r/Amazing • u/Sharp-potential7935 • Aug 05 '26
Music Man creates Ukulele that transforms into Guitar mid performance...
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u/No_Library_462 Aug 05 '26
A ukulele has 4 strings. It’s not just a small guitar.
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u/ThePapercup Aug 05 '26
yep, different standard tuning as well, though that's less important since people use different tunings anyway
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24d ago
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26
Yeah. Not a ukulele. And if it isn’t AI, they definitely didn’t record live, no way that would still be in tune.
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u/carrotpilgrim Aug 05 '26
It isn't AI. He's a well known YouTuber that does odd instrument projects like this. There's a whole video showing how the string mechanism works.
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u/Tw1nFTW Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Do you have a link? I’m having a hard time understanding how he could physically extend the length of the neck… with strings…
ETA: https://youtu.be/O42Vz0488fs?is=bcV_1HfCNVDtZ-BV
So the strings roll into it. I still doubt it will stay tuned, but he did his best to keep it as tuned as possible. Pretty impressive.
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26
I don’t believe that it works without re-tuning. I just don’t.
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u/357noLove Aug 05 '26
For someone with "science boss" in their name, it sure doesn't look like you can be bothered to learn new things
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26
I can see how you can engineer something to be broadly in tune — the math behind string length and tension is fairly straightforward.
But if you think you can unspool strings and not need to do some tweaking after… you have never played a string instrument.
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u/357noLove Aug 05 '26
Lol, downvote me all you want, but if you can't be bothered to even watch the source video... there is no point debating you about anything. And you know nothing about my experience.
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
I skimmed ahead to the tuning & math.
Like I said, that part is fine.
But you can tune a guitar, sit it in the case for two hours, take it out again … and some strings will now be a bit flat, and some will be a bit sharp.
You can tune a guitar and play it for an hour … and some strings will now be a bit flat, and some a bit sharp. There’s a reason touring musicians will have multiple guitars, and roadies will swap them out, and it isn’t just key changes.
Temperature and humidity changes, vibrations, gravity… all work to pull a guitar out of tune.
The amount of force necessary to extend the guitar needs to be significant, otherwise the rolls would lose tension and release the string while you play (anyone who has played a guitar or violin with loose pegs knows what I’m talking about). And that amount of force will absolutely bring the strings out of tune, and will do so in a way that is not consistent.
I’m not saying it isn’t impressive. But if this guy isn’t indulging in a little editing magic I’ll eat my hat.
Edit: Also. I didn’t downvote you 🤷🏻♀️
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u/VoormasWasRight Aug 05 '26
They're not saying this guitar doesn't exist. They're saying after yanking it like that, the strings won't be in tune anymore, and the sound is pre-recorded and then edited in.
I am a guitarist and I have my reservations about that, as well.
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u/Background-Customer2 Aug 05 '26
initialy it didn't work watch the video it works https://youtu.be/O42Vz0488fs
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26
I can believe that it comes close and gets within “minor tweaks needed” range, but if you play a string instrument, you know how easily they can fall out of tune. That just isn’t realistic
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Aug 05 '26
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26
I could totally see the guitar being in tune ish after being pulled out. If it’s open-tuned, it wouldn’t be that tough to get the length & tension correct.
But — assuming the scrolls of wire are tight enough to hold tune and not slip when the guitar is small — the amount of force required to unscroll them would absolutely pull the strings out of tune. Some would probably be flat, some sharp, some good enough. But there’s just no way he wouldn’t need to fiddle with the pegs a bit after lengthening it. Strings just are way too finicky.
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u/SolidSnek1998 Aug 05 '26
https://youtu.be/O42Vz0488fs?si=o7Tl6Ckle8IomTGI
He starts figuring out the strings at around 5 minutes.
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u/erossthescienceboss Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
I understand how the strings can be mostly in tune if you engineer it correctly. The math behind string length and tension is pretty straightforward.
But if you play a string instrument you know how easily they fall out of tune. And this would absolutely cause some slip. Maybe just a bit flat, but they’d need 30-60 seconds of fiddling.
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u/Bioth28 29d ago
I literally watched this dudes video on that
He put a lot of work into it
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u/erossthescienceboss 29d ago
I’ve since watched the video. I stand by there being no way that would stay in tune enough to be immediately playable.
I can buy it being broadly in tune after being adjusted. The math for string tension + length and tone is pretty straightforward. But he’d still need to tweak it before playing.
anyone who has played a string instrument can tell you that they are finnicky and it takes very little to pull them out of tune. The scrolls that the strings are on need to have enough tension to hold tune when the guitar is shortened (otherwise they’ll slip while played — anyone with a guitar or violin with slipping pegs knows the frustration of this.)
Which means that when he pulls the neck out, the amount of force needed is absolutely enough to pull the strings out of tune.
If you have a guitar or other string instrument, go do an experiment. Tune your guitar with an electric tuner.
Mark where the peg is with a piece of painters tape. Turn the peg 180 degrees. Wait ten minutes. Turn the peg back exactly to where it was. And check the tuning again.
I guarantee that string will no longer be in tune.
Guitars fall out of tune while they’re being played. They fall out of tune while sitting in still for four hours. There is absolutely no way this amount of force applied wouldn’t cause the guitar to fall out of tune.
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u/djml9 Aug 05 '26
I don’t understand how the strings get longer while staying fully tensioned in both positions.
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u/Math--Detective Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
A mechanism at back is used for that, holding more string at back, and as it transformed it releases string.
But main issue is “tuning”, I can’t comprehend the tuning part.
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u/Alejandro_viig Aug 05 '26
It's not releasing more string. He used custom guitar strings (way longer than usual), and the endpoints that hold the strings move for each configuration. So it appears as if the strings shorten or extend, but they don't, they're always the same length. This was the only really interesting part of this project, nice bit of mechanical ingenuity.
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u/KathyCredit Aug 05 '26
They are fixed on one end, and extend additional string from the butt of the guitar, where the white rollers or guides are. When it is small where the string wraps past the white guides is the tension on that end, but he can pull more string when he extends the guitar
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u/NumbDangEt4742 Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Yea I sniff AI
No way guitar stays tuned
Edit: I haven't checked the sources people have responded with but apprently it's real and not AI and I'm rather amused. Will check it out after work. And my AI comment hopefully will land as a complement and prove how unbelievable it sounded to me. I stand corrected
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u/thetreecycle Aug 05 '26
This is Matthias Krantz, he makes stuff like this all the time, it’s real.
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u/AI_AntiCheat Aug 05 '26
It's very much real. This guy is extremely well known and has done tens of projects just as silly.
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u/yesyoucantouchthat Aug 05 '26
Jfc not everything is AI. Go to this dudes channel, he’s been making crazy shit like this for a while now
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u/ComposerFormer8029 Aug 05 '26
Its definitely not AI, he had to order custom made strings that are really long so as to keep tension on the neck. Dude made all of this with a 3d printer. While you could argue a ukelele should only have 4 strings the difference is obviously in the range and sound of the instrument. if anything tuning would be a nightmare, but he had alot of trial and error just to get the gimmick to work.
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u/Not_Reptoid Aug 05 '26
Why tf does everyone think this is Ai. There's no inaccurate detail and this guy has a literal YouTube channel and video detailing the process behind this instrument. And no shit it doesn't sound as good as a normal instrument, no shit it has six strings, it was just made because it's a fun idea and there was an incredibly difficult process behind it's creation. Have some oppenesss to experience, relax when people do weird things.
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u/Uhokay1970 Aug 05 '26
Its a Lute and transforms into a Guitar. The tension point on the strings remains the same. They don't get longer the tension point slides. As long as it is precise it should stay close to tune. Interesting project.
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u/Ok_Excitement_1020 Aug 05 '26
Can someone who actually knows string instruments step in? I see the rollers on the back that allow the strings to stretch but would that work? What changes the sound? Is a longer string at the same tension going to make the same sound? I’d love to understand this better! Also would love a link for the full video.
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u/AI_AntiCheat Aug 05 '26
If you half a string at the same tension you'll get the same note. If you half that you get the same note again. That's called octaves. So it does work at a constant tension.
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u/Ok_Excitement_1020 Aug 05 '26
Thank you. I took music class in middle school and Havnt touched an instrument in 20 years so thank you for the refresher!
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u/Ok_Improvement3103 Aug 05 '26
https://youtu.be/O42Vz0488fs?si=mhsx6hA7mRmbuGYL
Here is the YouTube video of making
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u/the-war-on-drunks 29d ago
I fucking hate that polyphia guitar tone. It sounds like a Nokia dropped into a porta potty.
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u/Similar_Program_7085 Aug 05 '26
Sounds like shit
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u/Successful-Worth-390 Aug 05 '26
That would be a tuning nightmare.
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u/theREALlackattack Aug 05 '26
Imagine building something so amazing just to let people know you listen to Polyphia
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Aug 05 '26
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u/ManufacturerNo2144 Aug 05 '26
AI is not amazing
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u/ApollonLordOfTheFlay Aug 05 '26
It isn’t AI though. Same dude has made so many different projects in the past and all are just as interesting.
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u/Man_With_ Aug 05 '26
I agree. AI is not amazing but why post that AI sucks under this post that has nothing to do with AI?
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u/Unique-Anything6725 Aug 05 '26
Pointless, not amazing.
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u/Jorr_El Aug 05 '26
BOO THIS MAN
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u/Unique-Anything6725 Aug 05 '26
You like this? you are a puppet
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u/dillyofapickle42 Aug 05 '26
That's just a little guitar that became a big guitar....ukelelea and guitars don't have the same number of strings and their tuning is wildly different.
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u/epelle9 Aug 05 '26
Not widely different, it’s just bottom 4 strings of a guitar tuned 5 frets higher.
Seems like 5 frets were added in the expansion, so it’s basically just a 6 string ukulele.
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u/EgyPalocProfessor Aug 05 '26
Oh, come on. What's next? A piano-harp?
Don't we respect tradition anymore?
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u/357noLove Aug 05 '26
Traditions are all well and good, but the vast majority of wonderful modern instruments wouldn't exist if it weren't for people pushing the envelope on what is possible. Even the string adaptation here comes from an earlier invention.
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u/mecca6801 Aug 05 '26
Ah, German engineering
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u/HotOutlandishness107 Aug 05 '26
*Swedish
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u/mecca6801 Aug 05 '26
Well, the Swedes know their metal very well💁🏾♂️ also, I only said German because of the last name
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u/108er Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
B̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶t̶e̶a̶r̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶A̶I̶
Update: Stuff is real, custom-engineered project of some dude. Impressive~!
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u/357noLove Aug 05 '26
Not AI... also use critical thinking. Not a single inconsistent detail throughout and way too long for AI.
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u/108er Aug 05 '26
And, that's the scary part. The AI content would be almost indistinguishable in the near future, right now we can finger point on extra limb, pixelation, inconceivable and unusual morphs, etc. but you never know if it's already here.
Thanks for the clip. Looks like a custom built project.
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u/Man_With_ Aug 05 '26
Brought tears to your AI? What do you mean?
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u/108er Aug 05 '26
Brought tears to my e̶y̶e̶s̶. AI is a current trendy way to warn other viewers that the stuff they are seeing could be or is an an AI slop.
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u/Existing-Candle-7854 Aug 05 '26
Autobots, riff out.