’70s but a revamped ax that radically expands the capabilities of the electric guitar. Introduced in 2008, the $3,500 instrument made its musical debut last winter with the release of Discovery, a jazz-electronica extravaganza by Haque’s group, Garaj Mahal.

On a conventional guitar, “every note is a corpse,” Haque says. Once plucked, strings vibrate with decreasing energy until the sound dies away. In an effort to keep tones ringing longer—a quality known as sustain—players resort to external devices like distortion boxes and compressors. These tricks work, up to a point: They amplify the tail end of a note as it fades, but ultimately it’s still a goner. Worse, they also boost the incidental vibrations of strings that aren’t being played, forcing the player to either damp them or contend with a barrage of fuzz. The Moog Guitar smashes that barrier by deploying magnetic fields to keep the strings vibrating indefinitely or even stop them cold. “Initially, it just sounds like a guitar,” Haque says. “Then you say, wait a minute—what is that?”

Artists like Lou Reed and Trent Reznor have expressed interest in the Moog, but only Haque has recorded an album with it. “A lot of things that are taken for granted in the electric guitar world faced resistance early on,” Haque points out. “The jury is out on whether a new instrument will click—but Moog’s keyboard has stayed with us.” Roll over, Les Paul, and tell Kurt Cobain the news.

Authors: Ted Greenwald

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