Create Your Own Guitar with 3D/AR Design Technology

Two emerging technologies have converged to help musicians create the perfect acoustic guitar. Vectary, a no-code 3D and augmented reality (AR) platform has joined forces with Dowina, a Slovak acoustic guitar crafting company, to create endless customization for customers. Dowina is using a 3D configurator powered by Vectary to allow musicians to send digital twins with diverse personalization options to the guitar maker. Vectary makes its technology accessible even for Dowina employees and customers who have no prior experience with 3D design tools.

The platform helps users create individual instruments specifically suited to their needs. “Guitar building is a combined art of physics, design, and woodworking. Our clients are artists, too. The entire business revolves around high expectations and intense emotions,” Erika Marinova, CEO of Dowina, told Design News. “Having a tool like Vectary that allows our clients to be part of the design process, where they can see what they will actually get, simply bridges, no, it erases the gap between what they had in mind and how the final product will look. It is like an ultimate tool to ensure everyone's happiness.”

Image courtesy of Dowina

Customization Is Crucial to Excellent Design

The customization offered by Dowina though the Vectary platform even involves the instrument’s material. The choice of tonewoods, such as cedar or spruce, and materials for the back and sides, such as Cocobolo or Indian Rosewood, play a critical role in shaping the guitar's sound. The differences are revealed in the instrument’s sound, ranging from a mellow tone to a direct and clear one.

The Vectary platform offers additional design preferences such as changes to the rosette, head shape, or the neck of the guitar. Dowina’s guitar expertise combined with Vectary's technology, provides a new guitar-making workflow where customer expectations are met and communicated precisely to the production team.

Marinova sees the design tool as a way to communicate with customers. “We will always be committed to communicating with our clients, as it is imprinted in our DNA and the way we approach guitar building,” said Marinova. “However, with the 3D image always at our fingertips, we can shift our focus to the subtle aspects of guitar making, such as sound quality and sustainability.”

Managing Extensive Customization

Dowina has a long history of offering flexible and high-quality products. The company strives to offer nearly endless customization possibilities. Yet the extensive individuality in guitar design creates multiple challenges, including the management of internal processes, pricing calculations, and intricate customer interactions. To manage this, Dowina uses Vectary’s technology for its production processes. Vectary has optimized workflows, diminished administration tasks, and minimized errors and client miscommunications with the goal of enhancing the customer experience.