When we hear the word Jeep, we usually think of the classic off-road SUV, a resilient vehicle made to take a beating in different terrains. We usually don’t think of a guitar, right?
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Jeep brand is teaming up with Wallace Detroit Guitars to manufacture their very own electric guitar.
The six-stringed electric guitar is made using timbers of old-growth pine from Detroit’s famous Packard auto plant — a group of 100-year-old abandoned buildings that used to serve as a car manufacturing factory.
The Wallace Detroit guitars website explains the relevance of the guitar, “Detroit has always been about making great cars and great music. Now you can own a piece of that automotive and musical tradition.”
The stains, blemishes, nail holes, and scars from the wood are left untouched, with each guitar being handmade into unique pieces of art that are sourced straight from a piece of Detroit’s history.
The guitar features the iconic Jeep-brand army star, hand-applied with a branding iron at the front, and sports a hand-painted Jeep logo at the back. The back also includes a topographical map of Detroit.
The guitar’s humbucker is charmingly made to look like Jeep’s seven-slot grille and is partnered with a single-coil bridge pickup. The instrument also has a maple neck and fretboard from the Michigan forest, chrome hardware with a traditional bridge, and a deluxe beveled edge white pickguard. The guitar is then coated with a hand-applied oil finish. The guitar strap is also included and is made of recycled car seat belts.
It is now available for preorder for $2,900 or around Php150,000, a considerable price to pay for a handmade piece of the Motor City.
Other POP! stories you might like:
Lorde trades ‘Solar Power’ CD release for eco-friendly music boxes
Revisiting the music of Vanna Vanna, the Philippines’ R&B girl band of the 90s
The handcrafted contribution of Lumanog Guitars to Pinoy culture
