D’Addario Guitar Strings: How Are They Made?

Acoustic Guitar StringsMost of us probably wonder how the sides of an acoustic guitar are bent to exacting specifications. Or possibly we think about how a block of bronze can be transformed into a bright, shimmering cymbal. We probably don’t ponder the intricacies of the guitar string manufacturing process, though.

For better or worse, it’s not a secret to me. During my first summer away at college in Kalamazoo, MI, my mother gave me an ultimatum to find a job, or I’d have to return home for a summer of mowing the lawn and doing dishes. I really wanted to work in a music store, but none in town were hiring.

After a quick flip through the phone book, I discovered that the Dean Markley string winding factory was in nearby Vicksburg, MI. I spent that summer winding bass strings, day in and day out. Let me tell you, even though I was making guitar strings, the fact that I was repeating the same movements 1,500 times a day, it was no cooler than any other factory job.

So, in addition to being interesting, the video below also gave me a shiver or two!

This video is actually from the Science Channel’s How It’s Made Series. Although it never mentions D’Addario by name, it’s obvious by the colored ball ends and D’Addario tee shirts that their factory was used as the model. I’ve heard that D’Addario has by far the most high-tech guitar string factory in the industry, so I find this video very cool

Check it out:

Gibson Celebrates 50 Years of Evil Humbucking Tone

Gibson Humbucker PickupThe devil has long played a roll in popular music. Ever since blues singer Robert Johnson’s legendary meeting at the crossroads, the underlord has made his presence felt.

For years, you could hear it in the voices and certainly the words of many artists. Although there were certainly some deviant guitar tones before it, the invention of the humbucking pickup infused the electric guitar with the sounds from below.

Of course, the humbucker started as Gibson engineer Seth Lover’s quest to design a quieter guitar pickup. I’ll bet he no idea what he was actually creating!

Gibson has been kind enough to remind us that their guitars were first equipped with humbuckers in 1957, making this the 50th anniversary of the pickup. They have just posted a bit of history on their website.

To celebrate, Gibson is giving away a pair of ‘57 Classic and Burstbucker pickups. You can enter the contest here.

In honor of this momentous event, here’s a video clip of the man who harnessed the power (and evil) of the humbucker better than anyone else, Jimmy Page.





Buy Guitar Strings Direct at Ernie Ball Online Store

Erine Ball Guitar AccessoriesErnie Ball has just launched an Online Store, offering all of their guitar strings, instrument care products, effects pedals, and other Ernie Ball accessories for sale direct to the public.

They state that they are “working with our valued dealer base,” which kind of sounds like products might ship from dealers. I’m not sure how else dealers might be involved, but this is just my hunch. They do say that product will only ship to US customers, although they are working on international shipping.

The store is laid out nicely and overall looks pretty good. The only downside is that much of the pricing appears to be higher than other online retailers. Manufacturer-direct sales is a hot button issue in the music industry, so it’s probably their strategy to offer these items for sale online, but at a price that won’t piss of Musician’s Friend and other online retailers.

Here are a few examples of Ernie Ball Online Store pricing vs. Musician’s Friend:

Super Slinky Nickel Wound .009-.042 (P02223)
Ernie Ball Online Store - $5.50
Musician’s Friend - $3.79

VP Jr 250K Volume Pedal
Ernie Ball Online Store - $100.00
Musician’s Friend - $99.99

2″ Poly Strap
Ernie Ball Online Store - $5.00
Musician’s Friend - $3.99

The other downside to buying direct is that there does not appear to be any free shipping deals, which you can often get with other webstores.

Experience the Legacy of Jimi Hendrix Guitar Gear

Jimi Hendrix Guitar GearThe blogosphere has been full of Jimi Hendrix chatter this week.

A few days ago, Strat-O-Blogster reminded us that this week marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Jimi Experience’s debut album Are You Experienced. Today, IG Blog has challenged us to get out this weekend and add to our Hendrix record collection.

This got me thinking about Jimi’s legacy. For an artist who was only in the public spotlight for a few years, the legacy he left us is astonishing. Of course, in situations such as these, there are countless people (or, more likely, corporations) who are more than willing to extend and exploit this legacy as far as it will go.

For instance, after doing a basic search, there are over 8,000 Jimi Hendrix-related products on amazon.com. This includes music and books, of course, but also items such as light switch plates and air fresheners.

I firmly believe that, although they surely love the effect on the bottom line, gear manufacturers who offer Hendrix-licensed products are honored and feel it is a privilege to preserve Jimi’s musical legacy. Although some of these products have been around for years, the past few years have seen an influx of Hendrix guitar gear. In no particular order, here’s a list of some of the coolest guitar accessory products that carry the Jimi Hendrix name:

DigiTech Jimi Hendrix Experience Pedal
Modeling pedal that includes seven classic Jimi Hendrix guitar tones

Dunlop JH-OC1 Jimi Hendrix Octavio Pedal
A clone of Hendrix’s classic Octavia “octave-up” pedal

Dunlop JH-1B Jimi Hendrix Signature Wah Pedal
Recreates classic late-’60s Hendrix wah tones

Levy’s Jimi Hendrix Design Guitar Strap
Polyester guitar straps with full-color heat transfers of Authentic Hendrix images

Levy’s Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Gig Bag
Levy’s electric guitar gig bag featuring Authentic Hendrix authorized images

IK Multimedia AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix Software Plug-In
Imagine what Jimi would have created with today’s recording tools…enough said!

Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced Pick Tin
A dozen celluloid Dunlop guitar picks adorned with Hendrix album artwork

Dean Markley Jimi Hendrix Guitar Strings
Pure nickel and nickel plated steel electric guitar strings



Planet Waves Brings Tru-Strobe Tuner To The Table

Planet Waves Table Top Tru-Strobe TunerOver the past few years, Planet Waves has brought some pretty cool tuners to market.

I’m a huge fan of gadgets, so products like their Multi-Function Tuner and Pro-Winder Tuner especially do it for me.

One thing that has been bugging me about tuner manufacturers in general has been their use of simulated-strobe tuning. We all know that a true strobe tuner is the most accurate way to tune an instrument, so many companies have grabbed on to this catch phrase to describe tuners that do not actually use this method to tune.

Planet Waves has been no exception, but with their new Table Top Tru-Strobe Tuner, they claim to have packed all of the accuracy of a true strobe tuner into a compact, portable package. They claim this tuner’s accuracy is +/- .1 cent, up to 15 times more accurate than traditional electronic tuners.

Another nice feature in a sea of lightweight plastic tuners is Planet Waves’ choice of a heavy-duty, die-cast enclosure. For a retail price of $179.00 it better be tough!

At this price point, Planet Waves is up into Peterson territory, the undisputed strobe king. I’d love to have these tuners side-by-side for a shoot-out (either company can email me for my mailing address!).

Planet Waves has also added a pretty cool online tuner demo to their website. Unfortunately, the Tru-Strobe Tuner demo has not been included yet.



Get 10% Off All Korg Products at InstrumentPro

10% off Korg Products at InstrumentPro!InstrumentPro is running a 10% off sale on all Korg products through the end of August.

Although this is a blog about musical instrument accessories, it would be irresponsible of me if I didn’t mention that InstrumentPro carries a full selection of Korg digital recorders, digital pianos, Triton Series keyboards, and DJ gear. On the accessories side of it, they carry Korg Toneworks effects, tuners, metronomes, and other products.

To get the 10% discount, you’ll need to use a coupon code. When checking out, enter KORG as your code and the savings will come off of your order automatically.

Follow this link to find all Korg products at InstrumentPro.

New Ghost Series Guitar Straps from Rebel Strap Co.

Rebel Straps Ghost Series
Rebel Strap Co.
recently introduced their new Ghost Series guitar straps at this year’s Summer NAMM show. Rebel came on the scene a few years ago with their very cool
Metal Skull Series
guitar straps. In one of those “how did it take this long for someone to do this” moments, Rebel crafted straps with a bottle opener, pick (or weed) box, and lighter holder attached.

Although people love the look of straps with cool designs or gimmicks, the truth is that most guitar straps sold are plain black. The Ghost Series straps look like they’re geared more toward the player who wants a black straps with a little something extra. These straps have designs laser etched right into them. They’re also made extra long so you can sling your axe down low, and are made of Duralon, which looks like black leather.

The four straps in this series retail for $29.99. Although Rebel has their own webstore, these straps don’t appear to be available there yet. So, go to your local music store and ask them to order one in for you!

Save 10% on Accessories at Woodwind and Brasswind

Sweet Deals on Guitar and Drum Accessories!Woodwind and Brasswind is currently running a 10%-off sale on many of their accessories. This includes guitar, drum, keyboard, and band accessories.

I couldn’t find any mention of how long this sale is going on, so you may want to shop quickly. Here are a few examples of the sweet deals going on:


Korg CA30 Chromatic Tuner

Retail: $32.00
Sale Price: $19.99


D’Addario EXL125 Electric Guitar Strings

Retail: $9.79
Sale Price: $3.99


Wuhan S Series Cymbal Pack

Retail: $367.00
Sale Price: $159.99


Remo Drum Head Propak 12″ 13″ & 16″ Pinstripe and 14″ Powerstroke

Retail: $86.25
Sale Price: $46.99

Shop Woodwind and Brasswind now!

Elixir Strings Celebrates 10 Years: Score a Free Shirt!

Get a Free Tee Shirt from ElixirHas it really been 10 years since Gore revolutionized guitar strings with Elixir coated strings? I guess so.

The good folks at Elixir want to say thanks by hooking you up with a free tee shirt. All you have to do is buy any 2 sets of electric or acoustic Elixir Strings or buy 1 set of 4-string Bass strings to claim your prize. Well, that and send in your receipt with a form that you have to fill out then wait 6-8 weeks for the shirt.

You know the drill…run out to the store and buy the strings, then let the form sit on your desk for a few months until you realize that the deadline (08.31.07) has passed.

So, don’t be lazy! Buy the strings and send in the form.

Check out the Elixir website for more details.

Buy Elixir Guitar Strings at zZounds