Swede Patch 2000

Infobox Guitar model
title = Swede Patch / Swede Patch 2000


caption =
manufacturer = Hagström / Ampeg
period = 1976-1979
bodytype = Solid single cutaway
necktype = Set neck H-Expander truss rod
scale = 24,75“ / 629 mm
woodbody = Mahogany
woodneck = Mahogany
woodfingerboard = Resonator Wood with dot inlays and extra high frets
bridge = Isolated Long Travel Tune-O-Matic
pickups = 2 x Hagström Custom 58 Humbuckers
colors =

The Hagström Swede Patch 2000 is the first guitar/synthesizer hybrid. It was amnufactured by Hagström in collaboration with Ampeg. The guitar apperes to be a normal Hagströnm Swede but the neck is specially wired to transmit an input to a synthesizer when the strings come in contact with the frets. This gives the player the option of playing the instrument as a guitar, as a synthesizer or a combination of both.

Development

Preporations for the development started in 1975 when twelve guitars were to be finsished for a music convention, in april the same year Hagström received the elctronics provided by Ampeg who were the supplier of the advanced electronics. The idea was to place a digital receiver within the body of the guitar that was controled by a switch which selcted beetween the traditonal guitar sound and the synthesizer sound. If more then one string was used it automaticlly selected the highest fret and lowest string. The receiver was connected to the strings and frets, every string and fret had an own individuel code. Due to this each string had to be electrically isolated, this meant that hagström had to develop a new tailpiece/bridge system. The newly developed bridge looks like a typical Hagstrom, except the centers of the saddles made of are dense plastic, not metal. Instead of 1 tailpiece each string terminates at a separate block set in 2 rows.

The PC inside the guitar received signals as soon as a string came in contact with a fret and the signal was sent through a special cable (the guitar was equipped with two outlets) to the Patch 2000-box. The Patch-2000 box was equipped with a pitch pedal that raises the pitch in semitone increments up to one full octave, a glide pedal that controles the portamento (the time it takes for the one note to change to another) and a Fifth Harmony Switch produces a tone seven semitones, or a natural 5th, above the note played. From the Patch-2000 box the signal was sent on to an analog synthesizer which turned the signal into musical tones. Synthesizers were not provided by the manufacturer. With the Patch 2000 in mind, the american syntheziser company Steiner-Parker developed and recently sold a small micro syntheziser without the keyboard, but with all the facilities of a "big" syntheziser.

The guitar was tried by a testpanel which included Mick Box (Uriah Heep) who said that "It had very clear solo sounds, but the fact is that you couldn´t use chords, which is an integral part of your music…you can only use it just for solos." He supposodly also claimed it was very convinant since you could play it using only your left hand, which allowed you to drink beer with your free hand. A total of 498 right hand models were produced from 1976 to 1979 and 11 left handed models based on the Hagström Swede were manufactured in 1977. There were also a small run of Swede and Jazz basses equipped with the Patch 2000 system.

External links

* [http://www.hagstromguitars.se/ Offical Hagström Website]
* [http://www.albinhagstrom.se/ Offical Albin Hagström Website]

References

* [http://www.hagstrom.org.uk/Patch2000SS.htm Hagström Patch 2000 website]
* [http://www.johnssailboat.com/John/index.php3?web_site=haskinshagstroms&page=gallery&sub_section=101 Swede Patch 2000 info]
* [http://www.balgdraget.com/write/patch.htm Swede Patch 2000 info]