Official Luthiers Forum!

Not that I feel threatened as a luthier, just that I guess I'm getting old:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72TKzqgJZss

It's ok, I guess for what it is, but it seems very limited. I don't see how you could do expressive techniques like string bends, hammer ons and pull offs, slides into notes, muting, etc. that make the guitar such a great instrument. More of a toy than a real instrument.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

It made me remember those organs where the right keys would light up so you knew which one to push next!
Mike

Reminds me of the chord buddy from shark tank.

On a side note, my son (8) was inspired to play the guitar for two reasons. Because I play and because he played guitar hero some and learned some very basic timing and rhythm skills from it. Even better, his favorite band is the Beatles and he was exposed to them through the Beatles version of guitar hero.

We went to London for vacation last summer and saw a Beatles tribute band in a show called Let it Be. He sang every word and had the best time.

We're all on the same train, some just boarded at different stations.


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Think about it, no more buying strings, well worth the loss of a string bend or two. No need for a tuner either. Wonder what the intonation would be like? They just have to make a bass and maybe a set of drums and have a band tour around with them. Maybe with funny hats and silly animals to entertain the preschoolers.

I tried to play my son's Guitar Hero game on his Playstaion.
I thought I was going to nail it and be really cool.
I strummed it, and I was like wtf?

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I'd rather see my son playing with one of those crooks than see him play video games or hang around in internet forums.

Yeah, I suck at it. Plus I get mad when the digital crowd boos at me. I swear I hit yellow in that solo, the controller just didn't pick it up!

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I seem to remember something like this from the 80's....
And it didn't last...
This one won't either.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Anything that gets folks playing music is OK by me. Seems like a modern version of this:

I'm surprised that youtube video is not chock full of hilarious comments.

I guess that's a real thing? Sure looks like a spoof video. I laughed out loud more than once. If it gets someone interested in music, that's cool. But that's not a guitar, so even though their "engineers have been working super hard" they haven't changed the percentage of the population that can actually play guitar.

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George :-)

Do they have any magic golf clubs yet?

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Mike McNerney

Or this, from 1929:

Eric, what is the name of that thing? I tried to use the image name in a search, but that isn't bringing anything up. I'd love to do some research on it.

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Lazy ass kids lol


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Try a search for "KeyKord".

You might be able to learn chord positions, but there is absolutely no substitution for fretting the actual strings. This doesn't teach you to play guitar, just a weak facsimile of the guitar. A Very Weak facsimile.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

There are no comments at all.
It seems that they don't approve negative comments, and that there has not yet been posted a positive comment. Also, likes/dislikes remain invisible. Why am I not surprised?

Edit: YT-Comments? After some serious research I found this video about the same, with plenty comments. Have fun!


Calling this thing a facsimile is an insult to facsimiles. At best it is a fakesimile.
I have serious doubts that it could be useful to learn chord positions. If you are brave enough to look at the video you'll see two things:
- the fret distances are calculated by the rule of dividing the fingerboard into 15 equal spaces,
- and that the actors only have to touch one button to play a chord. It's really just an electronic version of the above pictured mechanical chord generators.

P.S.
The link in the YT description is redirecting to a fundrising site.
Spicy detail:
"You can purchase the lyrics and chord numbers for an individual song for 99 cents"

This type of technology appeals mainly to people who would never learn to play a real guitar anyway, be that through a lack of the interest/passion/time required. This is really aimed at people who want to take the dilettante's path; bang out a few chords for an impromptu singalong with their friends with zero time investment.

I don't think any genuine potential player would be attracted by this technology; if you wanna pick up a guitar because your mind was blown by the performances of Hendrix, or Segovia, or Doc Watson, this tech would not appeal. Because you know it can't get you where you want to go.

I will say this though; for people with degenerative health conditions which have caused them to lose their ability to play, this could be a real nice tool to have around. I watched my own father slowly lose the ability to strum his favourite songs from his younger years. He played and sang in his living room every night of his life for decades, and when he couldn't play any more, it was like he lost a piece of himself.

If this product was around back then I would have bought him one, no question.

Gosh, do I dare ask what you guys say about a Merlin?
http://www.seagullguitars.com/seagull_merlin.html



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Not all -- it is what it is

"Merlin" seems to be a mountain dulcimer -- without the benefit of the large chamber and sound board surface.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Merlin is a stick dulcimer, a.k.a. "strumstick", which many of us know and love.

Regarding the "Magic guitar" many of you sound like a bunch of old F**ts - oh! that's right many of us are!


printer 2 wrote:
"Think about it, no more buying strings, well worth the loss of a string bend or two."

A couple of days ago someone showed me an app for their smart phone called "garage band". One of the instruments simulated was a guitar with strings, and by dragging your fingers on the touch screen you could "bend" the string and the notes. If the magic guitar had a touch screen fingerboard and similar software it might be kind of awesome. Still waiting to see the "Jimi Hendrix" of the iPhone.