Birdfish Guitar

Before we tempt you with this truly radical axe we should tell you that it ain’t cheap. In fact the groundbreaking Birdfish Guitar is £8500 – chicken feed to a bona fide guitar hero but rather excessive for a casual plucker. Then again this is no casual guitar…

Built to order by German luthier Ulrich Teuffel and strictly limited edition, this gobsmackingly unconventional guitar has been designed so that its fundamental elements (tonewoods and pickups) are put together in a modular fashion. This offers unlimited tonal possibilities and makes the guitar infinitely adjustable. And if you don’t believe us, just ask Birdfish converts such as the ZZ Top boys or Kirk Hammett of Metallica.

But what’s with the wacky name? Well, the ‘bird’ and the ‘fish’ are the aluminium components upon which the two tubular tonebars are screwed. The bird section also carries the one-piece, bird’s eye maple neck, while the fish carries the control box that’s crammed with über-advanced electronics. To complete this somewhat steampunk-inspired picture, a rail holds a trio of slideable pick-ups that can be swapped around/removed in seconds, so you can create single and double coil combinations.

Confused? You won’t be when you play this gorgeously engineered instrument because its unconventional design makes for pure sonic nirvana. Indeed Guitarist Magazine named it one of the most important guitars of the 20th century. What’s more it has won several design awards and is currently on display in several museums. Trust us, if Nigel Tufnell had a Birdfish in his collection you definitely wouldn’t be allowed to look at, let alone touch it.

Rammed with WTF? factor and off the scale in terms of sheer good looks, the Birdfish is sure to get you noticed, whatever kind of music you’re into (unless it’s avant garde proto-symphonic metal, in which case no one will be watching in the first place). Now there’s just that small matter of £8500. Muuuum!