The German-made Automagic Wah provides a number of cool features for the sound-shaping fetishist. To begin with, the pedal offers Automagic mode, in which it senses the presence of your foot and automatically engages the wah effect. You can bypass Automagic mode with a footswitch. In addition, you have three frequency bands and four bandwidths to choose from, so you can customize the filter response to fit your music.

Two models of Automagic Wahs are available. The Silver Machine ($299) is designed for guitarists, and the Earth Quake ($310) has a frequency range tailored to bass guitar and keyboards. The pedals run on AC or a 9V battery, and the battery compartment can be opened without tools. Godlyke Distributing Inc.; tel. (973) 777-7477; Web www.godlyke.com.

For the electric guitarist on the go, the Pignose PGG100 ($299) puts the legendary Pignose amp sound in the middle of a guitar body. The guitar's 5-inch speaker is driven by a 5W Pignose 7-100 transistor amplifier and powered by a 9V battery.

The guitar has a bolt-on neck with a rosewood fretboard that offers 22 frets and a 24.25-inch scale. The electronics include a humbucking pickup and a volume control that doubles as a power switch when you pull it. A mono output is available if you want to run the Pignose PGG100 into an external amp, and a ¼-inch stereo headphone jack is included for discreet practicing. Pignose; tel. (702) 648-2444; e-mail info@pignoseamps.com; Web www.pignoseamps.com.

Mackie has reintroduced the Tapco line of mixers, starting with the 6-channel 6306 ($149.95). Designed for live-sound applications, the 6306 offers two mono inputs (each with a phantom-powered XLR mic input and a balanced ¼-inch line input) and two stereo channels (each with a pair of balanced ¼-inch line inputs). Every channel has two bands of shelving EQ, a postfader effects send, and a prefader monitor send. Rotary volume and pan controls complete the layout of each channel.

The 6306's output configuration includes a pair each of balanced ¼-inch main outputs and control-room outputs. The mixer also includes tape inputs and outputs on RCA jacks and a stereo headphone jack with a dedicated level control. Mackie Designs; tel. (800) 898-3211 or (425) 487-4333; e-mail sales@mackie.com; Web www.mackie.com.

It may look like a groovy walking stick, but the Ragzpol ($420) offers a new take on polyphonic MIDI controllers. Its three-octave control surface takes the traditional piano-keyboard layout and wraps it around the top of the staff. The design is based on the circle of fifths and lends itself to easy transposition, allowing a single fingering for any given scale to work in each key. Ragz Tuttle, the instrument's inventor, adds that as long as you play the notes facing you, you won't hit a wrong note.

The Ragzpol is made from translucent acrylic, is powered by four AA batteries, and is available in a variety of lengths and colors. The instrument has a single MIDI Out port and can be used with any MIDI sound module or keyboard. Ragzpol; tel. (530) 898-0933; e-mail ragzbol@ragzpol.com; Web www.ragzpol.com.

The Peavey Color Cue microphone cable ($43.99) has a colored lens on the female XLR connector that illuminates when phantom power is applied. This allows you to easily pick out the cable you want from the cluster plugged into your mixer. Peavey includes a matching magnet with each Color Cue cable: the magnet can be attached to the mixer channel with the corresponding cable, so you don't have to crawl behind the mixer with the flashlight quite as often.

Color Cue cables are available in a standard 20-foot length. The lenses are available in red, green, blue, yellow, white, magenta, purple, and orange. Peavey Electronics Corp.; tel. (800) 821-2279 or (601) 483-5365; e-mail peavey@peavey.com; Web www.peavey.com.

Carvin's new line of keyboard amps includes the KB100 ($399.99), which offers four inputs (including an XLR mic input) and delivers 100W into a 15-inch woofer. The mic channel includes a 3-band EQ, and the master output offers a 5-band graphic EQ. An effects loop is also included.

For the keyboardist needing 1,000W of power, Carvin has two options. The KB1010 ($799.99) has two 10-inch speakers and a horn, and the KB1015 ($899.99) combines a 15-inch speaker and dual 8-inch speakers. Both of these amps offer 7 stereo inputs (configurable as 14 mono inputs). Other features include a DI input, a DI ground lift, a built-in crossover for biamping, a headphone jack, and a master 4-band EQ. Carvin Corp.; tel. (800) 854-2235 or (858) 487-1600; Web www.carvin.com.

The Zoom MRS-802CD ($699) is a diminutive 8-track hard-disk recorder that includes a built-in stereo drum machine and CD-R/RW drive for committing your sessions to disc. Each track offers 10 virtual tracks, giving you plenty of room to retake a solo or vocal part. In addition, the drum machine resides on a dedicated track.

The MRS-802CD has two combo-jack inputs that accept balanced and unbalanced ¼-inch and XLR cables. You can record two tracks at a time, and a pair of mono channels can be linked into a stereo pair. The recorder also includes onboard effects, nonlinear editing, and looping features. Samples can be loaded into the recorder using the CD-R/RW drive. Zoom/Samson Technologies Corp. (distributor); tel. (800) 328-2882 or (516) 364-2244; e-mail sales@samsontech.com; Web www.samsontech.com.

Ernie Ball/Music Man has just unleashed the uniquely modern-looking Bongo bass ($1,495 to $2,300). The Bongo is available in 4- and 5-string configurations, with a standard setup of a single humbucking pickup, a volume control, and three tone controls. Additional pickup options include dual humbucking pickups or a humbucking and single-coil combo, with a volume knob and four tone controls for each. A piezo bridge pickup can also be added to any of these configurations.

The Bongo's rosewood neck, which is bolted to a basswood body, has 24 frets and a 34-inch scale. A variety of body finishes are available for the Bongo, which includes a matching headstock and neck. Ernie Ball Inc.; tel. (805) 544-7726; Web www.ernieball.com.