SynthAxe

A SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created in 1986 by Bill Aitken and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses an electronic synthesizer to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm which resembles the neck of a guitar in form and in use. The name "SynthAxe" is a portmanteau of the words Synthesizer and Axe, which is a popular slang term meaning guitar.

The neck of a SynthAxe is bent upward from the body because there are two independent sets of strings. These strings are not made for creating sounds directly, but send signals to a synthesizer which produces the sound. The long set determine the pitch of notes played, through contact with the frets on the neck and by sensing the side-to-side bending of the string. The second set of strings for the right hand pass through round magnets utilizing the Hall effect for velocity sensitivity; these strings can be plucked or strummed to trigger notes. A keyboard made up of six keys can also be used to trigger notes instead of the strings. It also can be used with a breath controller to simultaneously manipulate the timbre and volume of the instrument.

When originally produced, the SynthAxe carried a price tag of 10,000 pounds (approximately $13,000 US dollars) and eventually sold for about $8,000.00. It was such a sophisticated and expensive piece of machinery that few were sold making it difficult to keep the company afloat. Eventually Virgin Games took over the distribution but let it go after a couple of years.

Prominent players of the SynthAxe include Allan Holdsworth, Chuck Hammer, Lee Ritenour, Gary Moore, Future Man, and Al Di Meola. A SynthAxe formerly belonging to Lee Ritenour was heavily modified by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones percussionist Futureman into his primary instrument, a unique Midi drum controller known as the Synthaxe Drumitar.

Because it is no longer produced and difficult to locate used units (Holdsworth estimates that there are about 1,000 in existence, and only about 2-3 people who would be qualified to repair one) [A. Prasad, "Allan Holdsworth: Creating Imaginary Backdrops," http://www.innerviews.org/inner/holdswor.html] , most musicians who desire a MIDI guitar controller often use more current alternatives, such as Roland or Axon systems that can convert a guitar's output to MIDI via 13-Pin cables and outboard devices. However, the lack of keys and breath controller peripherals for most modern MIDI-compatible guitar controllers allows the Synthaxe to endure as a niche instrument.

References

External links

* [http://www.innerviews.org/inner/holdswor.html Holdsworth interview in which he talks about SynthAxe]
* [http://www.hollis.co.uk/john/synthaxe.html "This ain't no MIDI guitar."]