Several people have asked about "guitarish" instruments equipped to put MIDI directly into a computer. We all know they exist, but none of us seem ever to have seen one.

From a review in Electronic Musician magazine, January 2002 (page 66).

Starrlabs

Harvey Starr's guitar-style instruments offer virtually unparalleled MIDI control. The Z6 provides six rubber strum bars, whereas the Z6-S sports a bridge with a set of 6-inch-long string triggers that offer a more guitaristic approach. However, the Z6 and Z6-S go well beyond mere triggering of MIDI note data.

The Fingerboard buttons can send Note-On messages, enabling two-handed neck-tapping techniques. The pressure-sensitive buttons can send any MIDI continuous controller message; in fact, you can assign zones to areas of the neck to send different messages for each zone or assign zones to different MIDI channels. Zones can even send entire sequences for self-accompaniment; zoning allows alternate note assignments, so players are not locked into conventional guitar tunings. Thirty-two user locations let you store zone and MIDI control assignments as patches, so you can quickly switch the instrument from one complex setup to another.

The Z6 and Z-6S provide an abundance of ergonomically arranged options for creating stimulating music. In addition to the strings, fingerboard, and strum plate, each instrument has an assignable joystick with which you can send different MIDI messages for the four directions. If that's not enough, the joystick's firing button can send another independent message, but that's not all: you can add an assignable NeckSensor pressure strip, six independent expression pads that sit on the sides of the Z6-S bridge, and a proprietary breath controller.

Dedicated MIDI controllers should go beyond the pale to provide tools for expressive music. The Z6 and Z6-S offer the best of guitar and keyboard technologies to wring every last ounce of expression from your MIDI gear.

They do look a little bit like a guitar????. The Z-6 is shown at $1,995 and the Z6-S at $2,095 (US).

Maybe someone will want to run out and get one.

John