Guitarists! -Could you play this 40-string thing?

Jim Bartz in Seattle has been trying to build a marketable prototype of this instrument called the Stringstation for a few years now, along with a failed kickstarter last year. I was thinking about donating to help him out because it looked really interesting. My question to musicians/guitarists out there is would you be able to play anything off this thing?

It seems kinda out there, and any prog-rock/space music haters probably want to throw things at this guy. It just seems like only a few people could really play this thing, but I can barely play any chords on a regular six-string.

Let me know if you think it's more than cheeba-dreaming going on here. Thanks!

This does seem really awesome, but I've been playing guitar for a while and I don't think I could play this thing effectively for shit.

Looks like a job for Jean Baudin.

I used to play a Mobius Megatar, a similar instrument to the chapman stick, that is similar to the lowest section of this instrument and that wasn't too hard. Really this thing would probably be easier for pianists to play as it requires more rhythm independence from both hands and isn't tuned in stand guitar tuning which would be the one bit of guitar knowledge you'd expect to be able to bring over as a guitarist.

Thanks for the insights. Appreciated

Looks like a pedal steel guitar.

a super over complicated awkwardly large midi controller. would i be able to play it? absolutely. would i want to? no.

I could but probably not well. :p

The tricky thing with this is not so much the complexity, more just the layout. It's very inefficient and doesn't have anything on it to facilitate using of more than your fingers to play it. Keep in mind that this really isn't any more complicated than an organ, or an advanced accordian*.

* I should clarify the advanced accordian remark. Accordians come in a variety of button configurations. The advanced ones have the small button layout on both sides, for maximum tonal range and combination potential. See video:

Seems to be a cross between a Chapman stick and a full sized harp or harpsichord. Definitely interesting, though I wouldn't get one. I'm sure it's balls to the walls expensive...

Yea no, $168,000 for just one of those, I'd much prefer a grand piano or organ. Hell, through in a set of highlander bagpipes as well.

@butano I think that's just the cost to develop a streamlined prototype. The guy doesn't seem to lay out what it would eventually cost after spending the R&D money though. My uneducated guess would be 10k or less.

I'm still on the fence about this guy. @herbiebug makes a good point about the efficiency of use too. I just don't know how much further you go between the 40-string thing and this:

One of my all time favorite musicians is Trey Gunn who plays the Warr Guitar. Goddamn, this song is so dark.

Holy mother, I'm out! It's kind of neat, maybe a bit too much for the guitar-wankery inclined and definitely not worth the price of a decent sized house.

Haha! Yeah that number the guy lists is what he wants to charge for you to fly him out to your location and spend a year building a custom one for you. You can pay a professional session guitarist to tour with you for a year for less than that! ha!

That Croatian one man band street performing is awesome. I fucking lost it when he started in with the kazoo. xD