Presenter

Mathew Hartung

Document Type

Prototype

Publication Date

4-25-2023

Abstract

Many experienced guitar players have encountered the recording process and the dread that comes with needing to pack their guitars every time they go to the studio. Each guitar produces a different tone and sound, which means that more guitars may be necessary to create the desired effect for a given song. The idea was to make a change; to create one guitar capable of sounding like every guitar by giving the electronic pickup (a hardwired component that receives and amplifies sound vibrations) the ability to be easily removed, swapped, and combined with other pickups. This modular component allows a single guitar body to sound like any electric guitar of the player’s choosing. Besides being able to replicate the pickup patterns of any guitar or guitarist, the play can now create a nearly unlimited number of new combinations of pickups to produce new tones. Along with the benefit to musicians, there is also a shared appreciation for sustainability of the environment. Thousands of exotic trees are cut down to make instruments each year. Most of this precious wood is then covered up with paint and lacquers hiding the base material underneath. For this prototype, the guitar bodies will be made of 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, removing waste plastics from the environment and leaving the precious trees to prosper. The tone of the instrument will not be altered by the body material and each guitar will be made with unique patterns from the plastics used to produce the body.

Faculty Mentor

Jonathan Harris, MID

Academic Discipline

BS - Integrated Product Design

Included in

Engineering Commons

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