Archive for April, 2010
I’m in the process of moving into my own shop… there’s still a lot to do, but i’m getting a bit of build time here and there. I’ve built up a small inventory of roughed-out parts, so i thought i’d take some pictures as a little teaser of what’s coming up…
Family shot. Left to right: Proto 3 AMX, dB1 Javelin, dB2 AMX.
… to keep everyone apprised as to what’s goin’ on. 
Most of my effort over the last couple of weeks has gone into getting some bodies and necks prepped before the shop move. I’ll likely be on a bit of a hiatus for a few weeks while my own space gets finished. Then i’ll be ready to start acquiring more tools and moving into the space to get back to building.
The body for Proto 3 has been trimmed out, along with a nice figured mahogany Javelin body, and another AMX out of swamp ash. These will likely become dB1 and dB2 respectively!
More to come soon!
| Build | dB2 |
|---|---|
| Model | AMX |
| Body | Swamp ash, 1-piece |
| Neck | 1-piece quartersawn hard rock maple, scarf-jointed swamp ash headstock |
| Fretboard | Ziricote, 16″ radius, 27″ scale, 24 frets |
| Start date | April 8, 2010 |
| Completion date |
dB2 AMX. Swamp ash body, quartersawn maple neck, ziricote fretboard.
The neck has a piece of swamp ash grafted on at the scarf joint for the headstock.
The ziricote fretboard has some beautiful “landscape” figuring in it, including some radiating lines along one edge that make it look like a sun setting behind rolling hills.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Decibel Guitars is proud to announce a revolutionary new pickup design. After over 20 years of research and development, the Aurora pickups are now available as standard equipment on all Decibel Guitars.
“We looked at every pickup technology available when developing these,” notes Decibel Guitars founder, Darren Wilson, “and we discovered that just about every combination of magnets, exotic materials and wire had already been explored. One factor that had never been taken into account in magnetic pickup design was the earth’s own magnetic field.”
Tone purists know that the frequency response and noise floor of traditional electric guitar pickups can change dramatically depending on the orientation of the guitar in relation to the amp, among other factors such as oxygen content in their cables and battery brand. Until now, the solution has been to shield the guitar extensively, insulating it from its environment. Decibel’s R&D department discovered that the orientation of the guitar in relation to the Earth’s axis also played a significant factor when all other variables were isolated from the signal chain.
Aurora pickups are designed to be sensitive to changes in electromagnetic fields in the guitar’s environment, and to have their magnetic response dynamically react to these changes, yielding powerful, consistent and dynamic tone previously unheard of.
Instead of solid bar or rod magnets, Decibel Aurora pickups use 1/4″ diameter glass capsules filled with a proprietary Ionized Liquid Ferromagnets licensed from 3M. The ferrofluid contained in the ILF capsules use nano-scale polarized metallic particles suspended in an inert carrier fluid. This allows the ferrofluid to behave as both a solid and a liquid, depending on the application of an external magnetic field.
A detail of a Decibel Guitars Javelin prototype with pre-production Aurora pickups installed. Each pickup “pole piece” is a 1/4″ diameter glass capsule filled with a proprietary ferrofluid. Floating in each capsule is a polarity indicator, allowing the player to see how the pickups are interacting with their environment.
In the application of a magnetic electric guitar pickup, the ferrofluid “pole pieces” allow the magnetic field of the pickup to dynamically reconfigure itself to its surroundings, allowing ambient electromagnetic fields to either be neutralized or enhanced, depending on the position of the Dynamic Polarity Control (DPC) on the guitar. Players no longer need to shield their guitars with copper foil or graphite paint to eliminate electromagnetic interference from their signal chain.
With the three-position DPC in the “isolate” position, the pickups dynamically sense and reverse the polarity of any stray signals, effectively silencing any noise or interference. In the “enhance” position, the DPC allows environmental EM fields to be essentially “multiplied” by the pickups, creating unique and previously unheard tones that are infinitely responsive, with dramatic sustain. The third mode of the DPC is “fixed”, which locks the magnetic polarity of the pickup into a fixed mode, allowing it to behave more like a “traditional” magnetic pickup.
The tone in both dynamic polarity positions can be described as having a very warm, “earthy” fundamental, with wide open and spatial harmonic overtones. Since the pickups actually use the Earth as the basis of their frequency response, this statement could not be more true. In all positions, the guitar’s sustain is significantly enhanced due to the ferrofluid’s almost non-existent string pull, compared to other magnetic pickup designs.
“These pickups are nothing short of revolutionary,” says Kevan Geier, inventor of the Tremol-No, and holder of several patents. “Every guitarist and guitar manufacturer is going to use this technology in their instruments.”
Aurora pickups are available starting today, in 6- 7- and 8-string configurations, with both humbucking and single-coil options. They are currently available exclusively from Decibel Guitars, with OEM and aftermarket licensing agreements available.
For further information, please visit the Decibel Gutiars website at http://www.decibelguitars.com/Aurora
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Decibel Guitars announces Aurora Pickups: Revolutionary Ionized Liquid Ferromagnets Optimize Output, Lengthen Sustain
