This Minimalist Jetson Travel Guitar Lets You Rock Anywhere

Guitar purists beware, for Dan Mapp has just built what is perhaps the most convenient marriage between economics and ergonomics involving the beloved six-string.

Dubbed the Jetson, the aesthetic marvel on display above is an electric guitar shaved of unnecessary heft and artfully reduced to its most tasteful minimalist extreme. See the 100% aluminum foldable neck, which extends only half the length of a regular axe, sans frets.

But the ultimate novelty of the Jetson is the just-mentioned neck that’s foldable. Ergo, you don’t need to suffer the burden of a cumbersome guitar case while travelling, just fold this baby in half and presto. Of course, this foldability does have a catch: you have to detune the strings with three turns (or more) of the knobs at the head before the neck can do a 180 and fit snug underneath the body.

Alas, an additional drawback is the guitar’s tone. Since the strings run across the length of an aluminum neck, the material does produce a unique twang that may upset serious guitar aficionados. Still, this Master’s degree project (yes, Mapp is but a humble student but he’s already showing design promise) does look attractive enough to be marketed.

Besides, the traditional electric guitar is long overdue a revision, with even the flashiest Flying V’s today mere reflections of almost 30 year old designs. More power to Dave, then.

Via Gizmag