In the unlikely event that Alfa Romeo takes its Marshall MiTo concept car into production, you might find yourself looking for a guitar to plug into the JVM205H head at the back that matches its rock pedigree. A guitar like this eye-catching build from Harrison Custom Guitar Works perhaps.
"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 the company's Guy Harrison.
The inspiration starts with milled aluminum pickups, tail piece and bridge that straddle the gap between the maple-fronted poplar body finished in Alfa Red. The guitar's three Strat-voiced single coil pickups are hand-wound by Armstrong pickups in Kent, and selected via a concealed 5-way switch on the upper side of the body. The Alfa Romeo badge acts as the guitar's volume control.
Carbon fiber composite has been used behind the grille bars and to the back in reference to the Alfa Romeo 4C, and there's a metal plaque on the back inscribed with the model's production number and the luthier's signature.
The Alfa Romeo guitar features a carbon-reinforced 25-inch scale neck in Korina topped by an Ebony fingerboard. There's a green four-leaf clover symbol at the third fret, a TUSQ (man-made ivory) nut, and Hipshot classic open gear tuners at the head.
Harrison Custom Guitar Works out of Yorkshire in the UK is hand building just 11 Alfa Romeo guitars, one for each decade of the Italian brand's existence. There's an 8 month build time, and each guitar is priced at £4,000 (about US$6,800).
Guy Harrison introduces the Alfa Romeo guitar in the video below.
Source: Harrison Custom Guitar Works
