instrument

Always being improved (and offered in more and more colors), Linde Werdelin's "The Rock" is a serious computer device for your wrist. It is actually made to physically go over and attach onto Linde Werdelin timepieces, but can be worn separately. I reviewed a previous generation The Rock here (aka "The Land Instrument" was it was previously called). The device is pretty cool. Linde Werdelin designed it for people who like to ski, climb, hike, or just walk around with a cool aluminum computer on their wrist. The device is like a Casio Pathfinder, but it does more, and in a slicker manner.

Improved recently is the addition of an internal temperature sensor (which used to be an external sensor). Other sensors include a compass and altimeter. The device also has a series of clever log and alert functions. It is pretty cool actually and a must have for the serious gadget lover. Oh, I think it also tells the time! Click on the "READ MORE" tab for additional details and tech specs. "The Rock" is available online and starts at 990 euros.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com

A new service by traditional fine pen (among other goods) maker Montblanc will offer customers the experience and opportunity to order custom made pens suited to their particular writing style. Montblanc has always offered a number of pen nib sizes depending on a writer's preferences, but the new service will include a unique personalized writing evaluation to designed to identify how someone writes, what the best type of pen size is for them. It also involves the creation of a one-of-a-kind fountain pen nib made for you at the Montblanc pen manufacture in Hamburg, Germany.

I had the opportunity to experience the writing "exam" myself first-hand. The process is simple and informative. Montblanc sits you in front of a computer with a large digital writing tablet. You are given special paper sheets that are placed over the tablet and asked to write preselected text as you normally would. Your writing is digitized via software on the computer in real time, which tracks variables such as how hard you write, the angles you make with the pen, and when you lift a pen off the paper when writing. It is quite interesting to see an analysis of your own writing – the test feels a lot like a vision exam.

The computer makes a recommendation as to what type of Montblanc fountain pen nib is best suited for your penmanship style. A fountain pen nib is the tip of the pen that actually does the writing. At one time these tips were part of specially cut feathers, but have since been made out of metal. Montblanc is known for making the highest quality, most effective pen nibs around (and they look quite nice as well). Montblanc pen nibs are constructed from solid gold, with the ends of the tips being made from a complex metal alloy (that is actually more expensive than gold). This alloy is used because gold is a relatively soft metal, and Montblanc designs their pens to last decades, even with constant use.

Linde Werdelin aims to please and knows that you really need to handle their watches to appreciate them. That is a bit hard if you aren't near one of the few spots around the world where you can get their watches. Since conception they have offered a "trial run" of their line, and have just now revamped the watch trial program to include new watches. The new offer is better and easier than ever. Linde Werdelin presents the "Test Set," a combo pack of a watch plus Linde Werdelin's "The Rock" Land Instrument. It is a computer device that attaches on top of their watches that provides you with many sensors and useful features for extreme Earth surface exploration.

After filling out a short form, Linde Werdelin will send you a watch that you choose (depending on availability) and you can test it out for five days. If you don't like it, you can return it with no obligation to purchase. Available watches in the Test Set include the all titanium SpidoLite, Oktopus, The One (various styles), Two-Timer, and 3-Timer (various styles) watches. They will come with an aluminum The Rock as well. Very cool watches that I am a fan of. For more information go to Linde Werdelin.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

In commemoration of their final appearance together (scheduled for August 7th at Madison Square Garden) auctions started this week on eBay for a complete set of Police instruments autographed by the band. The set includes 4 instruments that are each available for bidding separately and include Sting's Signature Bass, Sting's Sennheiser Microphone and Stand, Andy's Signature Fender Telecaster, and Stewart's Tama Star Drum Set.

100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Public Television Rocks! in honor of their dedication to art, music, and culture.

Perhaps one of the most revered musical instruments in the world (other than Clapton's sweet black Strat, "Blackie") has trumped the previous 'most expensive' piano in the world. One of the most elaborate, painstakingly detailed pieces of hand-craftsmanship - the Steinway "Alma-Tadema" has been outshined by one of the company's most unadorned - the "Model Z". But, much like Blackie, it's the instrument's celebrity owner that actually makes the difference.

The piano on which "Imagine" was written, John Lennon's 1970 Steinway was auctioned off in London to George Michael for £1.45 million (about $2.1 million), who proceeded to use it to record bits of his last album before returning it to in the Beatles Museum in Liverpool because, as he so generously supposed, "the piano was not the type of thing that should be in storage somewhere or being protected, it should be seen by people."

The Virtuoso is a self-playing violin that was developed by a former NASA administrator. The instrument does not have any built in speakers, though it appears to be mounted atop one, and uses no wiring or gadgetry to produce sound. The sound is actually produced by the bow being pushed and pulled across the strings of the violin, just as though a real player had taken it up! Not only is the instrument interesting to watch and listen to, but it takes up far less room than a player piano would, making it more practical for those who live in smaller spaces and do not play instruments but want the sound of classical music performed live in their home. Price: $17,500.

[via SciFi Tech]

Though the wording of the ad itself is a little strange in the beginning, there is no denying that the Contrabass Saxophone that it lists is a unique find for a musician or a collector. The sax was custom built in 2001 - before the instruments entered a very limited, but regular, production - and has been used professionally since. The Contrabass is the lowest playing real saxophone in the world, handcrafted in Italy by Orsi, and there are so few that it is rare that one comes on the market at all. It is 6'4" tall and weighs about 45-lbs. Two cases are included, a "lightweight" traveling case and a very sturdy shipping case that is about the size of a refrigerator (with wheels). Price: $22,500. Be sure to check out the music clips on the sale site to hear what it sounds like.

[via growabrain]

A Stradivarius violin made in 1707, known as "The Hammer", sold for far more than its estimated price of $1.5-2 million at a Christie's auction today. The winning bid, placed by a private collector, was for $3.54 million. This makes it the most expensive musical instrument ever sold at auction, though there are reports that say private sales have gone even higher. Stradivari is believed to have made more than 1,100 instruments in his lifetime and approximately 600 violins are believed to survive today. The Hammer is said to be from the master craftsman's "golden period," when he produced his finest pieces.

[Image from The Age]