Internal Resonance System
An innovation available only from Burly Guitars, the patented Internal Resonance System is the newest evolution in hollow-body guitar design. Tuning forks are meticulously carved into the central core of the instrument. These forks recirculate the vibrations back into the strings, greatly increasing resonance and sustain. Never in the long and colorful history of the guitar has there been anything quite like this. You will have to play a Burly guitar if you want to truly appreciate the benefits of the Internal Resonance System. A brief history of the development of the IRS can be found a little further down the page.
Pristine Hardwoods
Burly Guitars uses only the finest pieces of choice hardwoods. Pieces are chosen for their beauty and tonal characteristics. We only use the finest of pieces, as those that are less than desirable can be utilized in other projects which are not as demanding of perfection. Exotic hardwoods of almost every type are available for your guitar.
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Set Neck
All Burly guitars are made with carbon fiber reinforced set necks. Carbon fiber rods are seven times stronger than steel, yet weigh one-third as much. The unique structure of carbon fiber is imbued with resonant qualities far superior to those of steel, which plays a large part in producing an extremely crisp, clean tone. We also offer a setup that utilizes two carbon fiber rods to ensure that the neck will never warp. The neck of a Burly guitar with dual-rod reinforcement is guaranteed against misshaping - for life.
Components
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Standard components on Burly guitars include TV Jones pickups, Schaller Roller bridges, Sperzel tuners, and CTS or Bourns Pro Audio pots. The quality of these manufacturers' products meets our high standards of excellence. Only the best components are used to ensure optimal resonance, tone, and playability.
IRS History
The first experimentation with an Internal Resonance System (IRS) began on December 8, 2007. Initial work consisted of carving reeds into the central core of a sandwich-type semi-hollow body guitar. Several reeds of varying thicknesses were milled from the rim of the wood core section. The top and back pieces were relieved or chambered to allow the reeds to vibrate. There were several cores built before a suitable IRS core was considered acceptable. Some cores were rejected because of cracking; others lacked the flexibility necessary to transmit a vibration. I used the reed style as it reminded me of the reed in a duck call or saxophone.
On February 8, 2008, the first guitar with the IRS was completed. By April 2008, several guitars had been finished and the first was sold on May 1, 2008, to Jason Pride of Detroit. Subsequent experimentation led to the development of a tuning fork to replace the reed style. The tuning fork seemed to react better to the string vibration, and the inertia of the fork helped sustain the note longer. Consequently the tuning fork style was adopted as the primary design.
Further R&D has continued and a patent search was initiated on August 14, 2008. Patent pending status was obtained on October 3, 2008. Jeff Ayers, owner of Burly Guitars, was granted a patent for the Internal Resonance System on November 17, 2010. The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published the Internal Resonance System patent on January 4, 2011.