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Post subject: HOW ABOUT A VG STRAT THAT REALLY IS MIDI!
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:48 am
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Having just put a Roland pickup on my Valley Arts Standard Pro guitar, and having read up on the Roland Strat and the Strat VG (your emphasis being, "It's not a MIDI guitar!") I am hoping someone at Fender is saying, "We should really create a VG-MIDI version!" You know, one that's NOT made in Mexico; one that DOES connect to the Roland GI-20; one that is FRIENDLY to computer-recording guys, such as myself. It's just a thought.

I hope someone at Fender is going in this direction. I have owned about 5 Strats in my lifetime; sure wouldn't mind having another.


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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:32 pm
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Welcome to the forum :)


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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:38 pm
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Whats wrong with the Mexican Strats? They're very fine guitars. Otherwise I wouldn't choose mine over my 1961 Gibson Melody Maker most of the time.


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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:36 pm
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I must admit, I really like the sunburst model.

If you say they are good then I will head off to my nearby guitar store and play one or two. We will see how it compares to my Strat Ultra and my Custom Shop set-neck Strat with flame maple top. I have sold those guitars, but I think I remember how they played ... and unfortunately, not as good as my late 1980s Valley Arts Standard Pro number 0076 upon which I recently have attached a Roland MIDI pickup.

Do you run your Strat through a Roland? I am using the GI-20 to trigger MIDI instruments in my Mac. Any tips would be welcome as I am just getting started with MIDI guitar, though I have been creating music for the Web with Logic Pro for a couple years now using a MIDI keyboard.

Thanks again! I will check out the Roland Strat.


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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:50 pm
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Oh ... I guess I would add one more thing.

It doesn't seem like much of a leap to think that Fender could do just a little more wiring on the Strat VG to set it up with the 13-pin MIDI cable jack, while keeping all the other great attributes it has going for it.

This would put Fender in competition with the Les Paul MIDI guitar, and I bet the Fender model would be priced at about half what the Gibson goes for, which is more than $5,000 I believe. (From the looks of it, their Dark Fire is, like the VG, technically advanced by not truly MIDI.)

So, one small step for Fender (a slight expansion of an existing model) and one giant leap for MIDI guitar ... and at the same time Fender could stealing thunder from Gibson. Mind you, I have nothing against Gibson; I played a Les Paul exclusively for about 10 years, but competition is good — especially for the consumer!

Anyway, these are just some random thoughts from a person who has only recently started paying attention to advanced guitar technology.

Jon


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Post subject: I WAS WRONG: DARK FIRE IS MIDI
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 8:06 pm
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Yikes, I was wrong about the Dark Fire. Here's a sentence from the Web site:

"Another special output is compatible with guitar-to-MIDI converters from companies such as Axon and Roland, turning Dark Fire into an exceptional MIDI guitar."

So Gibson already has their own version of what I would call the Strat VG/MIDI ... so Fender has some catching up to do. I wouldn't be surprised to hear they're already working on it! Let's hope.


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Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:51 am
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I believe the VG was designed the way it was to avoid the tracking problems with MIDI guitars and to provide a versatile guitar that can be used anywhere without the need for special connections or interfaces.

It will be interesting to see how the new Dark Fire fares once Gibson solves its mfg issues. If I were Fender, I'd take a wait-and-see stance before introducing more hi-tech guitars. Seems like Gibson is spending a lot of R&D money on products for niche markets.


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Post subject: KEEP VG — ADD TO IT
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:33 pm
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I would suppose you're correct. And I would not suggest they eliminate the VG from their Strat line-up. Just add some more wires for a MIDI model.

I also would suppose Gibson spent a small fortune on their Robot, Digital and Dark Fire guitars. Who knows if they'll get their money back? Maybe another Roland pickup on a Valley Arts T-series is the way to go until Fender jumps into the game with both feet ... or let the credit card take a big hit for the Dark Fire, which I have yet to see priced.

For now, the MIDI setup I have is working lots better than I could have hoped. Sure, there are some dropped notes, and because of that, I would hate to have to play it on stage. But considering all I am doing is creating music for Web slide shows and videos, I have plenty of chance to fix those dropped notes ... and it's even fun!


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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:52 am
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I get the Gibson newsletter, but I can't remember if they provided a price. The Dark Fire assembly process apparently is more intricate than first planned. The guitars are taking longer to turn out and Gibson is now using the original Dec. 15th intro date as the day that "selected" retailers will receive stock.

If you really want one of these, maybe now is the time since I've read they've rolled back the price of the Robot. Maybe the price of the Dark Fire won't be so high with the bad economy and low demand.


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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:21 am
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I noticed that they were behind on their release dates. Creating a cool guitar is hard enough ... now they have all the computer chips and software to complicate things, too!


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