I have a pretty good archive of circuit diagrams, mostly fx pedals, zipped into a 75,057k zip file here for circuit benders and tweakers looking for ideas. I spent hours on dialup for these once upon a time but haven't really got started on them seriously. I do however have many good ideas already... be inspired.
All interested in experimental instrument building should check out Bart Hopkin's site and order his excellent book ` Musical Instrument Design' too. He has been inspirational for decades. Check it out by clicking here.
Stuart McDonald (stewmac.com)
is where to get your hardware and also a good resource site with great free information and newsletters on Luthiery. Buy
big though because the postage hurts from the U.S.A. to Oz.
www.frets.com,
frankfordsfrets.com, allied luthierie and lmii.com are all recommended
too.
Greg
Smallman makes classicals and has made many strange things in the
past and has a wonderfully innovative classical guitar design using a lattice bracing. http://www.guitaralive.org/williams.html is an interview with john williams and it has an interesting bit about what he likes about Smallman and sons guitars.
Peter Biffin from near Armidale makes a tarhu and has developed many innovations in instrument making over the years with Greg Smallman.
Check
out his site at spikefiddle.com it's great.
http://www.guitarcentre.com.au/ is Rick Faulkiners site who is an expert in all things guitar and a lovely guy. He has detailed the best aussie makers and has an encyclopedia in his head. Good player and teacher too.
The
Perch Creek Family Jug Band are a local band who's fearless leader Bob
plays the jug band resonator guitar. A truly professional jug outfit
featuring sizzling tap-dancing, lovely harmonies and some very talented
and hard working (and very nice) young musicians. Catch them at
festivals and busking. Ira will get around to making a site someday.
clatterbox
is a cool Australian site which has something to do with the REV
festival for experimental musical instruments and music - real,
experimental and virtual. Intrigued but not been to it yet.
Novax guitars guitars have fanned fretboards to balance the string consonance
which seems pretty neat to me.
https//www.create.ucsb.edu/~dano/violin
shows a far out midi violin controller with 6 strings and several
great controllers.
dhyatt.com/craft_workshop/gourd_banjo_making.pdf
shows gourd banjo construction techniques for these
things
as per banjopete.com and rhisong.com. check musica.viva.com too.
blissmongers.com
is a local funky band my friend Murray started some years ago and the Mothership is a local studio where Sue and Jake act as the musical centre of abundant creativity, they do a great job, have wicked jams and I love them to bits. check out their site
imembrane.com
is my friend Stef and his various musical creations including a
lovely six string headless bass he made and our banjo-cello collaboration
and more, plus you can hear and download for free some of his wicked
music.
giletguitars.com run by one of Australias pre-eminent guitar makers Gerard Gilet supply parts, Australian and exotic timbers and lots of good specialty woods, kits, tools, advice, contacts, do repairs, make really superb guitars, do a superb Luthiers course and are super helpful and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of guitar making. I can't recommend them enough, really nice folk. Guitar Woods is them too.
American Luthier has all the plans you might need to create various stringed instruments in their big red books..
liutaiomottola.com has some cool free plans and a good site with some great technical links.
TheChapman Stick is a very cool instrument which is similar to a Waugh Guitar.
lightwave-systems.com have developed the most amazing light activated pickup system with full midi out haxaphonic man!. Nice people.
ashelectronics.com used to do excellent piezoelectric pickups and Al is the inventor of the Ashbory bass (and a nice person to have done business with - very helpful.)
Samba Music in Maleney have great selections of especially percussion
bits and Ziggy is wonderful.
The music shops in Lismore are great too. They need you support!
The Vaults of Erowid for all you need to know (and then a lot still) about plants, entheogenic chemistry and all that stuff, linked to everywhere, comprehensive, accurate, broad, up to date, huge great site, congrats!
Luke Brown does the best eye candy I've seen
Wild
Marmalade rock my dancing world.
Victor
Wooton and his bro 'Futureman' who play with Bela Fleck - wow
Zakir
Hussain - tabla legend
Farrell Glass Design and My mate Al make glass things like my slides and bliss
me out at jams, thanks guys!.
Oddmusic is a great site for checking out some of the worlds most innovative and interesting musical creators works, highly recommended. Here are some of my favourite features;
