Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Murderer Vine: a new Mangmade guitar

Here's the latest model -- a solid-body electric "cigar-box-style" guitar.  She sounds as wicked as she looks.



Bolt-on neck, four strings tuned to Open G, single-coil pickup, volume and tone controls. 

Emblazoned with the cover of a Hard Case Crime novel, The Murderer Vine by Shepard Rifkin and art by Ken Laager



Volume, tone and input jack cover from an old wind chime.  Knobs cut from an old curtain rod.

 
Pickup and fret wire from CB Gitty, tuning keys from Elderly Instruments.  The bridge is left over from an upgrade I made to my SX Callisto JR.  The nut is cut from a dog bone purchased at Petsmart, which was not fun to cut and grinding was very stinky.  Extremely stinky.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Satisfactions 1966

A clipping from the Toledo Blade, January 22, 1966 noting my dad's and his buddies' bands from Lake High School.

The Satisfactions 1966

To see this clipping in its historical context, click here.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

First electronic drum machine

SUPER RARE Early Chamberlin Rhythmate. ALL TUBE from PHONOGRAPH VIDS on Vimeo.

This is an early model 35 with el84 tube amp, 12 inch speaker and 16 track tape loop. This IS the one! These were Chamberlin's first designs and the predecessor to the Melotron. This is a must for any Chamberlin, Melotron, Optigan collector or avid fan...

The Chamberlin Rhythmate has the distinction of being the first drum machine ever produced.