Post 11 – 2024 Final Report Part 1 – What

For my final project, I have decided to create an electric guitar body from scratch. I will only be focusing on the design portion and will later be focusing on the electronics. For the Aesthetic of the design I have decided to go with a Viking aesthetic with a heavy influence in Norse patterns.

I drew  inspiration from the intricate Norse wood carvings that have been a hallmark of Scandinavian art since the Viking Age. These carvings, often found on historical artifacts like the stave churches and the famed Oseberg ship, feature complex interlaced patterns and mythological motifs that speak volumes about Norse culture and aesthetics. The use of intertwined animals and elaborate geometric designs not only adds a layer of depth to the visual appeal but also serves as a rich narrative medium, conveying stories and beliefs of the Norsemen. This historical art form influenced the textures and thematic elements in my design, aiming to fuse traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques to create a product that feels both timeless and innovative.

When looking at the overall design for the body I also took heavy influence on the shape and color of the following guitar body.

While I am currently not planning on adding any metallic elements into this project I may take influence and add it into my design at a later portion of time.

To begin creating my project I order a slab of amborosia Maple wood. from here I Drew the outline of the body that I wanted to cut out with the wood. I first drew it on a piace of scrap plywood in order to get the details perfect before cutting into the main body.

Once the main body was completed on the plywood I cut it out into the main piece of wood. Creating the stencil for the guitar body was a lot more challenging than I had anticipated as I had never played a guitar before. Therefore I didn’t know any of the dimensioning making the very difficult to trace it out. Once the main body was cut I began designing the portions I was going to carve into the wood. I used a dremel with metallic bits to cut away at the larger portions of the wood.

For the next portion of the things I will be doing is finishing up the carving as it takes a lot more time than expected as there are a lot of little details. I will also be looking for a stain that would make this look Norse like in the final product. Although for right now, I am happy with the place I am at to complete this project before expo.