PHOTOS: Wingspan™ 8-string guitar. Swamp ash. Patented Intonation Cantilever™ & Element™ component set. Custom Bare Knuckle pickups with 10-way switching.
VIDEO: Chris Buono plays Wingspan™ 8-string guitar. Two minutes of atmospheric improvisation through Fender Deluxe amp (Normal 2 channel with 12″ Jensen speaker) recorded via SM57 into Logic. Noble Bass DI blended in slightly to achieve stereo. Listen on studio monitors or good headphones to appreciate the clarity and depth.
Your work of art arrived at my doorstep this morning!
Although I’ve only had a few hours to get to know it, here are a few things I can say right away, in the order they came to me:
This is not a guitar, this is a sculpture, a work of art — visually it is stunning, and it felt right away comfortable to hold and play.
The neck is extremely comfortable — it is quite impressive how playing the low strings is much easier than with my other 8-strings.
I’ve never experienced such precision of the note attack and clean sustain — the best way I can describe them is piano- or bell-like, with excellent consistency between fretted and open strings.
Thank you so much for creating such a beautiful instrument!! (Jorge)
I’m writing to you about the possibility of buying the Wingspan™ 8-String guitar. I’ve found out it is available for purchase on your website. As a person who has made the instrument you must know exactly its future owner, the one you can entrust your guitar. My newest musical project may help you learn more about me: https://scarasaton.bandcamp.com/releases/
I care about ethnic music in modern arrangements, and your guitars combine in them all the essential elements – from esthetic till technical ones.
It’s going to be a great inspiration and happiness for me to play your instrument. I’m a great fan of your guitars. I remember how impressed I was by the guitar for Tosin Abasi – it’s something incredible.
I’ll be waiting for your reply. With respect, Kseniia
I love her music. Heavy and powerful, with touches of incredible lightness and speed. I am honored Kseniia is choosing to play this build.
Hi Rick!
Thank you very much! I got a guitar!
I am overwhelmed with emotions! Unfortunately my English is not good enough to convey all my happiness!
It was passed exclusively from hand to hand, only as hand luggage. It is hundreds of times better than I imagined! It exceeded all expectations. The instrument with incredible energy, inspirational and soulful. Amazingly packed with all the screwdrivers, extra strings, bolts. This is the most comfortable guitar I have ever held in my hands. Very comfortable and slim neck, amazing lock system. Its sound covers all the necessary ranges. The tree itself is excellent, beautiful texture and color.
Once again I want to thank you for this incredible communication experience and ease of cooperation. Thank you for entrusting your creation to me. I want to wish you new creative ideas, inspiration, grateful and happy owners.
Happy Kseniia
IMAGE: Instrumental shred metal from the pink universe. Released March 19, 2021. Music by ScaraSaton. Art by BORUNOV ART.
VIDEO: Killick Hinds live improvisation on WUOG (90.5 FM) Athens, GA. Two of my builds get a workout via his vast array of techniques: 8-string fretless multiscale and Walrus 6-string multiscale. Watch and listen to the evolving soundscapes he creates organically, exploring string harmonics. Fascinating and beautiful. Recorded live 9.21.2021 at the college radio station.
The first track uses a traditional Native American flute that was gifted to me by Charles Littleleaf: https://www.littleleafflutes.com/
My mom has been doing volunteer work with dogs on the Warm Springs Reservation. She met him while building a fence and he made me the flute as a thank you.
I think you’ll especially enjoy The Destruction Of Words — I used Wingspan 8 and my Guild acoustic for the chord playing layer, Walnut Jazz Skele for the lead playing layer. You can also hear Wingspan 8 on tracks 2, 10 and 11.
VIDEO: Max McCargar takes us on a tour of ruins. Gorgeous full spectrum tone from Wingspan™ 8-string guitar. Single track, single take, improvisation live into DAW using only reverb and Goodhertz Wow plug-in.
IMAGES: Inspired by https://dark.co/access…death metal pop art illustrator Riley Smith absolutely nailed the feeling of watching DARK playing Wingspan™ 8-string guitar.
DARK (Roopam Garg) is creating an innovative artist-audience interface model via website, based on the premise of inviting you into his headspace. Highly organized, catalogued and curated realtime insight into his works in progress: music, transcriptions, video, writings, graphics, essays.
The site updates as he generates new ideas.
I’ve never seen anything like it before — the DARK (virtual) experience is possibly analogous to being fly-on-the-wall inside an artist’s mind.
Subscription based. At a moment when touring is not an option, this might be perfect.
PHOTO: Roopam Garg (Dark.co) and Chris Buono casting shadows after recording.
Perfect spring day in early May when Roopam Garg flew in to take ownership of his new Wingspan™ 8-string guitar. He’s been a good friend ever since Camping With Animals As Leaders (2013) when we met for the first time. That amazing experience with Tosin, Javier, and Evan Brewer first introduced Ken Kinter and me to Roopam and Gabriel Levi…friendships which have shaped all of our trajectories over this past decade.
His visit was also a first opportunity to establish new connections. I had a hunch Roopam and Chris Buono would generate musical sparks.
Wingspan sounds INCREDIBLE. I am currently still exploring all facets of this instrument. I have only scratched the surface so far. I am finding this instrument to be transformative of my perception and relationship with guitar. I see it as a symphonic tool of strings: strings representing the universe. (Roopam Garg)
VIDEO: Roopam Garg and Chris Buono one take live improvisation in the guitar shop. This piece is pure energy. Roopam with Wingspan™ 8 and Chris with Spearfish™ fretless.
VIDEO: Chordal progression. This longer one take live improvisation sets a mood. Love hearing Wingspan™ and Sketch™ 7-string being played in the shop where both instruments were designed and built. Signal chain is Strymon Iridium > Logic.
VIDEO: Ede Wright with some smokin’ original jazz fusion. Signal chain is straight into Fargen 2×12 mic’ed speaker. Shou Sugi Ban 8-string guitar. Bare Knuckle Nailbomb™ pickups.
KILLICK HINDS: I ran the fretless eight string to the Schroeder DB7 with a volume pedal (that I seldom used). I also subtly added sustain with a Gamechanger Plus pedal and Collision Devices’ Black Hole Symmetry in its effects loop. The main signal was split before these pedals, with one half going to a volume pedal and then activating Plogue’s Chipsounds via Jam Origin’s MIDI Guitar 2 in the computer. The Schertler piezo on Demi’s headstock ran into an Elite Acoustics StompMix mixer (which contributed occasional delay) into a Henriksen The Bud amp.
It was good working with Henry on this…our sensibilities match extraordinarily well. Playing with the video felt the closest to playing a concert since March.
I’ll add it was recorded with my cellphone against a makeshift green screen made of a picnic tarp and an old clothing rack. The assembly is not quite big enough for the task, so framing was a little tricky, but it worked out very well.
I’m really pleased to share this (as I know Henry is) and am very grateful he suggested the project. I thank Cuneiform Records for their continued support of new and exciting music. And most importantly, thanks to everyone for watching and listening.
RICK TOONE: Cool! He has software that works with green screen?
KILLICK HINDS: Yes, I think Final Cut Pro. I have iMovie and that works with it as well. This was my very first green screen experience.
RICK TOONE: Quite awesome. So you were in Athens and he was…?
KILLICK HINDS: Yes, I was in Athens and he was in California.
RICK TOONE: Could you hear each other during recording?
KILLICK HINDS: I played to the movie first. Then Henry played to my audio and the movie.
PHOTOS: Pure, raw, organic. Carbon fiber, stainless steel, aircraft aluminum. Currently available for purchase.
“Rick, I’m just going to come out and say it: this guitar is incredible. It’s the most impressive electric guitar I’ve played to this point in my career. This guitar has a beautiful tenor saxophone sound to it, low and mid registers have some magic that is unique to this instrument, an uncommon clarity in that range. And it’s crazy…but it also feels like my left hand is more relaxed, efficient, and stronger feeling after playing this guitar for a week.” (Ede Wright)
PHOTO: Bare Knuckle Nailbomb™ pickups.PHOTO: Swamp Ash treated in traditional Japanese method.
