Spotlight: 2006 Bat Wing from Hallmark Guitars

This Bat Wing guitar was built by Hallmark Guitars luthier and president, Bob Shade, in 2006 as a one-of-a-kind custom shop model. Bob say's this was to cure his fascination with the '60s Batmobile TV show car.

"I thought it would be fun to build a guitar that if Adam West were to open the Batmobile's trunk, this is the guitar he would have pulled out," Shade noted when asked about the concept. "I did my best to retain the simplicity of the design but have some cool tricks involved with the guitar, just like the Batmobile would have.

This guitar was actually a prototype that I built as one of my very first Hallmark Swept Wings. Now since it was a prototype, it was never put on the market for sale. I kept looking at it in the shop and thought it looked very lonely and needed some upgrades. My mind went to work and here's the result."

The guitar has a special electronics section built in to the body. For this Shade got the help of Kenny Segall. Kenny is best known for his Snarling Dogs and Red Zone pedals. Kenny, a fellow Bat fan, was only too happy to help out. The electronic effects include Bat Fuzz, which gives it a nice fuzz effect and Bat Fuel whick kicks it into overerdrive. There's also a handy secret red button for when you're in need of the Bat Signal. When you hear it alarm, you won't believe it.

The paint job was done by the Hallmark Guitars' custom paint shop artist. Bob says Hallmark offers any of their guitars custom painted to your liking, telling us, "We are old school custom painting and offer a huge variety of options. We are limited only by your imagination."

Also included in this guitar, as part of the custom paint, is a message on the back of the guitar that you'll want to flash someone while playing it or to defend yourself from suspicious unsavory characters or criminal activity.

Hallmark plans to have this guitar on display at the Hallmark Guitars booth at Winter NAMM 2007.

Bob Shade adds, "We are working on more of these custom creations and look forward to hearing from customers who would like us to build something very special for them."

Related Information
Hallmark Guitars
P.O. Box 242
Greenbelt, MD 20768
Tele: 1- (240) 473-1157

Photos by Michael G. Stewart