Introducing TEN32 Guitars...and features you've never seen before!

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Musicman20 said:

The engineering is incredible. The guitars look great. The big guitar companies should be hiring people like you.

I may need them to hire me if this doesn't pan out Thanks for the good words!

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Offset said:

I've found time to view the videos.  Now I'm truly blown away.  Brilliant innovation, engineering, dedication.  Every aspect is really fantastic - this SO deserves to succeed.  It makes so much of what is currently in the mainstream seem very dated indeed.  Very impressive Chaz.

Thanks for taking the time! I'm beginning to worry I might ruffle more mainstream feathers than I'm prepared to deal with...

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PolarityMan said:

Main main worry with something like this would be that you need to resetup the intonation every single time you rebuild it due to tiny differences in the joint angles when you reassemble. Have you done any tests on tuning stability across a large number of tear down / rebuild cycles? 

Completely valid concern - I can't tell you how much time I've spent trying to get the neck pocket perfect to avoid this scenario, but of course we're dealing with wood here. Even if I use the most naturally dimensionally stable lumber for necks, the body is generally made out of less stable species. This means you can have some variability in the size of the neck pocket, so I cant just make it super tight or I risk cracking the weaker areas of the body surrounding the neck pocket.

My longer term solution for this is to use an alignment key (probably brass) in the neck pocket, and a corresponding slot in the neck, similar to a biscuit joint. This way, I can leave the proper amount of space in the neck pocket, but still ensure perfect alignment with every assembly.

There's another wrinkle here I haven't fully figured out how to address - the fact that most of us have been trained - and rightly so - to be afraid of working on our instruments. My opinion is that mass quantity builders prioritize profit margin much higher than boutique builders. This means inferior parts, materials, design, and craftsmanship, all of which lead to headaches passed down to the consumer. These headaches add up to create the stigma that guitars are fragile and hard to work on.

I place quality above all else. For example, the truss rods I use cost me $67 a piece. That means the truss rod costs more than the neck lumber and frets combined, by quite a bit. Why would I do this when most builders probably pay less than $5 for their truss rods? Because I don't want that stigma attached to my guitars. 

If your guitar is truly easy and intuitive to work on, then you no longer have to live in fear of spontaneous adjustments. If something is wrong, you just fix it immediately because A. you know how to and B. you're not afraid to.

Like I said...not quite sure how to get that message across. 

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LastMantra said:

It looks very cool.

Is the main difference just the removable head though?
Looks like you could probably do something of a very familiar shape/size with a normal bolt on neck guitar?

Check out parts 2 and 3 of the video series - there are many, many differences. A normal bolt on neck uses destructive fasteners (wood screws), so you can only disassemble/reassemble a handful of times before your neck is in need of repair. The overall length of a conventional neck is also too great to meet TSA requirements, as Lewy pointed out.

Trude

Maybe take a look at Brunner guitars for some ideas on how to keep the strings in place. Their necks kinda hinge forwards before coming off, which releases the string tension. Their bridges have a string-through piece that detaches from the back of the bridge so the strings and neck stay connected together. I see no reason why that couldn’t work with your detachable headstock design. Maybe something to keep in mind for a V2 at some point anyway!

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Lewy said:

LastMantra said:

It looks very cool.

Is the main difference just the removable head though?
Looks like you could probably do something of a very familiar shape/size with a normal bolt on neck guitar?

As per the videos, not if you want to guarantee it's fits carry-on requirements.

Looks like a great product. Personally I'd probably opt for a Calton case and just check my guitar in rather than get one that could be broken down like this, but that's because I'm not in the market for a new modern guitar. If I was, and I travelled with guitar a lot, this would be a great option (and the starting price at $2000 is only $500 more than a Calton case!)

I also offer conventional necks, so you can still enjoy the rest of the improvements all over the instrument

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That's not as much as I thought, that's a great price for what you get, I'd love to see some close up detail videos and it being played... 

Keep an eye on the website and the YouTube channel. I had a limited window to photograph/video the guitars you see on the website, and I didn't have much experience with photo/video at the time. As I produce more, I'll do a better job in that dept, but I do have some impromptu video (phone mic only) I'm willing to share here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/N1AQ4ASHA6bLMVcR9

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Trude said:

Maybe take a look at Brunner guitars for some ideas on how to keep the strings in place. Their necks kinda hinge forwards before coming off, which releases the string tension. Their bridges have a string-through piece that detaches from the back of the bridge so the strings and neck stay connected together. I see no reason why that couldn’t work with your detachable headstock design. Maybe something to keep in mind for a V2 at some point anyway!

I wasn't aware of these, they're super cool, I immediately wanted one! Personally I love that high tech neck joint design and would love to see one in person, but I think the neck joint might cross that "traditionalist line" that guitarists aren't keen on crossing, which I've always tried to avoid. I wish we were all more open to ideas like this, but that's not the reality unfortunately!

This is similar to another idea I have for the future, except mine addresses one extra problem - tuners put a wicked kink in guitar strings, this is where most of mine break when reusing strings. It looks like Brunner has some type of modified nut that might address this though?

TTony

Also, got to admire your responses here.

Over the years we’ve had a number of people turn up, announce some new product or service, and then completely disappear with no responses to comments, no updates, nothing.

We’ve has others who have gone on immediate defence-attack as soon as anyone said anything that could possibly be interpreted as critical.  Or even just not 101% complimentary.

Your engagement here has been at the complete opposite end of those scales.

Thank you for that!

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TTony said:

Also, got to admire your responses here.

Over the years we’ve had a number of people turn up, announce some new product or service, and then completely disappear with no responses to comments, no updates, nothing.

We’ve has others who have gone on immediate defence-attack as soon as anyone said anything that could possibly be interpreted as critical.  Or even just not 101% complimentary.

Your engagement here has been at the complete opposite end of those scales.

Thank you for that!

Funny you mention this...I had the first negative comment on youtube yesterday evening - my first ego test! I think I handled it well....you can see it here if you want.

Ultimately it's feedback from people like you guys that help me refine the product and solve the more subtle problems. I think I'd be a fool if I didn't fully engage and listen to what you have say! And honestly...I just love sharing my passion with people who get it. Conversing with you guys the last 2 days has been an absolute pleasure, so I owe you all just as much thanks!

usedtobe

They look cool as…! Good luck with it all..!

gusman2x

Just watched the videos Chaz. Your guitar looks amazing. The engineering, the attention to detail, and the concept is phenomenal. 

I’m really excited to see how it takes off. I wish you all the best, and you never know…I don’t have an iceman yet…

Norlin4life

So, firstly I really want one of these (filled the form out on your site). I briefly had a Stewart Travel guitar, but it was an absolute piece of kak to play. Presumably because in order for the concept to work it needed to have been built with huge amounts of attention to detail, and unfortunately it was quite the opposite. I ended up returning it and have been looking for a viable travel guitar ever since.

Sporky

I very much like both the approach - embracing all the things that CNC makes possible - and the aesthetics. 

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gusman2x said:

Just watched the videos Chaz. Your guitar looks amazing. The engineering, the attention to detail, and the concept is phenomenal. 

I’m really excited to see how it takes off. I wish you all the best, and you never know…I don’t have an iceman yet…

Thanks! I haven't done a production LT series model yet....just for fun, walk through the config form maybe? 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12IlPyYyY6InbXy7juA2HiMuEceybp80GsDIYofFc-cU/edit?usp=sharing

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Norlin4life said:

So, firstly I really want one of these (filled the form out on your site). I briefly had a Stewart Travel guitar, but it was an absolute piece of kak to play. Presumably because in order for the concept to work it needed to have been built with huge amounts of attention to detail, and unfortunately it was quite the opposite. I ended up returning it and have been looking for a viable travel guitar ever since.

I just responded to form submissions for the day, if you submitted the form you should have a response from me in your inbox!

Yeah - I underestimated just how tricky it would be getting the details right for this whole thing to function correctly. I have a pile of prototype necks that all have one very minor flaw or another. Took a lot of attempts to finally get everything right all at once. I'm REALLY glad I don't have much of that stuff left to work through...it was painful, but somehow still fun.

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Sporky said:

I very much like both the approach - embracing all the things that CNC makes possible - and the aesthetics. 

Wow...I didn't expect to hear praise for CNC! I'm glad attitudes are finally changing. If you read interviews with all the big dogs (PRS, most notably) they all say the same thing - CNC can produce good results or bad depending on your skill level, just like any other tool. If you know how to use it to produce good results, then throw the efficiency benefits it offers on top of that it's a total no-brainer.

My business model would fall apart entirely without CNC. I have to be able to work on one thing while the CNC does another or I just plain cant get enough done for this to be viable. If I get enough orders over the next few weeks, I'll be placing an order for my second machine!

Sporky

I'm a hobbyist CNCer. Not the same level, but I've done resin inlays, parametric fretboards, and some other bits and bobs. I do admire how you've structured the approach - and they look good too. 

shobet

I really like the engineering behind these, and your enthusiasm is fantastic. 

It's so refreshing to see something genuinely new as opposed to another version of a Strat or a Les Paul. 

You need to some vids of the planks being played on you channel. 

Great stuff man! I wish you the best of luck.  

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Sporky said:

I'm a hobbyist CNCer. Not the same level, but I've done resin inlays, parametric fretboards, and some other bits and bobs. I do admire how you've structured the approach - and they look good too. 

Hobbyist is about all I was until 2.5 years ago, when I started doing this full time. Amazing what a singular focus can do! If you ever have questions or want to talk shop, hit me up - ten32guitars@gmail.com