The Skateboard Guitar

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1 ALGONQUIN COLLEGE The Skateboard Guitar An Environmentally and Trendy Approach to the Electric Guitar Matt Murphy C ONFEDERATION PRIVATE, OTTAWA ONTARIO

2 Table of Contents Glossary... 3 Executive Summary... 4 Introduction... 5 Environmental Concerns With Building Guitars... 6 Where Do Skateboard Guitars Fit In?... 6 A look at the Skateboard Guitar... 7 What Makes this Guitar Special?... 8 What s Next For the Skateboard Guitar?... 9 Where Can More Information Be Found?... 9 Works Cited Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 2

Glossary Bridge The bridge of a guitar is a machined steel bar with 6 holes drilled through it which the strings will go through. It measures 3.96 in length, 0.75 in width and 0.

Neck The neck of the guitar is where the guitar player places his left hand and depresses the strings, playing notes.

Necks are made out of any hard wood but are typically made from a combination of maple and rosewood. Necks have different scale lengths but commonly are made at 24 scale lengths.

3 Glossary Bridge The bridge of a guitar is a machined steel bar with 6 holes drilled through it which the strings will go through. It measures 3.96 in length, 0.75 in width and 0.20 in height. It attaches to the body by wrapping around two bots that are drilled into the guitars body. Neck The neck of the guitar is where the guitar player places his left hand and depresses the strings, playing notes. The bottom of the neck attaches to the guitar with 4 bolts and the other end holds the strings. Necks are made out of any hard wood but are typically made from a combination of maple and rosewood. Necks have different scale lengths but commonly are made at 24 scale lengths. Pickup The pickup of a guitar is made up of a magnet that has copper wire around it. It measures 2.75 in length and 1.52 in width and is located under the strings where the guitarist strums. A routed hole in the body of the guitar is where the pickup sits. The magnet picks up any vibrations the strings make, and then electronically sends the signal to the amplifier. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 3

What Galasso Guitars has created is an electric guitar built of nothing but a skateboard and the electronic components that make up an electric guitar.

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This white paper will discuss a trendy new approach to the electric guitar. Galasso Guitars have come up with the idea of taking old skateboards, a pop culture symbol synonymous with music, and using the parts to create something wholly new. What Galasso Guitars has created is an electric guitar built of nothing but a skateboard and the electronic components that make up an electric guitar. The design is a very simple, elegant approach to the electric guitar. Gelasso s way in creating these skateboard guitars is very cost effective and saves the environment from further forest depletion since its wooden components are made up of recycled parts. Forest depletion has been a major problem in the guitar world, and especially with Brazilian Rosewood. Brazilian Rosewood is understood to be one of the best woods for creating warm rich guitar sounds. This species of wood has been cut on an unregulated basis for so long that in recent times, the wood is now endangered and cannot be cut down. Companies need to have their stock of rosewood licensed to ensure it was cut down in a responsible matter. Gelasso developed the idea to create a recycled parts guitar is not new, but these skateboards produce a rich sound (which is uncommon for recycled guitars) and also has a trendy and flashy look as a product. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 4

5 Introduction The mission of this document is to bring light to the unknown company Galasso Guitars and their custom made electric guitars. What makes these guitars so unique is that they are made entirely of skateboard parts. The only other parts that are not originally on a skateboard are the electronic parts and the tuning gears. Since wood is becoming a scarce resource, especially exotic woods like Brazilian Rosewood and OTHER RARE WOOD, these guitars offer a good sounding product that does not put any more strain on our wood resource. Environmental issues are now arising in the consciousness of consumers. Products that take this into consideration have become trendy in many industries and musical instruments are also included in this trend. Unlike an acoustic guitar, the shape has no affect on the sound of the instrument. This leaves room for Galasso Guitars to build these skateboard guitars in a wide variety of shapes that can be custom ordered to a customer s specifications. Additionally, since the guitar is made of skateboards, which are made for extreme wear and tear, the consumer has a durable instrument that will be more resilient to scratches and cracks, prolonging the instrument s life. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 5

6 Environmental Concerns with Building Guitars As with much of the world`s natural resources that are becoming strained from overuse, the resource of wood is also becoming depleted from irresponsible deforestation. Mainly it is the exotic woods that are at higher risk of extinction, and they are also what make up most of the wood used in high end guitars. The main woods used for guitars are: Brazilian Rosewood Madagascar Rosewood Sapele wood In 1991, The CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) placed severe restrictions over the use of exotic woods such as rosewood, which is a premium material for guitars. Even guitar companies like Gibson must licence their previously cut exotic woods and prove that it was harvested before These regulations ensure that the supply of available exotic woods is regulated and used in a responsible manner. It has become a large problem for guitar companies to find woods that can fill the gap left by these restrictions, and still maintain a level of quality. Where do Skateboard Guitars Fit in? Exotic woods for building guitars have become so depleted that their sustainability is becoming a risk, so new ideas must emerge for the guitar builder. Companies need to move in new directions and use new methods or technologies to provide a quality instrument that is both visually pleasing and functional. Some companies have developed wood chip composites and whole new technologies to fill this gap. Galasso Guitars has also taken an innovative approach to solve this problem but have used common materials instead of developing new composites, materials and technologies. They have designed a guitar where the complete structural body is made entirely out of recycled skateboards. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 6

Be it a sticker, visual art, and even writing on the instrument, people like having their instrument to be identifiably theirs and unique, compared to all the reproductions of that guitar model or

7 A look at the Skateboard Guitar Musicians by nature are usually very creative and unique people. Looking at the history of popular music through pictures, stars and independent musicians alike have always been customizing their instruments. Be it a sticker, visual art, and even writing on the instrument, people like having their instrument to be identifiably theirs and unique, compared to all the reproductions of that guitar model or shape. This trend to customize has been taken to the next level with the new design concepts being developed. Gelasso has come up with a unique idea to create an extremely unique instrument using: the skateboard. Looking at the nature of a skateboard and the way it is used and ridden, it is guaranteed to become worn and scratched. These scratches and dings give character to the wood and make it truly a one of a kind, even if they are reproduced. The guitar s neck and body are made up of these recycled skateboards and are cut to various shapes. The guitar is then given the electronics, machinery and hardware used to build an electric guitar: bridge, pickups, input, volume control, frets and tuning gears. Not only is this a creative approach to a seldom changing instrument, but they also help ease some tension on the environmental issues surrounding Brazilian rosewood and other exotic tone woods. It has come to the point that international treaties have been drafted and signed, ensuring the preservation of these woods from becoming vulnerable to, or fully extinct. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 7

8 What Makes this Guitar Special? The Skateboard guitar in design and function is very similar to a guitar made by conventional methods. However, the skateboard guitar has many unique features to offer a musician who wants a unique and personal guitar. Some of these benefits include: Environmentally Friendly recycled skateboards can ease stress on already depleted forest woods Affordable wood products drive down the cost (vintage Brazilian rosewood guitars can be $3500 today) Every Guitar is hand made by Galasso Guitars a rare thing in today s instrument industry They are durable the touring musician need not worry about hurting it beyond repair Fully Customizable you can use a skateboard that is special to you * Choose your own shape * Choose your own pick up configuration to get a sound you call your own * Choose your own bridge The culminating result of all of these features is the uniqueness that the guitar can inherit. The music business is a very large community, and it can be hard to stand out and become visible with so many other bands and musicians fighting for the same spotlight and recognition. This guitar enables the owner to customize all the details, from the number of and placement of pickups, the ability to use a personal board, the shape and neck size. Just about everything on this guitar can be fitted to your personal needs and requirements, resulting in a guitar that not only plays as well as any other, but is also 100% unique and customized to you and no one else. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 8

9 What s Next for the Skateboard Guitar? The skateboard guitar is still a very new innovation in guitar building and playing alike, and this is a very exciting position to be in. Being made of recycled parts, and its limitless number of combinations available, there is no limit as to what can be done to, and with, a skateboard guitar. Not only are creative design visions potentially realized, but it helps the environment by reducing strain on already scarce and vulnerable tone woods. This trend is not only unique and environmentally friendly, but it is inspirational. With the skateboard guitar now a reality, this trend may be the beginning of a completely new way to look at guitar building. This forward and innovative thinking can bring forth a renaissance in guitar building that can be open to otherwise unthought-of design concepts, materials and building methods. Leo Fender had a vision in 1954 that has torn down and rebuilt musical landscapes around the world; that vision was the Fender Telecaster. Today in 2013, little to no major design changes have been made to the Telecaster since These skateboard guitars, and trends similar to it, are exactly the type of thinking needed in the instrument industry. Forward thinking and original concepts will rattle, stimulate, and inspire the creation of new breakthroughs that can affect the same change the Telecaster did in Where Can More Information be Found? Galasso Guitars was founded in 2004, and their online presence is still relatively small, but you can find more information at: Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 9

10 Works Cited [1] Galasso Guitars, "Facebook - Gallaso Guitars," Galasso Guitars, [Online]. Available: [Accessed 15 November 2013 ]. [2] Galasso Guitars, "Blogspot - Galasso Guitars," Blogspot, [Online]. Available: [Accessed 12 November 2013 ]. [3] Galasso Guitars, "Facebook - Skate Guitar," Galasso Guitars, [Online]. Available: [Accessed 9 November 2013 ]. Matthew Murphy, December 4, 2013 Page 10

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