Funky Guitar Riff, Token Picks, News and Notes
Learn a funky guitar riff using double-stops and 6th intervals, discover Token Flatpacks, and the most interesting recent guitar news.
Guitar Practice
Today, we have a short funk riff that packs in a variety of techniques, including single notes, double-stops, 6th intervals, and some hybrid picking.
A combination of single notes, double-stops, and 6th intervals can give funk guitar playing a lot of variety and movement. Single notes keep things tight and rhythmic, while double-stops and 6ths add a little more harmonic color without getting in the way of the groove.
For your picking hand, while playing the doublstops and 6ths, play the lower notes with your pick, and the higher notes with your middle finger.
Gear Showcase
Token Flatpicks
Token Guitar Picks started with a simple idea: a guitar pick may be small, but it can have a big impact on the way an instrument feels and sounds. Based in Petaluma, California, Token was founded by musician and product developer Daniel Flanigan, who brought his background in product design, materials, and manufacturing to an often-overlooked part of playing guitar and mandolin.
What makes Token different is the amount of attention that goes into each pick. Rather than simply stamping them out, Token machines its picks using computer-controlled milling machines and custom cutting tools. The shape, thickness, bevel, and edge are all carefully designed, and each pick is finished by hand to create a smooth, consistent feel. The result is a pick that feels less like a simple piece of plastic and more like a carefully designed piece of musical equipment.
Token also takes a unique approach to materials. Its picks are made from several high-performance plastics, each with its own feel and tonal character. The Amber, Tan, and Green picks offer different combinations of brightness, warmth, volume, attack, and durability. For players who like to experiment with their sound, it gives them another way to shape their toneāmuch like choosing a different string, pickup, or piece of gear.
The company's picks have already found their way into the hands of a wide range of professional players, including Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Chris āCritterā Eldridge of Punch Brothers, Andy Falco of the Infamous Stringdusters, Trey Hensley, and members of Kitchen Dwellers. Token officially launched its picks in 2025, but the idea had already been tested and refined with working musicians before they hit the market.
A pick might not seem like the most important piece of a guitarist's setup, but it is the one thing sitting between your hand and the strings every time you play. Token is taking that small connection seriously, combining thoughtful design, interesting materials, and precise manufacturing to make picks for players who care about how their instrument feels and sounds.
News & Notes šļø
- PRS and John Mayer partnered with Land Rover for a run of Defender-inspired Silver Sky guitars. While that might seem like an odd combination, Mayer is an avid collector of Defenders, and several guitar companies have historically based the color of guitars around paint colors used on cars. In addition to using genuine Land Rover paint colors, they also introduced a black pickguard for the Silver Sky for the first time. The SE model colors are Woolstone Green, Sedona Red, Petra Copper, and Carpathian Grey, while the US model gets color-matched headstocks and four classic finishes: Sandglow Yellow, Arles Blue, Portofino Red and Willow Green.
- Yamaha announced RS20MM Matteo Mancuso Signature Revstar Electric Guitar. Probably the two most well-known Yamaha Revstar players are Chris Buck and Matteo Mancuso. Buck got his signature model earlier this year, and now it's Mancuso's turn. While the specs are largely in line with the standard Revstar models, the signature model includes DiMarzioĀ® PAFĀ® 36th Anniversary pickups, as well as a Matteo Mancuso signature on the trussārod cover and logo inlay at the 12th fret. MSRP is $1,599 USD.
- Fender CEO Bud Cole revealed the company is pivoting its ongoing cease-and-desist campaign around it's Stratocaster design. After a ton of push-back amongst the guitar community, the company admitted they 'could have done this better", and are now focused solely on large manufacturers.
- Fender released the John Osborne TelecasterĀ®. Made in Fender's Mexico factory, the signature model of the Grammy-winning country guitarist and songwriter features an alder body with Road WornĀ® nitrocellulose lacquer finish in Olympic White. It also has an oil-finished C-shape neck, custom voiced pickups (which are also available on their own), a B-Bender, and a custom pickguard. Includes a hard-shell case. MSRP is $2,199.
- Fender introduced a California Select series of acoustic guitars. They feature a solid sitka spruce top with laminate Macassar Ebony back and sides, and Fishman Flex electronics. MSRP is $499.
- Fender also added some new models to their Squier Paranormal Series, including a Stratocaster Deluxe with HS pickup configuration, a Troublemaker Telecaster Deluxe with a Bigsby, and a baritone Jazzmaster with humbuckers.
- Martin Guitar added a new 0-17 all-mahogany acoustic guitar and an M-28 (which features a Grand Auditorium body size, with the depth of their 000 model) to their Standard line.
- Eastwood Guitars debuted the Micawber, a Keith Richards-inspired T-type guitar, factory-fitted with five strings.
- Taylor Guitars announced a collaboration with Empire Music for a new 'ultra-premium' line of custom shop acoustic guitars, called the Benchmark Custom models.
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