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Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk) by Maxwell Brazo

Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk) by Maxwell Brazo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award yn Brûns in Muzykynstruminten Ûntwerp Competition Category.


BrûnsMuzykynstrumint· 2022

Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk)

by Maxwell Brazo

Client: Maxwell Brazo

A' Design Award yn Brûns Winner in Muzykynstrumint Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk)

Spark is in reisgitaar dy't ûntworpen is foar draachberens en foar produksje thús. It korpus, de hals en it toetsboerd wurde printe troch fused filament fabrication, mei brûk fan resirkulearre houtfiber en aramidekomposiet ynstee fan hurdhout. De elektryske en meganyske ûnderdielen binne wiid ferkrijber, en de yninoarsetting brûkt in soldeerleaze betrating-systeem. Spark wurdt ôfwurke mei tradisjonele metoaden, wêrûnder skuorjen, freterplak-oanbring en in nitrosellulose-lakklaach. In koploaze fêste brêge hâldt de folsleine skaallingte binnen in kompakte foarm.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Brûns

Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk) is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Brûns, in heech prestisjeuze erkenning foar treflike ûntwerpen dy't har ûnderskiede troch kreativiteit, fernuft en tûkens. Brûnswinners binne tige feardige en opfallend kreative artefakten dy't de grutte ûnderfining, ferbylding en betochtsumens fan har ûntwerpers befêstigje. Fan Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk) wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige heech achte, bewûndere en dierber objekt is dat opmerklik profesjoneel en ynnovatyf is. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Brûns yntegrearret de bêste praktiken yn keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology en is treflik om syn omtinken foar detail. Spark Reisgitaar (Elektrysk) foldocht behoeften prachtich, reitsjet winsken, betsjoeveret gefoelens en sprekt nijsgjirrigens oan.

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.

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