While I love a neck position pickup, particularly for jazz, this bridge position is a little more versatile. For this new version, I've moved the pickup back toward the bridge to allow for the possibilities of a more treble sound. On the original, I positioned the single covered humbucker forward, in a more traditional neck position. Black metal ferrules on the front of the guitar keep the strings from wearing the walnut top.Īnother difference between this new Kronos and the original is the pickup placement. The bridge is sculpted ebony with a maple saddle. Also new to this model is the small control port and cover for easier access to the electronics. The plate is soldered with a ground wire that is in turn soldered to the cover of the volume pot. The brass plate is covered permanently with a walnut inlay, but you can see the plate in the following photo. Think of it as a graphic counterpart to the carved flourish on the other horn, as well.īecause the bridge is wooden, I typically incorporate a brass ground plate to hold the ends of the strings that pass all the way through the body. It breaks up the monotony a bit and compliments the curves of the guitar, otherwise contrasted by the straight veneer lines. You may have noticed the carved leaf embellishment I added for fun. This allows for a very strong neck joint which is virtually foolproof to disassemble and put back together without stripping threads in the neck wood. On this instrument, I'm using hex screws (instead of wood screws) and threaded T-nuts that I've permanently installed into the hard Honduran rosewood neck, before the fingerboard was attached. Note the stacked Mother of Pearl sidemarkers at the octave position.įor fretless guitars, I prefer a bolt-on neck joint, mostly because if any maintenance has to be done to the fretless fingerboard, the neck can be easily removed. The moderate V neck profile that I frequently carve is obvious here. The neck on this guitar is Honduran rosewood, a very hard, dense wood that rings like glass when tapped. For the back, I chose to enhance the joinery of the soft maple with walnut veneer. The lovely figured walnut top in the photos above is from the exact same local, air-dried stock from which came the original Kronos, however, the top of this newest instrument is one single piece. There are a couple changes made and some excellent new features added to this newest member of the Kronos Society that I'll point out in the text below. This guitar is the next distillation of my Kronos fretless concept which began with the first Kronos built almost exactly a year ago. Never letting their hearts be defiled by the taint Writes Pindar:Īnd those that have three times kept to their oaths, All too often, Kronos is confused with Chronos, the personification of time.Īccording to some historic authors, Kronos eventually became ruler of the Elysian Fields - the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and virtuous. The origin of the name is unclear and may well be associated with the ancient Indian demon Kroni.
Kronos (frequently also spelled "Cronus") was the leader of the Titans and father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon.