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A few basic facts about Dave Bunker’s invention of the Touch Guitar are listed below. You can also read about Dave’s invention on Wikipedia. Wikipedia notes that it was first called the Duo’Lectar. Then it became popularly known as the Bunker Touch Guitar. But the general history of the Touch Guitar over the past decades is noted on this site.
With the Touch Guitar™ you can play guitar and bass, both at the same time with organ sounds and more. If you play guitar already, the transition is natural and easy.
The Touch Guitar™ is much like a bass and a guitar in standard tuning (EADGBE guitar) and (EADG bass). But with this instrument, string-sound is actually turned off until you touch the string to the fret. Only then does the string sound. You can play the right hand on the wide (upper, guitar) neck and the left hand on the (lower) bass neck. Simultaneously. Only the notes that you actually touch or pick will sound.
The guitar neck is 24.5 inches long, 3.5 inches wide and allows you to freely move your fingers up or down the fingerboard in slides, bends and taping. There is no unwanted string noise produced by motion of the fingers.
The bass neck is a 32 inch scale, electronic muted bass, with dynamic EQ range far outreaching any other bass on the market today.
Because you are playing a bass and a guitar at the same time you have almost two full octaves of harmonic overlap which develop some exciting overtones.
The strings are all electronically separated from each other and generate a very small DC voltage. Strings and frets are in a common ground (the same as your jack output). When you touch the string to the fret, that string turns on its own amplified Hex-Hum pickup and you get only the pure sound of the string vibration without any unwanted scraping, sliding, hum, hiss, thumping or ambient sounds normally associated with electric guitars and basses. As soon as you remove your finger, the string is off and no manual muting is required. You can move on the neck as fast as you want and you’ll get absolutely no unwanted string noise. From all of this comes a range of tone never before capable on an electric type musical instrument.
Over 40% more tonal range is available using the Electronic Mute™ technology. The design purpose behind the Touch Guitar™ musical instrument has been to create the most far ranging and dynamic stringed instrument ever built. We have now reached that goal.
Probably the most enticing feature of the Touch Guitar™ is that it is far easier to play than a standard guitar or bass. Try playing an open F-chord for the first time on a regular guitar, and then on the Touch Guitar™. The Bunker Touch Guitar™ can be played in many different ways and is great as a solo instrument where you want to have a full band-sound of bass and guitar, or as a lead musical instrument using both necks for lead sounds. You can play it as a regular bass or flip a switch to experience the most dynamic tapping bass you’ve ever played. Play it before a crowd and you will grab everyone’s attention immediately. Because of the extreme tonal range of the Touch Guitar™ you can make the bass sound like a guitar and get great, full sounding chords on the bass neck. At the same time, the guitar (wide) neck can actually simulate the lows of the deepest bass and the highs that would make a telecaster player weep. Come by and play it or hear it for yourself. You will simply be amazed
The Touch Guitar™ is the result of over sixty years of development in guitar and bass design. More than 6 granted US patents and over 30 claims have been issued on this idea.
The Touch Guitar™ main body is built in chambers, much like honey cones out of selected hardwoods for strength and tone. The neck-backs are Hard Rock Eastern Maple and the fingerboards are combinations of Ebony, Maple and Rosewood materials. Both necks incorporate the Sustanium Tension Free™ neck design which eliminate dead spots and enhance sustain above the 12th fret on both necks.
Many people, until they actually play it the first time, wonder why the upper neck is 3.5 inches wide. This is so the fingers can move easily past one another when played across the neck in chord fashion. Otherwise you would always have to play with the fingers at right angles to the frets. The tip of your finger is about .6 inches wide, normal string spacing is .38 inches. Try it on your regular guitar. You cannot move one finger past the other on your guitar. (On most basses you can do this because of the increased string width.)
