Top Gears of Guitar Summit 2025 — Through the Eyes of Aryan King

By Sofia Márquez, for Guitar Madrid Magazine

The last day of Guitar Summit is always different. There’s a certain magic in the air. It’s when legends, luthiers, tone chasers, and curious newcomers walk the same hallways, united by one thing: the love of the guitar.

After an entire weekend of roaring amps, dazzling licks, and conversations that spiral into pickup winding resistance, I caught up with Spanish artist Aryan King just outside the venue. We ducked into a small café nearby, still buzzing from the crowd, to talk about the gear that truly stole his heart this year.

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A Short Conversation Over Coffee

Sofía Márquez: Aryan, I know you’ve seen and played hundreds of guitars and pedals this weekend. If you had to pick just a few that left a mark on you… what would they be?

Aryan King: Oh Sofía… that’s cruel. (laughs) But I’ll do it. Guitars, innovation, pedals — let’s go. Some stuff this year was just next level.

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Guitars That Look Like Art: Baum Guitars

As a journalist, I’ve seen more guitars than I can count. This year, we were surrounded by factory masterpieces, boutique gems, replicas, and reimagined classics. But Aryan’s eyes lit up the most when we reached the booth of Baum.

Aryan King: “Baum is different. It’s not trying to be a Les Paul or a Strat. It’s not trying to be a 1959 anything or running away from patented issues by a headstock change. It looks like someone sculpted it with soul. Even if I wasn’t a guitarist, I’d buy one just to hang it on my wall.”

He wasn’t wrong. Baum guitars exude modern elegance with mid-century flair. Their color palettes look curated by an art director — soft pistachio greens, midnight blues, champagne golds. The body shapes are fluid and organic but still familiar. The attention to finish — thin, light, breathable — makes every guitar feel alive in your hands.

Baum’s craftsmanship isn’t just aesthetic: the balance is impeccable, the weight distribution ideal, and their custom pickups deliver a unique, clear yet punchy tone that cuts through a mix without shouting. It’s a guitar that doesn’t just sound good; it feels intentional.

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Innovation of the Year: Blackstar Polar Go (TOP RATED)

Aryan King: “You won’t get it until you try it. And the moment you do… boom — ‘Jesus f— Christ’ face!”

That’s how Aryan introduced what he called the most necessary piece of gear in 2025. The Polar Go is a compact, all-in-one portable amp and recording solution by Blackstar Amplification.

Here’s why it’s making waves:

• Two incredibly high-quality condenser mics onboard, giving a spacey, studio-grade stereo sound.
• 48v phantom power input. Plug in a guitar, bass, synth, microphone — anything.
• Rechargeable and mobile.
• Full integration with a companion app for mixing, EQ, and effects.
• Works as a sound card.

Aryan shared a story that got me grinning. During a show with 4,000 people, a distributor failed to deliver part of the backline. Chaos, right?

Aryan King: “This little box saved the night. I plugged my guitar in, took the output to the monitors, and played the whole set. It didn’t just work — it rocked.”

The Polar Go isn’t just another gadget; it’s a safety net, a mobile studio, and a performance solution in one.

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Stoll Pedals: Handmade German Heartbeat

Aryan has followed Stoll Effects for a while, but this year, he finally got his hands — and ears — on them.

Aryan King: “Their booth? Beautiful. Their coffee? Stole my heart. Their fuzz pedal? STOLL MY HEART — literally!”

The star of the show was the 68 Fuzz. It’s got this genius design where the LED mimics a car’s headlights — clever and charming. But the real magic is in the sound: bold, fat, warm low-end fuzz without the harsh, piercing highs that so many fuzzes fall into.

Aryan’s reaction when Andreas (the founder) opened the pedal to show the internals was priceless. Every component is hand-soldered, hand-wired, and meticulously arranged. A one-man operation with German precision.

Aryan King: “Inside it looked like another universe. No shortcuts. Just love, care, and tone.”

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Funk Attack: MXR Bass Envelope Filter M82

When Aryan stopped by MXR, it wasn’t for the usual overdrives or distortions. It was their Synth Bass pedal that caught him. The unit — officially known as the MXR Bass Envelope Filter M82 — is a deep, funky beast.

This pedal takes you straight back to the golden era of funk and disco. With its touch-sensitive envelope and clean, punchy response, it delivers liquid grooves that practically make your hips move involuntarily.

Aryan King: “I’m not even a bassist, but I swear I’m buying a bass just for this pedal.”

The M82’s strength lies in its simplicity: fast tracking, smooth sweep, and pristine low end. It lets you lock in that Bootsy-esque sound in seconds — no degree in synth modulation required.

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Time Machine Pickups: 8bomb Custom

Aryan’s tone journey always leads him back to pickups. His friend runs 8bomb Custom, but this isn’t about friendship — it’s about tone.

The hand-wound ‘58, ‘59, ‘60 sets, including the Greeny out-of-phase, are works of art. They’re wildly microphonic — in the best vintage way. Touch the wood of the guitar and you hear it through the amp.

Aryan King: “It’s like being teleported back in a Cadillac Coupe de Ville to 1959, when the bursts were born.”

Warm, articulate, full of soul. These pickups don’t just reproduce vintage tones — they breathe them.

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The Silverboy Prototype: DirtyBoy SilverBoy Preamp

Finally, a surprise moment of the summit: Danny Gomez from DirtyBoy Pedals dropped by Aryan’s booth with a new prototype — the SilverBoy Preamp.

Danny has revitalized the legacy of Blues Saraceno’s legendary designs, giving them a fresh modern breath. The SilverBoy is a preamp that’s already turning heads before its official release.

• Transparent but punchy gain stage
• Works beautifully straight into monitors or DI
• Incredible dynamics and headroom
• A design built for real musicians on real stages

Aryan King: “I’ve never been into preamps… but this, this is different. It just sings.”

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Final Notes

Every year, Guitar Summit reminds us that guitar culture isn’t just alive — it’s evolving. From Baum’s visual poetry to the clever power of Polar Go, from hand-built fuzz magic to time-machine pickups, the soul of guitar gear is thriving.

Aryan King: “Gear isn’t just about specs. It’s about what makes your heart jump. These did.”

And that’s what matters in music. Not just sound — feeling.