Anibal Mistorni of AM Guitars is building guitars from vintage chrome vacuum cleaners
Using unconventional methods to make guitar bodies is nothing new
for luthiers and guitar companies. As recently as 2004, Flaxwood
broke new ground with their wood-based resin, injected molded guitars
and necks that avoid traditional woods altogether. And composite builders
have been honing the sound potential of carbon fiber for years. But for
Anibal Mistorni of AM Guitarsāhoused in Rudyās Music in New York
Cityābuilding guitars from vintage chrome vacuum cleaners was more out
of an avant-garde, creative challenge than preventing tropical deforestation.
āIt was either throw it away or do something with it,ā laughs Mistorni.
āThe something turned out to be AMās first guitar.ā Other AM Guitars have
come from resurrected motorcycle carburetors, aluminum from a late-1960s
Boeing airplane, a defunct golf cart, and the intake manifold from a BMW
engine. āThe idea of using less than traditional designs was there right from
the start,ā says Mistorni. āFrom that first guitar onwards I was hooked.
[Laughs.] It seemed like every object I encountered was begging to be made
into an instrument.ā
Thereās more to AM Guitars than Mistorniās junkyard brainchilds. For
those who keep a foot firmly placed in the ā50s and ā60s, he builds some
models inspired by designs from 20th century guitar icons like the Gibson
Les Paul and Rickenbacker 330. These more standard models feature wood-based
bodies that are constructed from recycled hardwood floorsāincluding
walnut, maple, and cherryāthat are found all over NYC. Mistorni also
handcrafts his own bridges and tailpieces.
There is a glass ceiling to Mistorniās Frankensteinian ways. He
knows that no matter the body material or shape there is only so much
deviation from convention he can undertake before guitarists shun his
instruments. āThe only thing I havenāt really played with is the neckā
itās the foundation of a good guitar. The neck is my blank canvas,ā says
Mistorni. āI could come up with the most radical design, but if the
neck doesnāt play right, the guitar just becomes a piece of art, which
was never the point.ā And just like any other luthier it comes down to
three simple things. āAs much as I want my instruments to challenge
the way people think about guitar designs, I also want them to play
great, sound good, and feel comfortable.ā
The Electric Beamer II
Photos by Vincent Ricardel
The Electric Beamer II
Mistorni describes the Electric Beamer II as being an āamazing accident.ā He stumbled upon the guitarās bodyāa BMWās engine intake manifoldāwhile wandering through a local junkyard. Classical nylon guitars inspired the woodworking on its walnut wingsābuilt out of salvaged pieces of flooringāthat surround the intake manifold. The maple neck with an ebony fingerboard runs through the body and features a custom aluminum logo on its headstock. It also has a Gotoh hardtail bridge, EMG active humbuckers, and Planet Waves auto-trim locking tuners.
LEFT: The V-Wing RIGHT: The Ricken
Photos by Vincent Ricardel
V-Wing
The V-Wing model is an extreme example of AM Guitarsā Doc Brown-style crazy-kooky ingenuity. Itās made out of a recycled aluminum grid and frame-plate of a vintage vacuum cleaner. Now looking more like a gladiatorās weapon than a vacuum cleaner, this battle-worthy axe features a 25 1/2" scale maple neck matched with an ebony fingerboard. The V-Wing also has a custom bridge and tailpiece, and is loaded with EMG pickups because he considers active pickups well suited to projects lacking wood āwhere I canāt count on the resonance of the wood to deliver solid tone.ā
The Ricken
With its big, voluptuous body reminiscent of a ā60s Rickenbacker 330, the Ricken is a perfect name for this subdued-but-quirky AM Guitars creation. The body features maple and cherry woods that were recycled from old neighborhood floors. The skeleton is shaped out of aluminum, which is also used for the AM Guitars headstock logo. The Ricken also features Seymour Duncan humbuckers, custom electronics, a Schaller bridge, a custom-made tailpiece, and Sperzel tuners.
Pricing and Availability
Mistorniās handbuilt, one-off guitars range anywhere from $5000ā$20,000 depending on the value of the guitarās materials and the hours spent building them. AM Guitars is a one-man shop so Mistorni welcomes all challenges and ideas from players. āI try to make each guitar a one of a kind piece of art,ā says Mistorni. āI use customersā input and materials so even if Iām using similar materials or objects, the guitars are constantly evolving in new directions both sonically and aesthetically ensuring each project is unique and different.ā Currently, AM Guitarsā wait time is five months.
amguitars.rudysmusic.com
With features like volume and gain controls, sparkle switch, and waveform shape control, these pedals are designed to be a must-have for any guitarist.
The Creamsicle has that low-gain English rock tone you've been looking for. Itāll remind you of that JCM45 that you deeply regret selling during the hair metal years, but itās a lot lighter and can get that tone at a much lower volume. Gain and Volume controls, along with tone control, sparkle switch, and a three-position pre-amp gain switch. Go from 'creamy' to 'crunchy' with a twist of the dial and the flick of a switch. Try it with your favorite fuzz for even more - just like you did with that half-stack back in 1966.
Terrain
The Terrain is a tremolo with a difference: Its circuitry is designed to be as open and HiFi as possible. It features optical coupling to keep Low-Frequency Oscillator (LFO) noise out of the audio path. In addition to Speed and Depth controls it also features a waveform shape control to fine-tune that throb. It includes a gain control to make up for any perceived volume loss at high Depth settings. But most importantly, it features high input impedance, low distortion, full bandwidth, low noise, and high fidelity circuitry that stays crystal clear. Youāre going to love it.
The Creamsicle features:
- Classic 1960ās English rock tone.
- Volume and Gain controls.
- Two-pole tone control.
- Sparkle switch.
- Three way preamp gain switch.
- Full bypass (of course).
- 9VDC, 31mA.
- MAP price: $145
The Terrain features:
- Optical tremolo for perfect LFO / audio isolation.
- High input impedance, full bandwidth, low noise, crystal clear signal path.
- Speed, Depth, and Waveform controls.
- Makeup Gain control.
- Full bypass (naturally).
- 9VDC, 32mA.
- MAP price: $145
Mayfly Creamsicle Overdrive and Terrain Tremolo - YouTube
Baroni Recording Amps: Faithful tone to iconic amps in rock history. High-Voltage Class A tube preamp and analog simulation for direct FOH or DAW use. VARICAB circuit for realistic cab simulations. Perfect for pedal demos and connecting pedalboard to DAW.
Baroni (A Foxgear Brand) Is proud to introduce its first range of Recording Amps with a range of five products designed to replicate five of the most iconic amps in rock history, including Fender, Marshall, Hiwatt, Orange and Vox. Each Baroni Recording amp is made of a High-Voltage Class A tube preamp and a renewed analog simulation that mimics all the chain after the preamp such as the power section, the speaker, the microphone, and preparing the signal in a 100% analog way to go direct to FOH console, or into the Audio Interface of your DAW. Thanks to the VARICAB circuit, introduced last year into Foxgearās Miniamp series, and recently updated, and thanks to two separate control of Gain (Body) and Volume on the preamp section, you can truly mimic the behavior of the real amplifier, including the grit or bottom-end/punch usually added by the power tubes before to go to the XLR balanced out with a faithful recreation of your favorite sound with a big advantage: Eating Pedals perfectly.
Each Recording Amp also boasts a series fx loop, and a traditional TS Jack out to use as a standard preamp going into the return section of an amp, or into a power amplifier.No dozens of options, just pure tone straight to the point to not compromise the easy to use with pedals. Some YouTubers have already ordered their one to be used as their main interface to do pedal demos.
Baroni Preamps/D.I. Recording Amps Highlights include:
- Faithful tone to the original Amplifier
- 100% Analog signal path and Cab Simulation- Infinite and real-time changing cab simulations with VARICAB
- The definitive device to connect your pedalboard to your DAW without compromises.
For more information, please visit foxgeardistribution.com.
How this simple sustain stomp helped me bring one of my favorite David Lynch scenes to life and took me across oceans.
Thereās a scene in David LynchāsMulholland Drivewhere Naomi Watts and Laura Harringās characters find themselves in a darkened, mostly empty theater. Against a backdrop of spooky, synthy chords, they breathlessly watch the nightās oddball emcee deliver an intense, cryptic soliloquy on recorded sound. A trumpet player slowly walks onto the stage, the two characters clutching each other. Theyāand youāget fully drawn into his muted, jazzy lines. Suddenly, he pulls his instrument away from the mic, throwing his hands in the air. But the solo continues. The narrator looks to the audience: āItās all recorded.ā
Like the best Lynch moments, itās a thoroughly dramatic moment that needs to be experienced with all applicable senses. Words alone wonāt do. This scene is meant to stick with you.
I had that scene in mind as I first plugged into an Electro-Harmonix Freeze. I wanted to play a note and have it keep going ā¦ and going ā¦ until the audience would see that those notes were just lingering in the air, my strings no longer vibrating, unsure what the effect is. The Freeze could do just that.
āThis wasnāt some new iteration of some other effectāa crazy fuzz or a weird flanger. This was a new category.ā
If youāve never played one, the Freeze elegantly holds whatever you give itāa note, a chord, a pick scrape, or whatever else. For such an obvious effect to come out when it did felt so refreshingly groundbreaking. It represented new possibilities. This wasnāt some new iteration of some other effectāa crazy fuzz or a weird flanger. This was a new category.
There had already been ways to fake drones and sustained notes with loopers and delay pedals, but those inevitably had their quirks that ruined the illusion. David Cockerell, the designer of the Freeze, explains that loopers capture short bits of sound, apply an amplitude envelope, and play it back repeatedly. This can work to make sustained notes if the passage includes a whole number of cycles of the sound's fundamental pitch, but in most cases, youāll hear a click when it repeats.
Back in the ā70s, the EHX team had worked on the idea for a sustain pedal. āAt that time, the best I could do was intelligent-splice-single-cycle-looping,ā recalls Cockerell. āThis looked for a waveform match in the same way that guitar tuning meters do, and then endlessly played one cycle. It worked reasonably well for saxophone or other instruments with strictly harmonic overtones, but it was hopeless for guitar.ā
āThe pedal only requires one knob for volume, one toggle for latching or fast/slow swell modes, and a footswitch.ā
Fast-forward to the early ā00s when DSP chips became available that could reproduce more complex sounds and overtones. While he was working on the EHX Hog with John Pisani, the companyās current-day chief engineer, the idea for a sustain pedal reared its head once again. Cockerell used an algorithm with a special provision that avoids freezing on a pluck transient, thus eliminating the risk of that pesky click. And the Freeze was born.
Released in 2010, the Freeze has a simple beauty. The pedal only requires one knob for volume, one toggle for latching or fast/slow swell modes, and a footswitch. Within, thereās such a wide range of subtlety: How you hit the pedal after your attack greatly affects the response. With the level setting, you can create subtle drones, much like an electronic shruti box, meant to subtly fill space. Or you can set it more obviously as you change chords, freeing up your hands. At higher volume settings in fast momentary mode, you can create glitchy stutter effects. And the way it interacts with other pedals opens up entirely new worlds.
I threw myself into the pedal not long after it hit the market, learning its nuances and eventually buying a second one to create a stereo effect. With my retuned 12-string Strat, I blasted my amps with drones, blowing a few speakers with abandon. Soon, the Freeze changed my approach to the guitar, and I released a series of solo drone and noise albums that took me across the U.S. and Europe. When I recognized Bill Frisell using one during a solo set, Iād bonded with the pedal so much that it was like a friend was sitting in with my favorite guitar player.
āI blasted my amps with drones, blowing a few speakers with abandon.ā
There are plenty of pedals that have followed, adding more functionality. EHXās Pico Deep Freeze, most obviously, but also the Gamechanger Plus, TC Electronic Infinite Sample, and the Chase Bliss Onwardāenough that guitar sustain pedals have become their own class of effect. As fabulous as those pedals are, I still cherish the simplicity of the Freeze, a rare thing that leaves all the creative decisions on our side of the pedalboard.
PG's host straps on a prototype Tele to unleash the Knife Drop's horror and heft only to dismantle Jack White's Triplecaster in one accidental Bigsby bomb.