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I've been putting together ideas for my own ultimate bass for years now. This is the prototype for my patented splayed fretting concept.

Patented?
Actually the patent is for a novel step in the development of splayed fretting; the first examples were seen over 500 years ago, in instruments such as the orpharion.

The goal is the same as ever, allowing longer strings for lower pitch notes. As far as the bass is concerned, this can resolve problems with, for instance, a dull sounding E string, a weedy sounding G string, or better for 5 - 6 string instruments. This fretboard will also accommodate extended tunings (e.g. "cello" style, low C-G-D-high A) more readily.

Contact me for further details.

Background

In the mid-eighties, I sought a compact guitar and bass designed for travelling. Having cut the heads off two necks for the project, all that remained was to fashion some mahogany to suit. Since there was some paint left over, I felt the need to co-ordinate the colour scheme to include the pickups.

Yes, this was the time of Rush, the time of Steinberger stick basses...

Ten years later, having absorbed the folklore surrounding truss-rods and neck stress and carbon reinforcement, I was forming the first draft of NECKFLEX.

The instrument I designed to show off all the ideas I gained from the calculator was too ambitious to reach its final coat of lacquer. A six string bass, 35" - 33" scale, tunable twin-wire reinforcement replacing the conventional truss-rods, through neck, tapered laminates... you name it! I'm sure I'll finish it one day.

Another feature I was unable to include began as the doodle shown in the Bassnecks articles. The "lyre" headstock finally emerged last year (2005) as the "tailstock" for my first electric cello.

Paul Booker
February 2006