Detail from The Ash Mandrake 16 String. Copyright Martin Tiger Country
OK LET'S DO IT : THE ARGUMENT
I wonder how many people will disagree with me if I say "If you are going to change an instrument to increase your ability to express yourself musically, make sure it's the only one you've got!"Mastering a simple acoustic guitar is a far from simple task, and the challenge is more than enough for one lifetime.
Andy Mckee - Guitar - Drifting Â
I'm not a historian, but if you asked one about the use of technology to produce art, they might point you in the direction of Stone Henge an Egyptian pyramid or maybe the sci-fi film Alian Versus Predator. More recently, the futurists had a go. Check out Luigi Russolo's myspace page.
As musicians; some of us, either through dissatisfaction, or a thirst for exploration; end up pushing boundaries to make our sounds. With an unlimited budget, one could build a machine to do all the work
Animusic
But to be satisfied with such a challenge you would probably be an engineer; exclusively.
A musician would; surely, after building or comissioning something truly amazing; hunger for the challenge of emotionally connecting with people through their creation.
Pat Methany connecting through his Picasso Guitar
Another solution may be to take something somebody else has designed and learn to use it extremely well.
Rob Martino demonstrating on a Chapman Stick
Sometimes, having a thirst for exploration and a very limited budget may mean that you need to compromise, but working within restrictions may mean that you are forced to solve design problems rather than embarking on a remaking of the universe to avoid them. If you're going to play your creation, it will need to be grounded in practical reality.
The moment you change a tool that helps you express yourself musically, particularly if it's the only tool you have at the time, you're faced with the burden of having to re-learn how to play it. So you need to be brave enough to face possible failure (as well as being brave enough to face people who say you're mad for doing it). Actually, if it is the only one you have, that can be a blessing - you can't avoid the effort of re-learning by doing the safe things you were doing before on another version of your old instrument.
Once you begin, it can be surprising how many people will help because they believe in what you're doing.
About This SiteThis page deals with The Ash Mandrake Double necked 16 string guitar. It consists of a custom built 6 string electric and a customised 10 string guitarThe 10 string is a cross between a partially fretless barritone and a twelve string and was customised by Andy Manners. The 6 string was custom built by Andy Manners, and the two guitars were joined by Ash mandrake.
THE 10 STRING
The RangeThe Ashmandrake 10 string outranges a normal guitar by one octave!The ratio of the intervals between the strings is standard,
but they range from a bass A ( 7 frets below a bass E on a normal guitar)
to a high A (5 frets above the high E on a normal guitar!).
The strings are: 4 Bass (flat wound nickel) plus three pairs of strings in octaves (3 bronze wound, and three nickel), and they are arranged in 7 string courses.
Tuning