All Entries in the "Gear" Category
Gear: February 2012
Paul Stanley of Kiss has evidently put down his paintbrush long enough to partner with Washburn Guitars and release the cool-looking (and sounding?) PS21012 Starfire signature guitar.
Gear: January 2012
Of the dozens of musical gadgets we preview and review every year, a few stand out as “the best of best.” As we look back at 2011, we present Gear’s best of, uh . . . Gear!
Gear: December 2011
If you’re somewhat obsessive about backing up your hard drive on your iPad or laptop, but have a problem constantly reconnecting cables while shuttling between work, home, or the recording studio, Seagate may have an answer with its wireless Goflex Satellite, a wi-fi version of its backup hard drive.
Gear: November 2011
Nady Systems
AxeHead Portable Amp
Despite a flurry of portable guitar-amp apps aimed at iPhone and Android users, Nady Systems believes its new AxeHead portable amp has a place in your pocket.
Gear: October 2011
When Nevermind was released by Nirvana 20 years ago, a North Side guitar-store owner told me Kurt Cobain’s Jaguar guitar was a piece of crap and Nirvana sucked.
Gear: September 2011
More Love From Nashville
Last month we previewed a slew of new guitars from NAMM’s Nashville music trade show, where guitars seemed to be making a comeback as the instrument of choice. On the electronics side, accessories for the home-recording crowd – including iPad users – also took a majority of floor space. This month, “Gear [...]
Gear: August 2011
From Nashville With Love
NAMM’s Nashville music trade show seemed to get back to a “guitars are king” theme not seen in 10 years at the summer event, leaving the button pushers and their iPhones and iPads to last year’s devices. Gear happily takes a look at some of the convention’s new introductions.
Gear: July 2011
Cerwin-Vega
XD3 Studio Monitor
With the explosion of home-studio creations being churned out by would-be recording artists and ProTools boffins, Cerwin-Vega saw the need to marry an above-average studio monitor with an affordable computer speaker that delivers clarity, accurate imaging, and over-the-top bass. Cerwin-Vega claims the XD3 “fulfills this monitoring mandate by transforming any desktop work area [...]
Gear: June 2011
Digitech
Whammy DT Guitar Pedal
DigiTech’s new Whammy DT guitar pedal does the original model one better by adding capabilities including drop tuning, capo tuning, and true bypass coupled with original features like pitchshifting effects.
Gear: May 2011
ChicBuds
RockBoom Keychain Speaker
ChicBuds made its name selling earbuds for girls in 2006, and though the female demographic is their target audience, they’ve finally found a speaker with the ball(s) to appeal to their male audience.
Gear: April 2011
Since its birth in the mid-’70s, the guitar synthesizer has taken the long road to respectability. Brave, early adapters were troubled by technical glitches and Moog-like novelty tones, more aligned to experimental music than mainstream sounds.
Gear: March 2011
Roland
R-05 Digital Recorder
In the past several years, the competition in the hand-held digital-recording business has become extremely cluttered with dozens of contraptions to capture your music in a portable format. www.roland.usMost major manufacturers (Tascam, Korg, Boss) have released multitudes of cellphone-sized recording devices that recorded HD-quality sound onto an SD card or onboard flash drive. [...]
Gear: February 2011
iK Multimedia
iRig Microphone
In the “netherworld” of music recording, a wave of hobbyists record their song ideas to iPhones, iPods, and iPads and IK Multimedia is there to help them with its new iRig Microphone. IK claims it’s “the first handheld-quality condenser microphone for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad –
Gear: January 2011
Rock Lock Company
The Rock Lock
If you constantly worry about your guitar getting stolen from the stage, then entrepreneur Chris Goulet thinks a lot like you. While in college, he had a pretty good idea when he sketched out a drawing for a way to lock up his guitar after his roommate “borrowed” it without his [...]
Gear: December 2010
Korg
iMS-20 Synth Application
Since, according to a Gallup poll, the Apple iPad is the most requested gift this holiday season, Korg and other manufacturers have come up with some great full-size apps for musicians who like to push buttons and tinker.
