Meet the Vintage Raven, an Edgar Allen Poe-inspired acoustic-electric

UK-based Vintage Guitars is known for its unusual, and sometimes bizarre, builds – for just one example, recall the Joe Doe Punkaster, a Strat/Tele electric guitar mashup that came complete with its own fictional backstory.

But the company may have even topped itself with the Raven, designed by English guitarist Paul Brett, who has played with the Strawbs, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Roy Harper and others.

The rather striking acoustic-electric – feast your eyes on the batwing-shaped sound hole, for starters – is part of the Paul Brett Signature Series and, according to the company, “expresses and highlights this English classic rock player’s love and immense knowledge for early acoustic guitars,” as well as, we’d imagine, a particular Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Spec-wise, the Raven boasts a solid Sitka spruce top and double-bound acacia body, with a soft V mahogany neck and pau ferro fingerboard.

Other features include open-geared machine heads, Graph Tech NuBone nut and saddle and sonokeling bridge.

There’s also a Vintage under-saddle piezo pickup and preamp with built-in tuner, volume, three-band EQ and phase control.

The entire package comes finished in satin black and a design that, assures Vintage, “evokes Gothic from all angles.”

The Raven sells for £329 (approx. $430). For more information, head to Vintage Guitars.