PLAY IT LOUD
The joyous electric noise of lateSixties rock and roll has had many ramifications. One is that people have taken to the music as a sign of the times, accepting the sound of rock as symbolic of a new sense of communication. The key word here is electronics.
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PLAY IT LOUD
Electronics: Pulse of the Future
Guitar Arnie
by
The joyous electric noise of lateSixties rock and roll has had many ramifications. One is that people have taken to the music as a sign of the times, accepting the sound of rock as symbolic of a new sense of communication.
The key word here is electronics. As I’ve mentioned before in this column, the electric guitar is an electronic instrument; it bears more resemblance these days to a stereo pre-amp and amplifier system than it does to the classical acoustic guitar. Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Page and other craftsmen have taken the guitar past the point where it is just an acoustical guitar with pick-ups for amplifying the signal. The introduction of fuzz, wah-wah, phasing, and other synthetic electronic sounds as part of the guitar player’s bag of tricks has made it impossible to think of the guitar as an acoustic instrument. The strings of the guitar only produce a signal which is picked up by the magnetic cores of the pick-up module — from that time until the signal is reproduced in an amplified state through the amp speakers it is a series of electronic pulses which must be shaped and controlled, even if the player is only interested in reproducing the original sound produced by the guitar strings as they vibrate.
Behind this sound and the artists who create it are a group of often staid manufacturers who provide the guitars, amplifiers, and accessories that we’ve used to hammer out our electric anthem. Many of these people have been disconcerted by the emergence of rock as a musical format; a number of them
have been unable to digest the shift'to all-electric rock, especially when it comes to modifying their products so they will be functional in relation to the uses to which they’re being put.
Fortunately there is a new generation of electronically-oriented manufacturers. These people understand the electric guitar as an electric instrument. They know that the wiring, Circuitry, and controls of a guitar are as important as the number of playable frets and the action on the neck.
Harry Kolbe, Steve Kaufman, and Regina Kolbe are three of these new wave people. They started S. Hawk Limited (65 Bank Street, New York, New York, 10014) in an effort to close the gap between the sounds the guitarist wanted and what was available at the local music store. Harry Kolbe does the engineering and design of their products from i(}eas provided by Steve Kaufman, a talented guitarist who believes in the future of the electric guitar. Regina Kolbe helps keep Harry and Steve organized, also directing the promotion of the fledgling company.
Starting out on a prayer and a shoe-string, S. Hawk Ltd. is now one of the few manufacturers of the sophis-
ticated electronic modules for the electric guitar — the Hawk I, Hawk II, and Hawk III units. By late this sumpier, these three will be joined by the Hawk IV, Hawk V, Hawk VI, and Hawk VII.
The Hawk I is the simplest of the three modules, also the least expensive. It is a small brushed-aluminum-andblack box which plugs into the input of your guitar, the patch chord then plugging into the output of the box. There are two controls on the Hawk I. The first is a sturdy sliding fader control which allows you to adjust the gain (signal volume) coming out of your guitar. By sliding the control up and down you can increase the attack time, cutting power and noise characteristics of the guitar. Working with the Hawk I and his Gibson Melody Maker and a small Fender amp he could produce sounds that should have been coming from a stack of Marshalls. There is also a switch on the Hawk I which you can flip to give you instant fuzz. By working with the slide control once the fuzz switch is activated you’ll be able to regulate the amount of fuzz. The Hawk I will also give you sustain, works as a headphone amplifier if you want to play along with yourself, and is also functional with electric pianos and electric basses. If you’re tired of feeling around the stage with your toes to find your fuzz box, I’d recommend the Hawk I as the handiest way of getting fuzz, plus you get gain control and other sounds if you’re willing to do a little experimenting.
The Hawk II is my favorite of the three modules mainly because I’ve been using it as a graphic equalizer with my tape system rather than on my guitar! But guitarists will also appreciate it since it is a complete control system in a small 3x4x2 inch metal box.
If you’re at all interested in getting the full potential out of your electric guitar, drop by your music store and try out the Hawk modules. In testing them I’ve found that I’m continually surprised by the things they can do.
