Reviews

As you’ve probably figured out by now I have a little smidgen of a guitar pick fetish going on.  They’re just an inexpensive way to add a little fresh excitement to the daily guitar practice session, and every now and again you stumble across one that becomes a firm favorite in your arsenal…

Last month I picked up a couple of interesting sounding boutique picks from a new company based in Holland called ChickenPicks. Read on to find out what I thought…

ChickenPicks Plectrum Review

First of all let’s start of by pointing out that ChickenPicks are thick, chunky plectrums – so if you like wussy little bendy picks then these are not for you.  At the moment they come in two sizes: light (between 2.1 and 2.4mm) and original (between 2.5 and 2.8mm).  The benefits of a thicker pick include more efficient playing, less grip required to hold on to them and a fuller, warmer guitar tone.

Both picks are white in color and have some indiscriminate graphics on the back to help differentiate the two.  The front of the pick is emblazoned with the ChickenPicks logo, which features some type of weird sock puppet looking character having a smoke.  As the picks come from Holland it isn’t too hard to guess what he’s smoking…

I’m assuming that they are finished by hand judging by the bevels on them.  These look very similar to the picks I made myself with the PickPunch, as it isn’t easy to get a perfectly smooth line by hand.  In saying that, these tiny little imperfections have no impact at all whilst playing.

Today’s post is a guest review of the Gaskell Classic I guitar by Alan Williams, who has recently taken the reins at Gaskell’s new European division.  This very guitar is available to try out or purchase, or alternatively those in Europe can contact Alan directly for other available options and pricing.

Higher quality images of this guitar (and others) can be found on the Gaskell Europe Facebook page or on the main Gaskell website – links at the end of the article.

Gaskell Classic Review by Alan Williams

Gaskell Guitars build only left handed guitars.  That’s got to be good news for us lefties who have every reason to feel unloved by the mainstream manufacturers.   I don’t know about you, but this hits me every time I read a review – go down to the “left hand available” and find a stark “No” staring back.  Most makers do a token number of “easy call” models as lefties and a few are now offering a wider selection, but there are almost no other companies who offer only guitars for us southpaws.

I seem to be on a never-ending quest to find my ideal guitar pick lately, and this month has been no different.  Recently I picked up some interesting plectrums from a new UK based company called Slick Grip…

These six picks utilise a unique design which is supposed to help wick away moisture and keep the surface nice and grippy.  As grip is something I have trouble with I was only too eager to give these innovative Slick Grip picks a good test run.

What’s In the Box?

As soon as I received the package in the mail I could tell that this was a company who put a lot of thought into how they present their product.  The picks arrived in a black branded envelope, and the bright pink Slick Grip logo instantly alerted me to what the package contained.

Inside the envelope the attention to small details continued as each pick was safely nestled inside its very own individual packaging!  A thick piece of foam houses each pick, which is then cradled by a piece of card and then finally wrapped in a sheet of plastic.  It’s a very neat little design and instantly gives the impression that these are more than your average-joe picks.

The range comes in a variety of sizes from 0.45mm all the way up to 2.0mm.  The different thicknesses are color coded which makes them very easy to distinguish from each other.  Take a look at the close-up image at the end of this article to see exactly what pick sizes are available.

The Design

If you take a look at the image below you will see a detailed graphic of the pick design, which is displayed on the back of the packaging.

Recently Planet Waves were kind enough to send over one of their brand new NS Mini Headstock Tuners for us to investigate.  As always we were only too happy to test out their new and always innovative little products.  Here’s our review…

The NS Mini Headstock Tuner is a little different to most other similar products in that it is tiny, and is also virtually invisible from the front of your guitar.  It tunes by vibration via its highly sensitive piezo transducer and clearly presents tuning information on its two-color backlit display.

What’s In the Box?

Inside the surprisingly small box you’ll find the tuner itself, the instruction manual and a battery.

The tuner itself is made of plastic and feels solid enough in your hand.  It is easily the smallest tuner I have personally ever seen.  I’m not sure why you’d want to do it, but the clip can be removed.

In order to keep things simple, there are only two buttons on the tuner: one to switch the unit on and off, and the other to switch between tuning frequencies (A430 to A450).  If you take a look at the image above you’ll notice the two buttons which are located on the underside of the unit.  Also notice the battery compartment door.

Installation

The tuner clamps onto your headstock using the adjustable clip.  The tab at the rear allows you to alter the height of the clip, making it suitable for surfaces of between roughly 1.2cm to 2.25cm.  Once clamped onto your headstock the display will move through a full 360 degree rotation, allowing you to achieve the perfect viewing angle.

Theoretically you can place the tuner anywhere you would like on the guitar, although the idea behind its design is that it should be virtually invisible, so it should generally be positioned with the display behind the headstock.  Since the audience can only see a tiny portion of the clamp they will most likely assume that you are able to tune perfectly by ear!

The Pick Punch looks just like any old paper punch at first glance, however upon closer inspection you’ll notice the great big plectrum-shaped hole in the bottom.  With this little gadget you can take almost any piece of flat plastic material and turn it into some custom guitar picks!

We featured the Pick Punch in our Xmas Stocking Fillers article last year and I have to admit that I almost instantly wrote it off as a fun, novelty item.  But once you start to see the possibilities for custom pick creations it quickly becomes a very useful (and incredibly addictive!) tool.  Read on to find out how…

What’s In the Box?

Inside the attractively designed box you’ll find the Pick Punch, ready to start pumping out custom plectrums.  I also picked up a small selection of plastic sheets from the Pick Punch website to get started with, as well as a sanding block for shaping and buffing the picks – these are an extra purchase, but very inexpensive.

The punch itself is very heavy and feels incredibly well built and solid in your hand.  When you first see the size of the hole on the bottom you really wonder how on earth it manages to cut such a large area from your material.

The plastic sheets are all of a similar thickness, but are of varying colors and opacities.  Pick Punch sell a variety of different plastic sheets directly from their website should you need a good supply.

I’m a big fan of locking tuners and try to have them on all of my guitars where possible, so when I recently received my new Gaskell AllRounder the very first thing I did was to upgrade the standard stock tuners.  D’Addario were kind enough to send out a set of their Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines, and I was only too glad to give them a test drive!

These tuners are a little different to most in that they negate the need for string cutters by incorporating a trimming mechanism directly into the tuners themselves.  The design is so simple and innovative that they really don’t look any different to any other locking tuner on the market.  They come in either a 6 in-line set or a 3+3 set in a variety of different finishes. Read on to find out how the magic happens…

What’s In The Box?

Inside the beautifully designed packaging, the tuners are artfully displayed in their cardboard mount.  Underneath you will find six screws, and your nuts and washers, as well as a brief information pamphlet which details how the tuners function.

The packaging is a very elegant affair, clearly Planet Waves has also put a lot of thought into the smaller details such as this. The tuners themselves are incredibly solid and feel very well made – they also look fantastic!

Locking Tuners?  What Are They?

For those of you who are new to guitar and perhaps haven’t come across locking tuners yet, let me tell you that they are a godsend!  A large screw on the bottom of the tuner controls the height of a clamping pin inside the post where you thread your string through.  So the idea is that you thread the string through, pull it tight, and then tighten the screw to clamp the string firmly in place.