It doesn't particularly sound like a guitar of any kind. It sounds like something trying to emulate the overall vibe of a string being plucked, so it's at most guitar-adjacent. It doesn't sound like any guitar (or bass) that I've ever played. Which is a lot of guitars/bassesHipster Bales wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2026 6:14 pmOh, I thought Plucked! sounded acoustic? anyway I open it up and yea, it sounds more electronic.Ciderwell wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2026 4:38 pmNot really. Something graphical and electronic. A much better sounding guitar for synthwave, for example.
I do like Sakura. Not so much because it sounds authentic, but because it sounds good and is quite versatile. You can get some decidedly weird sounds out of it that sound nothing like an actual string instrument; and get close enough to the vibe of lots of string instrument to have its place. Much like there's something to be said for using keyboard strings on a certain type of pop song. That doesn't sound like an orchestra either, but it totally fits the vibe/genre.
Or just like electric organ through a distortion pedal doesn't sound like a traditional organ, but sure as hell sounds cool in the right context!
So maybe not ideal for solo violin on an orchestra piece (though I'd rate it better than Plucked! as guitar), but absolutely usable for background synthy pads and a stand in for a violin that's less prominent in the mix - provided you put the effort into programming a more nuanced performance. I'll sometimes mix Kontakt strings with Sakura - I really like the results on the right track.
