Binoculars for beginners, über-accurate torque,
a tea-serving robot, and 100 monsters.
TOOLBOX
Making Waves
SOS Guitar Tuner
$15 planetwaves.com
When I saw an ad in Rolling Stone for the flashing, corresponding to the vibrations of the
Planet Waves SOS guitar tuner, I knew string. Slowly twist the tuning peg until the lights
I had to get my hands on one. Unlike stop flashing. Voilà. Your string is in perfect tune!
traditional tuners, which are microphone-based, The SOS is light, portable, cheap, and stylish.
the SOS uses two flashing LEDs to determine the Best of all, because it senses the string vibrations
correct vibration of each string visually. Cooler still, visually, it can tune a guitar in a loud room, or even
the gadget is merely the size of a large guitar pick during a gig, where a traditional tuner would be
and sells for only 15 bucks. overcome by background noise. It took a little get-
Using the tuner is easy but unusual. To tune a ting used to, but after a few strums of my perfectly
string, set the dial to the correct note. Place the tuned guitar, this tuner became one of my best
tuner above the string with the LEDs pointing new musical friends.
downward and pluck the string. The LEDs begin —Justin Morris
172 Make: Volume 15
