Vermont-based news channel WPTZ (where my late-Nineties girlfriend used to work!) recently published a feature on the Alpaca carbon fiber travel guitar, a "special guitar made to withstand the elements."
As always, we thought we'd share!
"It can actually be put in the water, and then taken out and played, and be done again the next day. It is impervious to water," Alpaca Guitar Co. founder and designer Chris Duncan told WPTZ.
Duncan says it can also stand up to extreme temperatures that would destroy a wooden guitar. The Alpaca can also take bumps, whacks and various impacts.
"We don't really know to what extent. We don't drop them on purpose any more. So, we know they will take a blow," Duncan said.
Company literature adds that the Alpaca is a go-anywhere "adventure guitar." It is made (in Vermont, of course) of carbon fiber, flax fabric and bio-derived resins. This combination produces a lightweight and strong instrument with a resonant sound.
"The Alpaca will handle anything a good adventure brings; dirt, water, bumps and bruises. An embedded daisy chain on the back provides a strong universal attachment to any of your outdoor gear," the company says.
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For more about Alpaca guitars, watch the video below and visit alpacaguitar.com. For the WPTZ story, which features WPTZ's own video, head here.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
