Jeep Custom Guitars Launched With Musicians Detroit Dreamers

Well-known car manufacturer Jeep has announced the launch of a line of Jeep custom guitars in collaboration with Wallace Detroit Guitars along with musical duo the Detroit Dreamers. The announcement came on 17^th September, with Martin Kierszenbaum of the Detroit Dreamers releasing a new track titled Dreamers specifically for the initiative of the new venture.

The concept

The newly created Jeep custom electric guitars have been crafted from reclaimed pine wood from buildings in Detroit, notably from the old Packard Auto plant, and have design features including a burnt army star on the front, a handprinted Jeep logo and map of the city on the back of each guitar. The head of each guitar is engraved with the logo and “313-Jeep” along with serial numbers on the run of guitars. Sustainability is a large element in the creation, and upcycled seat belts made into guitar straps are also included in the design, which is a rather nice touch.

While it might sound like a left-field move from the automotive industry into guitars, it’s not the first time in recent memory this has been done – the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Jeep parent Stellantis, Oliver Francois described the concept behind the business was focused on merging the interests of both music and the Jeep brand, as well as building on the longstanding working relationship between himself and Kierszenbaum, following the success of a Fiat 500 campaign with music artists Sting and Shaggy, who are both managed by the Grammy Award winning musician and producer Kierszenbaum. Francois explained:

“Music has long played a defining role in Jeep brand campaigns, from OneRepublic and XAmbassadors to Lenny Kravitz and Halsey, and many more. Music’s ability to instantly form a connection with listeners opens our brands up to so many possibilities in shaping our identities. While one of the licensing program’s design rules is to generate revenue, the purpose of this endeavor is to expand the reach and build aspiration to this discerning audience.

When we started discussing the idea of the guitar with the team at Wallace Detroit Guitars, I immediately thought of Martin, given our past work together, and the fact that he and Tony have a unique connection to Detroit. The idea of creating a custom track for the launch of the guitar was too good to pass up, and the Detroit Dreamers immediately said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

The guitars

The Jeep custom guitars cost $2,900 and are available to pre order now – each guitar takes 90 days to make, and while this may be a limited run, the official announcement states that the volume will be dependent on the number of orders made.

Wallace Detroit Deluxe Jeep Guitar comes with the following features:

• Headstock – The Wallace Detroit Guitar logo on the headstock is burned into the wood with a branding iron
• Maple Neck – Each neck is built with maple sourced from Michigan forests. Hand-cut bone nut comes standard with maple neck and fingerboard
• Body – Wallace Detroit Guitar bodies are built entirely from ethically reclaimed wood sourced from abandoned buildings in Detroit. The guitar bodies are cut on a CNC router and finished by hand. Each body is completely unique in its color and grain pattern. Wherever possible, historic stains, nail holes and scars are left in the wood to showcase its history
• Deluxe beveled edge white pickguard
• Chrome hardware with traditional bridge and controls
• Pickups – The Humbucker pickups featuring the Iconic Seven Slot Jeep brand grille capture a signature vintage tone, offering a balance of crisp highs, defined mids and a warm, balanced low end
• Single coil bridge pickup
• Iconic Jeep brand Army Star graphic on front of guitar hand applied by branding iron*
• Hand applied Oil Finish

The back of the guitar is as remarkable as the front, featuring engraved hand painted Jeep brand logo and Detroit Topographical map.

*The brand not only seals the wood but makes each guitar like a fingerprint. Each guitar is a unique work of art created by nature and preserved by WDG and JEEP brand.

Please note: The reclaimed Detroit Packard Auto old growth wood grain pattern and star brand searing will always vary slightly to give each client a guitar that is all their own.

All Jeep custom guitars are shipped in a hardshell Gator brand case.

Mark Wallace, founder of Wallace Detroit Guitars describes his sentimental feelings for the brand on the guitar’s website, and why the Jeep custom guitar holds such meaning for him personally, saying:

“Everyone whose Grandpa had to repair a Jeep when it got shot in WW2 came home to Detroit and got to work making them the best vehicles they could. My Grandad, when he was training men in Oklahoma during WW2 (before he got sent to France) commandeered a Jeep one weekend and drove it a few hundred miles to see my Grandma. The jeep had gotten hit in a training exercise and it wouldn’t drive straight down the road, so they burned up tires at a pretty alarming rate. Grandad knew this, but the issue with the alignment was also the reason the Jeep was available that weekend, so he filled up the back of it with tires he salvaged and just changed them out whenever he had a blowout. That’s the sort of tenacity people associate with Jeep and the people who drive them. And that’s the sort of grit that Detroit has. We don’t quit.”

Pre order the Jeep Custom Wallace Detroit Guitar

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