Re: Gizmotron

[John McIntyre <mcintyre@pa.msu.edu>]

Chris Richards wrote:

>  Thusly, I can see how the
> motor on the Gizmotron was a little too close to
> the pickups for most practical purposes (and
> let's not forget that you also had to drill holes
> in your guitar to install this big thing that
> kinda looks like it could get in the way of your
> normal playing.

I never ran into problems with the motor being too close to the pick-ups 
with my Bass
Gizmotron.  The mounting plate can be installed with double sided tape 
instead of
drilling holes.  Yes, the big thing can get in the way of normal playing, 
especially
if you're trying to play close to the bridge.  My biggest peeve is the 
power cord for
the motor getting in the way, that and the wheels wearing down rather 
quickly.

I was once asked to do a recording session because I was the only guy the 
artist knew
who owned a synthesizer (a monophonic Arp Odyssey).  The artist wanted an 
orchestral
sound like at the end of "A Day In The Life".  It would have taken a ton 
of overdubs
to get the desired thickness of sound with an Odyssey.  Instead I used the 
Gizmotron
to get four note chords and ran the signal through a Mu-tron Biphase and a 
Memory
Man.  The artist was quite pleased.  To my knowledge, the album never got 
released,
so I can't let you hear it, but the effect was *thick*. (-8

John McIntyre
Physics - Astronomy Domine Dept
Michigan State University
mcintyre@pa.msu.edu