Bunker Touch Guitar

The Bunker Touch Guitar is a double-necked touch guitar developed by Dave Bunker.

Bunker Touch Guitar
String instrument
Classification String
Hornbostel–Sachs classification321.322
(Composite chordophone)
Inventor(s)Dave Bunker
Developed1985
Related instruments
Dave Bunker

Development

Until guitarist Jimmie Webster first popularized his Illustrated Touch System in 1952,[1] all guitars had been strummed. But with Webster's single-neck touch-style guitar and then Dave Bunker's headless,[2][3] double-neck, DuoLectar touch guitar, these new instruments, while appearing similar to traditional strummed guitars,[4] actually employed an innovative tapping technique.[5]

Dave Bunker developed and patented the first double-necked tap/touch-style guitar,[6] which he called the Duo'Lectar.[7]

Duo'Lectar

The DuoLectar[8] was conceived, built, and played by Dave Bunker in 1955.[9] At the suggestion of Irby Mandrell (father of country singer Barbara Mandrell), Bunker changed the tuning configuration of the lower neck to conform to a standard bass.[10] It was introduced to a live, national TV audience on the Ozark Jubilee, hosted by Eddy Arnold and Red Foley,[11] and then in 1960, Bunker demonstrated his double-necked instrument for the Portland Oregonian newspaper.[12]

With the addition of patented refinements,[13][14] the Duo'Lectar became popularly known as the Bunker Touch Guitar.[15]

The DuoLectar was later seen in headline shows at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas from 1964 through 1974.[16]

Because of its influence on the guitar industry, Seattle's EMP Museum (now called Museum of Pop Culture) displays a DuoLectar guitar and features a video interview with Dave Bunker.[17]

Bunker Touch Guitar

In 1985, Bunker developed a specialized electronic mute for the instrument, later patented.[18] This new configuration became known as the Bunker Touch Guitar.[19]

Play

Except for its twin necks, the Bunker Touch Guitar is similar in appearance to a typical guitar. However, it is dissimilar in its style of play. Strings on the Bunker Touch Guitar are not strummed or plucked, as in the traditional, single-necked guitar. Instead, all strings respond to touch or tap. On the Bunker Touch Guitar, a note sounds when a string is held down and stops when it is released. The left hand plays bass lines on the lower neck, while the right hand simultaneously plays lead lines on the upper neck. It has no head at the top end of the necks (as on conventional guitars) because its tuning keys are located at the base-edge of the instrument.

Use

The importance of the early touch guitar to the standard single-neck guitar's evolution was acknowledged by its display at Seattle's Experience Music Project Museum (now called Museum of Pop Culture) when it opened in 2000. Dave Bunker detailed the development of his invention in a videotaped interview conducted by the museum.[20] His uniquely designed touch guitar[21][22] continued to mature,[23] and was featured in headline shows at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas from 1964 through 1974.[24]

Selected patents incorporated specifically into the Bunker Touch Guitar have also been used in other contemporary guitar designs.[25] The touch technique has been popularized by guitarists Eddie Van Halen, Stanley Jordan, Steve Vai, and Jeff Healey.[26]

Similar instruments

Some contemporary artists have gone forward to utilize the tapping method with their own touch-style guitars, including Emmett Chapman, Eddie Van Halen, Stanley Jordan, Steve Vai, Jeff Healey, Markus Reuter, Chuck Churchman,[27] and Sergio Santucci.[28] Despite this, the touch guitar genre is still a small segment of the industry. Manufacturers that produce the specialized instruments include Bunker Guitars,[29] Warr Guitars,[30] and Mobius (Magatar).[31]

  • 1961 Bunker Patented DuoLectar
    1961 Bunker Patented DuoLectar
  • DuoLectar displayed at the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle
    DuoLectar displayed at the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle
  • Twin necks define the Bunker Touch Guitar
    Twin necks define the Bunker Touch Guitar
  • The left hand plays bass and the right hand plays lead, simultaneously and by touch
    The left hand plays bass and the right hand plays lead, simultaneously and by touch

See also

References
  1. Webster, Jimmie (1952). Illustrated "Touch System" for Electric and Amplified Spanish Guitar. New York NY: Wm. J. Smith Music Co.
  2. Dickerson, Deke (2013). The Strat in the Attic: Thrilling Stories of Guitar Archaeology. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. p. 120.
  3. Blecha, Peter (August 16, 2013). "Dave Bunker submits patent application for his dual-necked Duo-Lectar electric "Touch Guitar" to U.S. Patent Office on September 16, 1957". History Link. Essay 10454.
  4. Objects for use : handmade by design. Smith, Paul J., 1931-, Busch, Akiko. New York: H.N. Abrams in association with the American Craft Museum. 2001. ISBN 0810906112. OCLC 46385863.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Seven, Richard (June 25, 2000). "Why Dave Bunker Is Not Singing the Blues". The Seattle Times Newspaper.
  6. Blecha, Peter (August 16, 2013). "Dave Bunker submits patent application for his dual-necked Duo-Lectar electric "Touch Guitar" to U.S. Patent Office on September 16, 1957". Historylink.org. Retrieved May 3, 2019. Bunker's uniquely designed twin-necked Duo-Lectar guitar will ultimately become the very first such instrument to be granted a patent.
  7. WADE, GRAHAM (2012-02-27). A Concise History of Rock Music. Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 9781619110168.
  8. WADE, GRAHAM (2012-02-27). A Concise History of Rock Music. Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 9781619110168.
  9. "Living | Why Dave Bunker Is Not Singing the Blues | Seattle Times Newspaper". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  10. Douglas, Bunker, David (2014-01-31). Angels, aliens & guitars. Marysville, Washington. ISBN 9781614630586. OCLC 893575670.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Graham Tichy (2008-02-29), Dave Bunker - Duo-Lectar, retrieved 2018-10-01
  12. "New Guitar Tickles Ears When Touched By Maker". Oregonian. April 24, 1960. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  13. Blecha, Peter (August 16, 2013). "Dave Bunker submits patent application for his dual-necked Duo-Lectar electric "Touch Guitar" to U.S. Patent Office on September 16, 1957". Historylink.org. Bunker's patented mute was an ingenious, if seemingly simple, invention.
  14. Dickerson, Deke (2013-06-10). The Strat in the Attic: Thrilling Stories of Guitar Archaeology. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760343852.
  15. Roberts, Jim (2003). American Basses: An Illustrated History & Player's Guide. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879307218. The contemporary Bunker Touch Guitar is a vastly refined version of the DuoLectar.
  16. "Fine-tuning An Innovation After 39 Years, New Guitar Design Is Catching On". tribunedigital-mcall. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  17. Dave Bunker (2019-05-11), Dave Bunker Touch Guitar Interview with Museum of Pop Culture, retrieved 2019-05-20
  18. "Patent Images". pdfpiw.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  19. Objects for use : handmade by design. Smith, Paul J., 1931-, Busch, Akiko. New York: H.N. Abrams in association with the American Craft Museum. 2001. ISBN 0810906112. OCLC 46385863.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. Dave Bunker (2019-05-11), Dave Bunker Touch Guitar Interview with Museum of Pop Culture, retrieved 2019-05-11
  21. Objects for use : handmade by design. Smith, Paul J., 1931-, Busch, Akiko. New York: H.N. Abrams in association with the American Craft Museum. 2001. ISBN 0810906112. OCLC 46385863.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. KoolKlipsFromDeke (2010-03-02), Dave Bunker and his Touch Doubleneck Guitar #2-GUITAR GEEK TV!, retrieved 2019-05-03
  23. Seven, Richard (June 25, 2000). "Why Dave Bunker Is Not Singing the Blues". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  24. VALANIA, JONATHAN (10 January 1993). "FINE-TUNING AN INNOVATION AFTER 39 YEARS, NEW GUITAR DESIGN IS CATCHING ON". themorningcall.com. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  25. Seven, Richard (June 25, 2000). "Guitar Dreamer". Pacific Northwest Magazine. Over the years Bunker came up with a series of patents - for muting the strings, for a guitar without a conventional head, and with tuning pegs on its body, for neck and bridge designs. He came up with ideas that others took and ran with.
  26. "Dave Bunker submits patent application for his dual-necked Duo-Lectar electric "Touch Guitar" to U.S. Patent Office on September 16, 1957". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  27. Churchman, Chuck (1980s). "The Biaxe". YouTube. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  28. Santucci, Sergio. "Santucci TrebleBass". YouTube. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  29. "Bunker Touch Guitars". BunkerGuitars.com.
  30. "Warr Guitars". Warr Guitars.
  31. "Mobius Megatar". Megatar.com.
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