Advantage Neck Profile

Orchid Bass

PHOTO: Orchid™ 4-string 32″ scale bass. Orchid 4-string bass. Ergonomic, light weight. Extremely fast and comfortable.
AUDIO: Bass-forward remix of “Raining Caterpillars” recorded live @ Triumph Brewing Company (12.8.2022). In bassist Cody McCorry’s hands you can hear Orchid’s beautiful organic woodiness and responsive clarity. Cody plays exclusively on the neck pickup, with his right hand fingers at the end of the fretboard. Listen for his wonderful chordal work and melodic flow. Music by Chris Buono. Rick Toone recording and production.
PHOTO: Swamp ash with Shou Sugi Ban traditional Japanese wood finish. Carbon fiber. Quartersawn flame maple neck w/Advantage™ profile. DiMarzio Area J™ noiseless pickups. Patented Intonation Cantilever™ bridges precision machined from stainless steel.

Blame It On My Youth

VIDEO: Berklee guitar instructor David Newsam plays an exceptional solo guitar arrangement of jazz standard “Blame It On My Youth” (1934). Recorded live on University of New Hampshire stage June 7, 2018. Cupid™ semi-hollowbody guitar.

Hi Rick,
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out (after way too long) and just mention that I really was moved by your recent blog post about Ede’s passing and your friendship. 
I discovered him when he was demoing one of your guitars and became an instant fan of his music. (I wish there was more!) When I reached out to him to tell him, he was gracious, friendly, and very complimentary of you and your instruments. 
I hope that you are doing well. I recently watched the videos that we filmed at UNH and always love hearing Cupid!
All the best,
David

So good to hear from David.

I’ve flown the flag at half-mast since Ede Wright’s passing, but if his spirit were to appear in my shop, his first words would be: “Look forward.”

Ede’s death was a tragic and unnecessary side effect of the greater cultural-psychological illness that has swept through our society these last two years. Like every scorched earth event though, green shoots appear in the aftermath.

True friendships have grown stronger. Dead wood has burned away. Autumn leaves are peak color, birds calling these final moments of sunlit warmth. Blame my errors on my youth.

VIDEO: David Newsam performs his lovely original solo guitar composition “Maya The Bee” on Cupid ergonomic semi-hollow jazz guitar.

Orchid Guitar

PHOTO: Orchid headstock. Forged aircraft aluminum. Torrefied quartersawn maple. Ebony fretboard.

Hi Rick,

Many years ago we had chatted back and forth about guitar building. I didn’t have the opportunities to get into building my own creations the way I envisioned, but I still follow all the work you create. I’ve reached a stage in my life/career though where the possibility of obtaining one of your creations is within reach.

Your Orchid body shape has been one of my favorites since the first purple bass. I have been dreaming about almost this exact guitar and contemplating reaching out to you about the creation of a SSB Orchid Multiscale guitar for a few months now. To see this (Orchid 7-string) blows my mind, for me it exists in a way that feels like a future memory I’ve somehow tuned into.

Orchid design ideas:
A sense of age/wear (Shou Sugi Ban, old wood, wear patterns?)
Metal parts with patina, maybe even damascus (jack-plate, cavity cover, string anchor?)
Scar(s) from a repair (kintsugi, butterfly/bowtie, knot patch?)

Any other specs like wood types, details, pickup type, colors I’m happy to leave up to you. I trust in your craft and creativity, whatever speaks to you or works well together. I just wanted to lead with some potential ideas and concepts, and let you take it from there! The pickup choice in particular might be dictated by the acoustic qualities of the instrument. Totally happy to get more granular and add input or decisions as well if needed though, and if any of the design ideas are too abstract, let me know.

Really excited for this! (Jesse)

Rick!

The guitar has arrived and it is perhaps the most stunning thing I have ever seen! It’s at once everything I hoped it would be, and still uniquely surprising. There is no question that nothing else like it exists, I absolutely love it. First play through unplugged and it’s clear and effortless; this is really what I needed to help take my playing to a new level. More to come when I have a chance to plug in and crank it up. In due time I aim to be a lot more active on Instagram and YouTube sharing my exploration into new edges of guitar composition and sound.

I can’t thank you enough for this creation and I hope to do it justice. (Jesse)

PHOTO: Patented Intonation Cantilever™ bridges. Bare Knuckle custom pickups. Forged aircraft aluminum. Swamp Ash with traditional Shou sugi ban Japanese wood finish.

Blood Orange Goshawk

Thinking about EVH.

It’s been a year.

I’ve listened to his playing many nights in recent months. The sense of joy in his playing.

PHOTOS: Advantage™ neck profile w/flame maple and tilt-back headstock. Stainless steel frets. Sperzel™ tuners. Custom Bare Knuckle™ pickups with 10-way switching. Swamp Ash with Blood Orange finish. Carbon fiber pickguard. Patented Intonation Cantilever™ solo bridges.

Orchid | 7-String Guitar

PHOTOS: Quarter sawn flame maple, Madagascar ebony, swamp ash, carbon fiber. Shou sugi ban traditional Japanese wood finish. Custom DiMarzio™ pickups with 10-way switching. Patented Intonation Cantilever™ solo bridges precision machined from stainless steel.
PHOTOS: Orchid™ 7-string guitar is part of a matched set which includes Orchid™ headless 4-string bass and Goshawk™ SSB. Orchid body shape is equally ergonomic in both guitar and bass platforms. Exceptional versatile playing position options, always with a natural neck up balance.