Q:When is a guitar not a guitar? A: when it’s an Instant Impresario Guitar which doesn’t have conventional strings and frets, but instead uses a chord button motif up the neck, with a strum block in the body. It’s very strange, if you’re going to play something like this, why not…ahem…play it? Anyhoo, the thing also comes with an internal speaker and four built in demo songs. Which could be handy when inspiration runs out. $599.95.

This is the device that provides those with no guitar experience the instant gratification of playing chords without months of practice. Shaped like a hollow-body acoustic guitar, its six strings are strummed or individually plucked with the right hand like a normal guitar, while the left hand simply presses a chord button along the fingerboard. Up to 24 different chords may be played using unique button combinations, and touch-sensitve pads above and below the strings provide additional muting and octave control.