Sonic nirvana for executively stressed

MIKE BUTCHER INBOXHad enough of stress balls and USB-powered gadgets? The iAxe can give you satisfaction

THERE ARE a lot of toys out there aimed at reliving executive stress. But if you've had enough of the stress balls and the USB-powered gadgets, there is a far better way to blow away the cobwebs, and it has something to do with turning up the volume to 11 (for anyone familiar with the Spinal Tap movie, that is).

For the electric guitar is probably the one thing the average businessperson, stressed by a hard day's power-pointing, would quite like to have a crack at. So if rock 'n' roll is in your blood but you can't afford to blast the rest of the office out, the iAxe USB guitar (around £99.95 or €127.15) is probably for you.

And you should find that this is one thing that - to misquote Jagger - can give you satisfaction. Sonic nirvana is achievable with the iAxe because it is a so-called "shape" guitar, which will run through PC software to produce everything from Jimi Hendrix's Stratocaster to Bruce Springsteen's Telecaster.

With the iAxe you don't need a bank of accessories, racks of pedals or a huge Marshall stack, the likes of which only AC/DC can afford.

The iAxe looks and feels pretty much like most electric guitars, and features a maple neck, solid body, single-coil pick-ups with 5-way switching, chrome machine heads and a vintage whammy bar for those Cliff Richard moments. But this guitar hides a special, techy gadget secret. You just need a PC (XP only) or Mac and a USB cable, allowing you to transform your computer into an amp, effects rack and recording system without any additional hardware.

The guitar can also be used with any traditional guitar amplifier, so no need to worry about taking it to band rehearsal. The simple-to-use software lets you play along with your favourite music and you can also slow tracks down or speed them up to practise.

A multi-track recording-editing function lets you record whole compositions. The effects available are myriad - from soft to distorted, warm to edgy.

The addition of headphones (not included) will keep your fellow office workers away - assuming you haven't already drawn a crowd.