Zivix Jamstik+ Smart Guitar, Black

As a complete beginner I was a little skeptical about this product. I have to say it is truly amazing. I had one small issue that they are resolving which was the activation code for the 4 chords app but the support I received from the Zivix team was incredible, fast and they are now looking into why the issue occurred in the first place and which has been resolved now. It is a huge improvement on the older version and I haven't experienced any delay in playing the instrument to what you hear through your iPad or MacBook or Phone. My dad is an experienced guitarist and he was shocked at how good it is. Everyone of my friends I have showed this to are now adding it to their xmas list. The fact it takes you through and teaches you chords and strumming techniques is fantastic. It truly is an amazing piece of equipment can't say enough good things about it.

Thought long and hard about this purchase. I'm very much an amateur, can play a bit. For me i wanted it more for going on holiday/business trips where i really miss having a guitar in my hand rather than the tutorial bit. Read the reviews and took a gamble. So glad i did. Is it perfect, definitely not, not at all. Is it just a great little thing... yes! I saw the reviews that said you can't really strum it like an acoustic. They are right. If you're a classical guitar chord player, forget it. I'm still finding it tough to get barre chords play with any regular success. it can also be temperamental with hammer-ons, especially when you are just moving your finger to a different string. There are some amazing youtube videos with their resident experts playing the thing. I doubt many of us will ever achieve the same. But for just practice and messing around, its great. When i researched it, i kinda skipped over the "midi interface" thing, not really knowing what that meant. Wow, i do now and its so much fun. Its easy to connect to garage band and then you're pretty much playing any instrument ever invented, including GB's archive of synths, strings and the like. As i dont play any keyboard/piano, to suddenly be able to play piano chords with the jamstick is such a revelation. I'll no doubt get bored of that in a few months, but it was like discovering a new instrument, but one you can sort of already play! While i wasnt that interested in the tutor stuff, i actually really like it. Someone said "like guitar hero, but you actually learn to play while doing it". So true, the games are decent and i can see how they'll help me improve. Now the ONE BAD thing about the Jamstick. And it is a big deal. Its the strap. When playing a normal guitar, there's a lot of weight to hold it in place, so your left hand can do what it likes. With the jamstick, i find it really hard as its so tiny & light, your left hand is holding it in place as well as holding down strings. To move positions radically (e.g. from an E chord to holding down notes on the 4th fret) is tough as there's nothing else holding the JS in place other than your left hand that you are now trying to move. This is where the strap comes in. Theoretically, it holds the JS in place and problem solved. HOWEVER, THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED. The strap holders on the JS+ are in the wrong place (at the top on either side). This makes the JS lean forward significantly i.e. the top of the guitar leans out from your belly. It makes it unstable and tough to play. I googled this and found many others on the net complaining about it. Seems particularly an issue of the JS+. its a major design flaw, no two ways about it. Fortunately, i found 2 fixes. Firstly, thanks to someone on the internet, you can ignore the clips and use your own velcro on the body and straps. Its very heath-robinson but it does sort of work. enough if you're not trying to do anything too serious. I was still very disappointed with the JS at this point though. The ultimate fix was the extender body. This allows you to rest the JS on your knee, so now its supported you can move your left hand fine. At 40 quid, its a bit steep for a small bit of plastic, given you only need it because the strap is so poorly designed. But it did transform my enjoyment of the Jamstick. All in all, and with the ext body, I do love playing with this thing. Fun in your rucksack.

I do really like this product it's versatility and size make it perfect for practise over my lunch hour and I can genuinely say that my playing has improved since I started using it.BUT there are some flaws in the design, there is lots of lag, which can be distracting, chord strumming doesn't sound harmonious and frequently the fret sensors get your finger position wrong.It's decent if you have nothing else but I would always pick my actual guitar over it.Oh and also the teaching software that you can download is buggy and not very good.

I hope they improve with the next model:ProsIt has allowed for some yet limited practicing whilst I am traveling and is very compact.Battery life is good and iPad apps can be played in the background with screen off to save batteryJamstik website support is very goodConsNo case in box, cases can only be purchased from the US and are MEGA expensive! For £250 THIS SHOULD COME WITH A CASE!Hardware is limited as it should have 7 usable frets not just 5 (I am sure they could reduce the strumming area a little?)Strap clips are awfullDesign is hard to holdClip over the string bend sensors is weekBattery moves a little when installedApps are TERRIBLE and need bug fixing and improvementsJamstik Fourchords edition is a single month trial, subscription needed after this trialFourchords only plays sound clip when it believes chords are hit correctly, garage band and jamstik apps play full string soundsNo PC app (I already knew this)Lastly and little note for travellers and not really a product fault but customs always want to know what it is.

I bought this as a complete beginner and I’m very impressed. Lessons are easy to follow & I’m certain this will help me to learn. Tuning is also easy. I have a banjo (learning still) so wanted something that would get me to a level of understanding the notes and using a fret. I’m delighted with this kit, the app works great too. Looking forward to being able to play string instruments in future. Would recommend for teens who want to learn, as they will love the app interface.

I already know how to play guitar, I purchased the Jamstik for its MIDI controller capabilities. Bottom line is the latency and response of this is just not reliable if you want to player anything past a 1/4 note. Random notes arbitrarily sound off even if you stay within those confines. I tried playing it one a variety of different systems and daws the latency is just terrible. The reason for the ONE STAR review is because JAMSTIK has flooded Youtube and other sites with deceptive videos and reviews. Its basically false advertising. I tried this device on a Mac, a beast of a PC, an Iphone 6 plus, and an Galaxy . Across the board it is not usable, and for the price you are getting ripped off. I really wanted this thing to work.Beware of fake reviews and demos of this product.

I nearly forced myself to try and love this thing. I tried direct wired, bluetooth, connecting to MAC and iPad. Tried using as input for Garageband. As a midi controller, etc. Sadly all were letdowns. The latency was obvious and annoying even when ipad directly connected to amp. (no bt headphones). The software for it seems like a massive work in progress. I imagine at some point this will be truly useful for someone. The 5 fret limit was sooooo frustrating. I though I could cope with it, but alas, no. While there are myriad settings, tweaking them to try and get to a playable/enjoyable action on the strings was near impossible for me.I hope innovators like this can stay in business though. Sadly this one is a pass.

Portable but doesn't really feel like a guitar nor can I get decent volume out of my new iMac or iPad. Perhaps the next generation will replace my Traveller.

Painful setup, top 3 strings didn't work for a while. Very confusing. Bought for my 11 and 10 year old to practice guitar, not for kids learning. Two most annoying things are you need headphones to plug into iPhone or iPad to hear what you are playing and the latency is way too long from time to strum note to time you hear. I'm not a musician, maybe they are better equipped, but my brain does not function that way. FYI from Wikipedia: "Latency refers to a short period of delay (usually measured in milliseconds) between when an audio signal enters and when it emerges from a system."