In 2007, Aristides Instruments started to work on the development of a revolutionary guitar.
The requirements:
- Perfect control of tone
- Incredible playability
- Innovative design
- Optimal utilization of the Arium properties
In short, the perfect instrument. The Aristides team got down to business with the famous Dutch design agency VANRENSDESIGN.
“Design & development is about finding the right balance in ‘ingredients’ that define a new product. To meet & exceed requirements as defined at the start of a project, all 4 key factors are taken into consideration throughout the design process.” (VANRENSDESIGN)
Aristides Instruments spent most of 2008 producing and refining their prototypes. By taking into account the overall weight and placement of the electronic and other components, the team gradually began to give shape to a whole new kind of guitar.
“With projects like this you have to collaborate a lot. Every person got his own expertise. Our (Robert and me) expertise is to make a stunning, creative design based on the wishes of the client. But we’re not professional guitarists so we can’t determine what’s the best division of the weight to realize perfect playability. With the input and expertise of the Aristides Instruments team, some changes have been made. Thanks to our good collaboration we succeeded to develop the perfect design.” (Frans van Rens)
The result of this back and forth is the Aristides 010, 020 and the 050. The first approved final prototype was the 010, of which a limited number were produced. These guitars were subsequently tested by a number of world-class guitarists. The feedback from these musicians was then used to even further tune the fine details of the instrument. The new guitar was finally ready and with the help of Adrian Vandenberg (Whitesnake, Vandenberg) Aristides proudly debuted the first ever Aristides guitar at the Frankfurt MusikMesse 2009.Adrian admits that he was quite skeptical about the concept. Due to his long career as a famous musician in which he had played hundreds of guitars, he did not have very high expectations. That is, until he actually laid his hands on the Aristides 010.
“What an amazing look. And what a sound! It’s like hitting a key on a Steinway grand piano!” (Adrian Vandenberg)
By the end of the year the 050 was in production as well, but this was just the beginning. Over the next two years Aristides debuted at international trade shows, hired new luthiers and developed new tools to expand production output, and began offering new metallic finishes. This culminated in 2012, with a move to a much larger production facility in Haarlem, and the release of the last of the 3 original models, the 020.
