"Guitar Wing"...

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miroslav

miroslav

Cosmic Cowboy
Livid Instruments

GuitarWing_image_03-400x300.webp

Looks like something Batman would have on his guitar. :)


It's a guitar horn condom! :D


I guess for the guitarist that has everything, but also needs MIDI contorl, it's a neat option.
 
If you're hitting buttons with your fingers, you can't be playing at the same time - that's why they make foot controllers.
 
Damn. I thought my GK3 was intrusive.
I would think they could make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing.
 
:eek::facepalm::rolleyes:

I would have that thing broken to bits in a couple of days, it's right where I strum, not to mention accidentally hitting the buttons.
 
I have one of these :D

My friend Matt actually designed it!
 
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The things that I never quite understood with this kind of stuff is...why do you want to make your guitar a synth?

IOW...if I want to play synth and do synth effects, I would just use a synth keyboard, where the functionality is WAY more than what you can do with a few buttons added to a guitar...and also, to do all that, you basically have to stop playing the guitar so you can play with those buttons, so again, if you are NOT going to play guitar, and you want to play a synth....just go and play a synth. :)

To me....it's tits on a bull...maybe interesting to look at and play around with for a bit, but generally useless to the bull.
 
miroslav said:
The things that I never quite understood with this kind of stuff is...why do you want to make your guitar a synth?

IOW...if I want to play synth and do synth effects, I would just use a synth keyboard, where the functionality is WAY more than what you can do with a few buttons added to a guitar...and also, to do all that, you basically have to stop playing the guitar so you can play with those buttons, so again, if you are NOT going to play guitar, and you want to play a synth....just go and play a synth. :)

To me....it's tits on a bull...maybe interesting to look at and play around with for a bit, but generally useless to the bull.
Click to expand...

Did you watch the video? One can have synth like effects while playing the guitar.

Not for myself either, but I could see someone making creative use of this. Especially if it works well live.
 
Yes...I watched the video...most of the time his right hand was pushing buttons and playing the slide strips, and not picking/strumming the strings, and the sounds were basically synth sounds...which begs the question, why not just use a synth...unless that is the only way to incorporate those synth sounds in a live band situation...which IMO, only fit a narrow range of music styles creatively.
The FX...well, nothing wrong with them...but all that can be done with FX pedals, so nothing new.


I'm sure you can switch off between the two while playing, which might have some appeal on a live stage if you want to be a guitar/synth player....but all the "MIDI guitar" things over the years have always come off as a novelty gadget, IMO...and this Guitar Wing does too.
Back during the New Wave days....I guess it was kinda cool...for a short time.

Also...do you want to have that MIDI guitar rig/computer alongside of you on stage along with your amp rig for live gigs..?
In the studio, I would rather use a synth keyboard....but to each his own.... :)

I guess the real question is...does it really add something to your setup and creativity, and can it used for whatever music you are playing...that other existing options can't fulfill?
 
miroslav said:
The things that I never quite understood with this kind of stuff is...why do you want to make your guitar a synth?
Click to expand...

The first and foremost reason is that you might be clueless about keyboards. If you can't play a keyboard but can play a guitar, then it's a neat way of getting extra sounds.

The second is that it can add an arsenal of extra sounds which might come in handy if you are the only melody instrument in a combo (e.g. if there is just guitar, bass and drums).
 
Well...making "sounds" on a synth keyboard doesn't really require anyone to be Liberace with the keys. ;)

Like I already said...I can see how some people might find a need for a MIDI rig...but honestly, I don't think there are all that many guitar players who have that interest...*unless* they are doing some very specific styles of music, mostly stuff that requires "sound making" in a live situation without using a synth keyboard.
Not to single him out...but I can see someone like ashcat using something like this, based on the type of stuff he's into.

Anyway...this thread really wasn't about discussing the value of using any kind of a MIDI rig for guitar, it just segued there...
...rather it was mostly to talk about the look of the thing and how many guitar players would want that "wing" on their guitar at a gig. Judging by the responses in this thread....not very many....but I guess time and sales figures will tell the tale.
 
I've used it in settings to control stuff that doesn't exist in hardware form (izotope stutter edit, and a few other specialty plugins), but I really like using it in situations where I'm not lugging around my amp & effects rig, and don't want to be forced to use the mouse to change patches in the amp sims. I like the convenience of mapping buttons to transport controls in DAWs (or to launch clips in ableton) too.

As far as making a guitar sound like a synth - not to speak for Moldover, but he's a sound designer, so making a guitar sound like a synth is part of the appeal. At least in that application.

Related note - it won a Popular Science invention award last year! Invention Awards 2014: An Electronic Studio At Guitarists' Fingertips | Popular Science Sadly, the same month it won that award Livid's founder, Jay Smith, was diagnosed with ALS About - 90 Foundation. That bit's not really related, but it's just a cruel twist of fate that I'd feel weird not mentioning.
 
Looks wise - yeah it looks pretty weird on strats and les pauls. I do like it on solid color guitars though.
Here it is on one of mine the day it came in from livid: 10485920_10202714437723868_196809061129747123_n.webp
The back of it can be adjusted so it sits on the guitar properly.

But I can't get it to fit on any of my basses (Fender Jazz) because they're too thick!
That sucks, because I feel like the more unconventional effects would work much better with bass.
 
miroslav said:
Well...making "sounds" on a synth keyboard doesn't really require anyone to be Liberace with the keys. ;)
Click to expand...

True enough. But I reckon there would be guitarists who would appreciate not having to drag a keyboard along to a gig. And I can imagine guitarists who would appreciate being able to use their guitar dexterity to create synth sounds where their keyboard skills are somewhat underdeveloped.


miroslav said:
Anyway...this thread really wasn't about discussing the value of using any kind of a MIDI rig for guitar, it just segued there...
...rather it was mostly to talk about the look of the thing and how many guitar players would want that "wing" on their guitar at a gig. Judging by the responses in this thread....not very many....but I guess time and sales figures will tell the tale.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe, but in the very first thread . . . .

miroslav said:
Looks like something Batman would have on his guitar. :)


It's a guitar horn condom! :D


I guess for the guitarist that has everything, but also needs MIDI contorl, it's a neat option.
Click to expand...

So the first sentence deals with the look of the thing, and the third deals with the "value of using any kind of a MIDI rig for guitar". So if the thread sequed into anything, it did so in the thrid sentence of the first post.
 
kidkage said:
Looks wise - yeah it looks pretty weird on strats and les pauls. I do like it on solid color guitars though.
Here it is on one of mine the day it came in from livid: View attachment 92423
The back of it can be adjusted so it sits on the guitar properly.

But I can't get it to fit on any of my basses (Fender Jazz) because they're too thick!
That sucks, because I feel like the more unconventional effects would work much better with bass.
Click to expand...

Sorry, that's still ugly! I'd be hitting buttons accidentally with my pick hand all the time. Foot pedal control just makes so much more sense if you're also trying to PLAY the guitar.
 
It sounds like something that a band like Rage Against the Machine would use.
It's probably fun.
 
An 8-string guitar with a MIDI device attached to it. Nothing good can come from that.
 
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