This is the first post of what I hope becomes a mountain of content about designing and building guitars and with any luck, building a successful business doing what I love most.
My name is Chaz, this is a photo of a photo of me and myself after a complex hair migration procedure known as “aging”.
"Whoa dude, aggressive."
I run this entire show by myself out of a garage and a basement in Denver, CO. If you're wondering about the name TEN32 (which has nothing to do with Police codes), I signed up to be an exhibitor at NAMM 2011 with no brand name. I had nothing I liked. Turns out, the part number engraved into the front of the CNC I had only just bought was "1032" , which reads several different ways, so it was changed to "10-32", then eventually "TEN32". I rolled with it.
"Good story bro."
Thanks. I bought my first guitar in 1998, designed my first body somewhere around 2000, and attempted my first build around 2007. It didn't go well:
"Yikes."
Yeah...the good news is, 17 years later, things are looking a little better:
So what exactly are you looking at here? My hope is that you're seeing what appears to be a pretty normal (but very sexy) electric guitar. There are plenty of things about the instrument that don't need changing. The foundations laid by the Leo Fenders and Lester Polfuses of the world are unshakeable, but…
In the age of AI, I firmly believe that our beloved instrument is doomed to obsolescence if it doesn’t evolve.
So I spent the last 17 years not just thinking about, but actually working on the evolution of the instrument. I can already sense the eye rolling, and I get it - many guitar “innovations” are either too extreme or not innovative at all, but I do think there’s a sweet spot - one where we make meaningful incremental improvements while honoring the spirit of the legendary models we all know and love.
So what exactly does that mean? Let’s get into it!
Of the many unique features of TEN32 Guitars, one stands out - Modularity.
Modular headstocks, necks, nuts, and electronics make TEN32 guitars easier to produce, customize, maintain, and repair. It makes the instrument more functional and inspiring for you - the player - across it's entire life cycle. How? By enabling you to quickly & easily swap parts without a tech for different specs (like neck scale length), different tones (pickups & components), or looks (like headstock shape). I also offer modular finishes, which I'm sure sounds insane...more on that later.
Modular bolt-on headstocks enable portability...if you’re into that sort of thing.
"Portability? Is this clown making travel guitars? Aren't they all shit?"
Indeed they are, but before we proceed...
If the idea of a bolt-on headstock rubs you the wrong way, I also offer conventional necks. A bolt-on headstock is just another option like pickups, bridges, tuners, etc.
But a conventional neck doesn't make for an interesting blog post, doesn't differentiate my product in a mature and saturated market, and it certainly doesn't move the instrument forward.
"Fair enough. So…why even dabble in portability? Seems kinda gimmicky."
Portability is just a happy accident. I wanted to make as many parts of the instrument as possible universally modular, so I could quickly and easily change the look and the specs of my guitars without buying entirely new ones.
But you’re not wrong to be skeptical. If you're like me, the images that come to mind when you hear the words "portable guitar" aren't exactly inspiring. Most attempts (in my humble opinion) are overthought, over-engineered, or make far too many sacrifices to remain classified as a "real" guitar - a "real" guitar being defined as one that a professional would feel comfortable relying on in a live performance or studio context.
Despite all the flailing (and I did a lot of flailing myself), the only thing that's really required to make a "real" guitar portable is shortening the neck. It's the only part that's too long/large to fit in a carryon suitcase. So how might one achieve this?
1) Eliminate the headstock entirely, or 2) make it detachable. Headless guitar necks are nothing new, but they do present a few more functional (and typically aesthetic) challenges than most guitarists are willing to take on, so I chose the latter.
"Bullsh*t. There's no good way to bolt a headstock to the end of a guitar neck."
Ten years ago, before I attempted it, I would've agreed with you 100%. 7 years ago, after trying several failed designs, I almost gave up. I could either make it work, but it would look terrible or vice versa - see for yourself:
Multiply the parts in this image by 5 and you'll get a sense of just how much failure I worked through. But...I REALLY wanted to travel with a legit guitar. I wanted to be inspired by the places I went, I wanted the influence of the people I met in those places to come across in my writing.
I wanted to lay down DI tracks from the top of a mountain in Maui.
So I persisted, and eventually I succeeded.
"That's a cute story. Does it actually work?"
It works spectacularly. So well in fact, that I dropped a large chunk of cash (OK, it was credit) on legal services to protect the idea.
A detachable headstock enables you to break the instrument down into three parts, all small enough to fit in a backpack, a carry-on suitcase, or...this:
You're looking at a full size, legit studio and stage ready guitar in a purpose-built backpack case that fits under an airplane seat.
"You expect me to believe a guitar in a backpack can compete with the best instruments in the world? Not a chance."
I can't overstate it. There are no sacrifices.
The only extra work you'll be taking on compared to a normal neck is about 90 seconds to bolt everything up out of the case. From there, you string it up just like any other guitar, except you're confidently doing so in any number of places you'd never dare to take any other high end instrument. And obviously, when you're not travelling there's no need to disassemble it or use the backpack case.
This may come off as aggressive or combative, but I can assure you, it's pure passion when I say...
I'm not playing, folks. I'll put my work up against anything ever built.
I may lose a battle or two along the way, but when the total utility value of my instruments is added up and weighed against the same value of any other guitar, I think that's a war I can win.
"Not buying it. You'll have to prove it."
No problem. That’s exactly why this blog exists, stay tuned.
To wrap up, I’ll say this. I did my time in the workforce. Layoffs, horrible bosses, doing everything right and never getting ahead, all that sh*t - but no more. I'm taking on risk and debt and guaranteed ridicule because life is too short to play by anyone else's rules.
I'm not here to maximize profits. I'm here to build the best guitars, to be my real self, to be honest and transparent, and to work with guitarists like you to maximize the instrument, the craft, and the music we all love because I'm truly afraid all that may cease to exist before my time is up, which we’ll discuss in a future post.
So join me! Share your ideas - especially the crazy ones! Fight with me to keep our instrument relevant!
"Damn dude....settle down. We don't even know if it sounds good yet."
I will not settle down. Seriously - I don't know how. It’s kind of a problem, actually...
Stay tuned for future posts including audio clips, construction details, modular guitar finishes, lumber selection and much more.
If you want more right now, take a look at my YouTube Channel.
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