Bio

Exploration

Rick Toone is designing instruments to fit the human body.

He holds patents for Trapezoid Neck Profile™ and Intersecting Neck Profile™ both radical departures from conventional neck shapes, created to maximize biomechanical leverage in the human hand. He holds a patent for the Neutral Tension Bridge™ which eliminates string tension on acoustic instrument soundboards, allowing reduced bracing to capture and transmit full string vibration.

Rick has patents pending on headless intonation and tuning hardware, including the Intonation Adjustable Nut™ capable of accurately setting intonation and string height per individual string — works in conjunction with his Intonation Cantilever Bridge™ and precise body-mounted tuning mechanism. As a combined system, this integrated hardware fully controls tuning and intonation over the entire length of the string.

Rick is a bespoke luthier, creating and building fine instruments fitted to your needs as a musician. He is also a songwriter and musician.

When you commission an instrument, you can expect to work closely with him, exploring all aspects of your interaction with your instrument. Posture, playing technique, lingering injuries or discomforts will all be addressed, as the instrument is fitted to your body, musical style, and amplification system. Instruments are built by hand, in New Jersey, USA.

Press

• The Making of Orchid
(Corey Brown for www.notreble.com)

• Hand-crafted pirate guitar comes with built-in rum flask
(Boing Boing)

• Interview: Rick Toone | Luthier
(Dennis Yates)

• Alexandria Township guitar maker builds for musicians around the world
(Teresa Fasanello for Hunterdon County Democrat)

• 500: Guitars: A Definitive A-Z Guide
(Gavin Wilson)

PHOTO: George Pacciello (Hunterdon County Democrat)