At the 2013 NAMM Show, Gittler Instruments launched its newly designed Gittler Guitar, invented in the 1970’s by musician and minimalist design pioneer Allan
Gittler.
Gittler methodically stripped away all that was unnecessary and redundant in his design. The instrument, consisting of 31 frets, is a striking minimalist design. And Gittler says the guitar offers “the best available synth tracking on the market today”.
Features:
- Abrasion resistant Titanium construction
- Active electronics and tone shaping controls
- LED fret marker lighting
- 6 individual pickups
- Hexaphonic output capability
- Patented locking string mechanism
- Adjustable bridge
- Locking strap anchor points and adjustable bout
- Interchangeable acrylic neck profiles
- Deluxe version with black chrome DLC coating
The Gittler Guitar is priced at about $4,000. A bass model is also planned.
See the Gittler site for details.
that’s a lot of money, I think I’d rather have the MOOG guitar
Both of them cost a lot. I’d rather buy a TRUE guitar.
How do you hold it?
In reverence. And a bank vault.
I still kick myself about this: back in 1988 or so there was a Gittler for sale for around $900 at Chuck Levin’s in Maryland. To the person who asked how you hold it: it took a bit of getting used to. Your thumb had to press into the metal “spine” that ran the length of the instrument; in the picture above it looks like the guy is hanging his thumb over the bass E string, but on the Gittler I played with, that simply wouldn’t work: you *always* had to play in a style that would make your guitar teacher happy 🙂 The pickup and electronics assembly on the new Gittler looks a lot more polished than the one I touched (which, as I recall, had a danglng 9-pin connector). All that said, it was definitely different. You could bend notes just by pushing *down* with your fingertip, which was rather fun.
I see something like this and wonder about buying it as an investment. $4000 for the new version — will it quadruple in value in 10 years? Or will we be able to pick up a used one on eBay for $600? I wish I knew.
awesome
awesome…..insanely expenses pieces of art that i will never own interest me more than cheap chinese junk that i will inevitably buy
it may be expensive but it looks much better than that stupid ipad guitar
Can it be used left handed? A left handed Moog guitar is impossible it seems.
Answering my own question from their FAQ
“Will a left handed model be offered?”
Here at Gittler Instruments we don’t discriminate against our leftist brothers! All Gittler Guitars are designed from birth to be ambidextrous. Just mention your handicap at the time of order and we will provide the correct orientation for the fret lighting. The guitar itself can be strung and played from either side of the instrument with equivalent results.
I need $4000 and some guitar lessons…
So being left handed is a hanicap eh?
It is an handicap. You could die famous, young, and drown in your own puke 🙁
Is that what Andy Summers is playing in the video for Synchronicity 2?
it tis. Glad they are bringing them back but at that price i’ll never be able to get one unless I win the lotto.
Anyone who is prepared to drop $4k on this has a serious passion going, because its not exactly an impulse buy. The potential is off the scale, but where is the new Adrian Belew or Michael Brook to highlight it? Is anyone even trying to play non-dance music that could make a well-assigned guitar synth sound scary-beautiful?
Years ago, I saw a guy playing an early Roland GR, with guitar, brass and strings applied to 1, 2 and 3 strings respectively. That simple set-up was massive to hear, so imagine the effect of stepping through groupings that include a different synth sound on each string. I’m not a guitarist and I can envision that, so where are the serious power players and experimenters? Has marketing and democratization of the tools diminished the fire for a more personal signature? Even the best device is still only as good as its user.
I think the Gittler Guitar was a brilliant design back in 1980. Unfortunately only the first 60 instruments were built to standard. After production was taken over by a company in Israel the quality control was dropped significantly. I’m glad to see them back in production with several improvements. They are now made of a high grade titanium to exacting specifications. They have the new “Gittler Guards” which are clear necks that snap into place in seconds, with a variety of neck shapes. Also the strap system is improved and can be adjusted to whatever angle the player desires. I certainly plan on investing in one of these instruments. They may be costly but well worth it. They stay in tune, are light in weight, play easily and are the best midi guitar controller to date. They’re impervious to climate changes so there’s no chance of warping or cracking. They’re great for travelling and will probably last for many generations to come.
I own one of the Astrons. I’d love to have one of these new ones, but they’re ridiculously overpriced. $ 4,999 now. Who’d in their right mind would pay that for this guitar? It’s not as if it’s handmade with a figured top, Brazilian rosewood, binding, laquer finished & polished. It’s made of milled stainless steel parts that collectively cost a few hundred dollars. Great design,& idea though.
“It’s made of milled stainless steel parts that collectively cost a few hundred dollars.”
It’s made of titanium.