The best of…musical innovations

Peavey AT-200

The first-ever Auto-Tune guitar “plays and sounds like a quality solid body” but has an “uncanny ability to keep everything soundly tuned as you play.” It can even handle alternative tunings.

$500, guitarcenter.com

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Source: Guitar Player

Parrot Zik Headphones

These Philippe Starck–designed wireless headphones enable you to adjust volume or navigate a playlist intuitively—with light taps and swipes to the ear pads.

$400, amazon.com

Source: Men’s Journal

OP-1 Synthesizer

This portable synthesizer “occupies a middle space” between toy piano and intimidating professional device. It can be a gateway into creating electronic music, and “everything about it” is a model of smart design.

$849, acgears.com

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Roland Portable V-Drums

Get your gear to the next gig with ease. The TD-4KP —the newest addition to Roland’s “revered” line of electronic drum sets—folds quickly into “a surprisingly small size.” It’s “unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

$800, musiciansfriend.com

Source: DrumMagazine.com

PocketStrings Practice Tool

You can’t play music on this clever tool, but it’s great for any guitarist who wants to practice scales or chord fingering while traveling. Also available in a 6-fret model.

$35, pocketstrings.com

Source: Gizmag.com