pixelator
"I am proud to say (I believe) that this is the world’s first TV guitar,
I named it The Pixelator."
I named it The Pixelator."
Nick's Pixelator Fender Stratocaster guitar was one of 30 unique instruments that were 'on tour' with the Born to Rock™ exhibition to later be auctioned off to raise funds for charities. The last stop prior to auction was Harrods in London.
"Being a keyboard player I was very flattered when approached by Ian Spero of BigTimeTV to come up with a design for one of Fender’s classic Stratocasters. I wanted to create something that had not yet been seen with an electric guitar. My first thoughts turned to technology, specifically how to turn the face of the guitar into some sort of TV monitor. What we ended up with I believe is the world’s first ever video guitar that was appropriately programmed with psychedelic swirling abstract light and images." To accomplish this Sims Custom Shop installed a unique custom built circuit board incorporating 100's of tiny 4-colour LEDs. This was then built into the guitar body and placed behind a thin Plexiglass screen. Controlled by a laptop, this produces an infinite array of patterns and colour in motion, enabling the user to express themselves in their own unique fashion. The guitar is currently programmed (as of the auction date) with footage from Duran Duran's last world tour curated by Nick Rhodes. The guitar was auctioned off on 31st May 2007 at Gibson Hall in London and concurrently live on ebay auctions for £3,200 (starting from £2,500). Proceeds from the sale went to the charity - Keep A Child Alive. The winner was Modern World Studios. It was last seen on ebay selling for between 4,000 to £5,000 on 1 April till 5 Aug 2007. (Not clear if it was eventually sold). You can pay Nick's guitar a visit at Modern World Studios, UK. Check if it's still with them first! (I can't confirm anything!) References |
Above as seen displayed in
Harrods, London, 2007. "FENDER PIXELATOR" By Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran Musician The beautiful illuminated body of Rhodes' guitar is also capable of being programmed with video content. (Photo and text from IzzyWorld) |
Background:
Close up of the Fender Pixelator by Filter
Close up of the Fender Pixelator by Filter