W... T... F...

Wide Tonal Fretboard

By far, the most common question I'm asked is: "W...T....F.... is with that huge fretboard!?... Dude."

Usually, this question comes from players unfamiliar with the Indian sitar, the Chinese pipa, or other "global/exotic" instruments that bend string "OUTWARD" on a wide neck.

But... these folks always mean well... so... it's ok. We're all in this together.

You've probably seen the "wide" or "extended" fretboard many times in your life—it' shows up in a variety of forms, with different string counts, tunings, etc.—and in many different cultures throughout the ages... in the East and in the West.

If you're a djent veena player... then yeah—you already know exactly where it's at! ✊🏽😎

So... what makes the TARAS neck special?

home

THIS...

( Follow the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G )

Let's call it the... Convex Arc Formula —a simple way to map out a curved array of consistent "pitch-points" (or fretting "targets") when strings are bent outward.

These arcs make the invisible visible—a playable geometry of possibility. And... this works for either side of the neck.

Because string tension changes slightly as we bend at the 12th fret, then the 11th, then the 10th, etc.—all the way up or down the neck—the distances we need to bend get slightly smaller and smaller.

So,.. these "targets" trace arcs—curves.

Imagine aiming for smaller and smaller bullseyes… on a curved path.

It's pretty cool once you really understand it—a bit of a WTF moment, indeed!

You may find this short vid helpful:

convex arc formula

The FRETTING HAND

Two mechanical fretting/bending methods

We can now look at the fretting hand with fresh eyes:

METHOD 1

The much-loved "wrist lever" mechanism—familiar to most of us—is very useful for bending strings "inward" on a traditional, straight guitar neck.

The string bending force comes mainly from your wrist and the hand itself.

And, of course... it works great!

METHOD 2

On the new WTF (Wide Tonal Fretboard) neck, this second "equalized finger" mechanism—used by classical, flamenco, jazz and metal guitarists—works GREAT for bending string "outward".

This little powerhouse employs the full strength of your shoulder, arm, and curved fingers—freeing you from relying too heavily on a rotating wrist.

So... basically... we're PULLING the treble string "downward"... and PUSHING the bass string "upward".

And, yes... It's a hoot!

The ADVANTAGES

Imagine the wild new string bend COMBINATIONS that you can create if your high "e" string were no longer colliding into your "b" and "g"...

And what low-end riffage madness is doable if your bass "E" were free to expand "outward/upward"—allowing a second note on the "A" string to scream out simultaneously?!

I'll just leave all of this up to you to ponder and explore.

I sincerely hope you'll agree:
What a great time to be a guitarist...!!

VP-1

The detachable winged VP-1 shown here is still a high tech concept product.
The solid-body DARK FANG, however... is very real!