The GuitarJack from Sonoma Wire Works allows you to connect a variety of instruments and / or microphones to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The GuitarJack plugs into the dock connector of your iOS device and features a 1/4 inch instrument jack and a 1/8 inch stereo mic/line input. It can record voice and an instrument simultaneously via a 4 track style app. The GuitarJack Model 2 is priced at $149 and will be available in 4-6 weeks.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iOS, Music

GuitarJack Model 2 Audio Interface Now Compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

Awhile back Julie wrote about the Orpheus wallet, a wallet for guitar players.  The company selling that wallet is currently out of business, awaiting a relaunch, but it seemed that from that article’s feedback the price ($107) was a bit much for the average gadgeteer.  Whipping Post, makers of a gorgeous line of guitar cases, has recently released their own picker’s wallet.  It’s a slimline, bare bones model, but is elegant in its simplicity. The wallet is full grain leather and holds three credit cards, has a cash compartment, clear-paneled driver’s license panel, and a stitched pocket for a guitar pick.  Two colors are available, tan and dark brown, and can be purchased directly through Whipping Post for $30.

Filed in categories: Gear, Musical Gear, News, Wallets

Tagged: Guitar, guitar pick, Wallet, whipping post

Whipping Post Picker’s Wallets originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 10, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

The Griffin StompBox is a programmable multi-functional foot controller that interfaces with the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, enabling virtual guitar effects for any instrument that takes a 1/4-inch jack such as a guitar, bass guitar, electric violin or keyboard. StompBox was created to work with Frontier Design’s iShred LIVE app to allow musicians to switch effects with their feet, without taking their hands off the instrument.The $99.99 StompBox comes with a professional quality 4-button foot controller and the Griffin GuitarConnect cable that enables a connection to an instrument, headphones and an iOS device at the same time.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iPad, Music

Channel your inner Jimmy Hendrix with the Griffin StompBox originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 25, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

Actually, I’m just jealous that they don’t have a version of the TunerMatic Action Tuner for ukuleles! The TunerMatic is a robotic guitar tuner. Just turn it on, place over a tuning knob, pluck a string and it will do the rest of the work. It will loosen and tighten the string till it is perfectly tuned. It works with both electric and acoustic guitars (acoustic guitars require an optional microphone accessory). The price seems very reasonable at only $49.95.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar

TunerMatic – A Guitar Tuner for the Super Lazy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 19, 2011 at 10:00 am.

If you play guitar and also happen to own a smartphone like the iPhone, Droid X and others, or even the iPod Touch, the Strumbuddy Troubadour is a nifty bracket that you can attach to the headstock and then to the back of your device. You don’t have to use a special case with this product; the Strumbuddy has a really strong magnet that mates up with a metal disc that you place between your phone and the back of its case. Then you can use various guitar apps to help you play your tunes. You can even rotate the device 360 degrees. Interested? Hop over to the Strumbuddy site and order one for $29.99.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iPhone

Your guitar’s new BFF is the Strumbuddy Troubadour originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 6, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

Sanyo’s Pedal Juice is a battery power pack that can provide up to 50 hours of power to a guitar effects pedal. It uses Sanyo’s high-capacity eneloop rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that eliminate the need for power cables which can produce “ground sound” and drastically reduce tone. The Pedal Juice pack can power multiple effects pedals at the same time and has a 3-stage LED indicator that provides and easy to see power level status. It has a MSRP of $199.99, but you can find it at online retailers like Musician’s Friend for $149.99.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Pedal Juice from Sanyo Provides Rechargeable Power to your Guitar Effects originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 1, 2010 at 10:30 am.

The Pick Punch is a great gadget for guitar, banjo, mandolin and other stringed instruments that require a pick for strumming. If you can’t figure out what purpose it serves just by the name and image, then you have my permission to skip this review. Everyone else, click through for more info.

If you play a stringed instrument with a pick and enjoy making things and saving money, then you’re going to love the Pick Punch. It’s a heavy duty spring loaded punch, that will allow you to create your own unique guitar picks from various materials that you already have lying around your house.

The punch looks sort of like a stapler, until you turn it over.

Then you’ll notice that familiar guitar pick shape which is also called the 351 or Fender shape. This punch will create 1-3/16″ (30mm) tall by 1-1/16″ (25.5mm) wide picks in the standard tear drop shape.

Using the Pick Punch couldn’t be more simple. You can purchase $3 sheets of Nylon, Polycarbonate or Acetal directly from the Pick Punch site, which will yield as many as 85 picks per sheet. Or just scrounge around your house for different materials that will work equally well. Some of the easiest to come by are plastic gift cards, expired credit cards, ATM cards, etc.

Just slide the material into the slot, check the pick shaped cut out on the bottom to make sure you have lined up the image you want for the pick and then squeeze the handle. That’s it.

Presto, you now have a perfectly shaped custom guitar pick! The edges of the punched pick are surprisingly smooth, but if you want to clean up any rough spots, just buff the edges with some really fine sandpaper. Simple and fast.

Besides using gift and old credit cards, you can also use lids from plastic containers like the ones you find on margarine and cool whip tubs. The sound that you get from each pick when you strum your guitar or other instrument will depend on the material used.

The Pick Punch site has ideas for creating all sorts of interesting pick designs. You can stamp your own graphics on them, combine two thin sheets of clear material with an image in the center, for one thick pick, etc.

I think this product would make a great gift for a guitar player. It’s built to last for years and will punch 1000′s of picks. It’s inexpensive and will save them money because they’ll never need to buy another pick.

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Musical Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Do-It-Yourself, Guitar

Pick Punch Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2010 at 4:45 pm.

The Raw Talent Guitar learning system uses a guitar-to-USB cable that you can use with virtually any guitar and a Windows PC. It doesn’t require you to go out and buy special instrument like the FretLight. The system includes video lessons, a software effects system and an evaluator that actually ‘listens’ to you play and rates your progress. It’s priced at $199, which seems a little pricey, but if you’ve ever shelled out $25-$50 for a 60 minute lesson, you know it’s not bad at all. I would have loved a setup like this when I was teaching myself to play guitar a bazillion years ago.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Raw Talent Guitar – Music Learning System originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 16, 2010 at 10:35 am.

I don’t play my guitars much these days, but the SpiderCapo from Creative Tunings makes me want to. Even if you aren’t a guitar player, you probably already know what a capo is and does. It presses across the strings on a guitar fretboard to change the pitch of the strings. The SpiderCapo is the only guitar capo that lets you capo each string individually allowing you to create all sorts of tunings and even play behind the capo. The SpiderCapo costs $29.95 and is also available in a mini version that works with Banjos and Ukuleles.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Music, Spotlight Gadgets

A Guitar Capo for the 21st Century originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 4, 2010 at 11:30 am.

The Guitar Sidekick is a neck-mounted device holder designed to mount a SmartPhone, MediaPlayer, recorder, or tuner on the neck of your acoustic or electric guitar. The clamp enables you to easily use any of the more than 500 music/guitar apps available for smart mobile devices, such as: video lessons, lyrics teleprompters, audio recorders, metronomes, tabs display, and instrument tuners. Compatible with any guitar (and maybe ukuleles, banjos and more), it does not affect playing or tuning, and accommodates the iPhone, iPod touch, PSP, iTab, and others. It’s available for $29.99, but I don’t see a way to purchase it yet through Castiv’s site.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iPhone, Music, Spotlight Gadgets

Guitar Sidekick iPhone Holder originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 21, 2010 at 10:45 am.

For the past couple of years I’ve been doodling around on a ukulele, but lately I have a new obsession – the dulcimer. While surfing around for dulcimer info, I happened upon the Pointless Pick. It’s a round pectrum with a handy raised grip ring in the center. Wow, why wasn’t this invented long ago? They are made in Michigan and available in 3 colors that signify their thickness. A trial pack with 3 of each size can be purchased for $10. I’m looking forward to trying them out. What is your favorite type of pick?

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Music, Spotlight Gadgets

Guitar (and other instrument) Picks with no Point originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2010 at 8:30 am.

Saw this on SlipperyBrick; the FretLight system is a learning system for guitar.  The specialized hardware connects to your PC via USB and has built-in lights which illuminate the frets to guide you through the fingering. This looks like something we need to review!   Sorry, doesn’t come in ukulele size tho Julie.  Roughly $300 and up depending on model.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Be a REAL Guitar Hero – FretLight originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 14, 2010 at 5:45 pm.

Amp and guitar not to scale.

For those of you with electric guitars, this is kind of cool — a portable mini amplifier.  Runs on a 9V battery, no A/C required.  So now you have no excuse not to drag your bass to parties.

This one (the Ampu Plug-n-Play, $30) also has a headphone output and an extra input for, say, an MP3 player.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Take Your Other Axe into the Woods originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 21, 2010 at 9:17 am.

Cakewalk’s V-Studio 20 is an all-in-one recording device for guitarists and singer-songwriters who want a simple way to make music with incredible tones. It’s one of the first music production products for Netbooks, the V-Studio 20 offers a user interface optimized for the Netbook screen (1024 x 600 display) and runs seamlessly with lower CPU usage. It features a Stereo USB Audio Interface (Mac/Win), onboard BOSS-powered COSM DSP effects for Guitar & Vocals (Mac/Win), VS-20 Effects Editor (Mac/Win) and Guitar Tracks recording software (Win), a universal DAW control surface (Mac/Win, via Mackie control protocol). For more info about the V-Studio 20, visit Cakewalk.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Music, Netbook, Spotlight Gadgets

Write the Next #1 Song with Cakewalk’s V-Studio 20 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 14, 2010 at 12:45 pm.

I saw these cool looking guitar Picks when I was flipping through an Acoustic Guitar magazine yesterday and thought all my gadget loving guitar playing friends would love to hear about them. V-Picks are picks made of a special acrylic material that when warmed by your fingers, will stick to them. The pick isn’t sticky, but it sticks to your fingers so that you can relax your hand and play better. V-Picks are available in different styles (for guitar, bass, mandolin and dulcimer) and colors (even glow in the dark) and are priced between $4 – $20.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Music, Spotlight Gadgets

V-Picks – Guitar Picks That You Won’t Drop originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 3, 2010 at 9:57 am.

When I first discovered the TabToolKit iPhone App by Agile Partners I thought it was a very cool idea for guitar players who like to use tablature to learn new tunes. I quickly learned that this application isn’t just for guitar players. Ukulele players like myself, banjo players, piano players, etc will also love this app.

Tablature is an alternative to standard musical notation. But instead of showing notes and pitch, tablature shows exact finger positions on strings. For people that do not know how to read musical notation, tablature is much easier method for learning songs. TabToolKit allows you to download text, PDF, Guitar Pro and Power Tab tablature files from the internet directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch, giving you a way to view and even LISTEN to the music. That’s right, you can listen to the tab files (specifically Guitar Pro and Power Tab files) in real time through your device. As the song plays, a fretboard shows fingerings.

Want to learn to play the song on your piano instead of stringed instrument? No sweat, you can switch to the keyboard view which shows the pressed keys as the song plays.

You can also switch the playback sound to huge variety of instruments.

Other built in features include a metronome with many sounds choices and the ability to slow down or speed up the playback speed.

Uploading the tab files to your iPhone or Touch is very easy. You can either search google on your desktop computer for files, download them and then upload them using Wifi…

…by typing in the specified IP address into your desktop browser. Doing so will open an upload interface that will install the files on your device.

Or you can use the built in browser feature to find tab files directly from your handheld. I prefer using the desktop method just because it’s faster to upload more than one file at a time.

Installed tab files are then displayed in an organized list, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.

The only thing missing is the ability to create your own tab files from scratch, but even so TabToolKit is one of those apps that make the iPhone so great. It’s easy to use and is perfect for seasoned musicians as well as people just starting out learning to play.

Agile Partners also offers an additional application called GuitarToolKit that has a chromatic tuner, metronome, scales reference and chord library for Guitars (6 and 12 string), Bass, Banjo, Mandolin and Ukulele. I think it would be nice to add these same features into TabToolKit making one full featured application. Yes, I’m greedy Either way, both of these apps are very well done and definitely worth the price.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Guitar, iPhone, Music

TabToolKit iPhone App Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 17, 2010 at 3:36 pm.

The iPhone platform has quite a few apps for musicians, but what about the instrument itself? Now you can connect your electric guitar directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch (2nd gen or later) with the GuitarBud from PRS. It plugs into the iPhone’s audio jack and has connections for headphones and a guitar. To go along with the GuitarBud, PRS also has their own iPhone app, PRS JamAmp, which is an amp simulator and practice aid, but you can use the GuitarBud with any app that supports microphone input. The GuitarBud sells for about $30 at online music retailers; the JamAmp app is $9.99 in the app store.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Jam With Your iPhone – PRS GuitarBud originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 4, 2010 at 11:13 am.

The i-tab is a portable 4GB guitar tablature player with a 5 inch touch screen and built in speakers. Clip it on to the end of your guitar’s headstock and it will scroll lyrics and chords while you play. It can also be used to display guitar lessons and play backing tracks. It ships with 30 free songs, but you can purchase more content through their tab store. The i-tab is available now for $199. I wish they had a ukulele version too! Press release after the jump.

PRESS RELEASE – FEBRUARY 2010

i-tab, the worlds first dedicated portable guitar tab player now launched

The revolutionary and patented i-tab, for the first time ever, offers guitarists a pocket sized unit that scrolls chords and lyrics in perfect time. The i-tab allows users to download backing tracks and video cover lessons from a massive library of fully legal tabs, tracks and lessons on www.i-tab.com. Once downloaded, the i-tab sits conveniently at the end of your guitar and acts as the ultimate prompt giving you a seamless clear display of chords and lyrics at the tempo of your choice. Now you can take your tab library with you wherever you go and this really will be your best friend on your guitar.

Ideal for players of every level, the i-tab will help you learn songs, remember lyrics whilst storing 100’s of tabs, backing tracks and reels of video. A 4GB memory gives you plenty of room to organise your songs into handy playlists and build your own song library. If you are learning to play you can also download i-tabs free tuition video modules to help you along. Funky video cover lessons will help build your portfolio of cool songs for gigs and parties.

The i-tab unit has a 5” touch screen, in-built speaker and comes with headphones, stylus, USB connector, power charger, soft carry pouch and weighs in at only 0.14kg. The i-tab comes with 30 free song tabs including U2 (Beautiful Day), Oasis (Wonderwall) and The Rolling Stones (Jumping Jack Flash). It also includes TV out leads so you can play synchronized chords, lyrics and backing tracks through the player or through your TV and everyone can sing along!

The i-tab is available to purchase now through www.i-tab.com for £129 (EU€149, US$199). The first units are shipping mid-March and will hit the streets worldwide from early April 2010. The backing tracks and songs (including the chords and lyrics) can be purchased from the website at a price of 25 pence for the tabs and 50 pence for backing tracks.

i-tab, songs at your finger tips

For further information visit www.i-tab.com

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, Instruments, Music, Spotlight Gadgets

i-tab Portable Guitar Tab Player originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 26, 2010 at 8:18 am.

When I got the invite to test drive Pick Smith’s Jam Kat. I agreed, not knowing what exactly a Jam Kat did or who Pick Smith was. Twenty minutes of poking around their website got me only marginally closer to answering those questions, but I did eventually determine that the Jam Kat is a rather clever device for quickly switching between playing fingerstyle and using a pick.

(This review was originally posted on my Ukulelereview.com site. I thought my gadgeteer guitar playing friends would like to read about it too – Julie)

I managed to size up my forefinger using their equally unclear sizing guide (an illustration would be most welcome), and a few days later it arrived in the mail.

Worn on the first finger, the Jam Kat has a spring-loaded arm that swings your pick out of the way when you’re ready to go fingerstyle. It comes with a standard teardrop pick, but it’s easy to adjust to your preferred brand.

I’ve tried a few different thumbpicks before, and I wasn’t expecting much. My friend David does amazing things with the Fred Kelly Bumblebee, but I’ve never quite gotten comfortable with it. Standard banjo-style thumbpicks are even worse.

So, with some misgivings, I tried on the Jam Kat. And I liked it. It’s much more comfortable than any thumbpick I’ve tried–I’m wearing it right now as I type this. And since it isn’t a thumbpick at all, it allows direct thumb-to-string contact.

As an added bonus, this is the best solution yet for teaching lessons–I no longer need to set my pick down when I reach for a pencil.

With some reconsidered marketing and a redesigned website, I’m sure Pick Smith has a winner on their hands.

Josh Skaja plays uke, guitar and a few other things in the band Owen Too. He blogs about teaching & learning the guitar at JoshSkaja.com

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar

Pick Smith Jam Kat Wearable Pick Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 31, 2009 at 9:30 am.

Even rock gods need to practice once in awhile. Now you can do that anywhere, with the Shedneck. Available in different headstock colors and styles that include electric, acoustic, classical and bass, the Shredneck is modeled after the first seven frets of a guitar. You can string it like you do a normal guitar, but it can’t be tuned and it will not produce much in the way of sound. Its main purpose is to allow you to warm up or practice your chord fingerings. It’s useful for helping to build callouses too. Depending on the style, you can find one at Amazon or Musician’s Friend for $44.99 – $69.99. Rock on dude!

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Practice your power chords anywhere with the Shredneck originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 22, 2009 at 12:24 pm.

I’m a fan of guitar (and ukulele) tuners that use vibration help you to zero in on the right note for each string. Here’s a new one from Planet Waves that looks like it might be pretty nice. It has a narrow LCD display that shows the currently tuned note for the string that you’re trying to tune. As you tighten or loosen the string, the display will turn from Red to Green when you have successfully tuned the string to the correct note. My current fave tuner is the Intelli IMT-500, but I’d like to try this one. You can find it on Amazon for about $25.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets, Tuner

Tune your guitar with vibrations – Planet Waves Headstock Tuner originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 12, 2009 at 10:58 am.

Here’s another gadget to hold your guitar pick while you play guitar. The Jam Kat is a bit different though because it features a flip mechanism that will allow you to quickly switch from playing fingerstyle with your fingers to strumming with a pick. Interesting design, but it seems to me that all of these products would feel awkward to play with. If you want to check one out, you can get one at Amazon.com for $24.95.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Quickly flip from fingerstyle to strumming – Jam Kat Pick Holster originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 9, 2009 at 12:26 pm.

Check out these made to order resin and steel reinforced wall mounted guitar hangers from Grip Studios. They are available in different colors and shapes, including human hands, skeleton hands and monster hands. They are priced from $39.99 up to $119.99. I need some of these for my ukuleles

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

Hand shaped custom guitar hangers – Grip Studios originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 7, 2009 at 10:12 am.

During my normal Saturday morning routine of hot tea, steel-cut oats and magazine browsing, I happened upon the ZeroGravity Orbit Guitar Pick in the latest copy of a Musician’s Friend catalog. Guitar Picks really haven’t changed much over the years, so this one easily caught my eye. Attached to the actual pick is a soft rubber ring that you place around your index finger. Then you grip the pick with the same index finger and thumb in the designated areas. It looks awkward to me, but the idea is to make you hold the pick correctly for optimal playing. You can get one for $2.99 or three for $7.99.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar, Spotlight Gadgets

A guitar pick with training wheels? – ZeroGravity Orbit Guitar Pick originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 29, 2009 at 11:53 am.

This little beauty, otherwise known as the “Mint Tin Pocket Amp” is great for that guitar player on the go.  We all knew that Altoids tins were good for storing certain things… However, who would have thought they could be used for this?  This mini amp is for the guitar player that just has to have it all and it only costs $40.  This amp/tin is powered by a single 9v battery and has just enough room for your headphones and amp jack.  This mini amp is great if you are in a group of people or a classroom and you happen to have your guitar with you and you just have to hear that riff that is playing over and over in your head.  In other words I don’t know how practical this thing is but at least it looks cool and it will definitely start conversations.   If you think this is different check out the other stuff that the people over at www.thinkgeek.com have…  All I can say now is ROCK ON!

Filed in categories: Musical Gear

Tagged: Guitar

Fresh Riffs?…Try the Altoids amp originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 7, 2009 at 5:16 pm.