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About The Jake Blade, from Jake himself:
"For years, finding new and inspiring tools for the old workhorse design of the guitar has been a slow one. Electric axes have been in production since the mid-50's, the style and cosmetics really haven't changed much in 50 years. It is kind of funny no one has put out a healthy alternative to the whammy bar or tremolo arm. Till Now!!!
A good family friend, Mark Benjamin, was watching a UM performance in South Bend IN about 4 years ago, he noticed me pulling on the back of my tailpiece (tremolo) to achieve the swooping notes associated with whammy bar antics. I was never into the bar idea of the whammy, because it never felt consistent, a metal stick in the way of your volume, pick-up selectors and tone controls just wasn't my bag. Mark, being a master car and motorcycle re-finisher came up with a great solution for me. By taking a piece of gas tank metal he shaped the piece into a palm held version of the metal stick, fit the pole (that goes into the guitar) with a little snip of gas line (as a rubber stop) to prevent vibration and movement. Brilliant and simple!!
After using the now named "Jake Blade" for years of road testing, this little bugger will change the way you whammy, shake, bend and dive notes. It takes a bit of creativity on your part to change 50 years of Whammy bar-isms. I have found it's easier to catch those Jeff Beck dips and dives that take so much practice to nail with a regular bar. Even Brendan has used this product on his PRS guitars and loves the difference. Whether you are a beginner, novice or total bad-ass this little tool is a welcome change to an old standby. Or you can use it in a street fight!!"....
Jake Cinninger
For any questions regarding the Jake Blade, inquiries about custom orders, or any technical questions, please contact Mark Benjamin at Roughgauge - (269) 695-0245