Review: when these new Ernie Ball accessories show up on your doorstep, gray skies will turn blue
This slick new capo, and these durable and high-performance guitar picks and custom-gauge string sets, all warrant your undivided attention
Whoo-wee! That may be the longest title list for the Buzz Bin ever! I know it sounds like a lot of product for sure, but when it shows up on your doorstep, gray skies turn blue, and the rest of your day is sunny. And who doesn’t love that? Answer: Nobody.
Ernie Ball just launched a slick new capo, a slew of durable and high-performance guitar picks and custom-gauge string sets that are so rewarding, they all warrant your undivided attention.
The Axis Capo is an ergonomic capo that looks quite substantial in its colorful packaging, but once you grip it in your hands it feels like the most luxurious capo you’ve ever used. It’s incredibly comfortable, with single-handed operation and an extended dual-radius design that conforms to flat or curved fretboards on six- and seven-string electric and acoustic guitars.
While you can’t adjust the tension, its robust spring design provides ideal clamping pressure, so when you quickly apply it on the fretboard, the strings don’t go sharp and it eliminates buzzing.
In their effort to address the many requests for custom gauges, Ernie Ball introduced Mammoth, Primo and Mega Slinky guitar strings. All three sets feature wound strings wrapped with nickel-plated steel around tin-plated high-carbon hex steel cores, and tin-plated high-carbon steel plain strings.
Mammoth has superb definition for the 'love it low' players who regularly down-tune (drop A, B or C standard), with a 12, 16, 24w, 34, 48, 62 set. The Primo (9.5, 12, 16, 24, 34, 44) and Mega (10.5, 13.5, 17.5, 28, 38, 48) sets are custom half-gauge combinations for players who want a thicker sound with feel-good tension and bright and balanced tone.
The Everlast picks offer a durable Delrin finish and a non-slip grip, with eight thicknesses and eight fluorescent colors to choose from. The Prodigy picks are all about player control with a matte Delrin finish and a non-slip surface.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Prodigy picks are precision pointed with beveled edges for unimpeded speed and better articulation. If you’re looking for a way to spruce up your playing or change it up altogether, these player-inspired strings and accessories from Ernie Ball just might be the answer.
STREET PRICE: Various
MANUFACTURER: Ernie Ball, ernieball.com
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.