Musicians and their custom or modified instruments

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by GodShifter, May 18, 2012.

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  1. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    By custom I mean out of the ordinary instrument -- it being significantly different than other standard instruments. Some examples:

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    Uli Jon Roth's custom 'Sky Guitar' which was seven strings and additional frets (if I'm not incorrect on that one ..)

    [​IMG]

    Mark Sandman's two string bass guitar played with a slide -- (with apologies to Disneyland After Dark);)

    Who are some other musicians that played instruments that were custom built and outside the regular specifications of most instruments? I can't think of many others, but there has to some out there. Slim Jim Phantom and his stand up kit? Tony Levin and his Chapman Stick? (I guess any dude that plays Chapman Stick could qualify, though, so maybe not...)

    First person that mentions Ravi Shankar gets a swift kick in the nuts and is kindly escorted out of the thread :laugh:

    Didn't some play a 'keytar' or something? ..

    You get the idea.
     
  2. JuanTCB

    JuanTCB Senior Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    My computer won't let me post a link for whatever reason, but just do a google photo search for "Rick Nielsen" and take it from there.
     
  3. csampson

    csampson Forum Resident

  4. weirdo12

    weirdo12 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    This is my very favourite:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Jedey

    Jedey Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hope, Mn USA
  6. Spyder

    Spyder Official vinyl solicitor and connoisseur.

    Location:
    Davenport, FL
    Pat Metheny's Pikasso has always impressed me:

    [​IMG]
     
  7. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    The double neck gibson -now common - was designed specifically for Jimmy Page

    John Paul Jones' triple neck to pull off Ten Years Gone

    Todd Rundgren's Ra ankh shaped guitar

    Prince has something similar shape like his symbol

    Bo diddley

    Brian may of queen pieced together his own. - very distinct sound

    Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick -I think he had a five necker

    I'm incompetant or lazy, someone want to post photos of these?
     
  8. Cassiel

    Cassiel Sonic Reducer

    Location:
    NYC, USA
    Pauline Oliveros plays an accordion with its tuning modified to just intonation (can't post a pic from my phone, but it looks just like a regular accordion).
     
  9. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    They were around since the late 1950s, Page's EDS1275 was a regular catalog item.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  10. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    I saw Rick Vito walk into Pyramid Guitars in Memphis with this thing once:

    [​IMG]

    He had another oddly shaped custom with him too, in turquoise I think, but I can't find a picture of it.
     
  11. nosticker

    nosticker Forum Guy

    Location:
    Ringwood, NJ
    Sorry, no pics at the ready:

    Futureman's(Bela Fleck/Flecktones) "Synth-axe Drumitar"

    Willie Wilcox's(Utopia) "Drumbike"

    Do Lindsey Buckinham's Turner guitars fit the description?




    Dan
     
  12. frank3si

    frank3si Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Castle DE USA
    I was always impressed by Mott the Hoople's Overend Watts and his "bird bass"

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  13. frank3si

    frank3si Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Castle DE USA
    Oh, and while Mott's in the air, let's not forget Ian Hunter's H guitar... Overend's switched to his Gibson Thunderbird in this shot.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. The Rush Fan

    The Rush Fan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Lorenzo, CA
    Rudolf Schenker's acoustic flying V comes to mind:

    [​IMG]


    I always thought Uli Roth's Sky guitar looked a lot like the Partridge Family's logo!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  15. sound chaser

    sound chaser Senior Member

    Location:
    North East UK.
  16. KariK

    KariK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Espoo, Finland
  17. Amnesiac

    Amnesiac Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan
    Matt Bellamy (Muse) has an interesting guitar with an X&Y pad (connected to KAOSS pad) and a fuzz factory in it.
    [​IMG]
     
  18. mrogers

    mrogers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milford, NH
    Jerry Garcia had a few:

    Wolf:
    [​IMG]

    Tiger:
    [​IMG]

    Rosebud:
    [​IMG]
     
  19. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    Check out this evil Vai invention(?):
    [​IMG]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY8wyKuLY2k

    in case you're wondering:
    12-string neck with guitar synth [tuned to an open chord]
    6 string fretted neck [probably standard tuning]
    6 string fretless neck [tuned to an open chord]
     
  20. RockWizard

    RockWizard Forum Resident

    Here's a few!


    Clapton.jpg

    HarrisonRocky.jpg

    Jerry_garcia.jpg

    JPJ Triple.jpg

    kane_roberts.jpg


    The Kane Roberts guitar is at the New Orleans Hard Rock. That thing is WEIRD!
     
  21. RockWizard

    RockWizard Forum Resident

  22. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    [​IMG]
    The Presidents of the United States of America

    I forgot about these guys. They're kind of in the Mark Sandman club in that their instruments aren't really modified, but use different strings. I believe both guys had bass guitar strings for the E and the A strings of the guitar and the others were regular gauge guitar strings.

    Edit: That doesn't look right, though, by looking what they've got there. It looks more like one guitar is strung with two bass strings and the other is, perhaps, a combination of bass and guitar strings? I can't really tell.
     
  23. applebonkerz

    applebonkerz Senior Member

    A few from John Entwistle:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  24. Gentle Giant

    Gentle Giant Active Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Utopia's Willie Wilcox and his motorcycle frame drum kit.

    [​IMG]
     
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