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10 ridiculously cool Steampunk guitars
Gears, cogs, 6 strings: axes for Victorians
Tom Porter, Thu 19 Feb 2009, 4:24 pm UTC
If you're a Steampunk virgin: welcome to a world of Victorian era steam power-inspired art where modern technology collides with hammered brass and exposed mechanisms. In other words, the coolest modded gear you will ever see.
You can pretty much give any object a Steampunk makeover, but because we really, really love guitars, the following are the shiniest examples of Steampunk axes to grace the earth.
Some were born from pure hard graft (welding, moulding and hacking), while others are Steampunk merely by virtue of the materials they were built with. Enjoy…
10. Resonator guitar
Some resonator guitars – particularly the Dobro pictured below – are perfect examples of the latter. Wood body + metal resonator plate = a Steampunk project waiting to be finished!
9. Resonator mandolin
Ok, so the mandolin sways to the lute side of the guitar family, but it's another stringed wonder of the 'Steampunk by mistake' variety. It beats the resonating guitar thanks to its complex-looking tailpiece.
8. Cigar box guitars
Now we're getting to the homemade nitty gritty: old battered cigar boxes and copper decorations. Note the inspired use of a skeleton key as a bridge. If you're lacking in the DIY department, you can buy one of these Mark Melchior creations from Vaper Valley Guitars. Tempting…
7. The Clockwork Strat
This is a Fender US Highway One series Stratocaster so, quite understandably, its owner Jake von Slatt didn't fancy messing with it. Instead, exhibit seven is a guitar with a beautifully-Steampunked scratchplate. Take a brass plate, a "gears, cogs and a flywheel" design and get laser printing. Easy?
