Slack Key Guitar Gear

October 11, 2006

The search is over. For 12 years I’ve been looking for a stompbox that keeps the natural tone of the acoustic guitar, offers great EQ (equalization), delay and reverb. There is such a stompbox, and it’s the Yamaha MagicStomp Acoustic. Mark Nelson, a fine Hawaiian slack key guitar player, first introduced me to the MagicStomp. Then, Herb Ohta, Jr. and Daniel Ho, top flight ukulele players, both attested to its greatness. I had to try one.

Pros:
-The mic modeling is excellent, and improves the pickup (often piezo) sound of an acoustic guitar
-The parametric EQ is great, and provides very deep and clear bass
-The delays and reverbs are transparent

Cons:
-The MagicStomp is very difficult to program, which probably explains its lack of popularity. You can edit patches on a software program, but the software only works on PC’s or older Macs.

Conclusion:
If you’re willing to spend a significant amount of time learning how to use the MagicStomp, it’s the best stompbox for acoustic guitar on the market. Street price for a MagicStomp Acoustic is about $150.

http://www.magicstomp.com/acoustic/