I wish I played my guitar more often. Because Gibson, makers of fine guitars for more than half a century, is bringing electrics into the digital age: Guitars tune into digital sounds. Instead of having a standard (analog) cable jack, their new models will have an Ethernet port that can plug directly into a computer. I expect that (a) other manufacturers will follow quickly and (b) Gibson and companies will make specialized boxes (in the way Tivo, for example, is a specialized computer) to take advantage of the new feature. I myself prefer Fenders, especially my treasured 1977 Fender Telecaster, but this is way cool. [via Steven’s Notebook]
Not that Gibson is the only company working in this space either. Line 6 released the GuitarPort early last year. GuitarPort is a small box version of the company’s very cool Pod technology that takes a standard analog guitar cord as input but has a USB output which plugs into a PC plus PC software that controls the effects. But Line6 has taken the concept to the next level by building a website with many additional features and functions, the most useful of which is a huge selection of lessons based on real songs. The online service includes tracks which the company has gone back to the original masters and removed, say, the lead guitar track so you as the student can learn more easily. The box itself is only $229 (less than the expected additional cost for Gibson’s feature) and the online service is $7.99 per month. Not just a very cool product but also a very smart business model, eh?
BillSaysThis 