Start-Playing-Guitar.com's 'The Bridge'

Volume 4, Issue 1: Updates!

New Content on Start-Playing-Guitar.com

The Wing Pick - A Hands On Review

Every once in a while an inventive mind goes beyond the day-dream stage to manufacture and market something entirely new and unique. Such is the case with an interesting new guitar pick called the Wing-Pick. But how well does it perform when compared with the competition it hopes to de-throne? Find out if it takes wing, or crashes and burns in our Hands On Review of the Wing-Pick.

Quick Notes

Where does the time go?

I've thought frequently about sending another newsletter and posting updates to the site, but all of my energies were consumed by other priorities. Now that the Christmas rush, and related post-Christmas purchases from unfulfilled gift lists has passed, I have some time on my hands to attend to Start-Playing-Guitar.com.

One of my first priorities was to update a few articles that needed tending to, though more remain. I also added buttons for the popular social-network sites to most of the pages. Now, you can easily refer us to anyone who uses Google, Yahoo Buzz, Facebook, MySpace, StumbleUpon, Technorati, or del.icio.us.

I've also updated bits and pieces of other pages. For example, I recently discovered an interesting survey that seems to indicate that youth who play the popular guitar and band simulation video games, such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, actually do move on to the real thing. You can find that short update on the Guitar Hero page, in the second SIDEBAR.

Finally, the web-store (SelectSoundsLLC.com) has blossomed quite well over the past few months. We started with eleven products on eBay last January, and we're now offering over 140 through our dedicated storefront. If you are one of our customers, thank you very much for contributing to our growth.

Scratch Pad - Something Good To Come Between You And Your Guitar

What do new car buyers and guitar owners have in common? A desire to avoid that first scratch.

Scratches on expensive possessions are no joke, but they are so commonplace that, try as you might, you just know that sooner or later your new car, or guitar, will get one.

What if you could delay, or at least minimize, the chance of scratches?

For your car, I can only recommend keeping it covered in your garage. For your guitar, I can recommend the Scratch Pad guitar finish protector.

The Scratch Pad is designed to adhere to the back of your guitar to protect it from belt buckles, zippers, snaps, buttons, or anything else that might mar the finish of your instrument.

The Scratch Pad sticks to the body of your guitar without the use of adhesive by using a patented copolymer they call "Sof-Cling". This plastic-like surface appears smooth to the eye, but the manufacturing process creates thousands of mini suction cups that hold firmly to a smooth flat surface.

Scratch Pad was invented by a guitarist who tired of wearing the finish off his guitars. According to the Scratch Pad web-site, he experimented with everything he could think of and eventually settled on a material similar to vinyl cling sheets. Sort of like the plastic wrap found in most kitchen cabinets.

After creating a number of prototypes, the Scratch Pad was born. It is available with a number of designs, so you can personalize your axe.

To install the Scratch Pad, wipe your guitar to remove oil and smudges, then simply peel the Scratch Pad off its stiff plastic backing and apply it to the body of your guitar. When you tire of one design, simply peel it off your guitar and place it on the hard-plastic backing used for display and shipping.

I have been using a Scratch Pad on my Ibanez bass, a Fender Stratocaster, and a Taylor acoustic for a couple months. It fits the Fender and Taylor perfectly. The Ibanez has a smaller body shape, so I had to trim it to fit. That wasn't hard, I simply used a sharp pair of scissors. The key to trimming is to ensure that the portion of your guitar that rubs against your belt buckle, snaps, or zipper, is adequately covered by the Scratch Pad. The finish of the Scratch Pad is very attractive, and it does a very nice job of preventing damage from scratches and minor dings.

The Scratch Pad adheres very will with no edge rolling, a problem I expected to encounter. The soft outer side shows no wear after two months of regular playing, and is thick enough to deaden the sounds of rubbing against the buttons of my shirt and snaps on my jeans.

Scratch Pad's are available directly from the manufacturer or from my Select Sounds LLC store (MSRP is $26.95, on sale for $19.88). A somewhat longer Hands On Review of the Scratch Pad is also posted on SelectSoundsLLC.com.

Go For A Big Finish!

I hope you've enjoyed this issue of The Bridge. See you next month!

Steve
Steve@Start-Playing-Guitar.com