Guitar Players: Why Not Guitar Synth?

Synthesizers have been around for years. I rememberComing from the pickup is a 13-pin din cable that plugs
seeing a picture of Pete Townsend of The Who backinto a converter box. Again, Roland and Axon are the
in the early/mid-seventies with an ARP.main companies with Axon being on the cutting edge
Since then it has come a long way and still needsfor midi conversion
tweaking but it is usable.Depending on the box, you can get some with sounds,
The technology is there. Use it. If you do not, you arewithout sounds or USB connection for computer
missing a lot.recording.
Checkout Pat Metheny and others.Once you have this setup, you would have to tweak
You can't just plug your guitar's output into a box andthe settings in the box to how you play. Each guitar
get great synth sounds. You need a 13-pin connection.player is different. Each guitar is different. One guitar
This is achieved by using a specially designed hexplayer could use different techniques (finger picking,
pickup that attaches to your guitar (Roland, Axon) orhard picking, very soft picking, tapping, etc). Sensitivity,
use a guitar that has it built -in already. The guitartuning, feel/picking are some of the settings to look at.
option also comes in two versions-Hex pickups orImagine recording a guitar track, then adding piano,
piezo. The hex pickup is the same as the externalbass, drums, strings, sax and more right from the guitar.
pickups. The piezo version has piezo transducers inUsing a 13-pin guitar to access synth or samples
the bridge. The piezo built -in version is better, moresounds opens a whole world for expression,
accurate. It will also gives you an acoustic sound viacomposing, recording, inspiration and more. It allows you
the piezo transducers. This is a great option to haveto control software sounds in your computer that you
because you can have an acoustic sound through analready have but can't use unless you play keyboard.
amp without bringing an extra guitar to the gig orA lot of guitar players do not want to play keyboard!
rehearsal and you can combine this sound with theYou can input notes into tab or notation. Play it back
electric tones and synth sounds. This is huge sound onand print it out. A great tool for teaching!
stage!