Can you imagine life without music? What a boring, dull place it would be. Having the ability to create music by playing an instrument is even better. It’s fun to get together with friends and spend time creating and enjoying music. It can also get messy. You can unfortunately lose accessories quickly and easily. As a guitar player, I’ve lost countless picks, string winders, and even a few capos over the years. One of the reasons for this is simply because I never have a place to keep those items stored and organized.
I’ve finally found the solution to my woes…courtesy of another musician. Rod Boyes of Pinegrove Leather is doing just that – creating unique, useful pieces for musicians. Best of all, his creative medium is leather…really nice leather.
About Pinegrove Leather Company
Pinegrove Leather, run by Rod Boyes and Lou Comerford Boyes, has a simple, straightforward mission – to bring people beautiful things to enjoy. Pinegrove is based in the beautiful Pennine town of Hebden Bridge, England, well known for its art and creativity. The company name comes from “The Pine Grove Blues”, a famous Cajun song that Rod used to play when with the Cajun Aces dance band from 1993 to 2003.
Construction
Pinegrove selects each piece of the leather it uses in person from a UK warehouse. According to Rod, “we like leather that’s real and natural, though we sometimes offer brighter colors too. Some of the leather we use, like the “distressed” style, has been given its effect artificially, but otherwise it’s the real thing, made to last a lifetime. We do not use any wild animal skins or any products derived from non-sustainable sources.” Pinegrove is proud to acknowledge that they design and make everything right in the north of England.
The leather used on the Pinegrove Leather Guitar Player’s Wallet has a great, waxy feel to it – sturdy, yet nice, soft, and pliable. The heavy duty stitching is uniform. The pick slots, pockets, straight seams, finished edges all speak to the attention to detail and time invested in creating this piece.
Function
The Pinegrove Leather Guitar Player’s Wallet is a cleverly designed, well thought out piece. You can tell that it was created and made by someone who has spent a lot of time with guitar in hand. The pick section of the pouch will hold up to 15 picks (3 per slot). The design lends itself to a “grab and play” method for selecting a pick. It also features two full size pockets on each side, each of which will easily hold a set of strings and a string winder or a capo. In fact, you can carry a set of strings, a string winder, and a capo all at the same time. The storage capacity of this wallet is impressive. You’re certainly not limited to just carrying guitar accessories in this wallet too. It will easily handle all of your cash and cards too. And, it will easily slip into your jeans pocket or a coat pocket.
Aesthetic
Pinegrove Leather describes their style as “modern vintage with art nouveau, western, and 1950s jukebox influences mixed in as well. The Guitar Wallet I received is a very attractive piece featuring dark and light brown leather. The pick shaped inlay on the front of the wallet creates an attractive visual focal point on the front. As mentioned, the leather feels nice and will age really well. It’s certainly tough, sturdy, and well made – but still retains softness to it.
It’s easy to stick in your pocket and go or stick it in your guitar case. Honestly, it’s a great choice because it consolidates so many pieces that are usually scattered about in your guitar case, pockets, or left behind from wherever you played last.
Conclusion
The Pinegrove Leather Guitar Player’s Wallet is a great addition to anyone’s guitar gig bag or case. It’s a problem solver and organizer. At £39 (roughly $67 US), it’s a perfectly acceptable price point given the fact that it’s expertly crafted, features high quality components, and is backed by a lifetime guarantee. As a bonus, you’ll get a really nice, sturdy leather keyring too (thanks Rod). If you’re looking for a way to keep your guitar gear organized in a manner that looks really good (and will get noticed by your buddies) then we encourage you to check out the Pinegrove Leather Guitar Player’s Wallet. The guys at Pinegrove Leather certainly are not limited to creating leather pieces for guitar players. If you visit their site you’ll find pieces specifically designed for harmonica players, drummers, whistle players, and some excellent looking pieces created for travel (along with a really nice looking messenger style bag).