There’s nothing like playing a properly set-up guitar, but taking it to a repair shop can be expensive – especially if you regularly play more than one instrument. With proper instruction and the right tools, it’s possible to learn to keep your instruments in tip-top shape. Enter Music Nomad and their “Precision Setup Gauge Set”…

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New to the musical-instrument side of speaker building, but far from neophyte, Misco introduced its ToneSpeak guitar speakers in 2021 with five American- and British-voiced models and a hemp-cone option. We asked the company to send its 50-watt Austin 1250 and New Orleans 1250, the 75-watt Birmingham 1275 and Liverpool 1275, and the 90-watt Manchester…

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Zeppelin Design Labs Cortado MkIII contact microphone can record everything from acoustic guitars to a train bridge with a frequency range of 23 hertz to 40 kilohertz. It combines a piezo transducer with phantom-powered preamp and attaches to nearly anything with available clips and adhesives. DIP switches control a 10db pad and bass boost circuit.…

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Pigtail music makes ABR-style and wraparound bridges (in the U.S.) with vintage-style appearance and materials, but to tighter tolerances. Their bridges hold saddles in place by friction (not with a retaining wire) when a string breaks, and the posts fit snugly to their bridge. The result is a higher transfer of vibration, resulting in better…

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Music Nomad’s Keep It Simple Setup kit includes three tool kits. The 26-piece premium guitar tech screwdriver-and-wrench set has a suede-backed spanner wrench that fits under most knobs. There’s also an 11-piece truss-rod wrench set and precision gauges. All are of excellent quality and housed in sturdy cases. This article originally appeared in VG’s September…

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Each of Acoustik Attak’s three guitar picks has a different raised formation that alters the way it interacts with strings; the intent is to provide enhanced upper-midrange and distinct snap. The Ambush has the most effect, the Blade is more subtle, and the Attak fits squarely in-between. There’s a bit of an adjustment curve, but…

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Chemistry Design Werks’ Holeyboard 123 is made of 1/8″ aluminum with overlapping surfaces that can be adjusted from 13″ to 30″ at 1.5″ increments using one or both panels and the expression-pedal pad. Everything bolts together with supplied fasteners to produce a rigid platform on solid rubber feet to anchor pedals with the included zip…

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While guitar stands are a dime a dozen, few bring a sense of style nice enough for the living room. Axe-Calibur’s stand combines functionality with good looks. U.S.-made from oak and available in natural finish or Mid-Knight (black) gloss, their proprietary swivel head is designed to fit any guitar. Assembly is easy and the finished…

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Much of a musician’s setup time is relegated to detangling cable thought to be wrapped pristinely at the previous gig. Even if you use Velcro to wrap the cable neatly, the end can slip through the windings, causing a spaghetti mess. The Cable Porter tool solves that by keeping the windings parallel, one right next…

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Jason Lollar has been in business winding pickups for more than 20 years. While he’s most famous for his take on the P-90, he makes pickups of all kinds, including 16 different humbuckers. One of them, the dB Humbucker, is not your run-of-the-mill double-coil, but a high-output, double-bladed, black-and-chrome beauty that looks like something off…

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