GuitarExtended is a multi-effects system that can digitally alter the sound of a guitar using PD. The user has a box with multiple switches on it that change the alteration to the sound, and the variables of that sound are controlled using a homemade expression pedal with the help of Arduino.
If you’re playing Rocksmith (and I think you should be), and you’re playing standing up (ditto), you have probably run into the “where do I put the controller” problem. The gamepad is required to navigate the menu system between songs, and if you play in a standing position you have to keep a stool or a table nearby to keep it within easy reach. This simple mod mounts a spring steel clip to the underside of a standard Xbox 360 controller so you can attach it to your guitar strap. In this position, it is easily accessed with your strumming hand.
Not quite your grandfather’s hollow body guitar, Massey University professor Olaf Diegel creates awe-inspiring 3D printed guitar bodies with intricate scenes embedded within their open air design.
In the spirit of our ongoing alt.GDC coverage, I thought I’d take just a second to talk about what looks, from my humble vantage, to be The Next Big Thing in video games.
A guitar will often die a slow death by peeling its own wood bottom from the glue that binds it to the rest of the body. This might very well relegate the instrument to firewood, but Asaf Tz’rtkof saw potential in the exposed brace work.
Invented by Swiss media artist Michael Egger in collaboration with Maïté Colin, the VideoBass is an instrument that plays moving images instead of sound. The performer uses their left hand on the neck of the instrument to select or scrub through video clips and triggers them in rhythm with their right hand on PlayStation controller knobs. The result is a mix of visuals that stand on their own or compliment music made by traditional instruments. Originally developed in 2003, the first incarnation of the VideoBass has undergone many revisions since.
Andrew Benson’s Praxis Zero guitars are modular frameworks for guitars that can have interchangeable bodies, and can have their specs easily changed to suit the needs of the player. All the parts are sculpted with a CNC router and were on display at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011.
