Pescara, Store, MegaBlog, YouTube

[traktor]

Hi, folks,

Some news from Mobius Megatar ...

* In the "Songs (http://www.megatar.com/english/songs/songs.html)" section, be sure to check out the new songs from Megatarist Jorge Pescara. Ouch!

* Our online store is finally open. We don't have the sales tax and shipping working yet, and I see a few typos. However, you can now select an instrument, and customize it just as you want it, just by using the "Store (http://www.megatar.com/english/store/store.html)" section on our main website. Give it a try. You can build your dream instrument, if such is your dream.

* The store also features our new PiezoTapper "Songbird (http://www.megatar.com/english/store/Online_Store/PiezoTapper/piezotapper.html)" model. Unfortunately, I don't have pix nor soundfiles yet, and so it's not yet listed in the "Models" section, but hopefully we'll get it updated soon.

* The new "Articles (http://www.megatar.com/english/articles/articles.html)" section now has links to the Mobius MegaBlog which will carry articles about music, touch-style, and news of interest to tapping musicians.

* The current article in the Mobius MegaBlog will play our YouTube video on how to make "Traktor's SusPenders" to hold your strat upright for easier touch-style play. Here's the link to the article:

Easy Touch-Style Guitar: Guitar Prep 1 (http://megatar.com/megablog/2007/05/06/easy-touch-style-guitar-guitar-prep-1/)

-- Traktor

PS: Does that sweatshirt make me look fat?

[traktor]

... and ... we have some ready-to-play and ready-to-ship instruments again available on EBay.

As some of you know, we've spent a number of months overhauling our production machinery. During this time we got behind on orders, but we've now essentially caught up, and therefore we are again listing on the EBay Megatar Store (http://stores.ebay.com/megatarstore/) some instruments which are ready-to-play and immediately available.

Well, darn close to immediately available. Normally we can ship these out within 1-3 days. However, due to a schedule conflict in our office, the earliest we'll ship is 23 May (next Tuesday as I write this), and after that any orders will again be shipped out within 1-3 days.

There are three Megatar instruments, and also ... two surprises!

[rjgoos]

Originally posted by traktor

.....instruments which are ready-to-play and immediately available.

Well, darn close to immediately available. Normally we can ship these out within 1-3 days....


I think a "wait time" of 1-3 days is unreasonable. Can't you get it down to a few hours?

Joking aside...in re-vamping the production process, were any changes made in the instruments themselves?

Best of luck with the new production line.

[traktor]

Originally posted by rjgoos
... <snip> ...in re-vamping the production process, were any changes made in the instruments themselves? The models have not changed though we have done some refinements. Notable is that we can now provide any of our models with Graph Tech "Acoustiphonic" piezo sound, and/or MIDI outputs.

We've made some other refinements, and will be talking about these soon. Thanks for asking.

[boxguitarist]

Can any vintage make and model of Megatar be retrofitted with the piezo option ??

[traktor]

Originally posted by boxguitarist
Can any vintage make and model of Megatar be retrofitted with the piezo option ?? Yes.

Any make or model of Megatar can be retrofitted with the GraphTech "Acoustiphonic" piezo sound, or with the GraphTech "MIDI" option.

The only restriction is that certain pickup arrays have so many pickups and switches that there is no room left for installing the 13-pin MIDI outjacks, or the dual acoustic outjacks and battery box, and the various additional switches and volume/tone knobs provided with MIDI or Acoustiphonic operation.

Of course, given that pickups arrays are modular and can be swapped out, therefore any Megatar can be rebuilt with piezo saddles and blendable/selectable Acoustiphonic and/or MIDI output.

To hear the Graph Tech Acoustiphonic sound, they have sound samples of a strat and a bass. I don't have samples of our own instrument (yet), but the sound is similar to the Strat and Bass samples you'll find here --

Download Bass and Strat Samples (http://www.graphtech.com/downloadsgst.php)

And to learn more about the Graph Tech "Ghost" system and how it works, see --

GraphTech Ghost System (http://www.graphtech.com/prodghost.htm)

It's pretty neat. We've built almost a dozen instruments using Acoustiphonic and MIDI output using this technology, and we've found it to be rugged, responsive, and reliable. So naturally we're delighted to be an authorized Graph Tech shop, and we've been quite happy with the performance of the Megatar "Songbird" (Acoustiphonic) and "Ghost" (MIDI) instruments.

[traktor]

Hi, folks,

We've just completed a concise video showing a Mobius Megatar touch-style instrument, explaining some of the features and playing some songs, so you can see and hear the instrument and our particular 'easy touch-style' method.

(No making fun of my playing! OK?)

The video shows our most basic instrument, the TrueTapper Eclipse. This instrument is so well made that a professional musician can feel completely comfortable recording in the studio. However, the Eclipse is priced so that any student with a summer job can get one.

In the video, I'm playing two songs. The second song is simply an improvisation over the same chord changes.

You will find the video here --

TrueTapper Eclipse Video (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=18564146)

Hope you find it useful and entertaining!

-- Traktor