Dave Barry and Kevin Tully left the east coast for Austin for the music scene and the barbecue. In 2011 they started Moniker Guitars on South Congress, and racked up visits to Black’s BBQ, The Salt Lick, and Franklin Barbecue among others. “Barbecue and live music are iconically Austin,” says Barry, so they decided to combine the two.
These new barbecue-themed guitars are available only through their Kickstarter campaign that runs through January 6th. The three new designs aren’t as flashy as many of Moniker’s other options. The alder wood body with white wash satin finish looks as comfortable as a booth at Black’s BBQ, and the partners at Moniker will always have their choice of seats at the Lockhart institution. They presented Black’s with their own custom guitar stained with Black’s barbecue sauce.
Barry compares the guitar’s design with the gently aged qualities of the barbecue joints he frequents. “We wanted the guitars to have that rustic feel, but a refined version.” Walnut was meant to suggest the rusty color of barbecue sauce and the aged door handles and hinges were the inspiration for the antiqued hardware. Then there’s the truss rod cover engraved with “TX BBQ.” Barry even hinted that the walnut stained with barbecue sauce might become an off menu request.
If you want one of these Texas BBQ guitars, your options are to get a design of your choice for $1,350 or all three designs for $3,200. If you’ve got $2,500 you can travel to Moniker’s Austin shop and help build your own guitar. Then the boys might even get you some Austin barbecue afterward.
