"Bits of train sets, remote controls, scalpel blades, even a Covid test”: Devil & Sons’ sci-fi-inspired Craftcaster guitars

It had to happen. Quirky customisers Devils & Sons Guitars have unveiled their new guitars which are “inspired” by ‘classic sci-fi’. We feel sure they'll divide opinion...

The Craftcasters have been handcrafted by artist and luthier Daniel Wallis, based on the same techniques that model builders on the original Star Wars and Alien films would have used.

They come in two designs – the Genesis, which is a customised Epiphone SG, which includes a pair original 1979 T-Top humbuckers taken from an SG built in that year, and the Solar, which takes its name from the Alchemy pickups humbucker model with the same name in its bridge position. The Solar also sports an Alchemy Eternity P90 in the neck.

It’s not the first time he’s done this. In the past he’s converted a Millennium Falcon toy into a bass guitar, the so-called Rebel bass, and commemorated the 30th anniversary of Aliens with a Xenomorph axe.

Over lockdown he spent days watching model and prop builders on Youtube, and inspired by this, crafted the bodies to both guitars by adding all sorts of everyday junk: “If you look at the surface you can see bits of train sets, remote controls, scalpel blades, Warhammer models, an old vacuum cleaner, even a Covid test.”

Wallis’ own background is in art, though, needless to say, he’s a guitarist too. In 2014 he found a way to combine both pursuits and his love of sci-fi by setting Devils & Sons guitars.

The Rebel bass was his first effort, but since then he has built custom Vampire, Viking and Vigilante guitars for the German band Inner Axis, ethereal and steampunk guitars for Doctor Gothic and special band logo guitars for Ginger Wildheart and Mickey from Skindred.

He’s described his work as “artwork you can play” and the indeed earlier this year both Craftcasters were exhibited at Mumphoria Art Gallery in Soho.

Wallis already has plans for how future models will be constructed: “I’ve used these guitars as proof of concept, to show to clients and to take to guitar shows. The person who buys them is really buying a unique work of art you can play. In the future, I expect clients will come to me, as they do, with guitars they love to play but just don’t like the look of for me to customise.

"I’ll also be working on a design that I can make entirely from scratch with my own designed body shape that I can make a Craftcaster edition out of.”

Next up, apparently, is a Ghostbusters Proton Pack-inspired guitar. Meanwhile if you fancy one of the Craftcasters they’re yours for a mere, um, £3080. For more information go to devil-sons-guitars-shop.fourthwall.com