Rick Toone | Luthier

Guitar Design for Pirates

EDITOR'S NOTE: Transcription of conversation between G and Rick...

Toone: "I'm thinking about piracy."

G: "Resist the urge to go with an eyepatch. While undeniably rakish, it is also guaranteed to adversely affect your depth perception. I can heartily recommend a selection of smouldering fuses in the beard, however."

Toone: "Wondering, though, about potential fire hazard of open flame in proximity to hair? Especially combustible hair, smeared with oh, say, chicken grease."

G: "I find the nature of a smouldering fuse is to quietly smoke rather than burn gaily. By the same token, their spontaneous ignition is also somewhat rare. Unless you foresee yourself in circumstances where a third party will be ardently blowing upon your greasy, fuse-infused beard, I would not expect it to be much of a problem."

G: (cont.) "I made my first ever christmas pudding at the weekend. It resembles, in no small measure, a fair-sized cannonball. I am heartily pleased."

Toone: "My concern with the fuse was due mostly to standing on the quarterdeck in a stiff breeze, having just eaten a whole roasted chicken. And possibly having imbibed a bottle or two of wine (don't like rum). Perhaps it would be wise to train a parrot to pluck the fuse if it burns within an inch or two of my beard?"

Toone: (cont.) "I've not yet made an edible cannonball. Congratulations. But I am working on a guitar body shaped like the Jolly Roger."

G: "Ah, and so the circle completes. Sounds super. Or even jolly, for that matter. Any pictures yet?"

LEARN MORE: Skele

Uni-Neck

Skele is a prototype run amok.

In preparation for the mechanical complexities of Cupid, I wanted to build a test neck incorporating titanium tubing from headstock to bridge. I have long been violently opposed — Rebel! — to the stupidity of digging a pit in the highly stressed primary coupling area between the neck and body. All for the whim of screwing a pickup in the crater.

Obviously it's worked for the last 50+ years.

But that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

A one piece neck structure IS a good idea. Light, stiff, resonant, stable. Much faster and easier to build. The only adjustment is string height at the bridge. No joint hump. No dead spots. In comparison, a typical bolt-on (or glue in) neck is much like trying to land a Banshee on the deck of an aircraft carrier in a hurricane. Why are we so invested in 1950's thinking?

Pickup technology has been the limiting factor.

But the times, they are a changin'.

Because I wanted an apple-apples comparison, and because I have a premium chambered swamp ash 'Tele laying around the shop for test purposes, it seemed a good idea to create an easily accessed body in a familiar shape. Something to facilitate rapid pickup swaps. Ahem. NEW style pickup swaps.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rick does not duplicate others' instrument designs for profit.

With the body crudely built from birch plywood and ripped 2x4 structural bracing, you can imagine my surprise when I hit the first chord after stringing up Skele. Everything was in thirds. One third less weight. One third louder volume. One third longer sustain. The plywood honeycomb acts as an acoustic soundboard amplifying the resonant Uni-Neck.

I'm in love. So much so that this week I will design and build a "serious" body to better match this experimental neck. Here's what you're looking at:

• curly maple Uni-Neck with titanium tube core
• Trapezoidal Neck Profile
• ebony fretboard
• stainless steel frets
• bone nut
• Waverly bronze tuners
• forged titanium bridge and hardware

LEARN MORE: Skele

Brett Garsed

Speaking of progressive jazz fusion, I was researching guitar pickup designs and stumbled upon a clip of Garsed's playing on DiMarzio's website under 'Tele-style pickups. Had to pick my ears up off the floor.

Why had I never heard him before?!

I immediately bought several copies of Big Sky (2002) to give to friends. What a gorgeous fluid recording of instrumental trio Brett Garsed (guitar), Ric Fierabracci (fretless) and Toss Panos (drums). One of those rare albums where all the players are equally masters...and have musical chemistry.

I don't know where this music fits. Without the web, I don't know how he would find an audience, especially in the 'States. Radio? No way. I'm lucky to have discovered him.

Inspiring music to listen to here in the lutherie design studio.

Cupid Guitar

Cupid is the culmination of an intense design collaboration. The client has sophisticated aesthetic sensibilities and a musical repertoire centered on progressive jazz fusion.

Philosophically, I think of this instrument as a contemporary ergonomic reinterpretation of the semi-hollow body electric. I've always loved the Gibson ES-335's ability to jump from smooth & clean into a distorted organic hollow-wooded feedback howl. Cupid will twang its bowstrings in like sonic spaces.

The cosmetic details are still in flux, but the shape will likely be as represented in the images below. Sculpted solid body (claro walnut) electric guitar with a resonant acoustic (flame maple) sound chamber. Titanium neck structure, including headstock hanging ring. Some surprising and innovative mechanics, which we will discuss in subsequent posts.

Electronics are a bold leap into the future, anchored by GraphTech's FloydRose LB63 Ghost system with Acousti-phonic and Hexpander midi/modeling capabilities. Plus some surprises.

Upper image daydreams color combinations. Lower image models in scale with clay, to aid visualization of sculptural complexities.

LEARN MORE: Cupid

 

Fender Blues Junior Amp Review

It's rare to find such honesty in a product review. Even for one of the most widely played tube guitar amps in the world. Felix the Cat, thanks for the belly laugh:

"...hitting the first note of 'Flight of the Bumblebee' (1/2048th notes) my front door crashed down and hundreds of the world's most beautiful supermodels streamed through the doorway screaming in one chorus: "I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU! I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES!! MAKE LOVE TO ME NOW!!!" Wow, I was really surprised. That's how good this amp sounds."