Musicians have always worn their emotions on their sleeves — think Mick Jagger pushing away intrusive photographers in his younger days — now their guitars can, too. Cream Guitars has partnered with E Ink to open preorders for the Cream DaVinci, the world’s first commercially available color-changing guitar powered by E Ink Prism 3 display technology.
The DaVinci integrates non-emissive ePaper directly into the guitar body, allowing players to change colors and patterns on demand. Like the technology in e-readers, the display consumes power only when the image changes, keeping the guitar’s look visible without a continuous power draw and without the heat or glare associated with LED systems.
The idea of wrapping emotion, identity, and motion into a physical object isn’t new to E Ink. Invidis reported last year that the company helped turn heads in the automotive world with the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana, a concept vehicle wrapped entirely in programmable E Ink panels. That same philosophy of surfaces that adapt, transform, and express emotion is now being applied to music, with Cream translating automotive-grade visual innovation into a playable instrument.
The guitar is the result of a multi-year collaboration between the two companies and is designed to pair professional performance with visual customization. Cream says the DaVinci was built to give artists control not just over tone and feel, but over how their instrument visually reflects their performance, personality, or brand — changing its appearance as easily as a setlist shifts mood.
Introductory pricing is set at $2,500 for the first 100 units, after which the guitar will retail for $3,500.
“Artists want more expressive freedom,” said Pete Valianatos, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at E Ink, noting strong interest from musicians since Prism 3 was introduced. Cream CEO Luis Ortiz added that the goal was to “reimagine what a guitar can be,” blending professional sound with dynamic design.
The DaVinci will debut publicly at NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) 2026 in Anaheim this January. We’re not guaranteeing anything, but don’t be surprised if several famous guitarists show up to sample the technology with some chord-crunching and soulful riffs.