I have a pretty good archive of circuit diagrams, mostly fx pedals, zipped into a 5,057k zip file here for circuit benders and tweakers looking for ideas. I spent hours on dialup for these once upon a time but haven't really got started on them seriously. I do however have many good ideas already... be inspired.
All interested in experimental instrument building should check out Bart Hopkin's site and order his excellent book ` Musical Instrument Design' too. He has been inspirational for decades.
Check it out by clicking here.
Stuart McDonald (stewmac.com) is where to get your hardware and also a good resource site with great free information and newsletters on Luthiery. Buy big though because the postage hurts from the U.S.A. to Oz.
www.frets.com, frankfordsfrets.com, allied luthierie and lmii.com are all recommended too.Greg Smallman makes classicals and has made many strange things in the past and has a wonderfully innovative classical guitar design using a lattice bracing.
http://www.guitaralive.org/williams.html
is an interview with john williams and it has an interesting bit about what he likes about Smallman and sons guitars.
Peter Biffin from near Armidale makes a tarhu and has developed many innovations in instrument making over the years with Greg Smallman.
Check out his site at spikefiddle it's great.
http://www.guitarcentre.com.au/ is Rick Faulkiners site who is an expert in all things guitar and a lovely guy. He has detailed the best aussie makers and has an encyclopedia in his head. Good player and teacher too.
The Perch Creek Family Jug Band are a local band who's fearless ex leader Bob plays the jug band resonator guitar. A truly professional jug outfit featuring sizzling tap-dancing, lovely harmonies and some very talented and hard working (and very nice) young musicians. Catch them at festivals and busking. Ira will get around to making a site someday soon I hope.
clatterbox is a cool Australian site which has something to do with the REV festival for experimental musical instruments and music - real, experimental and virtual. Intrigued but not been to it yet.
Novax guitars guitars have fanned fretboards to balance the string consonance which seems pretty neat to me.
https//www.create.ucsb.edu/~dano/violin shows a far out midi violin controller with 6 strings and several great controllers.
dhyatt.com/craft_workshop/gourd_banjo_making.pdf shows gourd banjo construction techniques for these things as per banjopete.com and rhisong.com. check musica.viva.com too.
Blissmongers is a local funky band my friend Murray started some years ago and the Mothership is a local studio where Sue and Jake act as the musical centre of abundant creativity, they do a great job, have wicked jams and I love them to bits. check out their site
imembrane is my friend Stef and his various musical creations including a lovely six string headless bass he made and our banjo-cello collaboration and more, plus you can hear and download for free some of his wicked music.
giletguitars.com run by one of Australias pre-eminent guitar makers Gerard Gilet supply parts, Australian and exotic timbers and lots of good specialty woods, kits, tools, advice, contacts, do repairs, make really superb guitars, do a superb Luthiers course and are super helpful and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of guitar making. I can't recommend them enough, really nice folk. Guitar Woods is them too.
American Luthier has all the plans you might need to create various stringed instruments in their big red books.
liutaiomottola has some cool free plans and a good site with some great technical links.
TheChapman Stick is a very cool instrument which is similar to a Waugh Guitar.
Lightwave have developed the most amazing light activated pickup system with full midi out haxaphonic man!. Nice people.
ashelectronics.com used to do excellent piezoelectric pickups and Al is the inventor of the Ashbory bass (and a nice person to have done business with - very helpful.)
Samba Music in Maleney have great selections of especially percussion bits and Ziggy is wonderful.
The music shops in Lismore are great too. They need you support!
The Vaults of Erowid for all you need to know (and then a lot still) about plants, entheogenic chemistry and all that stuff, linked to everywhere, comprehensive, accurate, broad, up to date, huge great site, congrats!
Luke Brown does the best eye candy I've seen
Wild Marmalade rock my dancing world. Matt Ledgar who used to be the percussionist with his good buddies Matt and Si has retired in order to promote his great percussion invention which you should check out here. it is awesome fun to play and is the only two tone one handed percussion device there is. Both these incredible drummers learned from rhythm guru and crazy counting genius Greg Sheehan who continues to amaze and enthrall all and who should be beatified, lovely man.
Victor Wooton and his bro 'Futureman' who play with Bela Fleck - wow! All genii.
Zakir
Hussain - tabla legend who does great things.
Farrell Glass Design and My mate Al make glass things like my slides and bliss me out at jams, thanks guys!.
Oddmusic is a great site for checking out some of the worlds most innovative and interesting musical creators works, highly recommended. Here are some of my favourite features;
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One of the most inspiring makers I have met is Stuart Newman who works in the industrial estate in Byron Bay. He makes some very original guitar designs and does a fair share of unusual instruments too, Very likeable and knowledgeable and does very fine work. http://www.newmanguitars.com
Beetone Guitars http://www.jefflang.com.au/beeton.htm
NSW
Berketa Guitars http://www.berketaguitars.com/
ACT
BluesTone Guitarshttp://www.bluestoneguitars.com.au/index.html
VIC
Box Guitars http://www.bme.com.au/boxguitars.htm
Brierley Guitar Pickupshttp://www.brierleyguitarpickups.com.au/
SA
Cargill Guitarshttp://www.cargillcustomguitars.com.au/
VIC
Carson Crickmore Guitars www.carson-crickmoreguitars.com.au/
VIC
Charles Cilia Custom Guitars 39/3 Kelso Cl, Moorebank, NSW - ph;0416 293 671. This guy is a top bloke who I met when he worked at Gilet guitars, he makes awesome guitars and is a gun player too.
Churchill Guitars www.churchillguitars.com.au/
VIC
Cole Clark Guitars www.coleclarkguitars.com
VIC
Copley Guitars http://www.copleyaustralia.com.au/index.htm
ACT
Crossley Guitars http://www.crossleyguitars.com/pageview.php3?page=home
VIC
Cutting Edge Guitarshttp://www.cuttingedgeguitars.com/
NSW
Daffy Guitars http://www.daffyguitars.com/ +The L-00 is gorgeous.
Daniel Brauchli Guitars www.danielbrauchli.com
TAS, i believe
De Gruchy Guitarshttp://homepages.picknowl.com.au/degruchy/default.html
SA
Donmo Guitars http://www.donmo.com/
SA
Dorahy Guitars http://www.dorahyguitars.com.au/index.html
NSW
Dyson Guitars www.jimdysonguitars.com.au
VIC
Ellis Guitars www.ellisguitars.com
WA
Ethereal Guitarshttp://www.etherealguitars.com.au/
VIC
Fretco www.fretco.com.au
SA
Gecko Guitars www.geckoguitars.com
QLD
Gallacher Guitarshttp://webserver.porepunkahps.vic.edu.au/jogal/
NSW
Gerard Gilet Guitars www.giletguitars.com.au
NSW
(My favorites)
Grubisa Guitars http://www.grubisaguitars.com/frames.html
NSW
Frank is a super lovely guy and his guitars absolutely scream, awesome tone; he winds his own pickups, and all. You have to turn the tone knob down to make it sound normal!
Hancock Guitars http://www.hancockguitars.com/
QLD
nicest jazz archtops I have heard, top quality.