Fusion MusicTech came out of a crowdfunding campaign and brought Tekt "a concept and a dream". Within nine months, Tekt and Fusion had turned it into what tech.co called the "world's smartest guitar".
Tekt's deliverable was the electronics: "a highly compact, yet flexible and powerful, printed circuit board (PCB) and the firmware to drive the connection between the player and the iPhone". Design started at an Apple certified audio processing DSP; around it Tekt added a class D amplifier, power management, analogue design and extended iOS integration. The product is specified at up to 12 hours playing time. Presenting the project at ElectroneX in September 2017 alongside Outerspace Design, Tekt broke the guitar down into three subsystems — a fully integrated iPhone dock, an amplifier, and a USB Audio system with DSP.
Tekt is an Apple MFi (Made For iOS) certified design house, and the design for this project was approved by Apple's MFi testing, which includes extensive software and electrical stress tests. With electronics design and firmware development complete, Tekt worked with Fusion MusicTech and a contract manufacturer in China, overseeing an initial production run of 2,000 units.
The guitar went on to win an Australian Good Design Award and was featured in the anthill Smart 100. Fusion CEO Con Dekazos: "we look forward to working with you again in the future. Please pass on our sincere appreciation to the entire team."
