Miller's favorite capos are the Shubb and the Kyser. He also likes and uses the G7. The Shubb works the best for him, but the Kyser's advantage is that it can be clamped onto the headstock of the guitar for easy access. Shubbs have to be placed on top of a table, chair or amplifier or shoved into a pocket when not in use. This has been true of G7, but that company has just released a model that clamps like the Kyser. Jim Dunlop is another company that has a clamping capo, as well as others like the Pickers Pal and the Victor. (Miller does not like the Dunlop Advanced and Professional capos. He has had them fly off the neck while playing, including once on a live radio appearance).

Some Shubbs and Kysers are designed for capoing only the first five strings, which is a technique Miller has embraced. For his National Resophonic guitars he still uses a traditional double band elastic capo, a design that has been around since he first began playing in the early 1960s. He also owns the interesting Partial Capo, though he hasn't exploited it very much. Planet Waves capos also look interesting.

There are four ways to amplify an acoustic guitar - 1) external microphone; 2) a vibration sensitive pickup that sticks to the body or sits under the saddle (often, but not always, a piezoelectric); 3) a magnetic pickup that senses string vibration (like those used on an electric guitar); 4) a tiny internal microphone or set of microphones. There are many systems that combine two or even all three of the onboard technologies.

Miller's new Leach Guitar is equipped with a Dazzo pickup system installed by the inventor, Teddy Randazzo. It consists of two Dazzo 60 piezo pickups. His Martin and Schoenberg guitars are equipped with L.R. Baggs Dual Source pickups that combine a microphone and a piezo under the saddle. His acoustic Nationals have Highlander piezo pickups installed. He owns a pair of L.R. Baggs Para Di preamps he uses with the Baggs and the Dazzo. His Guild has a very sophisticated RMC pickup installed that senses each string independently and can drive a guitar synthesizer.

He also owns a Dean Markley ProMag Gold electronic pickup that can slide into and out of the sound hole of a wooden guitar. There are scores of companies manufacturing pickups, internal mics and preamps, and the technology is evolving rapidly. A few respected companies not mentioned above are B-Band, K&K, Trace Audio, Fishman and Seymour Duncan.

For local gigs Miller uses Reunion Blues gig bags, which he recommends highly. His hard cases include a vintage style wooden Martin case, a fiberglass Mark Leaf case custom built for OM size instuments, and a custom Hoffee carbon fiber case built for his National Style 1. The Hoffie came with twin straps which clip onto the case for a backpack style carry. Miller also has a set of BackAxe Straps that have worked quite well especially with the hip belt he had added. He also owns an extremely heavy but super strong all metal case made by Colorado Cases. He has checked out the Clam Flight Case and thinks it is a cool concept that should work well. (Click the tab above to read Miller's thoughts on checking guitars on airplanes).

For years Miller used a tuning fork to tune his A string, and then tune the other five by fret matching. In the 1970s guitar tuners began to appear. An electric guitarist could plug in, but an acoustic player without a pickup, would have to point his or her guitar at the funky, built-in microphone.

Tuner technology has advanced a long way since then. Today, most acoustic guitarists use tuners that clip onto the headstock and sense the guitar's vibration. These work in noisy or quiet environments on instruments that are plugged in or not. For years Miller used an Intellitouch tuner that used this technology. It was conveniently small, but he recently invested in more modern version by the same company that is only 1 1/2 x 2 x 1/2 and changes color when you lock in on any chromatic note in a guitar's range. Other clip on tuners include Crafter, Planet Waves, Sabine, and Seiko. There are also a few tuning apps for the iPhone like Guitar Toolkit, which Miller owns and uses in a pinch.

Miller has used DiAddario light gauge strings for most of his playing career, and still uses these on his National resophonic guitars. However, in recent years he has been using DR Strings, because they offer a MED/LITE gauge he has come to like (11, 15, 22, 30, 40, 50) for his wooden guitars.

One of his theories on strings is to ask the store what is the most popular and get those since they are likely to be the freshest. In addtion to the above mentioned brands, he has had good experiences with Elixir, and John Pearse strings. He is a big fan of the new coated strings, offered by most companies, that greatly increase lifespan. A fun part of coated strings is that the coating doesn't have to be clear. Miller gets a kick out of using DR Black Beauties, which sound like regular bronze strings but are black. They almost disappear on an ebony fingerboard, causing occasional WTF reactions from other players or audience members.

For quite a few years Miller has been using Dunlop Moon Shine ceramic and Mudslide porcelain guitar slides. A couple of years ago he discovered the Shubb Axys reversible metal slide. He owns a couple and is learning to use them.

Miller has used various guitar stands. His favorite is a folding model by Konig and Meyer.

Miller uses Reunion Blues and El Dorado straps, though there are other excellent options. For his National guitars, that don't have an end pin jack, he uses Schaller strap locks, which he's had for thirty years. Recently for his custom Roomian Tele he bought a set of Loxx strap locks which work quite well and are easy to isntall using the the small tool that comes in the package.

He carries in his case or gig bag a DiAddario Sting Winder/Cutter, a fingernail file, and an Intellitouch tuner

Probably most serious guitarists travel with full sized instruments. They either buy an extra seat, try to talk their way onto the plane or - gasp - check their instruments as luggage. In that case the best option is probably a carbon fiber case like the Hoffee, though these are very expensive. A regular case inside a Clam Flight Case is a secure option, though it's a bit unwieldy to carry or wheel around. This great video points out the perils of checking your guitar.

Another option is to take a travel guitar that can fit in the overhead bin. The Soloette is a solid body instrument with removable "sides" that feels like a light weight full size acoustic when assembled and held but can't be heard without earphones. Taylor, Crafter, and other companies make shrunken down instruments that sound passable and play well. Martin and others make guitars with full scale or near full scale necks but extremely skinny and short bodies. Miller likes and owns a custom Voyage-Air Guitar, a full size instrument with a neck that folds over the body. A similar instrument is the Brunner Travel Guitar with a neck that can be easily removed and replaced.