Rick Huff Posted March 3, 2001 Share Posted March 3, 2001 I would be very interested in knowing if a discussion regarding advancements in guitar technology would be interesting to this forum. My company is about to introduce a new line of guitar bridges and other acoustic coupling products and it would be helpful to get a sense of how this and future technology will be received. I look forward to your comments. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave251 Posted March 4, 2001 Share Posted March 4, 2001 Rick- I too am interested in this subject for the same reasons you are...the advancement(improvement?) of guitar technology. For the guitar...what sells is "tradition" and "repro or retro"... I believe the doors are slowly opening though. Once the player realizes that a new idea is not necessarily a bad thing(new=inferior?), then he/she opens up new vistas in learning and applications. That is not to say all new ideas are good ones. Several years ago I recieved a US patent on an acoustic guitar pickup system...I thought it had all the attributes that acoustic guitarists were looking for: compatibility with any PA or recording deck WITHOUT the use of a buffering preamp(it's lo-z), dead-ass accuracy to the particular guitar(yes, it shows a dog as a dog), and an extremely easy install(though radically different from the typical saddle 'ducer). I even sold more than 2,000 of them during the run, and to some major players(CF Martin and Alvarez-Yairi). But that isn't near enough. You also need the funding to overcome attitudes...and it's funny how attitudes are attached to the purchase of advertising space, regardless of what the editorial staffs from the major magazines will tell you. You won't get the review unless the space is contracted for....then a positive review will be forthcoming. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter about it, it's just part of the deal. I understand now how the system works, and can even applaud it when it actually helps an entreprenuer to success. So, I'm back at it...trying to market a "new" design electro-acoustic guitar...based on some solid principles: TONE, lightweight, simplicity, cost efficiency. We're struggling along...I did manage to sell a dozen last year...but I will probably have to go to a dealer network which means raising the "retail" price and involving that middleman. Oh well, good luck to you and your venture...I'm interested in your technology so keep me posted. Dave www.electrocoustic.com Dave Wendler Instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2001 Share Posted March 4, 2001 Hi, Dave. I'm very interested in your developments. Please give us a hint or ask for opinions on what we might be looking for in new technology. I am looking for ways to improve acoustic tone in live performance. Also would be interested in testing out your system. Tell us more or contact me e-mail. Thanks, Bob Wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave251 Posted March 4, 2001 Share Posted March 4, 2001 Bob- Thanks for the interest....visit my website and take a look at the Product Line page, then give a listen to the MP3 page. The system I use on my electroCoustics can be adapted to an acoustic, archtop or flattop. The Dynafield system is MUCH more accurate to the particular guitar. Ralph Towner(Oregon) was an endorsee, as was Brad Davis(when he was with the Forrester Sisters)...we had the system used by Chet Atkins and Paul Yandell for some "Prairie Home" gigs....and Joe Pass had the system installed in a special Roger Borys nylon string classical he used for seminars. Of course. as I stated in the previous post, you'd better like the tone of your guitar...because not only does the Dynafield amplify the attributes, it also puts a lens on the flaws.... There's a toll free number on the website...give me a call at your convenience. And thanks again for the interest. Dave Wendler www.electrocoustic.com Dave Wendler Instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave251 Posted March 4, 2001 Share Posted March 4, 2001 This message has been edited by dave@electrocoustic.com on 03-04-2001 at 10:48 AM Dave Wendler Instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greed2000 Posted March 5, 2001 Share Posted March 5, 2001 If nobody pushed the envelope...we'd be stuck with an old envelope. I say go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg music Posted March 5, 2001 Share Posted March 5, 2001 Don't know much about technology....... But hey if it means its gonna sound or play better spill the beans guys!!!! Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ...remember there is absolutely no point in talking about someone behind their back unless they get to hear about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted March 6, 2001 Share Posted March 6, 2001 Originally posted by Rick Huff: company is about to introduce a new line of guitar bridges and other acoustic coupling products and it would be helpful to get a sense of how this and future technology will be received. It would be interesting if there is a new aspect to the concept, and it wasn't spam related for yet another pickup or piezo system..... http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Huff Posted March 6, 2001 Author Share Posted March 6, 2001 I would really appreciate some feedback regarding the current state of guitar bridge design and a possible solution. Historically, fixed bridges have, for the most part, performed fairly well. A more difficult challenge for vibrato bridge designers has been to provide the player with the ability to impart a change in tension to the strings, by allowing the bridge to rotate about an axis. This is where the problems begin. In the past, the choices used for providing this axis of rotation has been in the form of either a knife edge or a ball bearing. Typically, both means serve to interrupt the string energy interaction between the body of the guitar and the bridge/ saddle assembly. The junction between the body and bridge is really important and is the main reson why a hardtail guitar tone has such balls. Now, about these two choices, the knife edge and the ball bearing. Any one who has played a knife edge bridge has certainly discovered that it will eventually degrade. The failure is when the knife either crumbles from being overly tempered of rolls over because it was undertempered. Either way it's never going to last. But the most glaring failure is the fact that all string energy must pass through this tiny little set of points. To put it into perspective, when thinking about a hardtail..sustantial coupling comes to mind and knife edge, very little transfer at all. In fact the bridge is mostly just a reflector and hardly allows for the natural damping characteristic of the wood to enter it signature. This can explain why guitars with these kind of bridges sound so metalic and without character. Ball bearings have very much the same set of problems. There is a gap between the inner and outer race of a bearing. No matter what class of bearing there is a tolerancing gap. This will result in micro-rattle and will suck tone. I know that some bridges with bearings have nuch more that micro-rattle goin on. Anyway, the ball bearing should never be used for less than beyond 360 degree rotation. Having a bearing rotate just a few degress will cause the races to pit over time. So the inherent rattle only gets worse. All these failure mechanisms will manifest in the form of hysteresis which is the major contribution for not staying in tune. This is where we would really appreciate your input. We have developed a range of vibrato systems (in addition to other products) that address all of the above. Since these systems exhibit a very high degree of energy transfer efficiency it would make sense to establish a rating index. This would enable one to have more options regarding the voicing of the guitar. I can imagine that, after some time and fimiliarity, people will find it very similar to choosing pickups or tubes. Would any of this help? Thank you very much for any comments. Rick Huff Skyway Musical Technology, Inc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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