Spark Reise-E-Gitarre by Maxwell Brazo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award in Bronze in Musikinstrumentendesign Competition Category.

BronzeMusikinstrument· 2022

Spark Reise-E-Gitarre

by Maxwell Brazo

Client: Maxwell Brazo

A' Design Award in Bronze Winner in Musikinstrument Category

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Colors

The Design

About Spark Reise-E-Gitarre

Spark ist eine Reise-E-Gitarre, die auf Transportfähigkeit und die Fertigung zu Hause ausgelegt ist. Korpus, Hals und Griffbrett werden im Schmelzschichtverfahren (Fused Filament Fabrication) aus recycelten Holzfasern und Aramid-Verbundwerkstoffen anstelle von Hartholz gedruckt. Die elektrischen und mechanischen Komponenten sind allgemein erhältlich, und der Zusammenbau erfolgt über ein lötfreies Verkabelungssystem. Die Endbearbeitung von Spark erfolgt nach traditionellen Methoden, darunter Schleifen, Einsetzen der Bünde und eine Nitrozellulose-Lackierung. Eine kopflose, feste Brücke ermöglicht die volle Mensurlänge in einer kompakten Bauform.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Bronze

Spark Reise-E-Gitarre ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Bronze, einer hochprestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für herausragende Designs, die sich durch Kreativität, Einfallsreichtum und Scharfsinn auszeichnen. Bronze-Gewinner sind reichlich geschickte und auffallend kreative Artefakte, die die große Erfahrung, Fantasie und Findigkeit ihrer Designer belegen. Von Spark Reise-E-Gitarre wird erwartet, dass es ein hochgeschätztes, bewundertes und geliebtes Objekt ist, das bemerkenswert professionell und innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Bronze prämierte Design verkörpert bewährte Verfahren in Kunst, Wissenschaft, Design und Technologie und ist hervorragend in seiner Liebe zum Detail. Spark Reise-E-Gitarre befriedigt Bedürfnisse auf großartige Weise, berührt Wünsche, bezaubert Gefühle und spricht die Neugier an.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Focuses on sustainability, accessibility, and adaptability through use of computer aided design software and at-home manufacturing. Fully printed guitar body, neck, and fret board using alternatives to hardwoods. Recycled plastic and wood fiber composites used are able to be fully finished and assembled using simple and standard methods. All electrical and mechanical components are domestically sourced and widely available.
Dimensions & Packaging: Product Dimensions: Width 133.35mm (5.25in) x Depth 57.15mm (2.25in) x Height 768.35mm (30.25in), Scale Length: 25.5in, Fret-Board Radius: 9.5 - Modern C Neck Profile - Single Coil & Humbucker Passive Pickups
- Body/Neck/Fretboard (Timber-fill/Nylon AF80 Aramid)
- Headless Fixed Bridge and Double-Ball End Combo Headpiece
- Angled Switch Tele Titanium Control Plate
- Neck Plate (Bolt-On Style)
- Electrosocket Jack Mount
- Low Profile Truss Rod
- Stainless-Steel Hardware and Threaded Inserts
- Solderless Wiring System
Tags: Guitar, Electric, Travel, 3D Printed, Sustainablity, Instrument, Music, Design
Production Technology: Realized through Computer-Aided Design and Fused Filament Fabrication technologies. Domestically sourced electrical and mechanical components. Finished using traditional methods (sanding, seating frets, binding, nitrocellulose lacquer finish, etc.).
Design Challenge: Bio-composite filaments used, while recyclable and or compostable, do not provide adequate structural support for full-scale stringed instruments under tension. Complications with recycled wood-fiber composite filaments required research and testing of additional materials with more effective mechanical properties. Key attributes considered were creep resistance (resistance against deformation under long-term load), tensile strength, elongation at break, density, and ease of printing.
Research: Initial research into fundamental basics and history of electric guitar construction was crucial to ensure a playable end product. Standardized dimensions of classic high-end models helped to provide a familiar aesthetic and a framework to work within, and use of widely available and popular components to inform the overall design. Influenced by concepts such as compact modularity, right to repair, and the future of at-home manufacturing.
Inspiration: An exploration to replicate traditional luthier processes through new-age methods of small scale manufacturing and the pursuit of material alternatives for guitar-making. Informed by the idea that making a guitar should be more accessible and experiential; the vision for a transformative guitar able to be printed and assembled at home, inspired by vintage Fender, Steinberger, La Baye 2x4, and lap steel guitars.
Project Duration: The continuation of thesis work while at Rochester Institute of Technology, this project has spent some time in design and development. Prototyping done in 2021 and final working model and process book to be completed in 2022. Based out of Litchfield, Connecticut.
Operation Flow: Printable and playable, an innovative solution to cost-effectively produce and assemble your own guitar using recyclable materials, encompassed within a compact full-scale travel silhouette.
Image Credits: Image #1: Creator Maxwell Brazo, 2022.
Image #2: Creator Maxwell Brazo, 2022.
Image #3: Creator Maxwell Brazo, 2022.
Image #4: Photographer Maxwell Brazo, 2022.
Image #5: Creator Maxwell Brazo, 2022.