reimagined. redesigned. redefined
Cynosure Guitars
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NAVY SEAL GUITAR
I was contacted by the Navy SEAL Foundation to create a representation of their charitable organisation in an instrument. The actually sent me an ESP XJ-6 in which would be the basis for the project. As a first for me, customisation/modification was a rather simpler choice than to build a full custom, however, I enjoyed the process much the same.
The XJ-6, a unique-shaped guitar allowed me to start afresh and with all its components in place, my thought-process entirely revolved around the aesthetic implications. Beforehand, the guitar, as pretty as it was, was certainly not individualised, nor showed any characteristic of 'spectacle'.
I took inspiration from their website in which featured their logo along with a veritable display of colour spectrum. The main colours that I focused upon were dark shades and the omnipotent blue/teal that dominated the front page.
The guitar had its pre-existing lacquer sanded down so that top layers of colour would be able to adhere to the surface. The body had multiple coats of metallic teal/blue sprayed onto the surface, followed by a side and front 'burst' of satin black, giving an enhancement to the front and back of the guitar respectively. I sawed out the logo along with the specific font of the namesake of the organisation in aircraft aluminium, which was also grinded with my 'signature' embellishment. The reverse of the guitar details a slogan honouring the fallen soldiers "Their Sacrifice Shall Never Be Forgotten" painted in silver and sealed in Nitrocellulose Lacquer.
