I don't think I've ever seen one of these come up for sale on eBay before. It's a Dave Bunker GTT-1000 Touch Guitar, a doubleneck headless instrument consisting of a 4-string bass and a 6-string guitar with an ultra-wide fretboard for touch-style playing. The insturment requires a special playing style with both halves of the instrument being played together, the bass section with the left-hand (played tap-style - or using hammer-ons against the frets), and the guitar section being tapped with the right-hand. Note the cover over the guitar strings on the body so that the right forearm can safely rest in that position.
This guitar is currently being auctioned on eBay with a very low starting price. I'm not sure of the age of this instrument - you may want to compare with the contemporary Bunker Touch Guitar (priced at $6,995).
Probably the easiest way to understand this instrument, dubbed The Shield, would be to watch the YouTube clip below. Some would say it's not really a guitar, but as it's an electrified fretted, stringed instrument I reckon it's worthy of a place here on Guitarz. Based on a Greek drawing, it was handbuilt for the current owner by an American luthier and finished by another luthier in Italy. You do have to wonder that if it really is the marvellous instrument that the seller claims, and the "only one in the world" at that, then why is it being offered for sale on eBay (with a Buy It Now price of $1,999)?
OK, OK, so I said the Red Dwarf video clip would be the last of our look at guitars and guitar-like instruments in Science Fiction TV shows, but technically the above clip doesn't fall into quite the same category because it's from the movieDune. The YouTube blurb beneath this clip tells us that:
The director's cut of the film shows a decorated Stick painted gold playing the role of the mythical "baliset" instrument described in Frank Herbert's novel.
This clip comes to us courtesy of Guitarz reader Michael Simmons via our Facebook page.
Cor blimey, guvnor! When I first saw the picture of this thing I thought it might be a Star Trek fan posing with some exotic piece of Klingon weaponry. But no, apparently it's a touch-style 24-string "bass" (not sure why it can't be called a "guitar", but that's what the fellow calls it).
I know, I've been very cynical in the past about such multi-stringed instruments and "extended range basses", and even have my own catchphrase to be used in the eventuality of sighting such a beastie: "Is that enough strings? Just buy a harp already!"
But I've been told that I shouldn't be so closed-minded, so I'll let you watch this chappie in action on his 24-string bass in the below video and allow you make up your own minds.
Actually, someone commented on YouTube, "Whats the point in having that many strings?", and 24-string bass chappie answered, "There is no 'point', I just love to play stringed instruments!" which, I guess, is fair enough. It's like the answer to the old question "Why climb that mountain?" with "Because it's there!" In this instance, it's "Why have so many strings? Because I can!"
Love it or loathe it, it doesn't matter. It's worthy of a blog post on Guitarz for weirdness factor alone.
We've heard of 12-string basses before, but ordinarily (if such an instrument could ever be said to be ordinairy) they consist of four courses of tripled strings. This Prat 12-string bass is an ERB - Extended Range Bass - and has 12 individual courses.
Yes, such instruments can sound very nice, although I'm yet to be convinced as I've never heard a truly incredible (or even particularly memorable) piece of music made with one. Touchstyle instruments have been around for a long time (I can't imagine this Prat 12-er can be played any other way than touchstyle), but they've not really set the music world alight innovation-wise have they? They just remain an intrtiguing curio; the audience is more interested in the number of strings and unusual playing technique than the actual music produced. (Oh - prove me wrong, someone!) This post originates at http://guitarz.blogspot.com - beware of those damned scraper blogs!
I've said it before and will very likely say it again: if you want that many strings, get a harp already!
