BUNKER, DAVE

May 1965 photo of the Dave Bunker Show (Including Bunker and his teammates: Jody and her daughters Vicki and Patti, plus an unidentified drummer) provided courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library.

Stats: 1935-2021
Misc Notes: Dave Bunker has been deemed an "extremist in guitar invention" and his radical instrument designs once earned him a spot on a list of the Top Ten Weirdest Guitars ever made. Bunker will likely be remembered longest for designing his electric "Touch" guitars, specifically built for playing with an unorthodox technique now commonly known as "tapping." The technique requires a guitarist to touch or tap the strings from above the fretboard (like a pianist touching piano keys) rather than fingering the strings by clutching the neck from behind. A luthier and entertainer since the 1950s, Bunker is also an accomplished inventor who received numerous design patents, including those for the first dual-neck guitar to earn a patent, the first headless guitar, a fulcrum tremolo, a manual muting system (and later an electronic muting device), and a tension-free neck. His original, Puyallup-made Duo-Lectar instruments led to Bunker brand guitars from Tacoma, then Bunker Guitar Technology instruments from Marysville, and eventually Bunker Guitars and Tone Woods from Lake Stevens. By 2000 Bunker had made more than 6,000 guitars, and the dynasty continued with his son Dave L. Bunker marketing high-tech Treker Guitars out of Utah. [READ MORE...]