Black Guitar in "Knocking on the Heaven Doors"?

[Rudolf Wagner]

Hi Angelo!

Thank you, our legs have recovered by now and the bruises have faded! 😉

The Maton 12-string is an EM425C/12 and the 6-string is an EBG808CL “Performer”. Those model descriptions are a mouthful hehe. We love them both!

The black guitar in the “Knockin On Heaven’s Door” is a Line 6 “Variax acoustic 700”. We actually haven’t used it since that performance but it’s a guitar that can model and emulate various different tunings and sounds at the click of a button. For that particular song, we made it sound like a 12-string guitar.

They are no longer in production but are actually pretty cool, especially if you’re on a budget and want many different sounds (sitar, 12-string, nylon, western, …) all in one instrument.

Have a groovy rest of your weekend,
Mona

[Angelo]

Hello Mona,

Thank you for your answer but are you sure a 100% that it’s a Maton EBG808CL “performer” and not an EM225C? A “Performer” is three times more expensive than the EM225C and visually they are absolutely identical.

As for the Varia Studio 6: do not underestimate it:

Greetings
Angelo

[Rudolf Wagner]

Hi Angelo! Yes, I’m sure 🙂

 

[Jung Roe]

Mona, that Maton EBG808CL guitar looks like a very special instrument coming with a little certification plaque with unit number like that from the manufacturer.  Shows the pride and attention to detail that went into it’s creation for them to go out of the way to individually number the instrument and provide the owner a certificate.  I have a fountain pen numbered and certified like that too!  It’s rare to find things hand made like that these days in a world of assembly line mass production by machines.  So nice!  I emailed the company once asking questions about the pen, and they even provided me the name of the craftsman who made the pen  🙂

[Angelo]

You’re lovely Mona and save me a lot of money.

Thanks so much to both of you (Michaela and you).

Cheers.

[Angelo]

Well, in fact I recognize that the Maton EBG8008CL Performer and the EM225C are not identical. I could have looked a little better and avoided this question. Mea culpa.
The first has a form of “Grand Auditorium” cut, a Bunya soundboard and an AP5 pickup (piezo and microphone).
There it is.

[Angelo]

while the second  (EM225C) has a shape of a cut “Dreadnought”, a Spruce soundboard and an AP4 pickup (piezo only).

[Angelo]

Here it is

[Angelo]

Well, I do not know how much David Evans was paid to promote this guitar but I understand why you have not used it for 12 years. That said it’s fun to change from a 6-strings guitar to a 12-string guitar to a bandjo to a sitar etc, etc … just by turning a wheel. The Edge, with all due respect, is notorious for its interest in playing with electronic effects rather than the guitar itself. In any case, thanks to you MLTs, this Variax 700 is now a beautiful piece of my collection and will even allow me to follow, at little cost, the footsteps of our guitar-hero, George Harrison in his introduction to oriental music. .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t79aI-I6ucA

[Angelo]

Well, hum..  I must add that after reading the user manual (because with electronic toys, you should always read the manual), this electronic guitar makes a much better effects to me. Without being able to really make the sound of the various instruments that it claims to model, it remains a very beautiful tool to explore the realm of the possible. Alternate tunings memorized with instant access, exotic instruments, 12 strings, resonator-guitars. In short, it’s indeed a nice Christmas gift for a guitar enthusiast who does not have 10 instruments in his studio …

[Jung Roe]

That electronic guitar sounds like a lot of fun Angelo, congrats on getting it.  I presume the sounds originates from the vibrations of the strings that the electronics in the guitar then enhances and manipulates it into different instruments like the banjo or sitar?  Before Mona mentioned it, I never knew there was an electronic guitar.  I just did a google search on digital guitar and there is one called the Jammy that is a digital guitar that looks like can do some cool things from providing an entire back up band while you do the lead guitar, to letting you compose with it as it records the notes and chords.   The future is here.  But the big question is, can a digital guitar truly replicate the tactile feel of a real acoustic guitar?  Can it reproduce the nuance in sounds and feelings of a real guitar?  Will Eric Clapton drop his acoustic Stratocaster for a digital Jammy anytime soon?

[Angelo]

Hello Jung, “a big question”? That’s not even a question for me. I love to much the real things. I’m a man of the 20th century. The great fun with this guitar, in addition to the pleasure of hunting and collecting, is the great satisfaction to play along with our Fab Four “knocking on heaven’s door”, “Mr. Tambourine Man” with the exact same instrument that they used, taking part in their musical journey.

[Jung Roe]

Angelo, that is a great enough reason for me.   If I could play guitar, I’d do the same, ie get at least a Gretsch and Rickenbacker as well as that electronic.

As for the Big Question, I was just asking it more generally how digital or electronic guitars hold up out of curiosity of the technology. I have a digital piano, while not as aesthetically nice as my acoustic upright, it certainly is very practical with hook up to computer, as well as headphones so I don’t drive the others up the wall when I practice.

[Jacki Hopper]

Hi… Today while I was at a Xmas craft show… I saw a couple of artisans booths/vendors that  had homemade crafted stringed guitar like instruments, couldn’t get a real close up looked as place was sardine packed…. I’ll have a look later at the crafts how program booklet I got that lists all the vendors… But what I did get to see a bit more closely and found interesting, was the hubby of a friend (who was selling their awesome reusable wallets, etc made from chipbags, choco bar wrappers, softdrink/pop bottle labels, etc at craft show), and had his headphones but was playing thisv6-12string Traveler’s Brand Classic Guitar…. A nice rectangular portable compact size that has no knobs or frets… You fingerpick he told me… I thought that was cool and interesting….

[Jung Roe]

I looked that one up Jacki, and it is a nice affordable electronic guitar option.  It looks like there are many different ones out there.