For children—and even adults—who find six-string guitars intimidating when it comes to learning how to play them, the Loog Guitar, which founder/CEO Rafael Atijas showed at Toy Fair, offers an alternative.
The New York-based company offers a three-string model that makes it easier for kids to tune, play and listen to the notes they are playing—right from the start. It comes with nylon strings, making it easy for kids to play (and easy on their hands).
And by design, the Loog also comes unassembled.
“Kids can put it together in 15 minutes,” insists Atijas, “and it gives them an opportunity to bond with their parents when putting it together. But it also helps them bond with the instrument in a different way and learn how it works: We believe that building a guitar is an essential part of understanding and loving the instrument, and when you build your own guitar, you develop a deep connection with it.”
The Loog is also “fully customizable” in that the three available guitar body shapes—and different-colored pick guards—are easily interchangeable.
“You can buy a new body and just attach it,” notes Atijas.
As for play-ability, the Loog uses the top three strings of the standard six-string guitar.
“It doesn’t sound as full, but it requires the same chord shape and fingering,” says Atijas. “And most regular guitar chords are comprised of no more than three notes, so kids can play real chords and virtually any song. They learn where to place their fingers, what happens when they tweak the tuners, and how to create sounds they like. It’s not a toy but an ideal first guitar and a great training instrument before moving to a standard guitar.”
And while the Loog is aimed at kids six-years-old and up, all this applies, too, to grown-ups who wish to learn guitar but are overwhelmed by the sight of six strings, Atijas adds. In fact, 20 year-olds and guitar aficionados of all ages have become the company’s most loyal followers, he says.
The company actually began as an academic project in 2010, when Atijas developed the concept as his Master’s thesis at New York University. After seeking funds via Kickstarter, he raised more than four times his $15,000 goal.
And in addition to a passion for music, Loog Guitar, via Atijas, manifests a commitment to environmental responsibility in selecting sustainable wood (maple for the body, neck and headstock, and rosewood for the fingerboard, bridge and tailpiece) sourced from responsibly-managed forests.
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