Are USB guitars any good?

Smug Duckling

There's another guitar thread going on by I thought I wouldn't derail it.

I'm interested in this USB guitar from ThinkGeek because I want an electric guitar to practice on, but move around a lot and don't want to have to deal with lugging around an amp whenever I move around.

Anybody have any experience with these. Is the software any good? Is the guitar any good?

romanqwerty

To be honest, i would just get a real guitar and a pocket amp. Each guitar you buy is different, however i reckon it is pretty likely that this one is just shit. Its hard to get a good one for under 100 and i don't think that gimmick is worth it. If you want to use your computer, id just get a regular one, and run the output of your amp to your computer.

If i was in your shoes, i would buy a regular guitar, and use one of these things. http://www.zzounds.com/item--LINPOCKETPOD

It probably wont sound excellent, but it will be better than the USB guitar.

Grenn

I would image for that price, the guitar is terrible.

As previous poster mentioned a decent guitar and a POD will do the trick.

I have a great 4 x 10 cab and a sweet sounding vintage 1977 Marshall JMP head but I rarely have my guitar plugged into it... I just play my electric guitar un-amped and it still sounds lovely. 8-)

amateurhour

The transfer rate on those thinkgeek guitars kind of sucks.

As far as being a decent starter electric, they work fine, but the whole USB thing is crap. I believe that one also has an sd card slot, and it only records like nine out of ten notes well when you record to that. USB is a little better, but still nowhere near as good as a midi input device.

Get a cheap electric, and then get that little altoid tin pocket amp at the bottom of the page your iAXE is on. That lets you go from electic to headphones, so there is less to lug around, and with simple audio cable you can still connect to computer speakers.

Erandus

I'm nothing remotely approaching an expert, but I do happen to have that guitar, and to my untrained hands and ears, there's nothing "wrong" with it. I'm sure audiophiles and actual skilled guitar players are scandalized by it's merest mention.

The software that comes with it worked great for tuning and has a ton of effects, and the guitar seems to produce noise when strummed. I like it, but this is coming from someone who can fumble through about 7 chords and can't play any songs in a recognizable fashion.

TrippyDK

I would just buy a regular guitar. There are products out there that have a one end a 1/4 jack for the guitar, and a usb port on the other end. They arent exactly expensive either.

Jimmy King

Throw in another vote for "Don't do it!". $100 guitars that aren't using some sort of gimmick tend to be of questionable quality, even for beginner/entry level stuff, I wouldn't go for one that uses a gimmick like the USB thing.

As has been said, there are plenty of options out there that are not considerably more trouble to move around and will be higher quality and more flexible and will continue to be useful to you as you improve. There's the POD as mentioned above (which is probably most in line with what you want), any number of very small amps like the Roland Micro Cube or larger but still not huge Cube series along with several other brands who have similar product lines. These will all give you the same flexibility that you'll get from that guitar, probably a higher quality guitar (that's all on what you purchase), and the ability to plug into a real amp or other equipment when do get the opportunity or want to, unlike that USB guitar.

mcdermott

TrippyDK wrote: »

I would just buy a regular guitar. There are products out there that have a one end a 1/4 jack for the guitar, and a usb port on the other end. They arent exactly expensive either.

Exactly, and these can be hooked up later to any guitar you buy. You can pick up something like an M-Audio Fast Track USB and a cheap electric guitar for maybe $150, and get basically the same level of quality you're getting with the iAxe...but later, when you buy a $500+ electric, you'll still be able to use the USB interface you were using with the shit guitar.

EggyToast

You can get a small amp for about $60, from eBay, that will sound a lot better. More importantly, even though you move around a lot, having equipment that isn't tethered to your computer will make you a lot happier, I bet. You can move the guitar out to the living room, or into the kitchen, or wherever you have space, and still practice. If you're stuck somewhere with your computer in a box, you can still play.

I have a Danelectro Hodad and a Behringer Firebird amp. Note that if you get the Behringer amp, it improves the tone if you remove the Behringer logo. Actually it just makes it look more retro instead of just cheap, but it's a quality practice amp. Friend of mine used it for recording an album, even though he had bigger amps, and it sounded great.

The thing is, if you're just looking for a practice amp, you don't want a big beefy amp that you'd otherwise haul to a gig. The output on those big amps is just too much for most apartments or practice spaces, especially if you're by yourself. And while I doubt there's anything seriously wrong with the Thinkgeek USB guitar, getting a plain ol' electric and a plain ol' practice amp gives you a lot more options and probably a better sound in the end.

blah

TrippyDK wrote: »

I would just buy a regular guitar. There are products out there that have a one end a 1/4 jack for the guitar, and a usb port on the other end. They arent exactly expensive either.

Unless the guitar has an on board amp, this kind of setup will require a preamp. More below.

I can't really tell if you're an experienced guitar player or not from your post. If you've never played a guitar before and are somewhat scared of jumping in and then losing interest, maybe a USB guitar is right for you since its not as large an investment.

If you're experienced you'll want a store bought guitar and a preamp. A preamp is a small device which amplifies the sound of the guitar before entering your computer, without it you'll get little to no noise and it'll be very distorted. Preamps come in two different styles, the "I just want noise out of my speakers" kind and the semi professional kind. Home ones will usually only have a volume control. The latter kind will have everything you'd expect on an amp plus extra jacks for other guitars and mics, which you should consider this if you want to start a band. Price wise you can expect to pay $160 AUD from a store for the home kind and $300 AUD for the cheapest semi pro preamp. As such I do not suggest buying one from a store, try Ebay like sites or noticeboards etc as someone is always trying to sell a cheap one.

Honestly though you should consider a real amp. They come quite small, light and cheap. Plus the sound you get can be a lot more enjoyable than that from your computer imo.

Found this... Exactly what you need + a million times cheaper than my music stores.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/avcards/7d86/

oldsak

I have to say I've never tried a USB guitar, but it looks not good. General rule of thumb is guitars under $100 are a waste of money.

It also made me think of the terminator.

mcdermott

blah wrote: »

TrippyDK wrote: »

I would just buy a regular guitar. There are products out there that have a one end a 1/4 jack for the guitar, and a usb port on the other end. They arent exactly expensive either.

Unless the guitar has an on board amp, this kind of setup will require a preamp. More below.

I can't really tell if you're an experienced guitar player or not from your post. If you've never played a guitar before and are somewhat scared of jumping in and then losing interest, maybe a USB guitar is right for you since its not as large an investment.

If you're experienced you'll want a store bought guitar and a preamp. A preamp is a small device which amplifies the sound of the guitar before entering your computer, without it you'll get little to no noise and it'll be very distorted. Preamps come in two different styles, the "I just want noise out of my speakers" kind and the semi professional kind. Home ones will usually only have a volume control. The latter kind will have everything you'd expect on an amp plus extra jacks for other guitars and mics, which you should consider this if you want to start a band. Price wise you can expect to pay $160 AUD from a store for the home kind and $300 AUD for the cheapest semi pro preamp. As such I do not suggest buying one from a store, try Ebay like sites or noticeboards etc as someone is always trying to sell a cheap one.

Honestly though you should consider a real amp. They come quite small, light and cheap. Plus the sound you get can be a lot more enjoyable than that from your computer imo.

Found this... Exactly what you need + a million times cheaper than my music stores.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/avcards/7d86/

I think you're thinking of the wrong things. There are USB->guitar interfaces that have a preamp...then you can basically use something like Amplitube as a virtual amp on the computer end.

The one I'm recommending is this, which I think falls at a nice spot on the price:performance spectrum. It is not the best by a long shot, but it's full-featured and even includes an XLR mic input if you ever feel the need for one. Plus it acts as a decent external sound card, if you don't have one. You'd be surprised how much noise your internal one actually can have on it.