I'm sorry, but this guy appears to have never even seen a Ztar - never mind played one. If he has, then he has completely missed the point.

It's not intended to replace a guitar - even the manufacturers will tell you that. It's basically a guitar shaped midi controller (GSMC) which allows someone familiar with guitars to play a 'keyboard' with minimal additional learning. As it is a keyed instrument, there are none of the problems associated with pitch to midi systems (such as those made by Roland and Axon). No latency, no glitches, etc., etc.

As for the 'more than one note' he is so dismissive about, what it means is that it's possible to play more than one note *on the same 'string'* - try doing that on a guitar!! Once you understand this fundamental difference, you realise how it becomes possible to play close chord voicings that would be totally impossible on a guitar.

I've played guitar for 40 odd years and I bought a Ztar (a Z6) about five years ago. It doesn't replace any of my guitars, but it beats the c**p out of any pitch to midi system I have used (and that's most of them). It's not a cheap instrument - it's a custom built one and that is bound to reflected in the price. The Z7 is just about the cheapest version available, I paid twice as much for mine - but it was worth every penny.

As a 'review' this is complete rubbish.

Wow,

I dread to think how many other ill-informed, ignorant and grossly misjudged "reviews" Florin Tibu is spreading.

If someone is paying Florin to do this, they should fire them right now because has no idea what he is writing about, and yet seems to think he is in a position to pass on his thoughts and opinions for musical hardware on a software review site no less..

If Florin had actually tried a Ztar out and perhaps read the online manual or attempted to even understand what the electronic instrument is for, then he would not have written this garbage.

I don't think I need to explain it because anyone reading this should have the intelligence to goto www.starrlabs.com and check out for themselves what it's all about.

The Ztar will NEVER replace your guitar. It is a keyboard built for guitarists. It allows musicians who have better chops on the guitar to finally control and play their synths with the freedom that they always dreamed of. No longer are you limited to what used to be the only choice..A centuries old design, the Pianoforte keyboard layout.
A Roland pitch-MIDI converter? Wow, clunky! With a Ztar you can now play blisteringly fast legato lines and get this, more than 6 notes at once..

Hold on a moment..

Let me quote from the review:
"More than one note!" Can you imagine such breakthrough? A guitar that actually emits more than one note! Unf***ingbelievable!

Are you actually serious Florin? You're doing a very good job of displaying your ineptitude as a reviewer.

Read this line, to yourself, over and and over:
"fully polyphonic (more than one-note-per-string!)"
Do not stop reading that line, do not stop for food, drink or toiletry needs until you actually understand what that sentence is telling you. Then read what you wrote about that sentence over and over too. Hopefully after that Florin, you will have some idea of the brainless noise you are feeding to the public.

Good day ;)

I haven't tried one but I'm interested. I understand the "more than one note per string" capabilities of the Ztar, but how does it play and feel? Wouldn't the polyphonic playing of a barred G chord at the 3rd fret actually sound 9 notes instead of 6 since the first finger is actually laying across 6 strings all by itself? The neck seems wide, like a classical guitar, and I'm sure the pictures don't do it justice. Are there actual strings on it or are there some sort of activators at each fret? Is it best suited for strumming, single-note picking, fingerpicking, or all of the above?

What kind of biased review is this?. This is coming from an "Editor" of "Software Review". Whenever I go online, I always go for the Pros and Cons so that I know where it fits to my preferences. Cos not everybody thinks and does things the same way you do.

I know you got a point and played the guitar for 14 years. But I think the people who plays the ZTar might be better and played longer than you.

Lets say I play a standard "D" chord on the Ztar. Will all those notes sound? If so, and if the keys are also pressure sensitive, then the Ztar sounds like a real midi controller MUSICAL INSTRUMENT to me. Combine that with a laptop and all the computer/synth software available, then wipe the floor with all the Traditional Puritans that always have a problem with progress.