Rockstar Guitar Stand

Designers: Rachel Belzer, Kristine Brown, Brendan Moore, Al Samost

Client Coordinator: Nancy Curtis

Supervising Professor: Larry Bohs

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTQvwldpVEY

INTRODUCTION

Our client is an adult male who loves music and playing his guitar; however, due to his cerebral palsy, he cannot hold the guitar and play it at the same time. The Rockstar Guitar Stand provides a safe and durable attachment for our client’s wheelchair that supports his electric guitar as well as his keyboard. The apparatus attaches to the wheelchair armrests, and allows the guitar platform to adjust in height and angle for the most comfortable playing position.

SUMMARY OF IMPACT

Our client loves music and has a dream of being a rock star. The Rockstar Guitar Stand enables him to play the guitar independently once his aide sets it up. The device also securely holds his keyboard, which previously had to be set on a table in front of his wheelchair. Our client described the device as “cool” and “wonderful.” His aide commented, “[He] asks for, and uses the Guitar Stand daily, either for his guitar or the piano. Having the guitar stand lets him pursue a very strong passion of his in a very real and independent way… it encourages his independence with communicating by adding meaningful activities for him to ask for during the day; playing the guitar and piano helps him find common ground with peers that may have a more difficult time realizing that [he] shares the same interests, and it has led to new friendships; finally, it helps him with his self-esteem and confidence, and with actualizing his own identity, he is the person he wants to be- The Rock Star!”

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

The Rockstar Guitar Stand (Figure 1) comprises three sections: the permanent section, the horizontal section, and the vertical section. The permanent section consists of two front brackets, two rear brackets, and two aluminum bracket tubes. The horizontal section consists of two aluminum rods, two bottom connectors, and a lower horizontal tube. The vertical section consists of two vertical tubes, two top connectors, an upper horizontal tube, a Variloc Plastic Hinge, a C-shaped guitar neck support, a Variloc Stainless Steel Hinge, and a guitar body support surface.

The permanent section components attach to the wheelchair under the armrests. Two custom-made aluminum front brackets attach to the vertical armrest posts using two ¼-20, 1.25” long socket cap screws. Two aluminum rear brackets attach similarly. Two aluminum bracket tubes, each 0.75” in diameter and 14” in length, extend through the holes of the front and rear brackets.

The horizontal section includes 0.6875” diameter, 26” long aluminum rods that slide into the aluminum bracket tubes. These rods secure to the aluminum bracket tubes using 1” long T-handle quick release pins, which insert through both sets of tubes. The aluminum rods attach to the two bottom connectors, which connect the aluminum rods to the lower horizontal aluminum tube. The lower horizontal aluminum tube is 0.75” in diameter and 22” in length.

The vertical section attaches to the horizontal section via the bottom connectors. Two vertical tubes insert into the appropriate holes in the bottom connectors, where they are secured using 1.5” long T-handle quick release pins. The vertical tubes attach to two top connectors, which, like the top connectors, are milled from solid aluminum blocks. The top right connector attaches to a Variloc Plastic Hinge, which allows simple, locking adjustment in angle. A foam-padded, C-shaped guitar neck support extends from the top of the plastic hinge. The top left connector attaches to a Variloc Stainless Steel Hinge. This hinge attaches to the guitar body support surface, which consists of a black wooden block on which the back of the guitar body rests. A metal J-shaped rod extends down from the block to supports the bottom of the guitar body. Figure 2 shows the client using the Rockstar Guitar Stand. The cost of the components is approximately $290.

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