The Klein Custom Guitar

This is an image of the famous Klein custom guitar. To my knowledge, they are no longer being made, and their maker disappeared under some strange circumstance. That aside, these guitars are some of the most forward thinking models ever made, and they continue to inspire a new generation of ergonomic designs to this day.

While their appearance may seem extreme upon first viewing, these are very logically crafted instruments, which are designed to make the guitar as comfortable and efficient as possible. Playing one of these will outline just how badly some of the more standard guitar designs are set up, and it should be the goal of any instrument to be as easy and effortless to play as possible. The Klein guitars were some of the first to use this improved philosophy.

Custom instruments like these should be gaining in popularity an acceptance, and it really all started with the Klein. Now there are several small guitar making companies or individuals seeking better designs for instruments that will make playing a better experience for the performer.

Its easy to see why this type of body would be an improvement. The lack of a headstock provides better balance for the instrument, as well as reducing the weight. The shape of the body itself and the angle of the neck also make for a better natural playing position and better hand placement. Hopefully, guitars that use logical design principles over ruthless traditionalism will win out so that guitar players can have a better playing experience.