Guitar Gear

I’m not a metal player, not even a real fan of metal, or I should say the real heavy stuff, and being more of a middle-of-the-road kind of guy in real life, have never really gotten into the fashion. That doesn’t mean it’s bad to me, it’s just not, well, me. So my appreciation of metal and the metal culture and style has always been somewhat on the periphery at best. But I do have to say that some of the styling cues are so over the top, I find them very intriguing.

This morning I received a press release about a new company called Ikon Custom Guitars. The picture of the guitar that accompanied the press release gave me a bit of pause. It was one of those moments where you think, “That has to be about the fugliest goddam guitar I’ve ever seen, but at the same time, it’s cool. By the way, this company is so new that their web site isn’t even complete – it’s just a splash page.

The guitar shown here is called the Arachnoid 1. When you take a close look at it, it really looks like a spider. In fact, the first impression I got was Gene Simmons meets the Lord of the Rings. Here’s an excerpt of the press release copy:

Guitar Strikes Fear in Community

Custom guitar builder, Ikon Customs takes guitar building to a new level with unique custom body shapes and materials…all without sacrificing the tones and performance of the instrument.

Houston TX  February 10, 2010 – Ikon Custom Guitars is introducing its first production models to the guitar market.  The Arachnoid 1is 100% hand built in the USA using traditional and innovative techniques.  After years of effort to challenge conventional appearances and styles of guitars, Ikon Customs feels it has finally reached a new pinnacle in guitar design, appearance and manufacturing.

The body of the Arachnoid 1 is constructed of a poplar wood core for strength and tone and a proprietary resin compound that allows the builders to sculpt and shape finished bodies into new and innovative designs.  The resin compound took many prototypes and years to finalize before committing to final production.  In addition to the proprietary compounds, Ikon Customs also builds bodies using other materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber and Kevlar.  Founder and President, Marc Anthony H. Bertone feels that with these new materials, his design concepts will be limitless.

The Arachnoid 1 is available in three models:

Arachnoid1 Weaver:

• Red Oak neck and fretboard
• Dyed fretboard, printed graphic “tatooed” on
• Poplar headstock with a walnut veneer
• Death Dealer high output passive pickup
• Top loading fixed IKON USA Bridge
• IKON Grip USA locking tuners
• Proprietary resin formula over Poplar body
• Adjustable aluminum nut
• Custom airbrushed paintjob
• Available in Flat, Satin or High Gloss finish
• chrome, black or gold hardware
• 25.5″ scale, 24 jumbo frets, available in flat or 20″ radius
• MSRP: $999

Arachnoid1 Recluse:

• Maple, Walnut, Bloodwood or Purpleheart neck and fretboard
• Inlaid Aliencult Skull logo
• Poplar headstock with Carbon Fiber or exotic burl veneer
• Death Dealer high output pickup or Stealth active pickup
• Top loading fixed IKON USA Bridge
• IKON Grip USA locking tuners
• Proprietary resin formula with  hand-laid fiberglass over Walnut body
• Adjustable aluminum nut
• Custom airbrushed paintjob
• Available in Flat, Satin or High Gloss finish
• chrome, black or gold hardware
• 25.5″ scale, 24 jumbo frets, available in flat or 20″ radius
• MSRP: $1999

Arachnoid1 Widow:

• Cocobolo or Bocote (or any other exotic wood; subject to availability and may affect final pricing) neck and fretboard
• Inlaid Aliencult Skull logo, LED glowing fret markers
• Poplar headstock with Carbon Fiber or exotic burl veneer
• Death Dealer high output pickup or Stealth active pickup
• Top loading fixed IKON USA Bridge
• IKON Grip USA locking tuners
• Proprietary resin formula with  hand-laid fiberglass and carbon-fiber over Walnut body
• Adjustable aluminum nut
• Custom airbrushed paintjob; ours or your choice of colors
• Available in Flat, Satin or High Gloss finish
• chrome, black, gold or any painted color hardware
• 25.5″ scale, 24 jumbo frets, available in flat or 20″ radius
• MSRP: $2999

About Ikon Customs

Established in 2006 with the intent of changing the world of guitars and musical instruments, Founder and President Marc Anthony H. Bertone set out to find new and unique approaches to designing musical instruments that defied tradition and style.  What started as a hobby in the garage has now turned into a lifetime pursuit and career.  www.ikoncustoms.com

On a final note…

While I’m intrigued by the offering, weird body shapes for guitars aren’t anything new. Halo Guitars was doing that for a long time, though they seem to have gone back to selling more traditional styles – go figure. So I do wish Ikon luck. Hopefully Marc Anthony Bertone will achieve a following.