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Gittler's all-titanium guitar aims to 'overcome traditionalism' with Kickstarter's help

Gittler's all-titanium guitar aims to 'overcome traditionalism' with Kickstarter's help

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Gittler guitar fixed
Gittler guitar fixed

The creators of the Gittler Guitar don't necessarily believe there's something wrong with the way guitars are built today. But they insist there's room for improvement and seem confident they've found the right formula. "The guitar is due for another step in its natural evolution." According to them, that evolution is an instrument crafted entirely of aircraft grade titanium — sans the woods that have for decades contributed to the signature sounds of guitars everywhere. It also does away with just about everything else in the process. There's no proper guitar body here, nor anything resembling a traditional neck or fretboard. And rather than a regular headstock, the Gittler features a headless design with a "string lock" mechanism that clamps down on each string (there's no winding involved) to ensure your guitar stays on pitch.

Say goodbye to wood, and just about everything else

It's an evolutionary design based on an instrument Alan Gittler originally put together back in the 1970s. His thinking then? "The basic elements of vibration and gain were the only truly indispensable elements at play when making sound." That led him to strip away elements from the guitar until he was left with little more than pickups, strings, frets, and equally minimalistic tuning machines. The team behind the Kickstarter effort says revitalizing the Gittler has been a three-year effort involving numerous patents. They're shooting for a funding goal of $80,000 to bring the guitar to interested players.

They've also had the sense to realize that some people will need time to adjust to such a radical rethinking of guitar design. An acrylic "Gittler Guard" accessory serves as a removable (and replaceable) guitar neck that approximates a more traditional playing experience, even letting players adjust their preferred neck profile on the fly. There's no volume control on board, but bass and treble can be changed with knobs on the guitar. Obviously you won't be playing the Gittler acoustically at a local open mic night; instead, it's all electric, and its creators are promising broad MIDI compatibility.

Unfortunately, getting in isn't cheap. You'll have to kick in $2,000 or more to secure one of the first 250 "classic model" Gittler guitars. And that's just a downpayment that goes toward a final "discounted" cost of $3,995. We won't name all the premium guitars from Fender, Gibson, and other brands you'd be able to take home for a similar price, but it's a long list. Still, as a work of design, the Gittler is worthy of some accolades. And as the above video shows, it doesn't take long to get accustomed to "the future of guitar."