Designer Jacques Averna is celebrated for his imaginative reinterpretation of electric guitar forms, crafting instruments that double as captivating art objects. His creations transcend traditional guitar aesthetics, taking on whimsical shapes inspired by common items like a human foot, a fried egg, a padlock, and even cloud formations. These guitars retain their full musical functionality while boasting vivid colors and detailed contours that echo their source of inspiration. Averna's design process often begins with a playful concept, a personal anecdote, or a specific structural challenge, which he then resolves through an inventive and recognizable visual language. By transforming ordinary objects into extraordinary musical instruments, he infuses a sense of wonder and delight, bridging the gap between personal expression and sophisticated design.
A notable example of Averna's innovative spirit is the 'Footycaster,' an electric guitar meticulously shaped like a right foot. This model features a broad heel, a distinctly raised arch on one side, and four rounded toe-like cutouts along its lower edge. A white, rectangular pickguard gracefully covers the upper half of the guitar's body, extending from the neck joint to the mid-foot section. Positioned beneath this pickguard, near the neck, is a single chrome-covered coil pickup housed in a rectangular casing, emphasizing a minimalist approach to sound control. The output jack is discreetly placed in the area corresponding to the smallest toe. Averna conceptualized this guitar as an instrument for less experienced musicians, deliberately omitting volume and tone controls to offer direct access to the pickup's signal. Beyond the 'Footycaster,' Averna's collection includes a padlock-shaped electric guitar, characterized by its rectangular, waistless body and a headless configuration—a design choice first introduced by Ned Steinberger in 1979 to reduce weight and enhance tuning stability by relocating the tuning mechanisms to the bridge. An aluminum tube, bent into a U-shape, mimics the padlock's shackle, extending from the body's bottom edge and curving upwards.
Averna further explores diverse themes with his 'Cloud Telecaster,' which embraces the iconic Telecaster silhouette but with edges carved into soft, rounded bumps, evoking the appearance of a comic strip thought bubble or a fluffy cloud in the sky. This model is finished in a serene powder blue, enhancing its ethereal quality. Another ingenious creation is the 'Jitar,' an electric guitar with a distinct J-shaped body that cleverly functions as a hook, allowing it to be hung from various surfaces, including the top of a door. Each of Averna's playful electric guitars is a bespoke, handmade piece, not mass-produced. He crafts them either independently or with collaborators, utilizing materials such as alder wood, repurposed components, 3D-printed elements, and bent aluminum tubing. The intentional designs behind these instruments consistently aim to evoke joy and familiarity, transforming everyday objects into captivating and fully functional musical tools.
The creativity and craftsmanship evident in Jacques Averna's electric guitars remind us that innovation often springs from looking at the familiar through a fresh lens. By blending the artistic with the practical, he creates instruments that not only produce music but also tell a story, sparking imagination and proving that the boundaries of design are limitless. This approach encourages us to find beauty and purpose in unexpected places, fostering a deeper appreciation for the interplay between art, function, and the joy of discovery.