Faculty of Design

Industrial Design

Patrick Pepin

C-Bass, E-Qin, The Bard and The Jester

Affordable, simple and effective. This line of electric stringed instruments takes inspiration from different cultures and time periods. What began as a massive list of candidates was narrowed down to three that ultimately won out based on feasibility and the fact that there are no affordable options currently available on the market for any of those three. The C-Bass is an electric upright bass, the E-Qin is a take on the guqin, a Chinese instrument with a rich 3000+ year history, and finally, the Bard and Jester are takes on the renaissance lute.Of the three designs, the C-Bass was made into a physical playable build.

“Making musical instruments affordable and diverse allows more people to access and engage with music. When musicians have access to a wider range of instruments, it allows for more creative expression.”