Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga by Maxwell Brazo

Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga by Maxwell Brazo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Taonga Puoro Competition Category.

ParahiTaonga Puoro· 2022

Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga

by Maxwell Brazo

Client: Maxwell Brazo

A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Taonga Puoro Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #126635

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga

Ko Spark he kitareta hiko haerenga i hoahoatia mō te māmā ki te kawe me te hanga i te kāinga. Ko te tinana, te kakī, me te papa-aho e tāta ana mā te hangatanga tāwhiriwhiri whakarukeruke (fused filament fabrication) me te whakamahi i te muka rākau hangaia anō me ngā ranu aramid hei whakakapi i te rākau pakari. He māmā noa te kimi i ngā wāhanga hiko me ngā wāhanga miihini, ā, ko te whakahiatotanga e whakamahi ana i tētahi pūnaha waea kāore he hinu-tā (solderless). Ka whakaotihia a Spark mā ngā tikanga tuku iho, tae atu ki te oro, te whakanoho i ngā fret, me te whakapaninga vania nitrocellulose. Ko tētahi arawhata pūmau kore-māhunga e pupuri ana i te roa katoa o te tauine i roto i tētahi āhua tino iti.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Parahi

Ko Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a Spark Kitareta Hiko Haerenga i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.

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.