RICK TOONE | Lutherie

Wired + Rush + Hall of Fame

2008-08-04T12:23:15-04:00

Colbert started a fire. Wired is carrying the torch. Just a few comments, so far. Perhaps add yours?

Have a nice extended lunch...

Rush on Colbert Report

2008-07-31T14:51:52-04:00

My favorite self-educated, libertarian-leaning, notoriously press-shy rock band from just north of the border stopped by Colbert's show to get the word out. This has to be the quote of the year:

Colbert: "What are your fans called...'Rush-ans'? Do you guys have special names for your fans?"
Geddy: "Not really. No."

Neil: "They all have their own names."

Despite the years and the mileage, these guys still inspire me to pick up an instrument...

Starfish Guitar Photos

2008-07-27T13:43:22-04:00

Goran sent me a link to his photostream on flickr. He's got some beautiful shots of Starfish, for all you visual junkies. It brings me great joy when a musician is appreciating one of these creations.

Goran has obviously kept the guitar in pristine condition. Side note to clients — don't ever hesitate to contact me with technical or maintenance questions.

Rick Toone

2008-07-16T21:42:00-04:00

Have you ever met your double?

Most movie stars have a double. I was an extra (colonial militia) on the set of Mel Gibson's The Patriot, the only feature film I have been involved with, and watched in fascination as Roland Emmerich primarily used Mel's body double when setting up camera and lighting. Saves wear and tear on the main actor during grueling filming days. The two individuals were nearly identical in build, and had very similar facial features. Both men were also quite affable.

Touring Colonial Williamsburg in 1990, I entered the wheelwright's shop and did a complete double take as I nearly bumped into myself wearing 18th century clothing, and about 15 years older. Mannerisms, looks, build, etc.

Really eerie.

Alright, now what about on the web?

I tend to think of myself as "Rick Toone" because that's the label I've had since 1967. But there are other Rick Toones in the world. Google me and you'll see. And it's quite likely each one of them thinks of himself (herself?) as Rick Toone.

The web is akin to a rainforest clearing. At some future point the forest will reach homeostasis, with stratified layers of vegetation, but right now it's a free-for-all as competing saplings grapple for Google's sunlight. And every day, new people around the globe join our electronic community. And most parents — excluding Frank Zappa — are lacking creativity.

So that means there's another YOU in the world.

Is this a problem? It all depends.

• What if you live in the same region?
• What if you are of similar age?
• What if you are in similar fields of employment?

Now...what if your double calls your business contacts and attempts to pass himself (herself) off as you?

Changes things, doesn't it?

I don't have a solution.

I have no way to prove I'm me. You could always check the barcode tattooed inside my skull. But that's a relatively invasive procedure. I could auction my identity and start over. Tempting.

So what do you plan to do?

Ah, well. It could be worse. You could be Seth or Satch. I have long suspected one is the other's alter ego. Has anyone seen them both in the same place, at the same time?

Non-Replication Proclamation

2008-07-14T22:55:48-04:00

Dasha Karandasheva, bassist for ZEN-ZEN-ZEN (Moscow, Russia) wrote me a very kind email today:

"Hi, Rick!
I have visited your site — this is really 'something different'.

My name is Dasha. I'm from Russia, Moscow.
I wold like to translate some information from your site into russian language — about you and your project, and then put it into russian bassplayer community.

Don't you mind?

And please, say — what do you realise, think, feel after all these years of making such a project?

I would like to know — what is inspiring you to make all this work — making design and build every instrument by hand?"

Hers is actually a very interesting question. Deceptively simple. I thought about what she wrote, while out splashing around in the mud on my mountain bike this afternoon, and realized the answer is complex.

It begins with labels.

(I'll plug myself into the equation. Feel free to substitute yourself.)

Human social institutions seek to quantify us: "Rick Toone is American. Agnostic. Libertarian. Married." Science seeks to qualify us: "Homo sapiens. Male. Caucasian. 6' 2" 185 lbs. Auburn hair. Blue eyes." We seek to identify ourselves: "I'm a luthier. Philosopher. Conservationist." As you read, an image of me forms in your brain, based on these "statistics."

A label.

And while labels are useful abstractions for representing categories of people, they are poor substitutes for recognizing individual human experience. The sights, smells, sounds...thoughts...feelings...during my bike ride today were unique and unrepeatable. Non-transferable. Even if you had been with me today, your experience would have been different. I cannot share my consciousness with you.

Which brings us to art.

Art is the most sophisticated tool we have for attempting to communicate consciousness. Using art we can communicate across both space and time. We can communicate across cultures. And music — alone among the arts — is so adept we can communicate between species...

Although Ludwig van Beethoven wrote Symphony No. 5 almost two hundred years ago, on a different continent, speaking a different language from me, as I listened today to Leonard Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic in 1961, I could feel Beethoven's consciousness. His sense of life.

And when I later "meowed" the melodies to my one eyed cat, I had his unblinking attention. He was quite literally mesmerized. When I switched to Radiohead, he lost interest and rubbed against my legs. Beethoven communicated to him. Why?

So how does this relate to lutherie?

My premise is the musician's instrument directly translates your musical thought — feeling, emotion — into physical sound waves. This is where imagination meets communication. The tool should be an extension of the musician, of your body. Your lifetime of skills intersects with my lifetime of skills. A collaboration between us, as artists. As unique and unrepeatable as your experience, your life.

Distinctiveness and replication are antitheses.

A one-off hand built instrument is by definition non-replicable. Guernica stands alone.

Scarcity has value.

Eulogy

2008-06-27T13:13:02-04:00

Richard George Storer
February 22, 1965 — June 15, 2008

I'm saddened to report the loss of my dear friend Dale Storer's older brother, George.

Dale and I go back to 1982, and he and Monster go back a decade further than that. Whenever I get together with these two, my cheek muscles literally ache from laughing by the end of the night.

"The scoutmaster had two guns and didn’t call ‘CLEAR!' before firing the .38 pistol. My brother and a friend were out behind the target digging slugs since that was the way to impress the other scouts by how much lead you had. The shot ricocheted off of a tree before hitting him in the hamstring and the calf and finally resting in the mound. He told me that what was scarier was the crowd of scouts running at him at full sprint with ‘Merit badges gleaming in their eyes’ and pulling out their pocket knives. It took three of them sitting on him to hold him still so they could ‘field dress’ his wounds."

And both of these guys play musical circles around me...a chase I will never win. So often musicianship and friendship are enduringly and inextricably intertwined.

Sunrise

2008-06-25T04:45:08-04:00

Our proximate star isn't scheduled to illuminate my locale until 5:31 AM EST. It is still dark here (except for the moon) yet precisely six minutes ago (4:38 AM) at least five distinct species of non-domestic birds simultaneously began vocalization.

I wonder what they know that we don't?

Just looking at the word "sun" a moment ago, I realized the word has become a symbol. My brain has neatly categorized the concept of "sun" and, during conscious normal waking hours, simply references — and dismisses — the reality, using this abstract linguistic representation. It's become the Crayola Yellow bisected semicircle in the upper right corner of a third grader's drawing.

Forgetting this astonishing and terrifying hydrogen fusion reactor is seven minutes away by light particle as our watery sphere cracks the whip through a sub-zero vacuum at 18.5 miles per second.

I've been taking my life for granted.

"Explosive, sustained action!" — C4

2008-06-19T08:46:13-04:00

(sonorous voice-over)

Combining ground breaking special effects mixed with extended live action sequences, this latest film masterpiece from TOONE GUITARS will undoubtedly earn a hallowed position in the annals of post-deconstructionist lutherie theory. Enthralling for the entire family.

The reviews are in:

"A performance on par with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in Fight Club." — Soap Makers Digest
"Social criticism as cutting as American Beauty. Toone delivers with a nuanced subtlety comparable to Kevin Spacey." — Realty Today

"The antidote to Marxism." — Pravda

"Pitch perfect!" — Atonal Monthly

Although honored by the praise, I think you should see this film and judge for yourself...

DOVE SERIES:

Dove Takes Flight
Dovetail
Hip Hole
"Black & White" vs. "Shades of Gray"
"Explosive, sustained action!"

Alex Lifeson Guitar Lessons

2008-06-17T11:08:34-04:00

Christmas, 1981 landed a cassette of Rush's Moving Pictures in my stocking which had been hung by the chimney (with care). Delighted by Santa's thoughtfulness, within minutes the recording found a permanent home in the cassette deck of my Aiwa boombox.

A few months prior I had bought a mahogany plywood Les Paul clone for $75 from my cousin, Scott Baker. He'd tried guitar, but hated it, returning immediately to design which has always been his first love.

The guitar came with a small solid-state amp that was never loud or distorted enough for my taste. Somehow I discovered if I patched cables from my standalone Panasonic cassette deck into the Aiwa, then back out to the guitar amp, and plugged the guitar into the Panasonic (while hitting Record|Pause|Play) I could use the source input knob on the Panasonic to dial in a gorgeous smooth distortion with unlimited gain. Some sort of unholy feedback loop. Even better, I had surround sound as speakers on both the Aiwa and the guitar amp broadcast my playing...mixed with Moving Pictures.

Eternal Glory!

Only problem is I couldn't yet play guitar. But the first song on Side 2 of Moving Pictures was The Camera Eye, which featured sustained guitar notes in a deceptively simple melody. First, I could tune to the song. Second, the notes came at me slow enough I could hunt around on the fretboard until I matched pitch. There was no Guitar Hero, and I didn't know how to read music or tab.

Trial and error as I slowly built fingertip calluses, wearing the fidelity of the cassette down to mud with pause & rewind. I finally mastered the song, even the wrist-breaking odd-time signature 12-string rhythm part, and meandering pitch bends in the solo.

I've long since forgotten those subtle nuances, but Alex's playing inspired and shaped my own music. I learned his love for suspended chords, unusual time signatures, and abstract intricate textures.

But here's the point.

Think how much fun it would have been if I could have learned directly from Alex. Using hi-def close-up video. Watching this brings back a flood of memories. Sure, "good old days" and all that, but — with technology like iVideosongs — the present is even better.

Boring Into Chinglish

2008-06-14T13:52:15-04:00

Everyone here knows what a drill press is, right? Anyway, I want one. A really good one. So I googled "precision drill press + reviews" and clicked on a likely candidate. Photos...good.

Text...text...huh?

At first I thought my IQ had dropped 100 points or I'd lost all reading comprehension skills. The words read like English, but had no logic. It took several moments of incomprehension before I realized the meaning had been lost in translation.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Not the film. But like the film. One of my favorites, actually. Superb interplay between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. Subtle and immersive setting.]

My first accidental chinglishing.

Chinglish could almost be considered a sport, by this point. If you ever need to belly laugh just go on a Chinglish web crawl. Something about the way the two languages cross meanings...makes you wonder if the Chinese have as much fun with this as we do. Let's start with the page I landed on:

"When you're through boring, simply soda pop come out the removable refuge shift to foreclose wildcat habituate."
Always a good idea to habituate wildcats.

"Enclosed orb heading quill pen assemblage by with the help of a long time arbor move around."
Oooh...great techno lyrics.

"Rugged nerve ram down is goaded by machined shackle."
Operated by a nude man in a leather dog collar, naturally.

"3-3/8 apoplexy as antidote to rich hole out applications."
What I would do if I were facing the end of civilization as we know it.

"Changing speeds is as unsubdivided as adjusting the belted ammunition on the pulley block."
This explains the recent rise in the number of Taleban machinists ordering drill presses.

"The adjustable-position lockup deepness halt testament use up the discommode come out of the book of job."
May the Lord be with your drill press.

Feel free to continue the tour. I'd recommend flickr.

Madness in the Spring

2008-06-11T11:05:19-04:00

Spring teeters on the cusp of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and — along with most other species who reproduce sexually — we naked apes have only one thing on our mind...

BOOTIE CALL!

Rationalize or intellectualize it all you want. Even Emily Dickinson contemplated flows of chemical currents from the relative safety of her Amherst garret:

"A little madness in the spring
is wholesome even for the King.
But God be with the Clown —
who ponders this tremendous scene —
this whole experiment of green —
as if it were his own!"
— Emily Dickinson

Frolicsome sexual exuberance extends right across the pond, to the UK. Not ten minutes ago, my trans-atlantic co-conspirator in musical mayhem (the immortal "G") landed this delicious ditty in my email...Sir Mixalot's 1992 hip-hop classic Baby Got Back. Transmogrified by Jonathan Coulton.

As performed by G, himself.

On ukulele...

Baby Got Back (G's) MP3
"I like big butts and I can not lie
you other brothers can't deny
girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
and a round thing in your face
you get sprung

you want to pull out tough
you've seen that that butt is stuffed
into the jeans she's wearing
you're cooked and you can't stop staring

oh, I wanna get wit' ya
take your pretty picture
my homeboys tried to warn me
but that butt you got makes me so horny

mmm, baby got back
mmm, baby got back"

— Sir Mixalot

If we are referencing superior derrieres, there is only one penultimate stop before leaving our world on a quest for erotic aliens: Hot Dancing to Art Bell Song...(video)...

[EDITOR'S NOTE: For those of you out of the loop, Art Bell is founder of Coast to Coast AM, a late-night radio show broadcasting paranormal explorations from far out in the Nevada desert.]

...this female absolutely channels Sybill Trelawney straight into the beyond. A mating dance energetic enough for the combined legends of Robert Plant & David Lee Roth. Her pelvic disarticulation is mesmerizing.

As I've said, it's Spring. Stand back.

Political advice from 2,000 years ago...

2008-06-09T10:49:47-04:00

Thinking about our current crop of U.S. politicians seeking the blue pinstriped suit. How would they rank?

"The greatest leader is one of whose existence the people are barely aware.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Least is one whom they despise and defy.
"When you lack faith in the people,
The people will lack faith in you.

"The Sage is self-effacing and sparse with words.
When his goals are accomplished and tasks completed,
All the people will say, 'We have achieved it ourselves!'"

— Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching

"Black & White" vs. "Shades of Gray"

2008-06-04T09:06:52-04:00

Two idioms for contrasting outlooks on life. But really, both reference the same monochromatic scheme.

How did that happen?

As I wander (walk. jog. sprint.) through life I've discovered a nifty principle that sometimes works: switch back and forth between the two. If your fishing vessel of life is navigating a fog bank off the coast of Newfoundland (shades of gray), increase the contrast filter until intermediate shades vanish and navigational decisions become suddenly stark (black & white).

In lutherie, I often photograph progress then change color modes in Photoshop, allowing me to see an instrument in shades of gray. Contours emerge, without the distractions of color.

I am deeply immersed in refining Dove's angles and curves. Have a look.

DOVE SERIES:

Dove Takes Flight
Dovetail
Hip Hole
"Black & White" vs. "Shades of Gray"
"Explosive, sustained action!"

Daniel Hecht

2008-05-31T12:48:16-04:00

March of the Trolls is a reference to Daniel Hecht's song by the same name on his album, Willow. I tossed it out there on my previous post to see if any readers would catch the reference. No one did.

And that's the problem.

Willow is a gorgeous collection of 6 & 12 string acoustic guitar tracks recorded and released by Windham Hill Records, in 1980. The album is long since out of print, which is a real shame, as Daniel is one of the influential contemporaries of what I would call modern steel string instrumentalism which began to reach a wider audience with Michael Hedges and Alex DeGrassi, who followed Leo Kottke's american primitive guitar movement.

I gladly paid $60 on Amazon for a mint condition used CD of Willow. And to me, this highlights an important issue. How much excellent music will be lost, over time, because it is out of print and unable to seek an audience through standard distribution channels?

Hecht's playing is extraordinary, very intricate, incredibly difficult to emulate, yet melodically accessible to the listener. I don't know if video exists of him performing, but my fellow musicians will appreciate his skill. I'll post two excerpts here in hopes that — with enough audience demand — the current copyright holder (unknown) will consider re-releasing Willow:

Afternoon Postlude Soliloquy MP3
March of the Trolls MP3

Hecht retired from music soon after recording Willow, in part due to injuries sustained from performing, a form of repetitive stress injury (RSI). From his website:

"Q: You were a guitarist who played twice at Carnegie Hall, recorded three solo albums of your own compositions — including the popular Willow on Windham Hill Records — and performed hundreds of concerts throughout the United States, Europe, and China. Why did you stop playing?
"A: A medical condition affected my hands and made playing very difficult, even when I was an active performer; by 1986, it was getting just about impossible. Giving up the guitar was really tough, but, looking back, I’m glad I did. For one thing, my compositions were very “athletic” and required constant practice, and I never seemed to get as good as I wanted to be. More importantly, I was deflected into writing, which I consider my true calling. Telling stories comes naturally to me — even my guitar pieces were more “narratives” than “tunes” — and I seem to have an inexhaustible fund of ideas, observations, and passions to draw upon."

He is now an acclaimed full-time novelist. Which reminds me, I want to read one of his works. Daniel, I just want to thank you for the excellent music. Your contributions are appreciated, and missed.

March of the Trolls

2008-05-28T10:30:27-04:00

As an adamant advocate of freedom of speech, I've had to rethink my position regarding censorship recently, in reaction to comments left by one or two angry visitors. Amazingly, their anger was not provoked by anything I've written — discussing values or controversial topics — but instead by pricing.

Pricing and construction techniques.

To paraphrase the content (albeit not the tone) of the comments: "Hand built custom instruments are pointless because it's cheaper to purchase a mass produced instrument."

Because the written word is always a reflection of the writer's value judgments and moral structure — a revelation of character — I thought it worth contemplating possible motives for wanting to leave a derogatory comment. Why would someone (vehemently) object to the concept of a custom instrument?

1. Price — Not everyone can afford a custom instrument. Completely understandable, and no disparagement will be forthcoming from me. I've been there. If however, circumstances or priorities change, let's talk. I want to put instruments in the hands of musicians who are making a difference. But mass produced instruments, as we all know, are not necessarily less expensive.
2. Education — Lack of knowledge about the benefits of custom: personalized fit to increase skill or reduce injury, distinctive tone or aesthetic representation to differentiate your art in a competitive field, investment appreciation due to accrued value. One purpose of this website is to educate.

3. Tradition — Some prefer familiar and established norms (valid perspective). And some do not. I'm interested in building instruments for those who are seeking to push in new directions.

Perhaps I've missed something.

Perhaps these are just angry people who just want to wreak havoc for pleasure, trolls in net vernacular. Really, though, I can't help but think most "true" trolls — though unseen — would be easily identified by one prominent physical characteristic:

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on..."
— Shakespeare

So, to return to censorship...I've enabled moderated comments. Not to stifle dissenting points of view, but to limit our discussion to the topic at hand: exploring the design, construction and ergonomic nuances of custom instruments.

This community was established on the assumption custom instruments are merited.

Hip Hole

2008-05-23T10:29:11-04:00

At 6'2" 185 lbs. I'm not exactly "bony" but I notice most electric guitars and basses rest — or bang if I'm jumping around the stage (not that I would do that) — against the upper part of my pelvis. My Iliac crest, to be precise.

Oh, agony! Why should I suffer like this?!

(not really, but you get my point)

Women have it worse. By happy accident of nature, they tend to be the ones who bear children, and thus — as a compensatory mechanism — possess a pelvis suitable for accommodating a fetus. Even a nine pound squirming one, as my sister-in-law just experienced. When mixed with bipedalism, one ensuing result is the female Homo sapiens sapiens has an even more prominent Iliac crest than the male.

As you know, the solid body instruments I build tend toward sculptural. I'm always playing with the form, in an effort to wrap the instrument around the musician's body. In conceptualizing Dove, I thought it might be interesting to create an additional cavity on the concave back of the instrument specifically to accommodate the pelvis.

Ah, heck — why not really experiment — and continue the cavity through to the front of the instrument? Make it an aesthetic feature as well. Differentiate the abstract dove's "wing" from her "body."

A structural hole. Hip hole.

DOVE SERIES:

Dove Takes Flight
Dovetail
Hip Hole
"Black & White" vs. "Shades of Gray"
"Explosive, sustained action!"

Dovetail

2008-05-13T11:27:19-04:00

My ancestors settled in New Jersey in 1680. They were members of the Society of Friends, known to most folks as Quakers. Although the last of our practicing family members has recently died, and I am not religious, I nonetheless retain several prominent characteristics of my forebears:

1. A disdain for frivolous ornamentation
2. A penchant for egalitarianism manifested as a deeply held belief in non-interventionism

Which brings us to Dove.

As I transmogrified Orchid (the bass) into Dove (the guitar), the shape evolved toward abstract representation of a dove in flight. A dove is a symbol of peace, and provided a wonderful opportunity to extend the metaphor. "What if," I thought, "I just make the entire instrument symbolic of peace...peace as achieved through non-interventionism?"

So I decided to use (as much as possible) local resources. The cherry is part of a local tree I bought from an old-time local sawmill. The walnut & curly maple are sustainable North American hardwoods, obtained regionally. Why not build a gorgeous instrument with distinctive timbre, that doesn't require exotic tropical African species?

So, in thinking about the neck-into-body joint, I decided a dovetail was the perfect choice: incredibly solid, a traditional Quaker design & construction element, and correlating to our dove metaphor. Dovetail joints set forces in opposition, achieving a net-neutral balance that does not derive strength from glues or fasteners. A dovetailed joint on a furniture drawer can easily last for centuries.

This particular joint is a variant of the sliding dovetail. To further strengthen the joint, however, it is an asymmetrical sliding dovetail, such that the tension of the strings further tightens the grip of the surfaces. Due to the geometric complexity, I had to cut the joint by hand, with chisels. Because the joint seams are exposed on the front and back of the instrument, the workmanship had to be very precise: a process requiring many hours of labor. I enjoyed this challenge though. Once the joint was fitted and glued, I added walnut inlay for additional strength, visual contrast and interest. (click images to enlarge)

DOVE SERIES:

Dove Takes Flight
Dovetail
Hip Hole
"Black & White" vs. "Shades of Gray"
"Explosive, sustained action!"

Philosophy Defined

2008-05-12T11:29:44-04:00

This was sparked by a conversation with Tricia, related to a new classroom management strategy she is introducing to her students this week. We were grasping for language to take the sting, the fear, out of abstract concepts.

So many people seem to tense up — like deer in the headlights — when "philosophy" is mentioned, as if the word implies an insurmountable, intractable, obstacle. But it's not. Philosophy is fun. And necessary for exploring possible outcomes.

Are you ready?

Philosophy is logic applied to imagination.

Simple, eh?

Dove Takes Flight

2008-05-09T14:27:16-04:00

(expect endless word play on this one)

Meet Dove, 6-string electric guitar. As you can see from the rough body blank, Dove is derived from Orchid, but shaped to be particularly comfortable in classical position for guitarists. We will explore the ergonomic thinking in detail next week.

My "model" (Tricia) is very small: 5' 2" 118 lbs.

The neck is set into the body via an asymmetrical dovetail joint at the 18th fret, placing the single coil Lace Alumitone pickup at the 19th fret, which is a really sweet harmonic. The audience for this instrument will not be interested in soloing above A anyway....pure tone. Fanned fret Fender/PRS (25.5"/25") combined scale length.

Woods are all locally grown North American hardwoods: figured cherry (body & neck), walnut (accents) and curly maple (fretboard & headstock veneer).

FYI factoids about Dove:

1. Sustainable construction: woods, metals, finishes
2. Fender scale but reconfigured to fit a woman's shorter reach
3. Specifically designed for three playing positions: standing, seated, modified classical
4. Asymmetrical trapezoid neck
5. Slotted headstock with cast bronze Waverly tuners
6. Alumitone pickups
7. Titanium and bronze bridge
8. Fun aesthetic mix of modern and traditional...

DOVE SERIES:

Dove Takes Flight
Dovetail
Hip Hole
"Black & White" vs. "Shades of Gray"
"Explosive, sustained action!"

Lever Tuning System

2008-04-18T09:39:28-04:00

Back in February, when Monster and I evaluated Orchid, we agreed that a body-mounted tuning system would be beneficial, particularly in a 5-string model. It gives the luthier more design control over instrument balance, and moves the process of tuning to the plucking/picking hand, leaving the other free to fret.

a. less movement = more efficiency
b. efficiency = comfort

Over the years I've seen many variations on body-mounted tuners, the two most notable examples: Steinberger, and Kubicki. Both are simple machines: Steinberger based on a screw, Kubiki based on a pulley.

NOTE: Headstock-mounted tuners are (mostly) based on gears, a level of complexity beyond "simple" machine.

Both designs are elegant: Steinberger a compact monolith of efficiency, Kubiki a clever and intricate self-contained world of ingenuity. But I wanted something different. Something original to match the originality of Headless Monster. Something with potential to be better than previous designs.

Goals for my design:

1. Simple machine (manufacturing simplicity)
2. Virtually indestructible (Pete Townshend)
3. Works in any conditions (under water, sand storm, etc.)
4. Self-explanatory (use & adjustment)
5. Easy maintenance (graphite & go)
6. Lightweight (design simplicity)
7. Ergonomic
8. Zero-play mechanism (no sloppiness or slack)

So, I decided on a first-class lever.

I built a crude prototype (photos below) and experimented with the fulcrum position until I was able to comfortably tune a (bass) E string to pitch using just my fingers against the lever...in fact, the screw is simply a locking mechanism to hold the string at a given pitch. It's really fun to take a slack bass string and — bwriong — pull it to pitch.

The drawing represents my thoughts-of-the-moment. I'm developing prototype headstock termination points and saddle concepts. All parts of stainless steel, requiring several human lifetimes to wear out. Aircraft-grade aluminum would be a second choice.

More anon.

HEADLESS MONSTER SERIES:

Headless Monster
Lever Tuning System
Asymmetrical Trapezoidal Neck Profile
Um...