Exploring creative designs at his shop in Georgia, luthier Ian Reddick aimed to solve a common problem – how to cover a range of tones on a gig without lugging a small army of guitars. His solution is the Voyager, a modular and highly customizable guitar that enables a player to swap out pickups in seconds.

And when we say “seconds” we mean, like, three. In Reddick’s hot-swap design, each pickup set is in a 6×4″ wooden box that fits into a cavity behind the strings; pull the existing module from the back using the thumb hole, and snap a new one in place.

Unlike prior concepts stretching back to Ampeg’s acrylic Dan Armstrong in 1969, Reddick’s design focuses on the quick-change; no tools are required and you don’t even have to take your guitar from around your neck. Plus, you’re not limited in the selection of pickups. Seymour Duncans are standard, but Reddick will customize a module with most any pickups. Control panels are modular, as well, with Les Paul and Strat configurations and three-way and five-way blade switches.

Reddick is committed to a steampunk-meets-artisan vibe for the Voyager CS. The compact, semi-hollow mahogany body with flame-maple top and Aqua finish on our tester was customized with a Duesenberg vibrato (hardtail is stock). Brushed-aluminum controls contrasted tastefully with the wood pickguard and granadillo fretboard with compound radius and offset markers. The 22-fret neck was maple with a unique headstock that positioned the G-string tuner at the tip.

We were supplied with two modules – one with Fender Noiseless single-coils, another with Fralin humbuckers. Played clean, low frequencies from the Fralins were a bit muted, leading us to wonder whether some resonance was lost given the three-part body. But the guitar has good sustain, and the more-driven tones characteristic of each pickup set were delivered faithfully.

With its great woodwork and an inventive modular design, the Voyager will take you through a wide-ranging gig on just one guitar.

This article originally appeared in VG’s September 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.