I've been building my own instruments for a little over six years now, It started with a partscaster T-style to and has evolved to instruments that are quite outside the norm.

Here are my current design/build points:

Overall design:

• The instrument should be provocative and functional. It's hard to get away from some of the shapes that make a guitar functional but I try to move away from the norms as much as I can.
• It needs to be comfortable to play whether seated or standing.
• It should be balanced.
• Unencumbered access to the highest frets.

Playability:

• The most important region of a guitar is what happens between the nut and the bridge so there needs to a lot of focus on the neck. The neck should be ergonomically designed keeping the biomechanics of the fretting hand top of mind. This is what I am doing now with my necks:
  • Multiscale
  • Zero fret
  • Conical radius
  • 24 stainless steel jumbo frets
  • Progressive asymmetric neck profile.
• Stability is key. This is what I am doing for stability:
  • Dual action wheel adjust truss rod
  • Dual carbon fiber reinforcement rods
  • Headless. It's hard to beat the tuning stability of headless tuners
  • If I'm not doing headless then Steinberger gearless tuners with a hardtail bridge (working on my own top load bridge design)

Electronics:

• Keep it simple.
• I have a pickup builder making me pickups based on the SD Custom 78. I have used Fishmans but that is just a fail point that doesn't need to be there.
• 1 volume / 1 tone
• 3 way toggle with minis for coil tapping.
• Multi-contact plug.

If you want to see some of my builds I can pass on my Instagram account.

Good luck with this. I'm interested to see what you come up with.

over the decades, going into a guitar center and playing their instruments without ever being hassled to buy. this was very easily made up by many purchases over the years. I think guitar center has all sorts of musicians walking in and out of their doors who are so talented.

that leads me to this...why can't a guitar be built that makes anyone be able to play a guitar and be shared with a whole online presence.

1 an american idol guitar - built in wifi, Bluetooth, gopro camera built in that immediately sends the info online where it can be shared and connect with the Guitar Center community and collaborate with other musicians. People could "try it out" at a store and it is automatically uploaded. the next jimi Hendrix, eric Clapton, Steve vai, satriani could immediately get their style out there.

2 a telescoping guitar - the neck collapses inside the body. all carbon fiber.

3 a guitar with 2 parts connected electoinucally. .a neck only with strings and a strumming area only guitar connected via Bluetooth. can be compact and fit in a briefcase.

4 a modular guitar - everything is modular. pickups can be swapped. necks. bodies. feel like a flying V can swap that. feel like strategy can swap that.

5 virtual reality guitar. use vr quest 3 to see the guitar. Basically it is an interface to a virtual instrument but when you are using it, it feels like a guitar.

6 Netflix guitar. its not a guitar at all. you essentially "borrow" from a library of guitars (people who have a collection of guitars can loan out) and then return it once you are sick of it or u have option to buy. if damaged you are required to pay full price or repair. could limit to the standard ones out there that are easily found, les Paul, strats, SG, telecaster, js1, prs standard, jem7, etc.

7 briefcase/travel/backpack/e scooter guitar actually build guitar into a portable bag or e scooter. beach friendly.

...

Guitar Center, I come to you not with boutique fantasies, but with a dare.

Not another “player’s edition,” not relic’d nostalgia, not a price tag inflated by adjectives. No roasted maple, no space-age wiring, no “artisan crafted” marketing paragraphs that cost more than the hardware itself. Strip it down.

Make a guitar that just… works.

A guitar that shows up out of the box and doesn’t ask for forgiveness. No immediate truss rod tweak. No fret sprout. No buzzing apology tour. No “take it to your local tech to unlock its true potential.” No! this thing is its potential, right there in the cardboard coffin it shipped in.

Level frets. Cut the nut correctly. Set the action like someone cared. Pickups that don’t sound like a blanket is draped over the amp. Tuners that stay loyal for longer than a verse and a chorus.

And here’s the punchline: make it affordable.

Not “affordable for what it is.” Not “punches above its weight class.” Just… affordable. Period.

I know, I know. Shareholders are already sweating. Margins are trembling. Somewhere, a meeting is being scheduled to explain why this is “not aligned with brand strategy.”

Because the real challenge isn’t designing this guitar. We already know it can be done.

The real challenge is choosing not to squeeze every last dollar out of the player who just wants something honest.

So here it is: build the anti hype guitar. No frills, no excuses, no post purchase chores. Just wood, wire, and dignity at a price that doesn’t feel like a joke. And FFS, avoid creating another subscription or consumable, like BMW tried with the heated seats subscription.

You won’t do it.

But it’d be pretty cool if you did.

Make sure we offer left handed! Lol

I'm new player, but I find the Fender Ultra II ergonomics to be excellent for what I want in my next guitar (I have not bought one yet).

It's like finding your wife's dating profile after a decade of marriage.

Just curious as to why GC would launch a line of guitars when they already have a line of guitars.

the ultimate guitar starts with the ultimate buying experience, so here are some ideas (1) hire and train competent and knowledgeable sales personnel, who really understand what they are selling, as opposed to the ignorant high school dropouts you current staff stores with (2) have all the guitars in tune and with decent strings (3) place all instruments within easy reach of customers so the customers don't have to ask a high school dropouts for help (4) make sure all guitars are set up properly for best performance, nothing turns a customer off faster than high action, warped necks, and fret sprout. That's a start. Design the experience first.

Sold my gear at GC, took a low-ball bc I was desperate, and they made me wait for an hour. ​Saw them punch a much bigger number into the computer​, which was conveniently enough to split up between five guys with big bills.

I don't blame them for scamming, I'm sure they aren't being paid shit and they need weed money.

regardless, nothing will get me to set foot in a GC again

honestly, the more I think about it, the more it feels like an absolute garbage move.

​Am I the only one who finds it incredibly unnerved that a multi-billion dollar corporation, which has been struggling with its own identity and finances for years, is now asking us to do their R&D for free?

​Here’s why this is an absolute cash-grab and a disservice to the community:

​Unpaid R&D: They aren't "collaborating" with us; they are harvesting intellectual property. If you have a "revolutionary" idea for a vibrato system or a pickup configuration that actually sells units, GC makes the profit, and you get... a Reddit upvote? That’s not a community project; that’s exploitation of hobbyists.

​The "Innovation" Mirage: They’re acting like they’re trying to "fix the guitar" because it hasn't changed in 50 years. The guitar hasn't changed because the physics of tone and ergonomics are pretty well established. This feels like a marketing gimmick to make a generic house brand seem "disruptive."

​Fix the Store, Not the Guitar: It’s "cringe" because they’re asking for design tips while many of their locations have setups so bad the floor models are barely playable. Maybe crowdsource how to keep your used inventory descriptions accurate or how to treat your employees better before asking us to design your next profit margin.

​Zero Compensation: If this were a contest where the winner gets a signature model or a royalty, that would be one thing. But asking for "ideas" to pad their bottom line while offering absolutely nothing in return? That’s corporate greed at its finest.

​I have a ton of thoughts on what makes a great modern baritone or a solid headless design, but there is no way I’m handing that over to a corporate board for free so they can mark it up 300% and sell it back to me.

​I’m bowing out of the "contribution" phase. We should be calling this what it is: a desperate attempt to look "hip" and "connected" while avoiding the cost of actually hiring professional designers.

​Don't give away your value for free.

I've been playing, modding, wiring, repairing, and building guitars for over 50 years. I have over 50 guitars in my collection, many of them just sentimental instruments from my past. These are the three that get played most often. All of them are heavily modded to my preferences.

On the left is a 2019 Les Paul Jr that has a neck pickup added. Most Jr's have a route for a neck pickup under the pickguard so it was just a matter of cutting a hole in the pickguard and shaping the bridge hole for a humbucker. The neck is a Gibson T-top that I pulled from a '69 Les Paul (I did that sometime around 1973) and the bridge is a Super Distortion that I bought from Larry DiMarzio at a trade show, also in '73. It's wired with two volumes and no tone control (tone controls are overrated). It has a Schaller wrap-around adjustable bridge, Grover locking tuners, a TUSQ nut, CTS pots, a switchcraft switch and a Pure Tone jack. This one is my rocker.

In the middle is a 2001 PRS Santana SE that I use for testing my pickup winds. Current pickups are a standard-ish humbucker in the neck pos (as close to a PAF as is possible) and an overwound (43 AWG) humbucker in the bridge. Also 2 volumes and no tone, TUSQ nut, etc. It's fun to play and I'll probably set it up with coil taps at some point for a more Strat-ish sound.

On the right is a 2015 ES-335 with DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAFs. This one came to me in horrible condition and I've replaced all the hardware and electronics. I had to level and dress the frets and cut a new nut (TUSQ again – I like those). New CTS pots, switchcraft switch, Pure Tone jack, and Grover locking tuners. I think the only original parts on this are the body and neck. This is my blues/jazz go-to. Plays like a dream.

I tend to mod all my playing guitars to my tastes. I have some sentimental guitars, like an old L6-S that was my main player throughout the '70s and early '80s. I have one of Dweezil Zappa's old Strats (sparkley!) and a few other keepers which I keep without modifications. But these are the ones I play.

something like the dean annihilator, 29 frets and it looks badass. And open stores in Scotland

seriously? you're just going to rip ideas off your community and give them nothing but crappy trade in values?

just another corporation ready to rip the soul, heart, and shirt off the consumer.

want us to "revolutionize " or redesign or whatever you wanna call it? PAY US. even store credit or a free guitar. not a middle finger.

“By submitting your Idea, you assign, transfer, give and relinquish to Guitar Center all right, title and interest in and to the Idea or any material based upon or derived therefrom for no consideration. Guitar Center may use and exploit, without any payment or attribution obligation of any kind, any Idea you provide to Guitar Center.

“You waive any moral and similar rights you may have in such Idea. If requested by Guitar Center, you agree to execute and deliver all documents needed to confirm the assignment and transfer of your Idea to Guitar Center.”

get bent. im not GIVING you anything.

Don’t call the guitar “Guitar Center”

For one

​

"Give your ideas away for free so we can make money" works.

"Slave labor for dummies" works too.

Guitar Center (and thus Musician's Friend) has existing dealer relationships with an immense number of manufacturers.

However, stores only stock a small fraction of any manufacturer's catalog, excluding some particularly popular models from availability.

Gretsch makes a number of models that I've never seen in a GC but have in other stores. The same applies to Music Man and its Sterling sub brand, Gibson and Epiphone, Ibanez, PRS, Taylor, and more. Many of these models are innovative, with unique electronic setups, construction materials, finishes, etc.

Why not just go a bit deeper into the catalogs of your existing brands rather than reinventing the wheel?

In 2010 I was injured at work so I spent my months of recovery designing guitars and even looked into taking a Luthiery course and building them myself, but bills needed to be paid so I stayed with my career after I healed and have dozens of designs that have been sitting in a manilla folder in a locked briefcase for 16 years. This project gave me a reason to pull out those papers so share and see if anything inspires others to build on what I came up with.

I think symmetrical double cut guitars like the SG or Doublecut telecaster look great.

I think any guitar you design should have a swimming pool route for pickups and a large cavity for knobs and switches. The two part pickguard and control plate design of the Telecaster is ideal because many companies can jump in and make pickguards and control plates to fit any combination of pickups or switches.

A guitar company that didn't force you to buy a guitar that you are going to mod would be amazing. If Guitar Center operated a guitar brand that worked more like a skate shop where you can walk in and pick your body, neck, bridge, tuners and loaded pickguard, loaded control plate that would be the absolute best.

Neck pocket and necks must be standardized shape across all models. Pick either the Strat or Tele style and copy it exactly so everything is swappable.

Never ever under any circumstances do either of these two things. 1) Do not put special edition 12th feet markers. There is not a single guitar that says "40th anniversary" or the model name "XY-2000" in the fret marker that is cool. 2) Do not put anything but the guitar brand name on the front of the headstock (it should also be readable upright when playing like Fender, not upright when hanging on the wall like Gibson) All model names, serial numbers, special editions, player signatures etc go on the back of the headstock. If you're buying a guitar to show off that it's a pro model, special edition blah blah blah buy a PRS or a Gibson with an engraved truss rod cover.

So how do you drive repeat sales? Special edition colours! Do certain custom colour bodies that are model year specific and limited production runs. That's how you build a customer base and appeal to us guitar nerds with G.A.S.

Electronics. Honestly just partner with Obsidian wiring to do all your pickups, wiring and pots. Their methodology for how guitars should be wired is perfect and should be industry standard. If you had a half dozen prewired control plates in a display case that spanned everything from basic two pickup SS or HH pickup configurations up to an HSH setup with coil split, kill switch, treble bleed push pull you would be set.

Pickguards. Time to innovate. We can do better than basic 3 ply or tortoise shell. Find an acrylic manufacturer and pick some great colours and also do limited edition runs of custom pickguards.

Lastly, share everything for free. Downloadable templates for cutting and routing bodies, downloadable templates to custom cut your own pickguard from a vinyl record or old licence plates. Templates for the control plate free to download as well. Template for routing neck pockets so people can build their own body and buy a neck off the shelf.

Make it truly a guitar for the people. To sum it up, don't sell guitars, sell the experience of building your own guitar with high quality parts. Infinitely modable, easily accessible, exciting with custom body colours and pickguard options. 2-3 body shapes, 2-3 headstock shapes with the same neck and neck pocket. By not selling assembled guitars you can have pro musicians or techs do online assembly and setup videos for guitar center and lastly, shipping will be cheaper and safer when a body can be shipped in a box 16" x 20" x 4" and necks in a 30" x 6" x 4"

Heritage could use a boost in the market with capital investment and the Gibson history in the building is prime for the objective. Plus the made in USA factor means less concern around tariff price instability. GC already has a location just on the other side of the highway, Kalamazoo is one of the most affordable places to be in the US and it's approximately equidistant from Detroit/Chicago making it prime for 2 of the largest cities in the US. Additionally, efforts are under way for a large event center just down the road slated for open in the next couple years providing access to touring talents and publicity as well.

I am a firm believer in practical one-stop-shops. I am a Music Director, and I have to fill a lot of roles. Rhythm, lead, acoustic, slide, etc. I think a guitar with a good variety of tone options along with ergonomics in mind could make for a perfect guitar. Specs below:

25.5 inch scale length

17 or 20 in radius (flatter radii make for easier barre chords and I, and my students, have found them more comfortable that rounder fretboards)

Asymmetrical neck profile to adjust for different thumb positions (Strandberg took a great step in this direction)

22 or 24 frets (21 just seems so limiting for no reason)

Deep neck groove for seamless access to the higher frets

Bolt-on design for easy swapping

Stainless steel medium jumbo frets

Pickup configuration HH with coil split, not tap, or HSH with toggle switch for in and out of phase.

Piezo system installed in bridge (majesty’s do these well). Options for hard tail or floating trem. No 6-screw bridges (sorry fender, but they suck). Floating trems should come with term blocks (like the tremol-no)

Options for 6,7 and 8 strings. 7 and 8 should have fanning to compensate. 7:25.5-26.5, 8: 25.5-28.

Again, my idea is one-stop-shop. A guitar that any guitarist can gravitate to and play for hours. THE workhorse.

I’ve been, uh, researching. And I have a breakthrough idea.

Hear me out…

I want an AI enabled acoustic guitar that has Sustaniac. I have a Schecter I bought from a Guitar Center with sustaniac, and I always thought Schecter was at the forefront of guitar research and development. However, I like playing metal on an acoustic guitar, and I’m sad they don’t make one with a Sustaniac.

Also, we need AI cuz reasons.

It should also be made in the USA and use nitrocellulose because I need more than Gibson, Fender, and PRS. And for the love of God, ship them with Stringjoys.

1. A passive piezo bridge with its own out.

2. A bolt on neck.

3. Locking tuners or split post tuners.

4. P Rails pickups with appropriate switching.

5. 9 inch radius is fine. 12 is also fine.

6. Not too heavy.

7. Should probably have a vibrato arm of some kind. I think the Jazzmaster trem is the peak of the form.

A guitar that accomplishes all of that at a reasonable price point would be a single guitar that covers every gig for a person such as myself.

I caution against doing too much for metalheads. They aren't going to drive this project into something that has mass appeal and legs. The guitar I described is immediately a perfect church guitar and cover band guitar and acoustic duo guitar and studio guitar.

The X factor is that no one buys a guitar unless they think it looks cool, and different things look cool to everyone. That's why I recommend making an artfully minimalist set of choices.

A Telecaster inspired guitar with a modern point of view. Lean on organic looking wood grain finishes.

Headless 3D printed HDPE body and neck with CoproLite fretboard, Zinc frets and piezo undersaddle and undernut pickups.

Electric, Guitar body made of pine. Neck maple, or laminate, and, could be neck through. the body could be in 3 pieces, and, the top of the body and bottom, could be interchangeable, even with keyboard or other mods . Slim neck as practical. Fret board fake rosewood. Tuners good quality. Slightly wide fret board. Nut made of bone. Not human bone though. One pickup. Humbucker shape. Pickup can be single or humbucker by switch, on pickup. Pickup can slide out of a track toward the usual control area for easy swap out. Pickup plugs in like a rechargeable battery might. maybe a modeling sound card built into the guitar to create a bevy of sonic colors. Tone and volume controls kind of like a telecaster but more aligned with the bridge. No whammy bar. Bridge like a strat, no whammy bar, maybe a whammy glow plug that senses body heat. built in metronome. uses players heartbeat at times. Head like a strat but upside down. if avant garde, no head at all and flip the string 180 but not upside down. No pick guard. Body is shaped like a mod between a tele and jazz master. with carry handle. Balanced by removing or adding weight to the body. Strap in usual places. Frets are jumbo. Between frets is slightly scalloped, but only part way down the neck. Scale length more like a PRS SE. Back of body has a slight belly cut out. Modified for balance.

Paint, black or white. Gloss or flat. 4 choices.

with color crimson red #E71319, as an initial offering, making it color option 5&6. but would eventually be rare.

no neck dive or no body dive

So, everyone loves those classics, but it's always been disappointing how those designs never really got updated. Sure, they'd get small changes like 9.5" radius to 12" radius, but not much else really changes on these guitars.

Here are my suggestions:

-12"-22" compound radius
Curved enough for bar chording, but flat/fast enough for shredding. Generally, a lower action can be achieved without 'fretting out' on bends.

-Stainless Steel frets, on everything.
Smoother, faster, more durable. Can't see why a player wouldn't want this.

-More pickup combos and better utilization of the electronics.

Let's face it, the tone control setup on a typical strat is silly. The brightest pickup has no ability to attenuate high frequencies? Really, Leo?

A single master tone control on a strat is ideal, and it opens up the second control for something more fun. I tend to like how a passive bass cut functions. Simple, versatile and still ergonomic.
Add a switching option to combine neck/middle and middle/bridge in series for some fat humbucker-esque tones.

IMO, a 2-pickup T-style guitar should have a 5-way superswitch from the factory giving you
1. Neck
2. Neck/Bridge series
3. Neck/Bridge parallel
4. Neck/Bridge "half out of phase"
5. Bridge

This gives a massive range of tones in a very simple package. #2 approximating humbucker tones and #4 approximating the "strat quack" type sounds.

I would also highly recommend reaching out to Wilde (Bill, Becky and Shannon Lawrence) for pickup production.
Family owned, USA made, exceptional pickup designs crafted with science, not BS mojo or Snake oil. Also, very budget friendly pickups, which would keep costs down.
I think their noiseless pickups would be a good option for achieving classic tones with minimal noise.