Written By: Dan O'Donnell
When Ulysses Busch, from Hollywood, FL, noticed that he was getting feedback from amplified acoustic guitars, he didn’t want to use the traditional rubber sound hole plug to stop it. Instead, he found a beautiful new way to solve that problem by inventing a device that in a few short years has made its way to the highest echelons of professional music.
The Lute Hole is a hand-carved, custom fitted, wooden plug that stops feedback as well as making even the cheapest guitar look like a museum piece from the renaissance age. And it does that with and extremely low price tag—Lute Holes begin in the $40 range, though they can run to well over a hundred, depending on detailing and customization.
Used by such heavy hitters as Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins, Randy Travis and Ritchie Sambora, the Lute Hole is in demand for a variety of reasons, said Kelly Busch, Ulysses’ wife and the manager of Lute Hole.
“Lute Holes not only beautify the guitar, they protect it from pick damage, they stop you from dropping your pick into the guitar, but the main thing they do is they reduce feedback,” Kelly said. “We make all sizes, we offer several choices of wood, we custom design the lute holes, and we do custom modifications (to allow for pickups and volume knobs).”
Ulysses’ invention derived from his love for artistry and his love for the guitar.
“Ulysses is an artist. He’s also a guitar player, so he combined those two interests,” Kelly said. She noted that while researching, he had found that baroque guitars were made with carved sound holes. “So in order to bring that art form back, and to allow people to put their own little custom spin on their guitar, he invented the Lute Hole sound hole cover.” And Ulysses said that economics, not sound, was the driving force behind putting a round sound hole in a guitar.
“Big empty holes don’t make instruments sound better—think about the f-holes on a Stradivarius,” Ulysses said. “Big empty holes are quick and easy to manufacture and that’s the primary reason sound hole roses died out.”
Their business has taken off, and they boast a network of independent dealers around the country, Kelly said, but she added the only way to appreciate the Lute Hole completely is to go to their web site, lutehole.com and see it in action.
The web site features artists of many genres playing and endorsing the Lute Hole product. It also features the Lute Hole on guitars used in music videos, as well as by bands from Bon Jovi to Collective Soul.
At the web site visitors can also see the numerous styles of sound holes that they make stock, as well as the different woods used. Woods range from domestic hardwoods to tropical mahogany and koa. At the high end of the list are rosewood and cocobolo, a rare wood with a distinctive grain and coloring.
The personalized experience seems to be what customers of Lute Hole are seeking.
“Most of our work is custom,” Kelly said, adding that they still produce all the designs on the web pages as well as Lute Holes with band logos or signatures inscribed. “We do everything from custom shapes to custom designs.”
And because they’re laser cut, through the magic of Lute Hole, you don’t need a licensing contract to get your own signature model guitar, or at least a signature model Lute Hole.
The sound hole is a wooden disc, intricately cut (sometimes so much so that it looks like wooden lace), with a round rubber gasket on its back. If still more feedback protection is required, Lucite can be added to the back, Kelly said.
One distinct advantage it has over other feedback reduction methods for acoustic guitar is that the tone of the guitar is not dampened or muted by the Lute Hole.
“There have been a couple of people who have tried to imitate us,” in the 12 years since the company started, Kelly said, “but their products just do not compare to ours.”
Lute Hole is not just about sound, though. In addition to their sound hole covers, they make and sell “Autism Awareness” jewelry, with the proceeds going to Autism Speaks and the Dan Marino Foundation for Autism. It’s a subject that’s close to their heart; in addition to two teen daughters, the couple has a six year old son who has autism.
But for guitar players, the Lute Hole is the primary draw, and Lute Hole has attained a devoted following among guitarists. As a small business owner, Kelly said her company goes the extra mile for their guitarists as well.
“We’re a full service kind of company,” Kelly said. We’ll do a solid wooden sound hole cover for people, or if they want to finish it themselves, or they want it painted a certain color we can do it unfinished for them as well. We cater to the unique needs of our clients.”
WHAT: Lute Hole, Inc., company providing sound hole covers with a distinctive, artistic touch
WHERE: Hollywood, FL and dealerships throughout the country (see web site for specifics)
WWW: lutehole.com
Customizable sound hole covers recapturing a look lost since the renaissance, as well as providing feedback protection.
PHONE: (954) 894.2500, (305) 282.5267
Posted 01/2012
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