It’s amazing what creative minds can come up with. There is exciting innovation everywhere, and it is not limited to the guitar. I thought violin (and cello) builders are the most conservative. After all they’ve “perfected” the violin construction and wouldn’t care for anything more beyond that, right? Well, no…
Meet Halldór Úlfarsson and his invention, the Halldorophone —a Cello-ish electro acoustic string instrument designed to facilitate feedback on the strings. The Halldorophone features 8 strings (for the newer models). 4 on top and 4 resonator/harmonizing strings under the fingerboard. This kinda reminds me of the Hardanger fiddle with sympathetic “understrings” that resonate under the influence of the other four.
Each string has its own pickup, now using the Nu multichannel pickups on the latest models.
From the inventor: “The individual outputs go to a mixer and then to a 50w power amp with a speaker cone built into the back of the instrument’s soundbox. So the feedback is active on the strings having been filtered through the soundbox and bridges. The result is a lively, nicely timbered drone/sustain. There are in/outs in quarter inch jack for each string or the master that makes it easily connectable to effects etc. But mostly people like to take the master (power amp) volume out to a volume pedal leaving the hands free.”
Halldór and friends (Chris and Alice) recently took part in the ICLI 2016 International Conference on Live Interfaces. I’m so excited and proud to somehow be a part of this new innovation. Here are some more pictures:
