Jeremy Bell is the creator of this brilliant device, that allows you quickly switch between two guitar signals. In this case, one position of the switch plays the regular guitar signal, and the other side plays a delayed version of the same guitar. You end up with a glitchy, stuttering effect similar to using a kill switch, or rapidly flicking your toggle switch, only a lot cooler.
The obvious idea is to put this into a pedal to give you more freedom. Jeremy mentions in the video he doesn’t think you could get the same sounds this way, but I think using a momentary switch, or spring loading a rocker switch(as suggested in the youtube comments) would get you pretty similar results. I’ll be surprised if some pedal builder doesn’t try to do something with this idea.
I recently discovered Josh Martin, when his band “Little Tybee”, appeared on the latest episode of “Shaking Through”. An amazing documentary series that shows a band recording and mixing a song over the course of two days. The other really cool part of Shaking Through, is that, if your a member, you’re able to download the raw tracks so you can try mixing, or remixing the song yourself.
This series is one of my favorite things on the internet. It really captures the creative process, and the collaboration that goes into making music. The series is developed by Weathervane Music, a non-profit organization, who is currently having their annual fundraiser. So I hope you’ll check it out, and if you enjoy what you see, become a member or buy a t-shirt or something to help them out.
With all the talk around vintage guitars, about the “mojo” they acquire during their life making music, wouldn’t it be cool if you could actually see and hear parts of that history? Who played it, what songs it played, how and where it was made. This guitar will do this.
This is a rather clever idea.
The TonewoodAmp is a device that allows acoustic players to add the type of sounds, usually only available by plugging in to a chain of FX pedals and then an amp.
It attaches to the back of your acoustic guitar, and seems to require a soundhole pickup, but instead of then sending that signal out to an amp to hear it, it sends it to a transducer on your acoustic. This turns your guitars body into a speaker for the effected signal. The result is a blend of your guitars natural acoustic sound, along with whatever effect you have dialed in on the Tonewoodamp, and both sounds are coming from the guitar itself. It can also be used along with Midi apps for more possibilities!
This explanation from Tonewoodamps is probably clearer.
How does it work?
In general the body of an acoustic guitar is used to amplify the sound the strings produce. When the strings are plucked, they begin to vibrate the bridge of the guitar (1). As a result of the bridge vibrations, the top (front) plate also begins to vibrate (2). For the lower frequencies, the vibrations are transmitted to the back of the guitar, then bounce back through the sound hole (3).
ToneWoodAmp adds an additional layer of vibrations using a driver that is attached to the back of the guitar (4). These sound waves are pure sound effects such as reverb, delay, echo, tremolo, etc. and even virtual MIDI instruments (using iDevice). The combined results of the effects plus the natural strings’ sound create a unique playing experience which is heard directly from the sound hole and felt through the body of the guitar itself (5).
It attaches by gluing two magnetic ‘rails’ to your guitar with a glue they say won’t damage the guitar, and is easily removed. The Tonewoodamp then attaches to these magnets. There is also another “locking system” for attachment that is still in development. They are currently taking pre-orders at the introductory price of $90, which they say is half price. There is no mention of a ship date.
Having thoroughly enjoyed Dave Grohl’s similar project – “Sound City”, I’m really looking forward to this series.
In this new series, Foo Fighters commemorate their 20th anniversary by documenting the eight-city recording odyssey that produced their latest, and eighth, studio album.
Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl directs the series, which taps into the musical heritage and cultural fabric of eight cities: Chicago, Austin, Nashville, Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, Washington D.C. and New York. The band based themselves at a legendary recording studio integral to the unique history and character of each location.
One song was recorded in each city, and every track features local legends. Even the lyrics were developed in an experimental, unprecedented way: Grohl held off on writing them until the last day of each session, letting himself be inspired by the experiences, interviews and personalities that became part of the process.
Foo Fighters Sonic Highways is, in Grohl’s words, “a love letter to the history of American music.” Each episode delves into the identity of each city — showing how each region shaped these musicians in their formative years and, in turn, how they impacted the cultural fabric of their hometowns. Every artist who appears in the show, regardless of genre or locale, started as an average kid with universal dreams of making music and making it big.
Grohl made his feature film directorial debut in 2013 with the universally acclaimed Grammy-winning Sound City, a celebration of the human element in the creation and recording of music. Foo Fighters have won 11 Grammy Awards, including four for Best Rock Album, more than any other band.
Premiering on the eve of Foo Fighters’ 20th anniversary, Foo Fighters Sonic Highways aims to “give back” to the next generation of young musicians. As guitarist and singer Buddy Guy, an interviewee from the Chicago blues scene, explains, “Everything comes from what’s come before.”
