# Awesome Spalt Hybrid Apex 7-String Baritone



## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2012)

apex guitars - Spalt Instruments



































Specs:


> Black anodized aluminum parts. Walnut body wings, Wenge neck w/Wenge fingerboard, 27" scale. Hipshot locking tuners & tremolo. DiMarzio DP706 in the bridge position, switchable parallel/series. Sustainiac circuit w/neck pickup.



No words.


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## Felvin (Mar 8, 2012)

WTF?! ^^


... uhm... interesting?


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## simonXsludge (Mar 8, 2012)

Looks very interesting and well-crafted, just a little wild for my tastes.


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## ralphy1976 (Mar 8, 2012)

made in Vienna, austria where i live....


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## toiletstand (Mar 8, 2012)

beautiful. 

because of the thread title i thought it was ibanez apex guitar mod or something haha.


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## jarnozz (Mar 8, 2012)

WHAT KIND OF WITCHCRAFT I THIS? awesome


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## signalgrey (Mar 8, 2012)

not gonna lie...i kinda like it. I have a hunch they are probably stupid expensive, but if they werent and they sounded good...id get one.


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## Eaten (Mar 8, 2012)

Looks like body parts, a kidney here and a liver there...

Still LOVELY!


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## Pikka Bird (Mar 8, 2012)

That looks really good to me when I got used to looking at it. Very organic. Doesn't look like the claw has a lot of room for extra tension. Oh well, that's what extra springs are for. Wondering what the nut is made of...?


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## Malkav (Mar 8, 2012)

I like these Spalt guitars, but I think if it had a slightly more focused/pointy headstock that would make them truly beautiful, IMHO the headstock shape just kinda messes with the flow of the design.


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## prashanthan (Mar 8, 2012)

Um...wow. Literally no idea what to think of that. Can't even tell whether I like this or not. I think I prefer how it looks from behind, almost like a rifle...


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 8, 2012)

Would it sustain very well with that construction?


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## Anonymous (Mar 8, 2012)

That's sexy as hell!


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## Necris (Mar 8, 2012)

I absolutely love Michael Spalts instruments.


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## ittoa666 (Mar 8, 2012)

I love the sound of it, but the body is too "extreme" for me.


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## SenorDingDong (Mar 8, 2012)

Looks like one of these:









Still awesome though. I bet they are ridiculously comfortable.


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## Shawn (Mar 8, 2012)

That is a work of art. Pretty cool.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 8, 2012)

I dig it.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2012)

signalgrey said:


> not gonna lie...i kinda like it. I have a hunch they are probably stupid expensive, but if they werent and they sounded good...id get one.



Expensive? Yes. Though, I don't believe stupidly so. There are plenty of builders who make far more conventional instruments and charge significantly more. 

Spalts of all type are far from cheap though.



drawnacrol said:


> Would it sustain very well with that construction?



Body size/shape has very little bearing on sustain.


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## Ayo7e (Mar 8, 2012)

wow that headstock is... extreme. Looks like some kind of starship.


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## Philligan (Mar 8, 2012)

Sign me up for a hardtail! I'm really digging this, maybe I've been looking at 7 string jazz boxes for too long and this is crying out to me because it's so modern haha. I'd definitely play one.

I love the minimalist approach to the headstock (EDIT: the whole thing really), it reminds me of the neck joints on Ken Parker's new stuff


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## WishIwasfinnish (Mar 8, 2012)

Yummy.


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## Origin (Mar 8, 2012)

Got to say I don't feel much appeal to it aesthetically at all, but I can absolutely appreciate the balls-out utilitarian construction.  Everything's placed perfectly and it does admittedly have some major class.


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## The Reverend (Mar 8, 2012)

Gorgeous. I love the form, and the flow of the design. I've been wanting something more modern than the same takes on 60+ year old designs.


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## ralphy1976 (Mar 8, 2012)

signalgrey said:


> not gonna lie...i kinda like it. I have a hunch they are probably stupid expensive, but if they werent and they sounded good...id get one.



way cheaper than BM, on par with BRJ...i think when i got in touch with him prices started around 2000 euros


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## Hollowway (Mar 8, 2012)

Max, do you own that, or are you just posting the pics? I've wanted one of those since I the dawn of time. All I ever see being bought is the Totem series, which I don't think anything special of. And those are stupidly expensive, so I've been too chicken to actually find out what an Apex would cost.


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## XEN (Mar 8, 2012)

Gawd I love Spalt's designs!!!


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## 7stringDemon (Mar 8, 2012)

Pretty cool and I'd definitely play it but. . . . uuuuhhhhhhhh. . . . Where's the rest of it?


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## Miek (Mar 8, 2012)

Would get my pubes stuck in the springs if I played in the nude, I could never bring it to my Apollo gigs.


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## The Reverend (Mar 8, 2012)

Miek said:


> Would get my pubes stuck in the springs if I played in the nude, I could never bring it to my Apollo gigs.



If that's a legitimate concern, your life is orders of magnitude better than mine.


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## synrgy (Mar 8, 2012)

As a total ignoramus when it comes to the logic/theory behind guitar construction, I'm having trouble understanding what's happening, here:

At a glance, it looks like the pickups are attached to a plastic-like material, and the sections of wood are then bolted on to various points of that plastic-like base.

If the pickups don't contact the wood at any point, what difference (if any?) is the wood making to the sound of the instrument? Could it be ANY wood and still sound the same, IE is the wood just there for balance and aesthetics, or am I fundamentally misunderstanding what components of a build have any effect on the tonal qualities of the instrument?


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## Miek (Mar 8, 2012)

The Reverend said:


> If that's a legitimate concern, your life is orders of magnitude better than mine.



You really don't want to be a naked white guy at the Apollo


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## The Reverend (Mar 8, 2012)

synrgy said:


> As a total ignoramus when it comes to the logic/theory behind guitar construction, I'm having trouble understanding what's happening, here:
> 
> At a glance, it looks like the pickups are attached to a plastic-like material, and the sections of wood are then bolted on to various points of that plastic-like base.
> 
> If the pickups don't contact the wood at any point, what difference (if any?) is the wood making to the sound of the instrument? Could it be ANY wood and still sound the same, IE is the wood just there for balance and aesthetics, or am I fundamentally misunderstanding what components of a build have any effect on the tonal qualities of the instrument?



I came across this article some student wrote that seems to suggest that when it comes to amplified tone, wood doesn't make that much of a difference. http://www.stormriders.com/guitar/telecaster/guitar_wood.pdf

I know that on the website, Spalt says the aluminum (not plastic) has a warm, clear tone. I don't know whether that affects it either, but hey, maybe it does. It's all bolt-on construction, and I'm not sure what exactly the wood would do in that method.


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## Miek (Mar 8, 2012)

I really like the body, but the headstock looks...overdesigned, I guess?


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2012)

synrgy said:


> As a total ignoramus when it comes to the logic/theory behind guitar construction, I'm having trouble understanding what's happening, here:
> 
> At a glance, it looks like the pickups are attached to a plastic-like material, and the sections of wood are then bolted on to various points of that plastic-like base.
> 
> If the pickups don't contact the wood at any point, what difference (if any?) is the wood making to the sound of the instrument? Could it be ANY wood and still sound the same, IE is the wood just there for balance and aesthetics, or am I fundamentally misunderstanding what components of a build have any effect on the tonal qualities of the instrument?


 
Firstly, the frame that the pickups and wood sections are attached to is actually a solid machined piece of metal, Aluminum I believe. 

As for resonance, if the components are coupled together properly then it's the sum of all parts. That's why heavy brass hardware adds sustain, instead of just sustaining on it's own. On a standard guitar, the fretboard doesn't resonate independently of the neck, it resonates with it.


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## synrgy (Mar 8, 2012)

All makes perfect sense. Thanks for the informative replies, fellas.


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## JamesM (Mar 8, 2012)

God yes!


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## UnderTheSign (Mar 8, 2012)

I'd prefer it as a headless but hey... I still love his stuff.


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## Andromalia (Mar 8, 2012)

*Makes sure GF is not watching*

I dig the back more than the front.


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## drmosh (Mar 8, 2012)

Holy FUCK! I love it

appropriate 4000th


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## Trespass (Mar 8, 2012)

The Reverend said:


> I came across this article some student wrote that seems to suggest that when it comes to amplified tone, wood doesn't make that much of a difference. http://www.stormriders.com/guitar/telecaster/guitar_wood.pdf



While I personally don't think body wood or shape has much to do with tone, I found that article to be pretty poor, unfortunately. The details of the experiment were not flushed out enough. 

I would argue that fret material/construction, bridge material/construction, strings, picks, playing style are the only thing that makes a difference before the signal hits the pickup. After that, it's all electronic. (And as Max stated earlier, how well fit/coupled together those components are)


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## VacantPlanet (Mar 8, 2012)

That is absolutely, inarguably, without a doubt, indisputably.......one of the most freaking awesome guitars I have ever seen! The whole modular thing is genius. The part that really got me was the bolt on headstock. If I ever build one of my one, I may try something like this. I've been hankering to do a "modular" build since the "8-string crazy build" was posted a few years ago on here.


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## vampiregenocide (Mar 8, 2012)

I want to have sex with that.


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## JaxoBuzzo (Mar 8, 2012)

I came in here expecting to see a Spalted Ibanez baritone! haha.


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## larry (Mar 8, 2012)

it looks like the 'skeleton' of a guitar.


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## vampiregenocide (Mar 8, 2012)

The one thing I do worry about with this design is how you rest your palm on your picking hand. It seems there's a small gap between the bridge and the upper body lobe that your wrist would sit in oddly.


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## ThePhilosopher (Mar 8, 2012)

I really dig that and pretty much all Spalts.


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## Contra (Mar 8, 2012)

Gnarly.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2012)

vampiregenocide said:


> The one thing I do worry about with this design is how you rest your palm on your picking hand. It seems there's a small gap between the bridge and the upper body lobe that your wrist would sit in oddly.



If you look at the back of the guitar, you'll see that upper bout/arm rest section is attached to a circular joint. That allows the arm rest to be adjusted in a way that you can bridge that gap between the bridge and arm rest, if that's your playing style.


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## SirMyghin (Mar 8, 2012)

As far as that space guitar goes, you future folk can have it no protest from me. 



synrgy said:


> If the pickups don't contact the wood at any point, what difference (if any?) is the wood making to the sound of the instrument? Could it be ANY wood and still sound the same, IE is the wood just there for balance and aesthetics, or am I fundamentally misunderstanding what components of a build have any effect on the tonal qualities of the instrument?



Best way to look at it is pickups are not microphones, ferrous material needs to disturb them to create sound , wood is not ferrous. All wood does is potentially damp the string response a little (or feed it, through reflection of propogating waves, and potentially some resonance, but I think what the wood takes away is what we attribute, resonance is seldom understood in guitar speak as demonstrated by how often it comes up and is improperly used). I don't think it does much overall though, with respect to electric instruments. I am more inclined to think wood takes away from the pickup, than gives to it. Taking away may still however be pleasing.


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## thewildturkey (Mar 8, 2012)

Is it just me, or does that section where your right forearm would rest look like the angle can be adjusted? Looks like there is a little bolt in a semi-circular guide route, very cool if it can be "molded" to your playing position.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 8, 2012)

MaxOfMetal said:


> If you look at the back of the guitar, you'll see that upper bout/arm rest section is attached to a circular joint. That allows the arm rest to be adjusted in a way that you can bridge that gap between the bridge and arm rest, if that's your playing style.





thewildturkey said:


> Is it just me, or does that section where your right forearm would rest look like the angle can be adjusted? Looks like there is a little bolt in a semi-circular guide route, very cool if it can be "molded" to your playing position.


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## Sikor (Mar 9, 2012)

This is definitely the most beautiful desig of all hi-tech modern gutars I have seen! 
Absolutely adorable


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## Fred the Shred (Mar 9, 2012)

That thing is gorgeous.


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## Santuzzo (Mar 9, 2012)

Wow!

Even though I have to admit that this does not exactly meet my taste, I still love the fact that someone makes something different. 
I do appreciate the builder's creativity!

And, I would love to try one of these.


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## technomancer (Mar 9, 2012)

Always thought these guitars were really cool. Not sure I'd ever buy one, but I like the concepts.


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## sojorel (Mar 9, 2012)

this is the face of desire


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## Just A Box (Mar 9, 2012)

The upper horn seems obscenely long, but otherwise, this guitar seems far more playable and own-able than most other guitars that are equal parts art and part guitar.


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## WildBroskiAppears (Mar 9, 2012)

I agree that the headstock shape hinders the flow of the instrument aesthetically. I think it'd look more tasteful as a headless as well, and what i'd really like is the body slightly wider, in an eight string iteration, headless. I think a wider body with a longer scale, possibly fanned, would make for one unbelievably organic and sexy instrument


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Mar 9, 2012)

Do want! 

Though I agree it'd probably look better with, say, Strandberg hardware or something.


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## Empryrean (Mar 9, 2012)

Something about it is extremely fucking sexy, but can't tell what..


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## simulclass83 (Mar 9, 2012)

Oh my god is this beautiful. Perfect trem, looks comfy as hell, balanced, and nice wood choice. Tuners are also a plus; it seems like it would cost a buttload, anyone have any info on pricing?


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## leandroab (Mar 10, 2012)




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## AngstRiddenDreams (Mar 11, 2012)

Woah...that is sick.


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## MF_Kitten (Mar 12, 2012)

yes thank you. i'll take it now.


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## kostein (Mar 12, 2012)

It's too weird for me, it reminds me of insects. I'd love to try one though to see how it plays.


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## oremus91 (Mar 12, 2012)

I don't know about this one.


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## Az_Spirit_Crusher (Mar 12, 2012)




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## BucketheadRules (Mar 12, 2012)

Holy sweet mother of all that is holy and sacred in this world, that is the most fap-worthy guitar I have ever seen and I need one right now.


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## sabreguitars (Mar 12, 2012)

Stunning. Completely mad and completely beautiful. I bet it plays and sounds wonderful too. See this is why I love seven string players. You're all so open minded. 

The Fender Fanboys on ReverbNation would have flamed this out of existence in seconds. 

Long Live mad guitars and long live 7String.org.


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## ShadowFactoryX (Mar 12, 2012)

came in expecting a spalted ibanez apex

left feeling weird


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 12, 2012)

I love when guitars elicit completely opposite, extreme reactions in folks. Needless to say, I love this creation.


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## s4tch (Mar 12, 2012)

Uhh, that's the weirdest awesomeness ever. Stand is cool, too:


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## VILARIKA (Mar 12, 2012)

I'm afraid to ask what the price of this is...


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## 7stringDemon (Mar 12, 2012)

Despite what I said (I asked "Where's the rest of it?"), I'd play the fucking fuck out of it. Then I'd probably fuck it. Fuck.

Sorry, I'm from Jemsite. It's nice not having a filter


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## Black_Sheep (Mar 14, 2012)

That is. Damn. Ugly.  ...Someone had to say it, right?  


No but seriously, it looks and seems well made and im sure it plays well. Just don't like how it looks... at all.


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## guitarister7321 (Mar 14, 2012)

I have always wanted to try what they do with their trems. Never knew there was a company actually doing it, though. Cool! 

Fucking beautiful guitars too.


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## gregmarx7 (Mar 14, 2012)

I dig how this looks. I wonder how it sounds. 
I also wonder how long it will be until Tosin has one.


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## mikernaut (Oct 31, 2012)

I still lust after one of Mr. Spalt's Hybrid guitars and saw that he recently did a 7 string baritone.































Black anodized aluminum parts. Walnut body wings, Wenge neck w/Wenge fingerboard, 27" scale with a 12 radius, Dunlop 6150 frets (medium Jumbo). Neck depth is 21mm, nut width is 49mm, string spacing at bridge is 62mm. It weighs (not precise) around 3.8kg. Hipshot locking tuners & tremolo. DiMarzio DP706 humbucker in the bridge position, switchable parallel/series. Sustainiac circuit w/neck pickup. /spalt_baritone7_5.jpg[/IMG]

Retail Price EUR 3825 (EUR 4590 incl. 20% VAT tax) 

But still a hefty price tag for a unique guitar that I have no idea how it plays/sounds.


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## rcsierra13 (Oct 31, 2012)

Most definitely need to see this in action. Any videos?


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## narad (Oct 31, 2012)

Sounds a bit thin and strident to my ears:

Spalt Apex mit Divided by 13 LDW 17/39 und Sebastien Wittmann im Guitars-Shop.de - YouTube!


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## abadonae (Oct 31, 2012)

I'm unsure how i feel about this thing, it looks awesome but not at the same time? Incredible design idea though


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## Shawn (Oct 31, 2012)

That is wild, a work of art.


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## Nag (Oct 31, 2012)

they look absolutely weird, I personally dig the look but I'd have to hear the sound, I'm expecting that to be weird as well... and it prolly has quite some neckdive I s'pose


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## hairychris (Nov 1, 2012)

25.5 scale + hardtail + Warpig = yes please.


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 1, 2012)

mikernaut said:


> I still lust after one of Mr. Spalt's Hybrid guitars and saw that he recently did a 7 string baritone.
> [pictures]



Isn't this a repost of the first post in this thread? Oh well, thanks for reminding me of an unusual and interesting guitar at least.


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## unfathomable_bo (Nov 1, 2012)

This thing is beyond gorgeous.

As far as modern "re-imagined" electric guitars go, Spalts and the strandberg EGS are just about the only ones that I like aesthetically.

Modern stuff is always going to be divisive. I think the Teuffel birdfish stands as a reminder of how wrong modern guitars can look.


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## baptizedinblood (Nov 1, 2012)

Dear Michael Spalt:


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## Valnob (Nov 1, 2012)

I really don't like the look, it's like they took everything that was "unnecessary" but in the end, it's kinda ugly.


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## The Reverend (Nov 1, 2012)

Valnob said:


> I really don't like the look, it's like they took everything that was "unnecessary" but in the end, it's kinda ugly.



Speak for yourself, bro.  


I still find the Apex guitars to be works of art. The contrast of the earthy, natural colors against the bright, polished metal? The organic texture of exotic woods clashing with the smooth aluminum or whatever it is? It's poetic. Not to mention the flow of the thing. Even though it has extreme angles and gleaming metal, it still manages to look nearly liquid.

I am getting one of these before I die. Even if Spalt retires, I'm going to bribe his foreign ass until he makes me one. I will then proceed to never play in front of anyone, ever.


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## Najka (Nov 2, 2012)

I'm seriously..disturbed by this guitar


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## Metaguitarist (Nov 2, 2012)

Amazing but hideous.


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## HOKENSTYFE (Nov 2, 2012)

I love the Splat Magma Basses. Have jonesed over the Lightwave Optical pickup system. 

Thank You Max! I've never been into Trems but, these are works of art, regardless. Just for the aesthetic value alone, you gotta own one. Amazing!
:love: Splat Hybrid Apex Guitars.


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## BillNephew (Nov 2, 2012)

Wow. I can confidently say I have never seen anything like this. At all. Those semi hemispherical fret ends not only must feel like a dream to play on, but are quite a work of art. I don't even know where to start with the body.


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## JPMike (Nov 2, 2012)

I'd say it's more of an art thing, and it looks decent but not for me.


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## Scruffy1012 (Nov 2, 2012)

hopefully they ain't expensive, i'd be keen to grab one


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## JosephAOI (Nov 2, 2012)

I want one of these so bad


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## The Reverend (Nov 2, 2012)

I thought I read somewhere that these things were upwards of $4,000. I don't think very many of those of us who actually like Spalt guitars are ever going to own any.


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## skeels (Nov 2, 2012)

Sometimes I look at these guitars and think "Man, that is just so cool!"

And sometimes I look at these guitars and think they just wouldn't look right with me playing them until I have my Bionic robot alien arms installed.


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## MrPfloyd (Nov 3, 2012)

ugly as hell. sorry, not a fan.


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## xenophobe (Nov 3, 2012)

Wow... what the hell? That looks pretty incredible... and strange! Grats!


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## fortisursus (Nov 3, 2012)

I cant tell if I hate it or love it hmmm....


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## WaffleTheEpic (Nov 3, 2012)

xenophobe said:


> Wow... what the hell? That looks pretty incredible... and strange! Grats!



You gonna buy two of them? xD


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## turbogtr (Aug 7, 2013)

I own this guitar and I must say its along with my Conklin 9 string Sidewinder are my favorite guitars. The Spalt is amazing! You can see me playing it on my Facebook page along with other amazing 7 & 8 string guitars. 
Facebook page Edward R Thomas.


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