing Pumpkins, her nylon-string awakening, and what made her sell her beloved Gibson SG Guitar World