Fiberglass guitar kits recreate the Airline style

Haven't you seen Jack White playing one of those old fiberglass Airline Guitars and wanted to get your hands on one only to have Ebay and Craigslist dash your hopes completely? Yeah me too... Guitar Kits USA is the solution. 

They recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund improvements to their operation and are about halfway to their goal. I'm seriously considering getting on board for this one. You need a little DIY spirit and some epoxy and soldering skill but judging by their gallery of customer's projects, the outcome looks more than worth it. Below is a video from the Kickstarter page. Thanks to Rolando from Glasmus for the recommendation.

Between now and December 7th, we are offering our USA made fiberglass guitar kits and bodies via Kickstarter. Please enjoy the following video that explains our history and features Bob Pace cutting some killer blues on a $395 Jetson Guitar Kit. Please help spread the word and share this video!

Minifoogers are Moog's latest(greatest?) line of guitar pedals

When you hear the name "Moog" it probably brings to mind high quality (and high priced) analog synthesizers, maybe eerie theremin sounds, or warped ring modulation effects,  but practical guitars effects? Hardly. Those Moogerfoogers always look tempting when i'm browsing pedals but the price and limited application for my sound always send me elsewhere

Minifoogers changed that. I recently purchased the MF Drive pedal and I've been very impressed. At $169, it's MUCH cheaper than anything on the Moogerfooger line and it delivers myriad tone options in a compact footprint. Here are the controls on the pedal: 

GAIN- Sets the input level sent through the OTA before passing through the 4-pole Moog Ladder filter. At lower settings, the MF Drive is cleaner with a smooth breakup. As Gain increases, OTA and filter distortion increase causing the MF Drive to become more aggressive and reactive to picking dynamics

DRIVE - In the down position the Gain knob range is from +6.8dB to +48dB. In the up position the gain range is from +16dB to +57dB. This allows for extended control over gain-staging the input of the MF Drive.

FILTER- Interacts heavily with the Tone knob and filter Peak switch. With Peak off, the filter can be used to reduce top end and add heft to an amplifier. With Peak engaged, the filter can be used to add low, mid, or high frequency boost to your instrument. The MF-Drive by nature has a large bottom end, so this position is extremely useful for dialing in a more focused guitar tone.

PEAK- When engaged, Peak creates a +15dB boost at the Filter cutoff. It is extremely useful for accentuating mid-range or high frequencies. When paired with an expression pedal, Peak unlocks a whole new range of performance sounds.

TONE- A variable Lowpass/Mid-Scoop/Highpass voicing section sent through a boutique FET for color. At minimum, the sound is dark and full. Approaching the Mid position the sound varies from a slightly scooped American tube amp to a more British, mid-forward tone. At maximum position, the sound is present and articulate with a smooth, rolled of low-end.

OUTPUT- The output level of the MF-DRIVE is extremely hot to offer a wide range of tones from clean to dirty. With proper gain-staging, the MF Drive can also be used as a boost or wah pedal.

EXPRESSION PEDAL INPUT- This input is assigned to Filter cutoff. Use it for massive swells or engage filter Peak to create a tunable dirty wah. This setting sounds amazing on bass guitar.

The expression pedal input was what caught my eye at first. It seemed like an overdrive with an optional built-in wah circuit but it's actually much more interesting. Without the peak switch engaged the effect of sweeping that filter is almost like hearing the amp in the other room being brought through the door and set next to your ears. Turn the peak switch on and you get a dirty wah sound that is surprisingly transparent and rich sounding. I have never used a wah pedal because i never could find one that didn't add some color to the sound in a way i didn't like. This pedal changed that. I've been using it live and it's great but it's really come alive in the studio. The interaction between the tone knob and the filter lets you dial in the tone you need to cut through any mix. 

If you need something different in a drive/fuzz/distortion pedal, try this out. You won't be disappointed.

Korg partners with Little Bits for a Lego-like synth kit

Little Bits is an open source platform for electronic projects of all kinds. Korg has teamed up with them to build a modular synth kit that looks like too much fun. 

From the Little Bits site:

From the Beatles to Björk, legendary artists have used analog synthesizers to produce complex sounds and innovative music. For the first time ever, the littleBits Synth Kit will enable anyone to build their own sound machines with little to no engineering or musical knowledge. Included is a handy 35+ page booklet, with step-by-step instructions for 10 great projects like the Keytarand Synth Spin Table. You'll also receive a 9V battery + cable, everything you need to get started right out of the box.

Here's what you get for $160:

1 Power
2 Oscillators
1 Random
1 Keyboard
1 Micro Sequencer
1 Envelope
1 Filter
1 Delay
1 Mix
1 Split
1 Synth Speaker

If you're not convinced, here's a video of the incredible Reggie Watts doing a demo:

Da Vinci Piano(sort of) built and played for the first time

I love when this stuff happens. The "viola organista," as Leonardo da Vinci called it, has been built and played for the first time thanks to Polish concert pianist Slawomir Zubrzycki, after 5,000 hours and $10k. Da Vinci came up with the idea and did some drawings, describing an instrument designed to use a keyboard to create a bowed string sound. Check out The History Blog for some more writing and This is Colossal for more great art news.