Tascam CDGT1 Portable CD Guitar Trainer

by Tascam

Product Features

• Tascam's CD-GT1 is the ultimate training and jamming tool for guitarists, vocalists and other musicians.
• Whether you're just starting out on your instrument or are a seasoned pro, the CD-GT1 offers the perfect way to learn

Product Description

Tascam's CD-GT1 is the ultimate training and jamming tool for guitarists, vocalists and other musicians. Whether you're just starting out on your instrument or are a seasoned pro, the CD-GT1 offers the perfect way to learn your favorite artist's techniques.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• ASIN: B00029LOJU
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not great, but no competition, April 1, 2005

By 

Mathew T. Duafala (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tascam CDGT1 Portable CD Guitar Trainer

I bought this because I was tired of having to sit in front of my stereo system while learning songs. This seemed like the perfect solution. It wasn't. First thing I noticed was that the case seemed rather flimsy (It's cheap plastic). This had me a little worried about it's long term viability in my house.

After I put some batteries in it and started listening to a song, I realized that the quality of the playback at slower speeds was pretty poor. I've used several different programs on my computer (and have written some FFT programs myself) so I'm familair with audio signal processing and the method that they used produces sub optimal output. I don't know if they had limitations on the output since this is a hardware solution, but at the slower speeds, the sound is horrible and distorted to the point that it's impossible to actually hear the music. I should mention that this happened at 1/4 speed (which is slower than you would need for anything but speed metal solos). At half speed the sound quality was acceptable, but still not as good as you can get with some of the other software products out there.

Using the device itself was easy enough. After a couple of minutes I was able to set in and out points in the song and isolate different sections etc without a problem. The size was nice also, this is something that I could easily see taking with me on road trips, practice sessions, etc.

Overall, this product leaves a bit to be desired, but since it's really the only game in town, I have to rate it a little higher. I would like to see the case strengthened up a bit, and maybe add a feature to isolate different channels. Also, the AC adapter was extra when I bought mine, I would like to see that thrown in as well.

It should also be noted that I bought this when it first came out, and some of these issues may already have been addressed, so go to your local music store and look at one in person before deciding (or just take a chance that you might want to return it).