Instrument Innovation!
This is the Torzal Natural Twist bass neck:
If that’s not one of the coolest things you’ve seen in a while, please share whatever you’re smoking! Their standard bass neck twists 35 degrees – 15 at the bridge and 20 at the nut. They also do guitar necks now.
Ultra-genius Jerome Little put his first crazy-ass-neck like this together in the mid 1990s. “Why?” you ask? Ergonomics!
Tendinitis, repetitive strain injury, and a score of other physical ailments are de riguer in the professional music industry. Mr. Little – along with other smart folks – is working to help address that, and his twisted neck is a stupendous piece of the solution. As your hand moves towards the nut (the top, the tuning pegs, the head) it twists away from your body so you don’t have to do wrist gymnastics to finger the fretboard! I do hope he’s patented the bejezus ouf of this stuff!
There are lots more cool pictures of various Torzal Natural Twist necks on their web site, including my “in progress” favorite:
This dude’s a mathlete.
Hey Shawn!
Thanks so much for the kind words! I just sent a tweet out about your article. My favorite line, “This dude’s a mathlete.” HA! That he is…
~ Melissa
Mathlete’s wifey