The Angel Guitar
In the early 70's I was fascinated by Indian classical music and also inspired by Indo-Jazz fusion.
I also really liked the sustain on guitar produced by using an echo plate so I set out to design an instrument which would allow me to have all these sounds in one. The result was a series of instruments which explored the refinement of the principle, to a stage where the current angel guitar is a reliable and well used addition to my list of studio instruments.
It comprises two 'wings' each with 13 strings tuned as required using zither pegs and violin fine tuners. They are usually in some familiar harmonic relationship, but I have experimented with micro tunings for both sides. The central neck is a conventional wide necked 12 string guitar, with pickups on all three ranks of strings. There is also onboard EQ, compression/limiting and a line driver, which links to a XLR balanced output box.
In practice the instrument can be played like a conventional guitar, in which case the sides produce a harmonic reverb with adjustable response and tuning, with a decay of about 3 - 5 seconds. Alternatively the sides can be played like a Hammer dulcimer or in many other percussive ways, with hands, fingers, metal objects and so on, to produce a huge variety of sounds.
Additionally I found that orienting the sound box the wind at the correct angle produced a strong and endlessly varying Aeolian effect, which I liken to fractal melody - which thanks to the pickups and electronics is very usable. This formed the backing for the CD of glissando pieces I did with Daevid Allen called 22 Meanings.
I have also used the instrument in a number of experimental pieces and on the album Migration as a melodic and drone instrument. Because of the massive construction of the instrument it is very stable, which is fortunate, but the weight made me make a universal mount for it which allows it to be positioned simply at any angle. This is extremely convenient for live performance.