Gear

Ernie Ball NAMM contribution is the new Slinky acoustic string sets, featuring 'patented coated Titanium RPS Technology that resists rust and grime to produce a bright and powerful tone time after time.'

CEntrance has announced a new hardware product: the AxePort Pro USB Direct Box, ideal for all guitar and bass players who want to record at home or on the road.

The Redesigned Amp Gizmo has a new sleeker design, more memory and the ability to work with even more amps than the original design. The Amp Gizmo gives musicians a way to add MIDI control to equipment that doesn't normally have such capabilities. This allows users to control all of their equipment from a single MIDI controller, eliminating the need to "tap dance" between multiple foot switches. When used with amplifiers, the Amp Gizmo replaces the amp's footswitch, enabling MIDI control of all footswitchable functions.

Based on the EMG-81 and launching at NAMM, the new EMG-81TW pickup gives players added versatility and the choice of the original EMG-81 dual coil

BG Pups new Pure90 is a real P90 pickup that fits a humbucker route. Bryan Gunsher of BG Pups said this set started out basically as a set of Vintage P90 soapbar pickups.

Jon at Guitar Noize points out some ergonomic guitar picks from Bigrock Engineering. Two main styles are available: The F1 is designed to loosen your grip, but at the same time hug your finger, relaxing your hand, arm and neck, and reduce fatigue and RSI. The other is the X-1, an anodized aluminum pick grip primarily designed to increase control, speed and accuracy. The X-1 fits most picks and is adjustable to your playing angle and finger size.

MicRig is a flexible new microphone positioning system from Lyrig Enterprises, ideal for acoustic guitarists as well as those recording amps and drums.

Grendel Sound's new Isolation Cabinet I is essentially a "dead room" on wheels, rather then just a isolation cabinet due to 6" thick of absorption material housed in the lid with calculated chamber dimensions. This provides the clearest and cleanest signal possible from an amplifier into a mixer for recording or live sound reinforcement. With 30dB of noise reduction from lid open to lid closed on the Dead Room, you can successfully record tube amps with all the life and tone of a real speaker without disturbing anyone.

The MagPi pickup system for archtop guitars is designed to add more acoustic presence to the typical magnetic pickup equipped archtop. This add-on piezo pickup is totally passive, non intrusive and completely reversible. While installation by a qualified tech is recommended, it is a simple matter to not only install the pickup, but to remove it with no evidence of it ever being in the guitar. Designed to bring out the acoustic qualities and presence that is so often missed in a pure magnetic pickup scheme, the MagPi will broaden the tonal palette of any archtop, from the most expensive hand carved instrument to the the lowliest import.

Lace has introduced a line of Alumitone-Equipped pickguards in response to demand by players seeking Lace’s new patented line of pickups. These new Alumitone pickguards feature a pearloid 3-ply pickguard that is available in white or black.

New from the guys at GuitarStorage is the Pro-File wall mount display rack. Each rack is hand crafted using hardwood and can hold up to four guitars. Appearance wise, the Pro-File features a custom rosette inlay and a V-grooved f-hole design.

What first appears to be a high tech set of bathroom scales is actually a new patented metronome from San Francisco based company, RhythmSource. The RhythmSource Metronome allows players to see as well as hear time, pulse, and meter thanks to eight unique beat lights placed in a circle.

Chicks on Picks are a new series of guitar picks from Grover Allman. If you hadn't already guessed it, the Chicks on Picks series features picks with pictures of rather attractive females - or to be more precise - the erotic illustrations of artist Dave Nestler.

Yamaha has introduced the Virtuoso Series gig bags for guitarists and electric bassists. These high-quality bags, designed for entry level players to professionals, are loaded with features for any musician's traveling needs.

WB Custom Guitar Pickups 67-07 Single Coils Limited’s are now avaliable. After being road tested and given the big thumbs up. I am proud to offer them. Wound traditional style on my vintage winder. They will come in 2 different output sets. Lo-Drive and Hot Rod.

TonePort UX8, the latest addition to the Line 6 TonePort family of USB recording and modeling interfaces, is now shipping. Line 6 says "With its rock solid construction, pro-grade components and world class tone, TonePort UX8 is the ideal multi I/O recording interface for project and pro studios".

GuitarStorage has introduced their new Slimline guitar case rack. With the saem capacity as their Studio Guitar Case Rack (8-10 cases), the Slimeline is perfect for those looking for a more economical purchase.

BG Pups Handwound Pickups and Bryan Gunsher, a Northern California maker of handmade-handwound electric guitar pickups, has announced the addition of white S90s to the lineup.

The new TASCAM CD-GT2, CD-BT2 and CD-VT2 are the latest introductions in the portable CD trainer line-a product category literally invented by TASCAM. Like the wildly-popular original CD trainers, musicians have the ability to slow down the speed of a CD without changing the pitch - allowing artists, musicians, students, and music teachers to learn and teach fast licks, rhythm parts and solos from their favorite artists.

Sonic Research introduces the Turbo Tuner ST-122, a portable true strobe tuner with an impressive array of high-end features that place the tuner in a class by itself.

D'Addario is injecting new spirit and vigor into the popular XL electric string line. A new and specially-formulated alloy sets a standard for shimmering bright tones without harshness, while a favorite metal returns, tweaked for todays music and reflecting a new appreciation for the sounds of the '50s and '60s. Introducing D'Addario Pro Steel Guitar Strings and Pure Nickel Strings, two divergent tonal choices united by D'Addario's restless innovation, vision and consistency.

New from California based Sound Innovations is the Kickstand, a guitar stand that you're never going to have to carry anywhere, ever again. You see, Kickstand attaches to your guitars factory strap peg, hiding away when you're playing and flipping down when you need to stand your guitar.

BG Pups says their new HellaBucker Bridge is not for the faint of heart. Here's the description of it from their website: "This pickup is a hot rod designed for modern hard rock and metal. Tight, fat chord tones, great for detuning. This pickup has great harmonics and overtones and sustain for days. This pickup has excellent split tones."

Live Earth is this weekend and to help protect the Earth's virgin forests and reduce global warming, Wheatware.com, exclusive U.S. distributor of Wheatware products, has donated biodegradable-compostable drumsticks, guitar picks, clothes hangers and more -- all made using wheat.

Line 6 is now shipping TonePort GX, the latest addition to Line 6's acclaimed TonePort family of audio recording interfaces. The compact new TonePort GX is sleek, striking and stripped-down, but this palm-sized powerhouse offers professional-grade 24-bit audio recording, 96KHz sample rate support, and over 100dB signal-to-noise ratio, along with rock-solid drivers supporting its fast and widely compatible USB audio connection.