Guitar Project

This project began with the boat project. In order to practice laying fiberglass over the boats hull, I decided to make a guitar out of carbon fiber. I began with a 3D model I found online of a generic Gibson acoustic guitar. Then I rounded the back to avoid sharp corners and added a hand cutout. Next, I cut out a sliced cardboard model on the laser cutter and covered it in plastic wrap. This was going to be my mold. I draped the carbon fiber over the top of the makeshift mold, and used a squeegee to force epoxy resin through the carbon fiber. After the epoxy had cured I had to reinforce the neck and sides to withstand over 100 lbs. of force from the strings. I used a spongy material that soaked up epoxy and became incredibly strong when cured. While I was waiting for that to cure, I began making the fret-board and the soundboard. The fretboard was made from rosewood, marked on the laser cutter, and then cut out on a small bandsaw. Finally, I glued all the pieces together to make the guitar. The guitar played well on most chords, but on others there was horrendous fret buzzing. Because the entire guitar was epoxied together, there was no way to adjust anything and nothing could be done to help the issue.

But this project was not about making a functioning guitar; it was about learning the necessary skills to continue the boat project. I gained tons from this project, despite its outcome. But mostly, I have a pretty guitar to hang on the wall.