6 Cool Guitar Gadgets

Calling all guitarists... we've got a treat for you to help you make the most of your guitar tuning, setup & playing skills. Here's 6 cool gadgets for your guitar, recommended by Toby Pitman.  

Hey, you can never have enough gadgets right? Here's five gadgets that have caught my eye as a guitarist!

Spider Capo

This isn't really a new idea but this product seems like the best implementation and design I've seen by far. The SpiderCapo (or partial Capo) is a neat little device that can Capo individual strings. This can open up all sorts of compositional and creative ideas by allowing you to create open-like tunings. 

spider capo

The reason it looks so cool is that it seems to be easily changeable on the fly. There's a fair few videos of people using two at a time to create more complex open chords and bass notes.

They have a cool add on (http://www.spidercapo.com/spidercapo-accessories.html) that also allows you to create harmonics.

Web: 

http://www.spidercapo.com/spidercapo-accessories.html

http://www.spidercapo.com/index.html

Tronical Tune

Remember when the Gibson 'Robot' guitar came out that could tune itself!! We all went ''WOW!!” or “That's for idiots!”. Well Tronical were the clever people behind the tuning system and like it or not it is quite cool!

They've now developed a version that can be retrofitted to most popular guitar brands. You can now flip between any open tuning or key in seconds! Or just tune up!

tronical tune
Web: http://www.tronical.com

Roadie Tuner

I have to give an honorable mention to the Roadie Tuner which is up on Kickstarter at the moment. This is a winding device that stops once the string is in tune. It works in conjunction with an iOS device (for open tunings) and looks promising!  

roadie

Web: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roadietuner/roadie-tuner-the-ultimate-guitarist-tool

String Stretcha

The String Stretcha combats the problem of new strings settling in. You probably stretch your new strings by hand but this can be inconsistent along the string.

Running the String Stretcha up the string a couple of times evenly stretches the string giving you a nicely in tune guitar straight away!

stretcha

If Prince thinks it's cool then you should probably try it!

Web: http://stringstretcha.com/index/index.php

Hammer jammer

The Hammer Jammer is one of those inventions that when you see and hear it you think, “That's brilliant!!”. It fits onto your guitar and basically provides what are essentially a set of piano hammers. This creates a really cool percussive sound.

hammer

If you want one you'll have to wait though. They've sold out!! 


Web: http://www.bigwalnutproductions.com/index.php/about-us-3

Super Vee Mag Lok

Anyone with a guitar with a tremolo arm on will know this problem. The problem is that when you bend a string (or a double stop bend) the tension pulls the tremolo block forward and makes all the other strings slightly flat. It's annoying!

The clever folks at Super Vee have come up with an answer in the Mag Lok. It's easily fitted in minutes (I have one) to any tremolo set up and uses rare earth magnets to stop the block being pulled forward. As soon as you move the bar the magnets are forced apart and the arm works as normal.

maglok

It's pretty genius!! 


Web: http://www.super-vee.com

Got any more? Share them below in the comments!

For the past 20 years Toby has worked as a professional guitarist, programmer and producer. Clients include Sir Paul McCartney, George Michael, Shirley Bassey, Yusuf Islam, Giles Martin as well as the London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies. He has also worked extensively in TV, Advertising and Film. As well as composing himself he has also ... Read More

Discussion

Bonzo
Wot, no E-bow?
Kleekru
Here is another one for the list: RoboTar ( robo-tar.com ) is a robot that plays chords for you. Cool if you want to play rhythm and lead on the same guitar or for a guitarist that lost the ability to play due to stroke, arthritis or injury to one hand.
AlwaysOnPlug
Fender Amp owners - Lose the footswitch: Search e-bay or reverb.com using this phrase: "Always On Plug Fender Reverb" and it will pull up various versions of the Always On Plug, a cool and cheap device (about $10). This simple plug is plugged into the back of Fender Deluxe Reverb, Super Reverb, Twin Reverb Reissue or vintage RCA amps to turn the Reverb and Tremolo/Vibrato/Speed/Intensity "always on" so you just control it from the amp controls, and lose the cheesy fender footswitch. Also great if you have an amp without the footswitch and don't want to buy a whole new footswitch.

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