PLAY IT LOUD
“Holy Patchchords! Would you look at that guitar!” “Have no fear, Boy Howdy, it’s the new XES.” Electronics are for everybody. A simple statement with loads of implications. All those transistor radios and color tvs we feed on were created by little men who understand how electronics work, even if they aren’t doped up enough to really apply that understanding to perceptions of the future.
The CREEM Archive presents the magazine as originally created. Digital text has been scanned from its original print format and may contain formatting quirks and inconsistencies.
PLAY IT LOUD
by Guitar Arnie
Holy Patchcords! The First Totally Electric Guitar
“Holy Patchchords! Would you look at that guitar!”
“Have no fear, Boy Howdy, it’s the new XES.”
Electronics are for everybody. A simple statement with loads of implications. All those transistor radios and color tvs we feed on were created by little men who understand how electronics work, even if they aren’t doped up enough to really apply that understanding to perceptions of the future. In Kung Fu country Sony comes the closest to making products that are future-toys, but even their design department could use a few more weirdos.
Back in the good old U.S.A. electronics people break up into two easily identifiable groups. The normals who are busy turning out pocket calculators and the freaks, most of whom are deeply involved in rewiring video tape machines at the moment. I say most of whom, since there are obviously a few who have gotten together to form XES — Series, Inc., 66 Carmine Street, New York, New York 10014. They explain themselves by saying “XES, our name, tells our story. X = the unknown quantity; ES = energy synthesizers.”
Got that?
Well even if all this is passing you by, have a look at the first tangible evidence that electronics can be amazing, the XES guitar. From the picture you can see that this is no ordinary guitar. As I mentioned in my last column, there are guitars and there are electric guitars. The XES creates new definitions for the latter category.
What I’m about to tell you about the XES guitar is true. It may belong in Marvel comics, but it is not a Gene Roddenbury story line. Honest!
The XES guitar is a quadrophonic guitar. It has four output channels which can be plugged into four different amplifiers. Surround sound from one guitar. Or you can plug the signals from the guitar into two amps, or one or three. There are six electronic pick-ups on the XES guitar (called sound transducers which is a much more viable definition of what they do). Four of the sound transducers are located between the guitar bridge and the near end of the neck — the normal position for guitar pickups. The other two are embedded in the neck of the guitar! Right there under the strings. By mixing the signals picked up by any number or all of these transducers, you have 35 permutations of tone control!
Inside of the XES are about 150 transistors and other electronic components which are powered by five ninevolt batteries. They’re all sunk into a cavity in the body of the guitar and they control the various sounds you’ll be getting from the instrument.
The XES also has two inputs so that you can plug another guitar and a mike into the guitar and then mix the signals tqgether. with the XES signal before reproducing the total through your amps.
If you don’t happen to Jike patch chords, you won’t need them. Built into the XES are two FM transmitters which allow you to broadcast in stereo from the guitar to the amplifier(s).
Since they didn’t build headlights or mag-wheels into the guitar, XES did add one final little item that is the capper. The body design of the guitar is modular, which means that the neck is detachable, without unstringing, by removing two screws! Other necks and pickup assemblies can thus be connected — and the necks don’t necessarily have to have six strings. In addition all the internal circuitry of the guitar is instantly replacable by different circuit packages.
The people at XES deserve a round of applause for their guitar. You may think it is just a gimmick, but that’s probably because XES is the only one so far to come up with the totally electric guitar. If you want to know more about what they’re doing, drop them a note. They’re nice people and they’re obviously interested in creating a new kind of electronics that has applications in areas that musicians are interested in.
Guitar Notes: Berkshire Instruments, 170 Chestnut St., Ridgewood, N.J. 07450 has come up with a dandy $80 item for tuning your guitar. Called the Tunemaster G, it will give you an E, A, D, G, B or octave E at the flick of a switch. Especially useful if you’re recording and plan to add piano overdubs (in tune!) at a latter date . . . “2001” hit single man Deodato informs me that the only electric instrument on that recording date' was his Fender electric piano! ... The April issue of Guitar Player magazine had a fine article by Alice Gilbert on the Spanish guitar makers or “luthiers,” plus addresses and hints on buying a classical guitar while you’re there.
