Voicings

Pick the sound first, then build the guitar around it. Each voicing uses the same body and scale length but a different combination of pickups, switching, and controls.

A Ready badge means I've built and validated that voicing and its documentation is complete: sound reference, parts list, and wiring guide. Lab voicings have a finished design that I haven't physically validated yet, and Concept voicings are still exploratory — you're welcome to follow along on both, but don't order parts for them yet.

Relay Arc

Ready

Open · 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

Ready

Humbuckers · 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

Ready

Punch · 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

Ready

Jazz-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

Lab

Fast 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

Lab

Humbucker · 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

Concept

High 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

Choosing a voicing? Compare notes with other builders — ask about tone goals, tradeoffs between models, and what fits your style.