A view of the Centerfold, where you can see the stupid aluminium latch system.

The guys from DeVillain have invented what must be one of the most unrequested or useless features a guitar could ever need: a guitar that folds in half for easier transportation. [note: I got contacted by Leif, a guy working for the place, and he reminded me about carrying it on a plane. I assume this is the most legit use for it and is not a bad idea.]

Not only has the problem of transportation been solved decades ago via the use of a case, but this one still doesn’t remove the need of a case. Indeed, who would feel like walking under the rain with a guitar folded this way just because it takes slightly less space? Fortunately, they still include one to go with it anyway.

Sources say it may take around 20 seconds to go from folded to unfolded. Well that’s fantastic. I may sure enjoy the ease of transportation and loss of time when the guitar only cost me $3,370. It may be the price to pay to get the answer to some questions, answered by DeVillain:

The world’s first folding guitar that actually solves the problem of “where should the strings go when I fold the neck”. How are strings packaged when you buy them? Rolled up in a paper sleeve. If that’s the way strings are sold, it must also be a pretty good way to store them when the guitar is folded. That’s why the Centerfold collects the strings on a roll when you fold the neck. (source)

Given I was already working on my own folding guitar and I became stuck exactly at the ‘where the string goes’ part, that would be great news to end my sorrow. Otherwise, the market for the Centerfold must be pretty restricted.

Woo! Look at that folding action! Add a tremolo bar where you can put cheese so it would let people use the guitar as a giant mousetrap, hopefully catching giant mice! Do incredible multi-octave bends!

We can’t assume this is the last guitar of this kind either. There has to be worst inventions to come. Boy I can’t wait.

This is the Diablo. Yes, the same guitar this post talks about and the same guitar that can be seen on the photos below.

This is going to be a short and sweet update (I’m kind of busy having to adapt with the internship and having to learn Javascript/AJAX real fast (which I will use to try and implement some kind of sweet and really simple function in here), so I don’t take as much time as I’d like). The idea of imagining a quadriplegic playing any kind of music would be foreign or absurd to most of us. However, the man behind Driskill Guitars didn’t stop there and made an instrument especially for a quadriplegic customer of his.

Here is the Diablo, a custom guitar made out of carbon fiber for a man named Kurt:

As you can see, it has a claw that rides down on rails. This claw has a Teflon block inside of it which has a .76″ recess in it. The rod has a ball end on it that is .75″ and that lets it rotate. The claw also has a stainless steel bar that is spring loaded inside of it which does the fretting. The rod hooks up to a 1/4″ movable socket which is welded to limit its movement and has O ring grooves cut into it. The mouthstick then attaches to that with snap rings and has tubing over it to pick and strum the strings. The entire guitar is covered in 12K carbon fiber. It has vertical tuners so that he can tune it with his mouthstick. The tribal design on the body is aluminum and the inlays are medieval paua abalone crosses. The claw rides on shaft rods and Teflon/Freliner bearings. It sounds so cool!!! Like a mean slide guitar.

So let’s not wait more and directly get to the photos:

I can’t even understand how it can be played, but I guess it works. Oh yeah, one more thing, look at the case!

It is 50×25x8.5″ and is made from plywood and resawn 2×4s.

You can find more photos by visiting this guitar’s official page. I think it’s real neat that music can be accessible to disabled people (well, physically at least, not exactly financially), although I guess the guy’s going to have a hard time plugging it or picking it up.

A guitar reminding you of goatse is never a good guitar.

When music gives you the best in terms of audition, it apparently has to fix the balance of Universe by taking away your eyes. In this post, we explore some of the ugliest guitars and basses that were given to mankind, with love, from mankind. This is possibly a moderate example of why we are leading ourselves to a path of self-destruction.

Guitars

I’m going to present everything as a list, so it’s easier to read and do whatever you want with it. Just click away to see them horrible instruments.

• The Classic Cherry sunburst Spaceranger Guitar by MusicVox
• Roadrunner’s incredibly horrible Tiki Guitar
• “Wild Design” made by I don’t know who. You can still visit the website I found it on, they got even worse stuff, like the Original Steve Klein Doubleneck.
• the custom made “hand” guitar from the title image, made by DeGennaro
• Two models of guitars. They are absolutely terrible. See guitar 1, See guitar 2.
• The Masaki Kyomoto Custom (Samurai)
• A god damn X Factor guitar. Thanks to Jaxville Guitars for this one.

Once in a while, though, you’ll get the terrible yet awesome instrument. I present you the Epiphone Trailer Park Troubadour Airscreamer Guitar:

It’s impossible to say whether it is awesome or not. A band full of vehicle instruments would probably be incredibly kickass or made for kids.

Basses

Then you get to Bass guitars. Those can be great and terrible, maybe at the same time. This is why the list starts this Dean pimp Bass:

• The ZZ-Top custom bass.
• Then you get the complete opposite, with the DeArmond Ashbory Bass
• Custom “Lightning Bolt” bass, made by Peter Cook.

Ugly sites may mean ugly creations

If you go around the HTTP world a bit, you will notice the worst websites show you the worst instruments (including this one, of course). Share your own links if you have any, ugly stuff is always fun to see. I may come with other ugly instrument posts in the near future, stay tuned.

Read the comments for more terrible instruments