Is Sensus "the first real smart guitar"?
Internet-ready acoustic/electric produces audio and effects internally - no amp required
There's no stopping the relentless wave of technologically advanced guitars - whether they be Bluetooth iOS controllers, acoustic guitar MIDI control pads or guitars with built-in iPhone docks - but Stockholm's Mind Music Labs reckons it's nailed "the first real smart guitar" with the Sensus.
Pairing an acoustic/electric guitar with a 360° music system and the Internet of Things, the Sensus promises to "produce any sound or modulation" without using external amplification.
As opposed to many of its competitors, the Sensus is built with real wood - the same red spruce as Stradivari violins, apparently - but its body can also be used to channel an assortment of internal effects as well as any sound transmitted wirelessly to the guitar, with 360° sound reproduction.
Internet connectivity via an internal digital brain allows music streaming and playback, long-distance jamming and the ability to instantly share performances online - Mind Music Labs also claims you can record music in "studio-level quality" direct from the guitar.
Onboard effects - those demoed include modulation, delays, synth pads and a looper - can be controlled via a motion sensor, touch sensor, distance sensor and pressure sensors located on the guitar's body, as well as a ribbon sensor along the neck.
The Sensus is still at prototype stage, so there's no word on a release date or price yet, but mark our words, we'll be keeping a keen eye on its progression...
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
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