Hello, serendipity
So we’ve had this dinky little toy guitar of Rockstar’s for years now, and Queen E has been messing with it for some time (also our decorative ukulele from Okinawa that has been dropped, broken, had its wooden bits used as a guitar pick…) So this Christmas we thought to try this Loog guitar, which comes with an instructional app and Youtubes for learning how to play it. (Pricey toy, or cheap quick and dirty guitar course, you decide.)
The day it arrives off shopbop.com, Queen E is beside herself. A big thing marketing gimmick thing about the Loog is that it comes like a piece of Ikea furniture, with simple instructions, and the claim that a kid of about 8 can put it together in 15 minutes (which is supposed to be an additional selling point).
Now, I’d never handled a stringed instrument before, and while Queen E literally hurls herself at the task of assembling it (with help, of course – she is after all 4), we are soon staring at an instrument that…… doesn’t make a sound.
We go over and over the bits in the box (there really aren’t that many), and I can’t find any….. plug-in wires or battery box or anything. What gives?
So while dropping Rockstar off at piano class, I take the guitar in and ask his music school if I can buy the power cords and things from them. They initially look at the instrument curiously. “3 strings. Never seen one before.” They Google the Kickstarter video:
One of the guys behind the guitar accessories counter waves what looks like a pedometer about. “How are you tuning it?”
Me: There’s an App we’re supposed to download –
<clips pedometer-looking-thing on Queen E’s Loog> <spends several minutes> “Can’t really tune it.”
Me: Um… I haven’t handled one of these before, is no sound coming out of it due to you always needing to plug them in?
“Are you enrolled for guitar lessons here?”
Me: Erm, no, we’ve never considered learning the guitar, but then I saw this thing and my daughter seems to be really interested. We put it together, and now it doesn’t seem to work (bearing in mind I have no experience with stringed instruments). I thought we needed the plug and possibly some other stuff, which is why I’m bringing it to you. We would like to buy the rest of the missing stuff here.
“Even if I sold you the (something that looks like an amplifier) that’s going to cost HKD 4000 thereabouts.”
Me: Can’t I just buy the plug/ cord/ anything else missing from you and plug it into one of my speakers at home?
“Y-es…. But we don’t sell the cords for plugging into those. How much did you buy this for?”
Me: HKD 1000 thereabouts with a (standard Shopbop general merchandise) coupon. The guitar also comes with enough material to learn about 5 songs as a start.
“The pieces don’t fit that properly. Even if I sold you this one piece so it fits better, it could cost more than the entire guitar.”
“Also, this other part doesn’t have an additional section that allows you to adjust/ tune it. Up here”
Me: <seriously dismayed> What? I can’t believe it! This thing had awards, and all these instructions and the App and everything… Are you saying it completely doesn’t work???
“W-ell….”
Me: <very disappointed> Oh no. I can’t return it, I never expected it to be lousy because there are so many rave reviews! Also, (when I wasn’t looking) Queen E drew on it with a marker – I can’t send it back.
“Consider this a toy, no point buying any more add-ons. You’re better of buying a real guitar.”
Queen E is still excitedly dancing about with an on-sale guitar strap from the store draped over her shoulders. I buy the strap for her, then vow to go home and take a serious swing at this thing. I’m so mad I decide to seriously make this thing work no matter what……. or write a scathing letter to the Loog People. And post about it in the Shopbop product reviews.
Exiting his class, Rockstar sees my Still Upset About The Loog face and I tell him what happened.
Rockstar: Lemme see.
Me: Would it help, how d’you know anything about guitars?
Rockstar: We got to mess with guitars during Music in (his primary) school. They have uh, people answering our questions.
Me: I would roll my eyes if I weren’t so upset, can you be any more uppity about it…
(looks at it while we are walking out of the mall…)
Rockstar: <tightens and tightens strings><plucks at strings>There’s some sound now, right? <tightens some more> There… <twangs> There… Oops that one broke… sorry… You just needed to tighten them <twangs the remaining two strings> ….Did it come with an App?
Me: <shows him the App> But…. the App is definitely easy to follow, but…… the problem was… <weakly> they said… the guitar…….
Rockstar: <twangs guitar><looks at me>
Me: <speechless>
Queen E: Yaaaaaayyyyy! There’sa sound <Rockstar hands her the guitar>
Me: <still flabbergasted> – but – but those guys actually play these things. H0w could they – they were messing with me, weren’t they? There’s no way they don’t know this right…
Rockstar: Guess so <shrugs>
So we go home, Rockstar also snaps the replacement string but there’s still enough string left to reuse it.
Rockstar volunteers to tune it with the App
It actually works fine without any other accessories, at least you can actually tune it fine with the Loog App.
https://youtu.be/5TtqckBMHL8
As a first “toy” where your kid can get up to playing it passingly well… none too shabby.
Here’s some other instructionals:
https://youtu.be/2d3BSMXJr_U
Playlist of lessons here.
Well done Rockstar! So all it needs is to tighten the strings and then tune it with the app. I can’t blame the music school for not looking further into it by tightening the strings but good for them for not selling you the things you asked for since they are not sure whether it will help or not. So can Rockstars play some tunes on the loog now?