Planet Waves String Cutter/Winder

    When I first started playing an electric guitar, I used an old wire stripper to cut my strings. I was able to do fairly well with this tool but, I was always slightly disappointed. I always wished that I could cut the strings a little quicker and have the work look a little better. But, I still continued to use this tool for several more years.

    In 2012 I decided that I wanted something better. So, I went out and bought a wire cutter. But, I was quickly disappointed with this tool. It didn’t cut any better and I ended up scratching my headstock in the process.

    After fixing the scratch with a black marker, I decided that it would be best to buy a cutting tool designed just for guitars. I felt that my strings would probably be easier to cut and I would be less likely to get scratches etc.

    Weeks later, I found something that I believed was much better than what I was using. I found a string cutter/winder made by Planet Waves.


My Experience

    I was very satisfied with the cutting ability of this device. When I used the wire stripper, I could never cut close enough to the tuning post and I always had to be careful not to touch the ends of the strings. With this device from Planet Waves, I have found that my strings have a professional look when cut. They resemble guitar strings that have been cut at the factory. I was able to cut the strings closer to the tuning post and I no longer had to be cautious about touching the ends of the strings.

    This device is also a fast cutter. Based on the look of the cutting end I was slightly concerned about the device's ability to cut quickly. But, I was able to cut quickly without any struggle.

    The string winder was an extra motivator to purchase this device. It is equipped with two tuning keys slots(to fit a variety of guitars) and has made changing strings a much faster process.

    It’s also equipped with a bridge pin puller. But, I haven’t had any experience with using it. I don’t own any acoustic guitars.


Durability

    I purchased this device in November of 2012 and haven’t had any problems. It’s made of what I call hard plastic and it seems like it will last.


Overall

    I definitely recommend this string cutter/winder. I have found that string changes are much more efficient and I am no longer concerned with damaging my guitar. Every guitarist should own this device.

My photos:

              

  Features:

 • Cuts and winds

 • Hardened steel cutting edge

 • Fast and easy to use

 • Clips cleanly and resist wear

 • Bridge pin puller

 • Designed to fit all guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, etc.

    

Scratch/Nick that I mentioned earlier

               




              

VM Audio 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System

  

    A few weeks before Christmas of 2012 I decided that it would be a good idea to buy a larger TV. About 48 hours after that decision,  I went out and bought a larger TV.

    Once it was set up, I found myself to be satisfied with the majority of things that this TV had to offer. But, I felt that it could be even better if I enhanced the sound.

    My plan was to simply use the external speakers(PC speakers with subwoofer) that I had used to enhance the sound on my smaller  TV. But, I ran into a few problems.

    The first problem was that I had to figure out a way to connect the speakers to the new TV. I needed a headphone jack but an audio out input was the only option I had for connecting the speakers to the new TV. But, connectivity was no longer an issue once I discovered that an adapter would solve the problem.

    With the problem solved, I begin to test the speakers on the new TV. It was at this time that a second problem developed. The external speakers were not audible. I tried adjusting the volume but I was only able to hear the TV’s internal speakers.

    In a second attempt to solve the problem, I made various adjustments to the TV’s speaker settings. Once the adjustments were made, I was finally able to hear the external speakers. But, I was quickly disappointed. The sound quality seemed to suffer and I lost the ability to control the volume of the speakers(like I was able to do with the smaller TV) with the TV remote. The thought of having to get up every time the volume needed adjusting(combined with low-quality sound) didn’t appeal to me. So, I decided to buy another set of speakers.

    Weeks later, I started my research to find those speakers. This leads me to order a  2.1 multimedia speaker system by VM audio.



Inside the box

    It arrived well packed. The box containing the speakers was placed inside a bigger box. Once the second box was open, I found that it included two satellite speakers, a subwoofer, RCA to 3.5mm cable, a quick installation guide, and remote control.


Features

    Once the speakers were set up, I found that they looked much better than my old speakers. With a speaker size of 3 1/4 inches and RCA style connections, the satellite speakers were 6 inches tall and 4 1/8 inches wide.

    The front of the subwoofer had a width of about 6 1/4 inches, overall height of about 9 1/8 inches, a length of about 10 1/4 inches, and was connected to my TV using the included RCA to 3.5mm cable and a 3.5mm to RCA stereo male cable that I had bought earlier.

    The front of the subwoofer had three controls. They were the volume, bass, and treble controls. On the side of the subwoofer, there were three playback controls and two inputs. The playback controls were reverse, play/pause, and fast forward. The first input was for a USB connection and the second was for an SD/MMC card. The back of the subwoofer had one set of RCA aux audio inputs, one set of speaker outputs, a power switch, and a 110V AC power cord.

    The remote control had a height of about 4 5/8 inches, a width of about 1 5/8 inches, and required 2AAA batteries.

    The controls on the remote included one input button, numerical buttons numbered 0-9, EQ button, reverse button, 100+ button, reset button, song repeat button, play button, and a fast forward button.


My experience

    The sound quality of these speakers was very impressive. The quality was many times better than the speakers that I originally planned to use. It was almost like having a new stereo system. The power that it generated was comparable to my 100-watt stereo system with 10-inch woofers. The sound was clear and the bass was very deep. Overall, I was very satisfied with the sound that they produced. Music, video games, movies, and even TV, in general, became more enjoyable because of these speakers.

    I also found the remote control enjoyable. I knew it was something I had to have with my next speaker system. Having only audio out input for external speakers (instead of a headphone jack) made having a remote a necessity.


Durability

    So far I haven’t had any problems with this speaker system. Everything is working well and I have had them for about five months.


My complaints

    I have no regrets about purchasing this speaker system, but there were a few things that I disliked. The first was that I couldn’t use the remote to turn it on or off. This was a capability I was really hoping to have. The second was that the volume (in order to avoid being blasted with sound when the speakers were turned back on)  had to be adjusted whenever I turned it off. Once it was off, I had to turn the main volume control completely down. Then, once it was on again, I had to turn the main volume up while turning down(to prevent it from being too loud) the volume on the remote. But, the good part was that once these adjustments were made I was able to go back to using the remote.


Overall

    Despite the complaints that I mentioned, this is a good external speaker system. The sound that it produces will surprise you and you won’t be disappointed. I definitely recommend this 2.1 multimedia speaker system by VM audio.

Additional features:

• 350 watts total peak power
• 110-volt power cord
• Independently powered speaker and subwoofer
• Built-in equalizer for USB/SD
• Compatible with these devices:
   • LED, LCD, and Plasma TV’s with aux audio outputs
   • Ipad, tablets, Macbook, notebooks, and desktop computers
   • Smartphones such as iPhone, Google Android, Blackberry, and Windows
      phones
   • iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, Mp3 players, CD, and DVD players
   • Xbox, Playstation, and Wii consoles.
•    40HZ-20 kHz frequency response system
•    Neo magnet speaker motor design to increase sound output
•    1-year manufacturer warranty