QC 002 - Glamcaster  

It started with a question to myself.  What would be a design that is completely opposite from the original Quiltcaster guitar (QC #001).  The answer was ‘Goldfish’.

Well, ‘Goldfish’ is a color pallet.  The year I designed this guitar ‘Goldfish’ was one of the top color pallets for fashion, paint, graphic design, etc.  Perhaps you recall orange and blues being everywhere.

Next, I wanted a quilt pattern that was basic, rhythmic and classic.  But, I wanted to randomize it somehow.  I’ve always been interested in military camouflage.  It intrigued me as to how the new ‘digital camo’ is really a pallet of colors grouped in small boxes.  Standing far enough away they blend to mimic organic shapes that help the fabric disappear in the background, either urban or rural.  In this case, the form and function of digital camo is for combat survival.  The camo I was designing would ‘not’, and I mean ‘NOT” (caps by design) blend into the background.  I wanted my camo design to pop off the stage, purely for glamour survival!  

‘Digital Goldfish Camo’

So there it was.  The combination of the ‘digital camo’ and the ‘Goldfish’ color pallet but in a digital, box-like camo pattern.  I wanted the boxes big enough to see each beautiful orange and blue color, specifically so they would not blend.  However, creating an artificial random pattern is not easy.  Thus, with the help of a 6-sided die, I was able to randomize the pattern by assigning each side a color.  By rolling the die the colors were selected randomly and the digital goldfish pattern arrived. It was a fun way to solve a problem.  

The crystals

To turn up the glam into the Las Vegas ‘fabulous’ range I added Sawrovski crystals.  Creating the crystal pattern took many hours of trial and error.  I wanted them to flow across the angular, square design of the quilt to provide a feeling of movement.  Also, I wanted the light to move across the crystals to project colors like a disco ball.  Once I found the design I liked I had to glue each crystal onto the fabric. This took a long time with a steady hand.  In the end I was amazed how durable these crystals have been.  I’ve played this guitar for 5 years and not one single crystal has fallen off. 

The hardware, body and neck

The pickups are high-quality Seymour Duncans.  The neck pickup is a glamorous lipstick pickup (you know it just had to be a lipstick pickup).  The bridge pickup is a sweet Seymour Duncan humbucker which is in the size of a single coil pickup.  It fits nicely in to the high-gloss stainless steel look.  The sound is very dynamic - with push-pull pots providing the fat humbucker and twangy tele sound.  

I used a telecaster guitar body.  The neck is maple and the fretboard is a light satin finish.  This should wear nicely through years of playing.  

I named QC 002 the Glamcaster since this Quiltcaster demands your attention.  

The photos

Tegan Keller Studios shot the Glamcaster after she did such an amazing job with the original Quiltcaster. Check out her blog on this guitar shoot here. I found it amazing how she created a strong mood with the deep blackness of the background allowing the ‘glam’ to shine. It’s like a lone actor with a single spotlight upon the stage capturing your attention. She also really captured the fine details of this guitar.

QC 002 Glamcaster completed 2012.