Review: Jamstik+ Smart Guitar

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Jamstik+ isn't an electric guitar but a synthesizer. It plays sampled chords or sounds depending on where you touch, hold or strum the instrument.

Jamstik+ is a unique new MIDI controller that's being marketed as a 'smart guitar,' this small and lightweight device recalls the look of Steinberger basses from the 80's, which are basically a neck, strings and pickups and not much else. It pairs to your iOS device via an app and can simulate various sounds ranging from steel strings to wah-wah distorted guitars and even sitars, saxophones and other synth sounds.

Jamstik+ isn't an electric guitar, per se but a synthesizer. It plays sampled chords or sounds depending on where you touch, hold or strum the instrument. As such, it lacks the organic character of an acoustic or even electric guitar. You can strum, pluck and play chords but you can't hammer or pull-off as well as bend the strings to change the sound or pitch. So, you may be able to play the intro to Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water but forget going into any Eddie Van Halen-like divebombs or scorching solos.

Being a Bluetooth connected device, there's some discernible lag from the time you strum to when you hear the sound, this is easily forgiven once you get used to what the Jamstik+ can offer, which is a compact and complimentary way to learn guitar as well as create loop-based music anywhere you can fit your iPad or iPhone 6 in.

After spending a few weeks with the Jamstik+, I was really impressed by the build-quality and level of finish of this device. It looks and feels very durable and is cleverly designed. Despite the limited real-estate, you can move octaves up and down by pressing a few buttons and the battery does last quite long.

Jamstik+ is small enough to be used while travelling, you can even whip it out in an airplane, connect to your iOS device and use headphones to practice chords or compose a song. As someone who is perennially trying to learn the guitar, I see the Jamstik+ as good complement to an actual acoustic or electric guitar.

I think the makers of this device have managed to push the technology as far as it can go in terms of approximating what one can do with a MIDI controller. That said, it's hard to imagine the jamstik+ being used exclusively to create music or for live gigs (then again, great musicians have done more with less, so anything is possible).

What Jamstik+ offers is a convenient way to explore guitar playing. While the sound isn't as organic or as authentic as one would like, the feel of the strings and the neck are pretty close to the real thing, which is ideal for training your fingers. Jamstik+ even has a range of iOS and Mac apps which it is compatible with.

System requirements for the Jamstik+ are:

• iOS 8.12+

• iPad Mini

• iPad 3 (or later)

• iPhone (4S or later)

• iPod touch (5th Gen or later)

• Mac OSX 10.10 (Yosemite)

Jamstik+ is a great learning tool. The software is intuitive and the device's size makes it ideal for younger users.The added advantage of being able to see what strings or chords your are touching at any given time helps in correcting early mistakes which can plague guitar players later on. If you want to learn to play guitar, get a guitar.

Not a guitar substitute, the Jamstik+ is a worthy addition to any student guitarists' arsenal. Synth players who want another physical interface to use in creating loop-based songs or controlling MIDI sources can also consider this a viable tool. Jamstik+ costs US $299.

Rating 3.5 out of 5