About this project
$67,162
189
*Thank you to our backers! Follow the story at www.alpacaguitar.com*
THE ALPACA GUITAR
The Alpaca is a go-anywhere adventure guitar designed to withstand the elements. Its rugged build is comprised of top quality fiberglass, carbon fiber, and bio-derived resins, all made in the US. This combination produces an incredibly lightweight and strong instrument with a brilliant, resonant sound.
The Alpaca will
handle anything a good adventure brings; dirt, water, bumps and bruises.
An embedded daisy chain on the back provides a strong universal
attachment to any of your outdoor gear.
Features
CARBON FIBER SOUNDBOARD
VT SUGAR MAPLE LAY-INS
THREE-POINT STRAP SYSTEM
WATERPROOF
ERGONOMIC SHAPE
LIGHTWEIGHT & COMPACT
MADE IN VERMONT
Specs
DIM: L32.25″ W11″ D3.5″
SCALE LENGTH: 24.75"
WEIGHT: 2.6LBS
FRETS: 20, SILVER-NICKEL
STRAP: ADJUSTABLE PARACORD
TUNERS: GEARLESS
STRINGS: STEEL
Risks and challenges
Overall, we are confident in our ability to achieve our goal, and fulfill our reward obligations. That we are already building our guitars gives us a huge boost in confidence, but doesn't make the scope any smaller. We've printed shirts and bags in the past, and sewing the Dirt Bags is more about time than difficulty. Our core Kickstarter goals are to upgrade our shop and buy in bulk. This will allow us to improve and increase guitar production and help us enter the market running. There is a lot to that, and it isn't without risks to our backers, or challenges to us.
Challenges
The Alpaca guitar will be made with the aid of 3D CAD/CAM. The molds for the current guitars were built without the aid of computers. Good old fashioned clay and cardboard modeling produced these first guitars. Going digital is a big step up for us, but one that will lead to a lighter, stronger, and overall better guitar This digital upgrade is a necessary step to allow us to produce multiple guitars each day.
We considered partnering with a molding firm in NY, but in the end, our quantity wasn't large enough to justify the expense of tooling up. With the exception of the guitar picks, all rewards and guitars will be built by us. We've planned our campaign around the sale of 75 guitars, which we believe can be built by us in under 2 months; this is a challenge. Game on!
Risks
We have a big leg up on other projects because we have already built numerous guitars. Our biggest concern rests on the shop upgrade to 3D CAD/CAM. This is a giant step for us, and although the greatest things on earth are built in 3D, it still makes us nervous. Will it work? Can we reproduce the design accurately? Will it sound and fit together the same? How much time will it take to get all the systems running in harmony? These are all big questions for us. With a successful campaign, we'll have some stiff deadlines to uphold. Although all our software and tooling partners have assured us it will be fine, I still feel obligated to list it as a Risk.
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Funding period
- (30 days)