Fender has released a new guitar which can connect straight to iOS devices without needing a separate audio interface.
The iOS-enabled Fender Squire Strat has even been added to the official Apple store, where it costs $200.
It features its own built-in iOS interface, which lets you record straight into apps like Garage Band via a USB input - though if you're rocking the newest iOS devices with the smaller Lightning port, you'll need a special adaptor.
It can also connect to desktop Macs, should you choose to record into the OS X version of Garage Band.
"The Squier by Fender Stratocaster guitar offers bi-directional audio streaming and includes a high-quality headphone amp so that you can monitor the processed guitar signal right from the guitar itself," reads a press release. "Thanks to the guitar's own audio interface, you can record audio straight to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac-no additional hardware needed. And the analog output means you're also free to use this as a standard guitar."
Watch the demo video here to see the new Fender Squire Strat in action:
What do you think? Is this dumbing down guitar playing too far, or is it a milestone in the history of guitar production? Share your opinion in the comments.
That's kinda what pisses me off these days, they'll come up with an interesting idea, but put it in a first act or a Squier, so any usefulness it may have had is now pointless anyways.
Or they'll come up with an interesting idea and pt it in a guitar so expensive that you have to sell your daughter to Croatian human traffickers to buy it.
I'm from America..... And I just kinda pictured the comment coming from an American!! LOL. Probably a guy driving a big truck who is pissed that President Obama won the election Just my imagination, no actual judgement is being passed here.
I think they're just putting it in a more affordable model to see if it attracts customers and if there are any major complaints with the interface. If it catches on, we'll probably start seeing better models of guitars with this technology.
But it never gets a chance to catch on because anyone who could really take advantage of the technology knows better than to buy the the shitty hardware that it's accompanied by, so the purpose is totally defeated.
No, not really. A lot of the new squires (the $300 ones) are pretty good. Replace the tuners and the nuts, and thats a decent guitar. The electronics haven't been completely horrible. If you get an Affinity or bullet model, though, you get what you pay for.
Like I said, if you replace the tuners and nuts, it won't go out of tune nearly as much. I did that on a Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, and it's probably one of the best guitars I've played in a while. I have no problem playing it alongside my Gibsons.
I don't know what to tell you. I guess maybe I'm lucky and haven't run into those probllems yet. As I stated, I love the sound of those Vintage Modified Squires, and after putting on a decent set of locking tuners and a new nut, it's got almost perfect intonation. The neck is a whole other issue though.
It might have been my switch to really-heavy .13 strings, keeping standard-tuning.
The truss rod got messed up when I kept it at that kind of high-tension for months at a time (usually just as an emergency backup), and now the neck is all warped, no longer fitting into the pocket correctly.
Even after my local guitar-tech tightened it, the truss-rod was a POS.
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With those ultra-high gauge strings, I can definitely say that I am primarily a rhythm player.
Cool idea. Cool commercial. I could see it being pretty successful.
Cheap guitars have come such a long way in the past 10 years, it's actually really impressive. This will be great for kids who's parents can't afford a guitar AND amp that will keep the kid rocking until they next guitar.
Second-hand iPhone 3GS: 200$? Maybe even an iPod Touch, which is around the same. Maybe the kid bought it from working as a paperboy? Then the guitar could be a birthday gift or something. It's not THAT weird.
iPhone4 is free with a 2 year contract.
iPhone4S is $99 with 2 year contract.
truly awesome computer+cellphone.
I was an apple hater till I got iPhone4.
Anything that makes you pay about a hundred bucks a month is certainly not FREE. It comes out to something like $2400 in montly installments. In past terminology it's known as the razor blade business. Give the razor away but rape them blind for the blades that only they make so you can use it. You'd have to be pretty stupid to fall for something so blatant. Unfortunatly there seems to be no shortage of stupid people for them to take advantage of. They're done as soon as they see FREE.
The guitar is kind of a neat idea that like any technology has it's applications so will no doubt appeal to some.
I look at it as a step up from those Paper Jam things or Guitar Hero instead of a real instrument. More of a toy for amuzement purposes only so I don't think you're likely to catch anyone doing jazz licks on it. Maybe it's good to get some interested in exploring music in more depth so it's not all a bad thing. USB to MIDI?
So get a 1/4" female to female coupler, tape it to the table or whatever, plug the Rocksmith cable in one side and any normal instrument cable in the other. Problem solved.
Epiphone Ultra III had the USB capability, but is significantly more expensive.
The idea is that, with a USB connection, you don't need to go through an interface. Since a guitar isn't line level, plugging it right into your computer is typically a poor idea. 200 for a guitar where an interface costs 90 or more... And then buying the guitar? Sounds like a steal.
I wish these were cheaper. It could have a great market as a very low budget beginner's guitar, but for the price you can still get one of those starter packs or just a cheap guitar with a cheap multi-effects that will probably sound a bit better.
The problem is, that there's so many different brands of droid, using different connectors, that it would be near impossible to cover all bases, which i suppose is one advantage of IOS kit. I do agree though, i'd love a good interface and DAW for droid. Even if it's just proper USB Audio capability so i can use my current interface.
Because for many people playing guitar is still having the guitar, an amp and fun. That's all it is.
I hate apple devices and I don't believe I can quite get the right tone out of an iPhone but something as simple as this would be just great for recording if it doesn't destroy the sound quality.
I wonder if any part of that was actually recorded that way, because I'm willing to bet it wasn't. Fender is weird about this stuff though, all of their more experimental stuff is low end, squires or MIM. I'd like to see more experimentation (not this necessarily, I have a real amp) in their higher end stuff.
So... since it's USB couldn't it just as well work with a PC or Linux based DAW given the right drivers?
Or did I miss Apple picking up the patent for USB, too?
"Are you lazy and can't find the time or enthusiasm to practice your parts for the band? Then here's the guitar for you." is what I got out of the video.
All these hardware gimmicks are worthless. Anyone who's serious about guitar playing will already have proper recording gear to make something like this redundand.
I'm currently playing my guitar through the audio-in to my Mac in Garageband and there are gadgets to hook a guitar up to an iDevice already. I'm not sure what this new guitar offers that is totally unique.
Good idea, now if only people did this kind of thing with a decent instrument.
I've heard some iOS amp simulators that actually sounded pretty damn good. However, playing into them with a crappy guitar is just... ugh. I'd rather spend 25 bucks on an adapter so I can plug in my own instrument.
Just my imagination, no actual judgement is being passed here.