Buzz Feiten Tuning System
December 27, 2005
Buzz Feiten may not be as well known as Floyd Rose and his locking tremolo systems, but like Rose, he's an accomplished guitarist who has solved a problem that has long vexed guitar players frustrated that they can never get their guitar in perfect tune. I always assumed it was just me, or my guitars, but I often found some chords or notes wouldn't sound right. It turns out, it's not me (or at least it's not just me!) but rather the way guitars have been designed they can never be perfectly in tune at all times... until now.
Feiten's system uses some basic Pythagorian mathematics which you don't need to really understand in order to bring an imperfect system a little closer to perfection. The way its done is by retrofitting your guitar with a different nut on the headstock that moves it closer to the first fret by about 2 milimeters. The guitar is then intonated according to a patented pitch by adjusting the bridge saddles ever so slightly until everything is balanced across the entire fretboard. The operation has to be performed by a licensed guitar shop and the cost is typically under $200. Washburn, Tom Anderson Guitars, RKS Guitars and a few other boutique guitar makers are licensing the Buzz Feiten system so that it's standard on their guitars from the get go. For an existing guitar, you can take it into any authorized Buzz Feiten retrofitter or send it off to Ed Roman's Guitar's in Las Vegas and he'll take care of it for you.
Does it work? It seems to have the attention of Robben Ford, Steve Vai and dozens of other players. If you get a chance, test it out yourself on a factory installed system.
- Buzz Feiten: Web Site
- GuitarShop Mag: How the Buzz Feiten System works
- Washburn: Standard Buzz Feiten Tuning System
- Ed Roman Guitars: Buzz Feiten Tuning System