A different approach to the electric guitar.
Acoustron guitars and basses are individually built by KVG Laboratories around our proprietary Variable Magnetic Shunt, VMS, sensing system.
Instead of beginning with the conventional electric-guitar formula and changing its appearance, Acoustron began with the instrument as an electromechanical system: strings, structure, magnetic sensing and the electrical interface all contribute to the final result.
The result is an electric instrument that looks different because, fundamentally, it is different.
The Acoustron VMS System
Most electric guitars place one or more conventional magnetic pickups directly beneath the strings. Acoustron takes another approach.
The Variable Magnetic Shunt system uses a magnetic sensing arrangement located beneath the instrument’s pickguard rather than conventional exposed pickups. The result is the unusually clean appearance that has become an Acoustron signature: on many models there is no visible pickup at all.
VMS was developed to give KVG greater control over the relationship between the strings, magnetic field and electrical output instead of treating the pickup as a component added after the instrument itself had been designed.
It is not intended to imitate a particular vintage pickup. It is its own system.
Designed as a Complete Instrument
An Acoustron is not a conventional guitar with unusual electronics installed in it.
Body construction, materials, neck, hardware, sensing system and electronics are considered together. Each instrument is built individually rather than produced from a fixed mass-production formula.
Wood is also used visually rather than hidden wherever possible. Wooden pickguards and natural materials have become part of the Acoustron design language, allowing the sensing system to disappear visually into the instrument instead of becoming its dominant feature.
Controls are kept deliberately simple and, on some instruments, eliminated from the body entirely.
The objective is an instrument that feels coherent — mechanically, electrically and visually.
A Balanced Connection
Acoustron instruments use a balanced XLR output rather than relying exclusively on the traditional unbalanced 1/4-inch guitar connection.
Balanced transmission is standard practice throughout professional audio because of its resistance to induced noise over cable runs. Applying the same principle at the instrument provides a robust electrical connection between the guitar and the equipment that follows it.
It is another example of the Acoustron philosophy: long-established conventions are retained when they make sense, not simply because they are conventions.
Built One at a Time
Acoustron guitars and basses are handcrafted in the Kansas City area by KVG Laboratories.
They are not mass-produced instruments and there is no fixed production line. Individual instruments may differ in woods, finish, configuration and details while retaining the fundamental Acoustron design philosophy and VMS sensing system.
New instruments are produced in small numbers and by commission.
Acoustron at KC Fret Shop
Selected Acoustron guitars and basses can be seen and played at KC Fret Shop in Kansas City.
Because these instruments differ significantly from conventional electric guitars, we strongly encourage musicians to experience one rather than trying to understand it entirely from photographs or specifications.
Acoustron is meant to be played.
Gallery Of Past Builds
Click on each image to enlarge.
