Project Mass Customization
The project was developed as an industrial manufacturing system using an ergonomically designed custom guitar to capture the musician's body measurements, posture, weight, distribution and individual playing characteristics, resulting in a completely personalized instrument that meets all the musician's needs while offering maximum flexibility. The project combines the individuality of traditional craftsmanship with the precise possibilities of the modern world.
The Best Sound in the World
This guitar was developed with no less aspiration than to produce the best guitar sound in the world. This prototype incorporates the finest Gibson humbuckers, designed and engineered with unique electronics to allow for any coil combination. The front and rear humbuckers can be controlled separately, activated, deactivated, combined, split, wired in series or parallel, and each individual coil can be adjusted for volume and tone. This allows for the legendary warm and rich Les Paul Gibson sound, as well as the sound of a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster, and even semi-acoustic blues—all in one instrument. With these possibilities, the musician can dial in a completely personal and distinctive sound that makes it unique.
The wood types can be selected and even changed later. Typically, harder woods are used on the back and softer woods on the front for a warm tone. Solid, semi-acoustic, or acoustic options are also available.
The neck is a single piece and not bolted on, which ensures a particularly good tone and long sustain (vibration time). The neck is 5-ply (opposing wood grain) and has extremely high steel tension, so the MC guitar won't warp and will hold its tuning even under significant temperature and humidity fluctuations.
Unique modern design and ergonomic beauty
Studies and experiments on the aesthetic perception of human faces were applied to the electric guitar to achieve the ideal beauty of its form. This shape is therefore the perfectly crafted and idealized blend of a Gibson, a Stratocaster, and a Parker. Over 50 guitar types and the historical development of the guitar and electric guitar were taken into account, making this design the next evolutionary step for the electric guitar.
The second criterion is the visual communication that this is a product manufactured with precise milling programs, resulting in exact circular segments, milling grooves, surfaces, and curves. The f-holes and other elements were therefore also modeled on the milling movements as distinctive features and adapted to the overall design.
The prototype is made of extremely slow-grown, and therefore very high-quality, hard, figured maple and a front made of high-quality American walnut. The bridge is made of Argentinian cow bone (which is self-lubricating), just like in the high-quality classical guitar making of the legendary Vogtland region. The neck features handcrafted, hollow-circle LEDs integrated into it, allowing for quick and precise location of the higher frets in the dark.
The screw-on wings eliminate the unsightly plastic electronics cavity.
The book about the patent
For this project, I wrote a book on the topics of mass customization, guitar history, product design, electronics, and sound.
Priceless
The patent is valued at €470,000 (Implementation time and market value.)
The prototype is valued at €93,000 (Materials and labor.)
patented product of the RoyalArt® Agentur
Dipl. Des. Sven Scholz