Blackbird Guitars is a

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

company that manufactures

acoustic guitars An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and

ukuleles The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The Tone (musical instrument), tone a ...

from

composite materials A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...

, including

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

and

ekoa Ekoa is a natural Biocomposite available in dry fabrics, pre-pregs, as well as cores and resins. Ekoa has been used in a variety of applications, including musical instruments, such as a ukulele and a guitar, as well as sports equipment, including ...

, a flax linen reinforcement fabric in a bio-epoxy matrix. The company has made contributions to both the field of

luthiery A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...

and the field of composite design, notably with the composite all-hollow unibody instrument design used on all Blackbird models, as well as the development and use of

Ekoa Ekoa is a natural Biocomposite available in dry fabrics, pre-pregs, as well as cores and resins. Ekoa has been used in a variety of applications, including musical instruments, such as a ukulele and a guitar, as well as sports equipment, including ...

in the construction of fretted instruments. Blackbird is located in the Mission District of San Francisco,

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, and as of 2015, produces about 400 instruments per year

History

The company was founded in 2005 by Joe Luttwak and Kyle Wolf in San Francisco with the intent of producing travel guitars with composite materials, which are more durable than wooden guitars. In 2007, Blackbird released its first model, a carbon fiber steel string travel guitar called the Rider, which was the first all-hollow unibody instrument made of composite materials. The innovation produces increased volume. In 2008, the company released a nylon version of the Rider, also made of carbon fiber. In 2009, the company released a carbon fiber OM-sized steel string guitar called the Super Om. In 2010, the company released a carbon fiber ukulele, a tenor size model. In 2011, the company released a carbon fiber OO-sized guitar called the Lucky 13. In 2013, the company released a concert size ukulele called The Clara, which was the first musical instrument built with

. Blackbird has received innovation awards in the composite design field for the Clara, having received recognition at The Composites And Advanced Material Expo (CAMX), JEC Americas, and

Industrial Designers Society of America The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is a membership-based not-for-profit organization that promotes the practice and education of industrial design. The organization was formally established in 1965 by the collaborative merger of t ...

. In 2014, the company announced a jumbo-sized steel string guitar made of eKoa called El Capitan, which was the first guitar built with

Patents Held

*. *.

References

External links

* {{Guitar brands Guitar manufacturing companies of the United States Ukulele makers Manufacturing companies based in San Francisco Manufacturing companies established in 2005 2005 establishments in California American companies established in 2005