Innovation & Self-Expression in Texas: Design Your Own Guitar And This Startup Will Build It

Moniker, a Texas company that started with two guys and a little seed money, will put customized guitars in the hands of everyday guitarists. Have it your way, because mass customization is the future of manufacturing.

From  Popular Mechanics, Chris Raymond writes:  Kevin Tully was in Syracuse, N.Y., studying for the bar exam when a friend came pedaling up to his apartment on a bicycle. Not just any bicycle but a one-of-a-kind machine she herself had created on a hip, design-it-yourself website owned by Republic Bike. “She went online and picked out all the colors and parts,” he says. “She was really enthusiastic about the bike because it represented her sense of style.”

As a lifelong guitar player, Tully identified with that sense of pride. He was no Jimi Hendrix, but the two instruments in his home ranked among his most prized possessions. How great would it be, he wondered, if they could truly reflect his personal taste?

And so, over Thanksgiving in 2011, Tully approached his high school friend Dave Barry, a fellow guitar enthusiast, with the idea of launching a business. “Your guitar is kind of an extension of yourself, and guitar players are creative by nature,” Barry says. “We wanted to give people the opportunity to create their own guitar.”

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