The first solid-body electric guitar, the Fender Telecaster came out in 1950. Since then, for an instrument that embodied change, very little actually has. If it ain’t broke, don't fix it...right? But the design of the guitar ultimately leads the player to choose poor postural habits. So what can be done to correct these problems, without offending the purists?
1
Scooped out body for better placement and playability
2
Deep cutaway allows easy access to higher frets
3
Chamfered for resting hand comfortably while playing
4
Easily replace body styles and pickups to your preference
Project overview
This design project was done over a duration of 8 weeks
It all started with my obsession with electric guitars. I had always been fascinated by electric guitars and guitarists. As someone who listens to a lot of rock and metal music, it was an obvious consequence. So when I got my first electric guitar, I kept playing on and on and couldn’t put it down. Fast forward two years, I was still a novice, but slightly better. It was around this time that I tried my hands on a few other guitars, and I realized something. I noticed a couple of issues on other guitars that I thought only my guitar had.
It began when I started to feel discomfort when playing for longer durations, even more so playing heavier guitars. My back started to ache, and I noticed I kept on repositioning the guitar on my lap. After a brief look into it, I had realized this was a problem that was prevalent in almost all guitars. Ergonomy and usability problems.
But one of the main reasons people still keep obsessing over Les Pauls and Stratocasters, even though they’re more than half a century old, is because of heritage and aesthetic character. I’m one of those people too. There’s just something about the elegance and badassery of guitars that stood the test of time. But for me, the flaws were tough to ignore, which led me to take it as a project and try my hand at it.
Process
31
Sample size
13
Number of people who felt learning to play an Electric guitar is intimidating and some chords are difficult to play
19
Number of people who felt Electric guitars were heavy and sometimes difficult to carry around
22
Number of people who experienced some sort of pain or discomfort after playing for a while
Research insights
Ideation
Design brief
How might we design an Electric Guitar that prioritises ergonomics and ease of use, while at the same time doesn't deviate too much from guitar styles of the years past.
Prototyping
What's different?
