Barry Wood's NAMM Oddities 2022 Edition

 Packrat Barry

Guitars

Rough Around The Edges

There's something about the juxtaposition of precision and nature that appeals to me in these guitars.

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sankeyguitars

Cavities You Actually Want

Omer Deutsch is very particular about making guitars that resonate properly and these geometric cut outs all serve that end.

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od-guitars2

Rendered In Plastic

I don't expect that this guitar sounds quite like the ones above but I'm sure it was fun to make. It's also the one guitar you can smash on stage and put back together afterward.

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od-guitars

Conjoined Twins

The necks on these are identical and are set up for tapping. I suppose if a person was dexterous enough they could sound like Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp simultaneously, but that's a pretty tall order.

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fmguitars1

Guitar Spin Art

I was hoping that the paint would be applied directly to the guitars, but it's accomplished by another process after the artwork is created. You'll still have a one-of-a-kind guitar when you're done.

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Two-Thirds of Cerberus

When I saw this extravagant carved guitar I thought it was Cerberus, but it appears to to have just a pair of heads. Just as well; it'd be tricky enough to play as it is without adding a third head somewhere.

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espguitars2

Rubenesque

Adriano Sérgio makes some striking guitars. I like the vaguely Picasso-like angular lines couopled with the voluptuous curves.

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ergonguitars

Heads of the Hydra

With as many necks as this thing has, for the love of God, don't cut off one of them lest two grow back in its place.

BTW, this has a 7-string, 12-string (fretless past 8th fret), bass (lower two strings fretless), harp strings, and some sort of megaphone mic.

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ibanez

Holy Gold Guitar, Batman

Not the guitar for people who suffer from trypophobia but for those who aren't sent down a torturous mental sinkhole of queasy, disgusted panic… it's just damn cool.

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spaltinstruments1

A Truly Floating Bridge

You can't accuse Michael Spalt of churning out the same old thing all the time. Pretty much every guitar I've seen from him falls into the category of "Nope, that has never existed before."

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spaltinstruments2

Good Nyborg Man

Minarik worked in images from most of the segments of the classic film. IYKYK

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minarikguitars1

The Whole Package

If you've got an interestingly-shaped hollow body guitar with a semi-scalloped fretboard, your only choice in a case would have to be this hard shell with a custom paint job.

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goldenratioguitars

Wonder Woman's Guitar

And it's just as "invisible."

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lacemusic3

Deconstruction Complete

In addition to being strikingly beautiful, this would seem to be an easy guitar to tune since it would be difficult to lose track of which tuning peg to turn.

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matsudaguitars2

Mixed Media

I had to shoot a video to properly convey all the cool, trippy aspects of this combination wood-and-resin guitar.

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Looks Like Walt Disney Threw Up

In truth, I actually kind of like the finishes on these guitars, but I've just always wanted to use that Burt Reynolds line from "The End."

The guitars shown are the Pink Panther and one from the Motor City Collection.

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warriorinstruments1

There's Always…My Way

I've got to give Minarik props for presentation here. That frame is as epic as the Haunted Mansion guitar.

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minarikguitars2

Slender Man

This svelte solid body resonator actually produced a pretty decent acoustic sound.

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muleresophonic

Six-String Tiki Bar

If I were playing at a tiki bar I'd be concerned that I'd accidentally leave this guitar behind because of its natural camouflage in that environment.

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lacemusic2

Cross Training

This is what happens when a sculptor dips their toes into the world of luthiery. In this case you can definitely see the through-line of Nicholas Hernandez' sculpture and his instruments.

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woodscoveart

A Little Less of a Paul

This is one of the most forearm-friendly guitars I've come across.

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fret-king

The Domino Effect

When I saw this I knew I'd have to make some reference to dominos, but then I found out it's called the Domino Resonator. So if this blurb is boring, blame Robert Robinson for taking my bit. (I kid.)

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robertrobinsonguitars

Vintage Star Chart

The sparkles on the guitar represent the stars as seen from New York City on Nov 6, 1833 when C. F. Martin Sr arrived there with his family. The pick guard is etched with the Manhattan street map of that era.

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martinguitar

What They Do in the Shadows

Every year, ESP has multiple Oddity-worthy guitars on display. Their streak, as of this year, was unbroken.

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espguitars1

Candy Apple Koi

After seeing so many outrageous guitars, sometimes the simple and stylish can catch my eye.

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belltoneguitars
Next Up: Other Goodies

©2022 Barry Wood