Re: Fred Frith headstock pickup OT

[andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk>]

Jeff Duke wrote:
> I read or was told that it is a guitar pickup on a hinge (door?). No 
> details but if you find out anything i am also very interested!
> 

It's a regular guitar p/u attached near the nut of the guitar.
The hinge is needed for playing on the lowest frets, and just
lets the p/u be pushed out of the way when it would be a nuisance.

When operational, the p/u is like a "bridge p/u at the other end",
except that it's on top of the strings.

Frith uses it to capture the sound of strings vibrating 
between the nut and the fretting finger.
He uses it on his "Guitar Solos 1" album. 

On open strings, depending on the polarity of the wiring, 
it would emphasize either even or odd harmonics.

I think he has a patent for it.

There's very little info available, but the device 
is quite often clearly visible in photos of Frith.

andy butler
( he's a big musical influence on me, but not in terms
  of his looping)