Tom McMahon
Baliset
The Baliset is an instrument that is played by tapping the strings against the frets. The name comes from the Frank Herbert novel 'Dune', in which it is an instrument played by the character Gurney Halleck. In the theatrical movie, the instrument that is seen is a Chapman Stick with a few bells and whistles attached, and the music that is heard is played by the instrument's inventor, Emmett Chapman.
My Baliset is closely modelled after the Chapman Stick with the main difference being a wider neck. There are two sides, a treble with 6 strings and a bass with 5 strings. Each side has its own pickup (EMG for treble and Bartolini for bass), output, and there is a third output to a guitar synth from an RMC piezo pickup.
Here are some JPEG's of my Baliset.
Full length shot.
Pickups and controls.
