Gearly Legal: A Look at New Musical Equipment

You may be up on all the new musical releases that have come out over the past month but chances are you can't say the same for the constant stream of guitars, effects pedals, and accessories that seem to come out every other day. Luckily, we have plenty of free time so we're back to run down some of the coolest new innovations that you won't be able to live without now that you know they exist.

Unless you have a buddy who works at Third Man, chances are you didn't get your hands on the Bumble Buzz pedal which was hand-made by Chris Young of Union Tube & Transistor (the same dude who built the pedal used by Jack White on "Sixteen Saltines.") Featuring killer tone and a detail to aesthetics rarely found on stompboxes, this thing predictably sold out before you could say "Meg White," but keep your eye on second-hand stores as you never know when some guitar aficionado may fall on hard times.

If you know what "polyphonic tracking" is, chances are that you own a ton of keyboards, but now guitarists can also emulate different octave levels with perfect accuracy and without sacrificing the warmth of analog tone. Just stomp on this thing and all of the sudden your guitar will be able to create everything from mind-blowing sub-bass to shimmering organs sounds. Plus, it's a true bypass pedal, meaning that when it isn't on, your tone won't suffer a bit.

When you're in Guns N' Roses, we're guessing that you aren't typically carrying your own guitar into gigs, but that didn't stop Bumblefoot from designing this rolling guitar case complete with a removable gear bag. If you can get past the plaque of him predominantly displayed front-and-center, this is actually a pretty cool innovation that will cut down on extra trips to the van and save your back from heavy lifting. That way you can spend your pre-gig time somewhere far more important, at the bar.

You either know Alex Skolnick as the shredder behind metal monoliths Testament or, more recently, as a remarkably accomplished jazz player and that type of versatility lies at the core of his two new signature guitars. The guitars are based on the Les Paul-inspired Eclipse line of ESP models and feature a mahogany body and neck that ensure maximum resonance and sustain. No matter what type of music you play, these things will allow you to express your inner shredder.

If gain is your thing, you'll love the latest effort from MI Audio, which has a distortion tone so thick you're going to feel like your guitar is drowning in maple syrup. Or something. What's especially cool about the Megalith is the fact that the clean tone is as satisfying as the distorted one, the latter of which features a contour control that allows you to dial in the ultimate tone. Don't let the size fool you, this amp is powerful enough to play onstage and will inevitably leave soundguys scratching their heads when they ask you to turn it down.

If you're really ready to step up your guitar game, don't settle for something cheap off of Craigslist. Get a PRS. These things are like the Mercedes-Benz of the six-string world and this new 24-fret monster splits the difference between an acoustic and electric guitar by dividing the signal between two output jacks. In other words, no matter what type of style you play, you'll be able to achieve the perfect tone with this axe—and those bird inlays assure you'll look cool doing it. This guitar drops in 2014 but you can start drooling now.

Jonah Bayer is still waiting on his line of signature guitars. Follow him on Twitter - @mynameisjonas