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| Not doing the booth *this* show guys, but you can still hunt me down...I'll be one of the guys in the purple Jellifish shirts. Shouldn't be too hard to pick me out if you've watched the videos :)
-Robb |
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Posts: 19
| Willie Nelson would dissagree that a pick touching the finish is bad technique. But then again, he probably doesn't care either way. Tim |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Robb
I stated that the pick is the last area that needs changing, but I'll modify that with a IMHO qualification. You are right in your assesment that some of us are hidebound traditionalists, but try to play a fast fiddle tune on a mandolin with a pick that repeats, if what you are doing gets applause, is a change necessary, and if it isn't are gimmicks the answer? Every idea deserves a chance and a forum and your postings are proof that you are a super salesman for your product and I hope everybody here at least tries it as it isn't that expensive, and I can see some areas where it might work. Bluegrass is where I play with a band, but I try a lot of things at home.
Bailey |
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Posts: 7248
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I sure hopes noone thinks I'm picking on them with this post... cause frankly I'm guilty of forgetting how and when things started myself.
I think Robb posted a comment about the attitudes of "tradtionalists" playing round guitars made of of spaceage material and experimentation.
I was just thinking, about blues and especially bluegrass, and mountain music... Many traditional acoustic players aspire to be purests as they were "back in the day" and in my view... back in the day.. those folks were ANYTHING but purests.
Some things came out of necessity, but I think most came out of a few snorts from the moonshine bottle and "hmm lets see what happens if........"
.... we hook a mop handle to the bottom of a wash bucket and connecting a string... Now THAT's a Bass!!!
.... we take a guitar, replace the top with a hubcap, lay it on our lap, and play it with a beer bottle.
.... we realized that sound does not bounce OUT of a box, and came to a realization that ROUND is a good thing.
Now you can make a really cool bunch of sounds with this Jellyfish pick thing...
This was a short list, but I think you get the idea... Robb, I think you and your product are living up to the tradition and spirit of the early American musicians, who did whatever it took, used whatever they could, always experimenting and inventing.... to make more music. I haven't tried half the music making inventions out there, and half of the ones I've tried, I haven't used again... but I'm glad people keep coming up with ideas and new gadgets for me to try. |
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| Wow...I couldn't ask for a nicer compliment than that...and I think you have hit upon exactly what it is that we at Jellifish (especially me, as the founder) want to do: Develop products for musicians that haven't been developed before...because, as I think you're saying, sometimes new music comes from new ideas. So (hopefully) you won't see us hawking straps, strings or picks...not because those aren't necessary, but because they've already been invented, more or less perfected, and there are plenty of companies out there satisfying demand. Put another way, I can't see how Jellifish Inc producing those products would inspire someone to write something they wouldn't have otherwise. On the other hand, I *do* hope that the Jellifish and some of the other new "toys" that we're working on inspire *thousands* -- not just because I'd like to keep the doors open, but because I *enjoy* listening to fresh, new music that's made with traditional instruments (versus Acid loops). I also suppose there's a part of me that hopes that some of the young kids who feel there's no point in picking up guitar, bass or drums because "everything's been done" will look at some of these totally new doodads we're working on and think instead that "if this stuff is totally new, then whatever I can produce on a guitar using that *hasn't* been heard before."
-Robb |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Rock on Robb |
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Location: NJ | Robb
I spent 4 days looking for a jellyfish guy to get a sample and harrass and I could not find anyone... |
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| We were walking the floor Friday & Saturday just waiting to be pounced upon by someone from Ovation Fan Club...to no avail!!! And...we spent both days in the guitar halls. Bassist Dave Pomeroy used the Jellifish during his GHS clinic (nice plug...don't think GHS appreciated it, but ce la vie!), Steve Vai asked if he could have 2 Jellifish (no problem, we came with about 300 samples to give out), and the guys from Seymour Duncan's new Duncan Turner Acoustic Research division totally dug it (their clinician was getting really cool Michael Hedges tones with it on his guitbox)...and those are just a few...where were you guys?!? Yes, I spent quite a while at KAMAN's *huge* -- booth would seem a misnomer -- space *specifically* hoping to connect!!! Drat, foiled again :) |
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Location: NJ | Robb
I was all over Namm and spent a disproportionate amount of time at the Kaman booth looks like we just missed each other. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Ditto I was looking for ya too. "How hard can it be to spot a jellyfish?" I thought ....
I guess harder than I thought. |
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| I should have given you guys a cell #
We're considering going into the retail channel...in fact, I'm heading down to Nashville tomorrow to meet with about 24 different store owners over the next several days. If we do decide to go this more traditional route (versus staying direct-to-consumer e-commerce), then we'll do a booth at Summer NAMM.
Any thoughts?
-Robb |
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Location: NJ | Robb
we should have called you too.
I think you need to either do direct or have dealer doing both does NOT work IMHO |
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Location: NJ | Hi, Robb;
I've had my Jellifish(es) for a couple of weeks now and "overall", I'm pretty happy with it. As was stated earlier in previous posts, it's not something that I would want to use "all the time" or even "often", but it IS in fact something that can add a certain "color" or "texture" to your sound.
My very first impression was that I was a bit "clumsy with it, but I attributed that to inexperience with the device and I gained proficiency with it with just a little bit of practice. I initially tried it out with my Custom Balladeer in "unplugged" mode. I must admit that I wasn't overtly impressed with the sound at first. The sound seemed a bit "muted" and didn't have the "ring" to it that I get with a normal pick and the combination of my wound strings and the wound wires on the Jellifish produced a bit of a metallic "rasp" sound (which I would probably use in very finite circumstances, but not an overall sound that I personally would use readily). During setup/tuneup at a recent gig, I experimented with it a bit "plugged in" and a little more pleased with the results. The amplification helped to compensate for the diminished volume and the result when used with various effects brought about some interesting tonal textures. Not being an electric guitarist, I didn't have the opportunity to use it on an electric but I suspect that the results would be more suitable on lighter, smoother strings.
When I strummed my SlotHead with it sounded amazing! I usually keep it in Double-Drop D tuning and when strumming open chords with it, it sounded like a big, bronze windchime!! All of the notes were big, and bright and ringing. It sounded like an autoharp on steroids!! Nice!!!! Even if I just used it on certain instances just with this guitar, it was well worth the investment.
On a gig, I used it on a song that my partner sings on and I just add "color" (Guns & Roses' "Patience"). Half way through the song, I was experimenting a little with the position in which I was holding the Jellifish in order to get a little "brighter" arpeggiated chords. I had achieved what I wanted by rotating it forward and just using one-third of the tines on it (the longest ones). While this gave me the sound that I wanted while the song was building to a crescendo, at the end of the song I discovered that I had lost the two longest tines and had "unraveled" the third (see attached photo).
Lesson Learned: "Don't DO that!" (This is why I bought TWO of them.)
Overall, I am quite pleased with it and find that it is a nice little "bit of kit" (if I may steal a phrase from Master Templeman). As said previously, it's not something you'll use a lot (or frequently), but it is definitely a nice addition to your arsenal for "whenever".
The only suggestions I might have would be:
To possibly experiment with a version utilizing smooth, unwound wire "tines", and to possibly add a grinding/finishing step at the end of production (the ends of the wires are a bit sharp where they are "sheared" and sometimes "hang up" on the strings (I filed mine down by hand).
You also might want to consider adding a Jellifish "wearables" feature to your webpage/ordering. I really like the logo and would LOVE to be able to buy one of those purple t-shirts.
Keep up the good work! |
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Posts: 10
| Cliff,
We're working on making the clothing available. I'll let you know when the Jelliwear section of the site is available. (There is a CafePress site one of our summer interns created as a joke: http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/store.aspx?s=jellifish )
From the looks of the Jellifish in the picture, you're using *way* too much pressure. Actually, the amount of pressure that will result in the best sounds ranges from feather light to light, particularly with the Chorus! technique.
We've been experimenting with various production method on the tines/wire-assembly and the production lot that yours came from did have rougher ends than what we're shooting for. The rest of that batch did go onto a grinding wheel, but we're presently experimenting with a couple other methods of cutting the wires to produce a smoother finish at the end, including laser cutting. (The current method uses a wireforming machine called a four-slide, requiring frequent sharpening and operator intervention.)
As for producing a line of unwound Jellifish, it's *absolutely* in the works. The reason we chose to bring out the "ribbed" variety first is that the windings on the tines allow you to achieve the Bow! effect. Without the ribs, it's impossible to produce the Bow! effect and the Pluck! effect sounds less like a dulcimer and more like a "glassy" sound.
Thanks for the feedback.
-Robb |
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October 2002
Posts: 30
| Hey Rob,
Just ordered 2 of those suckers(Marco). I was quite impressed with the sound clips. I imagine playing these things on a twelve string must sound completely intoxicating. I'm always looking for shit to take me above and beyond the norm, guess that's why I play an Ovation. Good luck with jellyfish and I imagine companies like yours will do well with items like these in an age where everyone is looking for a new sound(the ones with any taste at least). Warm regards and look for my review. |
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Jellifish??
