Our Story
In the beginning...
For centuries, well-versed musicians and luthiers have acknowledged the importance of playing instruments regularly to achieve and maintain their optimum sound. However, when accomplished musician and engineer Agapitus (Augi) Lye purchased a new cello, he lacked the time necessary to adequately play-in the instrument. Utilizing his knowledge of acoustical physics and leaning on his engineering background, Augi worked to develop a tool which would virtually eliminate the years of play required for his instrument’s tone to mature.
Surprised by the tonal improvements that had occurred in such a short time his luthier, fellow musicians and professionals urged Augi to continue his research and it was from his exploration that the first rudimentary version of the ToneRite® was born.
The company was founded...
Through their ambitious studies of acoustical physics, advanced signal processing and industrial engineering, practiced musicians and experienced engineers Ryan Frankel, Hans Yeakel and Augi together formed ToneRite®. With Ryan's background in signal processing for the military and Hans' industrial engineering background the company was formed and years of research followed. Finally, by uniting tradition with technology, ToneRite has collaborated with luthiers and musicians from around the world to conduct meticulous research of the play-in process. This dedication to their field’s advancement has brought the ToneRite® play-in device to fruition.
The ToneRite® Signature
The ToneRite® signature was the first commercially available product from ToneRite Inc in early 2007. This product took Augi's original design and took the next step in the required signal processing and mechanical engineering to make portable, home-use play-in devices a reality. By working with Luthiers around the globe ToneRite® was able to learn and fine tune what would be required for every day use of their product as well as garnering crucial feedback. The Signature worked great as an instrument warm-up product and was small and light enough to take practically anywhere.
The ToneRite® Luthier
In mid-2008 ToneRite Inc launched their second play-in product, the ToneRite® Luthier model. This second generation ToneRite® incorporated all new electronics as well as signal processing capability. The outer mold of the ToneRite was significantly improved to be more stable and versitile. Also, the lessons and drawbacks learned from the ToneRite® Signature model were fixed and a new ToneRite® was born. The Luthier model was designed to last a lifetime being run continuously and is so efficient at transferring energy to an instrument that it runs nearly silent. Obviously, any noise generated is unused vibrationally energy and shows an inefficiency in the system. Most of the customers that had used the Signature models were surprised at how quiet and effective the Luthier model was. The Luthier model is currently the most advanced play-in device in the world and ToneRite is dedicated to providing the absolute best in customer support, engineering, and the advancement of the play-in process for acoustic instruments.
Looking towards the future...
ToneRite® continues its research to this day and has established itself as the premier play-in research and development company. By only hiring musician engineers ToneRite® has been able to keep the focus on advancing the state-of-the-art and looks forward to bringing exciting new products and developments to the modern musician. We encourage you to take a look at our growing line of ToneRite® products and try one for yourself.
