Guitarists wishing their guitar cabinets could be more in keeping with their living room cupboards will be excited by the launch of Sonoforma, a new brand of high-end guitar gear with the aesthetics of fine furniture.
Gear-as-furniture is a growing trend, with Fender's line of walnut-finished guitar amp stands, On-Stage's wooden Guitar Workstation, and Taylor's mahogany cabinets for the Circa '74 amp range all pointing towards a growing interest in merging gear with the world of luxury furniture. Sonoforma, however, is even more ambitious in terms of size and function.
At launch, Sonoforma offers the Serenada cabinet. This builds a 1x12 cabinet, equipped with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, into a cupboard inspired by 1970s hi-fi consoles. A long drawer can store a guitar, while a cupboard beside the speaker can hold anything you like, as long as it can tolerate the sound levels.
All the products are made from FSC-certified teak hardwood and made in Nicaragua. There's no self-assembly; the Serenada ships fully assembled.
The Serenada is available in Claro, Oscuro, and Rosado stains, which correspond to natural, walnut, and mahogany-style colors. Whichever you choose, the cabinet will set you back $3,999, plus a flat $200 shipping fee.
For now the Serenada is the only Sonoforma product on sale, but it will soon be joined by the Rhapsody, a smaller cabinet with just one 17.5" x 14" drawer, and the Cadence, a hardwood pedalboard with electrosocket jacks. Both will be available with the same finish options as the Serenada.
Sonoforma founder Mike Nopper previously launched the Implicit Audio line of flatpack guitar cabinets and, according to Sonoforma's publicity materials, is head of engineering for an American furniture brand.
Head over to Sonoforma to find out more.
If you're interested in hardwood cabinets, check out our guide to wood's impact on cabinet tone. On the other hand, if you want to play guitar in your living room, Celestion's new quiet speaker might help you get your valve amp into the sweet spot without breaking windows or fraying tempers.
