With savvy timeliness, Devil & Sons Guitars' has unveiled a new series of skull and crossbones instruments to coincide with International Talk Like A Pirate Day (which was, um, yesterday).
The firm, run by luthier Daniel Wallis, has made a name for itself hand-sculpting incredible theatrically-themed guitars, including last year's Alien-themed Xenomorph II and has now turned its telescope on all things piratical with three skull and crossbones-shaped models.
The three instruments include a single-humbucker Les Paul Jr.-style six-string (MSRP £750) with a tune-o-matic bridge, a five-string bass model and a more Fender-y flat-top guitar (MSRP £699) with an Artec singlecoil-sized hot rail humbucker and skull inlays. The two guitars also feature skull-shaped tuning pegs and all three models have embedded red LEDs in the eye cavities for onstage illumination.
Devil & Sons Skull And Crossbones Guitar (Flat Top)
Devil & Sons Skull And Crossbones Guitar (Arch Top)
Devil & Sons Skull And Crossbones Bass
Press release
Ahoy ye scurvy axe wielders! Yesterday was International Talk Like A Pirate Day and, blow me down, Devil & Sons Guitars have a new series of guitars that fits the theme like a parrot on the shoulder.
The new series of hand sculpted and painted guitars from Devil & Sons, the company that brought you the Alien Xenomorph series and Mad Max inspired Mad Axes, take on the theme of Skull & Crossbones.
Daniel Wallis, the artist-luthier behind Devil & Sons Guitars, has this to say about the concept:
“I’ve always loved skulls, they seem to adorn much of my clothing and it only seemed right that I made some guitars to feature them. Each guitar and bass in the series is hand modelled and painted, a unique playable work of art like no other. I started off with a few small hand drawn sketches which I superimposed over a guitar body on a computer, printed out life size, and overlaid on the guitar blank before I then carved the bodies”.
Each of the first three Skull and Crossbones guitars is based on a different guitar set up, one Les Paul style arched-top with a tune-o-matic bridge, one with a flat top and hardtail bridge, and one 5 string bass. To add to the stage presence of the guitars Devil & Sons have used red LEDS in the eyes; imagine them on a smoke filled stage!
International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Bauer (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy), of Albany, Oregon,U.S., who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. For example, an observer of this holiday would greet friends not with "Hello," but with "Ahoy, matey!"
According to Summers, the idea came about after a racquetball game between Summers and Bauer, one of them reacted to the pain with an outburst of "Aaarrr!". That game took place on June 6, 1995, but out of respect for the observance of the Normandy landings, they chose Summers' ex-wife's birthday, as it would be easy for him to remember. The first official celebration was in 2002.
About Devil & Sons Guitars
Devil & Sons take science fiction movies as inspiration to pimp and modify guitars and create artworks such as the Mad Max influenced MAD AXE series, the Terminator 2 Mockingbird T800, and the Alien themed Xenomorph Series guitars; these are fully playable artwork-instruments that you won’t find anyone else making - anywhere.
