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Being good at guitar can finally pay off! Or at least it’ll get you a free beer at the Panhead Custom Ales Brewery in New Zealand.
Yes, the brewery has set up a machine that will quite literally judge your playing and – if you succeed – will award you with a free beer. “It’s essentially a souped up Guitar Hero for adults,” said Rebecca Sinclair, head of Brand at Panhead Custom Ales. “As far as we know, this is a first of its kind machine with some pretty cool new tech and the best kind of reward for those willing to give it a go. No one has done this before.”
The machine uses a Epiphone Explorer and has an onboard AI to judge whether or not you’re good enough for free beer. And yes – the machine is harsh in its judgement.
“The machine was the perfect combination of a couple of our favorite things, cold beer and really loud music,” added Sinclair. “We gave it its first run at the Panhead Rolling Stone Music Awards and it turns out it’s pretty ruthless. It rejected some of the best guitarists in the country.”
The Slay to Pay machine is currently on a break for Christmas, but will be back in 2024.