The morning of March 3rd, 2024 was the first time it had snowed for over a year - blanketing my steep driveway and disrupting transport across the UK.
This was also the day the Tuffset Bridge made its public debut at the Guitar Show UK in Birmingham.
The tiny booth was set up with a mid-century living room theme, a mix of furniture from mine and my parents’ houses, some professionally printed banners, a handful of Facebook Marketplace finds… and taking pride of place was the shiny new Tuffset Bridge.
One in a glass jar, one in a custom thinline guitar Max and I created, and one in the “Tuffset Testing Plank”, ready to be adjusted by the guitar-going public.
The stage was set.
.
The doors opened and that was it. The Tuffset Bridge was real - in front of me, being played and complimented.
We knew we were bringing something special to the show, but couldn’t have predicted the response when the Offset enthusiasts began making their way to the Tuffset booth. The warmth, enthusiasm, interest and curiosity with which we were received reminded me why I ever started doing this in the first place!
The years-long development of the bridge had been technically demanding and at times lonely.
For much of that five years spent in development limbo – refining the design and filing the patent, bringing the bridge to manufacturing and production – it was all too easy for me to revert into solitary, crazed-inventor mode.
As a natural optimiser, at home in the conceptual space, I sometimes find it scary to make something real. Real things can have unexpected problems, and can shatter your illusions. Left to my own devices, who knows whether I would have taken that step in 2024, if ever?
I am so thankful for the unwavering support of friends and family. Without these people sharing in the vision, I might have a bridge or two myself – but no question, I wouldn’t be in a position to share hundreds of bridges with players all over the world.
I’ll never forget the day in Birmingham where for the first time, the Tuffset Bridge came to life (or the icy, slippery drive there!)
We’ve already booked our pitch for 2025 – so if you’re in the UK, we hope to see you there again in March!
Two days after the show, the online pre-orders opened. The countdown was set.
It had been a dark winter of hard graft and manufacturing woes; dozens of production runs, samples, phonecalls, packaging, stickers, a small army of baggies. There would be website, posts, emails, and reels.
I couldn’t help but wonder – would anybody buy a Tuffset Bridge? Would I be shouting into the void? Would all this work be for naught?
Finally, it came time to open the Tuffset online shop. Social media posts deployed, with the message: The Tuffset Bridge is available.
As I watched my screen, I saw the orders begin to flood in. Germany, the United States, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong. For the first time, there was tangible validation that offset players around the world believed in the Tuffset dream. The proof was in the pudding.
Since we wanted nothing more than to exceed the high expectations of the community, we set to the task of bringing the first Tuffset Bridges to those who had placed their faith in us.
We cut no corners - the Tuffset Bridge is an expensive product to produce.
We invested in tools and in stock. My universe became one of manufacturing tolerances, spreadsheets, minimum order quantities, technical specifications. Machines the length of a house, usually reserved for manufacturing aerospace parts and medical equipment, turned their production capacity – for the blink of an eye – toward something rare and different. The parts were then fettled and hand-assembled in our small workshop, quality checked, tested, and dispatched.
We finally shipped out all of pre-orders (admittedly a little late). Our biggest challenge was to make them as fast as you were ordering them – a great problem to have!
We produced a second wave, and these lasted just hours. The packages started showing up in ones and twos, and then in droves – soon, Offset guitars worldwide were getting their first taste of a Tuffset Bridge, and they liked it!
A profound personal thanks to every one of you who has taken a chance on the Tuffset Bridge, made the time to post on social media or submit us your testimonials. You lend us your eyes and ears, your hands, and your judgments. Your feedback has been a huge validation of the Tuffset project; it has grounded us, given us our bearings.
Want to support Tuffset? Spread the word. Tell an offset-playing or offset-curious friend!
Tuffset YEAR IN REVIEW
Part II: Two nights in Holland
Melkweg, Amsterdam.
The brick walls of a massive old dairy barn are covered in pink neon lights and an electric atmosphere that accompanies a night of musical abandon.
Feeder takes the stage, much to the delight of the Dutch. Grant Nicolas’ Jazzmaster rings out confidently, and my heart leaps with it: the Tuffset Bridge is a part of that sound! This rocks!
Dancing like a maniac, hooting and cheering, weary feet from a day of wandering the canals entirely forgotten. Something I’d designed on a napkin and assembled with my own two hands was somewhere in the mix of that fantastic wall of sound washing over me.
Electric dreams
It was the second time in two days I’d experienced the pride of hearing the Tuffset bridge in the hands of a master of his craft, straight from the mosh pit. In Utecht, I’d plugged in to the Dandy Warhols + The Black Angels, partying as hard as I possibly could before catching the last train back to Zeeberg. It was also the night I took the incredibly goofy picture you’ll see below – having had the pleasure to meet Pete Holmstrom and his Koll Supercub guitar that very night (and since).
These guys live and breathe music. Their passion, skill, and willpower is incredible and inspiring. Those nights in Holland impressed on me that it’s not about a bridge – it’s all about the music, and the freedom to play.
(I’ve also discovered I really enjoy honey mead)
Thank you! Thank you!
Cheers to Pete Holmstrom (Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport, Sun Atoms), Grant Nicholas (Feeder), Bennett Dean Lewis (Maren Morris, Of Montreal), Jake Garcia (Black Angels), Alain Johannes (Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures) and scores more players, makers, techs, luthiers and Offset experts I’ve had the pleasure to meet online or in person; and all who have been kind enough to share your thoughts, opinions and expertise to help improve what we do. Max, Eddie, Jarvis, Gabor, Gabriel, Saul, Tom, Karl, Chae, Dave, Dafydd, Seb, Derek, Ian, Wilfried, Jason – your enthusiasm and hard work have brought the bridge to the attention of so many people and it is very much appreciated!
Tuffset YEAR IN REVIEW
Part III: On the horizon
As I’m writing this, it’s the last day of 2024. For us, it’s a day of reflection on what has occurred, and setting intentions for what is on the horizon.
For years, the Tuffset Bridge was a personal dream, refined in solitude. But 2024 brought it to life in ways I could never have achieved alone.
In 2025, the Tuffset lineup will expand with the Tuff-o-Matic Bridge.
This Tune-o-Matic and Adjust-o-Matic replacement bridge will fit and centre on a wide range of post spacings, and enable you to leave the threaded inserts in your guitar, without risk of chipping or cracking the paint removing them. Most importantly, the Tuff-o-Matic will bring the authentic rocking vibrato performance, unparalleled adjustability, and rock-solid tuning stability of the original Tuffset Bridge to your TOM/AOM equipped guitar.
Another 2025 focus is to bring the Tuffset sound to more players in partnership with builders, luthiers, and techs. Does this sound like you? Are you a guitar builder or fixer? Shoot me an email, I’d love to work together.
Thanks to the unwavering support of my wife, my family, friends, and you, the Tuffset community, this year has been nothing short of extraordinary.
I end this year in review with a personal promise to you – that I will dedicate myself to improvement of your guitar and your musical life, in whatever small way I am capable. That I will not compromise the spirit of innovation that won Tuffset your support from the earliest days, and never to forget that I owe this privilege to you and others like you who made this whole thing possible.
And if you believe in the Tuffset mission, or want to support us – tell a friend!
Wishing you all a very happy new year!
