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The Akiragita BB1 is my first fully original guitar design — a semi-hollow body thru-neck electric guitar. The guitar was an exercise in balancing comfort, playability, and tonal depth while maintaining a clean and satisfying design. It features a laminated core of reclaimed elm from Winnipeg street trees (hit by Dutch elm disease), flanked by two hollowed "wings" that reduce weight and improve resonance. To stabilize the elm, I laminated the neck and reinforced it with two carbon rods, which has kept it incredibly stiff so far.

I put a ton of effort into pre-planning. I spent hours refining 3D models to dial in the dimensions, ergonomics, and overall feel. Having access to a 3D printer and laser cutter meant I could extract all the complex shapes from the models and make precise templates. The neck alone took about 13 templates and two custom router sled jigs. Honestly, about 70% of this project was modeling and prep, but that made the build process so much smoother — and now I can easily reproduce the design.

The fretboard is birdseye maple, which I slotted and radiused myself using a custom 3D-printed jig. The electronics are intentionally simple — just a single humbucker for now. I designed and 3D-printed brackets to mount the volume and tone knobs in a hidden but accessible position inside the body wing.

The tailpiece is a quirky — it’s milled from a piece of rebar, wrapped in sheet steel, and mounted under the strap button. It’s a little janky, but it works and adds character. The pickguard is sunken into the body at a slight angle, sitting flush near the strings and floating about 1/4" above the surface toward the edges.

It’s not perfect, but it plays beautifully and feels like the most "me" thing I've ever built.