Rob O'Reilly Guitars

Started by ctbarker32, December 03, 2013, 07:07:06 PM

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Elantric

Rob explains in the early videos this was the inspiration of the ROR  guitar design



Now_And_Then


Usually I would be extremely interested in something like this. On this occasion however I am not. It is incredibly ugly; it looks uncomfortable to play.

"Guitar" and "glasses"? Inexplicable.

Elantric

It is a world of fashion over function

Now_And_Then

Quote from: Elantric on October 18, 2015, 06:35:02 AM
It is a world of fashion over function

Not that I want to quibble with a reasonably defensible statement, but this is not even "fashion over function". This seems a "pointless and inexplicable gimmick" over function.

GuitarBuilder

"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

KuRi

I ended up with one... nice try but still too many flaws so I had to return it :(

Now_And_Then

Quote from: KuRi on January 29, 2016, 04:44:38 AM
I ended up with one... nice try but still too many flaws so I had to return it :(

Could you be just a bit more specific please? Where the flaws due to poor manufacturing and quality control, or are they inherent in the design?

Elantric

#32
http://www.gizmag.com/expressiv-midi-rorguitars/34417/?li_source=LI&li_medium=default-widget

MUSIC
Expressiv gives your fretting fingers MIDI music-making superpowers

Paul Ridden  October 26, 2014

7 PICTURES The Expressiv MIDI Guitar system from RORGuitars
The Expressiv MIDI Guitar system from RORGuitars. View gallery (7 images)
Keyboard players, digital drummers and DJs have been dipping into synthesized sonic magic for a long time, but until quite recently, electric guitarists have been left a little wanting. A good example of the progress being made is Fishman's TriplePlay wireless MIDI system. Rather than rely on an externally-mounted hexaphonic pickup of the kind found in TriplePlay, though, Ireland's Rob O'Reilly uses smart fretboard scanning technology for his Expressiv MIDI Guitar System. As well as promising zero latency when in MIDI mode, the instrument also sports "normal" pickups so players can chop and change between analog and digital sounds at the flick of a switch.

Controls are placed on top of the matte black laminate wood body, with space to store ... Perhaps the most striking aspect of the ROR Expressiv MIDI Guitar is the clear acrylic infinity ... The guitar also sports two high output Wilkinson single coil pickups, allowing musicians to switch between ... Pressing a string against a fret creates a switch, much the same as a key in ...
The Expressiv system is the fruit of 3 years of research, development and testing. It doesn't just differ from other instruments in the looks department (imagine the offspring of a Vox Teardrop and Phantom coupling, or perhaps even one half of a pair of thick-framed X-ray spex), the 3.25 kg (7 lb) guitar takes a different approach to converting fingerboard action into MIDI too.

"I have tried Roland's GK systems, Fishman's TriplePlay and also the YouRockGuitar," O'Reilly told Gizmag. "Both the Roland and Fishmann MIDI systems track the pitch from the sound of the string. Expressiv uses a smart fretboard scanner to know which notes you are pressing. Pressing a string against a fret creates a switch, much the same as a key in a keyboard. The smart fret scanner decodes which strings are being pressed accurately. The result is similar to how a keyboard is played, except on a guitar fretboard. This is totally different to hex pickups which rely on pitch detection of a ringing note."


The Expressiv system is reported capable of ultra-fast tracking with no latency and no ghost notes, and the note will sustain as long as the player pushes a string against a fret. Would-be Stanley Jordans can tackle the 22-fret fingerboard with both hands or use the non-fretting hand to tweak parameters on the fly using the 4-way joystick and six assignable buttons. The guitar also has two high output Wilkinson single coil pickups, allowing musicians to switch between MIDI output and traditional amp output.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the ROR Expressiv MIDI Guitar is the clear acrylic infinity mirror in the middle of the matte black laminate wood body. In addition to being home to the single coil pickups and Tune-O-Matic bridge, O'Reilly has installed an X/Y touchpad where other guitars might have a pickguard. The player can use this to influence assignable parameters like volume and pitch (in a similar fashion to the panel on the front of the Kitara I reviewed back in 2011) when in MIDI mode.

The instrument is MIDI class compliant, which allows it be used as a controller for external hardware synths, keyboards or other MIDI devices (via USB or 5-pin MIDI). The digital wizardry gets the power it needs to operate via the USB cable plugged into a computer or laptop running favored music creation or recording software – though there is talk of adding a 9 V battery compartment so that the blue, green and red light show will still dazzle when in guitar/amp mode.

"USB has a power supply built in and of course, you never run out of battery in mid performance," said the company's Anthony Lingwood. Given the way technology is going, we presume it will be used more often with the USB cable than the MIDI cable. We are considering having a rechargeable battery onboard which is being recharged while you have it plugged in. However, the only reason that you might need a battery is to use the MIDI cable without a second power supply (which would be very handy). So we may include this feature, we will see."


To take the Expressiv MIDI Guitar System from attention-grabbing prototype to production model, RORGuitars has launched on Kickstarter. Early birders can still get in on the action for a pledge of €449 (about US$570), which represents a saving of €350 on the estimated retail price.

"Right now, players can't play the guitar and MIDI device at the same time, but the project is still in pre-production," said Lingwood. "We hope that even for the Kickstarter guitars, we can solve this problem and release Expressiv with a combined functionality of playing both the MIDI and guitar functionality at the same time. In the future, we will also have an extra pickup which will allow you to pluck a string as normal and that would decide how loud the note would be, or even control a frequency cutoff or any parameter."

If all goes to plan, RORGuitars plans on shipping out the first market-ready instruments in March 2015. Have a look at the pitch video below for a closer look at the Expressiv system.



New demos of RORguitars Expressiv Guitar to MIDi system
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/733246303/expressiv-midi-guitar-real-midi-real-guitar-real-c/description
https://twitter.com/rorguitars




Yet the main RORGUITARS.com site seems to be "in between hosting companies.
http://rorguitars.com/


Now_And_Then

https://www.rorguitars.com/products/expressiv-midi-telecaster

Midi Telecaster. Kinda pricey.

Oddity: look at the photo closely. Notice that the edge of the "infinity mirror track pad" is not parallel to the pass-through holes for the strings. It's just a li'l bit askew... and looks it.


Elantric

RoR - Expressiv MIDI Pro

https://www.rorguitars.com/products/expressiv-midi-telecaster

User Guide
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0928/4856/files/Expressiv_MIDI_Pro_User_Guide_1.2.pdf?13820027057409708439









Expressiv MIDI Pro
€1,599
Options
PRE ORDERPRE ORDER DEPOSIT
ADD TO CART
Get ready to take your guitar playing to a whole new level. After years of research and development, we've perfected the Expressiv MIDI Pro, our newest line. The name says it all, it allows you express your musical creativity both live and in the studio with millions of mind blowing synthesizer sounds that have never been properly available to guitarists before Expressiv.

The matt black finish, brushed aluminium plates and infinity mirror track pad give a stunning finish and each guitar is beautifully hand built in our workshop in the South West of Ireland. Whether you're a triditional guitarist, a massive creative  or you just want to try something new, Expressiv is for you. Explore the possibilities of synthesizers - Get Expressiv!



User Guide Download here



FEATURES:

OUTPUT: 1/4 guitar jack, USB plug and play, 5 Pin DIN MIDI (industry standard MIDI)
PICKUPS: Seymour Duncan Hot-Rodded Pair - hand made in the USA (not shown in pictures)
BRIDGE: 6 graph tech piezo saddles - hand made in the USA.
TUNERS: Schaller Black Locking Tuners - hand made in Germany
MIDI CONTROLS: Octave Up, Octave Down, Tuning Change, Track Up/Track Down, MIDI volume, Modulation / Pitchbend through Joystick, Modulation / PitchBend through Track Pad.
MIDI Channels: Optional single channel or 6 channel (one for each string)
NECK: Solid Maple featuring a bi-directional truss rod
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
FRETS: 22 nickle chrome installed with Smart Fretboard scanner
PLAYING MODES: Trigger by tap, Trigger by touch, Trigger by Picking
PLATES: Solid brushed aluminium treated with matt lacquer - hand made in Ireland

Elantric


KuRi

Sorry I did not answer earlier...

Some Flaws I got:

- Bad finish (chips, scratches, and paint imperfections on the white neck).
- Bad midi pickup installation (height was incorrect and hard to fix)
- Bad ground connection, sometimes the ground was not making contact and noise appeared randomly
- Bad sustain

And the guitar looks ugly in person, more than in pictures, and it is not very comfortable to play when standing up...

pianopiano

is any one interested in a more detailed review of this guitar? I own one and I'm thinking of making a review video but since i don't have much time these days i first wanted to ask if anyone's interested at all ;-)

Elantric

Always interested in real user gear reviews

Now_And_Then

Quote from: pianopiano on August 09, 2016, 05:51:39 AM
is any one interested in a more detailed review of this guitar? I own one and I'm thinking of making a review video but since i don't have much time these days i first wanted to ask if anyone's interested at all ;-)

I'd be interested but in kind of an "academic" way: I have no intention of spending money to buy one of these monstrosities but I would have no qualms about spending a few minutes watching a review video.

Whether such a level and type of interest makes it worthwhile for you to spend your time and energy making such a video is, of course, a completely different matter.

:)

Elantric






https://www.rorguitars.com/products/expressiv-midi-pro

RoR Expressiv MIDI Pro
€1,986
Options
The World's most advanced MIDI Guitar.

Get ready and take your performance to a whole new level. A groundbreaking fretboard scanner. An intuitive XYpad. A beautiful traditional instrument. Powerful 16Mhz processors. Together these features lift you to new dimensions of sound. And they will do the same for everything you create.

Lightening Speed.

Latency is a thing of the past. The Powerful 16MHz processor sends picked notes within 8 mili seconds. Thats about the time it takes to hear music from a speaker less than 3 meters away. A patented Polyphonic fretboard scanner transforms your strings and frets into 132 unique velocity sensitive switches allowing you to trigger MIDI notes from multiple modes at incredibly fast speeds. Think mind blowing synthesisers with real guitar at the speed of Van Halen.

Compatible with everything.

Instantly connect to any hardware synth, Digital Audio Workstation or standard guitar amp with the ultra-durable plug and play outputs. Access the powerful humbuckers and traditional acoustic output from the stereo guitar jack. The high performance USB or 5-pin MIDI output control any of the thousands of synthesiser and electronic sounds available. Use all four outputs at the same time and play a mind blowing wall of sound.

A deeper connection to your synth.

The intuitive XYpad brings more functionality to your fingertip. Dynamically Trigger notes while bending, modulating and controlling virtually unlimited assignable parameters. It performs incredibly well with a plectrum allowing you to seamlessly transition between string picking and XY triggering or simply effecting the notes you've played.

Introducing Tap Mode, A whole new musical experience.

A palm push on the Tap Mode button seamlessly transitions you into a control you've never known. Instantly trigger notes by touching the string on a fret, just like pressing a key on a keyboard. This allows one handed playing while giving your other hand full freedom to control note parameters - a detail that keyboard players enjoyed for years. And playing faster than ever is a breeze with two handed tapping. Tap Mode will inspire a new musical experience no matter what kind of music you perform.


Dynamic controls.

It's amazingly simple layout allows you easily access all of your controls for any parameter, any Patch or any sound. Play the highest notes of a symphony down to the earth thumping lows of powerful synth bass with the Octave Up and Down shifts. Easily get in any key with a Semitone shift. Change MIDI channels and send patch changes to control any or multiple synths at any time. Intuative control is at the heart of the Expressiv MIDI Pro leaving your spectators wondering what world you came from.

Customize yours.

Fully customise your exact preferences with the easy to use menu. From individual string gains to XY mapping and play modes, you're performance will be a dream. The 32 character illuminated LCD display brings full MIDI control to any situation. And the onboard memory allows you save your favourite settings so your guitar is yours.



Go Acoustic.

Play completely traditional on stage and in the studio or just add another beautiful layer to your wall of sound! Hand made piezo saddles by graph tech in Canada bring a powered acoustic output from stereo guitar jack.

Built for Professionals.

The MIDI Pro was designed and engineered for world class musicians. A Beautiful maple neck and rosewood fingerboard gives smooth fast playing with a traditional feel. Hand wound Seymour Duncan humbuckers bring a powerful tone rich output. Hand made Schaller locking tuners give extremely stable tuning along with ultra-fast string changing. Machined aluminium control plates with black anodised finish brings striking lifetime durability. A hand filed brass nut gives optimum playability with high sustain for years to come. We hand spray all of our bodies with 4 coats of primer followed by 3 coats of ultra-durable and stunning satin white finish. The Expressiv MIDI Pro will perform like pro's expect, flawlessly!


The ultimate creators instrument.

Never before has this level of control been available from one guitar. Whether you want to stay traditional and experiment with new sounds or submerge in modern music production. If guitar playing, music creating or live performance is your passion, then the Expressiv MIDI Pro will inspire you to new heights.

Elantric


Elantric

#42
http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/rob-oreilly-expressiv-midi-pro
Rob O'Reilly Expressiv MIDI Pro review
https://www.rorguitars.com/


OUR VERDICT
An exciting tool that has huge sonic potential.

PROS - Creates all kinds of musical opportunities.
CONS - Very few.


MIDI, the protocol at the heart of much hi-tech music gear, is 33 years old this year, but transmitting MIDI from guitars to play sounds from a synth or sampler is still something taken up by a minority.

Nevertheless, being able to play any sound that you can think of from a guitar is a powerful asset both in recording and performance - and the Expressiv MIDI Pro from County Kerry-based Rob O'Reilly is designed to optimise that facility.

Rob set out to make the world's most advanced MIDI guitar, with features including a 16MHz processor for extremely fast note-triggering, an in-built XY pad (not unlike the Korg Kaoss Pad in Matt Bellamy's Manson guitars), and a patented polyphonic fretboard scanner to transform string and fret contact into 132 velocity sensitive switches.

The Tele-influenced Expressiv MIDI Pro is a nicely constructed guitar that plays well. Conventional electric guitar sounds come from a pair of Seymour Duncan humbuckers linked to a five-position switch and volume and tone knobs, while piezo bridge saddles offer faux acoustic sounds via a separate volume knob.

Its MIDI facility is powered via a USB cable - you can plug in and play with any computer-based DAW - but the MIDI output can also be sent via a standard five-pin MIDI Din plug. The overall MIDI output has its own volume knob, so you can easily control blends if you're mixing MIDI sounds with the conventional.

Sounds

It's the MIDI performance facilities, though, that are the unique selling point of this instrument. First off, there's a button to call up the two playing modes. In Standard mode, you play as normal with a pick, or you can trigger fretted notes by tapping on the X/Y pad.

Meanwhile, Tap mode, making great use of the fretboard scanner, lets you trigger notes by touching the string on a fret, just like pressing a key on a keyboard, all with no latency issues, although open strings are not supported in this mode.

Playing like this with your left hand leaves your right hand free to manipulate the sound using the X/Y pad and/or an adjacent joystick, typically bending the pitch or applying modulation, although there is a host of other assignable parameters available.

Further MIDI control is provided by a toggle switch for MIDI Program and Channel change, plus Octave Up and Octave Down buttons that can be used for semitone shifts or tuning changes (DADGAD/open D are currently available).

While the Expressiv MIDI Pro will do a sterling job recording MIDI notes into your DAW, onstage use is probably its 
main calling via powerful control over performance, with a stunning visual aspect to it using the XY pad lit up like a deep well lined with LEDs.

The sky's the limit as far as your choice of MIDI sounds goes, but you can deliver them with infinitely sustaining notes and wild parameter manipulations. Factor in the onboard guitar sounds and you have a very special instrument with enormous sonic potential.




admin

#43
https://www.rorguitars.com/





Processor   Clock Speed   16 MHz
Onboard Memory for Custom Settings   
4KB
Firmware Upgradable   Via USB
Outputs   Humbucker Output   1/4" Jack
Acoustic Output   Stereo channel of 1/4" Jack
USB B-Type    MIDI Out (Fully Class Compliant)
Power
Charging
Firmware Upgrading
5-Pin-DIN MIDI   MIDI Out (Fully Class Compliant)
Hardware   Tuners   Schaller Locking
Hand Made
Black Chrome
Pickups   
Seymour Duncan Hot Rails

Hand Made in USA
Pickup Selector   Schaller 5-way
Bridge   Graph Tech Ghost Saddles
Knobs   Schaller Black Chrome
Nut   Hand Made Brass Blackened
XY Pad   Resistive Type   
Note Velocity   Vertical 'First Touch'
Modulation   
Vertical 'First Touch'
Pitch Bend   Horizontal 'Drag
CC22   Horizontal 'First Touch'
Mappable Vertical   4 Options Drag & First Touch
Mappable Horizontal   4 Options Drag & First Touch
LCD   32 Character   Back Lite
MIDI Controls   Octave Shifts   
Semi Tone Shifts
Program Changes

Neck   Number of Frets   22
Fretboard Material   Rosewood
Neck Material   Maple
Truss Rod   Hex Adjustable
Nut   Brass Hand Filed
Radius   12"
Plates   2mm Machined Aluminium   Black Anodised


https://www.rorguitars.com/blogs/news

GuitarBuilder

The video mentions an 8ms latency for sending notes.....
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

sixeight

Still don't know what to think of this guitar. The MIDI performance seems decent. But the flashing touch pad and the display backlight make it look like a toy. I do hope you can switch them off. It's all a bit too much for me....

admin

#46
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/do-not-order-a-guitar-from-ror-guitars.1959649/

QuoteTheSchwartz wrote>

Some of you may recall the other thread where I explained this situation. I thought it had been resolved, but it looks like I'm back to where I started. So without further ado:

TL;DR Version: Paid down payment for guitar, contacted Rob a few months later for update, did not receive response, threatened to file PayPal claim, THEN I got a response, Rob said guitar would be done in 30 days, 30 days go by and no guitar, no updates from Rob, no response to emails, PayPal buyer protection had expired by this time, bank can't do anything to help.
More detailed version:

In January of this year, I put a down payment for a MIDI Pro Guitar by ROR Guitars, a company based in Ireland (rorguitars.com). My initial conversation with Rob O'Reilly (the business owner) was very positive, and he seemed excited to build the instrument. In March, I reached out to him to see how things were progressing, and received no reply. I waited a couple weeks, and then sent another email. Still no reply. This was my first time working with a small guitar company, so I thought that maybe he was just swamped with work or something.

As April came around, however, my patience was wearing thin, so I told him that if he didn't respond, I would file a claim with PayPal to recover my down payment. The next day he emailed me, saying that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend, and that there had been a couple deaths in the family, but that my guitar would be finished in 30 days. Now I'm an understanding guy -- perhaps too understanding for my own good -- so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

I've since come to understand, thanks to other TGP'ers who have had similar issues with other builders, that the "break up, death in the family" excuse is fairly prevalent within the irresponsible luthier community. Lesson learned, I guess.

Anyway, Rob's promised deadline expired, but I gave him a two week grace period (which was stupid on my part.) Yet again I emailed him asking for an update, but as all of you can guess by now, no reply came. At that point I had had enough, so I initiated the PayPal claim process, but as it so happened, the 180 day PayPal protection had expired, and there was nothing they could do. By the way, I missed the protection window by 6 days.

PayPal suggested that I contact my bank to see if there was anything they could do, which I did. After speaking with a Bank of America representative for 5 minutes, she said she could reverse the charge no problem, and that all I had to do was fill out an affidavit and provide the requested documents, which I did. She was very nice, but also DEAD WRONG. Yesterday I received notification that the credit had been reversed, and that the claim had been denied because the down payment had already been posted, and that they could only help if the payment had not yet posted, or if the charge had not been authorized. Technically, I did not authorize ROR Guitars to charge me for a service they didn't provide, but I don't think BoA would be receptive to that reasoning, to say the least!

So that's it. I now consider the money I paid to ROR Guitars as stolen. PayPal can't help, Bank of America can't help, and since ROR Guitars is based in Ireland, I doubt there is very little I can do legally.

But what I CAN do, is spread the word on every forum I can find, and hope that bad publicity will encourage Rob to do the right thing and return my money. I'll try to provide updates as I receive them.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.