Courtesy RKS Design
Collection Gift Guide: Rockin' Riff
December 2, 2003
RKS Guitars
Take a look at guitars from RKS and it makes perfect sense that
they spring from the creative partnership of a top industrial design firm and a
rock and roll legend. RKS Design, headquartered northwest of Los Angeles in
Thousand Oaks, Calif., was the recipient of numerous, coveted Industrial Design
Excellence Awards in 2003 for innovative designs in products as diverse as a
teeth-whitening apparatus and an interactive music-making toy for children. RKS
Guitars is a subsidiary the company co-owns with Dave Mason, a founding member
of Traffic who also played with Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and Fleetwood
Mac. This RKS design team makes for a significant presence in the world of
electric guitars.
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The Chrome Moly. (Click image to enlarge)Fundamental to the unique design and function of an RKS guitar is a neck-through-body design, where a solid piece of wood (often a beautiful flame- or quilt-patterned maple) is used for the entire length of the guitar, as opposed to the neck’s being glued or bolted onto a separate body. This neck-through-body design increases the guitar’s sustaining properties—something apparent even before the guitar is plugged into an amplifier.
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The El Sol from RKS Guitars
spring from a partnership between a premier industrial design group and a bona
fide rock and roller. Partner Dave Mason ensures that each new
guitar is as comfortable as the classics he played on albums
for the likes of the Rolling Stones. (Click image to enlarge)Metal ribs hold the upper and lower body shells—made from interchangeable
aluminum, wood, or cast urethane resin—in place. Abstract artist Knox
Martin will be the first to contribute his talents to a limited series of
instruments sporting shells painted by noteworthy artists.
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