Originally the Chrysalis guitar was designed to have a bare polymer membrane against the grill, guiving the instrument a glistening, almost metallic high-tech look. However, we have discovered that the addition of thin decorative fabrics between the grillwork and the inflatable bladder have little effect on the acoustic tone, while providing all of the varied tactile and visual pleasure that fabrics can create. The removeable headstock is mated to the neck by a precision sliding joint consisting of two stainless steel pins. A lever built into the back of the headstock maintains the string tension. Rotating the lever de-tensions the strings, allowing the guitar to be rapidly disassembled.
Different headstocks are interchangeable on the neck.
The Chrysalis guitar's neck joint is held together by string tension alone. In the figure below, the neck joint is shown at various points during assembly. Prior to neck assembly, the headstock is fitted on the end of the neck, and the bridge, which is connected to the headstock by the strings, is hooked into place on the grills. The end of the neck is inserted into the back of the neck joint cavity, and the neck is then rotated down into its detente assembled position. These surfaces are press-fit under the overhang at the rear of the neck joint cavity when the neck is in the detente assembled position.