Spooky season is upon us, and I just know that all of you creepy ghouls will be looking for guitar gear that oozes ghastly menace, am I right?
Fear not, creeps, for I have gathered together a most unsavoury swathe of horrific instruments and accessories to wholly satisfy your inner-demonoid!
Now, pull your masks over your faces, cackle like a coven of witches and creep along with me towards this stash of gorgeously grim gear…
The Halloween Gear at a Glance
Schecter are as Horror as it Gets
Ibanez Tree of Death
The clue is in the title, fiends! Polyphia aren’t a particularly scary band (unless jaw-dropping technique scares you, in which case I take back what I said), but Tim Henson obviously enjoys the darker side of life.
This Ibanez TOD10 signature thinline acoustic was a surprise hit upon its release, so there are obviously plenty of like-minded ghouls out there!
Deering Zombie Killer Banjo
Now, I’m not condoning the killing of zombies in this blog, but if you have to defend yourself from the undead, then there are worse ways than by following the example of Woody Harrelson in Zombieland. His weapon of choice for dispatching them? A banjo, obviously.
Deering have made this excellent Zombie Killer tribute, which features blood splatters, rust, special inlays and even a blood-drenched logo!
No refunds on damage accrued through misuse, okay?
Kirk Hammett is a Kreep
Metallica’s Kirk Hammet is one creepy chap. A confirmed horror movie fanatic, he frequently uses ESP guitars with custom horror graphics from old movie posters.
These guitars are never available for too long, but even his standard-issue signature LTD KH-602 guitar has horror-friendly skull ‘n’ Crossbone inlays on it!
Not only that, but Kirk’s signature wah pedal has a bony, skeletal foot etched into the rubber treadplate! Now that’s commitment to the horror cause!
Scary Metallica Plectrums
It’s not just Hammett, either. Bandmate James Hetfield is partial to some horror iconography too. Check out the signature picks that both of them have available! From the Black Fang and White Fang picks to the Monster is Loose pick tin, there’s nothing but foul horror between these two!
Skull Straps
How can you tell your audience that you’re a horror nerd without going ‘full-Rob Zombie’ and dressing like a graveyard dweller?
Well, I think you should do exactly that, frankly, but if you’re looking to be more subtle, then you can display your dark fascinations across your shoulder with a fine skull strap. We have a Red Skull strap here from Leathergraft, and two from Levys: the Rose Skull strap and the Sublimation Black and White Skull strap.
What’s that? You love the straps but now need a more suitably menacing guitar? Say no more, fellow ghoul…
Schecter are as Horror as it Gets
If there is one ‘Halloween guitar brand’, then it’s the one that does bat inlays. That would be Schecter, who are surely the end result of moshers and punks staying up all night watching horror movies and playing music.
Schecter have guitar ranges with names like Omen, Damien and Demon, the latter of which have cross inlays for goodness sake! They have a whole range with a colour called Toxic Venom! And yes, the Synyster Gates models frequently feature bats (with skulls) on the fretboards.
Is there a spookier guitar brand? Didn’t think so.
Gibson SG
Gibson are not as spooky as Schecter overall, but their SG guitar is easily a horror icon. Tony Iommi plays one, and when I had the honour of interviewing Robby Krieger from The Doors, he said he chose the SG because ‘It looks like the devil, man!’, and he’s not the only person who’s thought that over the years!
Taylor Last of Us 314ce
It’s all about surviving zombie apocalypses this year in guitar land. If you’ve already used the Deering banjo for self-defence, then save this one at least for playing music on!
It’s a special limited edition real life tribute to the Taylor guitar that appears in the Last of Us video game. It then popped up in the TV show too, which is when Taylor finally decided to give fans what they wanted. The Taylor Last of Us 314ce is essential for all fans of this phenomenon.
Haunted Fuzz Pedals
Fuzz pedals are great for two main reasons: they gleefully obliterate your carefully curated guitar tone; and they are an excuse to dream up some mad titles and cool graphics for the pedal chassis.
Since we are in nightmare season, why not go for a fuzz that appals as well as delights? Here are two dark delights for you:
The Old Blood Noise Endeavours Alpha Haunt Fuzz has enough controls and sliders to let you sculpt your own personal brand of deathly din.
The Earthquaker Devices Fuzz Master General riffs on the horror of the British witch trials of the 17th century and expresses that horror in buzzy, filthy fuzz.
Mahalo Skull Ukulele
After Halloween comes the Day of the Dead, according to Latin customs. Show respect for your ancestral loved ones by strumming along with this Mahalo skull ukulele. It’s painted up like a Day of the Dead sugar skull, and it’s small and light enough to be carried around anywhere you choose to haunt this spooky season.
Horrifically Good Fun
Horror and music have always been linked. This collection of gruesome gear goes some way to prove that connection, but do have a click through my other ghastly Halloween-marked scribblings before you head back to the graveyard.
Enjoy Halloween, and make sure you give at least one person a good, honest scare!
Browse all of our Halloween Guitar Gear
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