I got the Guitarport last night. This thing kicks ass! Before getting this I tried the demo version of Amplitube but didn’t like it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Amplitube is software that allows you to plug your guitar into your computer and play through it. It includes amp modeling software that emulates popular amp setups and effects. At $99 I thought it would be an affordable alternative to getting another amp. Guitarport is pretty much the same thing but it includes a box that goes between your guitar and computer.

I installed Amplitube on both my laptop and Jessicas computer. With some tweaking I got it to sound ok on the laptop but it kept cutting out, had a lot of white noise and had no sustain. I talked to their tech support (who were extremely helpful) and they said I needed a good sound card, and one that’s under $100 won’t cut it. I also would need a preamp between the computer and guitar. So now my affordable amp alternative isn’t so affordable anymore. I figured it would cost at least $250 to get it to sound acceptable.

Enter Guitarport. It has a built in sound card and anything else I need. In fact, it can replace your sound card. I also don’t need an adapter to plug the guitar in and it has connections for computer speakers, or stereo speakers. You can also use it to play mp3s through your stereo. Oh yeah, it sounds great too.

I joined their Guitarport online service. That allows you to download remixed versions of popular songs with or without guitar. They also have tone settings and tablature. I downloaded paranoid by Black Sabbath, clicked on a button and my guitar sounded like Tony Iommi’s. Then I tried Panama by Van Halen, clicked a button and I sounded like Eddie Van Halen.

The best part is it only cost as much as the Amplitube software alone and I didn’t have to buy anything else. Hopefully soon I can get their Riff Tracker software so I can record myself. Pre coo huh?

I’ve only had this for a day so it is a little bit early to be reviewing it. I will post an update after I have used it a bit more.

We’ve stopped taking guitar lessons for a while. It’s been getting a bit expensive and it’s a long drive. So we are going to take a break for a while and learn from DVDs. We’ll start going again in a couple months.

I put new strings on my new Warlock the other day. It was a P.I.T.A to tune but it sounds really good. I’d play something on the Warlock, then I’d switch to the Ibanez and play the same thing. I don’t know what it is, but there’s a subtle difference that seems to make a huge difference overall. Playing the Ibanez it sounds like it just doesn’t sound quite right. The Warlock sounds slightly different, but it sounds oh so right!

I don’t care what anyone says, “Final Countdown” by Europe is a timeless, kick-ass song. I’ve been playing the intro, the part everyone hears when they think of that song, originally played on a synthesizer, on my guitar. I played it all weekend, over and over again. My wife, the Blog Nazi is sick of it now.

I got a new guitar. I just couldn’t resist. I finally talked the old lady into it.

I wonder how long it will take to convince her I need a third? Actually fourth counting the acoustic.

I’ve been trying to convince Jessica that I NEED another guitar. So far it’s not going very well.