Duff Beer Man Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Has anyone seen Vai's new guitar? Its made outta plastic they say its "resin" and has these little green, yellow, pink, and orange wigglely things through it. Then when you pull the tone knob the whole thing lights up and glows green and the wigglely things get really bright. If you haven't seen it here is the link. Pop it up then sit there and watch it for a couple min and it will do the glow thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 I think that it is acrylic/plexi or something similar with some type of "residue" molded into it to reflect the light that is emitted from the part between the pickups that glows the most. And then the diods (or whatever ) just changes colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 I'd imagine you do it pretty much the same way as you do a swirl top, except from ur making a block of resin to carve the body out of (ie liquid clear resin and swirl colour into it and let it set, then make axe body out of it) S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 i don't think those are "colors"...i think they are most likely phosphorous (glow in the dark) ribbons set into the epoxy resin...i think they are what makes it glow green when the lights go out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneMonkey Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Looks like it could have been cast, in which case it'll be casting resin. Shouldn't be too hard to make if you can make a mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 It's interesting that the internal swirl materials are different colours under normal lighting and green when glowing in the dark. You can buy lots of different coloured glow in the dark materials which glow those colours in dark conditions. Simple idea well executed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 (edited) It's an acrylic body...... i don't think those are "colors"...i think they are most likely phosphorous (glow in the dark) ribbons set into the epoxy resin...i think they are what makes it glow green when the lights go out I think it's the other way around. There is some kinda color streaks in the acrylics......that when the led light are out, show up as all these colors......then when the led lights are switched on, one of these colors shows up. Green led, green streaks, while rest become invicible. But how excatly it's done......I'm no light/led expert. Thing is, for 20th JEM I think it's a very stupid guitar. I would never pay $6000-7000 for Acrylic guitar. Unless........ Edited January 29, 2007 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 I couldn't see anything special about the coloured bands, a green LED turns on & the body turns green? From the original post I expected the streaks to be glowing or something....all they're doing is catching the light, I'm sure that a blue LED would turn it blue, a red one would turn it red....there's nothing special about the colour streaks. I would also bet that your hand would look green if the only light in the room is that guitar's LED...nothing special about that. The reason that they look "glowing" is that the photograph was taken in the dark so it is picking up the light from the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 if it was reflecting an led the streaks would be casting shadows...quite the opposite,the resin is just reflecting the light from the phosphourous you can see by the color of the streaks that they are the glow in the dark variety Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 well...there does seem to be an led under the pickups....but i think it is both led and gitd paint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 ugleh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Beer Man Posted January 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 (edited) It's an acrylic body...... i don't think those are "colors"...i think they are most likely phosphorous (glow in the dark) ribbons set into the epoxy resin...i think they are what makes it glow green when the lights go out I think it's the other way around. There is some kinda color streaks in the acrylics......that when the led light are out, show up as all these colors......then when the led lights are switched on, one of these colors shows up. Green led, green streaks, while rest become invicible. But how excatly it's done......I'm no light/led expert. Thing is, for 20th JEM I think it's a very stupid guitar. I would never pay $6000-7000 for Acrylic guitar. Unless........ I dont even know if i would pay 6000-7000 for that one lol. What i dont understand is if the strands were glow in the dark, wouldnt they glow in the dark the color they are? When the switch is pulled all the strands turn green. As for making a mold i think im gonna try this, my dad is gonna start getting into fiberglassing and he would have to make molds for what he wants to do so i guess i could learn with him. Edited January 29, 2007 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 This guitar isn't designed to be sold to someone who isn't willing to pay $6000-$7000 for a collectable guitar. It's marketed to collectors only and window dressing for the aging JEM line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Is just green light! When you light it up the different colors will take a different tone (or shades). Same will happen if you use a different color... like red, you will get different shades of red when light up. Very nice, I don't like acrilic guitars, like the BCR's, but this one, well I don't know why I like it! I wouldn't buy one that's for sure, not even at the right price, but it looks great as crafty say, just an adornment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmarlin Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 The new Jem features a hand-made clear acrylic resin body with 3D threads of color that swirl through the guitar body. When the tone knob is pulled up, the guitar glows green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postal Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 I think it's one of the coolest, most innovative guitar related ideas in recent history. Really like it. Plastic probably sounds like crap, and those awful colored pickups gotta go, but the idea is bitchin!!!!!!! I would love to know how to make something like that. Those of you that dont like it, maybe you want to pay $29,000 for a beat to hell old relic of a $250 red guitar with black and white stripes on it instead? Something really cool and new for $6K... something boring and beat to hell for $29K..... What are you guys complaining about exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 What are you guys complaining about exactly? probably the markup...that is about 20 times what it costs ibanez to build....but i'm not going to buy the relic either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 the build isn't just making the bodies & putting it all together though. It's a new type of body, different materials, different electronics...you're paying for all the R&D on top of the assembly costs. I expect that it would cost you just as much to build one (probably more) if you charged a group of people to work on a new design with new materials & all the new manufacturing techniques involved. I expect that the guitar has been a good 12 months in the making....that's a lot of wages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 I agree with bilious, and given that it will have such a low production run, the costs won't be recouped by a "normal" market price. Ibanez won't have speculated on this model like say an RG270DX, which we know will recoup R&D, retooling, etc. by the pure weight of sales and market position. Definitely one for the collectors, and an RG/JEM to regroup interest in the brand and model lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davee5 Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Recouping costs? Gentlemen, I'd say it is clear none of you work in mass-production. -That's a cast acrylic-resin guitar, it can be poured many times over into a "soft-tool" of machined aluminum or brass (a few grand, maaaaaybe $5,000). More likely they cast a big block, then machined it down using their standard CNC programs and then polished it (acrylic polishes very easily) - The paint is phosphorescent-doped so it glows with any kind of coupled-wavelength light hitting it (generally UV), which is why it's only 1 color (again, maybe $1000 from 3M for the whole batch of phosphor additive). It does, by the way, look like paint to me rather than colored resin in the guitar, the front and back look distinctively different when compared to the edge. It seems to me that all the swirls are, in fact, 2D. They are probably under a clear coat of some kind whic is leveld to eliminate teh obviousness of this, maybe even more casting resin. If it truly is 3D, then they used glass blowing techniques that are difficult to explain in text to drag streaks of the paint or doped resin through the casting resin before it sets. Not exceptionally cutting edge. - The LED's are about $5 max for a high-lumen versions, including the drivers - Programmable chip, PIC, or other board to drive the glow ($50 max for a short run of custom stuffed boards, per boar - R&D time is low because almost all these components are off-the-shelf. It's the cost of doing one standard custom job, plus a few grand up front for a the whole batch, not several hundred times more expensive. Also, yes, ugly. -Dave "Thinks he knows everything" E. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Recouping costs? Gentlemen, I'd say it is clear none of you work in mass-production. -That's a cast acrylic-resin guitar, it can be poured many times over into a "soft-tool" of machined aluminum or brass (a few grand, maaaaaybe $5,000). More likely they cast a big block, then machined it down using their standard CNC programs and then polished it (acrylic polishes very easily) - The paint is phosphorescent-doped so it glows with any kind of coupled-wavelength light hitting it (generally UV), which is why it's only 1 color (again, maybe $1000 from 3M for the whole batch of phosphor additive). It does, by the way, look like paint to me rather than colored resin in the guitar, the front and back look distinctively different when compared to the edge. It seems to me that all the swirls are, in fact, 2D. They are probably under a clear coat of some kind whic is leveld to eliminate teh obviousness of this, maybe even more casting resin. If it truly is 3D, then they used glass blowing techniques that are difficult to explain in text to drag streaks of the paint or doped resin through the casting resin before it sets. Not exceptionally cutting edge. - The LED's are about $5 max for a high-lumen versions, including the drivers - Programmable chip, PIC, or other board to drive the glow ($50 max for a short run of custom stuffed boards, per boar - R&D time is low because almost all these components are off-the-shelf. It's the cost of doing one standard custom job, plus a few grand up front for a the whole batch, not several hundred times more expensive. Also, yes, ugly. -Dave "Thinks he knows everything" E. 5 Yeah!! As if manufacturing it is the only cost involved ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Recouping costs? Gentlemen, I'd say it is clear none of you work in mass-production. -That's a cast acrylic-resin guitar, it can be poured many times over into a "soft-tool" of machined aluminum or brass (a few grand, maaaaaybe $5,000). More likely they cast a big block, then machined it down using their standard CNC programs and then polished it (acrylic polishes very easily) - The paint is phosphorescent-doped so it glows with any kind of coupled-wavelength light hitting it (generally UV), which is why it's only 1 color (again, maybe $1000 from 3M for the whole batch of phosphor additive). It does, by the way, look like paint to me rather than colored resin in the guitar, the front and back look distinctively different when compared to the edge. It seems to me that all the swirls are, in fact, 2D. They are probably under a clear coat of some kind whic is leveld to eliminate teh obviousness of this, maybe even more casting resin. If it truly is 3D, then they used glass blowing techniques that are difficult to explain in text to drag streaks of the paint or doped resin through the casting resin before it sets. Not exceptionally cutting edge. - The LED's are about $5 max for a high-lumen versions, including the drivers - Programmable chip, PIC, or other board to drive the glow ($50 max for a short run of custom stuffed boards, per boar - R&D time is low because almost all these components are off-the-shelf. It's the cost of doing one standard custom job, plus a few grand up front for a the whole batch, not several hundred times more expensive. Also, yes, ugly. -Dave "Thinks he knows everything" E. 5 Yeah!! As if manufacturing it is the only cost involved ... precisely Are the parts put together by elves in the middle of the night, by immigrants on minimum wage or by skilled workers? Did a mould suddenly appear from the heaven's along with all the materials & a how-to manual or did Ibanez consult with Vai, designers & a develpment team, create several prototypes, test what worked & what didn't & then finally create a production pipeline & work out the cheapest/best way of doing things? Did some generous individual, maybe Vai himself, produce all the marketing material...maybe he sat down with a pen & paper & wrote out a load of manuals & tags to go on the guitar & then set about taking photographs & creating some web pages for them to go on. Maybe he then personally phoned all the guitar magazines to arrange a demonstration & then drove to all their offices?....Or maybe a whole bunch of people did it for money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 THe guitar is 3D... look at the pictures there is not a doubt! How to set the colors inside like that with an injection mold is beyond my knowledge. This guitar are most probably cut in the CNC like the regular wood bodies out of blocks of acrilik. There is no way to know for sure, if you don't like the price, don't buy one. It's plain and simple. Is the same about paying PRS $3000 for a guitar made out of fire wood!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Are the parts put together by elves in the middle of the night, by immigrants on minimum wage or by skilled workers? Did a mould suddenly appear from the heaven's along with all the materials & a how-to manual or did Ibanez consult with Vai, designers & a develpment team, create several prototypes, test what worked & what didn't & then finally create a production pipeline & work out the cheapest/best way of doing things? Did some generous individual, maybe Vai himself, produce all the marketing material...maybe he sat down with a pen & paper & wrote out a load of manuals & tags to go on the guitar & then set about taking photographs & creating some web pages for them to go on. Maybe he then personally phoned all the guitar magazines to arrange a demonstration & then drove to all their offices?....Or maybe a whole bunch of people did it for money? that is ridiculous...none of that is any different from any other guitar ibanez makes...they ALL absorb the engineering cost of the whole line...each guitar does not absorb it's own engineering.the guitar itself is an advertisement...they put it up there and the guys who love it and can't afford it buy a different ibanez that they can afford,but the interest was generated by theglowing guitar they saw on the net.so it benefits the entire line to come up with this outlandish stuff. and acrylic guitars are nothing new...the ONLY difference between this guitar and those cheap ass bc rich acrylics is the led and the phosphorous paint..the led is cheap and there is very little phosphouros involved. sarcasm can be effective..but not when it is based on fallacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 The difference with this guitar is that it is different. Rather than reproduce another RG with a slightly different paint finish, they have created another RG (or is it a JEM?) with an acrylic body. Whether or not this is a radical departure from a regular Ibanez, it is a one-off (well almost)....which will have entailed a lot of development & some different production methods. I doubt that Ibanez will be using the usual tools & production techniques....tools which will have cost a lot of money but which will have saved them more....instead they have produced a small batch which generally costs more. If they were making the acrylic guitar part of the usual Ibanez line & producing thousands a week, I'm sure that it would be much cheaper but for a small run it's not cost effective. I'm sure that it's priced up a bit to make it more desirable but that's business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.