Maestro Guitar Attachment Lets You Shred With Lasers
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guitar posts
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"Playing a Guitar Not a F**king Game," Says Oasis Guitarist
The lead guitarist and principal songwriter for the seminal Britpop band (and one half of the most hilariously cantankerous pair of British brothers known to man) is not known for his love of tech geekdom, or politeness, for that matter. While he isn't a fan of such games (which he admits he's never played), Gallagher does find them slightly more tolerable than others: "It's better than two goblins trying to f**k a donkey up the arse with a laser beam."
We'd hate to hear what Liam -- Gallagher brother and Oasis singer -- would have to say about karaoke. [From: CVG]
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Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games, CES 2009
CES Highlights: Last Day
CES Booth Tours - CES is a lot of news and announcements, sure, but it's also a lot of opulence. If you couldn't make it to this year's show in sunny (but cold) Las Vegas, check out this series of articles that let you virtually explore the show -- without the sore feet and excessively blaring bass.
Wireless Charging Demonstrated - Collect a few gadgets and before long your life will become a sea of tangled AC adapters. The solution is wireless charging, and Powermat is one of the handful of companies that have products poised to revolutionize the industry. You simply lay your gadgets onto a charging pad and, without connecting anything, they'd have full batteries in no time. Outside of plugging the mat itself into the wall, there are no wires, so you won't have to worry about different adapters for different gadgets, changing your charging station from spaghetti to simplicity. Check out the link for a video.
'Super Mario Bros' Theme Performed on an Oud
There is no surer way to catch a geek's attention than to play the 'Super Mario Bros' theme on an instrument other than a 16-bit gaming console Whether it's piano, a flute, a guitar, or, even more impressively, two guitars! We've seen it played on a Theremin, a Tesla coil, and even by driving an RC car past a series of bottles filled with water.
So why, then, do we care about the admittedly more mundane performance here of guitar and oud (the Middle Eastern precursor to the lute)? 'Cause we're suckers! No matter how many times or how many ways we hear it, we'll never get tired of this sweet iconic melody. Enjoy. [From: Walyou]
Belkin Debuts Breakaway Connector for Your Guitar Cable
Nevertheless, the BreakFree Connectors were designed to add a magnetic breakaway point in your 1/4-inch cable, meaning that things will simply snap away if too much pressure is applied. Sure, this could save you a mint in shredded cable costs, but we'd venture to say that only the calmer performers in attendance will really find it useful. Snatch (gently, of course) the BreakFree this September for $19.99 and grab a few extra tips for $9.99 per pair. [Via Coolest-Gadgets]
Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games, CES 2008
'Guitar Wizard' -- Like 'Guitar Hero' With a Real Guitar
'Guitar Hero' may be fun and cool, but one thing it certainly can't do is teach you how to actually play guitar. In fact, the connection between playing 'Guitar Hero' and actually playing guitar is tenuous at best. Just ask Slash.
That's where Music Wizard is hoping to one up the gaming phenomena by taking the basic concepts of 'Guitar Hero' and applying them to an actual guitar. 'Guitar Wizard' should drop in August with a suggested retail price of $149.95 when packaged with the Sound Tech Interface that gets mounted on a guitar or $299.95 with student quality electric guitar.
Different colors and shapes are used to represent the different frets on the strings. Slowly the game evolves, from what is essentially an extremely complex 'Guitar Hero, until you're no longer playing a game, but instead reading music. Sadly, Music Wizard's creators dont have the deep pockets that Activision has, so don't expect to jam along to original performances of 'Godzilla' or 'Welcome to the Jungle.' Instead you'll have to make do with MIDI versions of the tracks. Upside, less red tape involved so you can download thousands of tracks from WizardTunes.com. Down side, it's like jamming along to a Super Nintendo.
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Audio/Video, Editor's Picks, Gadget Head, Music Hound, Creative Type, Man / Woman Who Has Everything, $5000 and Under, Reviews, Holiday Gift Guide, Featured Stories
Switched Reviews the Gibson Robot Guitar
On December 7, guitar enthusiasts around the nation will be able to get their callused hands on the Gibson Robot Guitar, a first-of-its-kind, self-tuning instrument packed with a computer and motorized tuners. This special edition Les Paul will initially only be available in limited quantities -- 10 guitars for each of 400 retailers across the nation.
What it does: The Robot Guitar has a built-in tuner, a CPU, and motorized tuners that turn to increase or decrease the pitch of each string individually until the whole guitar is in tune. The on board computer is also used to switch from standard tuning (EADGBe) to a host of alternate tunings and even set intonation.
What we like: The preset alternate tunings such as DADGAD and Open D (DADF#AD) are great for the forgetful and impatient. The Robot Guitar switches to alternate tunings much quicker than a person could, and the user can even change the presets for custom tunings, in case your playing style is less Son House and more Sonic Youth. And the intonation mode is a real cash saver. The computer guides you through adjusting the string saddles until you have perfect intonation, which guarantees pitch-perfect playing along the entire neck of the guitar. (With standard guitars, this adjustment is performed by a professional in a repair shop, which means parting ways with your instrument for a period of time and coughing up about $50 for the service.)
Then there is the paint job, a gorgeous coat of super glossy "silver burst" that goes from a subtle silver in the center to a beautiful, bright blue around the edges. This particular color was designed specifically for the Robot Guitar and is sadly not available on any other instrument from Gibson, but we hope this changes soon. Most importantly, this ax maintains that classic Les Paul tone -- thick, buttery, and smooth. In fact, it sounds so good, it almost feels like cheating. Even a novice can sound like Jimmy Page with a Les Paul strapped on.
What we don't: There isn't much to dislike about this thing. The tuner occasionally had trouble picking out the last string or two when tuning, which slowed down the process, and if the guitar is just slightly out of tune, it's actually faster to adjust by hand in most cases. Our biggest worry with the device is the construction. The guitar feels solid enough, but pulling out and pushing back the tuning knobs for manual adjustment made us a little nervous. Repairing the guitar is also bound to be an expensive proposition should the tuner, computer, or motors fail. You won't be able to take this to your local music shop for repairs.
Does it live up to the hype: Surprisingly enough, yes. When we first heard about it we were skeptical -- a guitar that tunes itself comes off as a bit of an unnecessary novelty, but Gibson's newest innovation proved its usefulness to us. Not to mention that playing 'War Pigs' on any Les Paul is a wonderfully satisfying experience.
Price and where to get it: $2,499 at select Gibson retailers across the nation. You can find the nearest one here.
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Computers, Video Games, Interviews, Celebrities, iPod, BlackBerry, Gamer, Music Hound, $50 and Under, $100 and Under, Holiday Gift Guide, Featured Stories
Slash Talks Guitar Hero III, 'Slash' (the Book), and Gadget Gifts
Slash is a busy guy. In fact, we're not sure he's had any down time since recording what may be the greatest debut album in the history of Rock 'n' Roll, the Guns n' Roses classic 'Appetite for Destruction.' After the disintegration of the band and the hijacking of the name by a corn-rowed Axl Rose and a band of impostors ( whose next album 'Chinese Democracy' should be out some time before Armageddon), Slash went on to form Slash's Snake Pit and play guitar on tracks for dozens of artists from Michael Jackson to Insane Clown Posse. And he just keeps adding to his repertoire. In addition to being the lead guitarist for Velvet Revolver, the top-hat-wearing axe slinger just co-authored a book (with Anthony Bozza) entitled 'Slash' and appeared as a boss character in 'Guitar Hero III.' The rock legend was kind enough to sit and talk with us a bit about the book, Guitar Hero, and of course whether he prefers PC or Mac.
Switched: So what made you decide to write a book now?
Slash: I put the book out to sort of set the record straight on a lot of the story having to do with why I quit Guns 'n' Roses, and the band reuniting, and a lot of other subjects having to do with that band. Basically that's what influenced my decision to write a book. Prior to that I had no interest in writing a book, even though people keep asking me. But after seeing all the attention that Guns 'n' Roses has garnered of late, all the misinformation that's available to people, and all of the other, you know, falsehoods that are going on about a lot of different things, I just figured probably the only way I'd be able to do myself and the story any justice is to write it myself.
So it was less a thing of nostalgia and more, almost cathartic?Well, you know, cathartic in a way. I don't know how cathartic it was really, for myself, personally, but I think it'll put some people's minds at rest, especially people who are huge Guns 'n' Roses fans or who are fascinated by the phenomena that is Guns 'n' Roses.
It's coming out just on the heels of the release of 'Guitar Hero III,' which you star in. Is the timing accidental?
(Laughs) It's all accidental. I was working on the Velvet Revolver 'Libertad' record, when both these things... well, I started writing the book during the making of the record, and actually did the Guitar Hero thing a little bit prior to that. But they were all sort of done at the same time and they're all coming out at the same time.
So how did you get involved with 'Guitar Hero III?'
Activision [the game's publisher] came up with the idea to have somebody in the rock world represent the game and they chose me to be their rock legend guy, which I thought was really flattering. And I was really overwhelmed and excited about the prospect of doing it because I'm a huge fan of the game. So I met with them and we shot some ideas back and forth and we rolled with it and it came out great. I got to write some music for it, I put some guitar solos on it, and I got a caricature of myself in the game. It's way left-field for what I normally do, but at the same time it's very relevant, and I'm really honored to be on the box, so to speak.
That sort of answers our next question, which is how much involvement was there really in making the game? It sounds as though it was more than just "walk in to the studio, get some pictures taken for the model, and go home."
No, there were plenty t of hours spent outside my comfort zone to get this done properly. But, you know, it was an experience and it was fun as well.
Obviously, you've played the game, you said you enjoyed it. Did you find it tough to transition from playing the real guitar to playing Guitar Hero?
I'm not very good at it. I played it a little while ago this afternoon. And I played 'Guitar Hero 2' and I had a lot of time to sit with it and learn how to do it and I got pretty good at it until I beat the game. But I didn't beat it on expert -- I beat it on hard. And that took a lot of work. I think there's something innately awkward about being a guitar player trying to playing 'Guitar Hero.' I think you play it by ear more than you do so by sight, which is the way that normal people play it. There really is that correlation between your fingers and what you're looking at on screen, and I think for guitar players the way that you relate to it is really by ear and feel, which somehow doesn't make your fingers land at the right place at the right time.
So what are you planning on getting the wife and kids for the holidays, gadget- or tech-wise this year?
I've been so busy, and everybody on my side of the fence has been so busy, what with touring and all the other stuff that's going on right now. We haven't really gotten into Christmas. We just escaped Halloween with me traveling all over the place and what not. So we haven't really focused on Christmas yet.
Don't even bring that up, you're scaring the shit out of me.
(Laughs)
Is there any gadget that's got you excited that you really want to get your hands on?
I'm not a huge gadget guy. I just got a new BlackBerry, you know, and I'm happy with that. And I just got a new Xbox 360 not too long ago and we were looking at some new games the other day just to see what's out there. I got my new 'Guitar Hero' finally... I can't think of anything off the top of my head, outside of some recording gear that I'm really looking out for getting.
Does the aversion to technology and gadgets extend to the music? Are you a Pro Tools guy?
NO, no, I'm really simple, and I don't... I'm one of those people that if it's something you don't need, I can pretty much stay away from it. But as far as just toying around with technology for toying around's sake, I'm not like that. I'm basically all about the simplest approach possible. The fewer manuals I have to read, the better and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So I use a lot of pretty much old gear and what not. The only thing I do need for recording is something simple that's efficient, sounds good, can be taken on the road -- that's what I'm starting to shop for at this point. And something small that I can carry.
Is there anything that you carry with you, on tour or every day, like a BlackBerry or an iPod, that's just attached to you 24/7?
Well the BlackBerry, as much as I hate to admit it, is an appendage for sure. And as far as the iPod goes... you know...I have an iPod and its got 1000 some-odd, if not more, songs on it. But I find that I like to just have, like, a handful of good CDs and use those. I haven't really graduated to the iPod school of thinking (laughs). I think it's too much of a song selection for me to figure out what I want to listen to.
We often find that's true. You spend 15 minutes trying to decide what to listen to, and only five actually listening to anything.
Exactly... that's my take on that.
One last simple question. Mac or PC?
Um.. I have both.
I feel comfortable with both, I carry my Mac around and have a PC at home.
OK, so Mac Book? Mac Pro?
Mac Pro.... Oh wait, wait, wait. No, you know what, I take that back. It's a Mac Book. I almost got a Mac Pro, but I knew I wasn't gonna use it to its full potential. so...
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The Gibson Robot Guitar
If money is no object and your giftee just simply has to have one of everything, you might as well pick him/her up the Robot Guitar from Gibson when it goes on sale December 7. Price? We're not sure... but you can bet it'll be expensive. The Robot Guitar is available in a limited edition version only for now, with just 400 stores carrying 10 units each at $2,500 a pop.
This axe hides a computer in the neck that controls motorized tuners, which allowing players to forget about tuning almost all together. The built-in computer even has preset alternate tunings so guitarists can switch from standard to DADGAD on the fly. It also helps users fix the intonation, a process usually handled by a professional in a repair shop.
All of this comes in a classic Les Paul shape with a gorgeous new paint job dubbed "Blue Silverburst."
From Gibson
Cell Phones, Celebrities, BlackBerry
'I'm John Mayer ... I'm a CrackBerry Addict'
The latest celebrity to fall victim to the scourge of CrackBerry addiction is none other than the new on-again off-again Mr. Jessica Simpson, John Mayer. Yup, BlackBerry is the official sponsor of the musician's 40-date summer tour, with each show featuring on-site demo locations for fans to get hands-on with the BlackBerry Curve.
Now, today brings news that the official BlackBerry site has been updated with tour info and "Exclusive Mayer Content," which consists of nothing more than some photos of him brooding for the camera and a "Coming Soon" tease for a video.
All of this begs the question: Does John Mayer make those same creepy faces thumbing though e-mails that he does while guitar soloing?
From GeekSugar
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iAxe: The USB Guitar From Behringer
With a list price of $179 (and a street price closer to $99) you can be certain that you are not getting the greatest guitar ever. The iAxe seems, at first, less a viable instrument and more of a gimmick, and the video on Shiny Shiny seems to confirm our suspicions about the quality of the iAxe.For $99, however, you could probably do a lot worse. If you're just learning to play and want to do some computer recording, the iAxe might be the guitar for you.
From Shiny Shiny
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