Modern context?? When I saw you play at The Brown Cow in Mansfield I was wearing nappies..😳

Strings are better quality now, although Elixir .016 have occasionally failed me, even recently.

The 5 string capo on standard tuning 2nd fret is fun. I use it a lot for playing in E, and means that unlike true drop tuning, I can use a lazy G shape for A. I?ve been experimenting with a 3 string Shubb capo recently too.

Good luck with the search for modern Al. I have the answer by the way on one of my electric guitars. A Variax that ignores what a string is tuned to and plays it to wt you want. (Open E when I provide rhythm but push a button half way through a song to put it in standard tuning for the pentatonic masturbation that pub crowds love in the middle 8)