Luthite is a lightweight synthetic material developed by the Westheimer Corporation
(a United States-based importer of
Cort Guitars
Cort Guitars (Cor-Tek Corporation) is a South Korean guitar manufacturing company located in Seoul. The company is one of the largest guitar makers in the world, and produces instruments for many other companies. It also has factories in Indones ...
) for the construction of
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
and
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
bodies. The 1996 patent application credits Jack L. Westheimer as the sole inventor. The term refers both to the composite material and to its forming process. Luthite is very similar in purpose to the later Vibracell used in the all-plastic
Switch Music instruments.
Luthite was developed specifically for use in building stringed musical instruments (
luthiery
A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...
). The intention was to create a substitute for wood in building solid-body electric guitars and basses, as there is much greater control over the consistency of production, and thus of tone and overall quality from one instrument to the next. Additionally, the material is able to be formed to almost any shape (i.e. 3-D shapes out of plane) where the wood equivalent would require a very large body blank or
laminate
Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials ...
s.
Apart from these advantages, Luthite is less resistant to impact than its wooden counterparts, which renders finished instruments more susceptible to dings and chips; or developing cracks if dropped or otherwise stressed.
Luthite was employed in
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...
Ergodyne series electric guitars (
EDR/EXR) and basses (EDA/EDB/EDC), and
Cort Cort is the surname of several people:
* Cornelis Cort (1536–1578), Dutch engraver
* Henry Cort (1740–1800), English ironmaster
* Frans de Cort (1834–1878), Flemish writer
* Hendrik Frans de Cort (1742-1810), Flemish landscape painter
* John ...
Curbow series basses.
References
{{US patent, 5905219
Electric bass guitars