*** I run a guitar repair shop in Massachusetts. I worked on one of these Blue Lava guitars last week. The owner had just purchased it brand new for their young daughter the week prior. He also purchased at the same time the much more expensive model ($1000.) which had to be returned as it was in even worse playing condition than the Blue Lava, but unlike the Blue Lava, was completely non-adjustable / non-fixable). Anyway, the Blue Lava arrived virtually unplayable because the action was so high it was too hard to fret comfortably. I ended up having to modify the actual bridge slightly and lower and compensate the saddle, then do a full fret dressing and adjust the neck relief which then made the guitar reasonable to play. This cost the customer about $125. when all said and done with new strings. Also, several other small things to note.... The start-up screen is very slow to open and makes a loud start-up chime that cannot be quieted. Some may find it offensively loud and annoying. The string nut literally fell off when I removed the strings. The neck is wood, but the fretboard is a composite of some kind. The frets look like they were seated by a child (hence the fret dressing). The playback sound comes out of the back of the guitar, so holding it away from your body yields a much louder playback volume. The matt blue finish can get dirty from finger grime that's hard to remove with normal guitar polish and can become spot shiny if too much rubbing pressure is used. The guitar was fun to play once all the playing issues were addressed, but unlike the one they sent Darrell, which may have been set-up as a demo guitar at the factory, the one I worked on should have NEVER left the factory that way. I hope this helps.
I just bought one and am happy to report it’s been great right out of the box. No issues whatsoever. I got it on sale for $499, and feels like a steal.
I got one and can report the same thing, the action is just way to high. I know it can be a taste thing but, this is just way off. Even though there’s a truss rod, tuning it wasn’t enough, I’m now afraid to tune it even further and end-up damaging the thing.
What a time to be alive! Never in a million years would I have expected an acoustic guitar to be turned into a smart device. It's one thing to make a smart guitar, its another to make an acoustic smart.
This is just amazing, I am trying to learn the guitar and finding it really tedious but the features on the Blue Lava would make learning just so much more fun and interactive, love it…
I don't mean to be picky but I noticed the touch sensitivity of the screen wasn't 100% responsive. Nothing too impeding but it got me wondering. If the screen starts acting up (phantom touch on cellphone ring a bell?) how difficult would it be to replace it? These electronic gadgets aren't made to last unfortunately.
Doesn't look all that complicated to swap out, actually... It would be more interesting if you could put this into whatever acoustic you wanted. I'm thinking it might be worth getting, and then if I don't like the guitar, rip its guts out and put it in another one.
I had a chance to buy one, even a few days before the release daye and decided against it for that very reason. The screen will be useless in a couple years, the guitar will look dated, and you'll be struggling to sell it to buy a real guitar. Those screams of Apple to me, and having to upgrade or replace it every year or two as it becomes slower and slower with updates. I'd rather buy a nice used Taylor or Martin parlour sized acoustic for practice.
@@RByrne I don't see that. How's the screen going to just be useless in a couple years? I've got old cell phones that still work, that I use for other things now....It's not like you'll be dropping it like a cell phone. And why would the guitar look dated? They have a couple strange colors, sure, but dated? I don't see any of that happening.
It is not clear from any of these videos on the Lava smart guitar whether the onboard smart device relies on a constaqnt connection via bluetooth to a smartphone or whether pairing etc is for loading effects etc onto it. Are the effects and looper etc standalone please?
What about the guitar itself?...materials, construction, playability, feeling. Can it be connected to an amp? to a computer? Seems to be just a good learning guitar.
Can you download new strings? Lol Jokes aside, this seems like a very well done integration between technology and the guitar, unlike a lot of products that wanna achieve that.
Don’t see this replacing any of my guitars at home… they just sound better to my ears, and I have no shortage of tools to have fun with. BUT I can see this being a great travel guitar. So many tools to play around with on the move, the ability to respond to all kinds of requests around a campfire, are both great for that. Especially if it’s largely made of some kind of non-wood material, it’s probably more resilient to climate. For that purpose, i just wish they sold it in a smaller version!
I got a Lava ME2 a couple years ago, after basically ruining my wood acoustic Guild guitar when I took it camping over the years. After a few years my ME2 still looks and plays like it is brand new. It's really been a terrific travel guitar, and I've actually used it for open mic nites too. Sure, it's small, it's light, it's ORANGE, but it's a real guitar that plays fantastic.
My thoughts exactly. Really just a travel guitar, which is great. The smarter move is a next-gen smart amp that you can simply use with any guitar. Or even simply one of many mobile apps you can plug into.
It’s pretty impressive for sure. I like the carbon fiber aspect of it mostly because I have all the loopers, pedals and amps, etc, that I could ever need. I think it’s a great idea for someone getting into guitar playing. But it’s not carbon fiber? What is it made of?
the Lava ME2 is carbon, and now it's actually less $ than the Blue Lava. It just has the more basic onboard effects without any screen tech. I've had one for years now, and still love it.
This may be interesting but it's also a way of considerably shortening guitars lifespans. What happens when the battery dies? And when new software is released, what happens to the so-called integration? It seems to me that it's still better to have a lifetime enduring guitar and work with unintegrated hardware/software.
Not sure about the battery, I do have both a Lava ME2 and ME3, and the ME3 looks like it has identical electronic interface. The ME3 guitar requires a wifi connection just to set it up, but then will do auto-software updates of it's OS when connected. And the overall feel and sound is quite good, I'm assuming this new one is similar.
Seems like if the battery/tech dies, then you still have an acoustic guitar. Same as a traditional guitar. And with the carbon build, it will last much longer than wood.
Thanks for the information on this guitar. I wish I was younger and was working at Motorola. I could afford allot of music items like this. I bought several expensive keyboards back in those years. Being retired, I can't afford buying these cool instruments anymore. But thanks for the demo of this amazing Guitar. I do have a nice midi guitar, but I also need my PC computer to play my thousands of amazing sounds and create/layout multi tracks within a DAW. I wish I got into looping, that looks like fun to be creative. I suppose I could loop a 4 bar or 8 bar sections within my DAW, but never tried that kind of playing, was always creating full song tracks. Take care.
So, how easy is it to replace the battery? Or is it like the modern smartphones where you replace the instrument every 4 years or so because the battery is dead and the software is deprecated anyway?
I love this!!! I stumbled across someone playing this guitar and did a search and came across your page. I'm glad I did. These are amazing. Will be ordering one of these and get back into guitar playing. Can't believe the affordability...actually laughable when you consider the sounds coming out of it and all the things you can do with it. Thanks for your info!!!
How was the straight out of the box set-up?? How did the fret ends feel? How much can this guitar be adjusted? As people have different playing styles requiring different open action heights.
Every one of the reviewers seem so enamored with the electronics, no one wants to comment on the fact that there does not appear to be a truss rod or any other means of adjusting the string height. One reviewer mentioned that the units were plecked at the factory, but I can't imagine that lasting for ever.
The action is terrible on mine. It does have a truss rod adjustment but they literally tell you in the manual that you’ll have to shave the bridge for decent action. I’m having enough problems with getting it to work properly that I’m not even worried about the terrible action 🤷♂️
To bad about the action. For me, action is everything that makes a guitar playable past open chords. People talk trash about Zager Guitars. From what I read and speaking with Denny, the biggest difference is that he takes an acoustic guitar and sets it up as near perfection as possible. Of course, this varies by the style of playing and strings, but after playing a quality setup guitar, you won't be happy with another.
Nice review, I would have liked to see more about the actual guitar itself. The fit and finish, the fretwork, the tones without the effects, the tuners and the action/nut work, etc. Just from what I was able to glean from watching it looks pretty good. But I get it, the electronics is the elephant in the room, very cool integration.
They use a Plek to set these up, so it should be pretty nicely set up. Still the acoustic sound is not going rival a solid wood acoustic, but then you also don't have to worry about humidity/temperature changes, either.
I have the earlier model, the Lava ME2 with only the built in reverb/chorus effects. Got it so I could have an outdoor guitar (camping, porch sitting). The neck finish is great, no sharp fret edges, smooth neck feel, durable fret wire. It plays wonderfully with effects or not. And, it's very temperature stable, I've played at 40 deg F to 95 deg F and never ever has the neck altered it's straight as an arrow state. I have no idea how the newer models are, but if they're anything like the ME2, then you'll dig those too.
@@MitchM240 No Believe me, these are the basics of a guitar, what it needs to produce a good sound in first place It’s not like a Lamborghini and fuel economy, because fuel economy isn’t the absolutely needed of a guitar If the sound of the guitar sucks, it doesn’t feel good to play or it doesn’t tune well, it doesn’t matter how good the other components are
@@MitchM240 No, it's buying a new type of supercar from an unknown brand and ensuring their basic build QC is up to par beyond the hype of tech features and speed.
Darrell, I see a lot of comments asking for a review of the actual guitar, so I'll add to that list. I'd like to see that, neck profile, comfort to play, fret work, tuners etc. that others asked for. I'd like to get one, but not if it's like playing a 2 by 4. Thanks in advance.
If you can put Ultimate Guitar tabs and chord charts on there, I'd never need another piece of gear. This puts me in a frame of mind to wonder why the hell Fender Mustang GTX and other super tweakable app-controlled amps aren't already doing this.
Back in the days we had acustic guitars, then we heard about electric guitars, and now I hear about smart guitars. Thanks for introducing, but I wonder what comes next.
If this thing had the Guitar Pro app or something like that...🤩 I can't imagine how much fun a group of folks around a campfire could have with this playing rhythm guitar or piano and you singing while everyone giving back vocals and chorus... and then going for the SOLO!
I am an acoustic guy. However, the smart guitar idea is pretty cool. I think audio gear is pretty daunting and can be very expensive. If someone wants to play a guitar and record for a hobby this sort of thing might be the ticket. Lord knows I have 10k worth of guitars and another 5k in recording equipment and admittedly I don't use any of it to the full potential.
Is the actual guitar good? Would have liked the review to be more like normal guitar review. Maybe I missed these, but did you mention how it sounds, how it feels, how are the tuners, fretboars etc. I like the smart features, but the actual guitar is the most important thing and this review left me wondering whether the actual guitar is worth the price
Agreed. Plus, what are the specs? I can't find those anywhere, even on the Lava website (unless I'm not looking hard enough). What is the scale length, nut width, fingerboard material, fret size, neck profile, strings, etc.???? Does it have an output jack?
Great idea. Great 1st guitar for learning. Lots to love. But as a technologist, I can assure you this guitar will continue to evolve and get cheaper. I wish Darryl would have critiqued the construction of the guitar.
@@Guitartistry8 I'm not sure what it is: "In terms of build, the guitar sports a 36-inch HPL (high-pressure laminate) body that Lava Music says can withstand temperatures from -4ºF to 122ºF and humidity from 10 percent to 90 percent. It also features the company’s 4-MASS technology, which it says “enhances vibrations on its top, back and sides for better intonation”.
You should see the tech that the guitarist from 12 foot ninjas uses. It's a total cheat, but works so well. Can turn strings off or select any programmed tuning with one click.
Someone took my guitar. I had an ancient Yamaha and she served me well since the 80's. I can hardly watch these videos cuz my heart is broken. I'm 66 years young and I have been saved more than once by her.
I have been looking at the Mooer GTRS S800 electric guitar with all the effects and battery built in. I think there will be more manufacturers appearing soon. e-cars, e-trucks, e-bikes, e-scooters, now e-guitars
Lots of good stuff in the software, I'm very attracted to the ear training feature. Thing is - it's not a guitar really, it doesn't sound like one and the sound is the main thing. Must be popular though.
An amazing review, as always! However, there is a point worth mentioning here: the Blue Lava is in fact the most affordable guitar of of the Lava Music lineup that comes equipped with their on-board smart guitar system, providing all these effects and playability features. There is a more affordable option if full carbon fiber (at least here in Europe at the time of this review) that is the Lava Me 2, but you won't get the on-board system. Design wise, I see it going for the middle between their company's carbon fiber models and an acoustic guitar - which is no wonder, given how they are two different construction philosophies. It is also what makes an HPL cheper - the material is more common, easier to handle, and perhaps even recicled. Go green! - or in this case, go blue! Also, in spite of this being said, and what it would mean for my wallet... The design is the very thing that makes me have mixed feelings about this model in particular. The Lava Me 3 (the carbon fiber corresponding model) looks one-piece with a round-edged top, making it a futuristic-like product, and therefore beautiful in its futuristic approach. The Blue Lava, I'm sure it sounds awesome, but its overall design resembles too much an ordinary acoustic to actually catch my eye - apart from the oval hole, the edges of the guitar are not rounded but angular, and the neck joint extends all the way to meet the full depth of the body; plus the frets go into the body of the guitar at the 15th fret (like it usually does), while in the Lava Me 3 that happens at the 17th fret, and the neck retains the same thickness at where it meets the body. Great sound, but this argument about the design is the one thing that would make me look for the actual carbon fiber model.
I love the idea with these guitars but I fear that 5 years or so. The company will drop support and stop updating it. Then you'll be stuck with what ever features and bugs that are built in. Sure the feature set is probably enough for the average person but when the company drops support for it. You'll have to rely on the community to add more things to it and fix any bugs the software may have. That's with any smart device nowerdays.
I have a feeling that the software is Linux based, so if you can get a hold of the source code there can be someone that like it and knows how to program that can put out updates if that scenario arises.
@@williamolsen20 yeah it looks like it's android/Linux. I believe if the product gathers enough traction. The community will keep it alive much like old game consoles. But tbh, I feel the positive spark amp has more of a chance for that to happen than this guitar
That doesn't bother me as long as what is there actually works. I have amps, effect pedals, tuners etc. That still do what they did 10 20y ago. For this guitar I am worried that an update will stop things from working (like android) or that the battery will be so old that it won't work any more.
what is the actual quality of the construction of the bridge bracing the neck the headstock , the tuner's top the back side? just a decent technology to practice
It looks & sounds cool but, other than the looper, I don’t see how it’s better than using a smart phone to control a digital amp. I already have those.
I received a call from a shop last week, saying that these were in stock. I could have bought one for $799cad, but i decided against. Sure it's great now, but in 5 years it will be old technology with little to no support, and more of a hinderence. It'll be like Gibson's RoboTuners. Like Apple, you'll be forced to upgrade the guitar every so often when the battery wears down, new upgrades make it slow, etc. What happens if there's an issue out of warranty? I'll stick with regular guitars that will be beautiful and fully functional years from now.
Except of the bad look, it is interesting! Take the electronic into an E 335 guitar and you'll have an all in one! This one looks not only sad, it sounds even so! It must have a cutout!
DB where's the teleporter function on this guitar? I'm too old school for this. There's something about playing guitar that's sacred to me, it's time away from all smart devices. I can just imagine that soon the upgraded model will tell me I'm playing the tune wrong and out of time, or it won't let me play it until I'm in perfect tune LoL 😂
I am an old timer too but I love that we can go to another level of capabilities. And…. More. You guys kids will blow our brains with what they can do acoustically with this guitar without trains of pedals. Watch out for a new style of busker too. LOL Love it
It is an excellent review video, thanks. I experience one bluetooth problem. With the guitar connected with the PA speaker with bluetooth, the sounds from loop, template, etc., all can be passed to and played in the PA system. But, somehow, the sounds from the strings can not be passed to and played from the connected PA speakers. Is there anybody else experiences the same problem?
The website shows they set these up with a Plek Pro, so it should be perfect, since the carbon fiber construction isn't affected by temperature/humidity.
I've had this guitar for about 7 months and it's a love hate relationship. I love the sounds I can get out of it, I love the loops, but the neck is terrible and something I just can't get used to. I have Martins, Fenders, Yamaha and my main go to acoustic guitar is my PRS. I can pick up almost any guitar and play and enjoy it, but for some reason this neck feels so WRONG that I can only play it for about 15 minutes and I want to toss it. The frets just don't feel right, I have tried and tried and it's just seems like a terrible neck. I have changed the strings, hoping that would help, but it didnt. For those of you enjoying playing this guitar can you tell me what strings you are using? and did you feel the same till you found the proper strings and gauge? I have a Tonewood (Best) for my other acoustics and love it.
Cool , maybe a perfect busking guitar? It does have a futuristic but kind of toylike appearance, sounds good for sure…more and more like this will probably start appearing on the market.
Good to go. FULL Battery. CHECK. Good looking out there/ superb busking tool/s, loops and record, Needs an baby amp as it's built in speaker is quiet as a mouse without and loops and effects whisper or will not play. Happy days. Money back in no time. Profit is a given. Bulit in charts and player feedback. PS. When we were six and now we are five smart things happen for smart folk because both come together like snowflakes come and go from the Ocean and rainbows smartly display all there is to see that is vibrant.
Can you play Pandora through it? Ya know gor those who want to look like a musician but really cant be bothered with learning...sort of a TicToc shredder aid.
Not bad at all I like the smart screen the loop feature is tight great for beginners and intermediate players but why not add this technology to solid tone wood guitars?
Nice looking guitar! BTW does anyone know is this lava guitar can link to an earphone for ourselves to hear only and the people surrounding will not hear what we are playing?
I've never played a Guitar with such smooth integration of useful technology!
Enjoy :)
how much is it? I went on site but the Buy Now button takes me to a empty page.
$1100 USD
Drat i saw " TENET " and wanted you to try it as I love the film. I'm guessing it's reverse reverb ?
amazing somehow
thx
A lot of good tools there, for sure!
*** I run a guitar repair shop in Massachusetts. I worked on one of these Blue Lava guitars last week. The owner had just purchased it brand new for their young daughter the week prior. He also purchased at the same time the much more expensive model ($1000.) which had to be returned as it was in even worse playing condition than the Blue Lava, but unlike the Blue Lava, was completely non-adjustable / non-fixable). Anyway, the Blue Lava arrived virtually unplayable because the action was so high it was too hard to fret comfortably. I ended up having to modify the actual bridge slightly and lower and compensate the saddle, then do a full fret dressing and adjust the neck relief which then made the guitar reasonable to play. This cost the customer about $125. when all said and done with new strings. Also, several other small things to note.... The start-up screen is very slow to open and makes a loud start-up chime that cannot be quieted. Some may find it offensively loud and annoying. The string nut literally fell off when I removed the strings. The neck is wood, but the fretboard is a composite of some kind. The frets look like they were seated by a child (hence the fret dressing). The playback sound comes out of the back of the guitar, so holding it away from your body yields a much louder playback volume. The matt blue finish can get dirty from finger grime that's hard to remove with normal guitar polish and can become spot shiny if too much rubbing pressure is used. The guitar was fun to play once all the playing issues were addressed, but unlike the one they sent Darrell, which may have been set-up as a demo guitar at the factory, the one I worked on should have NEVER left the factory that way. I hope this helps.
I just bought one and am happy to report it’s been great right out of the box. No issues whatsoever. I got it on sale for $499, and feels like a steal.
@@bryanbuff Excellent! I'm very psyched you're happy with it. Thanks!
Sounds good. Has really neat features. Does it have to look so plain? It's looks are boring. No inspiration.
I got one and can report the same thing, the action is just way to high. I know it can be a taste thing but, this is just way off. Even though there’s a truss rod, tuning it wasn’t enough, I’m now afraid to tune it even further and end-up damaging the thing.
@@Caicorre Bring it to a Luthier or a Tech and see what they think OR maybe just return it.
What a time to be alive! Never in a million years would I have expected an acoustic guitar to be turned into a smart device. It's one thing to make a smart guitar, its another to make an acoustic smart.
But it's as ugly as hell.
@@memyselfandi6422 well I didn't say it wasn't
As both a musician and a front end software engineer, this guitar is basically my dream. I’m so glad this video was recommended to me!
I am a UX designer and I totally agree with you
Same thing, looks like ui was inspired by macos
This is just amazing, I am trying to learn the guitar and finding it really tedious but the features on the Blue Lava would make learning just so much more fun and interactive, love it…
Bot
I’m not buying until they upgrade the sound hole into a portal, that makes grilled cheese on toast.
🤣🤣🤣
Lolzzz 😂
I was thinking headstock coffee nozzles
is there a built in cafe latte function on this guitar?
Pleasure toast dispenser
Wow the whole band in one guitar !!! With a Teacher included !! Guitar Electronic Engineering !!! Amazing !!! 👏 !!
I don't mean to be picky but I noticed the touch sensitivity of the screen wasn't 100% responsive. Nothing too impeding but it got me wondering. If the screen starts acting up (phantom touch on cellphone ring a bell?) how difficult would it be to replace it? These electronic gadgets aren't made to last unfortunately.
Doesn't look all that complicated to swap out, actually...
It would be more interesting if you could put this into whatever acoustic you wanted. I'm thinking it might be worth getting, and then if I don't like the guitar, rip its guts out and put it in another one.
Why. Just bolt an ipod touch to an acoustic guitar kit build.
@@WarrenPostma because this seems more directed at guitar, and less "phone-y" distractions.
I had a chance to buy one, even a few days before the release daye and decided against it for that very reason. The screen will be useless in a couple years, the guitar will look dated, and you'll be struggling to sell it to buy a real guitar. Those screams of Apple to me, and having to upgrade or replace it every year or two as it becomes slower and slower with updates. I'd rather buy a nice used Taylor or Martin parlour sized acoustic for practice.
@@RByrne I don't see that. How's the screen going to just be useless in a couple years? I've got old cell phones that still work, that I use for other things now....It's not like you'll be dropping it like a cell phone. And why would the guitar look dated? They have a couple strange colors, sure, but dated? I don't see any of that happening.
It is not clear from any of these videos on the Lava smart guitar whether the onboard smart device relies on a constaqnt connection via bluetooth to a smartphone or whether pairing etc is for loading effects etc onto it. Are the effects and looper etc standalone please?
What about the guitar itself?...materials, construction, playability, feeling.
Can it be connected to an amp? to a computer?
Seems to be just a good learning guitar.
dang..i gotta use a loop pedal and a tonewood amp to get anything close to this and it's all built into this guitar. what an amazing instrument
Can you download new strings? Lol
Jokes aside, this seems like a very well done integration between technology and the guitar, unlike a lot of products that wanna achieve that.
Hahaha new strings, hey what about customizing or update the guitar colors too lol
Excellent review! As a solo guitarist who wants to reduce time tinkering with tech, this might be a good buy.
Yeh goodbye lots of money
Don’t see this replacing any of my guitars at home… they just sound better to my ears, and I have no shortage of tools to have fun with. BUT
I can see this being a great travel guitar.
So many tools to play around with on the move, the ability to respond to all kinds of requests around a campfire, are both great for that.
Especially if it’s largely made of some kind of non-wood material, it’s probably more resilient to climate.
For that purpose, i just wish they sold it in a smaller version!
That's the whole idea with carbon fiber guitars, no climate/humidity worries! ;)
I got a Lava ME2 a couple years ago, after basically ruining my wood acoustic Guild guitar when I took it camping over the years. After a few years my ME2 still looks and plays like it is brand new. It's really been a terrific travel guitar, and I've actually used it for open mic nites too. Sure, it's small, it's light, it's ORANGE, but it's a real guitar that plays fantastic.
My thoughts exactly. Really just a travel guitar, which is great. The smarter move is a next-gen smart amp that you can simply use with any guitar. Or even simply one of many mobile apps you can plug into.
Such as can you please take that guitar and do a Roger Daltrey with it
Awesome, can you make it sound like a guitar? That's my favourite sound of all
lmfao is this sarcasm
Yeah hahaha
Hahaha you will need another app for that
It sounds like it was bought in Toys-R-Us with an age range of 8 - 12. However excellent review appreciated.
Pickups? 🧐
Wow wow wow the best travel guitar I've ever seen, what a time to be alive
It’s pretty impressive for sure. I like the carbon fiber aspect of it mostly because I have all the loopers, pedals and amps, etc, that I could ever need. I think it’s a great idea for someone getting into guitar playing. But it’s not carbon fiber? What is it made of?
the Lava ME2 is carbon, and now it's actually less $ than the Blue Lava. It just has the more basic onboard effects without any screen tech. I've had one for years now, and still love it.
I believe it is made with excrement
This may be interesting but it's also a way of considerably shortening guitars lifespans. What happens when the battery dies? And when new software is released, what happens to the so-called integration? It seems to me that it's still better to have a lifetime enduring guitar and work with unintegrated hardware/software.
Not sure about the battery, I do have both a Lava ME2 and ME3, and the ME3 looks like it has identical electronic interface. The ME3 guitar requires a wifi connection just to set it up, but then will do auto-software updates of it's OS when connected. And the overall feel and sound is quite good, I'm assuming this new one is similar.
Seems like if the battery/tech dies, then you still have an acoustic guitar. Same as a traditional guitar. And with the carbon build, it will last much longer than wood.
Already ordered one. Can't wait for it to arrive. What a perfect travel guitar!
How's the playability of the guitar itself? Action, nut and fret finishing, intonation, etc..
Thanks for the information on this guitar. I wish I was younger and was working at Motorola. I could afford allot of music items like this. I bought several expensive keyboards back in those years.
Being retired, I can't afford buying these cool instruments anymore. But thanks for the demo of this amazing Guitar. I do have a nice midi guitar, but I also need my PC computer to play my thousands of amazing sounds and create/layout multi tracks within a DAW. I wish I got into looping, that looks like fun to be creative. I suppose I could loop a 4 bar or 8 bar sections within my DAW, but never tried that kind of playing, was always creating full song tracks.
Take care.
So, how easy is it to replace the battery? Or is it like the modern smartphones where you replace the instrument every 4 years or so because the battery is dead and the software is deprecated anyway?
I love this!!! I stumbled across someone playing this guitar and did a search and came across your page. I'm glad I did. These are amazing. Will be ordering one of these and get back into guitar playing. Can't believe the affordability...actually laughable when you consider the sounds coming out of it and all the things you can do with it. Thanks for your info!!!
How was the straight out of the box set-up?? How did the fret ends feel? How much can this guitar be adjusted? As people have different playing styles requiring different open action heights.
Every one of the reviewers seem so enamored with the electronics, no one wants to comment on the fact that there does not appear to be a truss rod or any other means of adjusting the string height. One reviewer mentioned that the units were plecked at the factory, but I can't imagine that lasting for ever.
The action is terrible on mine. It does have a truss rod adjustment but they literally tell you in the manual that you’ll have to shave the bridge for decent action. I’m having enough problems with getting it to work properly that I’m not even worried about the terrible action 🤷♂️
To bad about the action. For me, action is everything that makes a guitar playable past open chords. People talk trash about Zager Guitars. From what I read and speaking with Denny, the biggest difference is that he takes an acoustic guitar and sets it up as near perfection as possible. Of course, this varies by the style of playing and strings, but after playing a quality setup guitar, you won't be happy with another.
@@michaelblankenstein very true. I’ve been playing for 30 years.
Nice review, I would have liked to see more about the actual guitar itself. The fit and finish, the fretwork, the tones without the effects, the tuners and the action/nut work, etc. Just from what I was able to glean from watching it looks pretty good. But I get it, the electronics is the elephant in the room, very cool integration.
They use a Plek to set these up, so it should be pretty nicely set up. Still the acoustic sound is not going rival a solid wood acoustic, but then you also don't have to worry about humidity/temperature changes, either.
I have the earlier model, the Lava ME2 with only the built in reverb/chorus effects. Got it so I could have an outdoor guitar (camping, porch sitting). The neck finish is great, no sharp fret edges, smooth neck feel, durable fret wire. It plays wonderfully with effects or not. And, it's very temperature stable, I've played at 40 deg F to 95 deg F and never ever has the neck altered it's straight as an arrow state. I have no idea how the newer models are, but if they're anything like the ME2, then you'll dig those too.
No one is buying this guitar for any of that. That would be like reviewing a Lamborghini and focusing on the fuel economy and the luggage space.
@@MitchM240 No
Believe me, these are the basics of a guitar, what it needs to produce a good sound in first place
It’s not like a Lamborghini and fuel economy, because fuel economy isn’t the absolutely needed of a guitar
If the sound of the guitar sucks, it doesn’t feel good to play or it doesn’t tune well, it doesn’t matter how good the other components are
@@MitchM240 No, it's buying a new type of supercar from an unknown brand and ensuring their basic build QC is up to par beyond the hype of tech features and speed.
Darrell, I see a lot of comments asking for a review of the actual guitar, so I'll add to that list. I'd like to see that, neck profile, comfort to play, fret work, tuners etc. that others asked for. I'd like to get one, but not if it's like playing a 2 by 4. Thanks in advance.
If you can put Ultimate Guitar tabs and chord charts on there, I'd never need another piece of gear. This puts me in a frame of mind to wonder why the hell Fender Mustang GTX and other super tweakable app-controlled amps aren't already doing this.
Yo! It has a photo's section built into the interface. You can screen shot tabs and pull them up through that.
Absolutely the best demo of this guitar so far on TH-cam.
Wow, this thing is unbelievable. Best implementation of modern tech on a guitar!
Play before buying! They sound horrible.
You have not mentioned how the touch screen battery is recharged. Touch screens require a lot of battery power
I’d like to see all this electronic in a good old all massive wood guitar .
exactly! that would be what i’d buy.
also what does is sound like plugged in no one knows or shows!
Back in the days we had acustic guitars, then we heard about electric guitars, and now I hear about smart guitars. Thanks for introducing, but I wonder what comes next.
If this thing had the Guitar Pro app or something like that...🤩 I can't imagine how much fun a group of folks around a campfire could have with this playing rhythm guitar or piano and you singing while everyone giving back vocals and chorus... and then going for the SOLO!
I am an acoustic guy. However, the smart guitar idea is pretty cool. I think audio gear is pretty daunting and can be very expensive. If someone wants to play a guitar and record for a hobby this sort of thing might be the ticket. Lord knows I have 10k worth of guitars and another 5k in recording equipment and admittedly I don't use any of it to the full potential.
Yes. If you put enough effects on it. It sounds just like a guitar
looks like fun!
GregOOOO!
Can you imagine that being your first guitar - very cool! Is there a headphone jack?
I am not getting my son a $1500 guitar for his first guitar :/
@@officialWWM It's not that price. It's $649 MSRP
@@frankfarklesberry not in Australia!
@@officialWWM Ay Mate! Yeah, well you have Artist Gutars there that I want. Get 'em one of them. ;-)
@@officialWWM I think Darrell mentioned in the video that the model he was demonstrating was something like $650 dollars.
Is the actual guitar good?
Would have liked the review to be more like normal guitar review. Maybe I missed these, but did you mention how it sounds, how it feels, how are the tuners, fretboars etc. I like the smart features, but the actual guitar is the most important thing and this review left me wondering whether the actual guitar is worth the price
Agreed. Plus, what are the specs? I can't find those anywhere, even on the Lava website (unless I'm not looking hard enough). What is the scale length, nut width, fingerboard material, fret size, neck profile, strings, etc.???? Does it have an output jack?
Great idea. Great 1st guitar for learning. Lots to love. But as a technologist, I can assure you this guitar will continue to evolve and get cheaper. I wish Darryl would have critiqued the construction of the guitar.
Was trying to see on the site what is made of, construction, etc... Only says it's "green" not wood...Pretty vague.
@@Guitartistry8 The website shows it's carbon fiber...
@@ScottHz I don't think so...?
@@Guitartistry8 I'm not sure what it is:
"In terms of build, the guitar sports a 36-inch HPL (high-pressure laminate) body that Lava Music says can withstand temperatures from -4ºF to 122ºF and humidity from 10 percent to 90 percent. It also features the company’s 4-MASS technology, which it says “enhances vibrations on its top, back and sides for better intonation”.
@@frankfarklesberry yep I saw that. Some sort of environmentally friendly, etc...
As long as it's sturdy.
I'd play the strings off of it..
Have they made the battery replaceable yet? If not, it is essentially a disposable guitar.
Wow, guitars are slowly catching up with keyboard tech. These features are something you would see on digital pianos like the Clavinova.
You should see the tech that the guitarist from 12 foot ninjas uses. It's a total cheat, but works so well. Can turn strings off or select any programmed tuning with one click.
im only interested in getting a good acoustic like tone and turning up the volume to play i acoustic jams etc..does it do that?.
Someone took my guitar. I had an ancient Yamaha and she served me well since the 80's. I can hardly watch these videos cuz my heart is broken. I'm 66 years young and I have been saved more than once by her.
I only have one app on my guitar. It’s called “play me”. I’ve been working on that for about 60 years. Never had to change batteries.
What an amazing bit of kit!
Hate the new intro. Where's the snow???🤔 Nice Guitar. Thanks man,👍
Bring back the snow!! Can you do a t-shirt of you throwing the guitar onto the roof? I'll wear that one!
GREAT JOB AND THANX 4 MAKING!
Darrell you have such a Great & Positive Manner in your Presentations. I just thought I would let you know incase you haven’t been told before.
I have been looking at the Mooer GTRS S800 electric guitar with all the effects and battery built in. I think there will be more manufacturers appearing soon. e-cars, e-trucks, e-bikes, e-scooters, now e-guitars
Lots of good stuff in the software, I'm very attracted to the ear training feature. Thing is - it's not a guitar really, it doesn't sound like one and the sound is the main thing. Must be popular though.
This is a major step forward
It makes my current setup seem jaded
My brain skipped a beat when you said “update your guitar” 😂
An amazing review, as always! However, there is a point worth mentioning here: the Blue Lava is in fact the most affordable guitar of of the Lava Music lineup that comes equipped with their on-board smart guitar system, providing all these effects and playability features. There is a more affordable option if full carbon fiber (at least here in Europe at the time of this review) that is the Lava Me 2, but you won't get the on-board system.
Design wise, I see it going for the middle between their company's carbon fiber models and an acoustic guitar - which is no wonder, given how they are two different construction philosophies. It is also what makes an HPL cheper - the material is more common, easier to handle, and perhaps even recicled. Go green! - or in this case, go blue!
Also, in spite of this being said, and what it would mean for my wallet... The design is the very thing that makes me have mixed feelings about this model in particular. The Lava Me 3 (the carbon fiber corresponding model) looks one-piece with a round-edged top, making it a futuristic-like product, and therefore beautiful in its futuristic approach. The Blue Lava, I'm sure it sounds awesome, but its overall design resembles too much an ordinary acoustic to actually catch my eye - apart from the oval hole, the edges of the guitar are not rounded but angular, and the neck joint extends all the way to meet the full depth of the body; plus the frets go into the body of the guitar at the 15th fret (like it usually does), while in the Lava Me 3 that happens at the 17th fret, and the neck retains the same thickness at where it meets the body.
Great sound, but this argument about the design is the one thing that would make me look for the actual carbon fiber model.
I love the idea with these guitars but I fear that 5 years or so. The company will drop support and stop updating it. Then you'll be stuck with what ever features and bugs that are built in. Sure the feature set is probably enough for the average person but when the company drops support for it. You'll have to rely on the community to add more things to it and fix any bugs the software may have. That's with any smart device nowerdays.
Like my Fender G-Vox from the 2000's. ;)
I have a feeling that the software is Linux based, so if you can get a hold of the source code there can be someone that like it and knows how to program that can put out updates if that scenario arises.
@@williamolsen20 yeah it looks like it's android/Linux. I believe if the product gathers enough traction. The community will keep it alive much like old game consoles. But tbh, I feel the positive spark amp has more of a chance for that to happen than this guitar
@@nos1000100 You are probably right.
That doesn't bother me as long as what is there actually works. I have amps, effect pedals, tuners etc. That still do what they did 10 20y ago. For this guitar I am worried that an update will stop things from working (like android) or that the battery will be so old that it won't work any more.
Is it available with nylon string version?
Very cool. But sounds like a 200 guitar. I'd like to see a more refined version. I'd have lots of fun with this either way. Thanks for showing.
what is the actual quality of the construction of the bridge bracing the neck the headstock , the tuner's top the back side? just a decent technology to practice
Good for people who can compose their won music on the fly......but can it plug into an amp?
Hi Darrel..the guitar seems to be fun to play, but what does it feel like? what about the action, neck, weight , does it stay in tune
It looks & sounds cool but, other than the looper, I don’t see how it’s better than using a smart phone to control a digital amp. I already have those.
I received a call from a shop last week, saying that these were in stock. I could have bought one for $799cad, but i decided against.
Sure it's great now, but in 5 years it will be old technology with little to no support, and more of a hinderence. It'll be like Gibson's RoboTuners.
Like Apple, you'll be forced to upgrade the guitar every so often when the battery wears down, new upgrades make it slow, etc. What happens if there's an issue out of warranty?
I'll stick with regular guitars that will be beautiful and fully functional years from now.
WHAT THE.....A SMART GUITAR???!!! 😱😱😱Where was this Guitar when I started! Is beautiful!!! I subscribe right now!
The effects look nice but seem hard, if not impossible, to change on the fly. Wonder if this is available for lefties.
Except of the bad look, it is interesting! Take the electronic into an E 335 guitar and you'll have an all in one! This one looks not only sad, it sounds even so! It must have a cutout!
Great Review and tutorial! My Blue Lava arrived today!
Is there a community/subreddit for this guitar? I would love to see where the people who play this guitar are
I want to learn that bottom track you played at 8:50. Beautiful...
DB where's the teleporter function on this guitar? I'm too old school for this. There's something about playing guitar that's sacred to me, it's time away from all smart devices. I can just imagine that soon the upgraded model will tell me I'm playing the tune wrong and out of time, or it won't let me play it until I'm in perfect tune LoL 😂
I am an old timer too but I love that we can go to another level of capabilities. And…. More. You guys kids will blow our brains with what they can do acoustically with this guitar without trains of pedals. Watch out for a new style of busker too. LOL Love it
Can the guitar be hooked up to blue tooth to play through your Alexa speaker also ?
It's not for ME, but I can imagine this is perfect for a lot of young budding musicians. If it gets people turned on to guitar- I'm all for it!
I’ve never thought a guitar ugly before.
It is an excellent review video, thanks. I experience one bluetooth problem. With the guitar connected with the PA speaker with bluetooth, the sounds from loop, template, etc., all can be passed to and played in the PA system. But, somehow, the sounds from the strings can not be passed to and played from the connected PA speakers. Is there anybody else experiences the same problem?
What kind of strings can you use? Does it need a set up or does it come perfect out of the box?
@@fadedbluejeans3680 Thanks. I reported it.
The website shows they set these up with a Plek Pro, so it should be perfect, since the carbon fiber construction isn't affected by temperature/humidity.
@@ScottHz this version is not carbon fiber that’s why it is cheaper
No yeeeaaahhh at the intro Darrell! Missed that!
Nice Guitar review. It would be great if you plug it in to hear the quality of the sound... Regards from Chile
5:40 is there a way to transfer the recordings to your computer?
What was that lick you played on the lava guitar looper
sounded cool
It doesn't have a usb port to save data or a headphone jack to connect an amp or recorder.
Thanks again, Darrell! How does it play? How does it sound plugged in? Does it offer different sounds such as acoustic, electric, dirty....?
Fantastic technology! Fretboard composition?
Liked. What is the scale length and nut width? And lower bout width? Thanks.
The Blue Lava Guitar can be purchased with Nylon string?
I've had this guitar for about 7 months and it's a love hate relationship. I love the sounds I can get out of it, I love the loops, but the neck is terrible and something I just can't get used to. I have Martins, Fenders, Yamaha and my main go to acoustic guitar is my PRS. I can pick up almost any guitar and play and enjoy it, but for some reason this neck feels so WRONG that I can only play it for about 15 minutes and I want to toss it. The frets just don't feel right, I have tried and tried and it's just seems like a terrible neck. I have changed the strings, hoping that would help, but it didnt. For those of you enjoying playing this guitar can you tell me what strings you are using? and did you feel the same till you found the proper strings and gauge? I have a Tonewood (Best) for my other acoustics and love it.
Cool , maybe a perfect busking guitar? It does have a futuristic but kind of toylike appearance, sounds good for sure…more and more like this will probably start appearing on the market.
Good to go. FULL Battery. CHECK. Good looking out there/ superb busking tool/s, loops and record, Needs an baby amp as it's built in speaker is quiet as a mouse without and loops and effects whisper or will not play. Happy days. Money back in no time. Profit is a given. Bulit in charts and player feedback. PS. When we were six and now we are five smart things happen for smart folk because both come together like snowflakes come and go from the Ocean and rainbows smartly display all there is to see that is vibrant.
Awesome!! As always, thanks for the great content!
Wow !!! I believe that we are clearly witnessing the future of guitars. Hol-EEE Moses !!! (I need to get out to NAMM more often.) Thanks Mr. Braun.
thank you, is it possible to pay while listening through head phone>? although as i ask that it would dampen the sound to others would it >?
Can you play Pandora through it? Ya know gor those who want to look like a musician but really cant be bothered with learning...sort of a TicToc shredder aid.
Seems the guitar world is evolving into the electronic era. About time as mobile phones are years ahead with technology and software.
Can you import mp3 backing tracks and mp3 songs? Does it have a USB charger and how many hours does it work for.?
Not bad at all I like the smart screen the loop feature is tight great for beginners and intermediate players but why not add this technology to solid tone wood guitars?
Would like to know more about the basics, the fundamentals/build of the guitar.
unplugged sounded warmer than i would have thought, neck heavy though.
Idk if it is like this, but i saw a cable plugged in the guitar on effects
pls tell me n the Music folder ... can we add any song and play with it in a show ?
Glad yours made it through the post intact unlike the one they sent Agufish. Lol
Could you imagine using that guitar with the positive grid spark 4000 mg how much are those you never brought up a price
@DmMeOnNicegramTheradbrad3 how do I do that and what did I win LOL
Do you have an mp3 of that beautiful song you played for the looper segment?
Nice looking guitar! BTW does anyone know is this lava guitar can link to an earphone for ourselves to hear only and the people surrounding will not hear what we are playing?
Okay, I did buy the Enya last month. Love it. Is this a better guitar ?