TOONE & TOWNSEND

T2 'Buckskin' | Live Performance Notes

T2 'Buckskin' 6-string headless guitar was conceived as a test platform for TOONE & TOWNSEND hardware, a chance to evaluate performance within a very traditional body design.

The tuning system integrates perfectly, even including multi-scale (fanned-fret) scale lengths. The 25" treble E string sweetens the mix but keeps the twang.

We have Al Shaffer's first impressions of T2. But, how does the guitar perform in a live context, especially when run through vintage kit?

"I was able to take T2 out to the country where she could really roar through both a Pete Cage modded/blackfaced early '70's Princeton (20+ watts) with a 12" Weber Alnico Blue Dog installed and a Retro Channel RR1 into a G12H30 in a single 1X12 cab.

"(I would have preferred 2X12 with the RR1, but just didn't feel like hauling the other cab).

"The guitar is capable of pretty much anything from very sweet jazz chords, classic rock, blues, and country.

"Great harmonics and Roy Buchanan squeal from the Fralins with all sorts of overtones floating above in the ether.

"It can sound very rude when you want it to and I really like that.

"It stayed in tune very well.

"I had the Soloway Gosling and the Grosh HollowTron there so it was in some pretty tough company...and all three guitars got equal time, and I think that is a huge compliment to all three builders.

"Thanks to Rick, Jim, and Don, not to mention Pete and Lance."

— Al Shaffer

Imagine what would Leo Fender have done if he had access to this headless technology when he built the first Telecaster. Or...is this a long-lost prototype from 1948?

Hardware as shown includes aged black finish, in keeping with an instrument that has seen sixty+ years of hard use. Despite the appearance, all mechanicals (frets & hardware) are pristine spec new and precise.

7-String Headless Guitar Hardware

TOONE & TOWNSEND tuning hardware fully controls string vibration and intonation. The integrated system anchors both ends of the string in precision components machined from anodized aircraft grade aluminum, bearing bronze, stainless steel, and titanium.

As photographed here, strings pass through the bridge to the body mounted tuner. This provides warm, woody, acoustic vibration, saturated with the tone wood characteristics of the body. Sustain is enhanced and solid, due to the mass of the tuner.

"Sketch is one of the most well built, well conceived instruments I've ever owned or played."

Tosin Abasi
Animals As Leaders

Interlocking tuning knobs feature neoprene O-rings provide non-slip grip, even under sweat inducing stage lights and performance conditions.

The nut provides fully adjustable intonation and string height control. Any string gauge, scale length, or string material (nylon, bronze, steel). Installation is simple.

Intonation can be dialed in by the musician for specific preferences, from piano-like clarity to traditional guitar dissonance. 7-string version pictured here anchors ball end strings.

This patent pending system is available for licensing. For more information about this 7-string guitar by luthier Rick Toone:

• Fretboard — Math behind this multi-scale fretboard
• 7-String Headless Multi-Scale Guitar — Build photos in progress
• Sketch | 7-String Headless Guitar — Photos of completed guitar

Intonation Adjustable Nut (Production Evaluation)

Final tests are underway for the production version of the patent pending TOONE & TOWNSEND intonation adjustable guitar nut.

Weight is 3 oz (equivalent to 2-3 conventional tuning keys). This becomes a very substantial neck weight savings as the headstock is eliminated and tuning is relocated to the body.

Compactly engineered to 3.25" (8.25 cm) length x 0.5" (12.7 mm) height. Very precisely machined from aircraft grade aluminum, this lightweight component performs three important functions:

• Anchors plain or ball-end strings (ball-end version shown)
• Allows a full 0.5" (12.7 mm) of intonation adjustment
• Allows simple string height adjustment

Compatible with all body mounted guitar tuners, including: Steinberger, ABM, Bondy, Strandberg, and TOONE & TOWNSEND. Including tremolos.

NOTE: Currently, the nut is availably only on instruments by luthier Rick Toone. Contact Rick with instrument inquiries. Public release date for the nut as a single component is pending.

Multi-Scale Fretboard Design

This article explains how to design and lay out a multi-scale (fanned fret) instrument neck. It will feature the patent pending TOONE & TOWNSEND intonation adjustable nut for its simple installation, adjustments and precise intonation.

Identical geometric and math principles apply, even if you are using a conventional nut or zero fret.

The most important principle to remember is every dimension is referenced from the nut intonation point on the treble string. That intonation point determines the width of the neck, the offset between treble and bass string scale lengths, as well as the location of the bridge.

Basic strategy:

1. Work from a centerline
2. Create a full size template including all strings from nut to bridge
3. Reference every dimension from treble string intonation point at nut
4. Transfer dimensions from template to neck blank
5. Be precise and compare work to template as you progress

TREBLE STRING INTONATION POINT

There are two reasons why this reference point is so important, both of which have to do with limits.

First, the offset between treble and bass string scale lengths at the nut will determine the ergonomic comfort of the instrument. As the difference between the bass and treble strings increases, our human wrist must rotate outward to compensate. This effect is particularly noticeable with barre chords.

Demonstrate by forming a barre chord on an imaginary guitar, up near the nut (F or G), then visualize the bass string end of the frets shifting backwards, beyond the nut. Notice how your elbow pivots in toward your body and your index finger points out away from your shoulder to compensate.

Wrist and elbow rotation comfort will vary considerably between musicians. If you are building for yourself or for a client, test "play" the offset using a template before starting construction.

I am currently in love with combined 24.5" & 26" scale for guitar. The 24.5" treble string bends easily, providing warmer tones commonly associated with Gibson scale lengths. The 26" (or even 26.5") has deep, tight, well-defined bass. An offset of 3/8" (9.525 mm) at the nut is proving very comfortable.

Second, hardware has offset and intonation adjustment limits. As you template the string scale length offsets at both the nut and the bridge, remain within the adjustment range of the hardware. Conservative adjustments will usually provide better hardware performance.

NOTE: TOONE & TOWNSEND nut permits 1/2" (12.7 mm) offset between treble and bass strings. Within that offset range, allow up to approximately 1/8" (3.175 mm) of intonation adjustment per individual string.

TEMPLATE

Paper works great. It allows you to work actual size and make changes easily. Once you've developed a neck layout you like, then transfer to CAD or to a more permanent material. Click image to enlarge.

PHOTO: Paper template with TOONE & TOWNSEND intonation adjustable nut and aircraft grade aluminum Neck Core. Committing dimensions and locations to paper will be useful during the neck shaping process.

LOCATE INTONATION POINTS

Our example neck specifications:

• 25" (635 mm) vs. 25 9/16" (650 mm) scale lengths
• 1/4" (6.35 mm) offset @ nut
• 1 13/32" (35.7 mm) string spacing @ nut (string center to center)
• 2 1/8" (53.9 mm) string spacing @ bridge (string center to center)

Instrument designers and luthiers are comfortable calculating string spacing at the bridge. However, we tend to refer to nut dimensions by overall width, rather than by string spacing at the nut. This difference will cause mistakes when calculating multi-scale (fanned fret) fret locations, because strings are not located at the outer edges of the nut.

Demonstrate this principle for yourself by leaving string spacing unchanged, but imagine stretching the width of the neck by several inches. If fret locations were determined by nut width — incorrect — then the spacing between the frets would constantly change as the neck stretched...frets would become more parallel.

This would also change the string scale lengths because, for example, a 25" scale length would increase or decrease as the neck width changed. Mathematical chaos.

In contrast, if we reference fret locations using string spacing, the fret locations under the strings remain unchanged as the neck width changes. Luthiers can add a comfortable distance between the outer strings and neck edges, without affecting the measurements between the frets.

Always reference string spacing at the nut.

STEP-BY-STEP

Begin by drawing a centerline on your paper template, long enough to display the full length of the strings from headstock to bridge. At the location of the nut, draw a line perpendicular (90 degrees) to the centerline. That perpendicular line would become the nut or zero fret on a conventional (parallel fret) instrument.

Because the string spacing of our intonation adjustable nut is 1 13/32" (35.7 mm) we divide that number in half to determine the distance from the centerline to the treble string intonation point. Half the string spacing distance is 23/32" (17.5 mm). Measure that distance from the centerline, on the perpendicular nut line, to locate the treble string intonation point.

The bass string will be located an equal distance from the centerline, centering the nut automatically. Click images to enlarge.

PHOTOS: In image above the nut is located on the neck blank, which is under construction. Fret slots have been cut. TOONE & TOWNSEND intonation adjustable nut will be located in the same position as a conventional nut or zero fret. It is a direct replacement.

Same principles apply for bridge location. Draw a perpendicular line from the centerline of your template approximately where the treble string bridge intonation point will be located. Approximate distance is acceptable, because we are going to create two lines parallel to the centerline, at bridge string spacing distance.

Using our example, string spacing at the bridge is 2 1/8" (53.9 mm). Divide that in half to center the strings. Measure 1 1/16" (27 mm) both directions from the centerline, then draw two parallel lines.

As we measure string scale lengths from the nut, these two parallel lines will confirm our bridge string spacing remains constant.

From the treble string nut intonation point measure the specified 25" scale length, and draw a straight line where it intersects with the parallel bridge treble string spacing line. You have just drawn the exact location of a tuned treble string. On a completed instrument, the string will stretch from nut to bridge along that line.

Repeat for the bass string. Draw a line from the bass string nut intonation point to the bass string bridge intonation point. The outline of the neck should now become visible.

By drawing a line through the treble and bass bridge intonation points, you create a reference intonation line used to locate the bridge hardware. Click to enlarge.

PHOTO: The wide angle camera lens causes distortion, but note the parallel lines at the approximate bridge location. The parallel lines are drawn parallel to the centerline of the neck, determined by bridge string spacing width: 2 1/8" (in our example).

FRET LOCATIONS

Once intonation points have been established at the nut and the bridge — based on the treble and bass string scale lengths — and lines drawn where the strings will be located, next step is to mark fret positions.

Calculate fret locations using Liutaio Mottola's fret position calculator. If your scale lengths are traditional to guitar, Stewart-MacDonald's fret scale rulers will save you time. If using an unusual scale length, one technique I often use is to reference the nut from a 1st or 2nd fret position on a longer scale length fret ruler.

Mark fret positions for the treble string, using treble string scale length. Then for the bass string, using bass string scale length. Connect these lines. They are fret locations for the fingerboard.

Using the template techniques outlined above, repeat these steps on the fretboard blank. The process will move much faster, working from the paper template as reference. Constantly compare the paper template to the neck-in-progress to ensure accuracy. Click to enlarge.

PHOTOS: Sequence of construction photos beginning with neck blank. Note importance of centerline throughout the process. The unusual neck shape is patented Trapezoid Neck Profile.