7 guitars we'd like to see in Mad Max
(Image credit: © Warner Bros. Pictures and © Roadshow Films)
Mad Max: Fury Road - Coma the Doof Warrior
Ignoring the explosive action, jaw-dropping scenery and surprisingly feminist subtext, it's the high-octane, flame-throwing guitar work of Coma the Doof Warrior that's set Mad Max: Fury Road audiences' imaginations alight.
It got our minds ticking over as to what other instruments could have worked in the franchise, especially considering the actual double-necked guitar had to be supported by bungees because it was too heavy (60kg!) to hold.
So, with more Mad Max sequels on the way, join us as we explore what we reckon would make the Doof Warrior's shopping list…
ESP Ghost Soldier
Skull? Check. Bullets? Check. Rifles? Check. Now imagine if those rifles were rigged up to actually fire. We'd like to see ol' Rockatansky dodge that.
Gene Simmons axe bass
It's not kitted out with flamethrowers, but Gene Simmons' signature basses double up as serious weapons – the colour scheme is a perfect fit, too.
FireHero 3
Now, this is cool. After experiments with Guitar Hero controllers, tech whiz Chris Marion utilised a Roland GK-3 pickup and GI-20 processor to send MIDI signals to custom software and computers, which trigger six separate flame cannons.
Admittedly, it could be a little technically advanced for Immortan Joe and co, but just imagine if the flames were triggered in time with the war drums…
Avril Lavigne's circular saw guitar
Now, pop-punk starlet Avril Lavigne is no weapons expert, but in the video for Rock And Roll, she wields a Flying V that's had its bottom half replaced with a freakin' saw, which she then uses to kill some kind of bear-shark hybrid. Lethal enough to make the Doof's hitlist, easily.
Rammstein's ESP and Gibson flamethrowers
The world's most outrageous purveyors of onstage pyrotechnics, Richard Z. Kruspe and Paul H. Landers have had flamethrowers strapped to custom ESP and Gibson guitars for years. We'd wager the Mad Max team took a cue or two from these guys when designing the Doof's guitar.
Johnson AK47
Most famously wielded by Alice Cooper guitarist Kane Roberts and, oddly enough, Ke$ha, Johnson Guitars' Machine Guns not only look like weapons, but they can be equipped with rocket launchers and flamethrowers. A natural fit for the Mad Max universe, we reckon.
Nikki Sixx's Gibson flamethrower
Trust Mötley Crüe to take things one stage further: in recent years, Nikki Sixx has equipped his signature Gibson bass with a long-range flamethrower. His back story's probably just as twisted - in an LA sort of way - as Coma the Doof Warrior's, too…
Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.