Aum Guitars has launched an IndieGoGo campaign for its nifty new invention, the SlideSaddle. Described as “an infinite sustain slide,” it works with all electric guitars and pickup-loaded acoustics, and is perhaps best described as the slide equivalent of an EBow.
It is the latest creation born from the mind of the firm's founder, Gareth Whittock, who brought forth the Vibraslide back in 2021. That design delivered Dark Side of the Moon-inspired slide sustain for lap and pedal steel guitars.
Regular guitarists, however, ultimately missed out on the Vibraslide, as it relied on internal electronics to create its cosmic wizardry – which also meant players couldn’t place their fingers inside it, like they would a traditional slide.
Thankfully, that minor drawback has been rectified after Whittock went back to the drawing board.
“Suddenly, in a moment of inspiration I realized that the problem could be eliminated by adding the electronics to the outside of the slide,” he says.
As such, the SlideSaddle can partner up with any guitar with a magnetic pickup – single-coils, humbuckers, and P-90s all included – and piezo pickups.
Dominion over harmonics and dynamics comes via a foot pedal that offers a built-in effects loop for integration into a wider pedalboard. A wah pedal will therefore create unique harmonic effects, while different pickup positions can also yield different results.
Moreover, infinite sustaining goodness is ready to go out of the box – no modifications need to be made to guitars beforehand.
“I've now tried it on an SG, Les Paul, Strat-type and Jazzmaster-type guitar and they all sound and behave slightly differently,” Whittock expands. “I love the organic interaction of this pedal and each guitar's natural tone.
“Where you put the pedal on your pedal board also has an effect,” he continues. “I like to put it post distortion, compression and EQ but it will work without any of these. You can of course play chords on it though one note eventually wins out in the race for sonic dominance.”
However, Whittock does admit the SlideSaddle isn’t quite perfect, at least not in terms of how it looks.
“The SlideSadlle itself is completely functional but a little ugly,” he accepts. “I need to work on the aesthetics and materials.”
It’s also worth noting that, unlike an EBow, it isn’t self-contained, so there is a wire running from it at all times.
Whittock is looking to raise €1,500 from the campaign, which will cover the outlay for molds. However, the product’s destiny doesn’t hinge solely on reaching that figure. Whittock is confident he can get a “tough and functional” product over the line either way – he just wants to make it the best it can be.
It’s certainly an intuitive idea, and given the success of the EBow, why wouldn’t a slide version of that same gloriously trippy gadget prove just as popular?
“It'll be great to get this out there for guitarists to push the boundaries of what's possible,” Whittock concludes.
At the time of writing, the campaign has surpassed the 80% mark, with a range of perks starting at just €10/$11 and topping out at €199/$215.
Visit IndieGoGo for the full lowdown.
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