Mobius MegaBlog

We heard from our friend, Officer Larry, just recently. He’d got himself a Megatar, and was learning how to play it, and this really strange thing happened. Here’s what he said …

Go figure.

The mission of Mobius Megatar has been clear from day one –

Mobius Megatar intends:

• To bring more music to the planet
• By promoting the ‘touch-style’ method (two-handed tapping)
  • with an easier way to play music
  • by designing instruments that play more sweetly
  • and by creating affordable instruments
• To make the journey enjoyable for all involved
• To make the world a better place

We have constantly pushed the design/manufacturing envelope, to create better-playing, more-affordable instruments.

And now, a radical break-through.

It’s such a radical departure, we’re not even calling it a Megatar. It deserves a name of its own. Introducing –

The ZenTapper

A revolutionary new way to create extraordinary guitar/bass music, featuring –

• Astounding rich tone
• Surprisingly-easy two-handed tapping method available
• Breakthrough affordable pricing

Yes, it looks unusual, using a completely new approach to guitar construction. The design objectives are to create a lower price point, with lovely tone, in an instrument that anyone can afford.

Visit the new competitor to Chapman Stick, Warr Guitar, and other high-priced two-handed tapping instruments –

Click Here to visit the new ZenTapper website.

All new Megatars come with four method books that completely cover:

1. Basics. A set of very simple shapes that will underlie scales, chords, basslines and more.
2. Bass. How to play walking bass with four rules. How to play bass hooks. How to play bass and rhythm patterns at the same time for great variety. All these come from the basics learned in book one.
3. Melody. How to read and play melodies from leadsheets, while playing left-hand chords. Both melodies and chords are learned from the basics in book one.
4. Improv. How to make up new melodies on the fly over any song with chord symbols. This is done very simply from basics learned in book one.

These books are sold on EBay and at http://learn-mobius-megatar.com

However, they’re provided free on CD with all new Megatars.

In many cases, I’ve also them for free to any registered Megatar owner who has bought his instrument used. (Serial number and purchase details requested for registration at http://megatar.com/megatar-reg/)

No Megatar player needs to suffer, as some of us have suffered in the past.

The approach in these books, according to many, is easier and faster to learn than some other methods. (Others will argue the point.)

Further, although our methods will work whether you play BassBottom or Chapman-style Inverted-Fifths bass, in my own experience, learning is far faster and simpler using BassBottom tuning.

We can do this the easy way.

Or we can do this the hard way.

So it just boils down to this …

Do you feel lucky?

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Here’s a Tapping Event You DON’T Want to Miss!

When: Sunday 18 to Sunday 25 July 2010
Where : the town of Libramont in Belgium
Organisers: Académie d’été de Wallonie and Clic Music

Here Daniel Schell demonstrates his Clear and Logical ‘MySpace’ method, just a part of what you get at the ETap Seminar …
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2010 Tap-Guitar Teachers

• Jim Wright
• Kuno Wagner
• Wolfgang Daiss
• Daniel Schell

Official E-Tap 2010 Seminar Website

Click here for 2010 European E-Tap Seminar Site.

But … What Is It?

* Subject: Tapping, the action of tapping on the strings of a guitar (or tiptar) with the tip of the fingers.

* Instruments: Classical or electric guitars. Instruments specially designed for tapping such as tap guitars, tiptars, whatever their makers, tunings or number of strings.

* Objective: To offer to the participant a week of study which will count in his musical life and bring him precious elements of information.

* ‘Multi-Touch’ and Open: The E-Tap Seminar is really ‘multi platform’. It is the only one which is primarily music oriented, although dedicated to all systems of tunings, touch, guitars and tap-guitars. The aproach is ‘multi touch’, non-proprietary and ‘open-source’, to use computer jargon.

* Forum: What is the E-Tap Seminar? It is a place to learn, but it is mostly a forum to meet people and enjoy “intelligent” holydays. The value from the Seminar comes mainly from the meeting you will have with tappers from the whole world and discussions you will have with them. You will also be able to evaluate and try instruments coming from various manufacturers, and sometimes these manufacturers themselves, but that will happen in openness and in an environment of loyal concurrence and free information.

* Musical Holiday: The Tap Seminar is part of a big event, namely the section Musiques et danses traditionnelles of the Académie d’été de Wallonie. The director, Pierre Vaiana, is an excellent jazz saxophonist, familiar with world music involving Italian, French or African roots. This gives us the opportunity to meet and play with other musicians and, specially, to have these great evenings enjoying all those various disciplines, traditional or not, such as dance, concerts, jamming, theater, movie direction, story telling and writing. Libramont is a charming little city situated in the middle of the Ardens. Walk in the forest, swimming in the Semois river, excursions to archaeological sites are organised every late afternoon.

* Related subjects: Improvising, playing, reading, composition, harmony, chords, songs, new music, jazz, classical, Indian music, pop, body rhythm, tap guitar manufacturing, electronics, dancing, performing…

* Skill Level: All levels of playing and/or reading are accepted. There are 3 classes: beginners, intermediate, advanced. The beginners A class is for real beginners having no idea of theory or whatsoever! Anyway, if you – or we – feel that you are not happy in a class, just ask and move in another one. On the other hand, we sort of form classes where people are happy to work together.

* Time Schedule: Morning is devoted to tuition in group. Afternoon is for special interests “club”, such as reading club, harmony club, electronic, dance, body rhythm, or whatever subjects the students wish to have. Students may also have private lessons with the teacher of their choice. Late afternoons are for leisure,walking and swimming. Evening is for concerts. There are concerts every night. One evening is reserved for the tap guitar players. The the student’s evening happens on last day, with the three groups presenting short pieces.

* The Tap-Guitar night: where teachers and students of the Seminar perform, usually happens in Brussels right before the Seminar.

Get All the Details and Grab Your Place While You Can!

Click Here for European Tap-Guitar Seminar Site

Don’t Miss It!

Enrollment is filling up fast. Sign up and grab your spot. If you act quickly you’ll avoid disappointment.

[A note from Traktor ... This is about the most fun seminar I've ever attended in my life. You'll have fun meeting tappers from many different countries, and it's really cool to have all different kinds of tapping instruments in a spirit of learning and growing together. Plus, let's be frank here. Belgium has some of the best beer in the universe. Nuff said.]

• How do they manage to cost less, but sound better?
• What’s the secret that makes them feel better in your hands?
• How do they make the Megatars sound more ‘In Tune’ as you play?
• How can Mobius Megatar afford to provide these World-Class Components?
• Like World-Famous Bartolini Pickups?
• Like the Renowned ‘Acoustiphonic’ Piezos?
• Like Roland-compatible 13-Pin MIDI-Ready Connectors?
• Shouldn’t Megatar Instruments cost MORE? Not LESS?

Read on to find the simple answer …

Mobius Megatar Instruments Give Better Value because …

• * It’s a Smarter Design: Modular Design for Flexibility
• * It’s  Smarter Design: Using the Best Components
• * It’s a Smarter Design: Use of Traditional Knowledge
• * It’s a Smarter Design: Using Standard Dimensions
• * It’s a Smarter Business Model: World-Wide Buying
• * It’s a Smarter Manufacturing Process: Computer Controlled Machinery for Precision
• * It’s a Smarter Manufacturing System: Use of Environmentally-Friendly Finishes
• * If you add it up, what do you get? Is it a smarter instrument to own?

Smarter Design: Use a Modular Architecture

By employing a carefully considered modular design in the first place, it means that many options can be combined in new and different ways. That’s just common sense. And this means you get more choices. Does this smarter design cost more? No, it costs less. You avoid the time and waste of re-designing everything every time you want a new model or new hardware.

Smarter Design: Using the Best that’s Already Out There

For over 60 years, the best brains in electric-guitar design have been creating ever-better components. Why on Earth would an instrument designer want to ignore this universe of superb, gig-tested parts? What possible advantage would there be in re-designing something that already works superbly? Sure, if you *really* have a better idea. But look around you. Most of the time, trying to re-design everything better than the thousands of brilliant developers who came before you just produces an inferior and more costly gadget.

Smarter Design: Tradition Has LOTS to Teach Us

Behind the guitars and basses of today, we have hundreds of years of guitar building, millions of man-hours a-playing, and much of what we learned over these years can be taken as gospel truth. For example … A tilt-back head sustains longer

• Through-body string anchoring sounds better
• A rigid body reduces flex, improves tone
• All these permit greater string tension
• And greater string tension just sounds better

Sure, you can use a lower tension, and that gives good sustain, but at the cost of sounding somewhat thin and chimy on melody strings. Greater string tension just sounds … better.

Smarter Design: Dimensions

Why not design the instrument with Standard Dimensions? Standard dimensions mean you can use standard, world-class parts. For example, if you design so the string spacing matches the 5,000 models of available high-quality pickups, then you can use any of these pickups.

And can you see that if you *don’t* use standard dimensions, you can just kiss all those wonderful pickups … good-bye? Same with tuning machines. Same with the bridge parts. Same with bridge saddles. Same with tone/volume knobs. Same with the buttons or straplocks on the guitar.

Standard parts mean better performance. Period. Doing it any other way is just … stupid.

And do these standard parts cost us more? Hell, no. Standard parts cost less.

Smarter Buying Practices

Here’s a fact: Many of the very best world-class parts are now manufactured overseas. That’s just how it is. To get these great parts, you do have to buy in the thousands, but it gives lower cost and better quality. And so … we buy world wide. It’s better quality … and lower prices for you.

Smarter Manufacture

Computer controlled machinery All the best guitar-makers use it. Why? Because it produces repeatable, exact results, time after time. Only precise positioning can produce the perfect playing action. Computer cutting for precision; hand-finishing for beauty. That’s what works best.

Smarter Manufacture: Finish

Oil finishes “wear out” or dry out. They just don’t last. And the popular Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer is beautiful but it’s toxic, poisonous. Environmentally-friendly ‘water-based’ finishes are safer for workers, produce outstanding results, and cost no more. It’s silly not to use the best and safest finish the world has to offer. You protect your instrument; you protect the world. But …Who Gets the Savings?

All the savings in the world won’t help the musician … … if the manufacturer just pockets the savings … and charges the moon! However … Mobius Megatar Intentionally Under-Prices the Instruments. What??? Now why would do we do that?

Our Modest Plan of World Conquest

Here’s the scoop: We intend to become the most popular touch-style manufacturer on the planet. (We’re already the fastest-growing.) We think the best way to become the worlds most popular touch-style maker is to accellerate the number of Megatars in play.

And the best way to do that is to help musicians to get the instruments. And what’s the best way to help musicians get the instruments? Well, one darn good way is … keep them affordable! If You’re a Musician …

Now here’s what’s true … If you’re a musician, you will find a way to make music. Good Economy? You will find a way. Bad Economy? You will find a way. It’s just who you are.

So we don’t need to do a lot of selling and flapdoodle. All we really need to do is to gently draw your attention away from the wild events of life, to focus inside, to remember … to remember who you really are.

You’re a musician. That’s the whole story in three words. And your next step is just to be who you are, and get your hands on a Megatar, and set the music free. Simple, really.

Here’s What Musicians Say …

“Happy days with my MaxTapper. It is more than I expected! Deep clear tone, lovely looking, easy to play fingerboard stabilized by MegStrap, and the body is not too heavy so I play this instrument many hours every day. Thank you for making such wonderful tapping instrument.” — Satoshi Yuge, musician, Nagoya, Japan

“The tone is full and earthy over the whole fretboard, and perfectly in tune no matter where you play. All you have to do is lightly touch a string, and it responds with a clear, bell-like tone. I’m totally satisfied with the instrument and the people of Mobius Megatar. Thank you!” — John Bailey, guitarist, Hastings, New Zealand

“The Megatar offers musical possibilities that go beyond the regular realms of composition. In the past I had to imagine the bass while playing guitar, but now I can do both simultaneously: and things are happening that didn’t happen before. It’s new land, an adventure into undiscovered territory. The Megatar is a well of new ideas.” — Raed Khashoukgi, Germany

Unleash the Song in your Heart

• Get a Better Sounding, Better Playing Instrument.
• Play New and Exciting Music
• Advance your Skills more Quickly
• Become More of Who You Really Are

Details, Details, Details!

Full instrument descriptions on Megatar website.

Feel the freedom to contact us to make clear any questions which you discover arising in your thoughts.

Don’t Forget Our Special Guarantee!

100% Love it or “Shove It” Guarantee! Our guarantee is simple. Either you will be absolutely delighted with your new Megatar or I will demand that you get a full refund of the Instrument Purchase Price. You have a full seven days to decide.

Here’s why you already know this is a great offer .. You’ve probably had the experience of going down to Guitar Center and you try some guitar off the wall. And generally you know right away if you like that guitar. But if you’re not sure, what do you do? You go back the next day and check it again. And usually you don’t have to go back on yet another day, because you know right away!

Same deal here. Seven days is *plenty* of time to begin to see how this instrument and this new way of playing can take your same practice time and take you twice as far down the road in record time.

But Is There A Catch?

No, no catch. But let me be blunt. There are TWO THINGS you MUST do if you want to experience the transformation and delight that so many have found. Let me spell this out for you …

NUMBER ONE — You have to practice. The instrument absolutely WILL NOT PLAY ITSELF. It needs you. Now you don’t have to practice long. You don’t have to practice hard. It can be fun, no suffering required. If you want the best results, you MUST BE WILLING to give it modest but regular practice. Period. Thinking otherwise is just silly. You’re not silly, are you?

NUMBER TWO — We can only offer this cool-beans Guarantee on STANDARD INSTRUMENTS. We cannot build a custom instrument for you, then your cat sneezes and you return it, and we wait for somebody else to manifest in the universe, that wants to play two-handed tapping, and wants exactly the same model, and wants exactly the same custom options. I don’t care if we *are* the fastest growing tapping instrument maker. Our margins are too small to allow us to build custom instruments and store them for months or years, awaiting the perfect buyer. So if you want the STANDARD GUARANTEE to cover your butt, then order a STANDARD INSTRUMENT, to cover ours.

Will you practice? Will you get a standard instrument?

You will? Terrific! Then let me repeat my 100%

Love it or “Shove It” Guarantee! … If you get one of our standard models, then either you will be absolutely delighted with your new Megatar or I will demand that you get a full refund of the Instrument Purchase Price. You have a full seven days to decide.

You have nothing to lose, and a Universe to gain. It’s that simple. Plus, Every Instrument Purchase Earns You These Bonuses …

• Stereo Output Cable
• The Patented MegStrap
• Three Ebooks Revealing the Fast-Learning Method
• Upcoming Video Series
• Ongoing training — All Future Books and Videos on How to Play Touch-Style from Mobius Megatar
• Discount on Cases Ordered with Instrument
• How To Begin: Video Quick-Start Guide
• Membership in the World’s Best Tapping Forum
• MegaTapper Newsletter
• Best Customer Service in the Touchstyle Field

“ONE THOUSAND MUSICIANS playing Mobius Megatar World Wide? There’s Gotta Be a Reason!” …

* * Learn why the Smart Money has Changed to Megatar.

You DON’T have to Wait a Year. You simply place your order and your built-to-order Megatar will be shipped in weeks not months.

Step OUT of the Herd. Become the Musician you really are, inside. Now you can let everybody know it, and have a whale of a time as you do.

Gain the admiration and respect of your friends, attract the opposite sex with the mystery of music. It’s worked for the biggest names in show business. It can work for you.

Don’t miss out on being an important man in your world. You can step around the hard-ass guys, streak past the brainiac geniuses, bypass the hum-drum sheep just following the herd. You can stand out and gain respect.

How to Avoid the Pain of Missing Out …

Let me spell this out for you. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that you had been convicted and sentenced to be shot by a firing squad, in ten years. Now you have ten years left. That’s a good analogy for your life, don’t you think?

We don’t know if it’s ten years or sixty years remaining, but for darn sure it’s going to end some day, so for this example we’ll use ten years.

And on that day, do you suppose you will say to yourself, “Man I sure am satisfied with my life because I was cautious and didn’t get that instrument?” Or will you regret that you didn’t play more music?

Will you regret that you didn’t express who you really are? I think you know the answer.

Is Your Life Worth Sixty-Six Cents?

For just a moment, let’s set aside the question of price.

Let’s just consider cost. (Price and cost are different.)

For example, let’s say you see your way clear to get the Megatar MaxTapper Banshee model with active-circuit Bartolini pickups. That’s a VERY powerful touchstyle instrument.

And you’re going to play it for ten years. What did it cost? It cost about 66 cents a day. (And if they don’t shoot you in ten years, then it cost even less than that.) Hey, you pay more than that for a cappucino, right?

So here’s the question … Would it make any sense at all … to let sixty-six cents stand in the way of releasing the music that’s in your heart?

No? I wouldn’t think so either.

Want to give a Christmas Present to the whole world?

We at Mobius Megatar suggest a donation to http://wikipedia.org.

Us Mobius folks donated, for the good of the whole world.

Maybe you would consider donating, for the good of the whole world.

Wikipedia is the fifth most-read site on the net … because we all use it … the whole world uses it. They have no advertising. The Wikipedia Foundation and the world-wide community of volunteers continue to provide this service, based on donations.

Read what Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales says BY CLICKING HERE.

Until December 31, 2009, we’re hosting the Meg-Millennium celebration, and you can save $300-$700 with special pricing … which will *never* be seen again. Offer ends (forever) on December 31, 2009. Details –

– THIS POST REVISED ON 11/10/2009 –

I read recently an article claiming that layaway is making a comeback, and googling ‘layaway making a comeback’ shows a lot of articles on the subject. Here are some excerpts –

• “I think a lot of people are watching their money, they’re trying to avoid the high interest rates on their credit cards,” says Tampa Kmart store manager Mark Swafford.
• Layaway is a shopping strategy that University of South Florida marketing professor, Carol Osbourne says helps consumers learn to budget. “Rather than swiping a credit cards; because that’s like funny money,” Osbourne says.
• Osbourne believes people will still spend this holiday season, but will adapt their shopping habits to the economy. “People were spending and spending and living beyond their means so layaway is actually a good alternative,” Osbourne says.
• This season, Kmart is heavily marketing their layaway program. But, it’s available at a variety of other stores including Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory. Sears and Walmart also offer layaway on fine jewelry.
• Ms. Kasanthian Austin says she primarily uses it to buy toys and clothes and Megatar musical instruments for her kids, making a happy holiday an affordable one. “I can get my bills paid and still try and get things done for Christmas for my kids,” Austin says.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WOULD A LAYAWAY PLAN HELP YOU TO GET YOUR MEGATAR?

Here’s what I’m imagining (though we’re open to hearing about other ideas) …

• To start up a Layaway Plan for yourself, you’d choose a model, with any of our custom features that you wish us to build. (All instruments are built to order, like always.)
• You would initially invest 30% or $400 whichever is larger to start the plan. (“Initial Payment”)
• You would send 4% or $60 whichever is larger each month. (‘Standard payment’)
• You would make a monthly commitment; because making that commitment is what makes it happen.
• Committment is what actually causes you to get the Megatar that you want.
• You would agree to send the same amount each month. (This is like paying off a credit-card, except that there are no big interest charges, because *all* your money goes toward your Megatar.)
• Whenever you wish, you can send any additional funds.
• We ask only that we don’t have to chase you, that you honor your commitment each month.
• You will probably discover that, once you start, and *intend* to have the Megatar you want, new opportunities will appear, and you’ll probably close out the deal earlier, and start playing music quicker than you’d thought possible.
• What would the monthly fee be for a typical instrument?
• At current prices (Nov 2009, on Millennium promo pricing),  TrueTapper Eclipse, Dragon, or Storm would be only $60 per month.
• At current prices (Nov 2009, on Millennium promo pricing), a MaxTapper would be $64/month, or a ToneWeaver only $80/month.
• NOTE: The Meg-Millennium special pricing Ends on December 31, 2009 at Midnight pacific time. Pricing then returns to standard prices as shown on pricelist, and these monthly amounts will then change to reflect standard pricing instead of promo pricing.
• Along the way, you can pay ahead any time you wish, and you can pay it off whenever you like.
• You can send funds via personal check, cashier’s check, or money order.
• Or you can transfer funds using paypal.
• Or you can use your credit or debit card over the phone or through our secure server.
• When the balance is 90% paid, we’ll put the job order into the shop queue for building and setting up your instrument.
• Generally that means that when your balance is paid up, we can ship immediately.
• As long as the schedule is maintained, your price is locked in, even if we have increased any prices in the meantime.
• If you simply send a check each month, there’s no credit-card interest to pay, which at 12% or even 18%, this can be a substantial savings for you.
• We will not charge any interest, nor add any fee.  In fact …
• As a bonus, we’ll pay *you*, like getting interest on your money …
• Assuming you’ve been on the plan at least six months, and as long as the schedule is maintained, your last standard payment, will be … free

WOULD THIS HELP YOU TO GET A MEGATAR?

And do you have any suggestions that might make the proposed plan more flexible or useful for you?

Or do you have any questions about what is being sketched here?

Is it adequately clear? Does it sound useful?

WHEN DO YOU WISH US TO SHIP YOUR MEGATAR?

Of course, we’re still happy to accept your order the usual way, and credit-cards are still welcome.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINION AND SUGGESTIONS

If the Comment Box isn’t visible just below, please click the Comment Link.

And in the Comment Box, please enter your thoughts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It’s a fact. The bird just loves Ray Charles. See for yourself –

If you like the video, use the “Send to a Friend” link that appears below the video (after the video is playing)! I think this bird is a hoot. Maybe your friends will like it, too!

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Just added to the Megatar ‘Freebie’ section …

Check out the ‘Megatar Time’ homepage for your favorite web browser –

Megatar Time

Answers Found

Custom Search

http://megatar.com

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See it full size, and use it for your browser’s home page –

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