Yamaha's Vocaloid 'singing synth' technology has never quite taken off in the UK, but as the many YouTube videos featuring it attest, it's proved to be a big hit in Japan.
Now it's found its way into a guitar stompbox from not Yamaha but Korg: the Miku Stomp. Featuring the image of Hatsune Miku, an established Vocaloid singer who Wikipedia informs is "an android diva in the near-future world where songs are lost," the pedal attempts to make your guitar 'sing' (in a very synthetic, electronic kind of way) when you play it.
11 lyric patterns are provided, while a companion iPhone app will enable you to input words of your own.
The Korg website that the Miku Stomp won't be available in all territories - though you should be able to buy it in the UK in November for £130 - but if any pedal's destined for cult status, it's surely got to be this one.
![Eric Clapton and his gold-plated Cry Baby: [Left] a black and white image of Clapton playing his Bigsby-equipped Gibson Les Paul standard live on stage with Cream.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aPowLRdfjdvVAiwU8PYuBh-1280-80.jpg.webp)
“We are honoured that our company’s relationship with the legendary guitar player continues to this day”: Dunlop salutes wah pedal pioneer Eric Clapton with a gold-plated signature Cry Baby
“Honestly I’d never even heard of Klons prior to a year-and-a-half ago”: KEN Mode’s Jesse Matthewson on the greatest reverb/delay ever made and the noise-rock essentials on his fly-in pedalboard
“We are honoured that our company’s relationship with the legendary guitar player continues to this day”: Dunlop salutes wah pedal pioneer Eric Clapton with a gold-plated signature Cry Baby
“Honestly I’d never even heard of Klons prior to a year-and-a-half ago”: KEN Mode’s Jesse Matthewson on the greatest reverb/delay ever made and the noise-rock essentials on his fly-in pedalboard
