The TurboTail is a simple, elegant device that diverts the tension of the guitar strings from the soundboard to the structural tail block of the guitar. All of the vibrations of the guitar strings are still transferred directly to the soundboard to produce sound. But the tension load is diverted to the tail block, leaving the delicate soundboard free to vibrate optimally.

The result is that the guitar soundboard can do what it was intended to: Amplify and temper the vibrations of the guitar strings without having to provide a structural anchor for the strings.

Guitar soundboards without the TurboTail act as structural members, like a floor, a wall, or a steel beam. This means that the soundboard’s most important job is to avoid collapsing due to the intense stress exerted by the taut guitar strings. 

Guitar strings are like steel cables. The total tension of six steel guitar strings ranges between 140 and 190 pounds, depending upon the string gauge (12-string guitar tension can exceed 250 pounds.) That’s enough tension to lift a full-grown man off the ground. Imagine what your guitar could sound like if the soundboard didn’t have to do all this heavy lifting.

Expert luthiers admit that the current design of the acoustic guitar is inefficient. It is estimated that only about 5 percent of the energy produced by the picked or strummed strings arrives at our ears in sound. Ninety-five percent of the vibrations is consumed as heat friction - is absorbed into the wood of the guitar - or even the player’s body.   

Thus, any improvement in efficiency is great for guitars. A more efficient guitar produces more sound for the same amount of effort. A more efficient guitar can even be smaller, making it more comfortable to play and lighter and more portable. A more efficient guitar can use lighter gauge strings to produce the same sound volume. Lighter strings are easier on the fingers. Plus, lighter strings are easier for bending notes, performing hammer-ons, pull-offs, or fretting difficult chord shapes.

Stay tuned for a video explanation of how the TurboTail works. 

To watch the TurboTail in action, please go here .