Another year has come and gone, which brings a time to reflect on the things that are important in life… Like the best music gear released this year! Let’s take a look back on the last 365 days and some of the best music gear released in 2025.
Line 6 Helix Stadium
The Line 6 Helix has been a favorite for many a guitar player for over a decade — myself included. And in 2025 Line 6 FINALLY dropped the latest iteration of their amazing modeler: the Helix Stadium.
The Line 6 Helix Stadium isn’t just a quick update with fancier buttons and a touchscreen. No, it’s a full reconfiguration of their modeling technology. With the introduction of their Agoura™ modeling methodology, the Stadium sounds better, more realistic, and gives players infinitely more control over their tone. We had Mark Lettieri in the studio to check it out, and even he was impressed!
There’s no doubt the Line 6 Helix Stadium is one of the best pieces of gear of 2025 — and probably ’26, and ’27, and ’28…
Akai MPC Live III
There’s no doubt that Akai is the ruler of the beat-making world. Their MPC and MPK lines are perfect for anyone who wants to get bumpin’, even on a budget. But in 2025, they released the ultimate beat-making machine to date: the MPC Live III.
This thing is a completely standalone music production center. It has sampling. It has sequencing. It has tons of effects. It’s everything you need to start making music right away.
Not only does it run on Akai’s super-powerful MPC III OS with a ridiculous 8-core processor, but it also features onboard stereo speakers (no monitors required) and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. You can literally pull this out of your backpack and make professional beats on the go.
In the studio, on the go, or on the stage, the MPC Live III might just be the ultimate creative partner. And that’s why it definitely deserves a spot on the list of best gear of 2025.
Roland TR-1000
The Roland TR-8 and TR-8S are legends in their own right. But in 2025, Roland outdid themselves by launching the TR-1000 drum machine.
The Roland TR-1000 takes everything you loved about the TR-8 and turned it up to… 1000! It features the same iconic circuits of their now-famous TR-808 and TR-909 workstations of the past, just digitally modeled. You can get all the analog warmth with more power and range than ever before.
But Roland isn’t even done making the TR-1000 better. They overpowered the processing and DSP, so expect plenty of updates, keeping the TR-1000 sounding fresh and new for plenty of years to come. Perhaps it’ll launch a new wave of ‘80s-style, drum machine-driven music…?
Yamaha MODX M
Gigging performers can’t sacrifice tone or features when they’re on the road. But they also don’t want to lug around giant keyboards, synths, or (God forbid) real acoustic pianos. In 2025, Yamaha solved all those problems with the MODX M series.
The Yamaha MODX M shares the DNA as the flagship MONTAGE M — you know, the one that costs $4,000! But the MODX M is much smaller and lighter, making it the ideal keyboard to go with you from stage to studio.
You’ll still find all Yamaha’s amazing sounds, from ultra-realistic pianos to the craziest of synths and everything in between. It really is the ultimate sonic palette in an easy-to-transport package. Coming in 61-key, 76-key, and full-size 88-key formats, the Yamaha MODX M is ready to take your playing to a new level — no matter where you want to play.
RANE ONE MKII
When RANE released the ONE DJ Controller (not a Lord of the Rings reference…) in 2021, it was an instant hit, bringing all the features DJs needed to a format that’s easy to use and easy to transport. In 2025, after four years of research and talking to real DJs, RANE released the RANE ONE MKII — and it’s a beast!
Updated stem controls, dynamic internal FX, tactile motorized platters, this thing has it all! You’ll have a blast playing with the 29 onboard effects or isolating vocals and instruments to create killer mashups and transitions. And all the controls you need to take the party up a notch are located exactly where they need to be, so you can make adjustments and mix on the fly.
Plus, it comes in a fancy white finish to help you stand out at the club. The RANE ONE MKII easily makes the list of the best gear of 2025.
QSC KC12
QSC loudspeakers are some of the best in the business. Musicians everywhere are STILL talking about the K12.2. But what if you don’t want to drag an entire PA setup from gig to gig, not to mention the time it takes to set everything up. Well, QSC turned the column PA game on its head with the launch of the KC12.
The KC12 is QSC’s entry into the column PA arena — and they did not disappoint. A ridiculous 3000 watts, 12-inch sub, dual 4-inch mid drivers, and a 1-inch compression driver pump up to 132 dB max SPL to fill almost any space you can imagine.
But despite its incredible power, the QSC KC12 is still a column PA. Just pop the top array into the sub cabinet, add the column pole for more height (if you want), plug it in and you’re ready to rock. And load-out is just as easy. It’s legendary QSC sound in a portable, gig-ready package. With all that extra time during setup you might be able to finally move some of your band merch…
Gibson Les Paul Studio
Everyone wants a Gibson Les Paul. And even if you say you don’t, you’re just in denial. It’s one of the coolest and most iconic electric guitars out there! But it also usually comes with a “cool and iconic” price tag. You’re lucky if you can find one for under $2,500, unless it comes with an “Epiphone” banner on the headstock — not that there's anything wrong with that!
But all you dreamers’ dreams came true in 2025 when Gibson (the real Gibson) released the Gibson Les Paul Studio. Sure, the Studio existed back in the day, but it’s back and it’s better than ever!
Coming in under $2,000, this is the new entry point to the Gibson Les Paul. But it’s not a budget guitar by any means. It still features Classic ’57 pickups, weight-relieved mahogany body, and even a few modern elements like push/pull pots for coil splitting and a redesigned heel for maximum accessibility. It’s the new generation of Les Paul, and it might just be “The One” for you!
Darkglass Anagram
How come guitarists get all the multi-effects fun? There’s the Helix and the Quad Cortex and the TONEX — what about the bassists!? Well, there’s one company out there who’s all about the bassists: Darkglass. And they really let it rip for 2025 with the release of the Anagram Bass Multi-Effects Unit.
Imagine a Quad Cortex or Helix that’s only for bass. No pesky guitar effects or amp models to weed through to get to the good stuff. Everything in the Anagram is for bass-only. Amps, cabs, effects, EQ, and tons of tone-shaping possibilities. And it’s small enough to fit on a pedalboard! It’s the ultimate bass modeler, and that’s why it gets a spot on the “Best of 2025” list.
Shure Nexadyne Mics
Whenever Shure releases a new microphone, the world listens. And in 2025, they released the super-cool Nexadyne series.
Most dynamic microphones have one transducer. Shure thought that was chump change, so they made the Nexadyne series with TWO. This patented Revonic™ Dual-Engine Transducer Technology basically kills all unwanted noise, making sure you pick up what you want to pick up and nothing else. You get crystal clear sound without needing additional EQ and processing. Missed takes? Not anymore!
It’s been a long time since a brand released a high-channel live sound mixer with all the modern amenities. And audio engineers everywhere have praised the Allen & Heath SQ series for its feature set, sound quality, and reliability. If only it fit in a rack… Well, it does now!
The Allen & Health SQ-Rack is exactly that: an amazing SQ mixer that fits in a 4U rack. Sound quality? 96kHz with ultra-low latency. Onboard effects? 8 stereo FX engines ready to take your mix to the next level. Connectivity? 16 XLR ins with preamps, 12 XLR outs, USB, Dante, SLink, Bluetooth wireless — and basically any other connection you can think of.
Expand the system up to 48 channels with Allen & Heath’s “Everything I/O” ecosystem using a single Cat5 cable. There’s no band too big to mix when you have the SQ-Rack.
Best of the Best of 2025
There was a lot of great music gear released in 2025, so don’t limit yourself to my humble choices. Try some stuff out for yourself! At AMS, we keep up with the latest releases from all the top manufacturers, so just check out our New Gear page to see what’s fresh. You never know when you’ll find your next big thing…
Zildjian L80 348 Low Volume Cymbal Set 13/14/18
Special Price $324.95
Yamaha CP73 73-Key Weighted Action Stage Piano
Special Price $2,199.99
