Guitar Toolkit

GuitatToolkit - This is an app that is a must have for guitar players of any level. It provides tons of tools and accessories to make life easier, whether in a learning environment or on the go. Here's a breakdown of some of the good and bad that come along with this app. See the complete review after the jump...

The Good:

If you play guitar, you need this app. It’s just that simple. At a cost of $10 ($15 if you buy the upgraded version, which is only essential if the extra tools are relevant to your needs), this app is priced on the higher end for an iPhone app, but considering the functions it performs so well and the cost of the devices it can replace, GuitarToolkit is an incredible steal.
In real-world use, I have always found the tuner to be very accurate and easy to use. The metronome has come in handy countless times in rehearsals and other situations. The ability to simply tap out the tempo of a song using the metronome is not a new feature to metronomes, but GuitarToolkit’s tempo tap feature is so easy to use, I like it more than my BOSS Dr. Beat that set me back $70…which I obviously bought before GuitarToolkit + iPhone.
If you want to learn scales or write a solo, the fretboard feature is indispensable. Not only does it show all the notes in a variety of scales, but you can hear the notes just by tapping them.
The feature I am perhaps most impressed with is the chord dictionary. I sometimes use alternate tunings when I play, and to have such a robust visual chord dictionary is incredible. I don’t play mandolin nearly as much as guitar, so I often forget my mandolin chords. Prior to GuitarToolkit, I would have to scour the internet for a great website to provide this information, so to have this treasure trove of information at my fingertips amazes me.
Aside from the rich feature set, GuitarToolkit has a smooth, intuitive UI, and the app is slick and responsive. Lesser features include a high contrast mode for the tuner, the option to flash the metronome with the tempo and the ability to switch to “lefty” mode in the chord dictionary. Little extras like this give GuitarToolkit the feel of a high-end, professional app well outside its $10 price range.

The Bad:

So what is this app missing? Well, not much, honestly. It has nearly everything needed for a traveling or learning guitar player. What I could ask for is an ability to create excersises to help build the fundamental level of a beginning, intermediate, or even an expert guitar player. It's a toolkit inasmuch that goes it pretty much has everything except the actual guitar, but why stop there? With such an amazing app, why not create a learning environment that can allow people to not only use this app to look up chords or tune-up, but a place for players to practice and develop their skills.

The Verdict:
A guitar app well worth the money and is a must have for any level player. It will be the last purchase for many when it comes to the basic essentials for players. It has an amazingly simple interface and though the price at first may be hard to swallow, the more you use it the more you realize how little you paid for something that you will get so much use out of.


Octavio Cedeño