Novax Guitars
The Fanned-Fret® Originators
Ralph Novak, luthier
Novax Guitars: Charlie Hunter 8-String, Multi-Scale, Fanned Fret®
NOVAX is honored to have won the 1992 I.D.E.A. Excellence award, the first musical product in 11 years to receive this award from the Industrial Design Society.
Thank you to all players whose presence has graced my shop over many years, your suggestions and insights are the foundation of Novax design. You all share this honor.
“The essence of successful guitar design lies in pursuit of the happy marriage of aesthetics, function, and player satisfaction.”
The aesthetic side of guitar design is the fun part - interesting shapes for electric bodies, pickup selection & placement, hardware options, woods, and more add to the overall visual appeal of guitars.
The aesthetic side has great freedom and potential for individuality.
The functional part of design includes ergonomics, tonal considerations, playability, tuning, adjustability, acoustic bracing patterns, wood choices relative to structural considerations, and more.
There are some pre-ordained parameters to function - a “template” in a sense - based upon structural needs, pre-existing models, player utility, and an established framework of popular scale lengths and sizes of components.
Where the multi-scale Fanned-Fret® concept departs from the common template is the use of multiple string lengths. The resulting angles of the bridge and nut lead to some interesting design potential… also some obstacles, both aesthetically and functionally.
Validity of the player-friendly performance of our multi-scale concept and resulting design enhancements is proven by the growing market of “copyists”.