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Introduction

What is The Parametric Guitar Project?

The Parametric Guitar Project is more than just a set of tools or tutorials—it’s a blend of my personal journey and a community resource aimed at making modern guitar building more accessible to everyone. It’s a project where I document my growth as a designer and builder, while also sharing the knowledge and resources I gather along the way.

At its heart, this project is about sharing knowledge, tools, and methods that make guitar design easier to learn and use. It follows a modular approach, where foundational concepts build upon each other, but individual parts can also be accessed on their own. This way you can start with the basics and then expand step by step, or dive directly into a specific area once the foundation is in place.

One of the main purposes of this project is to build a strong community of makers who are passionate about designing and improving guitars. From beginners just starting out to experts refining their process, the goal is to create a space where ideas, techniques, and inspiration can be shared freely.

Community

A growing community on Discord and Facebook supports The Parametric Guitar Project. The Parametric Guitar Project Discord server serves as the main hub, where you'll find real-time discussions, Q&A, and collaboration around guitar design and parametric workflows. This is the ideal place to connect directly, ask questions, and share your progress.

The Fusion 360 Luthiers Facebook group complements the project with over 6,000 members. Though not exclusively dedicated to this project, it closely relates through Fusion 360 and modern lutherie topics. This group provides an excellent space for sharing builds, ideas, and resources with a broader audience of builders and enthusiasts.

Philosophy & Goals

The project is guided by a simple philosophy: guitar building should be approachable, flexible, and continually improving. By combining parametric design with modern digital tools, we can make the process clearer, more efficient, and more enjoyable.

The goals are to:

  • Make guitar design simple — break down complex ideas into clear, usable steps.
  • Share helpful tools — provide software, templates, and resources anyone can use.
  • Encourage creativity — make it easy to experiment and try new designs.
  • Build community — connect people at all levels to learn from and inspire each other.

How to Use this Documentation

Think of this documentation as a guidebook. It follows a modular approach: you can begin with the foundation and build knowledge step by step, or dive straight into the parts that interest you. Nothing here is meant to be a rigid tutorial—these are insights into how I approach guitar design, methods that have worked for me, and ideas you can adapt to your own process.

  • Getting Started covers setup, the basics, and core concepts behind parametric guitar design.
  • Intro Projects provide simple starter builds—like a parametric pick or knob—that help you practice fundamentals before moving into larger designs.
  • Primary Topics (Design, Manufacturing, Rendering, and Scripting) each have their own independent documentation sets. These serve as the main pillars of the project, letting you go deep into the areas most relevant to your work.
  • Extended Topics explore areas beyond the core, such as advanced workflows, cross-program methods, and optimization strategies. These are optional but can expand your skills and enhance your projects.

This resource will continue to grow and improve as new ideas, tools, and community contributions are added.