USB Guitar

NYTimes
January 4, 2007
A Guitar That Plugs Into a Computer via U.S.B.? Oh, It Makes Me Wonder
By J. D. BIERSDORFER

With the right equipment, future guitar virtuosos and “Stairway to Heaven” fanatics don’t have to be chained to bulky amplifiers in the basement to practice and record their riffs. Hammacher Schlemmer offers the PC Recording Studio Guitar, a six-string electric instrument that comes with a U.S.B. port to connect it directly to a PC or Mac.

Once the guitar is plugged in, the computer’s sound system serves as an amplifier. The guitar draws all the power it needs from the U.S.B. cable, and it comes with recording software to create digital audio files.

The PC Recording Studio Guitar, available for $200 at www.hammacher.com, is a solid-body model with 22 frets, a maple neck and three single-coil pickups. It includes a standard ¼-inch jack for plugging into a regular amplifier, in case you are interested in more traditional ways of making music. For those who need to practice quietly, the guitar has a stereo headphone output that lets you hear your session while connected to the computer.

J. D. BIERSDORFER

M & C note: Hammacher previous sold a cool little digital trumpet: http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72835.asp?promo=xsells