Okay, I’ll go - BTW if any company incorporates these ideas, you need to hire me at an executive level with corresponding compensation.
1) Improved ergonomics: specifically, I’d like to see a company look at anatomical measurements and either have a customized approach, or one based upon a few different “sizes” of different body parts to create an instrument that is truly optimized for comfort and playing ease. 34” has its drawbacks. So does 30”. Don’t know if 32” is the magic number, but someone needs to approach it from the angle of what works for the human body. This also goes for neck width. In the upright world, Upton has made the observation that a thinner neck reduces your ability to stretch your fingers — again, there is an optimum balance here that I know someone has yet to try to achieve in a scientific manner. Create some sort of technology or tool to allow people to figure out what works for their body, and then sell them a bass that really fits.
2) Improved lightness: We have all sorts of space age technologies and materials. While the entire guitar doesn’t need to be made out of carbon fiber, let’s see some really innovative approaches to reducing weight without negative side effects. Maybe it’s an all wood guitar - maybe it’s a hybrid of wood and other materials. Maybe there’s only a wood fingerboard.
3) Single tree instruments: in the world of Scotch, you have single malts. In the wine industry, you have single vineyard, or even single block wines. Bring for a guitar made out of a single tree, provide the buyer with documentation of that tree, where it grew, etc. as well as the replacement tree(s) that were planted. Honor the tree that went into the instrument and create something that is so unique that each instrument is a real work of art.
4) Truly solve the problem of hum: Seriously, no excuse. Use a phantom coil if you need to, but there’s no other musical item we’d tolerate this with.
5) Flexible pickup configurations: Why am I stuck with pickups in a single configuration, of fixed type, and in fixed positions. I want to be able to quickly hot-swap and move my pickups around. Create a rails system, quick disconnects, and some interesting routing. Hell, make each pickup battery powered and wireless, and then let me dock them on a magnetic wireless charger.
6) Onboard recording: allow us to record the sound and then reamp it as needed without any external devices. Hell, through in some sort of MIDI logging as well.
7) Onboard effects: why bring pedals? Incorporate technology to allow effects to be handled within the instrument itself.
That’s literally just off the top of my head. If I actually think hard, I can probably double the list.
1) Improved ergonomics: specifically, I’d like to see a company look at anatomical measurements and either have a customized approach, or one based upon a few different “sizes” of different body parts to create an instrument that is truly optimized for comfort and playing ease. 34” has its drawbacks. So does 30”. Don’t know if 32” is the magic number, but someone needs to approach it from the angle of what works for the human body. This also goes for neck width. In the upright world, Upton has made the observation that a thinner neck reduces your ability to stretch your fingers — again, there is an optimum balance here that I know someone has yet to try to achieve in a scientific manner. Create some sort of technology or tool to allow people to figure out what works for their body, and then sell them a bass that really fits.
2) Improved lightness: We have all sorts of space age technologies and materials. While the entire guitar doesn’t need to be made out of carbon fiber, let’s see some really innovative approaches to reducing weight without negative side effects. Maybe it’s an all wood guitar - maybe it’s a hybrid of wood and other materials. Maybe there’s only a wood fingerboard.
3) Single tree instruments: in the world of Scotch, you have single malts. In the wine industry, you have single vineyard, or even single block wines. Bring for a guitar made out of a single tree, provide the buyer with documentation of that tree, where it grew, etc. as well as the replacement tree(s) that were planted. Honor the tree that went into the instrument and create something that is so unique that each instrument is a real work of art.
4) Truly solve the problem of hum: Seriously, no excuse. Use a phantom coil if you need to, but there’s no other musical item we’d tolerate this with.
5) Flexible pickup configurations: Why am I stuck with pickups in a single configuration, of fixed type, and in fixed positions. I want to be able to quickly hot-swap and move my pickups around. Create a rails system, quick disconnects, and some interesting routing. Hell, make each pickup battery powered and wireless, and then let me dock them on a magnetic wireless charger.
6) Onboard recording: allow us to record the sound and then reamp it as needed without any external devices. Hell, through in some sort of MIDI logging as well.
7) Onboard effects: why bring pedals? Incorporate technology to allow effects to be handled within the instrument itself.
That’s literally just off the top of my head. If I actually think hard, I can probably double the list.
