Klein electric guitar knockoffs?
Joey Goldstein
Is there anybody making a clone of the Klein electric guitar's design?
I don't need the headless headstock or the trans trem (but they'd be
nice) but the body shape and neck angle and the way it's supposed to
balance while seated are intriguing.
The real ones are *really* expensive and take almost a year to be custom made.
--
Joey Goldstein
http://www.joeygoldstein.com
<joegold AT sympatico DOT ca>
Pat Smith
copied, legally.
George4908
>
>I don't need the headless headstock or the trans trem (but they'd be
>nice) but the body shape and neck angle and the way it's supposed to
>balance while seated are intriguing.
>
>The real ones are *really* expensive and take almost a year to be custom
>made.
>
>--
>Joey Goldstein
Well, there's always the old Ovation solidbodies that may have been the
inspiration for the Klein:
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1973_Ovation_Breadwinner_white.jpg
Not sure it's exactly in the same league, though.
Adam Gottschalk
georg...@aol.com (George4908) wrote:
> Well, there's always the old Ovation solidbodies that may have been the
> inspiration for the Klein:
>
> http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1973_Ovation_Breadwinner_white.jpg
Fascinating.
Steve Modica
Ugly.
--
Steve Modica
"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, hit him with a fish and
he leaves you alone" - me
Joey Goldstein
That's nothing like the Klein.
Joey Goldstein
Is there anybody making a clone of the Klein electric guitar's design?
I don't need the headless headstock or the trans trem (but they'd be
nice) but the body shape and neck angle and the way it's supposed to
balance while seated are intriguing.
The real ones are *really* expensive and take almost a year to be custom made.
--
Joey Goldstein
Pat Smith
George4908
>
>I don't need the headless headstock or the trans trem (but they'd be
>nice) but the body shape and neck angle and the way it's supposed to
>balance while seated are intriguing.
>
>The real ones are *really* expensive and take almost a year to be custom
>made.
>
>--
>Joey Goldstein
Well, there's always the old Ovation solidbodies that may have been the
Adam Gottschalk
> Well, there's always the old Ovation solidbodies that may have been the
> inspiration for the Klein:
>
> http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1973_Ovation_Breadwinner_white.jpg
Fascinating.
Steve Modica
Ugly.
Joey Goldstein
That's nothing like the Klein.
--
Don Judy
>
> Is there anybody making a clone of the Klein electric guitar's design?
>
> I don't need the headless headstock or the trans trem (but they'd be
> nice) but the body shape and neck angle and the way it's supposed to
> balance while seated are intriguing.
If you want a balanced guitar start adding weights or routing out parts of the body. You're really after an unattainable
goal. Any sense of the guitar being balanced at rest is altered by any change in the angle of the neck with regard to
horizontal /vertical. If you move or lean, so does your guitar. You'll need to balance it for your specific playing
angle. Classical guitars are lighter so this effect is minimized, the wider body helps also. I notice that Charlie
Christian sat and leaned the guitar into his body. This works well, the guitar can sit with no extra work from either
arm, but solidbodies are generally too heavy for the amount of area contacting your body to do this, plus the smaller
body size works against them, excepting bigger body models like the ES-335 types.
One of the biggest problems for balancing a guitar is the size of the area resting on your thigh, knee or other selected
body part and the contact area's friction coefficient which is of course also affected by the friction coefficient
(slipperiness vs "holding power) of your pantsleg. The guitar has to be able to stay put at your correct neck angle, so
the bout has to have enough room and the proper angle at the proper spot. If you gain weight, you'll have to alter the
guitar. My suggestion is to suck it up and find a chair that does the job of offering a stabilizing resting point.
Overstuffed chairs are a pain to take to a gig but add a homeiness to the onstage vibe. If you get a lot of work you
might consider a mini-roadie to stand and hold your guitar in place. A girl friend would be better for practice
situations.
More practical might be a velcro pantsleg and bout setup.
I notice you use the Dynarette *and* continue to seek a guitar that's balanced. That tells me avoid the
Dynarette.
You could try a stand. Dynarette's advertising aside, Mr. Aguado's solution worked and people still use similar stands
today. Eh, for electrics too, although for the right leg sitting it would be unwieldy.
Maybe a combination chair/guitar stand.
Personally I have two guitars which balance well, a Gibson SG with a Bigsby and an Epiphone Sheraton, but I tend to play
more in front of my body and set the guitar on the left leg. It doesn't look as cool but it works if you maintain decent
lower back position.
I wish you good luck with your search, you're gonna need it to find an off the shelf guitar that covers your needs.
dj
Joey Goldstein
Don Judy wrote:
>
> Joey Goldstein wrote:
> >
> > Is there anybody making a clone of the Klein electric guitar's design?
> >
> > I don't need the headless headstock or the trans trem (but they'd be
> > nice) but the body shape and neck angle and the way it's supposed to
> > balance while seated are intriguing.
>
> If you want a balanced guitar start adding weights or routing out parts of the body. You're really after an unattainable
> goal.
I only own 1 guitar that has a balance problem (when sitting
horizontally on the right thigh). It's a 60's Epi Riviera that tips
towards the bridge. All my other guitars, 7 of them, are fine.
> Any sense of the guitar being balanced at rest is altered by any change in the angle of the neck with regard to
> horizontal /vertical. If you move or lean, so does your guitar. You'll need to balance it for your specific playing
> angle. Classical guitars are lighter so this effect is minimized, the wider body helps also. I notice that Charlie
> Christian sat and leaned the guitar into his body. This works well, the guitar can sit with no extra work from either
> arm, but solidbodies are generally too heavy for the amount of area contacting your body to do this, plus the smaller
> body size works against them, excepting bigger body models like the ES-335 types.
> One of the biggest problems for balancing a guitar is the size of the area resting on your thigh, knee or other selected
> body part and the contact area's friction coefficient which is of course also affected by the friction coefficient
> (slipperiness vs "holding power) of your pantsleg. The guitar has to be able to stay put at your correct neck angle, so
> the bout has to have enough room and the proper angle at the proper spot. If you gain weight, you'll have to alter the
> guitar. My suggestion is to suck it up and find a chair that does the job of offering a stabilizing resting point.
> Overstuffed chairs are a pain to take to a gig but add a homeiness to the onstage vibe. If you get a lot of work you
> might consider a mini-roadie to stand and hold your guitar in place. A girl friend would be better for practice
> situations.
> More practical might be a velcro pantsleg and bout setup.
> I notice you use the Dynarette *and* continue to seek a guitar that's balanced. That tells me avoid the
> Dynarette.
I use the Dynarette to get the guitar *up* to the proper playing
position, not for balance. Without it I need to use either a footstool
or a strap or both. The footstool causes lower back pain over the years.
The strap causes immediate shoulder pain. The Dynarette allows me to
practice siting upright with both feet firmly on the floor. The Klein is
supposedly designed to work like this without the aid of a gizmo like
the Dynarette.
> You could try a stand. Dynarette's advertising aside, Mr. Aguado's solution worked and people still use similar stands
> today. Eh, for electrics too, although for the right leg sitting it would be unwieldy.
> Maybe a combination chair/guitar stand.
> Personally I have two guitars which balance well, a Gibson SG with a Bigsby and an Epiphone Sheraton, but I tend to play
> more in front of my body and set the guitar on the left leg.
With a footstool?
> It doesn't look as cool but it works if you maintain decent
> lower back position.
>
> I wish you good luck with your search, you're gonna need it to find an off the shelf guitar that covers your needs.
>
> dj
--
Michael J. Hunter
Klein design he calls the "RE" line (as the first was apparently
commissioned by jazz guitarist Ron Eschete). It's a headless design
that basically marries the lower bout of the Klein, which is
responsible for providing the correct balance and neck angle, with the
upper bout of a traditional archtop. It really doesn't fit your
criteria of being any less expensive or more readily available (price
is about $4500, and Koll is a fairly in-demand luthier, so I'd imagine
there's a waiting period), but it is a fascinating take on Steve
Klein's original solidbody design, and one that might be more
appealing to traditional jazz guitarists.
And I'm not sure that the current Klein electric guitar company
necessarily has any kind of copyright or proprietary hold on the body
design -- a set of signed plans for Klein's harp guitar (originally
made for Michael Hedges) have been available for almost ten years from
the Guild of American Luthiers, the organization which puts out the
American Lutherie magazine. So I'd imagine that legally anyone could
(and I know that some have) make a Klein-based guitar using these.
Regards,
Michael Hunter
hunt...@yahoo.com
Joey Goldstein <nos...@nowhere.net> wrote in message news:<80f7f4c6405c2093...@news.teranews.com>...
George4908
>Klein design he calls the "RE" line
Also Timtone: