Music

Multiscale madness on the horizon with 18-string custom guitar

Multiscale madness on the horizon with 18-string custom guitar
Jared Dines (left) and Perry Ormsby (right) launched the Djent 2018 at NAMM 2018
Jared Dines (left) and Perry Ormsby (right) launched the Djent 2018 at NAMM 2018
View 13 Images
Jared Dines says that it took him 2 hours to tune the Djent 2018 guitar for the first time
1/13
Jared Dines says that it took him 2 hours to tune the Djent 2018 guitar for the first time
Jared Dines at the NAMM press launch of the Djent 2018 guitar
2/13
Jared Dines at the NAMM press launch of the Djent 2018 guitar
Jared Dines took delivery of the 18-string Djent 2018 guitar this week
3/13
Jared Dines took delivery of the 18-string Djent 2018 guitar this week
Jared Dines unpacked the Djent 2018 guitar earlier this week
4/13
Jared Dines unpacked the Djent 2018 guitar earlier this week
The Djent 2018's 9-piece mahogany, Tasmanian Blackwood and ebony bolt-on neck is kept taught by three dual-action truss rods
5/13
The Djent 2018's 9-piece mahogany, Tasmanian Blackwood and ebony bolt-on neck is kept taught by three dual-action truss rods
The Djent 2018 has three custom-made Ormsby pickups, one ruling the six bass strings and two rail humbuckers looking after the rest
6/13
The Djent 2018 has three custom-made Ormsby pickups, one ruling the six bass strings and two rail humbuckers looking after the rest
Six bass tuning pegs and 12 guitar heads dominate the Djent 2018's headstock
7/13
Six bass tuning pegs and 12 guitar heads dominate the Djent 2018's headstock
Jared Dines (left) and Perry Ormsby (right) launched the Djent 2018 at NAMM 2018
8/13
Jared Dines (left) and Perry Ormsby (right) launched the Djent 2018 at NAMM 2018
The Ormsby Guitars Djent 2018 is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated custom build for YouTube rock guitar wizard Jared Dines
9/13
The Ormsby Guitars Djent 2018 is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated custom build for YouTube rock guitar wizard Jared Dines
Ormsby Guitars says that the Djent 2018 will "quite possibly defeat the black-holes of the Perseus galaxy for lowest note in the universe"
10/13
Ormsby Guitars says that the Djent 2018 will "quite possibly defeat the black-holes of the Perseus galaxy for lowest note in the universe"
Front and back view of the behemoth Djent 2018 multiscale 18-string guitar
11/13
Front and back view of the behemoth Djent 2018 multiscale 18-string guitar
The Ormsby logo in the middle of the head is illuminated thanks to embedded LEDs
12/13
The Ormsby logo in the middle of the head is illuminated thanks to embedded LEDs
The Djent 2018 has a 2-piece Tasmanian Blackwood body and 9-piece mahogany, Tasmanian Blackwood and ebony bolt-on neck
13/13
The Djent 2018 has a 2-piece Tasmanian Blackwood body and 9-piece mahogany, Tasmanian Blackwood and ebony bolt-on neck
View gallery - 13 images

Early last year, YouTube guitar wizard Jared Dines began a quest to find a skilled luthier who could make him a one-off 17-string guitar. After being let down by a US builder, and left seriously out of pocket, Australian guitar maker of note Perry Ormsby stepped in to save the day. The result is the 18-string monster you see here, dubbed the Djent 2018.

Dines commissioned a New Hampshire maker to build him a 17-string guitar in the first half of 2017, and parted with US$1,200 for the build in good faith. After numerous delays, grainy photos of the creation appeared online in mid-October last year, and Dines was assured that beast of a noodle machine would soon follow.

But, in a movie-worthy twist, Dines released a video on his YouTube channel a week after the story went viral claiming he'd been scammed, and that the (allegedly) custom-built instrument was nothing more than a cheap online-bought imposter. Obviously upset by this turn of events, Dines appealed for a "legit" guitar maker to come to his rescue and build him a multi-stringed behemoth. Happily, his call was heard and answered by Australia's Ormsby Guitars.

Named the Djent 2018, the Ormsby creation actually rocks 18 strings, which are tuned as follows: A, E, B, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, G#, D#, E, B, F#, C#, G# and D# – phew. Dines said yesterday that it's taken him 2 hours to tune the guitar that will, according to its makers, "quite possibly defeat the black-holes of the Perseus galaxy for lowest note in the universe."

The Ormsby Guitars Djent 2018 is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated custom build for YouTube rock guitar wizard Jared Dines
The Ormsby Guitars Djent 2018 is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated custom build for YouTube rock guitar wizard Jared Dines

Sat atop the multiscale guitar's 2-piece Tasmanian Blackwood body are three custom-made Ormsby pickups, one ruling the six bass strings and two rail humbuckers looking after the rest. That body has been topped with genuine stone for a truly heavy rock aesthetic.

As you can imagine, the 9-piece mahogany, Tasmanian Blackwood and ebony bolt-on neck has quite a task fighting against all those strings to keep taught, and is helped by three dual-action truss rods and carbon reinforcements. Mid-point along the ebony fretboard, Ormsby has created a unique Jared Dines inlay. The headstock also sports real stone, with the logo giving off its own menacing glow thanks to LEDs installed behind the clear acrylic.

Dines and Ormsby Guitars revealed the Djent 2018 multiscale guitar at last month's NAMM show in Anaheim, California, but now that the YouTube rocker has taken delivery of the instrument, expect multiscale mayhem to ensue. Ormsby says that the Djent 2018 was a one-off, custom build and won't be reproduced, but other hand-made builds can be had for ticket prices starting at US$2,999.

Sources: Ormsby Guitars, Jared Dines

View gallery - 13 images
5 comments
5 comments
highlandboy
No one has fingers long enough to use such a wide fretboard. So playing it would be more like playing a harp. What a wast of time and resources.
Expanded Viewpoint
I wouldn't ever tell someone how they should run their life or what they should expend their time, efforts and money on. Since he could afford to pay for that toy, why not let him have it? Who is it hurting?
Randy
rude.dawg
I'm wondering if the fretboard is a bit warped? Or is there a reason why the frets aren't parallel with one another?
In any case, rock on dude!
HaroldBalsac
rude.dog, probably a fanned fret system. Supposed to make longer scale, extended range, stringed instruments play in tune better.
Buzzclick
No rest for the wrist of the pick-playing hand? That's a lot of real estate to cover. Just one (volume) knob to modulate the three pickups? No finger extensions to reach the neck's inner strings? That's nuts. There shoulda been two 9-string necks. Only 3 thou to make one? Not much if you're looking to have a one-off made, too much if the guitar never gets played much.
There coulda been a video to show us how this monster can make some noise, so we can believe in its potential.