DG-20 Digital Guitar - MAME machine

Musical Instrument (Electronic) published 38 years ago:

DG-20 Digital Guitar © 1988 Casio Computer Co., Ltd.

The Casio DG-20 Digital Guitar was an advanced version of Casio’s earlier DG-10, designed to bring electronic synthesis into a more guitar-like performance experience. Developed by Casio Computer Co., Ltd., it featured a full guitar-shaped body with six strings and a fretboard-based electronic sensing system that triggered PCM-based instrument sounds instead of traditional string vibration. The DG-20 offered improved sound quality, expanded tone selection, built-in rhythm accompaniment, and MIDI connectivity, allowing it to function both as a standalone performance instrument and as a controller for external sound modules.

TRIVIA
The DG-20 was one of the most sophisticated models in Casio’s Digital Guitar lineup, improving significantly on the simpler DG-10.
Like its predecessor, the strings were not used for audio generation; instead, they acted as expressive controllers for strumming and articulation.

It included a wider range of PCM instrument sounds, including electric pianos, synth leads, brass, and organ-style tones.

Built-in rhythm patterns allowed users to perform complete arrangements without external equipment, similar to Casio’s Casiotone keyboards.

The instrument supported MIDI, making it one of the early consumer guitar-shaped controllers capable of interfacing with external synthesizers and sound modules.

Its fretboard sensing system translated finger positions into discrete pitch data, rather than continuous pitch bending like a traditional guitar.

The DG-20 is often viewed as a precursor to modern MIDI guitar controllers and hybrid electronic performance systems.

Today it is appreciated by collectors and experimental musicians for its unusual interface and characteristic late-1980s digital sound aesthetic.

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