Is tap tuning a new technology?
No. Tap tuning is an age-old art dating back to the late-1500’s. The technique was developed by early violin builders and later refined by Stradivarius. Then, it was followed by various other makers – mostly violin luthiers – until the early 1900s. when Lloyd Loar’s interest in violin tuning led him to try it in other string instruments. Aside from being an accomplished violinist, Loar was very interested in violin construction and tried to employ tap tuning in the construction process of Gibson’s Master Model instruments in the 1920s.
