Seventeen years after its launch, if Alton Towers are looking for a new line of merchandise for the Nemesis rollercoaster, we may have found just the thing.
This is what we can assume to be a world’s first – a custom-made, Nemesis-inspired guitar.
It contains the trademark alien traits of gaping extraterrestrial skin, as well as the industrial metal cladding associated with the ride and its Forbidden Valley lair.
The guitar is the work of 19-year-old Matt Clarke, who is as passionate about music as he is Europe’s first inverted rollercoaster.
“It started as some random sketch of a guitar for a portfolio,” he says. “I just drew some guitars with some cool designs.”
Years of work
Matt received considerable encouragement from those who saw the project in its early stages and the final outcome is the result of some twelve months of on/off construction, with planning taking place over two or three years.
He chose to convert a much-travelled gift.
“The guitar itself is salvaged Encore model,” he explains. “It was given to me by my sister’s boyfriend who has had it lying in his loft for years after in turn having received it from a friend who came of a moped and damaged it in France!
“I effectively stripped it to its bare parts and completly rebuilt it, adding all the theming elements.”
Hardware
For guitar enthusiasts, Matt has added a Floyd Rose locking tremolo arm, Axesrus Hot-Iron neck humbucker and an EVH Frankenstein bridge humbucker all wired up to a three-way switch.
He has other ideas for themed instruments and has received suggestions from fellow theme park fans.
He admitted: “I suppose I should make an Oblivion bass, which everyone seems to be asking for!”
We would like to thank Matt for taking the time to speak to us and for sharing with us his creation. You can view a full album of images of the guitar on our Facebook page.