Delta, BC (December 22, 2012) – Graph Tech Guitar Labs, the world’s largest manufacturer of premium guitar nuts and saddles, is pleased to announce the launch of possibly its greatest product innovation in 30 years. Ratio® -Tuned Machine Heads (TMH).

25 years ago, Dave Dunwoodie, Graph Tech’s founder and president, had the idea to develop a tremolo bridge that would also retune the guitar to several open tunings. He soon discovered that because each string on a guitar is different, they don’t all tune the same. For example, thin strings like the high e and the d string are very insensitive and require more turns to adjust the tuning, while thick strings like the G and the low E are very sensitive and respond immediately to an adjustment. Dave’s original idea of developing a tremolo "re-tuner" became quite complicated and expensive. “It crossed my mind back then, and I thought, balancing machine head gears to each string would be an awesome way to tune a guitar”. As a fledgling company with little financial resources for R & D, the project went on the back burner but never left Dave’s mind.

Fast forward 25 years -Today Graph Tech, Dunwoodie’s company has grown to become a highly respected and successful music industry guitar component and part manufacturer. With this success Dunwoodie now had the resources to finally design and test his balanced gear technology brain child.

The result is Ratio -Tuned Machine Heads; with all strings responding equally to any winding adjustment. A half turn equals one semitone change on all strings, making the tuning process easier and quicker. Dave exclaims “When I ask any guitar player what’s the hardest string to tune? Inevitably, they say the G string because it’s so finicky that you have to sneak up on it or the high E because you have to wind it so much. With Ratio machine heads you won’t have to mess around because every string tunes the same, so tuning gets so much easier and so much quicker. Talking about this and actually using a guitar equipped with a set a Ratios really makes you feel and hear how much more accurate and quicker tuning is. Every string feels the same, and after a while, you relax and don't think about which string needs to be tuned, a lot less thinking is involved, just more playing. "

Machine head technology has not changed much in the past 100 to 200 years. While manufacturing techniques and methods have become more refined and precise, machine heads basically perform the same function in the same manner. Ratio is the first and only machine head, to incorporate the string gauge into the tuning equation. That’s why Dunwoodie believes Ratio -Tuned Machine Heads is an industry game changer. Ratio is more than another entry into the machine head market, Ratio has reinvented how machine heads function with the musician.

Ratio machine heads fit most major acoustic and electric models in both a 3 + 3 and 6-in-line headstock configurations. Players can choose from popular button styles: Standard, contemporary, vintage or contemporary mini - all with durable triple-plated finishes including chrome, gold, black or nickel. Unlike other machine heads, Ratio gears are made from hardened steel to precision tune for years and years.

For more information:
Graph Tech