We’re pretty sure that every guitar made has had strings, but not the new Kitara digital guitar. It’s the first of a new breed of instruments that combines fret buttons and a touchscreen to make music in a completely unique way.
Created by Australian engineer and musician Michael Zarimis, the Kitara is shaped like an electric guitar, but instead of strings, there’s an 8-inch multi-touch screen and a synthesiser underneath. No strings means no broken strings during a concert, with you only needing to worry about hitting the right notes and strumming the digital lines on the touchscreen.
The Kitara runs a version of the Linux operating system, and comes preloaded with over 100 sounds and 6 effects. There’s also a MIDI out, headphone out, and line out so you can send the sounds to an amp or computer system.
Truth be told, we’re reminded of Fender’s ridiculous Rock Band 3 controller that still has yet to grace our shores. Regardless, this has become one of the new toys that we really want.
Grabbing it comes with a cost (seriously, you saw that part coming, right?) with a plastic bodied Kitara selling at $849 and the special aluminium edition for $2,899.