There are tons of public workshops and maker spaces in San Francisco and around the Bay area. One of the outlets with the biggest array of tools and classes is TechShop, and with a location right around the corner from Wired’s offices, we're able to observe everything from woodworking to metal fabrication to musical-instrument making and more.
At a recent TechShop course, staffers taught attendees how to make traditional acoustic guitars using carbon fiber, a surprising and particularly modern material, for the instrument's backing shell, neck, and headstock. The instructors guided the class to create the rounded shape for their creation with digitally rendered molds, and then top their guitar with the standard wood fronts.
Not one of the aspiring luthiers, however, followed the exact directions — all veered off on their own path. One person increased the size of his in order to use it a bass guitar, another attendee adorned his guitar with beautiful laser-cut artwork, someone else made a guitar as a birthday present.
We were surprised to discover how well carbon fiber resonates in a stringed instrument — but we're still waiting to hear how the full-faced carbon-fiber axe turns out.
