Dark Fire Lit Me UP!

[nolongermike@gibson]

Folks, I spent some quality time with Dark Fire today, and I will honestly, 100% tell you as one guitar player to another that once you get your hands on one of these things, you will absolutely have to have one. I could not believe the speed of the automatic tunings now, the astonishing array of native tones you get from the configurations of the pickups in it, not to mention of course the variety of tunings you get from its Robot technology. When you read all the stuff on this site about this guitar describing what it does, I'm here to tell you its all true, not hype. Its almost hard to write this here, I was gushing about this thing all night tonight to anyone who'd listen. This is not a modeling guitar. These tones come straight from the guitar through the combination of pickup selection options, the pickups and the variety of tunings. Put those options into the Guitar Rig software and you will have countless hours of dialing up astounding tone combinations. Wow!

 

This is so much more than just a gen. 2 Robot. That's only a little part of what this thing is and does. I was amazed, dazzled, and delighted with how much it does, how easy it is to use, how it sounds, looks, plays, feels, the perfect intonation, how fast it does what it does, and then when plugged into the RIP device and used with Guitar Rig, the possibilities were completely endless. I must own one. Straight up, honest truth. I have NEVER been so excited about a new guitar model that I said "I must own this." Not like this. I've lusted after plenty of Les Pauls in my time, for a variety of reasons, but nothing, I mean nothing has excited me about a guitar like this one has. I can't wait for this thing to ship to see the reactions from the forum regulars when they get a chance to see one at the stores. If you think the first Robot guitars sold out fast, this thing should absolutely fly off the shelf.

 

Because the RIP is cross-platform and I am on a Mac, all I had to do was plug the Firewire into my MacBook Pro and in seconds it was recognized without any drivers to install. That meant I had the RIP working as a regular audio recording device with Ableton Live Lite (which is ships with), then opened Guitar Rig as a plugin in Live, and was making dreamy tone in minutes. You don't have to even use the RIP if you just want to plug this into your favorite rig now, but I have a feeling once you experience the power of using the RIP with Guitar Rig, you'll be hard pressed to want to use most other traditional setups. Truly. Striking.

 

My Dark Fire blog posts will be up soon and I'll keep ya'll up to date on my thoughts on the entire package in detail there. Meanwhile, trust me on this one, you're going to want this guitar.

[cardiox]

Thanks Mike, I was already unable to sleep but now I can look forward to not being able to eat too!!! LOL!!!

[Wondo]

Now you all suck!!

 

I just got off the phone with a dealer that I have dealt with for years and he tells me, I get first pick because he just got confirmed on his order. I was seriously thinking of selling my Frampton Custom to fund this guitar ( I have three other Les Pauls, 2 R0s and an Axcess) Both the R0s and the Axcess get played regularly. The Frampton as cool as that guitar is, just not not get played as much. I think the way the frets and necks are on the Standards just fit me better. So, I gravitate more to the standard type necks. Does anyone know what kind of neck profile will be on the Dark Fire??? If it is the rounded neck like on the Axcess, I can live with that although I prefer 60s necks. I think I just might sell that Frampton to get the Axcess. I think the Axcess will give me much more options and much more inspiration to write new material.

[nolongermike@gibson]

One thing is certain, people will be selling other guitars, robbing piggy banks, whatever it takes once they get an in-person demo of this thing.

[Wondo]

Mike,

 

Is your job to hype up the Dark Fire on the forum or do you really believe this guitar is that good? I mean c'mon man, I am looking at selling a Frampton Custom to get this thing. I play in a progressive rock band and I need guitars that can get a plethera of different tones. I love my R0s, they are my two #1 guitars. The Axcess of course has its place with the Floyd and coil tapping, but I want to ventrue into uncharted territory as I have been writing material for an ambient music label recently. Will this thing keep its value over the years? Will we be able to upgrade it? Or will it just become moth-ball fleet after a few years and the newest and greatest thing comes along? How is the guitar just by itself? Could it be turned into a nice Les Paul if the technology stopped supporting it?

[nolongermike@gibson]

I honestly believe its that good. Now, your mileage may vary, 'cause everyone is different, but me, personally, I want one. I was really impressed by the wide range of tonal functionality, the speed of the tuners, the whole package. Now, me personally I don't like Floyd Rose whammy bars on Les Pauls, but you might things its the bomb. I personally wouldn't buy an Axcess model, 'cause it ain't my thing. That said I know some guys who think they're the coolest thing we've ever done here.

 

Will it keep its value? Hard to say. Most first-run guitars do hold a large degree of their value and grow over time in value. Some don't. I can't predict the upgrade path, but since the original Robots are going to have their tech upgradable through an affordable kit, I would guess that the plan would be that going forward. I can't imagine these guitar ever being a dust-collecting antique like my old IMG MIDI guitar from Ibanez with its 20-pin connector. Its not that kind of thing.

 

Its a wonderful guitar itself, a flame-top Les Paul with double black binding, the neck felt great, its PLEK'd, and you don't have to plug this thing into the RIP or use Guitar Rig to tap all the tonal options, tunings, etc. So, me, I want one. I plan to buy one at some point, though I don't know how easy it will be to get one of the first runs, even working here. We're no different than the general public when it comes to releases. I'll have to find a dealer who'll put me on a list.

 

Like I said, the thought of using something like this for ambient work, especially if you're a Les Paul guy, well, it fits right in. No other guitar has the Robotics, the wide-range of tone choices from the pickups, the ability to connect the RIP to a MIDI rig, the ability to send each string to a different track simultaneously, allowing you to put a different sound or effect on each one. You tell me, as an ambient player, would these things be of value to you?

 

I'm not a hype guy for every Gibson model out there. I have to really like it a lot to put my personal zeal behind it, and Dark Fire blew my socks off yesterday. I've seen prototypes, heard everything its "supposed to do" but until I had it into my hands, saw it do these things, etc., it didn't sink in just how cool this thing is.

 

Mike' date='

 

Is your job to hype up the Dark Fire on the forum or do you really believe this guitar is that good? I mean c'mon man, I am looking at selling a Frampton Custom to get this thing. I play in a progressive rock band and I need guitars that can get a plethera of different tones. I love my R0s, they are my two #1 guitars. The Axcess of course has its place with the Floyd and coil tapping, but I want to ventrue into uncharted territory as I have been writing material for an ambient music label recently. Will this thing keep its value over the years? Will we be able to upgrade it? Or will it just become moth-ball fleet after a few years and the newest and greatest thing comes along? How is the guitar just by itself? Could it be turned into a nice Les Paul if the technology stopped supporting it?[/quote']

[Wondo]

Well, now I'm jonesing also. I could use a guitar with that much bang for the buck. It sounds like it would definately inspire beyond most guitars.

[Wondo]

Now' date=' me personally I don't like Floyd Rose whammy bars on Les Pauls, but you might things its the bomb. I personally wouldn't buy an Axcess model, 'cause it ain't my thing. That said I know some guys who think they're the coolest thing we've ever done here. [/quote']

 

Yes, of course each of us has our likes and dislikes, and the Axcess is not for everyone. But, it certainly is a very cool guitar. Not just the Floyd rose, but the tone from the Axcess is very unique and sounds wonderful. I did not know how I would like a floyd on a Les Paul, but it is very comfortable to play. I am not a dive bomber with a whammy bar. I use it mostly for tremelo and certain effects. With the Axcess and the Dark Fire along with my two R0s, I think I will have a lot of ground coverd. I also have a Lifeson 355. I sold my 356 and may very well sell my Frampton.

[nolongermike@gibson]

I'll be really surprised if this first batch doesn't sell out right away. If you are skeptical, by all means, wait until you can physically try one out. All I want to convey here is that the marketing pitches for this thing, they're true. And I personally was more impressed than I even thought I would be once I got my hands on it for a while. Must. Have. Dark. Fire.

=P~

 

 

 

Yes' date=' of course each of us has our likes and dislikes, and the Axcess is not for everyone. But, it certainly is a very cool guitar. Not just the Floyd rose, but the tone from the Axcess is very unique and sounds wonderful. I did not know how I would like a floyd on a Les Paul, but it is very comfortable to play. I am not a dive bomber with a whammy bar. I use it mostly for tremelo and certain effects. With the Axcess and the Dark Fire along with my two R0s, I think I will have a lot of ground coverd. I also have a Lifeson 355. I sold my 356 and may very well sell my Frampton.[/quote']

[Wondo]

I'll be really surprised if this first batch doesn't sell out right away. If you are skeptical' date=' by all means, wait until you can physically try one out. All I want to convey here is that the marketing pitches for this thing, they're true. And I personally was more impressed than I even thought I would be once I got my hands on it for a while. Must. Have. Dark. Fire.

=P~ [/quote']

 

You're killing me. I just returned from the Les Paul Forum. Up on the first page are some recent responses to the guitar. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the guitar on that forum. Here are some of them:

 

1. They think that all of the tonal shaping that the DF can do is all reliant on the Guitar Rig Software or the RIP into a computer. They do not know that most of the tonal shaping comes from the pickup configuration and pickup selection on the guitar.

2. They think that the guitar's battery would lose power on stage. From what I read, when the guitar is plugged in, it is charging itself (I assume throught the RIP)

3. They think that the tuning features will take as long as did the robot

 

etc., etc.

[nolongermike@gibson]

They could not be more wrong. Guitar Rig is icing on this cake. The tones are organic to Dark Fire from its wide range of pickup configurations using the "Chameleon" technology that creates all kinds of different configurations of the actual pickups in the guitar. You need not use GR3 at all if you don't want to, but if you do, you can turn your favorite Mac or PC into a power-house of tonal possibilities when you match the power of Dark Fire with the modeling of Guitar Rig.

 

The battery is being charged while it plays with the latest version as long as the charger is in the connection string.

 

The speed of the tuning features is scary. I could not believe how fast this thing tuned up. The difference I can only compare to the different between a battery powered electric screw driver vs. an electric drill. The videos will be up soon. You'll see what I saw. It went WHIZZ, and BAM! It was in tune, and its a world faster than the original Robot. But original Robot owners need not despair as upgrade kits will be made available at very affordable prices to help them keep their tech current.

 

 

You're killing me. I just returned from the Les Paul Forum. Up on the first page are some recent responses to the guitar. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the guitar on that forum. Here are some of them:

 

1. They think that all of the tonal shaping that the DF can do is all reliant on the Guitar Rig Software or the RIP into a computer. They do not know that most of the tonal shaping comes from the pickup configuration and pickup selection on the guitar.

2. They think that the guitar's battery would lose power on stage. From what I read' date=' when the guitar is plugged in, it is charging itself (I assume throught the RIP)

3. They think that the tuning features will take as long as did the robot

 

etc., etc.

 

[/quote']

[Wondo]

Another area of confusion they are having, I think, is that you need to use the digital interface to use the guitar. As I understand it, if you wanted, you could just grab a guitar cord and plug it straight into your favorite amp and it would work like any other guitar, right? And you could still use the tuning capabilities in this configuration??

[nolongermike@gibson]

You are correct. No break out audio recording device if you want to plug it into a regular old amp and go for it.

 

Another area of confusion they are having' date=' I think, is that you need to use the digital interface to use the guitar. As I understand it, if you wanted, you could just grab a guitar cord and plug it straight into your favorite amp and it would work like any other guitar, right? And you could still use the tuning capabilities in this configuration??[/quote']

[Wondo]

You are correct. No break out audio recording device if you want to plug it into a regular old amp and go for it.

 

 

This thing sounds better and better, the more I read about it. I had to go over to the Les Paul Forum and set them straight on a few things. Let me get this straight, if I want to plug into an amp, I do not need the RIP? I can just plug into an amp with a 1/4" calble and still use the P-90, Burstbucker, and Piezo??

[nolongermike@gibson]

As it was explained to me the input can use a "balanced" 1/4" cable, that's connecting the Tip, Ring, Sleeve cable which could be a "Y" cable allowing it to send the Piezo out of one of the cables, and the other pickups out of the other. Or if you used a regular guitar cable, you'd just get the electric pickups. That's how it was explained to me. Frankly, the RIP is so small and cool, there's no reason not to use it, so you can use one TRS cable to the guitar, then use the two outputs of the RIP to send the electric sound to one amp, and the acoustic sound to another. It can be used as a "pass through" device without being connected to the Firewire and calling up Guitar Rig, etc.

[Wondo]

Mike,

 

Thanks so far for the information. Can you confirm some of the things you have mentioned about the different ways to plug int he DF? I would like to know asap since I plan to order one and put a guitar on ebay.

 

Here's what I want to know for sure:

 

1. If you use a regular 1/4" guitar cable (ts cable) and plug directly into an amp, will you be able to use the P-90 and the Burst bucker? Will it be a quiet connection?

2. If you use a stereo cable (trs cable) with the RIP, or with an insert cable ('Y" cable) will you be able to split the P-90/Burstbucker and the Piezo into two amps?

 

That's all I need confirmed before I pull the trigger.

[MCK]

I'll be really surprised if this first batch doesn't sell out right away. If you are skeptical' date=' by all means, wait until you can physically try one out. All I want to convey here is that the marketing pitches for this thing, they're true. And I personally was more impressed than I even thought I would be once I got my hands on it for a while. Must. Have. Dark. Fire.

:-k

[/quote']

 

Mike, I read on one of the resellers that each reseller is limited to 10 sets each and there will be a total of 2000 distributed in the US with the rest of the world getting 2000 as well. I agree the US stock will probably clear fast. I suspect International stock may linger on a little longer but not for long. I am very close to putting my money where my mouth is on a pre-order basis but I would love to be able to touch the guitar and possibly pick my choice out of a pool of 3, 4 units etc. Makes it feel so much more personal to handpick it but hey can't have your cake and eat it too right???

 

PS. With all your contributions on this page I think Gibson should give you one at the end of the day! Thanks much.

[nolongermike@gibson]

That's how I understand it. Yes, it is a quiet connection. I heard it plugged into the RIP, not an amp directly, but there's no difference in plugging into an amp vs. the RIP in terms of noise. And on number two, yes, this is also my understanding. The TRS cable provides the signal for both the acoustic and the electric pickups. You could go TRS to the RIP, then one of the outputs on the back could go to an acoustic amp, the other to an electric amp. Or you can use the firewire connection to a computer, go TRS from the guitar to the RIP, and then have the firewire device put the Guitar Rig 3 signal into play, and go from the outputs on the back of the RIP to a set of amps, or to a PA system, powered speakers, etc. That's what we did for one of the videos, we went into the RIP with the Dark Fire, fed the firewire to my MacBook Pro, opened Ableton Live Lite, dropped the Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 plugin onto a track, selected a killer tone from it, then fed the outs of the RIP directly to a pair of powered speakers. It was awesome. The combination of the pickup possibilities with the amazing sounds coming out of Guitar Rig make this an astounding value.

 

 

Mike' date='

 

Thanks so far for the information. Can you confirm some of the things you have mentioned about the different ways to plug int he DF? I would like to know asap since I plan to order one and put a guitar on ebay.

 

Here's what I want to know for sure:

 

1. If you use a regular 1/4" guitar cable (ts cable) and plug directly into an amp, will you be able to use the P-90 and the Burst bucker? Will it be a quiet connection?

2. If you use a stereo cable (trs cable) with the RIP, or with an insert cable ('Y" cable) will you be able to split the P-90/Burstbucker and the Piezo into two amps?

 

That's all I need confirmed before I pull the trigger.[/quote']

[Wondo]

Thanks Mike.

 

Howabout the latency. Noticable? The Gibson site says 15 ms latency, that would be noticable to me. How was it for you?

[nolongermike@gibson]

Hey, wouldn't we all love to walk into a store, find some of these and pick one out. I don't think any of us will have that luxury. The nice thing is that, aside from maybe modest variations on the natural flame in the wood, they will all play EXACTLY the same as another one. With PLEK, the days of having to play several to get the one that felt the best are over. PLEK is the great equalizer. I played five gold tops over at the custom shop almost two years ago, thinking I needed to check them all out first, but there was no difference whatsoever in the fret height, the action, feel, nothing. It was kind of eery.

 

And thanks for the well wishes, but its nice enough to be working with it, I'll get in line like everyone else when I'm ready for my own Dark Fire. Besides, demand is going to be so high there won't be a single one to spare.

 

 

Mike' date=' I read on one of the resellers that each reseller is limited to 10 sets each and there will be a total of 2000 distributed in the US with the rest of the world getting 2000 as well. I agree the US stock will probably clear fast. I suspect International stock may linger on a little longer but not for long. I am very close to putting my money where my mouth is on a pre-order basis but I would love to be able to touch the guitar and possibly pick my choice out of a pool of 3, 4 units etc. Makes it feel so much more personal to handpick it but hey can't have your cake and eat it too right???

 

PS. With all your contributions on this page I think Gibson should give you one at the end of the day! Thanks much.[/quote']

[nolongermike@gibson]

Latency with Guitar Rig is directly related to your buffer settings for it and the power of your computer to handle the processing. If you find the latency is noticeable, adjust the buffer down. You need a relatively late model computer to have the best experience from high-power software like Guitar Rig, but that said, it worked great using a PowerBook G4 1.25 with 2GB of RAM when I was sporting that, and with my quad processor Mac Pro tower, its like, "uh, latency, what latency?"

 

Thanks Mike.

 

Howabout the latency. Noticable? The Gibson site says 15 ms latency' date=' that would be noticable to me. How was it for you?

[/quote']