Music is important to me. I learned to play guitar at an early age and still do to this day. Designing a guitar is a unique experience and more organic than one might think. There are many misconceptions as to what 'tone' is and how to obtain it. Along with what materials to use to ensure the guitar will sound 'good'.
I choose to redesign the iconic Fender Telecaster. At 70 years old, this design played every type of music known to man and is one of my favorite shapes. But, even classics need some help. Ergonomics with the Tele are not what you call great. It's square and blocky in all the wrong spots but this is also what makes it great. I needed to tread carefully if I wanted to preserve its heritage and update the playability.
Instead of creating a photorealistic 3D render, I choose to only create a 3D model, using Rhino 3D, with the surfaces I wanted. When making a high quality instrument there needs to be a hands on approach. The major surfaces were modeled, then programmed in Fusion 360 and cut on a CNC mill. These surfaces were cut enough with a machine to create the overall shape with some material left over to give room for the hand shaping and finishing.
The neck and the body were designed to bolt together with precision. The entire layout of the instrument can be tailored to any bridge, electronics configuration along with what finish is desired. High quality raw materials were chosen to create an everlasting design and tone. Playability was greatly increased over the original Fender design while keeping the original design intent and heritage.
