SOLVED

Triple B

n/a

SniperGuy

That actually looks amazing. Seems like it'd rock for a starter guitar too.


I really want one now as well.

Recoil42

http://www.pricegrabber.com/rating_getprodrev.php/product_id=23782019/id_type=M/


http://www.sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=118
^note the video review. Watching it now myself.


edit: Done watching. Looks awesome. Go for it. I might even, in fact, get one myself.

Direct link to the video review:
http://www.sonicftp.com/vids/mov/soniclabs_behringer_usb-guitar.mov

Marlor

It's a cheap Strat copy with an internal headphone-amp that is powered by a USB port.

It's actually really good value for what you get. A Strat copy usually costs more than that, and a headphone amp for your guitar is hard to find for under $50.

It's not going to be up to the standard of a real Strat, it will be made with whatever cheap wood was handy at the factory (probably plywood), and the rest of the components will be made as cheap as possible.

If you are after a cheap Strat copy, then this is good value. You can use your PC as an amp and start learning right away. The software looks like it does a similar thing to what Roland's COSM amps do.

So, for $100 you are getting a cheap Strat imitation, a headphone amp that is powered by USB, and some software that will act sort of like a Roland COSM amp. All of it is of inferior quality to the real thing, but it's probably a tenth of the price.

It looks like a great starter pack to me. If I didn't have a guitar, I'd actually consider it.

Unknown

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SniperGuy

mcdermott wrote:

I highly doubt it's a terrific guitar. Then again, it's probably at least as good as those bottom-of-the-barrel guitars you see at Wal-Mart (as far as guitar-ness goes), with added kickassness.

Point being, it's at least a decent starter guitar. The geek factor would probably be enough to encourage you to play more, which is a huge plus.

I mean yeah, if you get good with it you'll eventually want to pick up a 'nice' guitar. But at $100 I see no reason not to get this.

That middle bit is exactly why I want one. I wanted to learn guitar, and my parents got me a pretty nice electric/acoustic Schecter. But with no real knowledge, they then saw that getting an amp cost more money. And it was more than they or I had or was willing to spend.

This appears to be a nice nullifier of that. WANT!

mntorankusu

Oh, neat. My dad wants to buy me an electric guitar, so this is neat. Someone here get it and give impressions.

Recoil42

mntorankusu wrote:

Oh, neat. My dad wants to buy me an electric guitar, so this is neat. Someone here get it and give impressions.

Posted above, I found this video review:

http://www.sonicftp.com/vids/mov/soniclabs_behringer_usb-guitar.mov



edit: Just found the company's website, looks like they have a more expensive version, I guess for pros, too:

http://www.behringer.com/IAXE629-MA/index.cfm?lang=ENG


Edit: Oh sweet, they're packaging it with Audacity. Score one for free, open source products making their way into commercial products.

Luftwaffles

I looked into buying this guitar a few months ago.
The concept sounded really neat, so I did some research on it.

Apparently the guitar has some quality assurance issues, so test out the guitar personally before buying it. You may need to replace the strings straight out of the box. It's also made in China, and Chinese made guitars have a poor reputation.

Some people had issues with the included software not working properly due to drivers.

Conclusion is: It's pretty passable package for a beginner guitar and you save some money by skipping an amplifier. Probably alright if you want to mess around with an inexpensive package.
But if you're interested in playing guitar seriously at all, save the money and get a proper guitar, because you'll definitely want to upgrade once you get decent.

Personally, I'm saving up for a Yamaha Pacifica 112 or an Ibanez RG series.

ultimate-guitar.com and harmony central are your best guitar resource online. Musician's friend is a positively rated store for online music purchases.

HyperAquaBlast

mntorankusu wrote:

Oh, neat. My dad wants to buy me an electric guitar, so this is neat. Someone here get it and give impressions.

no u

SniperGuy

Whats the more expensive version get you? I cant seem to tell.

Luftwaffles

http://www.destructoid.com/rumor-new-info-on-the-killer-app-red-octane-is-working-on-29626.phtml

Off topic, but if it's true, I would buy that shit so bad.

Marlor

Luftwaffles wrote:

Apparently the guitar has some quality assurance issues, so test out the guitar personally before buying it. You may need to replace the strings straight out of the box. It's also made in China, and Chinese made guitars have a poor reputation.

All cheap guitars have QA issues. They are cheap because they are mass produced extremely quickly, with very little concern for QA.

When you buy a more expensive guitar, you are paying a little bit more for materials, but you are mostly paying for the more extensive quality assurance.

You can pick up a cheap Strat imitation that sounds just as good as a real one, or you could get one that is total crap. That's the trade-off with cheap guitars. Even Fender Squiers have that problem.

Unfortunately, if you are a beginner, then you wouldn't really know what to look for to ensure you are getting a good unit. On the upside, you won't really care if it isn't perfect until you become a better player (which could take years, or might never happen).

It would be better to save up and buy a decent guitar and amp straight-off, but it would be a huge waste of money if it just ends up sitting in its case after a few weeks.

Some people had issues with the included software not working properly due to drivers.

That's more of an issue. If your PC is used as an amp and it doesn't work, then that's a problem.

Unknown

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SniperGuy

The one linked in the thread (The Metalien) isn't even OUT yet. I was talking about the 179$ version, rather than the 100 dollar.

Unknown

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143999

I've always been a fan of quirky computerized music interfaces (anything with a -to-MIDI on the end of it perks my ears up), but I was wary of these when I first saw them whenever ago. For $100, I would expect to get a crappy faux-solid body off-brand, or maybe something like a halfway decent Squier Strat if I knew someone who was selling theirs. The fact that they're selling this and software at that price and (I assume) making money off the deal sets off my spidey-sense and gives me a lot of questions about the quality of the product as a whole.

That Sonic State review gets a thumbs-up. Personally, there's so much YMMV involved in this kind of thing that I wouldn't trust it with my own setup until I actually had one plugged in at home, but this is probably the best kind of second-party review you'll find that isn't, I dunno, a doctoral thesis comparing and contrasting the Behringer USB setup with the standard 1/4"-to-amp-and/or-recording-device setup.

Zolden

I almost gauruntee for $100 you'll get a warped neck piece of shit guitar that will never, ever have proper intonation. It will play like ass. It will make you not want to play guitar if you're picking it up as a starter guitar.

It's not very hard to get an interface card that you can plug your guitar into.

For another $100 or so theres a hundred different guitars you could get that are decent starters... ibanez, yamaha, washburn, etc.

It sounds like typical snobby musician bs but 10 years ago I thought my starter jackson electric and washburn acoustic was the shit. Now with a les paul and a martin acoustic, I'd urinate on either of those before playing them again.

Marlor

143999 wrote:

The fact that they're selling this and software at that price and (I assume) making money off the deal sets off my spidey-sense and gives me a lot of questions about the quality of the product as a whole.

Well, I doubt the software costs more than a couple of dollars, since it is just a glorified demo version that is meant to push you into upgrading to the full version. Also, Think Geek mustn't be making much markup, since they are selling the guitar for close to half price.

This seems too good to be true, but based on the reviews I've read, it seems to be a decent Strat copy with some novel features. I can't see how it would be worse than any of the other ultra-budget Strat copies out there.

I started off with a really nice MIM Strat, and I am glad I did. But if you only have $100 to spend, then this seems like a decent buy.

Nocturne

I think it's a great value-priced solution. However I'm personally a fan of a better quality guitar + hardware to convert analog to digital (ie MIDI). Right now I'm using M-Audio Fast Track USB and love it. But that's also because I'm picky about my instruments and know I wouldn't dig that particular one.

With instruments you can easily find yourself spending $100 on something that is low enough quality you will just spend another $200 on something better a few months later. I'm of the opinion that it's better to spend $200-$300 in the first place and be totally satisfied.

And yeah, I'm not a snobby musician either, but you want to make sure you're not wasting your money and not going to get something that makes you dislike playing it.

Rook

Can someone explain to me why you can't just buy a proper guitar, and shove it through the line-in on your PC. I mean if you've got only enough money to buy a guitar now, and amp later, it'd seem like a better solution to get a decent guitar now.

Mister Longbaugh

Oh man. i want one

spookymuffin

Rook wrote:

Can someone explain to me why you can't just buy a proper guitar, and shove it through the line-in on your PC. I mean if you've got only enough money to buy a guitar now, and amp later, it'd seem like a better solution to get a decent guitar now.

You and your logic.

Mister Longbaugh

I mean, i already have a guitar that i spent a lot of money on, but shit something about just plugging the fucker into the usb port and jamming tickles me pink.

143999

Rook wrote:

Can someone explain to me why you can't just buy a proper guitar, and shove it through the line-in on your PC. I mean if you've got only enough money to buy a guitar now, and amp later, it'd seem like a better solution to get a decent guitar now.

No effects, and it probably wouldn't be powered.

Marlor

Rook wrote:

Can someone explain to me why you can't just buy a proper guitar, and shove it through the line-in on your PC. I mean if you've got only enough money to buy a guitar now, and amp later, it'd seem like a better solution to get a decent guitar now.

The main reasons are that this:
- Has everything running out-of-the box without a need for any extra software/adapter/hardware purchases
- Is actually really cheap for a fake Strat (and the reviews say that it is decent)
- Includes a headphone amp that can be powered by any USB power source

corcorigan

Rook wrote:

Can someone explain to me why you can't just buy a proper guitar, and shove it through the line-in on your PC. I mean if you've got only enough money to buy a guitar now, and amp later, it'd seem like a better solution to get a decent guitar now.

Because it will sound terrible? I've tried it...

You can buy usb things to allow you to plug your guitar in properly, and they simulate amps etc. They cost about £80 alone though at least.

$100 will buy you a terrible guitar, ignoring all the USB gubbinz. Avoid it. You'll never learn anything because it will be so bad you'll be completely put off.

countvaseline

The idea is sort of nice but really it isn't all that practical. Sound modelling isn't a new thing and really if you're interested in a vast range of really well modelled guitar sounds you'd be better off buying a Pod pre-amp/effects unit. The weird thing about this thing they are selling is that you're getting a shitty guitar which is fitted with an unusual feature that could be used to create high-end results. But if you're completely new to guitar then you really shouldn't be concerned with high-end sound modelling. You probably won't hear the difference between not being able to play through a 5watt practice amp and not being able to play on a sound modelled Marshal stack via a USB socket.
On top of that there are issues on the PC side of things. Do the drivers work well? Will it be supported for a long time. What operating systems will it work with?
On paper it looks cool but practically it raises concerns and the build quality of the guitar is likely a cunt hair from shocking.
You'd be better off with a POD. At least you could re-sell that and make the best part of your money back if you found the guitar wasn't really for you.

KKprofit

DEAR GOD DON'T BUY THAT! IT RAPED ALL MY BEER AND DRANK MY FATHER!!!

convinced?

cemetery man

Don't bother, buy yourself lots of warm socks instead. Also 50 Helens agree, you can never spend too much on a good pair of shoes.

Meiz

I don't know but this seems like the perfect way to get into playing. They're selling them at Steve's near my place so I might order one.

Unknown

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Rob

This looks pretty cool, though there are some other options. You could just get any guitar and any Line6 computer product. You hook it up, and you've got a bunch of different amps and effects (pre and post). And GuitarPort also has a huge library of lessons, too. I've never tried any of the iAxe stuff, but something tells me it wouldn't be very good years down the line when you're ready for the gig. The Line6 software (along with other ones) can be used with any guitar. I think that's a little handier.

syndalis

Step 1: Find any guitar you like at your local music store.

Step 2: Buy this


Trust me.


edit: damn yous for beating me.

Otaking

What would be a really good hardware/software training combo for the completely clueless? I'm hoping for serious hand holding here in the form of software that actually teaches you stuff.

I bought a cheap acoustic guitar once and tried to learn tabs but I was mainly put off since the strings were so damn painful to push down...not sure if that is a factor of me having no callouses or the cheapness of the guitar.

Mighty

Triple B wrote:

Because I can't decide, you see. It seems really cool, but I'd like to get some outside opinions about it before buying it.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/avcards/8c43/

iAXE USB Electric Guitar



*snip*

Thats a nice guitar...

I'd like to stand on that!

xzzy

If I was some random guy screwing around on a guitar, I'd just buy a cheap ass normal instrument, plug it in to the line-in on my PC, and run this:

http://www.cockos.com/reaper/

Yields far more options, a better chance of having a usable instrument, and probably costs about the same.

Then at the next level, is the aforementioned pod.