Angine de Poitrine have been on everyone’s lips since that polka-dot and microtone-heavy live session dropped on Seattleite radio station KEXP’s official YouTube channel. Since then, the Canadian duo’s lives have changed completely, as they’ve brought their unique brand of “mantra-rock Dada Pythago-Cubist” orchestral sounds to, well, the masses.
One of the most distinctive calling cards is guitarist Khn’s microtonal double-neck guitar/bass, built by luthier Raphaël Le Breton. Eastwood even created its own version in the form of the limited-edition Microtonal Doubleneck 4/6 Electric Guitar/Bass, which allegedly came together after Le Breton approached the company about creating a tribute to the original model.
Now, it seems like Khn himself is wielding a new version of the polka-dotted double-neck that led to Angine de Poitrine’s fame. During some of their latest shows, eagle-eyed fans noticed another version – this time by renowned (Canadian through-and-through) brand Godin Guitars.
According to reports by Guitar Bomb, the band’s viral success and subsequent world tours meant that Khn needed a solid backup. However, Le Breton was tied up with other work, so Quebec’s own Godin Guitars came through and built a custom double-neck for the guitarist.
Specs for the new-and-improved backup build include custom fretwork, with the upper neck featuring a standard 6-string electric guitar configuration, and a lower neck that functions as your typical 4-string bass.
Both fretboards are subsequently fretted to split the traditional 12-tone octave into 24 quarter tones, making them microtonal-ready.
Another key feature of this new build is its weight. Godin crafted this model to maximize ergonomics, chambering, and weight distribution – reducing the load on Khn.
Other tweaks include relocating the two dedicated output jacks to the bottom edge, with the guitar and bass necks split into separate signals routed to a Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120 and a Hartke HA2500 amp stack, respectively.
The band’s polka-dot aesthetic is further enhanced with matching black-and-white graphics. Finally, the original build’s “69” dice knobs have been swapped for custom “3” dice controls.
Judging by the response on Reddit, it’s safe to say that Angine de Poitrine fans and math-rock aficionados have gone crazy over this guitar – all begging the question: could the band be teasing an official signature model?
In more recent news, GuitarWorld.com’s editor-in-chief recently witnessed the dynamic duo live – and hailed Khn as the greatest polka-dot guitar hero since Randy Rhoads and Buddy Guy.
