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After Hours

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

By carareynolds November 14, 2007, 4:26 AM PST

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Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Packaging

Packaging

Behringer’s iAXE393 USB-Guitar is a practical gift for the musical geek. The iAXE393 is a full-size electric guitar that plugs right into your laptop or PC. It comes with a lot of goodies, including a strap, three picks, a USB cord, and a software package.

Here’s a look at the front of the iAXE393 USB-Guitar box.

For a complete review of the iAXE393, read Sonja’s blog post, “Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar for the musical geek”.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Unwrapping

Unwrapping

Getting ready to unwrap the iAXE393 USB-Guitar.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Unveiling

Unveiling

The USB-Guitar is packed securely.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Tuning

Tuning

For starters, I attempted to tune the iAXE393 USB-Guitar.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Tuning pegs

Tuning pegs

Tuning the guitar was easy.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Fine tuning

Fine tuning

Keeping the guitar tuned, on the other hand, was a challenge!

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Getting the feel

Getting the feel

The iAXE393 is a sturdy little instrument. It has a 22-fret maple neck and plays nicely.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Plucking

Plucking

The iAXE393 comes with three picks, but I wanted to get a feel for it with my own bare hands.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Single-coil pickups

Single-coil pickups

You can see the three single-coil pickups (two for tone and one for volume), plus the five-way switching lever.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Connector for an amplifier

Connector for an amplifier

This is where you can plug your guitar into a traditional amplifier or a tuning device.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

USB port

USB port

Here’s the USB port and the connector for stereo headphones.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Extras

Extras

A bag of goodies came with the iAXE393 USB-Guitar.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Strap

Strap

The guitar strap was easily adjustable.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Picks

Picks

Three picks were included in the package.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

USB cord

USB cord

Here’s the cord that connects the guitar to the laptop or PC.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Vibrato bridge

Vibrato bridge

The vibrato bridge easily screws into the front of the guitar for mind and ear bending sound effects.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Chord Starter Guide

Chord Starter Guide

There’s a Chord Starter Guide for beginners.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Manuals in different languages

Manuals in different languages

You don’t speak English? Don’t worry. The iAXE393 comes with instructions in several other languages, including French and Japanese.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Connected to the PC

Connected to the PC

I can honestly say that this is the first time that I’ve ever plugged a guitar into a computer.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Vibrato bridge connection

Vibrato bridge connection

The vibrato bridge was very simple to attach to the guitar.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Reading the manual

Reading the manual

At first, reading through the documentation was exciting and fun.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Study time

Study time

I never was able to figure out the recording and editing software… and that’s not so fun.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Installing the software

Installing the software

The CD-ROM included iAXE393 USB-Guitar drivers, Native Instruments’ Guitar Combos (demos), plus the Kristal recording and Audacity editing software.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Native Instruments' Guitar Combos

Native Instruments' Guitar Combos

You have three Guitar Combos demos to play around with for 30 days. After that, you have to pick one to download in its entirety from Native Instruments.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Still tuning

Still tuning

Did I mention that I had a hard time keeping the iAXE393 USB-Guitar in tune?

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Music appreciation

Music appreciation

A couple of my co-workers had to check out the iAXE393 USB-Guitar as well.

Geek Gifts 2007: iAXE393 USB-Guitar

Fun but challenging

Fun but challenging

Pros of the iAXE393 USB-Guitar: The sound effects are awesome and it’s a very nice instrument for a relatively low cost.

Cons of the iAXE393 USB-Guitar: It wouldn’t stay in tune and the software was not very intuitive or user-friendly.

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By carareynolds
Cara Reynolds an editor on TechRepublic's content team. She has been working in educational, licensed, and Web publishing for more years than she cares to admit and hosts the Right Tool for the Job blog on TechRepublic.
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