Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar by Maxwell Brazo

Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar by Maxwell Brazo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award in Brons in Muziekinstrumenten Ontwerp Competition Category.

BronsMuziekinstrument· 2022

Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar

by Maxwell Brazo

Client: Maxwell Brazo

A' Design Award in Brons Winner in Muziekinstrument Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #126635

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Colors

The Design

About Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar

Spark is een reiselektrische gitaar ontworpen voor draagbaarheid en voor productie thuis. De body, hals en toets worden geprint via fused filament fabrication met gerecyclede houtvezel- en aramidecomposieten in plaats van hardhout. De elektrische en mechanische onderdelen zijn algemeen verkrijgbaar, en de montage maakt gebruik van een soldeervrij bedradingssysteem. Spark wordt afgewerkt volgens traditionele methoden, waaronder schuren, het plaatsen van frets en een lak van nitrocellulose. Een vaste, koploze brug houdt de volledige mensuurlengte binnen een compacte vorm.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Brons

Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Brons, een hoogst prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan uitstekende ontwerpen die zich onderscheiden door creativiteit, vindingrijkheid en scherpzinnigheid. Winnaars in Brons zijn ruimschoots vaardige en opvallend creatieve artefacten die de grote ervaring, verbeelding en het vernuft van hun ontwerpers bevestigen. Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerd, bewonderd en gekoesterd object te zijn dat opmerkelijk professioneel en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in Brons heeft gewonnen, verwerkt de beste praktijken in kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie en is uitstekend door zijn aandacht voor detail. Spark Reiselektrische Gitaar bevredigt schitterend behoeften, raakt verlangens, charmeert gevoelens en spreekt de nieuwsgierigheid aan.

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.