Is loving stitched vinyl a bad thing?

It’s funny how when you want something you think there is an overabundance of companies out there making exactly what you are looking for, and how you think you’ll be able to walk into any store and just pluck it off the shelf. Such has been my feeling for the past few months as I’ve struggled to find a high-quality gig bag that wouldn’t cost me one of the arms I need to play my guitar with.

After acquiring a beautiful Sadowsky semi-hollow from a dear friend, I have been looking for a nice gig bag for the latest addition to my guitar arsenal. (I only need three or four more guitars, honey, I swear!) Well let me just tell you; finding a nice gig bag is not nearly as easy as you think. I had been to every music store in my area — from the big chains to the mom-and-pops — and none of them carried a bag even remotely worth putting my guitar in. It’s truly a shame that music companies today have sunk so low in pandering to the commonfolk. Such is the way of the world I suppose.

But it was one trip to a Sam Ash that was along the way to somewhere else I was going that proved to be one of the most fruitful trips I had taken to a music store. One, I’m happy to say, that gave my Sadowsky a new home.

Walking into that Sam Ash was definitely a welcome surprise. Up on the wall amongst the flimsy tissue paper concoctions they try to pass off as gig bags was something I have never seen before… a gig bag that actually looked sturdy and had a bit of mass to it. A gig bag that looked like I would actually want to put a guitar in. The bag in question is a Reunion Blues Semi-Hollow Electric gig bag.

As taken from their website (I hope they don’t mind):

• 1 thick shock-absorbing Flexoskeleton w/ reinforced impact panels
• Neck Brace suspension system w/ adjustable, locking security strap
• Knurled Abrasion Grid on top and bottom resists scuffing
• Non-slip rubber side rest
• EVA-reinforced laptop-compatible multipocket
• Musician-friendly storage
• Zippered quick stash headstock pocket
• Rubberized foam headstock grip
• Adjustable, hideaway padded backpack straps
• Interior protector pads at headstock and endpin

I’m telling you, this is a beautiful bag. The interior padding is super thick, the neck brace suspension system should be an absolute must for all gig bags, and you just know that your axe will be protected when you put it in. There are plenty of pockets for your accessories, including a very nice velcro strap for your cable. Although just a bit of a pain to adjust, the backpack straps are quite comfortable, and their position distributes the weight nicely so your guitar isn’t spanking you in the ass every time you take a step.

I also really liked the “handle” they put on the back of the neck area for lifting. It’s located more towards where the neck meets the body of your guitar and is sewn directly into the bag like a little flap rather than a loop of nylon. It’s a very small feature, I know, but it says to me that the folks at Reunion Blues really put some time and effort into the design.

The bottom line is this; if you are looking for a gig bag that will actually protect your guitar, spend the money and buy a Reunion Blues bag. You wouldn’t put your wife in the back of a go cart and head out on the interstate (well, I wouldn’t at least…) so why do the same for your guitar?

Someone Finally Created a Great Gig Bag is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

Power your pedals without the mess!

If you are a guitarist that likes to use pedals, you know very well how much of a pain in the butt it can be to get them all set up and, more importantly, all powered up. Between the extension cord, the power strip, and all of the misshapen wall warts, it can be a nightmare!

To be honest, one of the main reasons why I was so turned off by pedals for the longest time was a direct result of the amount of crap I needed to have with me in order to use them.

But there are just a few pedals that you just can’t substitute. For example, my Keeley compressor simply kicks massive booty and has become a must-have for everything I do. A good tuner has also become a necessity. So what am I to do? If I can’t live without these pedals and yet I abhor all of the B.S. that comes with it, I’m pretty much stuck, right?

I certainly thought so. But…

with the help of the Sanyo Pedal Juice rechargeable 9V power source for effect pedals you can power your pedals without the mess.

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. Whenever I think of rechargeable batteries I just think of all the times I bought a bunch of rechargeable AA batteries that would work for about a month and then just stop working. They were simply too unreliable for anything important.

Powering my compressor and tuner

So you can imagine my cynicism for something that was supposed to power my effect pedals. But I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised to test the Pedal Juice.

How Did It Fair?

I charged the Pedal Juice up (it didn’t take too long) and plugged in my two pedals. My first concern was whether or not it was going to fully and properly power my gear. I mean, to be honest the Keeley compressor isn’t exactly cheap and I would have been seriously pissed if something would have happened to it.

No problems at all.

My second concern was sound quality. Was I going to hear a bunch of buzzing or clipping or anything crazy. Well, I didn’t have any problems there, either.

Two for two is a pretty good start.

Most importantly, my third concern was how long the Pedal Juice was actually going to power my pedals. I have to tell you, again I was very surprised (and happy) that the pedals stayed working for several hours. I mean, a lot of hours. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many in total, but you would have no problem playing several sets — probably even several days worth of gigs — before having to recharge the supply.

What Can You Power?

Here is a chart from Sanyo’s Pedal Juice website that shows a few different pedal configurations and approximate hours of play time:

Their website also explains that the Pedal Juice can power other objects as well, such as a pedal board, synth, or other 9V electronic device.

Power Indicators

You get all this with your pedal

One great feature of the pedal is that the LED shows three different colors to let you know how much juice you have left; when the light is green you’re good to go; an orange light means you have 30%-60% of power left; and, a red light means less that 30%. No light means you’re done!

The LED is bright and you will have no trouble seeing how much power is left.

The pedal is also very light and is the same size as a regular effect pedal, so it will easily fit on your pedalboard.

The package comes with the pedal, a charger, two cords for connecting to your devices, and an adapter for other connections.

All in all I think the Pedal Juice (available on Musician’s Friend) is a great find, and excellent buy, and well worth the price! ($149.99 at the time of this review.) If you want to get rid of the pedal mess, you absolutely must invest in a Sanyo Pedal Juice pedal.

Product Review: Sanyo Pedal Juice is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

The P-Whammy Tremolo

Ever since starting Fretterverse I’ve been on a constant lookout for new and interesting products. There are so many guitar blogs out there that get all of the cool gear shipped to them for review, and I get left out in the cold.

(Here is where I tell you my “walking to school uphill both ways in the snow” story for sympathy.)

But seriously, while these other guys – whom I wholeheartedly respect and look up to – are checking out amps, guitars, and pedals, I’m scouring the web and guitar magazines for those smaller gems. When one comes along I get excited.

So it was a small victory for me when I opened up the latest issue of Guitar Player (December 2010) and saw a small ad on one of the back pages for a product that I think has great potential to change the way many of us play guitar; it’s called the “P-Whammy” tremolo.

Tremolos are cool. I remember back in the 80′s when it was Floyd Rose vs. Kahler all day, every day. Whereas players like Jeff Beck were able to master the use of the standard Fender tremolo, others like Brian Setzer ruled the Bigsby-like whammy bars, and players like Satch and Vai turned the dive-bomb harmonics to an art form, many of us were content just to add some subtle vibrato now and again.

(Okay, so I wasn’t one of those guys. I admit, I was a dive-bombaholic for many years. Yeah, yeah…)

There were two inherent problems I saw with typical tremolo arms; first, if the arm was too loose it was sometimes impossible to find when you needed it. Second, if it was too tight it seemed to always be in the way.

Well, apparently machinist Mike Parillo felt similarly because he went into his shop and came up with the P-Whammy – a very inventive tremolo bar substitute that sits unobtrusively on the bridge of your guitar and still gives you (most of) the flexibility of a traditional whammy bar.

Here’s a demo video of what it can do:

It looks very cool. The only limitation I can see – and I admit that I have not played with one yet – is that if you are a dive-bomb lover you might not be able to pull them off like you can with a standard bar. But, for most players that is probably a very small sacrifice to make.

I do plan on getting my hands on one of these and checking them out for myself. For more information, you can visit the P-Whammy website.

P-Whammy: The Next Generation Tremolo is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

The Rock Lock

Every once in a while a product comes along that is at the same time inherently simple in concept and completely brilliant. Products like these have always lingered in the “wouldn’t it be cool if…” parts of our subconscious, but for one reason or another never poked its way through to the “hey, we should build this” part of our brains.

How many times have you just finished your set at a gig and worried about your guitar? As much of a hassle as it is to unplug it, put it back in your case, and then cautiously glance over at it every ten seconds while relaxing with your beer, you had no choice. The last thing you wanted was someone picking it up and playing it without permission, or even worse to have some drunk jerkoff knock it over or spill beer on it. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has had to babysit his guitar in between playing because he doesn’t want anyone touching or stealing his precious axe.

We can all now rest a little bit easier, as The Rock Lock has come to along to save us (and our guitars) from the backseat of someone else’s car.

The Rock Lock, up close

It’s been a long time since the guitar world has seen such an ingenious product. Perhaps an argument can be made for the Polytune or the Morpheus Droptune, but to me these products seemed inevitable. As great as they are, they seem to be much of a no-brainer. It’s not hard to see that these products would eventually come out. The Rock Lock, however, should have been invented a long time ago.

In essence, The Rock Lock is a cable and lock system that attaches to your guitar and something preferably large and immovable (though your amp will suffice). When you have to leave your guitar unattended for a period of time, you simply attach one end of The Rock Lock to your amp, table, or your drummer’s leg (if he’s into that kind of stuff) and the other end onto the neck of your guitar. As stated by The Rock Lock’s creator – Chris:

The Rock Lock was created to provide serious guitarists with an opportunity to secure their instruments and eliminate the possibility of losing a great guitar to theft.

I have to say, it’s such a great product idea I wish it had come out 20 years ago.

The Rock Lock retails for $49.99 and you can pre-order it from their website. I am confident that this product will be a huge success and will find its way into the music stores in time. It’s just too important of a product to not be a required gigging accessory.

Kudos to Chris and The Rock Lock team!

The Rock Lock is Like a Ninja Bodyguard For Your Guitar is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

Several times a week before my martial arts class I have about an hour to kill. Some days I study Thai, but other days I take my small beat-around Squier mini out of the car trunk and practice.

I had, for a while, used the Line 6 Pocket Pod for amp simulation. (Playing with no volume is only cool for so long.) But the Pocket Pod lacked punch. I couldn’t get a sound I was happy with to motivate me to practice. It sounded like a tin can, which is surprising to me since I’m a huge fan of Line 6 gear.

Thanks to Steve Jobs and his brilliant iPod Touch, and the folks at IK Multimedia, we now have Amplitube and the iRig interface.

Two Products

We’re actually talking about two products here. Amplitube is the actual software. The other – iRig – is the interface you use to connect your guitar and headphones to your iPhone/iPad. Both are relatively cheap, so you won’t be spending an arm and leg to get this setup. Believe me, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

There is nothing to iRig at all, so I won’t spend any time reviewing that actual piece of equipment. It’s a very small, plastic unit with headphone and input jacks. There’s nothing more to say about it.

Amplitube

Amplitube, however, is obviously where things get interesting. Here is what IK says about it:

• Real time guitar and bass mobile multiFX app
• Full rig made by 3 simultaneous stompboxes + amp + cabinet + mic
• 11 Stomps, 5 Amps, 5 Cabinets, 2 Mics available
• Import and play with songs or backing tracks with real time effects
• 36 presets can be saved/recalled on the fly
• Includes tuner/metronome
• Free, LE and Full versions available
• Free and LE versions expandable with a-la-carte downloadable gear
• Same low-latency as Mac/PC systems

Just about every effect you will want or need

The sounds are very impressive, to be honest. You get to choose from five amp types (clean, crunch, lead, metal, and bass), all with fully-functional tone knobs. The controls are surprisingly wide-sweeping, so you have a great variety of tonal options.

There are also lots of effects that all sound very good, and you can chain them together in any or all of three available FX banks. The only effect that I think it missing is a compressor. They have a noise gate, so why not a compressor? I guess it’s a small sacrifice to make, but if they went so far as to do all the others…

But despite that you do get delay, fuzz, distortion, overdrive, wah, envelope filter, chorus, flanger, phaser, octave, and the noise filter.

Five cabinet types and two microphone choices are also included, so your choices are pretty much unlimited.

The lead amp

You can also store up to 12 presets and recall them whenever you want. Switching through them is pretty easy as well, although it would be nice if you were able to name the presets rather than just rely on remembering which sound is assigned to which number.

There is a setting for latency, a metronome, and a tuner. The tuner is quite nice (I was skeptical). Luckily, the metronome is loud enough to be heard over your playing, which I was afraid of.

Register for an account with IK Multimedia and you can also download free amps and, I suspect coming soon, effects. Right now there is only one distortion box available as a free download, but I imagine more will be coming at some point.

The biggest disappointment I have with Amplitube is the “songs” setting. In order to play along to a song you have to actually upload the song to your iPod using a web browser. Now, I don’t know about you, but if you’re using a damn iPod Touch, don’t you think you should just be able to choose one of the songs you already have on it? I mean, seriously, that’s an absolute no-brainer for me. The fact that they don’t have this feature (or if they do it’s not apparent to me at all) is a huge oversight on IK’s part.

Another disappointment, albeit smaller, is there seems to be no ability to record what you’re playing. If you have a great idea you have no way of storing it for later.

I would love to see IK address these points in a future update. They are important, guys… so listen up!

Overall, I think Amplitube and the iRig interface are brilliant. I love them, and will use them a lot. The Pocket Pod goes into the closet and probably won’t be seen for a very long time. If you are looking for any kind of travel solution to satiate your guitar needs, this is a perfect setup. Highly recommended!

IK Multimedia’s Amplitube and iRig is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

But I came across something that annoyed me so deeply, we’re talking on a visceral level, that I couldn’t just let it go for even one more day.

Yes, my fellow Fretheads, I’ve now seen it all. I’ve been to the end of the rainbow. I’ve reached the end of the Internets. No t-shirt, no pot of gold, nothing. I never thought we, as the human race, would become so desperate that we require a product so fundamentally jarring, but alas I guess we’ve finally “gone there.”

I’m throwing out a yellow flag, handing the guitar world its World Cup red card. (You disappoint me, Germany!) I’ve almost officially thrown in the towel and called it a day.

How could we let it come to this? How could we, as a civilized society, allow this travesty to occur?

Man, I sure can be melodramatic when I want to, can’t I? Okay, so the world’s not coming to an end and I’m not stockpiling canned goods and D-cell batteries just yet, but I was serious about the being annoyed part.

(taken from www.powerchordtrainer.com)

The product I’m talking about is called the Power Chord Trainer. It’s a plastic device that you attach to your index and ring fingers to help “train” your fingers to play power chords. The website for this product claims the following:

• Builds finger strength
• Achieves correct finger spacing
• Helps build muscle memory
• Increases finger stretch

All of these things might be true, so on the surface this may seem like a good thing, especially for beginning guitarists. So what’s the problem?

In reality, my problem is not with the product itself. In fact, I think from a marketing perspective the Power Chord Trainer is absolutely brilliant! I’m surprised someone didn’t think of this much sooner.

No, my problem is really a case of why this product is brilliant. The Power Chord Trainer is brilliant because we (and I’m specifically speaking as an American at the moment, though I’m sure this applies to just about every country) have gotten to the point where we’re so overprotective and politically-correct that we can’t even let someone struggle to learn to play guitar of all things. We’ve thrown hard work, discipline, and rewarding solid effort off the roof of the Empire State Building, wiped our hands clean, and now walk around trying to convince ourselves that everyone needs to be good at everything they try to do.

Does anyone under the age of 14 remember the game Kill the Man With the Ball? One of the greatest games ever invented, now all but extinct because parents and school administrators don’t want to send a message to those of less athletic ability that they might possibly suck at something.

We live in a society today that has stopped using the color red on school papers to correct mistakes, as if the colors blue or green are going to make students less wrong. We’ve become a society that now forgoes the letter “F” to tell a student that they failed and replaced it with an “E” to encourage them to try harder. We now reward failure and downplay success. Nowadays, everyone gets a trophy. Bonus points get awarded for no reason whatsoever.

A close second on the infuriating scale

Enough is enough! Seriously, this has to stop. We’re turning into a country of wimps that actually have less confidence in themselves because they’ve never been allowed to fail or been told they aren’t good enough. We’re raising generations of kids that have never had scraped knees or fallen off their bikes. Children today have no idea how to handle adversity because we’ve wrapped them in adamantium blankets.

When you are first learning to play guitar, you can’t cheat. If you want to build strength in your fingers, play your f#*&%ing guitar! There is no magic pill; no special formula. Sit down with your axe and practice – a lot. Play the damn thing until your fingers hurt so much that you can’t play for a week. Then put some blister glue on your fingers and play some more. Most of the time this will be a non-issue because you will love playing guitar so much that you won’t stop. But, no product or training aid is going to effectively substitute putting in the dirt time and working your ass off to get good at something. You may still fail, but at least you failed for the right reasons. You put in the work and still didn’t succeed. That’s okay; you tried. Maybe another instrument will suit you better…

Why is the Power Chord Trainer such a great yet infuriating product? Because whether they knew it or not, parents/consumers will probably run out and buy tons of these for their kids because, God forbid, if their child tries to learn to play guitar without all of the supposed tricks and shortcuts (read: the right way) they might have to admit that they aren’t good at something. How world-ending it must be for you to see your child not get A+ rewards all the time for mediocre effort. *gag*

For the record, I don’t begrudge the Power Chord Trainer folks at all. But it does bug the hell out of me that we’ve gotten to the point where a product like this will probably sell well.

The Most Infuriating Guitar Product, Ever! is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

Harmonic Capo

A capo is a device that attaches to the neck of your guitar and essentially acts like another finger so you can play complicated fingerings more easily. Many singer-songwriters use them so they don’t have to fumble around with awkward chord voicings while singing.

The most common capo is, of course, the standard six-string capo that barres across all six strings. There are, however, a few other capos that have come out in the past few years that are pretty much redefining what you can do with a little help.

Today I will explore a few of these new capos and tell you why I like them.

Harmonic Capo

I figured I would start with my favorite new capo – the Harmonic Capo. This capo gets attached over one of the natural-occurring harmonic frets on the guitar; pretty much the 12th or 15th frets. There is an adjustable rubber bushing over each of the strings. You adjust each one so when you play the string open the bushing is hitting the string and producing a harmonic, but when that string is fingered the bushing does not hit and a normal note sound is produced.

I love the sound this capo produces. Check out this video to get a better idea of how it works and what it sounds like.

Drop D Capo

Drop D Capo

Many of us who play rock and metal are familiar with the Drop D tuning. Essentially, you detune your low E string to D, which gives you a barre chord on the three lowest strings by using just one finger. The Drop D capo does the same thing, but rather than detuning the low E string, you capo the other five strings to create an E chord.

Typically this capo goes on the second fret to create the E chord, but obviously you don’t have to only use it that way. I like this capo because having a drop tuning allows you to create interesting bass voice chords that you can’t get in standard tuning.

The Kyser Quick Change capo, specifically, is very easy to use and works very well. If you are interested in a Drop D capo then I highly recommend getting the Kyser.

Spider Capo

Spider Capo

Another really cool capo that has come out in the past few years is the Spider Capo. This capo allows you to choose which strings you want to capo via individual string. It’s similar to the Harmonic Capo but produces full notes rather than only harmonics.

Though the Spider Capo isn’t the first one of its kind on the market, I believe it is the best. The other ones used rubber bushings similar to the Harmonic Capo but they just felt inconsistent and didn’t work very well. The Spider Capo, however, is well built and works great.

For your viewing pleasure, I thought you might like to see someone who has taken the capo idea to the extreme. I bring to you Trace Bundy:

As you can see, the possibilities are only as endless as your imagination. As you know I’m a huge proponent of exploration and breaking out of the comfort zone, so I highly recommend you buy a few capos and try them out to see what you come up with.

The Great Capo Caper is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

Meisel COM-90 Clip-On Tuner

Having a good tuner is a must. I think we can all agree that there is nothing worse than a guitar player whose guitar is out of tune.

When I first started learning jazz guitar (still learning…) I went on this mad search for the be-all clip-on tuner to use with my jazz box. It’s not like there were a ton available on the market, but there were enough to make me do a bunch of research before buying one.

I initially ended up getting the Intellitouch PT1 tuner, but I have to be honest and tell you that I didn’t like it. It simply wouldn’t tune my guitar accurately. The one single job it was supposed to perform, and it failed. So the search began again.

And then I had a conversation with my band mate Mark of Gollihur Music, and he told me to check out the company Meisel. They were a clip-on tuner manufacturer that produced what he thought to be excellent tuners. I told him to bring one home for me, I tried it, and instantly fell in love with it.

The problem was, Meisel had stopped making that tuner so although I was able to procure two, if they broke I was going to be SOL.

So you could imagine my surprise – if you are a geek like me and get excited about tuners – when Mark told me that Meisel had come out with an updated tuner called the COM-90.

So I don’t drag this out too much longer, I’ll tell you up front that I love this tuner. First, the display is much clearer than the old tuner (and most other tuners in general). The display is very large and changes color when you are in tune, eliminating the need to focus on the needle display.

The “neck” of the tuner is longer and much more flexible, and allows you to really position the display where it’s convenient for you to see. Lastly, the rubber they use for the clamp has been replaced with silica, which is much more sensitive to vibration and therefore produces a much more accurate tuning picture.

The tuner also has presets for commonly-tuned instruments to help you tune faster and with less hassle.

Here is a video demonstrating the tuner on an upright bass:

If you are looking for a new tuner, I highly recommend the Meisel COM-90. For the price ($25.00 at the time of writing) it simply cannot be beat.

Meisel COM-90 Clip-On Electronic Tuner is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

Remember these days?

For those of us who played guitar back in the 60′s, 70′, and 80′s (and perhaps earlier) you can certainly remember that acoustic guitars did not have strap pins on the body or neck heel like they do now. Back in the day, if you wanted to play your acoustic guitar standing up you had to secure the front end of the strap by tying it to the headstock just in front of the nut. It was effective, but not necessarily the most comfortable way to play.

When guitar manufacturers started adding pins to the neck heels and upper front bouts, life got much simpler; any guitar strap would suffice.

However, there are still many old guitars around, and also many new luthiers purposely do not put pins in their guitar. For owners of those guitars, you had only two choices – play sitting down, or use one of those old, cludgy neck straps.

Until now…

A Strap Revolution

The Miller Guitar Strap

Matthew Miller, a guitarist and leather worker from the Midwestern US, came up with a revolutionary design for a new guitar strap – dubbed the Miller Guitar Strap. Born from the need to (a) create a strap that didn’t require a neck heel pin and (b) create a strap that didn’t attach to the headstock, Miller invented a unique, cradle strap that holds the guitar in place almost like a papoose.

By literally placing the guitar in the strap cradle, all of the weight of the guitar is taken off your neck. It allows you to move much more freely when playing. The Miller Guitar Strap also positions the guitar in such a way that creates a much more snug fit; you really feel as if the guitar and you are one, which every guitarist can certainly appreciate.

Quality Construction

Each strap is made of high-quality leather. Each strap is adjustable thanks to a very safe and secure brass rivet fastening system. For those of you with guitars that have an endpin on the bottom bout of the guitar, the strap does have a hole for the pin to make it even more secure. The stitching is excellent, too, so there is no fear of the strap falling apart.

The straps come in two sizes (dreadnaught/large body and Martin 000/small body) and two colors (black or brown).

What About Cutaway Acoustics?

I spoke with Matthew about acoustic guitars with cutaway lower bouts. He admits that this strap is not reasonably suited for those guitars, but he has been researching those models and is considering adding another model to the product line that will address these guitar shapes. If you have a cutaway acoustic, this probably isn’t the strap for you. But, if you have a non-cutaway acoustic then I cannot recommend this strap enough. It will make you fall in love with playing acoustic guitar all over again!

For a Good Cause

According the website, a non-profit organization around the development of the strap is the ultimate goal of designer Matthew Miller. So, not only will you be getting a great strap, but you’ll also be contributing to the development of an organization that will help others.

How to Buy

For ordering information, please visit the Miller Guitar Strap website and shopping page.

The Miller Guitar Strap is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.

I remember back in the late 80′s the Stylus Pick came out as the answer for all of our shred guitar needs. (Didn’t really live up to the hype; sorry, guys!) Since then I haven’t really seen many new pick ideas come out. To be honest, I haven’t really seen much of a need to try and improve on the concept. Traditional guitar picks serve their purpose — and serve it well — and I’m hard-pressed to think of a reason why I would want to switch.

Then last week I got a small package in the mail from a company called Pointless Picks. As you can see from the picture, they have come up with a radical concept and design. The question, however, is whether or not there is a “point” to the Pointless Pick.

Stop Dropping Picks!

Pointless Picks were developed by designer Doug Larsen to address the problem of picks being dropped while playing. After years of development and countless prototypes he came across the solution of a round shape and raised center. The raised center (on both sides) allows you to keep a more firm grip on the pick, and the round shape allows you to not worry so much about having to attack the string with a specific portion of the pick each time, namely the tip.

Pointless Picks come in three sizes – .58mm (the red ones), .72mm (the green ones), and 1.0mm (the blue ones).

How Do They Feel?

I tried the picks on three different guitars: a jazz guitar strung with .012 flatwounds, a shredder guitar with .009 nickels, and an acoustic guitar with .010 bronze strings. Interestingly enough, I found that each one of the three gauges of picks worked the best for each one of the guitars… the 1.0mm pick on the jazz box, the .72mm on the shredder, and the .58mm on the acoustic.

The grip is very nice. I can definitely see this pick being used for extended periods of time and reducing hand fatigue. Especially for those that constantly drop picks, the large size, raised grip, and even the pick colors (more easily seen on a dark stage) are nice improvements.

How Do They Sound?

Well, of course this is the most important part; how the picks sound. I think I got the best sound on the acoustic guitar while strumming chords and not doing a lot of technical picking. I had some success with the jazz box, but not much success with the shredder guitar. To be honest, I had trouble picking out single lines on each guitar. I mean, very simple melodies were okay, but anything more complex than that was a bit of a task. I don’t know if it would require me to spend more time using them or not, but I wasn’t 100% feeling them for playing jazz or rock.

Would You Use Them?

In a word, yes, with the caveat that I was playing acoustic sing-song tunes. The styles of music that I generally play (prog rock, metal, and jazz) require a bit more precision — or perhaps I should say my personal playing style requires more — and in certain cases the Pointless Picks were not quite suited for the job. That being said, however, I am planning on using them on some acoustic stuff my friends and I are working on. I am even willing to give them a shot on the next Din Within recording session to see how they play.

All in all I think it’s a pretty good product that is worth checking out. For more information, visit the Pointless Picks website.

Does Pointless Picks Have a Point? is a post from: Fretterverse.com: Guitar Blog | guitar news & reviews, amps, effects, guitars, music theory, guitar lessons. If you are reading this on a site that is not Fretterverse.com, it's been ripped. Please come to the real Fretterverse.com.