Sound:
Plugged into a clean
amp or PA system, the Light Body produces an extremely natural and convincing
'acoustic' tone. There is a distinct presence of 'air' produced by the
hollow neck, and the sympathetic strings add another dimension of overtones
and richness that is typically the exclusive domain of acoustic instruments.
There is more sustain than what is normally found on purely acoustic guitars,
but it falls within the range of what one might find on a very high-end
acoustic guitar. By mixing in the signal from the Hybrid Poly-Mag magnetic
pickup, the Light Body moves into the domain of more electric style guitars,
and can be driven into distortion and feedback modes without getting out
of control.
Listen to sample
MP3 Hi
Fi (2.60MB)
"Anastasia" by Don Conoscenti. This was recorded direct into
our Echo Mona 24/96 recording system with no effects, reverb or eq applied
to either the guitar or the vocals. The mix is exactly as it was performed,
with nothing added or taken away. This is one of our favorite songs, and
is played in standard tuning with a few extra capos. Thanks Don!
Function:
The Light Body can be played as one would normally play an acoustic guitar.
The fingerboard radius, 1 7/8" width, and 25.3" scale length
are designed to feel just like a wider-necked fingerstyle Martin Guitar.
The guitars are also designed to use acoustic strings. The balance and
ergonomics are designed for completely comfortable playing both sitting
down or standing up, and the incredible lightweight aspect and low action
makes the instruments really comfortable for extended playing sessions.
Another interesting aspect is that there are 27 frets clear of the body
joint. This allows all sorts of options for using capos, including putting
one on the 12 fret, thus creating a 'Piccolo Guitar'.
The
specially designed Mute lever (see photo) is made from ebony and brass
and has three positions. This allows the sympathetic strings to ring open,
be muted, or adapt a 'buzzing' tone like one would find on a Sitar or
Tamboura.
Stringing a Light Body is not a difficult operation, and they use standard
over-the-counter guitar strings. The primary strings are usually acoustic
bronze or phosphor bronze, but any strings can be used. The sympathetic
strings usually start on the high end with a .008" that can be pitched
up to a high E note without breaking. The rest of the sympathetic strings
usually go up in gauge from there, and are tuned correspondingly lower
as one goes across the neck towards the lower register. A general rule
of thumb is that any strings can be used as long as they fall within the
tension limits of the strings themselves. The sympathetic strings are
easily changed by slipping new strings down the neck from the nut end
to the bridge end, and lining them up in slots cut in the special nut
and bridge fittings. Because there is usually not a lot of wear on these
strings, they will usually last about 6 months to a year between changes.
Construction:
All of the woods used in the construction of Light Body Guitars are 'tonewoods',
and are selected for beauty, strength, and purity of tone. Necks are made
from the finest hardwoods such as Rosewood, Padouk, Maple, Walnut, Mahogany,
and other exotics. The bodies are offered with either solid hardwoods,
or softer woods like Spruce, Cedar, and Redwood, and laminated combinations
of hard and soft woods. The wooden pegtail and fittings are all solid
Ebony or graphite, but these can also be ordered with Rosewood if preferred.
Durability:
The Light Body can be considered to be as durable as any neck-through-the-body
electric guitar, and can be treated as such.
The wood on Light Body Guitars is also completely sealed with finish,
and is quite resistant to temperature and humidity fluctuations.
Standard Features:
-7 piece solid wood neck
-Solid body wood
-Ebony fingerboard, 25.333" Martin scale, Dunlop frets
-1 7/8" nut width
-Two PUTW active polymer bridge pickup systems
-PUTW Hybrid Poly-Mag pickup
-Solid Ebony control knobs
-Three-way mute/open/Sitar buzz lever for the sympathetic strings
-Sperzel Simple Perfection tuners
-Schaller or Hipshot bridge
-MOP fret position markers
-Hardshell case
A full assortment of custom options are available. These include special
scale lengths and fingerboard dimensions, AAAA master grade woods and
laminations, semi-hollow body configurations, and custom inlays.
All Light Body guitars come with a transferable Lifetime Warranty against
defects that occur under normal use and conditions.