Do you need just a little something extra for that guitarist on your Christmas list? Here's an idea: an all-in-one peg winder/string clipper/bridge pin puller made by Planet Waves. These have been around for awhile, of course, they're not new on the market. But I love these little gizmos. I bought one earlier this year, and they are the very definition of convenient.

I ordered mine from L.A. Music in Toronto, and the ones they sell look like this:
http://www.lamusic.ca/default.asp?szNav=Product&PID=10872

But I think Planet Waves may have updated and changed the design a bit, because on most U.S. music sites they look like this:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Pro-String-WinderCutter?sku=360253

But both are called Planet Waves Pro Winder Cutter DP0002, so essentially they're the same thing.

Obviously, it's the built-in string clipper that sets this model apart. Afterall, all peg winders will wind string and have a bridge pin puller. But clipping the strings was always the inconvenient part for me. To change your strings, you need to have something around which can clip wire...and I didn't always. Sometimes I'd use scissors, which works okay on the unwound strings, but becomes more of a problem with the wound strings. Or often, after winding the string, I'd remove the excess string at the top just by bending a spot on the string back and forth until the string broke. It works, but it's a bit time consuming. To be able to just grab one tool and do the whole job with it -- wind the string, flip the winder around, clip the string -- is great.

The winder part of it has a nice snug, but not damaging, fit. The clipper makes a nice clean cut, and does it easily. I imagine the clipper probably gets a bit dull after a lot of use, but I haven't run into that problem yet. I haven't used the bridge pin puller, so I can't comment on it. (There are lots of buyer reviews of this item on the Musician's Friend page linked to above.) I know I probably sound like a commercial for Planet Waves, but I really do think these things are great...like a Swiss Army knife for changing strings!