This instrument has been my main instrument for over a decade now. It uses a simple piece of physics to create a huge variety of tones, textures and percussive noises.
It is made from the inner core of an electric motor, springs, small magnets and a mono jack connector.
It uses Faradays Law of Electromagnetic Induction to work.
All you need for induction to occur is a coil of wire, a magnetic field and vibration.
On a guitar you have the vibration of a string, interacting with the magnetic field of the pickup, which induces an electeical current in the coil the exact same shape/frequency as the vibrating string.
On the springything, I have small magnets on the springs close to the coil. When the spring vibrates the magnet vibrates and that induces an electrical current the same shape as the vibration.
In both cases the small electrical current is sent to an amplifier which makes that small current much stronger and sends it to a speaker cone. Which, incidently, uses the same law of induction to turn the current back into physical vibrations on the speaker cone.
It’s all very clever but also surprisingly simple.
Vulpes Labs 