GEAR ROUND UP
HISONG AirStudio S1 Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive
Black Mountain Guitar Capo
Imagine a rechargeable microphone that is portable enough to take youth group sessions and church outings but has sound quality at a level where you can conduct Podcasts or interviews with it and record performances with it. HISONG AirStudio S1 is an all-in-one mobile microphone studio that fits in the palm of your hand. From the outside it looks like a modern microphone with mic pattern selections for condenser or enhanced dynamic and volume control. But when you slide down the plastic case there are a pair of rechargeable in-ear monitors and the wireless receiver to plug into your smartphone, tablet or computer. When they sent over the 4-in-1 Musician kit( priced at $ 299) before the NAMM show I didn’ t know what to expect until I charged it and started testing the microphone applications. HISONG AirStudio S1 arrived in a small carrying bag with a metal stand, charging and connecting USB-C cable and a windscreen. With the inear monitors you can hear everything you are saying or recording into the mic and the audio interface worked perfectly with my smartphone for recording. It is also bundled with free Cubase LE for iOS or Cubase LE for mobile recording. HISONG AirStudio S1 was rated one of Times Best Inventions of 2025. A Creator Kit for $ 349 and the Master Kit for $ 399 are also available but the basic Musician Kit fully impressed me and over delivered on my expectations. www. hisong. io
We have covered some of the other Fender Hammertone pedals in the past, but the Breakup Drive might be one of the most versatile in this series yet. The goal of this effects unit is to sound like your tube amplifier on the edge of breaking up. The Breakup Drive is essentially two pedals in one box. The mini-toggle Type switch allows you to select between JFET light breakup to a medium heavier OD. The Mids mini toggle delivers pre-drive mid boost( my favorite) or flat response. Top mounted controls are straight forward with Level, Drive and Tone. But the tone is more versatile at 5 you have a flat response like your natural sound, counterclockwise delivers more bass tones or rotate clockwise for more mid frequencies. The gray aluminum chassis is sturdy and looks great with the Royal Blue Fender amp knobs as controls. The Fender Breakup Drive can be powered by a 9-volt battery or external AC adapter, and the soft-touch stomp button is true bypass and low noise. Priced at $ 104.99 on the street, the Fender Hammertone Breakup Drive is an effect you might want to leave on all of the time thanks to its natural warm tone! www. fender. com
A company known for innovation in their guitar slides, thumb picks and volume pedals has now released a new Six String Capo. The Black Mountain Guitar Capo is like no instrument capo I have tested out before. It is the first of its kind to have embedded compression springs under the string pad to make the pad better adapt to your string gauge and fretboard. Place the capo over your guitars fretboard then secure it with the ratchet teeth on the side of the capo. Then use the large( like almost Tele size knob) knurl knob thumb screw at back of the capo to tighten it down on your strings against the fretboard. The Black Mountain Guitar Capo was easy to move up and down the neck and allowed no string buzz. The stain metal looks great and rounded and ergonomic. My only request would be a carrying case or protective bag to come with it. Priced at $ 59.99 the Black Mountain Guitar Capo is sturdy, innovative and will work on a variety of string instruments besides a 6-string guitar. Nice job to the team at Black Mountain – check it out. www. blackmountainpicks. com
BUYER’ S GUIDE # 14- 2026 WL Subscribe to [ WM ] for Free... 47