From: tanith@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Michael D Kretzer)
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Midi guitar inquiry
Date: 18 Nov 1992 00:10:07 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: tanith@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tanith@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

From article <1992Nov17.190226.20729@cbnewsi.cb.att.com>, by venky@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (venkatesh.krishnaswamy):
> 2) Ibanez MC-1 rackmount synth controller and guitar
> 
> Any technical info (midi capabilities, non-midi guitar
> specs) as well as personal impressions (playability,
> tracking, built-in sounds) will be greatly appreciated.

The Ibanez guitar has no built in sounds whatsoever.  The rack-mount
unit is merely a MIDI controller meant to drive an external synth.

The playability of the MC-1 guitar is excellent.  After all, it's a
'real' guitar...you can hook it up to a regular electric amp and
play your heart out.  The guitar itself has to separate outs...one phono 
out for the non-MIDI electric guitar signal and another for MIDI.
The fingerboard is ebony, and it comes with two humbucking pickups.  
It also has a tremelo arm, but it only works for MIDI...it is not
mechanically attached to the strings, it merely modifies the MIDI
stream.

Like a lot of the Ibanez guitars that I've tried, the MC-1 is a little
on the heavy side, as far as weight is concerned.  Of course, it makes
the sustain of the guitar wonderful...but I found that my shoulder was
really sore after a gig because the thing was so heavy.  Also, the body
design of the guitar is this weird wedge shape, so it's not a 'lap guitar'...
you will need a strap to hold it at the correct height for playing.
I always loved that 'headless' tuning system design for the strings, though...
it makes replacing strings a snap.  

The MIDI tracking of the guitar isn't that great.  Ibanez decided to
use frequency counters for the MIDI unit so that an unmodified electric
guitar could be used.  The tracking is a lot better than the other
frequency counter controllers...with the possible exception of the
Gibson controller (which is a lot newer than the Ibanez).  The MIDI
controller handles alternate tunings with no problems...the tracking
is no worse (or better) than in standard tuning.  The guitar
tracks single note leads and string bends very well...and it can handle
most chord playing too.  Unfortunately, most guitar players also like
to take advantage of 'noise' like string slaps, pick slides, etc...
and obviously this is not going to be output.

The problem with all MIDI guitars is that one must usually radically
change their playing technique in order to get good results out of the
guitar.  First, since the frequency-counter method is used, there is
a slight delay as the MIDI pickups figure out what note you played
before it is sent out.  This delay isn't very long on the Ibanez unit,
but it's still long enough to be noticable...especially during fast
runs...you feel like you're playing in molasses.  Also, you can basically
rule out chord strumming...it usually sounds awful over MIDI.
Single note leads sound the best...if you want to play chords, tapping
works better than strumming...

I ended up setting the action really low and playing the guitar like a piano 
(i.e. "two-handed"...where one frets and taps a note with the same finger).  
This looks impressive, of course, but if you're going to play a guitar like a 
piano, you might as well just play a piano.  

I found that I mostly just used the MC-1 as an electric guitar and not
for the MIDI at all.  That's why I eventually sold mine.  I would urge
someone considering buying a MIDI guitar to DEFINITELY trying one before
buying a MIDI guitar.  They still aren't quite perfected yet, and the
limitations of MIDI tend to take out all the information that makes
listening to guitar playing interesting.  My suggestion is to invest
your money in a good digital effects unit rather than a MIDI guitar...
you'll probably find that a good effects unti will extend your sonic
horizons further than a MIDI guitar will.  Hopefully, the guitar manufacturers
will perfect MIDI guitars soon, but right now, they are just too
imperfect at converting guitar playing into MIDI...