Design Submissions To Major Companies?

[gord]

I've designed a guitar based on imagination only with deep bevelling and routing. I haven't seen anything like it before and wondered if anybody had any experience with promoting their creations to big companies like Gibson,Ibanez etc, and how to go about it. Any insight is appreciated, especially copyright or other 'intellectual property' decisions before showcasing. Thanks.

[dpm99]

This question gets asked every so often. You're unlikely to have a lot of success doing that. But if you've got an interesting design, why don't you just build it yourself? You'd find plenty of help here.

-Dave

[Sand Paper]

This question gets asked every so often. You're unlikely to have a lot of success doing that. But if you've got an interesting design, why don't you just build it yourself? You'd find plenty of help here.

-Dave

I Agree, I'd much rather make my own design than let some company make cheap knockoffs of my vision and sell them at a huge inflated price. With the internet and social sites and whatnot, all it takes is a few pics of the guitar to get some attention. While I'm sure no one here gets a 1000 unit demand within a week of completing a project, you might eventually find some people who would like to have one. At that point, if you have the skills and time, you could take an order or two, make a small profit, and know that everything about your design is yours and that it's been done right. That's just my take on it.

Edited April 9, 2009 by Sand Paper

[RAI6]

If your design is as ground-breaking as you say it is, make sure you have all the legal protection before you do anything.

[Dean]

Ed Roman mite buy it , or ah steal it, if it is any good.But for real,most big companies have people that do that all year for them.If you think you have a great design,and can sell enough of them,a company mite offer to buy it.You could read up on Baker Guitars...it happened to him,but now he is back to building his own guitars again.Destroy all guitars site has some of his new stuff.

[gord]

Thanks for the feedback. I should have said I've built it already. It's the body only that I designed as the neck and machines are from a ripped down 24 fret ESP, but plays easier than my Ibanez. This one also incorporates a floyd rose which lends an almost reverb like quality from spring resonance on a maple body. I'm pretty pleased and in some areas real lucky! Like a kid I guess I'm biased tho.