Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Fiddles and Fenders, Design Inspiration



People wonder where designs come from. Fin shapes and color schemes are usually inspired by something seen before.

I read about this one online and had to try it for myself.
The "F" holes on violins are an interesting shape.








There are some who think the shape came from a carefully peeled orange skin.






The Fender guitar head stock design was suggested by Merle Travis, the great fingerstyle player and composer of "Sixteen Tons".


The silhouette is roughly based on a side view of a violin headstock.

Why bring this up?
Rocket design ideas are all around you. You just have to keep yourself open to unconventional shapes.

3 comments:

  1. Actually, Leo Fender said in an interview that his headstock was inspired by Croatian folk instruments, in particular, the tamburica or tamburitza:

    http://www.worldfrets.com/Kontra_Tamburitza.jpg

    But where the Croatians got the idea is up to speculation :^)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lonnie,
      There were interviews from both sides of the story. It was a sore spot for Merle Travis until Leo Fender admitted the headstock was inspired by Travis' design in a Rolling Stone article. Merle Travis had said for years the headstock design was a side view of a fiddle headstock.
      Here's some more:
      http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/about/history/

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