Computerised guitars ???

ibz_SA · #1 02-20-2009, 08:54 PM

Well im watching a TV program and the new Gibson lp comes on and its all electronic tunes it self 500 + presets mp3 recordings in the guitar. Just curious your opinions on these new Gibson's, should guitars be Computerized? Personally I don't think id ever buy one (not because they cost 5k either) they don't appeal to me... Opinions?

prydogga · #2 02-20-2009, 10:03 PM

The only thing that appeals to me about that guitar is the fact you can add effects to seperate strings. Other than that it seems a little too like you're not really playing the guitar.

ibz_SA · #3 02-20-2009, 10:12 PM

I was just thinking that whilst playing a riff I made up how good it would be to only have 2 strings with a flanger.

**elcid** · #4 02-20-2009, 11:26 PM

Stupid idea, but eventually someone will do something with it that blows our minds and tons of people will want one.

callen3615 · #5 02-21-2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibz_SA

I was just thinking that whilst playing a riff I made up how good it would be to only have 2 strings with a flanger.

That actually blows my mind already.

IbanezFreak777 · #6 02-21-2009, 12:20 AM

If the extra electronics dont hinder the actual playability, then why should it matter.

The only real drawbacks, is the extra cost, and the fact that the more electronics that can fail, means that eventually it will fail and you will have to send your guitar back to the manufacturer to get the onboard computer fixed or replaced....

prydogga · #7 02-21-2009, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IbanezFreak777

If the extra electronics dont hinder the actual playability, then why should it matter.

The only real drawbacks, is the extra cost, and the fact that the more electronics that can fail, means that eventually it will fail and you will have to send your guitar back to the manufacturer to get the onboard computer fixed or replaced....

I think it definately would affect playability, if you did have 2 strings different from the rest and you wanted to play a chord and one string is distorted while the rest is clean you'd sound like a fool, so that would mean you'd have to have a set of effects to keep hold of it all and you may as well be driving a car in a traffic jam with all the pedal kicking you would do!

IbanezFreak777 · #8 02-21-2009, 07:49 AM

Guitarists deal with effects and settings all the time, if you left an effect on when your not supposed to you would look like a fool anyways. The fact that you can select effects for different strings is just another form of effects.... and something else that you need to keep an eye on....

prydogga · #9 02-21-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IbanezFreak777

Guitarists deal with effects and settings all the time, if you left an effect on when your not supposed to you would look like a fool anyways. The fact that you can select effects for different strings is just another form of effects.... and something else that you need to keep an eye on....

Exactly, but to me it's just more work for you to do, I believe in EVH's way of keeping it simple, good guitar and a good amp, with as little effects needed.

IbanezFreak777 · #10 02-21-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydogga

Exactly, but to me it's just more work for you to do, I believe in EVH's way of keeping it simple, good guitar and a good amp, with as little effects needed.

Why does it have to be only one way. Sometimes I like simple sounds and sometimes I like experimenting, I dont believe in being closed off to other ways of doing things.

Vai doesn't keep it simple and it works for him.....

The Euphor · #11 02-21-2009, 09:36 AM

I don't need any of the stuff it can do. But for someone this will save time and money. If you play with several different tunings, this guitar will make it work live. Effects on seperate strings, who didn't like the idea of a synth drone in E while playing a sexy sax solo? Roland GR synths were made for guitarists to play sax, I swear!

I think most people have seen Jimmy Page with the Transperformance LP.

The new thing is that you finally get all these options in one guitar. Clever? Useful? Worth it?

Yanic · #12 02-21-2009, 12:50 PM

Well, the most important issue about this guitar is to me that it incorporates the two things I totally hate when it comes to making music:
1. Complexity (I mean in a way of adding a lot of functions that make it almost impossible to "just play". Don`t get me wrong I love big effect boards but only the ones that consist of stompboxes.)

2. Computers ( they tend to crash)!!!

Markice9 · #13 02-23-2009, 05:51 AM

I suppose this is only the start of all this stuff and there will probably be a lot more of it in the future look at the whole amp modelling thing its huge now and someone will do something interesting with it and it will probably go stratospheric for a while until they come back to the good old magnetic pickup .

Pursuit · #14 02-23-2009, 07:02 AM

Different guitarists have different needs. I think with the Dark Fire, Gibson was trying to make a guitar that would supply all their needs.

Whether or not they succeeded, only time will tell.

**jono** · #15 02-23-2009, 09:13 AM

I think the tuning facility will be something that folks will like, simply to ensure the guitar really is in tune. i'm not sure about all the rest of it though.

I think that the guitar remains a very organic instrument you play with your heart not your head, especially when it comes to the sound. So folks tend to like the guitar to make the sound, not the software.

Modelling amps are cool, but there's still (today at least) something very special about a simple valve amp, a cord and a nice guitar. As far as I know, most pro guitarists still start with a tube amp as the centre of their sound and I think guitar-wise it'll be the same.