First Came the Gibson/Moog RD...

[chromium]

...and now the Paul Vo!!!

Paul Vo?



Moog has unveiled their second attempt at revolutionizing the electric guitar.  The model, named after its inventor, apparently uses special pickups to apply "coherent power" to the strings (as opposed to incoherent power, which is what I sometimes apply) in order to manipulate their vibration in real time - thus enabling infinite sustain at one end of the spectrum, and staccato muting at the other end.  By varying the balance of sustain/mute effects between the two pickups using a foot pedal, the player can invoke various harmonic overtones. 

It addition to that, it has a built-in Moog filter, which looks like it might provide similar capability to their Moogerfooger MF-101 filter pedal (resonant lowpass synth-like filter w/envelope follower).  Apparently, Zion Guitars is currently handling the lutherie, and Moog may also have plans to engage other builders in the future.

Here's a demo video of the guitar featuring Lou Reed, Vernon Reid, and others:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3SsYQrgcyA&eurl=http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/06/moog-unveils-ba.html


A couple nit-picky comments/observations that I would have are:
- It's styling doesn't doesn't do much for me.  Not as striking as the RD - looks more like a run of the mill ESP, or something.
- Its MSRP is $6500

Other than that, it's pretty cool...  but the real question at hand is this:  can the revolutionary Moog guitar make me want to listen to Vernon Reid??   

 

[chromium]

That reminds me - I want an Ebow.

[uwe]

I'm amazed. It sounds fantastic. Ambience and prog music will be filled with that sound in years to come. Pat Metheny will devote at last three albums to it ... 

It sounds like the RD concept finally fulfilled. Add a bit of Gizmo to it. If there ever is a bass, I'll get one. The muting effect reminds me of fareastern stringed instruments (think Japanese folk) and banjo.

Herr Fertig should be in instant ecstasy about this.

Uwe

[Barklessdog]

Why yes, I am. What I really like is the muting the strings not played while sustaining, where for me, I need the RD with active boost at the max which great sustain, but also allows the slightest touch to other strings causing all kinds of unwanted noise, so I have to mute the other strings physically with my hand while playing (pick playing).


The first clip seems to me to be identical to the Fernandes "Sustainer pickup," which is an EBow in pickup form.

http://www.fernandesguitars.com/sustainer.html

A couple of years ago I called Fernandes Guitars to find out if their "Sustainer " pickup would work with basses. They told me early on they had a bass model, but the strings would not vibrate properly due to their extreme thickness, thus just warbling, vs ringing.

[Basvarken]

Amazing: it makes Lou Reed think he can actually play guitar?

[uwe]

I wanted to make a comment like that too, but then thought better about it. Reed doesn't care for guitar acrobatics, but he has an unorthodox style. He certainly holds his ground and some of the guitar playing on Velvet Underground stuff was quite inventive (and inspiring for Tom Verlaine's Television a decade later). And this Moog guitar wouldn't be so much for shredders or allout rock guitars either, but for people drawing aural soundscapes. Uncle Lou could even re-record Metal Machine Music with it and release it as a limited edition of, say, a dozen?

Uwe

[chromium]

They told me early on they had a bass model, but the strings would not vibrate properly due to their extreme thickness, thus just warbling, vs ringing.

I forgot about those!  That might have been fun for a piccolo bass, but I guess there's not enough of a market for that for them to justify building it.  I wondered how well the Ebow would work on bass for the same reasons.  At least those are cheap, and don't require mods.  They are only monophonic, though, so that takes away some of the chordal fun.

That reminds me - I had read in the Moog FAQ that you have to use their own strings - formulated with a special metallurgy.  If you run jazz flats with a wound G - no sustain for you!  They said you can use other vendor's strings in a pinch if you need to, but implied that the system won't work as well.

You also have to wear a lead helmet when playing it, or you may develop a tumor.

[uwe]

"formulated with a special metallurgy"

Ah, alchemy lives!

[Barklessdog]

Alchemy is something that should not be done. Nothing good comes from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=senjsJV5--A&feature=related

You can end up fusing your daughter with your dog.

[chromium]

Ah, alchemy lives!

"What manner of man are you that you can summon up staccato notes without palm muting?"

"There are some who call me... 'Paul Vo'"

[Blazer]

Other than that, it's pretty cool...  but the real question at hand is this:  can the revolutionary Moog guitar make me want to listen to Vernon Reid??   

 

Living Colour "Broken hearts" live in 2004.
If you're not listening to living colour for Vernon then listen to them for Muzz Skillings or Doug Wimbish (depending on which album of theirs you're listening to.)

[chromium]

Living Colour "Broken hearts" live in 2004.
If you're not listening to living colour for Vernon then listen to them for Muzz Skillings or Doug Wimbish (depending on which album of theirs you're listening to.)

Aw I'm just givin' Vernon a hard time.  He has his moments.  A little of his sloppy shredding goes a long way with me, but I'll admit he can be very melodic at times.  In regard to Living Colour's debut album, I loved his modal solo on Broken Hearts, and I actually liked their cover of Memories Can't Wait better than the original Talking Heads version.  That was a gem - still holds up well today.