Design Origins-the Spirit of the Wind Custom Guitar
I’d like to share with you some of the design origins of the Spirit of the Wind Custom Guitar.
Built and designed as a triumph of guitar tone and craftsmanship, we receive endless compliments from our clients who became “Spirit” addicts…So in this article I’d like to share with you another aspect of this unique handmade electric guitar.
This is not just about the design, but also about the hidden symbolism and meaning. Most of the people out there look at this guitar and immediately compare it to the endless 20 something years of fake “relic” or “road worn” guitars. You know, that Tele with the fake scratches and worn paint/finish. Some call it “rustic” and a few even went and uttered the term “Steam Punk”. Seriously??
This guitar was first “dreamt” upon a visit to the Rosh HaNikara Grottoes.
Rosh HaNikra or Hanikra in Hebrew means “Head of the Grottoes”; is a geologic formation on the border between Israel and Lebanon, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos.
My visit to the Rosh HaNikara Grottoes-the place where The Spirit of the Wind Custom Guitar was “dreamt”.
The Rosh HaNikra grottoes are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock, and during that visit, when I’ve heard the wind yelling through the tunnels, and saw the striking turquoise of the sea I wanted to create a guitar that will be able to capture and transfer this phenomenal experience.
Oxidizing our handmade brass hardware for our Spirit of the Wind Custom Guitar.
The Oxidized naval Brass tailpiece of the Spirit of the Wind Handmade Electric Guitar.
This guitar was designed to symbolize an ancient sea vessel, perhaps the ancient Phoenician boats of the region. The winged lady on the tailpiece is a homage to The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, a marble Hellenistic sculpture of Nike (the Greek goddess of victory), described “the greatest masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture”, and it also represents the muses of the ancient world.
The winged figure on the tailpiece is a homage to the tailpiece is a homage to The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace.
An ancient bronze Tyrian coin with the winged figure of Nike. Notice the Murex shell whih was used in the ancient world to produce blue pigments.
The guitar is super lightweight hollow body pine with a Port Orford cedar neck. The use of these woods symbolizes an ancient sea vessel. We use Allepo Pine for our Spirit of the Wind and Cedar for our Thunder Child. These woods were used in the ancient boats of the region.
An oxidized ancient brass crown which was dedicated to the god Marduk. The blue color was a repesentation of sovereignty, royalty and protection. We oxidized the naval brass of the Spirit of the Wind Handmade Guitar in order to achieve this type of blue.
An ancient Egyptian royal ornament. The blue color was a repesentation of the sky, the realm of the gods sovereignty, royalty and protection. We oxidized the naval brass of the Spirit of the Wind Handmade Guitar in order to achieve this type of blue.
The aged handmade hardware is oxidized for two reasons.
Brass contains zinc and copper. The oxidation process brings out the beautiful turquoise color of the oxidized copper. This metal was used in ancient Egyptian boats, and the copper mines in the south of Israel were famous for the high-quality metal that was produced there.
An ancient blue fabric that was dyed with the Murex trunculus. The blue color was a representation of sovereignty, royalty and protection. We oxidized the naval brass of the Spirit of the Wind Handmade Guitar in order to achieve this type of blue.
The Murex trunculus which was used in ancient times to produce the blue color – check the winged figure on the guitar’s tailpiece-Nike – the goddess of victory is holding this shell.
In the ancient region of the middle east, blue was considered a sacred color with protective attributions that was used to cast out evil spirits. The priests in the temple in Jerusalem used to wear clothes that were weaved with dyed blue wool. The light blue color (tekhelet) was produced from Murex trunculus sea snails and the procedure was unique to this region.
Ancient talismans with blue turquoise stones for protection.
A blue Lapis Lazuli from ancient Egypt.
We oxidize our handmade Spirit of the Wind guitar hardware to create this turquoise blue which was a symbol of divine protection in ancient times.
Blue stones like the Lapis Lazuli were used by the ancient Egyptian royalty and were way more precious than gold.
Our unique “Wind Erosion Finish for our Spirit of the Wind Custom Guitar.
The Spirit of the Wind Custom Guitar. A triumph of guitar tone and craftsmanship!
For the guitar finish, I created the “wind erosion” finish which mimics the look of an ancient boat, consumed by the salty water and the wind.
The hollow body construction was designed to create a unique tone that has a spectecular acoustic effect, and on higher levels of volume will feedback easily and will make the “wind” sing through the strings.
All in all, it is a symbol of your own journey and your own adventure.
