Building on The Digicaster: A Bold Transformation of a Vintage Washburn Mercury II Series Telecaster
Vintage Washburn Mercury II Series Telecaster guitar in it’s original form before the guitar mod transformation was completed.
A while back, I discussed the importance of personal projects in an article about my custom Squier Bullet Stratocaster mod; The Digicaster. This guitar mod certainly shares that same sentiment. As with every passion project, this allowed me to exercise my creative problem solving abilities, learn new skills and ultimately develop an even deeper connection with the uniquely expressive instrument that we know as the electric guitar.
Vintage Washburn Mercury II Series Telecaster guitar in it’s original form before the guitar mod transformation was completed.
Nearly two years since completing The Digicaster, I now have a 2nd guitar mod in the books! After decades of owning this instrument, I completely reimagined my vintage 1990s Washburn Mercury II Series Telecaster, taking it from shelf to shred! Once this guitar mod was complete, I once again used my skill set as a commercial product photographer and digital artist to create a photo series to document and commemorate this instrument.
Vintage Washburn Mercury II Series Telecaster guitar mod work in progress.
A Vintage Guitar Reborn: A Telecaster Modding Journey
Vintage Washburn Mercury II Series Telecaster guitar mod with new pickups and electronics.
I've owned this Washburn guitar for nearly two decades. While it has served me well over the years, it definitely needed some work. And sometimes you just need a fresh start. For me, it all began with the pickguard. This guitar originally had a 50s inspired design with a white pickguard. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice looking classic guitar design. But I wanted something with more vibe, that was better suited for heavy music. When it comes to the visual side of the Telecaster design, I've always been drawn to the the classic butterscotch blonde Fender Telecasters with black pickguards. So I thought, maybe I'd just replace the original pickguard with a newer black pickguard. Unfortunately finding a pre-made pickguard that perfectly fit a Washburn Telecaster was just not possible. So I had two options; make one, or mod one. I decided to mod the original pickguard to ensure a perfect fit.
Creative, high level product photography of a custom Washburn Telecaster electric guitar mod by commercial product photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr. This ¾ view hero shot highlights the overall vibe of the guitar with extreme detail by dialing in a solid composition, intriuging and refined studio quality lighting and complimentary colors.
Crafting a Custom Pickguard for a Unique Look
Detail shot of a custom decoupaged pickguard on a vintage Washburn Telecaster, showcasing detailed product photography techniques.
Close-up of custom decoupaged pickguard on a vintage Washburn Telecaster, showcasing macro product photography techniques.
Instead of simply painting the original pickguard black, I decided to try something a little different. I found some interesting black paper with a gold foiled floral motif and decoupaged the design onto my original pickguard! For those of you who don't know, decoupage is a craft that involves gluing paper cutouts onto an object and then sealing it with a finish to make it appear as if it were painted. In this case, I traced the shape of my original pickguard onto the paper, cut the paper out with an exacto knife and used a product called Mod Podge to glue and seal the pattern in place. Once the pattern was sealed, I applied several coats of acrylic spray for an extra layer of protection. This custom pickguard became the integral centerpiece that inspired the design of the entire guitar mod. Black hardware and gold accents became the aesthetic.
Close-up product shot of a Seymour Duncan Hotrails pickup and GraphTech saddles installed in a Washburn Telecaster guitar mod created by commercial product photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr. at Digital Art That Rocks.
Key Features of the Guitar Mod:
Detail product shot of a the headstock and neck of a custom Washburn Telecaster guitar mod created by commercial product photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr. at Digital Art That Rocks.
A custom decoupaged pickguard
Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups
Hipshot locking tuners
Gotoh Modern Telecaster Bridge
Graph Tech saddles
Graph Tech string tree
Gold D'Addario elliptical end pins
Black metal control plate
Gold Tiger Eye potentiometer control knobs
500k Push Pull potentiometer for single coil access
Close-up product shot showcasing Hipshot locking guitar tuners installed on a Washburn Telecaster guitar mod created by commercial product photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr. at Digital Art That Rocks.
Close-up product shot showcasing Hipshot locking guitar tuners installed on a Washburn Telecaster guitar mod created by commercial product photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr. at Digital Art That Rocks.
Detail product shot of a custom Washburn Telecaster guitar mod that showcases guitar accessory product photography; D’Addario gold elliptical end pins.
Guitar accessory product photography showing off the details of the gold tiger eye volume and tone knobs on a custom Washburn Telecaster.
One point perspective artistic view of a custom Washburn Telecaster mod.
Artistic overhead view detail shot of a custom Washburn Telecaster mod focusing on the unique gold tiger eye potentiometer control knobs
Artistic overhead macro shot of a custom Washburn Telecaster mod focusing on the unique gold tiger eye potentiometer control knobs
Key Features of the Guitar Mod:
A custom decoupaged pickguard
Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups
Hipshot locking tuners
Gotoh Modern Telecaster Bridge
Graph Tech saddles
Graph Tech string tree
Gold D'Addario elliptical end pins
Black metal control plate
Gold Tiger Eye potentiometer control knobs
500k Push Pull potentiometer for single coil access
Documenting the Washburn Telecaster Mod Through A Product Photography Photo Series
Behinds the scenes look at Washburn Telecaster guitar mod photoshoot in a photography studio.
I think it's important to commemorate and document these experiences through a photo series because it transforms a personal project into a lasting legacy. Photographs help capture the guitar's journey, from its initial stages to its final form. For me personally, this visual documentation serves as a tangible reminder of the time, effort, and creativity invested in the project. Furthermore, this well-curated photo series demonstrates my unique creative approach and technical expertise in commercial product photography, making it a strong portfolio piece for music product manufacturers and brands.
Creating Impactful Product Imagery with Lighting and Composition
Product photography of a custom Washburn Telecaster electric guitar mod. This overhead view highlights the overall vibe of the guitar and shows off it’s updated hardware including custom decoupage pick guard, Seymour Duncan Hotrail’s, Modern Gotoh Bridge, GraphTech saddles, black control plate and unique gold tiger eye potentiometer volume and tone knobs.
Photography and music, while seemingly different, share a deep connection in their creative processes. Achieving a balance between various elements is key to creating harmonious and impactful work. A well-composed photograph with balanced lighting is as pleasing to the eye as a well-structured piece of music with balanced dynamics and harmonies. I liken this process to finding the arrangement and melodic phrases through composition and lighting.
Composition and lighting are of utmost importance when photographing any product. Guitars are no exception. Composition helps lead the viewers eye through the image, while the lighting accentuates form, depth and direction. Light quality and light placement also have the ability to dramatically change the way you feel about any given product. It's pretty amazing. When photographing any guitar, I like to let the shape of the body guide the composition and light placement. Once I've dialed in the composition and focal length that looks best to my eye, I'll start finessing the light on the guitar.
What's interesting about this Wasburn Telecaster guitar series is that I used quite a wide range of lighting techniques to accentuate the hardware and curves of the Telecaster. My goal with the lighting was to take inspiration from the floral motif of the custom pickguard design and incorporate it into the lighting. I started with a hard light source as my key light to simulate outdoor sunlight, which provided some nice hard shadows. The use of hard shadows in product photography is an old school approach that has made it's way back to contemporary product imagery in recent years. From there, I introduced some foliage into the scene which was used as a gobo to create leaf shadows that flow throughout the series. Each frame that I shot provided different results because I was handholding the foliage. It was so interesting to observe how these shadows would take shape as I changed the rotation and proximity to the light. I also used a very large scrim to fill in the shadows and create some nice gradations of light on the metal hardware and finish of the paint. I believe that this blend of lighting on the guitar creates a sense of luxury and mystique. I continued this theme throughout the series in order to create a cohesive set of images.
Enhancing Product Photography With Color Harmony
The use of color is very important to me, especially when it comes to product imagery. Just like lighting, the colors that are used throughout a high level product image can change the way we feel about the instrument. I wanted to introduce color into the background, but I also didn't want that color to be reflected into the guitar. It was important to me to have proper separation. Because of my experience working as a commercial product photographer over the past 15 years, I knew that photographing this guitar on a roll of gray seamless paper, then adding color to that paper in post-production, would provide the greatest flexibility. And I'm all about having options in post.
Just like music theory, color theory can also get pretty complex the deeper you get into it. When I think about the types of guitar players out there, I'd say there are usually 3 types; very technical guitar players who understand utilize music theory extensively, guitar players that play purely by feel and can't read music and then there are the guitar players who are a combination of the two. When it comes to the use of color throughout my photographic work, I use a combination of feel and theory. But I'd say that I tend to lean more on feel.
Product imagery of a custom Washburn Telecaster guitar mod, with design elements in the background, showcasing marketability with graphic design elements.
Through my rigorous post-production and retouching process, after looking each of these images in detail and making precise masks and selections in Photoshop, it was immediately clear to me that there were going to be a lot of color options that would to look great with this guitar series. I ended up settling on a teal, sea foam color. Why? Because that color just felt right. But on the technical side, looking on the color wheel, it makes sense. These colors are basically the complimentary colors of the golden blonde hue found on the telecaster. This color theme felt right and made sense from a color theory standpoint, ultimately providing the contrast and pop that I was looking for in the final images.
Looking To Hire A Professional Product Photographer To Photograph Your Musical Products And Equipment?
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