Ekaterina Gorbacheva

Spearfish Headstock
Spearfish Guitar
Rick Toone
PHOTOS: Spearfish™ 6-string guitar headstock machined from single billet aircraft grade aluminum. Patents pending. Hipshot locking tuners. (all images Ekaterina Gorbacheva)

I met Kate (Ekaterina) via Instagram and the excellent work she did filming Misha Mansoor playing his Reptile Spearfish™ 6-string guitar. I love the moods she is able to capture with her photography…levels beyond documentary.

“This is a very interesting path you’ve had, but I see all of it as being highly intellectual and more introverted and I absolutely relate to and admire your choices. On a side note your creations are beautiful and do have a touch of an intellectual to them.” (Ekaterina Gorbacheva)

Ekaterina Gorbacheva
IMAGE: www.ekaterinagorbacheva.com

Misha Mansoor | Reptile Spearfish

Misha Mansoor
IMAGE: Periphery Reptile text message that started it all…
VIDEO: Chris Buono takes Reptile Spearfish™ for a test flight.
VIDEO: Misha Mansoor shows a different side of his guitar playing with Reptile Spearfish™ 6-string guitar. (video by Ekaterina Gorbacheva)
PHOTO: Patent pending Element™ single billet machined aircraft aluminum neck. Misha Mansoor Bare Knuckle Juggernaut™ signature pickups.
PHOTO: Reptile Spearfish™ 22-fret guitar built for Misha Mansoor of Periphery.

Chris Buono | Ambient Tone Poem

VIDEO: Chris Buono plays a two minute tone poem musical improvisation. Spearfish 24-fret guitar built in 2017 and refurbished in July 2020. Chris is using a few pedals direct into his ’64 Fender Deluxe amp. Subtle details emerge throughout his expressive playing…watch his right hand hybrid picking and left hand pedal point techniques.

Killick Hinds & Henry Kaiser

VIDEO: Killick Hinds & Henry Kaiser live video improvisation duet. Killick is playing his multiscale fretless 8-string guitar.

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.