The Every-Guitar

Comprehensive Control Over Passive Guitar Circuitry

Three pickups. Four independent coils. Each with on/off, phase reversal, and series/parallel routing. Independent volume, tone, and low-cut filtering per pickup. I built comprehensive control over every passive guitar circuit permutation into a single instrument—transforming a complex requirements problem into an elegant hardware solution that saved $9,000+ while delivering better data than buying multiple guitars ever could.

Project Scope

Build: 40 hours, $600 investment
Reliability: 7 years, zero failures
Coverage: Every passive circuit permutation possible with 4 coils
Documentation: Complete build process in 48 photos

Design Approach

Rather than copying existing guitar circuits, I identified the fundamental building blocks of all passive guitar electronics: signal routing (series/parallel), phase relationships, and frequency filtering. By implementing complete control over these foundational elements, the guitar can recreate any existing circuit design—or explore combinations that have never been commercialized.

Skills Demonstrated

Systems thinking: Identified fundamental principles rather than copying existing solutions
Circuit implementation: Translated theoretical possibilities into working hardware
Custom fabrication: Created pickguard and control layout from scratch
Documentation: Captured complete build process for reproducibility

Engineering Philosophy in Practice

This project exemplifies my approach to complex engineering challenges: thorough planning, meticulous execution, and comprehensive documentation. Every connection was mapped, every signal path validated, and every configuration tested – the same methodology I apply to professional projects.

The Every-Guitar demonstrates my dedication to targeting the fundamentals: understand the problem space completely, design for reliability and maintainability, and document everything for future reference.