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** Web Exclusive **
A FEW STRINGS ATTACHED
Those who believe that the tried-and-true electric guitar will never change could well be in for a shock.
Text: BENOÎT BRIÈRE
SEP '04
Fret no more – that annoying hum on the electric guitar is a thing of the past. It’s all thanks to the arrival of the world’s first truly digital guitar. The characteristic distortion of the traditional model is caused by magnetic pickups translating string vibrations into electrical signals. But with Gibson’s new patented MaGIC system, computer chips embedded in the body of the guitar transform notes into pure binary signals. According to Gibson chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, this technology opens up "a virtually unlimited world of possibilities to guitarists," from using multiple amplifiers (one for each string) to recording all six strings individually into a computer.
Claude Gauthier and Samuel Gaudet’s reinvented guitar is even further removed from the rock ’n’ roll classic. While working on a tricky math problem involving infinite sums, these two University of Moncton professors came up with something they call a "tritar." Instead of the traditional design in which the strings are attached to the head and bridge of the guitar, the Y-shaped tritar has three necks and six networks of strings, giving it an unprecedented range of sounds. According to Professor Gauthier, composers attending the unveiling of his invention were quick to see its creative potential. "Give me a new instrument," they said, "and I can write a new kind of music."
www.gibson.com [ ]
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SEP '04
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