For many people, cars and music go together like Rock and Roll. For Yorkshire, UK-based Harrison Guitar Works, these two worlds come closer with their new special edition Alfa Romeo guitar.
Only 11 units will be hand-built to order, one for each decade of the Italian brand’s history, at £4,000 (about $6,800 or €5,000) a pop, with each piece taking approximately eight months to complete.
The guitar incorporates the automaker’s shield-shaped grille with the body fashioned from Poplar wood with a Maple cap finished in Alfa Red, the pick-ups, tail piece and bridge all milled from solid aluminum billet, while the Alfa Romeo badge acts as a volume dial. The new Alfa 4C provided inspiration for the special carbon-fiber composite on the back and inside of the guitar.
“As a concept, the ‘Alfa Romeo’ guitar seeks to mirror the passion, the curves, the sportiness, and the occasionally unconventional designs you get with Alfa Romeo through the grille shape, the use of high quality materials and the sleek body,” said Guy Harrison, owner of Harrison Custom Guitar Work.
“I also wanted to use materials that were evocative of the brand’s designs, so the carbon fibre for the back, an Alfa Red body, the aluminium components – bringing out all those beautiful qualities that Alfa Romeos have,” he added. “The Alfa Romeo guitar requires some special techniques. The whole thing is absolutely brand new – the concept, the design, everything. I’m an Alfa Romeo driver, so to be able to design a guitar around a brand that I already buy into was fantastic and this project has been a joy to work on.”
The Alfa Romeo guitar, which will be available at Harrison Guitar Works, will have its first public outing during invitation-only screening of Dave Grohl’s Sound City documentary at Olympic Studios on June 24.
By John Halas
PHOTO GALLERY
