FWD (Novatone Interchangeable Fretboard Guitar on Ebay)

I forwarded this announcement from the MakeMicroMusic list
--John

Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 22:57:23 -0800
From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@ADNC.COM>
Subject: Novatone guitar on eBay

Just got this in:

Item #: 1400124680
Title: Exotic Scales MULTI-FRETBOARD Guitar Partch
Price: $999.00
Bids: 0
Starts: Dec-23-01 07:24:39 PST
URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1400124680

I think the seller is one of our old correspondents, Glen Jones. The
description:

Novatone Intonational Systems: In 1978 a guitar designer named Tom Stone
began manufacturing a guitar with interchangeable fretboards, allowing for
exotic scales, meantone tuning (better in-tune than standard intonation),
and more -- something unique at the time and even more unusual today.
(Guitarist John Schneider continues to perform and record using this guitar
system -- he appears on several LPs and CDs of microtonal music by such
composers as Harry Partch and the like.) Novatone went bust
I-don't-know-how-many-years ago. I bought the guitar when it was first
offered, and continued to buy new fingerboards as Novatone brought them
out, right up until the time they closed up shop. Nine fretboards come with
the guitar: two equal temperament (i.e.; standard) fretboards (only one is
pictured; the other was on the guitar at the time), two A meantones, two G
meantones, one aluminum fretless fingerboard, one based on Japanese Koto
tuning, and -- one of the coolest -- a fretboard called the "Lou Harrison."
Harrison was a close friend of hobo composer / microtonal theorist Harry
Partch, and Harrison devised some unusual tuning systems of his own;
Novatone based this fretboard on one of Harrison's scale designs. The
fretboards can be changed without removing (or even detuning) the strings,
and are held rigidly in place (magnetically) the full length of the
fingerboard. To change them, you simply slide them sideways from under the
strings. It takes all of about 10 seconds. To get an idea of what's being
offered here take a gander at the scans -- I've provided lots of them --
and read the literature, which comes from various guitar magazines and
newspapers of the time. It really is a remarkable and innovative
instrument. I'm not aware of any similar experimenting on a commercial
level being done today. The guitar, case and five fretboards sold for
$525.00 in the late '70s. I purchased four additional fretboards beyond
what came in the "starter kit." (My overall investment was probably around
a grand.) The guitar itself is a customized Takamine classical model
EC132SC, one that Takamine still makes, apparently, and which retails for
around $1300.00 new. With cutaway and active electronic pickup (volume,
bass, treble slider controls), it's in fine overall shape; wear from my
pinkie finger resting on the face of the guitar is the most notable
imperfection. There are a few minor nicks, and the finish on the back of
the guitar has taken on a slightly milky appearance as the guitar has aged.
I've tried to highlight these imperfections in my scans, but most are so
minor they don't show up. The fingerboards are all in excellent shape,
showing virtually no fretwear whatsoever (and I played them quite a bit!);
the frets have held up every bit as well as conventional fretwire. The
design works and the fretboards are tough as nails. The guitar plays fine,
the action is low and everything you'd expect from a decent classical
guitar. Besides the guitar, its original hardshell case and all the
fretboards you see here, the auction includes pages and pages of literature
and instruction, and a press kit.

Cheers,
Jon

>Besides the guitar, its original hardshell case and all the
> fretboards you see here, the auction includes pages and pages of
>literature
> and instruction, and a press kit.
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

What a bargain! If I had $1000.....

John Starrett

--- In tuning@y..., John Chalmers <JHCHALMERS@U...> wrote:
> I forwarded this announcement from the MakeMicroMusic list
> --John
>
> Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 22:57:23 -0800
> From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...>
> Subject: Novatone guitar on eBay
>
> Just got this in:
>
> Item #: 1400124680
> Title: Exotic Scales MULTI-FRETBOARD Guitar Partch
> Price: $999.00
> Bids: 0
> Starts: Dec-23-01 07:24:39 PST
> URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=1400124680
>
> I think the seller is one of our old correspondents, Glen Jones.

I'm goin' for it! And, given the address, I won't have to pay any
shipping fees if I win the auction! I'm doing this on the assumption
that Mark Rankin will be able to make additional fretboards for this
thing -- anyone know for sure?

the auction ended:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1400124680

i assumed "22tones" was Paul E., but then it looks like someone named
"paulpirate43" slipped in and made the winning bid. was this Paul E too or
did some "pirate" make off with the goods?

Dante

Dante- Paul Pirate was a pseudonym for Harry Partch, with the "43" as a clue. Was in Jon Szanto?

Johnny

--- In tuning@y..., Afmmjr@a... wrote:
> Dante- Paul Pirate was a pseudonym for Harry Partch, with the "43"
as a clue. Was in Jon Szanto?

Hi Johnny and Dante. I can put most of this to rest: I am *not*
PaulPirate43. I think I actually know who that is, having
corresponded, but I hope that Paul E. did get the guitar, as he
really *is* a practising guitarist. That said, those bidding names
are anonymous for a reason and I won't breach that confidence. It
surely wasn't me, as I would have been dumb to announce it on the
list if I had wanted it! And besides, of all the instruments I can't
play, I probably can't play guitar the worst/most (I hope that makes
sense...).

I tend to bid on old percussion instruments, anyhow, and used books.

Cheers,
Jon

--- paulerlich <paul@stretch-music.com> wrote:
> --- In tuning@y..., John Chalmers <JHCHALMERS@U...>
> wrote:
> > I forwarded this announcement from the
> MakeMicroMusic list
> > --John
> >
> > Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 22:57:23 -0800
> > From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...>
> > Subject: Novatone guitar on eBay
> >
> > Just got this in:
> >
> > Item #: 1400124680
> > Title: Exotic Scales MULTI-FRETBOARD Guitar
> Partch
> > Price: $999.00
> > Bids: 0
> > Starts: Dec-23-01 07:24:39 PST
> > URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?
> ViewItem&item=1400124680
> >
> > I think the seller is one of our old
> correspondents, Glen Jones.
>
> I'm goin' for it! And, given the address, I won't
> have to pay any
> shipping fees if I win the auction! I'm doing this
> on the assumption
> that Mark Rankin will be able to make additional
> fretboards for this
> thing -- anyone know for sure?
>
>
I don't know who ended up buying the Novatone
Interchangeable Fretboard Guitar being auctioned off
on eBay, but to answer your query about additional
interchangeable fretboards: Yes, I still sell the
materials for making the magnetic type of
interchangeable fretboards which were made by
Novatone, but I don't assemble the fretboards. I
still sell the accurate, computer generated printouts
used as microtonal fretting guides, however, and I can
connect you to a microtonal luthier who could
construct new interchangeable fretboards for you if
you don't want to do it yourself.

If the guitar sold at the eBay auction happens to have
been made by Tom Stone's first company, Intonation
Systems, it will be a Takamini classical guitar with
an aluminum track in the neck and a complementary
locking track on the back of each interchangeable
fretboard. About thirty of these instruments were
made in the early 1980's. I bought one of them and I
still have it. Unfortunately, I know of no source for
new interchangeable fretboards for these instruments.

-- Mark Rankin

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
http://greetings.yahoo.com

--- In tuning@y..., "Dante Rosati" <dante.interport@r...> wrote:
> the auction ended:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1400124680
>
> i assumed "22tones" was Paul E., but then it looks like someone
named
> "paulpirate43" slipped in and made the winning bid. was this Paul E
too or
> did some "pirate" make off with the goods?
>
> Dante

The pirate! I was too sick to stay up until 7am and play this game. :(

--- In tuning@y..., "jonszanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

> I think I actually know who that is, having
> corresponded, but I hope that Paul E. did get the guitar, as he
> really *is* a practising guitarist.

How ironic -- the supposed purveyor of "no music" gets outbid by
someone who doesn't even play guitar? This is sadness -- I'm going to
break into a museum and steal some 16th century microtonal
instruments now :)

--- In tuning@y..., Mark Rankin <markrankin95511@y...> wrote:
>
> --- paulerlich <paul@s...> wrote:
> > --- In tuning@y..., John Chalmers <JHCHALMERS@U...>
> > wrote:
> > > I forwarded this announcement from the
> > MakeMicroMusic list
> > > --John
> > >
> > > Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 22:57:23 -0800
> > > From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...>
> > > Subject: Novatone guitar on eBay
> > >
> > > Just got this in:
> > >
> > > Item #: 1400124680
> > > Title: Exotic Scales MULTI-FRETBOARD Guitar
> > Partch
> > > Price: $999.00
> > > Bids: 0
> > > Starts: Dec-23-01 07:24:39 PST
> > > URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?
> > ViewItem&item=1400124680
> > >
> > > I think the seller is one of our old
> > correspondents, Glen Jones.
> >
> > I'm goin' for it! And, given the address, I won't
> > have to pay any
> > shipping fees if I win the auction! I'm doing this
> > on the assumption
> > that Mark Rankin will be able to make additional
> > fretboards for this
> > thing -- anyone know for sure?
> >
> >
> I don't know who ended up buying the Novatone
> Interchangeable Fretboard Guitar being auctioned off
> on eBay,

Unfortunately, it wasn't me. As a result, you probably lost out on a
large number of fretboard commissions from me, Mark. We both lost out
big time.

Oh well, I'm getting a fretless Jazz Bass from FreeNote marked for
12, 22, and 31-tET . . . the perfect match for my electric guitars.

Sorry to hear that, Paul! You are certainly by all rights the one who
should have received that instrument if music had anything to do with
it.

--- In tuning@y..., "paulerlich" <paul@s...> wrote:
> --- In tuning@y..., "Dante Rosati" <dante.interport@r...> wrote:
> > the auction ended:
> >
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1400124680
> >
> > i assumed "22tones" was Paul E., but then it looks like someone
> named
> > "paulpirate43" slipped in and made the winning bid. was this Paul
E
> too or
> > did some "pirate" make off with the goods?
> >
> > Dante
>
> The pirate! I was too sick to stay up until 7am and play this
game. :(