#13 is the second build that includes a piezo loaded bridge. #9 was the first, but the time from completion to delivery was so short that I had little time to play around with them. This time, I have tried them through a couple of different amps and am very impressed. Here are a few pictures of the work that goes into installing them – it is fairly manual labor since having custom saddles manufactured becomes reasonably priced only when the quantity is very high. I start with GraphTech piezo equipped saddles for Wilkinson tremolos and saw off just the front portion. I then put them up in the milling machine and mill them down to the correct thickness. The next step is to shape them roughly. I usually do this on a Dremel with a disc grinder. I make sure the fit into the custom bridge/tuner housings. These have been modified from the original by having a slot where the saddle would normally sit, and a hole for the wire to go through. Next, after some final finishing work, is installing them into the guitar. I now rout a gradually deeper channel under the bridges themselves. Each cable is hidden under the next bridge, ensuring there is some...
Learn MoreLess than a week to go until NAMM 2012 starts. Make sure to stop by booth #1219, situated in Hall E, to check out 7-string #22 with the new patent pending EndurNeck(tm) profile, as well as the piezo-equipped, IPNP(tm) (licensed from Rick Toone) fitted 8-string #13. Strandberg Guitarworks is sharing a booth with Toone & Townsend, the brainchild of luthier Rick Toone and Townsend Machine. You will see the state of the art when it comes to headless hardware and contemporary guitar...
Learn MoreI am proud to present the first result of a collaboration with Al Mu’min of the HAARP Machine, and the subject of my first ever patent application, the EndurNeck! The EndurNeck allows you to play longer, faster and better by providing not only better support for the muscles and tendons of your fingers, palm, and forearm, but also acts as a guide that helps you straighten your wrist when playing the lower frets. Drawing on concepts like Jerome Little’s Torzal Natural Twist and Rick Toone’s Trapezoid Neck Profile, the EndurNeck is a brand new innovation that requires no special tools or techniques to manufacture or maintain. The key is a cross section that forms an asymmetric trapezoid, leaning towards your thumb at the headstock end and one that leans towards your palm at the body end. This means two things: 1) when playing in a classical pinch grip, the surface that supports your palm moves gradually closer to the bottom of the neck, meaning that it is easier to reach around the neck with your fingers and 2) when pressing your thumb against the upper surface of the profile, its gradually sharper angle near the headstock helps straighten your wrist and the gradually more shallow angle near the body again...
Learn MoreThe long awaited bass tuners are finished! As soon as a critical mass of orders has been achieved, a production run will be done. Introductory price will be 550 SEK/string (+VAT if applicable) including string lock. Standard finish will be the same satin black as the guitar tuners. Custom color options include chrome (pictured below), gold plating, and colored anodization (blue, red, yellow, brown, purple, and other colors available) at an additional cost. E-mail your orders and I will send a PayPal invoice requesting a deposit at 50% of the order cost to secure your order. Delivery date depends on how quickly the orders come in, but should be expected at least the first half of...
Learn MoreHere are some vital stats about the bass tuners: The diameter of the tuner housing itself is 15 mm, and the recommended minimum string spacing at the bridge is 16 mm. Minimum string spacing with the string locks mounted in a straight line is 8 mm, although by shifting them, it is possible to get a tighter string spacing. Minimum string height off face of instrument (although it is recommended that the bridges are recessed into the top in the desired radius to match the fingerboard) is 16 mm and the adjustment range is in excess of 5 mm. Intonation adjustment is done by de-tuning the string, loosening the locking screw and then adjusting with the built-in adjustment screw, re-tightening the locking screw again and tuning to pitch. The intonation range is 11 mm as standard, although it can be extended by replacing the adjustment screw. Maximum string diameter is 4 mm. Weight for an individual unit, including string lock is 35 grams and below some comparisons are shown. For example, 35 grams is the same weight as a guitar tuner, a competing individual bridge unit weighs 63 grams and still requires a tuner. For a 6-string fanned fret bass that requires individual bridges, the weight saving will be...
Learn MoreIn preparation for NAMM, I needed a portable and light-weight guitar stand, or actually three of them. There are several models of standard guitar stands that work with the EGS shape, but why not create a new one? A few iterations in cardboard and a couple in MDF and I think we have a winner! Will now make a few in plywood with logo engraved,...
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