NAMM: Guitar Karaoke?

US Fender Announce The World's First Guitar Digital Entertainment Center 29/01/05

It may look like a classic Fender amplifier and indeed is, at heart, a 15-Watt combo amplifier with an 8" Special Design speaker, but the digital LCD display interface screen gives the game away - The new Fender G-DEC is much more than just an amp. Designed for guitar players of all skill levels, the G-DEC is an easy to use digital entertainment centre for guitarists. It combines a number of different and useful guitar tones, built-in effects and instrument backing with drum beats and bass lines, to make it easy for practice sessions to sound like a full band. Beginners can plug in an electric guitar for the very first time and have a number of different features at their disposal for a more enjoyable learning experience, while more seasoned guitarists can use the G-DEC to solo over backing tracks or to develop songwriting ideas in the context of a band. With more than 2 years spent on developing this amplifier system, the G-DEC is the product of the same team of world-class engineers at Fender that has designed everything from the best-selling Frontman series, to Fender's flagship Cyber-Twin SE. Their goal was to create something never-before-seen in an amplifier of any kind, while at the same time creating a useful tool for every guitarist. The G-DEC provides a number of useable guitar tones--everything from heavy metal to jazz to punk to country to Latin to reggae, with easy tone recall at the twist of a knob. There is also a wide variety of often-used effects such as Reverb and Echo, as well as other effects. Pre-programmed and adjustable drum beats, bass lines, and other instruments provide musical backing in any style and tempo. The internal synthesizer with MIDI interface allows playback of MIDI song files via computer. Users can download a favorite song, then play along with the backing tracks through the G-DEC. The G-DEC's top provides a flat surface for placing a portable CD or MP3 player, which can be hooked up with the G-DEC for 'play along' capability. Additionally, an internal Phrase Sampler can sample the incoming guitar signal to create loops, or it can capture soundbites from CD/MP3 for careful study. Compact and portable, the G-DEC comes with a shoulder strap for easy transport and also features a built-in, easy to use automatic guitar tuner. US MSRP is $359.99. More info:

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