The wonders of technology never cease.
You are looking at the Kitara “digital guitar” — a whole new type of instrument that does for guitarists what synthesizers did for pianists. Nothing less than a full digital audio controller, the Kitara from Misa Digital Instruments is designed for musicians who want to include audio synthesis or sampling in their music, but do it in a whole new way.
The device is built in the shape of an electric guitar, but instead of strings, it has an 8-inch touchscreen where guitarists traditionally strum, and a full set of 24 frets, each with six buttons. It comes with a library of one hundred sounds built in, but more will be available over time, and you can create and edit your own sounds with the Kitara as well. Combine sounds you’ve assigned to the touchscreen’s virtual strings to create and produce sounds never before possible, or you can control any MIDI-compatible device.
I’m sure there’s a learning curve involved even for seasoned guitarists because no longer having tactile feedback on your guitar is bound to be jarring. But the possibilities opened up for inventive musicians by the Kitara are mind-boggling.
Misa Digital will have the Kitara digital guitar available to purchase beginning in April, or you can pre-order it now. It starts at $849 for the standard edition, or $2,899 for a solid aluminum special edition.
