For the past few years, Loog Guitars has been successfully crowdfunding a bunch of learner instruments for youngsters, and has now kicked off another campaign to fund three guitars with a built-in amp and speaker. And now students can literally teach themselves to play.
Up until now, Loog acoustic and electric guitars have all had three strings instead of the more traditional six. Two of the new Loogs follow this design, but one has a full complement. The Loog mini is aimed at learners 3 years and up, the Loog Pro is for players 8 years and over, and the Pro VI – the model with six strings – is for those who are 12 years and above.
All of the new models feature a built-in amplifier and speaker so that youngsters don't need to plug into an external amp or worry about getting tangled in cable spaghetti. They also work with a companion app that makes use of the smartphone's selfie camera to literally put them onscreen to teach themselves how to play.
The app presents a mirror image of the student and shows them where to place their fingers, and when to strum or pick. The app also features a digital songbook that includes popular tunes by The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and more, and allows players to slow down the tempo until they nail the finger positions. There's a tuner cooked in, and gamified content to make learning fun. And monsters.
The package comes with flashcards, that show Loogers exactly where to put their fingers on the neck to form chords. The company says that everything learned on the mini can be easily transferred to the Pro, and even the six-string Pro VI.
"The concept is to make it fun, easy and stimulating for anybody to play music," said Loog's founder Rafael Atijas. "When you get a Loog, you get more than just a guitar. You get an instrument bundled with everything you need to learn to play songs. Kids are playing, learning and having fun from the very beginning, acquiring skills that stay with them forever."
The new Loogs have launched on Kickstarter today. Pledges for the Loog mini electric start at US$99, the Pro comes in at $149 and the Pro VI is set at $199. If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in April 2020. The video below has more.
Sources: Loog Guitars, Kickstarter
