What's up, Jack?

Let's continue with our discussion about guitar and bass control shielding.

Alex had suggested leaving copper exposed could be an interesting design feature. His comment sparked a whole new thought process and I found myself agreeing with him — it seemed a shame to invest many hours into beautiful craftsmanship that would be hidden. So I've actually modified Simplicity's design to feature the shielding.

The copper shields will be firmly clamped in position by stainless steel plates and screws. Next I will contour the swamp ash guitar body, leaving portions of the shielding exposed. The test piece had a fascinating look as the copper seems reminiscent of an ancient structure emerging from an eroded landscape. The ergonomic advantage is I'm free to sculpt the body as desired, without constraints of access plates.

It will no doubt be interesting to observe public reaction.

Looking at the photographs, one might wonder why there are TWO holes in the upper bout. Ah, I thought you'd ask! Obviously, the lower bout holes are tone and volume. The larger of the upper bout holes is for the Switchcraft 3-way straight toggle. The smaller of the upper bout holes is...

EDITOR'S NOTE: A perfect example of problem vs. solution innovation.

...instead of telling you, we'll pose two questions:

1. What necessary accessory of every electric instrument is a constant annoyance, always in the way, especially so when sitting or in conjunction with body-mounted tuning systems?

2. What frequently used accessory of both acoustic and electric instruments is so comfortable and familiar to us that we never even think about it?

LEARN MORE: Simplicity

Comments

[Sam Ley]

I share your love of good knobs. I was spoiled early on by my pro audio mixing mentor who appreciated good equipment. The feel of a 3" diameter machined aluminum knob on a weighted stepped attenuator was fixed in my mind quite early. Nothing else really compares. As in software design, "Pay attention to the interface, and all else will follow."

With all the work you've done on shielding it is likely you've already been down this road, but have you ever evaluated the "spray on" shielding products, like Super Shield? http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/841.html It is basically a sprayable nickle-flake paint for shielding electronics. I've used it for electrically conductive graffiti (light up!) but its most common use is shielding plastic electronics or stereo enclosures. I'm planning on using it to shield the interior of some all-ceramic enclosure hifi amps I'm working on.

[Cameron llewellyn]

Won't the copper turn green?.....

[Rick Toone]

Copper typically turns green with exposure to outside elements. What is more likely it the copper will oxidize, changing from bright copper to uniform brown, like an old penny. It could also be polished and maintained as brightwork.

[Alberto Muti]

Mmh..

1: Jack plug

2: Strap lock?

...Wow, i like where this is going.

I'd vote for the shiny copper, anyway

[Alex]

This is going to look good! Like fossils poking out of a stone. BTW, those aren't the original copper cylinders you made, are they? They seem to have rounder edges and there's no visible solder on them.

Letting the copper oxidize should look well with the swamp ash. Especially if the wear of everyday use leaves the edges and corners of the shields shiny.

I'll follow this build eagerly. Can't wait to see how it will look once the edges have been shaped.

/Alex

[Rick Toone]

Sam — thanks for the suggestion. Knowing you, the light-up graffiti is some pretty sophisticated stuff...I'd love to see photos.

Alex — actually those are the original copper cylinders, but with rounded edges. Contoured tops will make a nice look as well as surface to touch. Silver solder joints are precise and nearly vanished once the cylinders were shaped.

I did experiment with the pipe caps (as per Martin's suggestion) and they work quite well, but require substantial modification due to the manufacturing flare (for ease of fit). Thanks, Martin.

[Rob]

Hmmm...Spider sense tingling...

Cables are annoying, and we never think about straps...

Could it be that you plan to place an endpin jack on the upper bout, having the cable run through the strap to hang down your back, out of the way of your feet?

Having the sheilding be visible is a really neat touch. Your work never fails to amaze me.

[Rick Toone]

Rob — very clever. You are the first to fully grasp the concept. Nice deductive reasoning.

[Stan P]

Awesome guitar! Was it built for a customer or just for your own enjoyment? What would it cost? What are scale lengths on bass and treble sides?

[Rick Toone]

Stan — Thanks very much. I started the project as a test platform for my new Simplicity tuning system, but one of my friends saw it and bought it, mid-construction.

So now I'm completing the guitar to his specifications.

It's one of my favorites. Very comfortable with rock solid tuning and intonation. The Toone & Townsend hardware is unparalleled. Scale lengths are 26" bass with 24.5" treble.

LINK: http://www.toone-townsend.com/treble.html

Pricing will depend on features and options, but I expect a non-figured body wood version with simplified electronics would be in the $4,500 range (custom Calzone flight case included).

I will have more exact pricing in a month or so. Feel free to email me. Cheers!

[Stan P]

Rick, thank you for reply. I am thinking of a specialized guitar for 5ths tuning with radically fanned frets. The ergonomics are extremely important due to need to stretch over 6-7 frets! This may be a really cool platform for it!