Next-Level Innovators
For those of us that see the guitar as a tool—or a blank canvas—of
limitless possibility, it’s heartening to see there are still thirsty creators,
inventors, and mad scientists bending, stretching, pushing, and
sometimes
breaking the design and technology envelope. And in
some cases, these outside-the-box thinkers may change the way we
play forever.
BilT Guitars Relevator
The ’60s were awash with exciting,
bizarre new guitar gadgetry.
And the drive to build a guitar that
could do it all was a bug that bit
even the most legendary builders.
Fender was no exception. And
though Leo never lost his noodle
in the manner of the mad scientists
at Tiesco Del Rey or Vox, he did
have his Marauder—a guitar much
too laden with contraptions (by
Fender standards, at least) to ever
see the light of day. Amazingly, BilT
Guitars has helped realize that most
radical expression of Leo’s vision
in a most practical way in the form
of the Relevator (
December 2009 web exclusive), a Frankensteinian
amalgam of Jaguar, Jazzmaster,
Marauder, and Starcaster designs,
with a touch of Swiss Army knife
versatility a la Vox’s Starstreamer. In
fact, there’s not a lot the Relevator
won’t do. With built-in delay, fuzz,
and modulation (the latter two
can be pretty radically tailored
by trim pots that supplement the standard controls), it lets you
explore textures from the subtle to the insane. And the Relevator
is packed with top-quality components like a Mastery bridge and
Duncan Antiquity Jaguar and Jazzmaster pickups that enhance
playability. Reviewer Chris Burgess summed up his experience
with the Revelator thusly: “I can’t even speculate on how many
hours the Relevator has taken from me; it matters little, since I
was blissfully unaware of them passing, and I wouldn’t ask for
even five minutes back.” With all the gizmos this guitar packs, it’s
not like he had a choice.
MSRP $2200 (as reviewed)
biltguitars.com
Jens Ritter Instruments Princess Isabella Baritone
First things first: This Jens Ritter
Princess Isabella Baritone is one
rare bird. But scarcity is far from
the only thing that makes this
guitar a treasure. The Princess
Isabella (
June 2010) embodies
the vast design potential
of the electric guitar, the sonic
possibilities of odd-scale instruments,
and what you can achieve
when you think of a solidbody
guitar as sculpture. Few things
about the Isabella are what you’d
expect. The body is exceptionally
thin—about an inch thick—which
means the f-hole isn’t an f-hole
at all. There’s a tailpiece that’s
gold-plated by a German jeweler,
a Häussel pickup that uses
rare-earth magnets to achieve its
low profile, and a 24-karat gold-plated
backplate. Yeah, it’s ostentatious
and over the top, but it’s
got soul and sounds beautiful!
Reviewer Pat Smith found the
Isabella’s tone to be remarkably
organic and acoustic sounding,
noting that it has “more sustain than an archtop, but retains a seemingly
delayed attack very much like a traditional jazz guitar.” After
playing it in baritone B-to-B tuning, Smith said the super-resonant
swamp-ash body “really rattles your teeth—in the good way.” A
low-end rumbler and an exquisite jazz machine all in one. Yes, its 10
grand, but in both form and function, the Princess Isabella Baritone
is as fascinating and full of expression as a guitar can be.
Street $10,000
ritter-instruments.com