Sarli Electric Guitar.
Design Brief.
Guitars are a very personal item, and many guitarists have a close bond with their instrument. This bond with their guitars could be compared to the special link between riders and their horses. Alexander the Great famously had a special connection with his horse, Bucephalus. Alexander and Bucephalus had a relationship of mutual trust, respect and admiration so strong it was written in the pages of history. When a musician finds the right guitar, there is a connection and a confidence that the guitar will allow them to make powerful, beautiful music. Willie Nelson once said that his guitar was like a horse, and named it after Roy Rogers’ horse Trigger. When Willie’s house caught on fire, Trigger was one of the only items he ran into rescue.
State of the Union.
With guitars being mass-produced and a handful of big brands dominating the market, one can walk into most music stores and it will look like this. This isn’t necessarily bad because guitars are accessible to more people. It does however kill an aspect of individuality. At the height of rock and roll culture, there were many guitar brands and many models were regionally exclusive. This gave guitarists a sense of individuality and is why boutique, one-off guitars are entering the main stream again.
Boutique Guitar Brands.
Frank Brothers Guitars.
Frank Brothers Guitar Co. is comprised of three brothers from Toronto, ON.
The guitars are built to have heirloom quality, original design, and distinguished for professional performance. They provide a true custom shop experience, that allows the customer to craft a personal, one of a kind, instrument.
Coming from a family of musicians, in their own words, “World-class quality and family pride in every guitar. This is our part of the family story.”
Frank Brothers has established the goal of becoming the premier guitar company of Canada, and have added many standardized models to their line.
B&G Guitars.
B&G Guitars is comprised of two luthiers and one artist/entrepreneur located in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
They create guitars that are original, gimmick free, well-balanced, and unique, “to ignite your passion for the only thing that matters - playing the guitar.”
Their designs are the result of extensive research. They wanted to understand what made guitars from the early 20’s to the 50’s such timeless classics.
Another of their ideologies is making everything in house. This is an impressive feat for a small operation, which makes them stand out.
Alembic Guitars.
Alembic Guitars began as workshop in the rehearsal space of the Grateful Dead. Founded originally by Ownsley Stanley and later added Rick Turner, Ron Wickersham, and Bob Matthews.
Originally Alembic did not have a flagship model, they modified established artists instruments. This is a major distinction from other boutique guitar manufacturers.
After a decade of fine craftsmanship and technological advancements, Alembic released a flagship model.
While Alembic has been established for years as a large company, they still have a personalized, boutique feel, and were one of the first boutique brands to change the industry.
TLL Guitars.
To understand how artisan luthiers perform their craft and approach to their designs, I interviewed Tobias L Lindberg, of Stockholm Sweden. The interview was conducted over Skype.
Tobias L Lindberg was born and raised in Stockholm Sweden. His father was a carpenter and Tobias at an early age learned woodworking from him. His original goal was to become a musician but when that didn’t work, he combined his two passions. Incorporating his roots in Scandinavian woodworking and his love of music. He has created a truly unique one man show that has taken the guitar world by storm.
He walked me through his process and what goes into making a guitar from start to finish. It was beneficial to hear what is possible and what isn’t possible to do while in a one person shop. He began to explain each step from his perspective and how the same steps would be accomplished in a factory.
This interview was insightful because it helped me better understand what makes a guitar truly hand-built and unique. It also helped me gauge what was possible to accomplish with a one person build.
Benchmarking.
When benchmarking existing boutique guitar brands, I compared price to production volume. I noticed that a parabola was created. This led me in the direction of designing a guitar that would be suitable for a medium sized production and wouldn’t be a budget product but still affordable for the average enthusiast.
Inspiration.
3D Printed Parts.
Plastic parts were modeled for the guitar in Fusion 360 by Autodesk. They were then printed on a Prusa Mk. III, and primed and finished in black. This allowed for an iterative and rapid development process when making the plastic parts of the guitar.
Dimensions.
Exploded View.
Final Rendering.
Process.
The process began by routing out the body and the neck of the guitar. I then went on to route out the cavities of the body and hand shave the profile of the neck. Adding accents, like the binding route seen in the second photo, I then connected the neck and the body and began prepping for finishing. I then finished the guitar in a black lacquer with a red stained face of the guitar. I installed the mechanical parts and wired up the electronics. The last step was stringing the guitar up and testing it out.
Final Electric Guitar.
