Music Thing has great post up about the Beam, which is basically a gigantic electric steel guitar sort of an instrument plucked or hit to create gargantuan twangy 'thunk' sort of sounds. It was that big sound used to represent V'Ger in the in the first Star Trek movie. The Blue Man group use something similar on their recordings, as did Mickey Heart on Planet Drum. It makes a hell of sound.

Star Trek, female orgasms and the mysterious Blaster Beam [Music Thing]