ilovefuzz.com

Ok guys, so here's the deal, I have a project coming up for an entrepreneur course in school. Part of my assignement is to discover customer interest in my product. Keep in mind, this is not a real company/instrument, I have chosen a product that interests me.
So here is the breakdown of my hypothetical instrument:
Aluminum Neck ( a la Travis Bean, Electrical etc.).
Graphite or wooden body wings.
Designed to be able to be repaired with great ease after a smashing.
Pickups are built directly in to the neck.
Electronics are built into the body wings.
The wings can be replaced very easily, bolted on.
The electronics connect in a way similar to Sherwood doubles, pin and hole connection.
Price: We think a standard model would be more expensive then a used Kramer($800) and cheaper then an EGC custom ($2300), depending on body wing choice.
Help me out guys/gals.
Thanks.

hrrrrmmmmmm.... I would buy nothing I haven't heard sound samples of
I don't normally plan on smashing my guitar- so yeah.. and pickups directly into the neck? sounds fine but how am I going to get that gnarly sound out of my bridge pu if it sits in the neck
And it's also pretty much out of my price range... so...
my answer would be no I guess?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8VweGquGJk[/youtube]

ZOMBIE GITAH

I think that if you played up the modularity of it, and priced it accordingly... so that there were multiple versions at multiple price points, and it was easy to start at the less expensive end and mod your way up...

Making the aluminum neck more affordable is attractive. I love my EGC, but I'm in no hurry to save up for another one.

Bassboar wrote:Aluminum Neck ( a la Travis Bean, Electrical etc.).

Bassboar wrote:Designed to be able to be repaired with great ease after a smashing.

I'm in.

I'd like it to be tough, modular, and easy to fix but who except dipshit rockstars purposely smashes guitars and if you have the money to do that why would you care about easily fixing it after smashing it.

dorfmeister wrote:I'd like it to be tough, modular, and easy to fix but who except dipshit rockstars purposely smashes guitars and if you have the money to do that why would you care about easily fixing it after smashing it.

I'm with Dorf on this, if you intend smashing a guitar and worry about pricing there would probably be a cheapo guitar you can just smash and leave. Also while it is pathetic to smash a guitar by itself, smashing one that is meant to be smashed is even more so.

I'd concentrate on affordable alu neck. That would be a big selling point in my opinion. And if you add modular wings so that everyone can at least add a pinch of custom I'd be in. (Well, not really because I am a broke fucker, but I would like in.) It would be nice to sell the wings separately so that more adventurous can combine stuff that doesn't really fit, like a TV yellow Ric upper wing and a quilted maple Explorer lower wing, haha! Büüärgh
How about creating a separate module for the electronics? Could be a slide in or snap in system, kinda like they used in the Ampeg Guitars, but instead of swappable PU you have swappable electronics with all sots of options ranging from directly to Jack through to whatever you can think of.

And then you need an endorser that is kickass. Like me.

i'd have to see it first? aluminum guitars is a whole new world to me

No to the smashing, destroying musical instruments is something of a travesty in my own eyes. I'd also be wary of the pickups/neck thing. Especially if the neck is aluminium. if people sometimes get shocked from touching their strings , that could be another stepping stone between you, the current and some lawsuit worthy hand burns.

Otherwise, sounds pretty good!

Bassboar wrote:Ok guys, so here's the deal, I have a project coming up for an entrepreneur course in school. Part of my assignement is to discover customer interest in my product. Keep in mind, this is not a real company/instrument, I have chosen a product that interests me.
So here is the breakdown of my hypothetical instrument:
Aluminum Neck ( a la Travis Bean, Electrical etc.).
Graphite or wooden body wings.
Designed to be able to be repaired with great ease after a smashing.
Pickups are built directly in to the neck.
Electronics are built into the body wings.
The wings can be replaced very easily, bolted on.
The electronics connect in a way similar to Sherwood doubles, pin and hole connection.
Price: We think a standard model would be more expensive then a used Kramer($800) and cheaper then an EGC custom ($2300), depending on body wing choice.
Help me out guys/gals.
Thanks.

I think you should stress your points of sale. Those could be:
- long experience and know-how in (building aluminum) guitars;
- custom made pickups;
- custom made strings;
- flexibility to make custom instrument according to clients most crazy ideas.

But as you know those are the same qualities Kevin from EGC already have. You should be (look) different. Maybe:
- short waiting time can work (at least from beginning);
- and factory/office in Europe (to avoid customs tax and huge shipping costs).

Sorry I cant buy your "wing argument" as very important. As well as "electronics" also is unessential, because if somebody likes to purchase expensive instrument he already has all electronics "on floor" and probably like to keep everything inside guitar as simple as possible.

Well, I mean, easy to repair is a huge deal for me. Sometimes, you don't have a say when your bass is smashed. Sometimes, that massive crowd of unfortunate incidents runs into you, and flings you into the concrete wall of life right in the middle of your set.

http://www.zoybar.net/
This reminds me of this.

Thanks guy, em comin.

i've been thinking of this for a long time, but i don't know how to wind pickups. anyways, i want to wind a custom humbucker called the "futt-bucker" mainly because i'm proud of myself for coming up with that name.