Gibson has a new digital Les Paul guitar coming in April:
- The first run of 3,000 instruments will retail for about $2,600 each.
It looks, sounds and acts like a Les Paul, but it's not. The technology in the standard electric guitar dates to the 1920s, with few major changes. The electric guitar is monophonic: The sound from each of the six guitar strings is "picked up" and sent as an analog signal to devices such as amplifiers and receivers.
Gibson's new offering uses digital technology to separate the sound from each string and send out a digital signal that can be manipulated with reverb, distortion, coloration and other effects. Output is through an Ethernet cable with multichannel capabilities, which eliminates the sound interference associated with conventional audio cable, Gibson chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz said.
"We bring more of what you're actually doing as a player through superior electronics. It makes the Les Paul more of a Les Paul, not something different or enhanced," he said. "If I'm a good player, I will sound better and be able to translate more of my style to the audience, and that's what music is about."
The problem is, nothing else works with it, said George Gruhn, a guitar store owner in Nashville.
"I don't have an amplifier it would be compatible with. And 99% of guitars people play could be plugged into an amp Leo Fender made in 1944," he said. [USA Today]
- There is no standard yet for digitized music, but Juszkiewicz predicts that within five years, 95% of instruments will be digital, including guitars priced at less than $100. Until then, Gibson's digital guitar will come with a converter to make it compatible with current analog equipment.
The microprocessor board also will be sold as a kit so that players can retrofit guitars, Juszkiewicz said. Transferability means players can easily upgrade as Gibson develops new features and protocol.
More on the new guitar from the Gibson site here.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
...within five years, 95% of instruments will be digital...
they will have to pry my Fender Strat from my cold dead hands.
2 - Antfreeze
Mine too. Hey my cold dead hands! No wonder I play so badly.
3 - Mark Saleski
and it's not like Gibson is inventing anything here. outboard guitar synth pickups have been around for years (i've had a Roland GR-50 for over 10 years)...heck, you can even get a Strat with the pickup built it.
and don't get me wrong, i have nothing against Gibson...i'm the proud owner of an Epiphone Sheriton and a creamylicious ES-175.
4 - Antfreeze
Is this saying that you could have different effects settings for each string? That might be rather groovy. They say the beauty here is that once everybody's instruments are compatible each becomes another node on a network and can be centrally manipulated. This probably is the wave of the future unfortunately at least in the studio. There's something wholly bazarro world about playing a guitar like this through an old tube amp though eh.
5 - Zanzabari
OK, so Juszkiewicz says within two and one half years as of today's date, 95% of instruments will be digital, including guitars priced at less than $100. Wow! I want some of what he is smoking.