...here's another.
In around 1979, I knew a guitar player & luthier. He was a mechanical engineer at a power plant, but his passion was building acoustic guitars. He had all the equipment & skills. Was very serious about it.
In late '78 he finalized the bracing pattern to a double neck (6 & 12 string) and applied for (and eventually was granted) a patent.
He & I were talking and I told him I thought Leo Kottke would love that. His prototype was GORGEOUS in every way.
A couple months later he calls and says we need to go to Wise Fools to see Leo. He was bringing the doubleneck.
We got there early and they let us backstage. Leo played it and absolutely loved it. Ed told him it was his to keep.
Leo used it that night.
Fast forward a couple years, and Ed gets a letter from Sigma Guitars.
They had signed Leo to a big endorsement deal and he agreed to only play their guitars on stage. To do that, they needed the design for that doubleneck.
They paid him $250k for the patent!!! He paid off his house, bought a new Volvo, bought some new & better luthier tools, and put a bit into investments.
About 3 months later, he gets a note from UPS that there's a guaranteed shipment package for him at the distribution center.
When he gets there, there are 2 doubleneck guitars. One is a Sigma, the other was his original handmade. Leo sent them both once he had the Sigmas. He sent Ed his prototype back & one of the first handmades from Sigma.
Pretty cool all around!
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