If you play any musical instrument, you will know that every instrument has its particular uses and limitations. Unless you’re willing to settle for computer-generated instruments, instrumentalists are only able to provide certain sounds. This has led some rock stars to seek out unique instruments for specific projects.

Some of these instruments are hand-made and extremely cheap, but others cost the artist a fortune. If you’re a musician with an expensive collection, make sure you have extra coverage for musical instruments in your renters insurance policy. Still, no amount of money can replace some of the coolest, most unique instruments.

Björk’s Gameleste

Björk is one of the strangest artists alive today, and it is no surprise that she uses unique instruments. She actually designed the gameleste herself for her 2011 album Biophilia. It is a combination of the gamelan and the celesta (which are not exactly widely-used in the first place) and it was programmed to be played remotely by a tablet computer.

The gameleste was not the only instrument created in order for Biophilia to sound like nothing that came before it. She used a Tesla coil as an instrument on one song, and created a ‘gravity harp’ out of massive swinging pendulums and corresponding harps.

Sinch and the Ocular Noise Machine

If you grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s, you might remember a grunge band called Sinch. Their big breakthrough single was called Something More and was ubiquitous on rock radio stations in 2002. While they never quite hit those heights again, they did produce some excellent records. However, it was their live performances that were most unique.

This is because of an instrument called the Ocular Noise Machine to play at shows. It was created by band member Jay Smith, who played it live. The instrument consisted of a guitar-shaped video device which fed computerized footage to projection screens. Smith would use buttons to choose images and knobs and sliders to manipulate them in concord with the music.

Sadly, Sinch are rarely active these days, with Jay Smith battling ALS for the past few years.

Boredoms’ Seven Neck Guitar

Boredoms is a Japanese noise rock band that was founded in the ’80s. They have traversed many subgenres of rock and noise, creating sounds like few other bands before them. In 2008, they built a seven neck guitar called the ‘Sevener’ which they used in performances. With seven necks, the guitar could not be worn. Rather, they played its finely-tuned strings by attacking them with a drumstick.

Pat Metheny’s 42-String Manzer Pikasso Guitar

Another artist to use a much-altered guitar is Pat Metheny. The jazz-guitar virtuoso designed the Pikasso guitar with 42 strings across four necks. This allowed him to find creative tunings and chase the most interesting melodies. It was named for its ‘cubist’ appearance, looking as if it came from a Picasso painting. He did admit that it took him years to properly master.

Neutral Milk Hotel and the Musical Saw

Neutral Milk Hotel is perhaps one of the biggest indie bands ever – at least in terms of reputation. Formed by musician Jeff Mangum, the band released two albums and were active for a relatively short period of time. Mangum has become a figure of legend and mythology, largely because of how reclusive he became after the release of the band’s critically-acclaimed second album, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is celebrated for a number of reasons, including its haunting lyrics conceptualized around the story of Anne Frank. However, one of the reasons it is so interesting on a musical level is its use of the musical or singing saw.

You’ve seen a musical saw before, even if you don’t know it. That’s because a musical saw is just a regular handsaw. You play it with a bow, using more pressure to get to the higher notes. The musical saw creates a haunting sound, almost ghost-like. The best thing about the instrument is that it is incredibly cheap and is very simple to learn how to play.

These are some of the coolest instruments used by rock stars over the years. They show that some of the music that has had the biggest impact on people is made by bucking tradition.

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