After the guitar went electric in 1931, guitar technology mostly stayed the same. But what if you could plug an iPhone into the side of one?
The Fusion Guitar is an electric guitar body with an embedded iPhone dock. It is built on existing technology that turns the guitar’s analog sound signals into digital information that your iPhone can understand. Apps running on the iPhone let you create and alter sounds, loop your playing, and record full-fledged songs without so much as a microphone (though the gadget plays nicely with all order of music gear that accept audio inputs).
The Indiegogo campaign to raise $60,000 of pre-sales the device launched today.
Musical adapters of this sort have been around for years, but the Fusion Guitar is unique in that the instrument itself is the adapter. The guitar, with an iPhone or iPod Touch inserted into its dock, serves not only as a full rig with pedalboard, but as a lightweight recording studio at the same time.
As the device is simply hardware on its own, it relies on third-party apps to make the most of its capabilities; bring your own iPhone or iPod Touch loaded with music-making apps in order to make the Fusion Guitar useful. The music-making app space is well-trod and you’ll have no issue making compelling sounds quickly—the company suggests using apps like Jamup, Bias, and Amplitube.
The instrument is also a great complement to music instruction apps such as Yousician, Guitar Pro, and Guitar Master Class. The position of the iPhone dock means the phone can display notation and chord fingerings in an intuitive place—all you have to do is glance down. It’s bound to be a great gift for anyone struggling to learn guitar.
David Auld, co-inventor of the Fusion Guitar, stopped by the Daily Dot’s office in New York City to give us a demo. If you like what you see, you can pre-order one starting at $400.
Screengrab via the Daily Dot/YouTube
