jbkim Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 All the recent talk of scalloped necks, stainless steel fretwire, etc. reminded me of the Gittler guitar. It might be an interesting project for the machinist type. I found the patent info with moderately detailed drawings. You'll need the AlternaTIFF plug-in to be able to view the "Images" link. You'll be able to save the images (if you desire) from the plug-in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Interesting guitar and for me it would be a great travel/practice type of axe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 I wonder how it sounds. I've never heard one (knowingly.) You might remember it from The Police's Synchronicity video (that "fishbone" guitar) but I don't know if it's what the song was recorded with. Yeah, it'd be more of a novelty than anything... but there's a certain coolness to it, especially for something designed in the 70's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 I played a Fishbone at a guitar show a couple of years ago - really different. Sounded fairly good, but damned if I could get it to play in tune. For reference though, I can't play a full scalloped neck in tune, either. Must be my Kung Fu death grip... it really didn't sound all that unusual (or interesting, IMHO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 I played a Fishbone at a guitar show a couple of years ago - really different. Sounded fairly good, but damned if I could get it to play in tune. For reference though, I can't play a full scalloped neck in tune, either. Must be my Kung Fu death grip... it really didn't sound all that unusual (or interesting, IMHO). Hmm... lucky! Gittlers are extremely rare. A couple of years ago? I didn't think they made any in 20 years. How did the "neck" (or absence of one) feel? I guess having just that tiny channel in the back for your thumb should be enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 Yeah, I ran into Willie Moseley in Pensacola, and he had his with him - he lives right around here somewhere, one compensation for living in south Alabama. Only problem for me was the lack of a fingerboard - I'm a bass player by trade, so I tend to press down kinda firmly. I can see where a skilled player (read "someone other than me") could use it to do some very clever things, but I'm still trying to learn to use a trem. As I recall, it sounded like a bright solid-body, kinda like the old aluminum Kramers. It was a beautiful piece of engineering, and very Giger-esque in a shiny, industrial sort of way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcorren Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 The Gittler Bar Rashi Guitar Gittler Gallery The Instrument feels very similar to a scalloped neck or sitar. Microtonal bends and other techniques are possible. The 31 frets allow a much greater range of exploration. There were essentially three models. The first ones Alan built himself and sold out of his Apartment in New York. That is where Andy Summers of the Police bought his. These did not have a body . The second models had a Composite Body available in Black,White, and Red. They included a 9 pin output port as well as 1/4 Guitar jack. There were six tubes which housed pickups and the preamp was powered by a 9v battery. The final Astron Engineering/ Bar Rashi Gittlers had a body and neck and are by far the most playable. They are exactly like the second model except have a neck piece behind the fishbone. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie_rnfr Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 The Gittler Bar Rashi Guitar Gittler Gallery The Instrument feels very similar to a scalloped neck or sitar. Microtonal bends and other techniques are possible. The 31 frets allow a much greater range of exploration. There were essentially three models. The first ones Alan built himself and sold out of his Apartment in New York. That is where Andy Summers of the Police bought his. These did not have a body . The second models had a Composite Body available in Black,White, and Red. They included a 9 pin output port as well as 1/4 Guitar jack. There were six tubes which housed pickups and the preamp was powered by a 9v battery. The final Astron Engineering/ Bar Rashi Gittlers had a body and neck and are by far the most playable. They are exactly like the second model except have a neck piece behind the fishbone. Peace ← Any info on the "low tech" ones made out of plywood, as seen in Tony Bacon's "The Ultimate Guitar Book"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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