Guitar Journal: BluGuitar AMPX is coming & more!
Plus, Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates & PRS Black Satin Herman Li SE
This week, we look at some of the latest guitar news stories from the last few days, starting with the announcement by Thomas Blug, who is officially launching his BluGuitar AMPX in September 2026 at Guitar Summit. Have you seen the Gibson Billy Gibbons “Pearly Gates” limited run? We’re going to discuss it. Finally, we look at the exclusive PRS Black Satin Herman Li SE model just announced.
Guitar Journal
BluGuitar AMPX
To say this project has taken a long time would be an understatement; last I checked, it had been nearly 10 years since Thomas Blug first announced the BluGuitar AMPX. It took a long time to reach the market, and I’ve written about it multiple times over the years.
Guitar Summit
Now, Blug has uploaded a new YouTube announcement saying it will be available for Guitar Summit, with a 50-unit initial batch, plus a waitlist system for anyone who wants to get in on the action. Pricing is stated at $1999.99, and the units are a hybrid analog-digital floorboard.
Is it really coming?
We last heard about the release back in January, and now it looks like it might actually be real! I’m really interested to hear what people who have one think, since the technology has had a decade to mature without a single product release. I was a much younger man when these were first touted!
Hopefully, it will live up to the hype and sound as fantastic as they claim. Let us know your thoughts about this in the comments section below.
Billy Gibbons “Pearly Gates”
Gibson announced a highly limited-edition run of only 30 Gibson Custom Shop Billy Gibbons “Pearly Gates” Les Paul Standards, and the chance of owning one is slim.
Pearly Gates Revisited
It isn’t the first time Gibson has released a Pearly Gates model, and I’m not convinced these will be any more accurate. But if you believe the marketing hype, these will be exact recreations of the much-loved old Burst that The Reverend Billy has been using since the year dot.
How Do I Get One?
Well, I’m glad you asked. If you really want one, you will need to secure an invitation to an exclusive evening with Billy Gibbons at the Gibson Garage in Nashville. Each guitar is signed, and the price has yet to be officially revealed, though I hear they are $40k each, so maybe buy two? I do like a Les Paul; you can read about me moaning about them here, but I do actually like them. But $40k? Well, that is just stupid!
I love Billy G, but man, can that ol’ Texan market just about anything and make it sound appealing. Pretty sure he could sell red, white, and blue shoestrings and telephones that don’t ring and still get away with it!
PRS Black Satin Herman Li SE
This Sweetwater-exclusive PRS Black Satin Herman Li SE model just dropped, and you will either love it or hate it. It comes in Black Satin, rather than the usual bright finishes of the regular version.
Forged in Fire
This model was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DragonForce’s album, Inhuman Rampage, which featured “Through the Fire and Flames,” so they decided to go all black for this limited run.
Shred-Tastic!
It comes with the Floyd Rose and a set of Herman Li Signature Fishman Fluence Omniforce HSH pickups, making it perfect for recreating his signature shred tones. Grab one here at Sweetwater for $1949.
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