Dive into the boutique pick market, where makers work by hand to produce flatpicks in small batches, and discover the difference these small accessories can make.
D'addario's XS phosphor bronze acoustic guitar strings are an innovative new set that combines hyper-thin coating with NY Steel cores. Here's our review.
Augustine Strings has relaunched the premium Imperial and Regal classical guitar lines with new packaging to enable guitarists to easily identify which of the four sets will best serve them.
After looking unsuccessfully for a case cover, Sam Guidry decided to make his own. He formally introduced his product, branded as Caseadillo, at the beginning of 2020.
D’Addario was the first major manufacturer to offer casein plectrums, including a heavy 2.00mm 351-shape guitar pick ($21.99 street) with a faux-tortoiseshell appearance, beveled edges, and embossing to provide grip—with prices lower than their typical boutique counterparts.
SonoTone, a small-batch guitar-string company based in Massachusetts, prides itself on design and tone, as well as the pitch accuracy of its handiwork. Developed to faithfully produce authentic vintage tones from the 1950s–’70s, SonoTone’s American-made strings are available in two types for acoustic guitarists: phosphor bronze Symphonic and Concert brass.
The Nexi Acoustic ($299 retail, including a reverb pedal) is an inspired and happening take on the time-honored pedalboard concept from Nexi Industries.
The Delay and Chorus pedals are proof that L.R. Baggs has succeeded in creating acoustic effects that can enhance and expand your sonic toolkit—while preserving the natural tone of your acoustic guitar.
A clever new accessory from G7th, the Performance 3 capo, has a feature that sets it apart from anything else out there: namely the company’s “adaptive radius technology” (ART).
The most common materials for bottleneck slides are steel, brass, glass, and ceramic. I have also seen slides fashioned from copper tubing and plastic cylinders. Now comes the MagSlide, made of magnesium, the eighth most abundant element, as well as the lightest structural metal on earth.
When it comes to strings, guitarists seem to fall into one of two categories: some obsess about gauges and materials, while others tend to put on whatever is laying around or happens to be on sale at the local guitar store.
Kyser's Low-Tension Quick-Change capo ($19.95 street), represents the most significant variation on the accessory’s design since its introduction in 1978.