progress?

so i can't say honestly that i've made big progress as of late.
after meeting with dominic he encouraged me to push more towards controls and such, which is fine, i guess, but the more i think about it the less i'm actually really into the controls aspect. okay. i need to say it's not that i'm no longer interested, i just don't know what i am actually interested in anymore. anyone else??! ay.

regardless, i actually went into the UW libraries to try and find some cool related articles, which were surprisingly abundant [and relevant!]. the first was about the Garrison bracing system for acoustics. which is kind of old news now, but basically Garrison acoustics use some form of composite material to create a shell bracing for the entire instrument, which replaces every brace and bit of wood within, leaving only the top, sides, back, and neck that need to be fitted to the body. while there are claims that they don't sound as good or are unnatural [again with the resistance to change, especially changes afforded by technology!], but the fact of the matter is that from a strictly business or efficiency point of view this system is awesome. it cuts build time from weeks to probably less than a week, allowing the Garrison manufacturers to produce...multiples of what it used to be able to, and since much of it is automated now [in order to create wood pieces that will fit such exact, unerring bracing systems, machinery is used to cut the wood as well] it saves costs and increases consistency in product quality, tone, and build. interesting tradeoff, i think. i've played a Garrison before. they make gorgeous instruments, but i've heard personally some complaints about the automated system and worries about the composite brace stretching or shrinking in a way that might adversely affect the wood.

the second was about Fender [also a pretty old article] using 3d modelers to design and "test" different modifications for a new line of electric basses. again, while this is old news, it was right along with my CNC DIY idea for guitarists to be able to modify instruments to their exacting needs. but after talking with dominic and coming to the conclusion that it's unlikely that i'd be able to pull off this sort of "digital DIY" type thing [especially since there will most certainly be legal issues and things at stake] so i think i'll stick to something else.
just don't know what yet. ARGHHHH!