By Doron Markowitz

Superman Returns

Hello again and welcome to another installment of Luthier's Corner. This month, in honor of the summer blockbuster superhero movie that people have been waiting for, which opened just a few weeks ago, “Man Of Steel,” I'd like to showcase the Superman guitar and amp that I built back in June of 2006, which commemorated the release of the film “Superman Returns.” The reasons for showcasing this project this month are 1- to show that there should be no limits to ones imagination or creations, and 2- well, let’s face it, Superman is just cool. I’ll admit, I used “Superman Returns” as an excuse to build a guitar that I had envisioned for many years. And with “Man Of Steel” really being a powerhouse film, and polarizing critics ta boot, I felt now was the perfect time to reintroduce this guitar to those who’ve seen it before, and introduce it to those that have never seen in before.

I built the guitar using a neck through body design, mahogany as the neck through section, and poplar for the sides of the body. The fingerboard is rosewood. The color scheme was done using red, yellow, and blue photocopies of Superman comics, as well as acrylic paints to fill in the surrounding areas, and then clear coated in gloss lacquer. The black lines on the body are actually carved out, and then painted black, for a more 3D effect. The bridge is a Wonderbar trem, which I painted using brake caliper paints, same with the 2 humbucking pickups. Tuners are black Gotoh locking tuners. Nut is bone, painted blue. Headstock is a reverse design, and the picture of Superman, as well as the "Superman" logo on the fretboard, was done by photocopying the cover of a Superman comic book onto decal paper. The knobs are red and have the "S" logo on them. The strap is a wide padded blue with a Superman shield, cape, and breakaway chains mounted. The back of the guitar is painted a dark royal blue. The control plates are painted to match and have movie ticket stubs stuck to them and lacquered over. The action is super low at 1/16" with NO fret buzz, perfect intonation and perfect tuning stability regardless of trem use! I even customized a hardshell case that features Superman on the front, and a bunch of Superman articles, etc, inside. I also built a matching battle scene amplifier, using a 10 watt “Mega Amp” which was sold by Sam Ash, which has Superman, Doomsday, and Bizarro going at it, destroying everything in their path. It actually sounds really cool, especially for its size.

the building process

Click the following links to see pictures of the building process and how it looked when completed. Picture A and Picture B show the body and headstock sections being glued and clamped together. Picture C shows how I used a piece of drywall as a basic shape template for the body, which I also drew the "S" onto prior to transferring to the real body. Picture D shows the "S" carve after being completed, and the fingerboard ready for decals. Picture E shows me starting the decaling process, first with the fretboard. Picture F shows the strap I made. Ya gotta dig the royal blue strap, complete with official Superman Returns "S" shield, cape and breakaway chains! Picture G shows the battle scene amp. Picture H and Picture I show the finished guitar! And it’s a killer guitar! It's one of those that you have to really look closely to see all the details in the various comic strip scenes. Notice that the headstock is actually "curving" towards the back so that it appears that Superman's cape is wrapping around it. And notice, in Picture I that the truss rod cover is the top of the Daily Planet building, and Superman is actually "flying" over it!

Now to really get an idea as to how cool this guitar really is, click on the following link to check out me playing the original John Williams’ Superman theme from the classic 1978 film “Superman: The Movie.”http://youtu.be/YKAH1TysWIU

Well, I hope you found this month’s article informative and enlightening. Once again, thanks for reading my column and remember no task worth accomplishing is ever achieved if not pursued with fierce dedication. Believe in yourself, and make happen that glorious noise called music! Until next time, remember, there is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it! Cheers!