Spectrumaxe MK1 Prototype
The MK1 prototype is based on an Ibanez GAX30 guitar body, onto which a custom made Spectrumaxe guitar neck has been bolted. I selected this guitar body largely because it had a control compartment big enough for housing a twin AA size battery pack, plus a switch and a charging socket etc. The guitar uses Vanson 57 Alnico II PAF style Humbuckers that have been coil tapped individually to provide up to 15 different output combinations. The guitar was designed primarily to be a gigging instrument for my son to play in his university rock band and there is some video footage that can be found on YouTube. Ultra-bright LEDs are fitted in the dot markers and the fretboard itself is made of ebony, as I thought that this would provide the best contrast for the brightly coloured LEDs.
Spectrumaxe MK2 Prototype
The MK2 prototype was built from a kit and was largely an experiment to find out if it was possible to create a Spectrumaxe guitar out of a Stratocaster type guitar body, given the very confined space available under the pickguard, for housing a battery etc. The guitar uses super-bright white LEDs of up to 20,000 mcd luminescence, so it's capable of lighting up a stage all on its own! The LEDs are powered by a small 3V rechargeable lithium ion battery and the recharging socket is mounted in the back of the jack socket recess. The guitar uses hot rail humbucker pickups in all three mounting positions.
Spectrumaxe MK3 Prototype
The MK3 prototype is based on an old Wesley Perspex bodied guitar from the 1980s era, however we've modified the guitar substantially by fitting ultra-bright LEDs in the fretboard and super-bright LEDs in the perspex (aka plexiglass/acrylic) guitar body. We hope that old Wesley doesn't mind too much what we've done to their guitar. By a bit of electronic wizardry, the LEDs in the guitar body make it change colour in harmony with the dynamically responding LEDs in the fretboard, although they don't flash in the same way. It's best to watch the YouTube video on the Home page to see how this actually operates.
Spectrumaxe MK4 Prototype
The MK4 prototype is our latest and most spectacular Spectrumaxe that we've produced to date. It's based on a Stratocaster shaped acrylic plastic body, fitted with a Floyd Rose system and humbuckers in the bridge and neck positions. A total of 38 ultra-bright LEDs have been fitted, 10 in the fretboard and 28 in the body, providing it with a staggering amount of brightness and visual impact. Power comes from a re-chargeable 9V Li-ion PP3 type battery, rated at 600 mAh, so easily more than enough power for a complete set. The LEDs in the guitar body flash and change colour in unison with what LEDs are being illuminated along the fretboard, resulting in a very wide range of potential colour combinations. Also, the brightness of the LEDs increases the higher up the fretboard you go. So in the photo below, the violet is actually dominating over the orange and yellow LEDs further down the fretboard.
P.S. Photo courtesy of the guys from The Fretboard.