23 June 2008

SNAMM2008: The Moog Guitar


Of course, you can't get NAMM news without looking at the new Moog guitar.  It contains e-bow like sustainers which allow a sustain mode, a totally unique muting mode, and an even more interesting sustain/mute mode.  The effect of these are controlled by the "Vo Knob" - it seems to control the voltage level hitting the sustainer circuit (of course, I could be wrong).  Likewise there is a harmonic balance control (can also be handled by the included rocker pedal) which allows sweeping the sustainer control from pickup to pickup.  If my physics is right, the sustainers are placed at particular node points on the strings.  As you sweep back and forth between them, the sustainer's power goes back and forth between the pickups activating different harmonics!  Very groovy.  

Another interesting thing is the inclusion of Graph Tech piezo pickups in the bridge saddles.  Having done this, I find it interesting that they didn't add an extra board and jack to provide MIDI control via the Hexaphonic pickups.  Then again, as they already have it up to a price of $6500, they may have felt they couldn't add more at this time.

By the way, I've seen a lot of web chatter ragging the look.  In person, it is stunning.  Who says bass players should be the only instrumentalists with groovy flame maple!

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