Bradford Reed

Bradford Reed
Background information
Genres	Avant-garde
Instruments	Bells, drums, drum programming, guitar, kranton, melodica, organ, pencilina, percussion, piano, sampler, synthesizer, vocals
Labels	Manifatture Criminali Shimmy Disc Instinct Records Important Records
Associated acts	King Missile III
Website	pencilina.com

Bradford Reed is an American multi-instrumentalist, experimental luthier, and member of avant-garde band King Missile III. He is proficient at such instruments as drums, guitar, melodica, piano, and synthesizer. In the 1980s he invented the pencilina, a custom-made string instrument.

Pencilina

The pencilina is a custom-made string instrument that Reed invented in the 1980s. The instrument is a double neck 3rd bridge guitar.

Inventor Bradford Reed playing his pencilina

Similar in construction to two long, thin zithers connected by a stand, the pencilina's two "necks" each have a bridge, tuning pegs, and a set of strings; six strings on one neck are tuned like a guitar and four strings on the other are tuned like a bass guitar. Wedged over and under the strings in each neck is an adjustable rod, a wooden drum stick for the guitar strings and a metal rod for the bass strings, which divide each string into two segments with different pitches. The divided strings can be then played separately, creating a tap harmonic-like tone.

There are four built-in pickups: two are contact mics mounted in the bridges at one end of each neck, and two are guitar-style electromagnetic pickups which are placed under the strings toward the opposite end. In addition, there are four bells – a fire bell, a door bell, and two brass telephone ringer bells – mounted at the end of one of the necks. The pencilina is played by striking its strings and bells with sticks. The strings may also be plucked or bowed.

The Pencilina is described in the book Nice Noise by Bart Hopkin and Yuri Landman.

Discography

References

External links

• Bradford Reed's homepage
• Bradford Reed on oddmusic.com