Relay Guitar Platform
A 3D-printed electric guitar platform. One shared body, many distinct instruments. Build the guitar that fits how you play.
The Relay Guitar Platform is something I built as a community project. I am providing you the information and resources that are necessary to print and build yourself a professional quality instrument that's suitable for players of all levels. I'm providing the models and documentation free of charge in the hopes of attracting a community of makers who want to support each other so that we can experiment, explore, and grow together.
I don't want to give you the impression that building a guitar is an easy, or even inexpensive, process. Parts of the process can be pretty challenging, but I've done my best to minimize those challenges and set you up for success. In terms of cost, if you're looking for a budget starter guitar, you can buy a decent instrument for less than it'll cost you to build one. However, from my perspective, there's nothing quite as satisfying as creating something with your own hands that plays and sounds amazing. When I started working on this platform I was able to source the materials for roughly $250. Now, 6-months later, it's closer to $400 if you buy everything new, but you can save a lot of money if you scavenge the parts from old or broken instruments. How you get the parts is entirely up to you.
How a Relay build comes together
Body
Print, bond, cure, and finish the shared double-cut body. Same body for every voicing.
Open body guide →
Voicing
Choose how the guitar sounds. Each voicing wires the same body a different way.
Open voicing guide →
Parts
Gather everything for your chosen voicing — shared hardware plus its electronics — in one list.
Open parts guide →
Wiring
Build and bench-test the harness for your voicing before it goes in the body.
Open wiring guide →
Assembly
Mount the hardware, install the harness, string it, and set it up.
Follow progress →
Voicings
Many voicings to choose from. Each is a different way to wire the same body — different pickup combinations, different selector logic, different sound.
Relay Arc
ReadyOpen · Spatial · Separated
A middle-primary model focused on clarity and separation: wide clean sounds that keep detail under reverb, delay, and other effects.
Clean pop · Indie · Ambient · Country
Relay Lipstick
ReadyHumbuckers · Lipstick shaper
The reference Relay model: bridge and neck humbuckers provide the main voices, while the middle lipstick reshapes them with contour, texture, and air.
Blues · Rock · Alternative · Indie
Relay Torch
ReadyPunch · Vocal mids · Presence
A P90-type middle pickup acts as a primary voice, giving the guitar stronger mids, more punch, and a forward position in the mix.
Rock · Pop · Alternative · Modern country
Relay Velvet
ReadyJazz-club center · Controlled warmth
A middle-primary model for players who put the guitar at the center of a small room: rounded attack, controlled mids, and enough presence to carry the act clean.
Jazz · Blues · Soul · R&B
Relay Current
LabFast attack · Upper-mid focus
A rhythm-first humbucker model with a middle augment layer that tightens lows, sharpens attack, and improves mix placement without acting like a boost.
Funk · Pop · Rock
Relay Reef
LabHumbucker · Dual-lipstick subsystem
Two voice families in one body: a bridge humbucker and an independently controlled dual-lipstick subsystem for high-contrast clean and driven sounds.
Indie · Surf · Alt Country · Shoegaze · Studio
Relay Hammer
ConceptHigh gain · Rails · Concept
A high-gain concept using rail pickups, aimed at tight low end, saturation, and controlled aggression. Final switching behavior is still in development.
Metal · Hard rock
Community
Join the community
Ask questions, share builds, and follow development as the guides are written.