Guitar Design and Build Project

For most of this semester students from Drafting Design have been focusing on Guitars.

Instead of handing a student a book and just saying do this, my goal was to teach "project-based learning" by handing students guitars and the guitar parts, something they can hold in their hand. 

Projects like this allow students to be excited about learning Drafting Design.  Each student will learn skills like creative and critical thinking, sketching, alphabet of lines, measuring, geometry, scale, Multi-Views, Orthographic projection, Dimensioning, Isometrics, along with Computer Aided Drafting with AutoCAD 2012, AutoDesk Inventor, SolidWorks and Solid Edge.  Some of the students even learned CNC programing.

Dylan showing off the drawings that would be used in the marketing of his custom guitar

Each student has a chance to design a custom guitar.  If a student has a hard time coming up with a passion for this project, I bring one of my guitars or allow one of them to bring a guitar.  Guitars like the classics such as a Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, or an Ibanez Jem.  We break down an existing guitar (not a classic) measuring each part.  Student will then draw each part in it's entirety at what ever level they are at in the program.  Some students draw Multi-Views and Isometrics with manual "board" drafting techniques, some draw utilizing CAD, drawing 2D and 3D.  Some of the students even learned CNC programing.  All students sketch out their ideas.  When the designs are complete, each student designs a marketing campaign similar to those found in magazines.  Their work is judged by guitar experts like builders, music store owners, talented players both young and old.  The best designs will have their projects built, (usually one from the morning class and one from the afternoon class).  This semester 26 students designed 26 unique guitars.  3 students designed marketing campaigns for existing guitar companies.

Student - Dylan Davis, Construction I Instructor - Jason Sosa,
Drafting Design Instructor - Josh Phillips

The guitar body was cut out of kiln dried cherry
on the CNC Machine (seen in background)

For the students that don't get picked as top design, If he or she wants to pay for the construction of their design to be built that is also acceptable.  The funding for this project comes from fund-raising.  Parts are also salvaged from old beat up guitars as well.    This project is a big project and could not have been finished as smoothly with out the help of Jason Sosa, the instructor of Construction I.






The career paths that designing and building guitars relate to are varied, careers like: Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Mechanical Engineering, Marketing, Construction, Electrical Engineering, etc...

Dylan even presented this project during this years state
Skills USA competition in Class Project Display.  However, WE did not win... :(