Spark Ígwè Guitar Njem by Maxwell Brazo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz in Nhazi Ngwá Egwu Competition Category.

BronzNgwá Egwu· 2022

Spark Ígwè Guitar Njem

by Maxwell Brazo

Client: Maxwell Brazo

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz Winner in Ngwá Egwu Category

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The Design

About Spark Ígwè Guitar Njem

Spark bụ ígwè guitar njem e chepụtara maka ịnyefe ya n'ọnọdụ mfe na maka mmepụta n'ụlọ. A na-eji usoro fused filament fabrication ebipụta ahụ́ ya, olu ya, na fretboard, na-eji fiber osisi ejigharịrị na ngwakọta aramid kama osisi siri ike. Ngwongwo eletrik na nke igwe dị mfe ịnweta, na mmekọrịta ha na-eji usoro waya na-adịghị mkpa soldering. A na-emecha Spark site n'ụzọ ọdịnala, gụnyere sanding, ndozi fret, na etinyewe uhie nitrocellulose lacquer. Bridge a kwụsiri ike nke na-enweghị isi na-eme ka ogologo scale zuru oke dịrị n'ime ụdịdị dị mkpirikpi.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz

Spark Ígwè Guitar Njem meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị pụtara ìhè nke a ma ama maka nzụlite ihe, ọgụgụ isi na nghọta. Ndị meriri na Bronz bụ ihe e mere nke ndị nwere nka nke ukwuu ma dị mma n'imepụta nke na-egosi ahụmahụ buru ibu, echiche na ọgụgụ isi nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na Spark Ígwè Guitar Njem ga-abụ ihe a na-asọpụrụ nke ukwuu, a na-eto na a hụrụ n'anya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz na-agụnye ụzọ kacha mma n'ime nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ, ma dị mma nke ukwuu maka nlebara anya ya n'obere ihe. Spark Ígwè Guitar Njem na-emezu mkpa nke ọma, na-emetụ ọchịchọ aka, na-adọrọ mmetụta obi ma na-adọta ọchịchọ ịmara.

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.