Des Rocs aka Danny Rocco accepts that new guitar body shapes don’t come along very often – especially ones as wild as his new custom build with the Czech firm Aviator.
Vitally, though, he doesn’t want the Rocket’s sense of drama and style to detract from the fact that it’s a serious instrument, built to be “played, fucked up, and versatile.” It’s no Gene Simmons Halloween-costume axe bass.
Rocco shuns sought-after guitars in favour of the madcap underdog, and his collection certainly reflects that. So when the team behind Aviator approached him after a show in Rome, talk of concocting something bonkers quickly turned into one of 2025’s standout builds.
“We jumped at the opportunity,” Aviator says. “It was the kind of challenge that pushes us outside the box. We love to break away from our usual offerings, and this one was an absolute blast to bring to life. The design creatively weaves the logo; unmistakably a guitar, it’s completely one of a kind.”
The only onboard control is a three-way pickup selector. “We don’t need volume and tone knobs,” Rocco laughs. “I need it hot and ready to go at all times.”
Its body shape, though, rightfully grabs the headlines, and the community-driven aspect behind its logo inlay is inspiring. We dug into its origin story with Rocco and his bassist and tech, Eric ‘Doc’ Mendelsohn.
Where does your love of strange guitars come from?
Rocco: I’m really inspired by Brian May and Prince. They embody a love for guitars that have nothing to do with value or brand, and we carry so much of that ethos with us. I play $200 1980s Ibanez Roadstars on stage – they feel like an extra appendage, and that’s what matters.
Once, in a shop in France, I got this weird plastic guitar that was calling out to me in a room full of vintage Les Pauls. It was $175; it was this early 2000s UK guitar called the Switch Vibracell. The company completely failed; but I love it. It’s got its own personality and I’ll play it to tens of thousands of people over its lifetime.
What was the mission statement with The Rocket?
Rocco: We wanted to create something that embodied Des Rocs and the symbol, but didn’t feel like a prop. It needed to be utilitarian and cover all my needs.
Before Aviator, we were already customizing our guitars, like giving a Les Paul a leather jacket that zips on and off. They’re all cheap guitars – what do you do to make them individual? That, to me, is very Des Rocs. I’m the opposite of the Joe Bonamassa complex!
What was the design process?
Rocco: It was designed via Instagram DMs before we progressed to Zoom. We went through a lot of different ideas. Then they were like, “Here’s one we sketched together right before we hopped on Zoom!” That became the pathway to this guitar. It gives me Tim Burton’s Batman vibes.
Doc Mendelsohn: There was a temptation to have a cross-shaped guitar, with the guitar itself to be the symbol and part of it becomes the neck. But playing that on stage would be impractical.
Rocking the logo on an angle ensured we had the dramatic aesthetic of the logo and the ergonomics needed to make this a playable guitar. There’s no neck dive with this, either. The balance is great, and it’s really light.
I think silhouettes are so undervalued as a tool of an artist’s identity. In terms of fashion and music, I’m obsessed with iconography – it’s something I’m dragging into the 21st century
What were Aviator like to work with?
Rocco: Amazing! I don’t think any of the major guys would be down for the wild rides we want to take. They’re from Prague; they’re very blunt and honest about things, but in a very different kind of way than New Yorkers.
They were very pragmatic. There was a lot of back and forth as to why we should do certain things; having the guitar body continue past the logo and sorting its geometry was a big one.
How important was it to have a standout shape?
Rocco: Very. When I was a kid, there was the “Who’s that Pokémon?” segment on the TV show where you’d have to guess based exclusively on its silhouette. I think silhouettes are so undervalued as a tool of an artist’s identity. In terms of fashion and music, I’m obsessed with iconography – it’s something I’m dragging into the 21st century.
What other things were crucial?
Rocco: Guitars are meant to be picked up and fucked up, not kept in glass cases. And for me, they’re total peacocks. You can’t talk about the instruments of Des Rocs without talking about our fashion – the symbol of the guitar is actually a magnetic inlay which pops out in four pieces to match our different outfits. It’s an extension of the performance, which is very much in the vein of my idol, Prince.
It’s so cool because there are infinite collaborations here with local artists and venues. Let’s say we're in Paris; we can have a local artist create something unique for the inlay. We can play it in Paris, then maybe give it to a fan afterwards or auction it off for charity. And we can do that every night of a tour.
What were your initial experiences of playing it?
Rocco: It was so funky! I didn’t get to play it until it was finished and we were passing through Prague. I was playing my Roadstars on that tour. But having this guitar, which had everything I wanted all at once, was great.
But what’s cool about the unique body shape is that it makes you think differently about the instrument. It takes you outside of your box and your go-to things with your hands. That’s so creatively refreshing!
- Keep up to date with Des Rocs and Aviator Guitars via their official websites.
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