The worlds first folding electric guitar will be introduced at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt on March 28 2007. The Centerfold guitar solves a transport problem that every guitarist has experienced. The magical thing is that the guitar can be played directly after its been unfolded and it stays in tune even when it is folded away, says Leif Rehnstrom, Managing Director of the newly started DeVillain Guitar Company in Skelleftea, Sweden.
Behind the development of the folding guitar, patent applied for in Europe, Japan and USA, is SAS airline pilot Fredrik Johansson. He is a devoted guitarist but could not take his instrument with him on flights around the world. During the last ten years, Fredrik has been working on the development of a folding guitar that could easily be taken on a plane.
”The resulting product not only solves the problem he was experiencing but also that of all the other guitarists who are fed up carrying their cumbersome guitar cases on buses, subways, bikes", says Leif Rehnstrom, who has sworn over these transport difficulties many times after several years as a professional musician, with power pop group The Drowners among others. You don’t even have to take the strings off when you fold the neck of the Centerfold, as they are rolled up by the guitar. ”Other guitarists can’t believe it when I tell them. I didn’t believe it either before Fredrik showed me his prototype.”
Cooperation with international performers
At the Musikmesse in Frankfurt, the leading fair in the world for music instruments with exhibitors from around 50 countries, DeVillain will come into contact with industry people from around the world. ”The electric guitar is one of the world’s most popular instruments and the market is gigantic. This can be really big”, believes Rehnström. The DeVillain Guitar Company will be announcing their cooperation with a number of world famous stars at the Musikmesse. ”The first series produced Centerfold will then be presented to rock group Sahara Hotnights’ guitarist Jennie Asplund. Many guitarists are standing in line to buy a guitar from us.”
The DeVillain Guitar Company is based in Skelleftea, northern Sweden, and besides Fredrik Jo-hansson and Leif Rehnstrom, Skelleftea company B-park is also a partner. ”Manufacturing of the parts for the guitar is all being done at businesses in the north of Sweden.” One of the leading guitar makers in Sweden, Leif Jakobsson, is hand-making all the wooden parts to Cen-terfold. ”That’s a guarantee for high quality work throughout”, Leif Rehnstrom concludes.
DeVillain’s folding electric guitar will be shown for the first time at stand 4.0 J59 at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main on the 28-30 March.
For more information contact: Leif Rehnstrom, Managing Director, the DeVillain Guitar Company, +46 (0)70 2567573 http://www.devillain.com
