• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Has anyone made a Torzal tist-like neck?

What I'm wondering is how the trussrod works in a torzal neck.

I routed the truss rod so that it's 90 deg from top of the neck plane at the middle and the ends are tilted a bit. I hope it works out as I rarely need to adjust the necks I've made more than just a little. On most necks I tighten the rod just to make sure it doesn't rattle.
Marko
 
I routed the truss rod so that it's 90 deg from top of the neck plane at the middle and the ends are tilted a bit. I hope it works out as I rarely need to adjust the necks I've made more than just a little. On most necks I tighten the rod just to make sure it doesn't rattle.
Marko

With the CF that you are using, I highly doubt that you will ever need to adjust the truss rod.

lowsound
 
Some pics. I got the neck tapered after laminating the fretboard. I used 3mm ebony and rosewood for fretboard. Next I'm going to saw the fret slots and make sure the string paths are straight (some minor scraping needed). Then it's time for shaping the back of the neck. Also a pic of the body plan. It's going to be maple and the bass will be stained transparent black and finished in satin oil or nitro.

torzlam.jpg


torztwist.jpg


torzbody.jpg



Marko
 
Neck shaped and cf skin laminated to the back. I'll try to take a pic before next layer of epoxy. I'm still waiting for an used ABM tuner unit to arrive so body will have to wait too. There's fretting and leveling and crowning of the frets to do after the back of the neck is done.
edit: Pic from the back of the neck before second coat of epoxy. At least one more needed before acrylic lacquer.

torzcf.jpg


Marko
 
Absolutely fascinating build. I love what you are doing and being creative with and I love how you shape the back of your necks, it looks like it would play really easy and take next to no time to shape.

Have you ever considered working with the twist on the back of the neck too? I was thinking about running the middle flat part on an angle, from the F# at the bass end, to the high G on the treble end (assuming a 24 fret bass). I would think that it would make it all the more comfortable for working with the twist in regards to thumb position on the back of the neck.

lowsound
 
Isn't there a patent on the neck?
Jerome Little has patent for Torzal twist. This one is twisted only on the nut, where Torzal twist is twisted on the bridge as well. Twisted necks are not patented as far as I know. Rick Toone has patent for Trapezoidal neck profile. I'm not sure if that patent covers twisted neck profiles too. The pics on his patent does not have this kind of necks.
Marko
Some progress too. The neck is fretted and needs one more coat of epoxy. Before epoxy side dots must be drilled too. Maple for the body glued up as well. Pics tomorrow.
 
Hi.

Looks great so far Marko, congrats.


Isn't there a patent on the neck?

Not likely an international one, and even if there was, what's Your point?

It's not like a granted patent prevents an individual from re-creating a similar object for his/her own use. Unless criminal laws are broken either in the making or owning the said object/compound/whatever, obviously.


Slightly ot, but as a someone who probably have came up a thing or a two remotely worth patenting over these years, I wouldn't see any point in patenting something like the Torzal Twist. Other than being able to say the they have a patent on something that is. The cost of defending that patent internationally becomes unbearable pretty quickly, it's not like the TT system is a goldmine. As far as I can see anyway.

Too easy to find loopholes, and the event (how ever unlikely) of an army of copies surfacing would automatically mean bankrupcy for the company, because they would have to defend their patent in order to avoid losing it.


Patent on a triangular/trapezoidal neck?

LOL. DB's cellos, violins, banjos, who knows what stringed instruments have had those for centuries.

Who ever granted that patent was a moron, or was following totally different laws than the ones we have here. Wouldn't fly past the first (free) evaluation in our system.

Regards
Sam
 
Hi.

Looks great so far Marko, congrats.




Not likely an international one, and even if there was, what's Your point?

It's not like a granted patent prevents an individual from re-creating a similar object for his/her own use. Unless criminal laws are broken either in the making or owning the said object/compound/whatever, obviously.


Slightly ot, but as a someone who probably have came up a thing or a two remotely worth patenting over these years, I wouldn't see any point in patenting something like the Torzal Twist. Other than being able to say the they have a patent on something that is. The cost of defending that patent internationally becomes unbearable pretty quickly, it's not like the TT system is a goldmine. As far as I can see anyway.

Too easy to find loopholes, and the event (how ever unlikely) of an army of copies surfacing would automatically mean bankrupcy for the company, because they would have to defend their patent in order to avoid losing it.


Patent on a triangular/trapezoidal neck?

LOL. DB's cellos, violins, banjos, who knows what stringed instruments have had those for centuries.

Who ever granted that patent was a moron, or was following totally different laws than the ones we have here. Wouldn't fly past the first (free) evaluation in our system.

Regards
Sam

You seem to have all the answers.
 
IIRC, Lace's (earlier) patent is for necks starting flat on the body and twisting up to 7 degrees at the headstock.

IIRC, Little's patent includes and may or may not require the twist to exist at the body, and covers twist angles from something higher than 7 degrees up to 45 degrees.

Little's patent describes not just the twisted neck, but also claims a very specific lamination method to build up its form. I don't remember whether all his patent claims are dependent on this method, or whether there are claims which involve the form independent of the method.

If you are concerned with patent issues, look up the original patents. And learn how to interpret them, or find someone who does know.