Final Design Summary

I now have a design which I believe will work most effectively for this project.

I decided on the Les Paul shape because it should have enough space at the tail of the guitar for the Kaoss Pad screen.

Guitar Body Layout Ideas

 As well as the touch screen from the Kaoss Pad, I have included a momentary switch to control the hold function of the unit from the body of the guitar as this function is useful for the use of the effect and should be cable of being wired via the same cable as the touch screen.

Kaoss Pad Modification Plan

The Kaoss Pad is definitely too big to mount on the performer or guitar, however this may be an area for further study in a future project. I also believe that the use of wireless will force me well outside the budget for this project. However, I do not think that the use of an additional cable will be too restrictive and will aim to make the connections between the Kaoss Pad unit and the screen on the guitar as aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing as possible.

Planned circuit for LEDs

As an entirely aesthetic feature, I have bought some RGB colour-changing LED bulbs which I would like to put behind the touch pad to make the modification look more professional and visually interesting for use in performance. I am unsure whether the LEDs could be powered by the same feed from the Kaoss Pad as the touch pad, though I will be investigating this. In the meantime I will assume that this will operate on a separate circuit powered by a 9v battery stored securely inside the body of the guitar.

Regarding the actual building of the guitar, I am currently about 2 weeks behind my planned schedule, however I will use the next few weeks to catch up and get back on track. If possible I hope to build a test version of the LED circuit before Christmas break. I will build the entire guitar during the christmas break and aim to be ready to test it in detail after teaching resumes.