Fretlocks

Fretlocks is a new concept that serves the same purpose as using a capo, but instead of barring all 6 strings you can barre individual strings. According to Fretlocks, this new innovation will give you the ability to play impossible music.

The release date is said to be later this month and you will be able to purchase a set directly from Fretlocks. They will be sold in different sizes, specific to various string gauges.

Who knows – in a couple of years this may be part of every day guitar playing.

Thimble Slide

This is another product that is yet to be released, but I’ve mentioned it here because it looks rather interesting.

The thimble slide gives you the ability to still fret your instrument while wearing the slide. This is achieved by keeping the tip of your finger exposed from the slide.

This means that you can instantly go from fretting chords or riffs to playing a slide guitar part. No pauses necessary! I must admit that this is the one issue that has been keeping me from using a slide more regularly, so I’m looking forward to giving this product a test run. I’ll be posting a review shortly.

The Thimble Slide team have recently raised enough funds via their Kickstarter campaign to begin mass production of the product. You will be able to get your hands one of these very soon, and they will be available from ThimbleSlide.com.

Fender Acoustic Pro and Acoustic SFX

Acoustic guitarists rarely consider using amplification to compliment their instrument. Usually it’s easiest to run directly into the mixer or stick a mic in front of the guitar. But if you’re a performing musician, you may want to consider the benefits of using on stage acoustic amplification.

Fender has added two new products this week to their line of acoustic Amplification, namely the Fender Acoustic Pro and Acoustic SFX amplifiers – and they sound great!

Although both the Pro and SFX models provide different sounds and playing experiences, both are focussed on playing live. The Acoustic Pro features an integrated handle, tilt-back kickstand, balanced line output and more. The Acoustic SFX features Stereo Field Expansion technology, onboard reverb and delay, AUX in for playback from mobile devices and more.

Walrus Audio Messner Overdrive

This Messner StageOne Overdrive is a new low-gain pedal from Walrus Audio. This pedal reminds me of a Boss SD-1 but with a modern twist. Walrus Audio is apparently quite excited about this release.

The pedal is designed to preserve the natural sound of your guitar, while giving you the ability to dial in the exact amount of tone you desire.

The idea was to recreate the conditions of being on the very top of Mt. Everest – where the air is pure, transparent and crystal clear.

TC Electronic HyperGravity Compressor

TC Electronic is promoting this release as a quantum leap forward in terms of guitar compression. It’s claimed to feature the most advanced compression circuit ever found in a guitar pedal.

The HyperGravity multiband compression algorithm allows you to dial in individual compression levels for all 3 bands, giving you a much more even compression across the frequency spectrum.

To add icing to the cake, you will have access to the compression settings of some of the world’s greatest guitar players via the TC Electronic TonePrint feature.

Click here to visit the official page of the HyperGravity compressor.

Backwoods Music Nightcap Reverb

Oh no – not another reverb pedal! I must admit, however, that this one sounds particularly good.

This handcrafted effects pedal from Backwoods Music offers warm sounding spring reverb, which will probably surpass the built-in reverb found on your amp. The pedal is also incredibly simple to operate, featuring only 2 controls (mode & mix).

Select from 4 different modes – Slapback, Room, Hall and Arena. You can also enjoy soft touch true bypass when the pedal is disengaged.

The pedal can be obtained directly from Backwoods-Music.com.