The wheel of the HPGB1K rotates with the aid of a 12vdc motor from a high speed photocopy machine. The wheel's speed can be regulated by a rheostat. |
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The Huffyphonic Gyrobanshee 1000 was made by cutting the spokes out of a bicycle wheel and replacing them with guitar strings. The wheel was then mounted in a wooden frame as shown, which allows it to spin freely, driven by the motor in the photo to the left. |
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Electric guitar pickups are mounted in the frame so that the strings pass by them as the wheel rotates. The instrument can then be plugged into an external guitar amplifier (in this case a Danelectro Nifty Fifty).
*Technically, the strings do not need to be plucked. The vibrations of the wheel as it rotates, combined with the motion of the strings past the pickups are enough to create soft, ghostly melodies. The instrument is capable of "playing itself", as well as being played in a variety of ways by a performer, whether plucked/strummed like a harp, bowed like a cello, or softly caressed by a feather. The rotary nature of the instrument also makes for an interesting echo effect, as strings repeatedly pass the pickups. |
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