Marimba and Piano models
A large amount of wood is used to build many musical instruments, particularly larger and more complex ones such as guitars and pianos. This leaves fabricators with large quantities of cut waste and unused materials—a challenge when pursuing a more sustainable approach. Now, Yamaha, one of the world's leading musical instrument companies, has introduced a daring concept that could revolutionize the industry.
Upcycling Guitar, led by Yamaha's Research and Development Division, aims to create new instruments from defective and scrap wood produced during the regular manufacturing process. Even when repurposing these materials, the company upholds the highest quality standards in sound quality or aesthetics despite the materials used in the instruments' production. The first iterations of the project propose using diverse types of wood, including those traditionally not found in guitar manufacturing.
The approach could be easily met with pushback. After all, the relationship between a musical instrument and its material is fundamental, as it informs its sound, appearance, and feel. Particularly, rare woods, often reserved for specific, more upscale instruments, are limited resources requiring years of growth. Hoping to tackle these fears, Yamaha has based these new plans on deep scientific analysis, allowing for a better understanding of these materials and maximizing the unique qualities of each type of wood.
These ideas shine through their upcycled Marimba and Piano guitar models, which, starting with their names, pay homage to their materials. The former is crafted from rosewood used in marimba tone bars, while the piano model incorporates spruce, beech, birch, and maple scrap wood originally intended for pianos. This clever idea was recently selected to receive the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2024 for “imbuing the materials with new value and restoring their appeal.”
The Upcycling Guitar concept is part of Yamaha's larger vision for the future of musical instruments—creating pianos, guitars, and other instruments that sound great, no matter what they are made of. Aware of the real-world implications of this, the company aims to collaborate with musicians to define new quality standards. This includes trial performance days that allow for feedback from those who will be using them in order to show that this idea goes beyond a promising sustainable concept.
Yamaha has introduced Upcycled Guitar, a concept that aims to create new instruments from defective and scrap wood from their regular manufacturing process.
First prototype
Even when repurposing these materials, the company aims to uphold the highest quality standards in sound quality or aesthetics, regardless of the materials used in their production.
Piano model
The first iterations of the project propose using diverse types of wood, including those traditionally not found in guitar manufacturing.
Marimba model
Yamaha Design Lab: Website | Instagram
h/t: [Designboom]
All images via Yamaha.
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