Midilicious

An electric guitar doesn't have to sound like an electric guitar. It can sound like an acoustic guitar. Or, with a little help from a computer, it can sound like a piano; or a horn section; or a drum kit, an avalanche, a conversation... anything at all. At least, Midilicious can.

It is equipped with a Graph-tech hexaphonic pickup, with individual sensors under each string. More amazing, each pickup is separately buffered and preamped before being sent through a Midi connector. Hooked up to a synth through a polyphonic midi converter, it can be used to trigger samples effortlessly across all strings simultaneously, all the way up and down the fretboard.

If you simply want it to sound like a guitar, the analogue output won't disappoint. With a three-band EQ (including mid sweep) there is a wide tonal palette at your disposal even without a traditional magnetic pickup.

What really sets this guitar apart is not made of copper and silicon, but of wood. The neck and body are integrally carved from two pieces of exceptionally light and pale eastern white spruce. This supremely resonant timber is married to a centre stripe, fretboard, and bridge of brazilian tulipwood, a true rosewood with a glassy smooth tap tone and surface. The finished guitar is stiff and comfortably proportioned, yet weighs only 3.5lbs (1.6kg)!