EXTRA, SPECIAL

We devote so much thought to big gear purchases but it's the little things that make the difference from day to day, we argue

- Jamie Dickson

When acoustic became pretty much my main focus, I started trying to get more performance W out of my Yamaha dreadnought and the Martin that followed. I must have tried 20 different types of acoustic string, by different makers. Ernie Ball's Paradigm Phosphor Bronze set (£19.99) impressed on whatever I tried them on. They just seemed to have 'more' of everything across the frequency spectrum, going some way to justifying their high price.

Later, I also came to appreciate Elixir's Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze 13-53 set (also £19.99), primarily because their protective coating reduces finger squeaks dramatically and they sound great. True, both sets of strings were pricey, but given the importance of strings to an acoustic's voice, the investment was worth it.

And herein lies an important point. Not all that many people can afford Custom Shop instruments - but most of us can afford to buy quality when it comes to accessories and consumables, and we may hear and feel almost as much benefit by doing so as when we splash out on bigger-ticket items such as handwound pickups and so on. Using top quality accessories with an affordable guitar is arguably the cheapest way to get high-end feel and finesse into your rig and with no intrusive mods.