Koyabu Symmetric Board
The Koyabu Symmetric Board is an instrument from the family of electric tap guitars, similar to the Chapman Stick or the Warr Guitar . The Japanese guitar maker Yoshitaka Koyabu from Osaka developed the first prototypes of the instrument back in 1981 during his studies. Mr. Koyabu's musical background actually comes from bluegrass .
About the instrument
Like all instruments from this family, the Koyabu Symmetric Board is made to sound by tapping . If the instrument is brought into a horizontal position on the body, the lower three low strings can be plucked just like an electric bass . The strings have a similar spacing as on the electric guitar and allow plucking at least in the lower registers or on the lower three bass strings. The koyabu is played on a specially modified tripod or attached to a guitar strap and mostly in a relatively upright position. It is tapped with both hands, in a non-crossed position. That is, the hands move symmetrically along both sides of the neck. This way of playing enables the left hand to act well beyond the 12th fret, while the right grip hand can climb up to the lowest positions on the neck. With the crossed style of play, with the low strings in the middle of the fingerboard, this would not be possible without further reaching over (skipping) the two hands.
String tuning
The standard tuning consists of ascending fifths (the six strings of the bass section, from bottom to top: C, G, D, a, e, h) and ascending fourths (on the six melody strings, from top to bottom: C #, F #, B, e, a, d). Other moods are only possible with restrictions due to the shape of the headstock. For example, it is not easily possible to position the deep bass strings in the middle of the fingerboard, as the tuning mechanisms for these strings were positioned on the outside of the headstock due to the design. The six strings of the bass section could, however, be tuned in fourths . To do this, only the positions of the saddles on the bridge (saddle) would have to be adjusted so that the fret intonation is not lost.
Models and technical characteristics
There are three different models: the Tiny entry-level model and the two custom models STD and SP . The latter two still differ in the choice of woods, the finish and ultimately the price. With all models, the pickups (humbuckers) can be switched to stereo or mono using a small switch on the instrument body. The output signal can be split to two different amplifiers using a stereo jack cable or routed to a single amplifier using a standard mono jack cable. The length of the instrument corresponds to that of a baritone guitar and is 30 inches.
In terms of sound, the Koyabu differs from other tap guitars through its relatively warm and soft tone with a relatively balanced frequency spectrum. Due to the short scale length, the deep bass sounds a bit more “centered” than with the Chapman Stick or the Warr Guitar . The advantage of a short scale length, however, is that the instrument can be equipped with standard bass and guitar strings. The longer scale length results in richer bass, but requires special strings with extra length on the tap guitar.
