Guitars designed to look like the music of iconic rap and rock musicians are the intriguing idea behind a new exhibit at the School of Visual Arts. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

School of Visual Arts student Christopher George grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel music played by his parents. So he designed a guitar to reflect his love for one of their classics, "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

"I wanted to make something that was beautiful and that I felt represented the mood of the song," said George.

It is one of 32 reimagined guitars on display in an exhibit called "For the Record: The Art of Song" at the School of Visual Arts' gallery on East 23rd Street. Students designed each guitar to celebrate a hit song by a particular rock or rap icon.

"The guitar was redesigned, reimagined, as to what they were feeling when they heard the musical," said Kevin O'Collaghan, chairman of the SVA 3D Design Department.

With a tip of the hat to vinyl records enjoying a resurgence in recent years, there's a tribute to Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell."

"It's almost kind of like a coffin, too," said Julian Fama, a SVA 3D Design student. "Like this beast is resting. You don't want to wake it from its slumber."

Jessica Glynn's take on Billy Joel's "Piano Man" was to transform her six-string into a hybrid instrument.

"I basically shaved off the middle of it, put it on the sides of a piano," Glynn said. "And it actually works. So you can play the piano and strum the strings."

In some cases, the students knew of the artists and songs they based their guitars on. But for others, it was a brand new discovery.

James Tsang did not really know who LL Cool J was, but his boombox guitar is a fitting tribute to the rapper's hit, "I Can't Live Without My Radio." And Sung Yoon Lee gave his axe a heart for Mariah Carey's "Hero."

The students had just three weeks to prepare for the show. A little stressful, but worth it.

"It was very tough," said Fernando Alvarenga, a SVA 3D Design student. "We learned a lot from it. Definitely a learning experience. Loved it."

The public can love checking them out for free at the gallery through January 30.