OK, this may be a bit off topic, but it is nevertheless an important subject.

I’m talking about the disturbing trend of textile- (and/or animal product-) covered guitars.

Yesterday’s realization that the fabulous, priceless Guitarpa has a velvet-covered (terciopelo) soundboard was a shocker, all right.  But then I recalled my own High School (freshman year) flirtation with the avant-garde when I covered my spare Silvertone electric guitar with white rabbit fur.

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince I was definitely not, nor was I (yet) smoking something – it just seemed a cool thing to do at the time.  Said pelt was left over from the souvenirs my brother, sister and I routinely collected during our annual summer family trips, often out west (Visit Wall Drug!  1500 miles!  Visit Wall Drug!  1495 miles! etc…).  The cheapo guitar (donated by an older neighborhood kid) had already been stripped and messed with, so its fur coat was definitely an improvement.  Tonal effect?  Hard to say.

Sadly, there is no photo documentation of the ambitious project, but my mom did save this “artist’s rendering” of the offending creation (and its owner):

So, readers – please take this opportunity to dig through your photo albums and attics and send in images of your own fill-in-the-blank-covered guitars!