Check out the Hammer Jammer from Big Walnut Music

guitarz.blogspot.com:


The Hammer Jammer from Big Walnut Music is certainly one of the most interesting guitar add-ons I've seen in a while. As to what it does, the clue is in the name; it more or less converts your guitar into a hammer dulcimer, adding a whole new palette of sounds to the instrument. I think the above video illustrates quite nicely what it's all about.

G L Wilson

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1976 Guild Model B-50 NT acoustic bass guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I've pondered before as to what may have been the earliest production model of an acoustic bass guitar. This Guild Model B-50 NT probably comes close as being one of the first. This example was built in 1976 so it is certainly contemporaneous to the Ernie Ball Earthwood acoustic bass which was in production from 1975 to 1985. Modern bass players who like playing high up the neck might not be too impressed that the neck meets the body at the 14th fret, but the Ernie Ball was worse with the neck/body junction at the 12th fret. Like the Ernie Ball, the Guild B-50 NT has a huge body ideal for recreating those string bass tones; the body depth is a whopping six inches! These earliest of acoustic basses were built purely as acoustic instruments and did not require on-board electronics so as to be heard above other acoustic instruments, unlike the majority of acoustic basses in production today.

Currently listed on eBay, this is a whopping bass with a whopping Buy It Now price of $2,295.

G L Wilson

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Objects of Desire: 1968 Hagstrom Viking II - just like Elvis's

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm not a particular fan of Elvis Presley, but the Hagstrom Viking II in bold red finish and with the Fender-style 6-in-a-line headstock is a guitar that I would love to own; it's just one of those really iconic guitars.

Although famous as the guitar Elvis played in his '68 Comeback Special, the guitar didn't even belong to Elvis. It actually was the property of Al Casey, guitarist in the orchestra working on the TV show for N.B.C. Television, and it was chosen more or less as a prop for Presley because it looked cool.

This particular example pictured above is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $999, although it would benefit from with some restoration as it has various cracks, and places where the binding and fingerboard position markers are missing.

G L Wilson

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Very cool Millimetric Bass inspired by Travis Bean

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Florian Schneider (not to be confused with the other Florian Schneider) is a luthier currently living in Montreal, who builds really beautifully designed and handmade guitars and basses under the Millimetric name (we previously looked at a couple of examples in this blog post). Here we see pictures of one of his very latest builds: it's a bass guitar which incorporates an unusual method of construction in that the neck is mounted and bolted into a neck pocket on the rear of the body and which extends beneath the pickups and the bridge.

You'll notice that the strings are mounted through the body and that they pass through the tongue of the neck which must increase the tension in the neck pocket and, I'd imagine, the sustain of the instrument. Schneider readily admits that he borrowed this construction method from the now legendary Travis Bean guitars and basses, although of course his necks are carved from wood rather than being cast in aluminium.

G L Wilson

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An inexplicably Stratty Explorery thing

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Did you ever stop to wonder what the bastard offspring arising from the union of a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Explorer might look like? No, I can't say that I did either. However, if this is a question you have pondered upon, then ponder no more and feast your eyes upon this Field Unique Metal Axe... at least that's the name that Cologne's now legendary (for all the wrong reasons) Music Outlet Shop have listed it under. Knowing their inflated prices it is worth a fraction of the Buy It Now price of €550.

G L Wilson

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The Golden Guitar of Tampa Red - guest post by Kevin Clinton

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Despite the change in popular music over the last 100 years, one thing remains constant: we all crave a loud and flashy guitar. In the 1920s the loudest and flashiest guitars on earth came from the National String Instrument Corporation. National pioneered what is known as a ‘resonator guitar’, which utilizes a metal cone that sits under the strings and acts very much like a stereo speaker. The strings connect to the cone via a bridge. When the strings are played, the metal cone vibrates, moving air and amplifying the sound. The result is more volume, but also a completely distinct tone and timbre. In the days before amplifiers, the resonator was the only way for a guitarist to compete with horns and drums in a jazz or brass band and get a piece of the spotlight.

National made not only the loudest, but the most beautiful and elegant guitars of the day. Their metal body guitars were plated in brilliant chrome and nickel and inlaid with extravagant scrolls and floral patterns. Amongst these visual juggurants, one guitar stood out above all the rest: the Gold Plated Style 4 Spanish Tricone made for blues guitarist Tampa Red.

Tampa Red was one of the most prolific early blues artists of the 20s and 30s, recording over 300 tracks throughout his career. In 1928, the first year that Nationals were available, he bought the gold plated guitar. He soon became known as ‘The Man with the Golden Guitar’. The Style 4 was the most intricate and elaborate model that National produced, hand engraved with chrysanthemum carvings, a celluloid mother-of-pearl headstock and diamond shaped fret markers.

photo credit: Oklahoma Gazette

The tri-cone design featured three smaller resonator cones that were linked by a ‘T’ shaped bar, rather than the more popular and lower priced single cone models. The tri-cone was more difficult and expensive to build, but produced a more sophisticated tone with richer sustain. Apparently only one other golden Style 4 National was ever produced.

Unfortunately, Tampa Red’s career slowed down in the 1950s, he turned to drinking, and died destitute in Chicago in 1981. Rumor has it the guitar was stolen decades before and resided for half a century in a chicken coop. One day, in 1994, a woman walked into a Ray Clemon’s guitar store in Belleville, Illinois looking to sell a beat up and corroded old metal guitar that had the words ‘Tampa Red’ legible on it. After a cleanup and confirmation of its authenticity, the guitar eventually sold to the Experience Music Project in Seattle for $85,000.

While today resonator guitars are synonymous with the blues, in the 1920s and 30s they were the province of sophisticated big bands and far beyond the reach of most African American musicians. Tampa Red became the first black artist to record with a National guitar, and more or less invented the style of ‘bottleneck’ slide guitar that has shaped modern rock and roll. His Style 4 National has been called one of the most influential guitars in American history.

About the Author: Kevin Clinton writes for ResonatorGuitarGuide.com, an online hub run by musicians that covers information, reviews and tips and tricks for purchasing and playing a National, Dobro, Regal or other resonator guitars.

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Mystery semi-hollowbody electric guitar... Can anyone help identify?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Greetings,

I hope I'm not being too bothersome with this request, but I've come across your huge blogspot guitar repository and I'm having a bit of trouble identifying a particular guitar. I know these photos aren't much to go by; I was hoping you could perhaps shed some light about the make/model of the guitar. I would greatly appreciate any info.

Thanks, Tadej

Thanks for your email. The guitar looks to be a generic semi-hollowbody electric, although not styled too closely on the legendary Gibson 335 and similar models. Unfortunately I can't make out the name in red on the headstock. The headstock also has the "open book" silhouette which would have certain guitar aficionados screaming out "Law suit!" That ought to help someone out there to identify this guitar. Other than that, I'm afraid I cannot be any more help, but perhaps a reader out there might have some more information to share with us.

G L Wilson

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Kay Montclair Apollo

guitarz.blogspot.com:

For a guitar lover, it's not unusual to be attracted to a vintage guitar for its mere cultural, historical or collectable value. Cult of the past is a trait shared by most human cultures, and all that is left to postmodernity is to finally exhaust itself by celebrating its own short history… 

But to me this Kay Montclair Apollo is appealing for its own sake, for its beautiful outline and the way all its elements balance each other. I don't know if the people who designed this kind of guitar were just brilliant or if my taste has been shaped by such instruments, but as an art and design enthusiast, I have no problem comparing it to most refined furniture one can admire in museums. It is based on the same feeling of pure outline - though this guitars's beauty doesn't come from sophisticated delicacy but honesty, ergonomics, constructivism and an acute sense of proportions and unity. I'd be curious to know where the anonymous guy who designed this curved pickguard got his skills.

Sometimes we're so used to these vintage guitars we enjoy so much that we don't really look at them, we're just reacting to their presence, but thanks to this good old Kay, I feel like watching again carefully every guitars I've been probably overlooking lately.

Bertram D

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1970s LOTOS bass - made in Poland and styled after Hagstrom

guitarz.blogspot.com:

You'd be forgiven for thinking on first sight that this was a Swedish-made Hagstrom bass, but it's actually a LOTOS made in Poland. Actually, the logo does look a little like "LOTOR" but I guess that could be a stylized lowercase letter "s". The seller tells us:

LOTOS 1972

Lotos was produced in Lubin (Poland) since 1968.

Before 1968 in Bydgoszcz (poland) since 1966.

This is first polish bass

Inspirated from HAGSTROM KENT

For more see: www.defil-vintage.pl/2013/10/lotos.html

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $349.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Unusual shaped 1930s Richter acoustic guitar offered for sale on Craiglist

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Guitarz reader Paul saw this guitar listed for sale on Craigslist, priced at $100. All the info we have on it is given in the listing. We're told that it's a 1930s Richter, made in Chicago. If anyone has any further info, please let us know in the usual way!

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Martinez Daytona Series DS-W

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I have very scarce information about this Martinez Daytona DS-W - the brand seems to be the German distribution brand of a Chinese or Korean company, and though they mostly produce the usual copies of the 4 same models (like anybody else, also in Europe and the US, even the high-end brands), they happen to also release some rather eccentric models, though without any marketing support that would help their customers to pick their guitars over more secure brands... 

Don't get me wrong, I already stated here that the current Chinese clone cheapos are 100 times better than the plywood planks people bought in supermarkets in the 1960s/1970s, they are playable and sound something, and anyway a guitar is not a smartphone, you shouldn't get one if you're not ready to learn how to maintain and upgrade it like you'd do for a bicycle… A guitar always has something to teach you, believe me.

Anyway, this one is on the bizarre side, since it seems to be a hybrid acoustic/electric model with a piezo bridge pickup, probably thinline flat body, a blade humbucker in almost central position and a strange blobby pickguard (at first glimpse I thought it was an Egmond) with controls on the upper horn. The outline is nice, simple and balanced, with the minimum of personality needed, but the frontplate kind of spoils the guitar and makes wonder if the guys understand anything about guitar design... But then who would let such an instrument leave the factory if it's unplayable - these people know about business, don't they? 

Well I don't know about you, and what you think about this guitar, but I'm still waiting for the day when a Korean factory won't have to copy or hide behind a historical western company, they'll have the machines, the knowledge, the practice, the spirit, the designs, the entrepreneurial skills and we'll happily buy their instruments without any questions - or play on 2-strings cigar-boxes appalachian dulcimers...

Bertram D

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Jolana Jantar Czechoslovakian-made guitar from 1988

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Árpád recommended that we take a look at this (his?) Czechoslovakian-made Jolana Jantar from 1988. It has a few of the usual Jolana appointments such as the proprietary hardware (bridge, tailpiece, and those very distinctive machine heads) plus what we can see of the fingerboard suggests that it has quite a radius to it (as did my Jolana Disco). It even has the same large plastic control knobs as on the Disco; they were rather rubbery to the touch and I personally didn't particularly like them but to swap them out for something more generic would somehow seem very wrong. It's interesting also to note the two strap buttons at the instrument's base so as to allow it to stand upright despite the Alembic-like point at the furthest end of the body.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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1960s Yamaha SB5A Bass made in Japan

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here we see a very nice example of one of Yamaha's very earliest solidbody bass guitars, namely the Yamaha SG5A bass. Of course, it wasn't the very first Yamaha bass guitar - that distinction goes to the Yamaha SB2 - however the SB5A is the one that most people remember mainly because of its very distinctive design (often dubbed the "Samurai"). Most people think that Yamaha were just being wacky with these body shapes, but actually they are very ergonomic and way ahead of their time for this design dates back to the days when no-one applied words like "ergonomic" to guitars.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $845.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Hofner 172 R Bass project with vinyl covered body

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Alas, this instrument is not in the best of condition, but that doesn't stop it from being interesting. It's a 1960s Höfner 172 R Bass which - as was fashionable at the time - has a vinyl-covered body. Regular readers might notice the similarity with instruments from the American Kapa company, which often used necks, pickups and other hardware imported from Höfner. Here, of course, we are seeing the German-made original!

Although the condition isn't great and it is being sold as a project, even Höfner parts are quite sought after these days by collectors. This bass is currently listed on eBay and has a Buy It Now price of $329.

G L Wilson

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Gibson Firebird II Artist CMT 1981

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's an unusual take on the Firebird design from Gibson. To quote from the eBay listing:

Very rare and unique 1981 Gibson Firebird II Artist CMT. Reportedly only about 160 or so of this model were made. Maple body with bound flamed curly maple top in Antique Sunburst (tobacco burst) finish.

These guitars originally came with the same Moog-designed active electronics from Gibson's "RD Artist" series, with compression (neck pickup) and expansion (bridge pickup) options available. Many musicians found that circuitry too complex, especially on stage, and the RD series was a commercial failure...

Currently listed on eBay (with the original Moog circuit boards and original Series VI low-impedance pickups should you want them) with a starting bid of $2,100.

G L Wilson

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Roberto's electric headless cuatro

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here, Roberto shows us his latest build. It's a cuatro (a small traditional Latin American guitar-like instrument), but given a modern-day twist as a solidbody electric instrument. It's also a headless design with the tuners situated at the base of the body.

Roberto has more pictures of the finished instrument here, plus photos of it during construction here.

Also, unless I'm much mistaken, isn't this cuatro left-handed?

G L Wilson

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1993 Rickenbacker 650 Atlantis

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I've never enough of the Rickenbacker 620 design, and this sherwood green limited edition 650 Atlantis with mini-humbuckers and chrome control plate is a great version of this mythic guitar.

Bertram D

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Erik shows us his self-built "plank" guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's an email from Eric:

I'm reading your blog everyday. This time I made simple guitar by myself. It's just a piece of pinewood, 1 telecaster single coil, a secondhand neck, no control knobs or whatever and at the back you'll find the output. Plug & play actually...... I put some thick strings on it to make it sound a little bit more fat. It will not make me famous or rich...... but proud enough to send you some pics. Oh, and the lines on the body are coming from a song of Minor Alps, just liked it.

Greetings, Erik (from Holland)

Hi Erik, thanks for the photos of your guitar. It reminds me of the plank guitars as built by our very own Bertram, and also the sheer length of the body is reminiscent of the cricket bat guitars we have also looked at on this blog. Hey, I bet it hangs well on a strap!

We are always pleased to receive photos of reader's own self-built or customised guitars - the more unusual the better!

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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BOND ELECTRAGLIDE unique TREMELO MODEL the ACTUAL one in the BOND catalogue!

guitarz.blogspot.com:
Hello my name is David and I am a G.A.S. addict.

I've always wanted one of these but I just haven't got the space for any more guitars.

I am on the G.A.S. wagon (apart from yesterday's slip up). Sorry.

The first time I saw a BOND ELECTRAGLIDE I wanted it. Oh! I wanted it!

I saw that guy from The Clash (and later Big Audio Dynamite) posing with one. I saw Dave Stewart with one. I read about it in GuitarPorn Magazine. Oh My God! I wanted one.

I put a search in Ebay for one and every now and then one popped up. The other day there was just the body and neck (no fretboard or electronics). I even drooled over that.
Today my dream came true and slowly turned into a nightmare. This story does not have a happy ending. You have been warned.

There it was £700 plus delivery. I couldn't believe it. £700. I looked around my studio. Three walls hung with guitars. A small pile of cases filled with guitars on top of cabinet. Three more under the bed. NO! No more! I can't! That was it. I was not going to succumb. I switched off the computer, had a coffee and a shower and went to work.

I could not stop thinking about it. If I sold something, I could make some space and justify a new acquisition. The price was fantastic. A real piece of history and unique in its own right.

That was it, I started checking some prices. The Baja Tele could go. I could reduce the prices on those other guitars that I've been trying to sell for the past two months. That Peavey amp I don't use. Yes! Yes! Yes! I could do it!

Ebay beckoned. I searched. No Bond Electraglide apart from the afore mentioned shell. Back to my saved search. I was sweating. It can't be. "Click!"... "This item is no longer available."

Nooooooooooooooooooo!

So, all I can do is share with you all my sad, sad story.

This is what I let slip through my fingers. Mock me, go on. I deserve it. What a damned fool!

Seven hundred quid!

Tremolo arm... OMFG!

Thing of beauty

Almost the "number of the beast"! Might as well be for all my torment.

BOND ELECTRAGLIDE
1980s Handbuilt Carbon Fibre Electric Guitar
This is an extremely rare example
it is UNIQUE in being the ONLY bond ever fitted with a tremelo system
it is the actual guitar featured in the Bond Catalogues and magazine adverts
details as follows:
SERIAL NUMBER #000328
3 X  SINGLE COIL PICKUPS
ADJUSTABLE VOLUME BASS TREBLE
Correct power supply
correct Bond stereo cable with angled jack
correct straplocks
original bond owners manual
original bond case{ condition of this is poor }

The guitar has a couple of light marks on the back of the neck which i have pictured
there are NO SPLITS OR CRACKS OR REPAIRS
THE STEPPED FINGERBOARD IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION
all the electrics work well...except the out of phase button on front two pickups is stiff
the screen lights up , all leds work
the guitar sounds superb and plays well
a true one off example with the factory fitted BOND tremelo unit

Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!
The Q&A was the final knife between the shoulder blades.

Q:     does it actually stay in tune with this tremelo please?  
A:     hello, strangely yes ! the design works very well ..and because of the straight line stringing and roller saddles it behaves much better than a strat for example also the mass of the design and the fact it is so superbly engineered by schaller gives the sound good sustain and tone , i was told by the guitar guru and author and bond expert Paul Day this tremelo cost so so much to 'tool up' by andrew bond with SCHALLER that it was the tipping point for the companies finances ...and it never went into production , this remains i believe the only correct factory fitted example in existence , nice thing ! , best regards, paul

I will NEVER be the same again.

David. Forlornly blogging from Barcelona

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Hanson Gatto

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I think that we already shared a Hanson guitar on Guitarz but I cannot find it... Well if it's the case it's  still worth showing this exciting Hanson Gatto. Its design is both simple and original - the most difficult combination to reach -, ergonomic and dynamic, with classic gear - two humbuckers, two knobs, a Bigsby trem… 

Hanson claims to take its inspiration in Italian guitars from the 1960s - I couldn't blame them for that!

Bertram D

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

One to identify: Oddball singlecut offset-waist guitar, possibly Japanese

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We've had another email from our friend Francis (who previously shared photos and info about this guitar and also this guitar with us) who writes:

Hello Guitarz! Francis again. I always forget to ask you guys about this on the Guitarz blog but I used to own this weird mash-up of a presumably Japanese guitar (it's my girlfriend's now, so I still see it all the time). It's definitely way above the Teisco/Kawai/Guyatone threshold of build quality.

Here's where it gets weird: The tuners have split shafts like Klusons and are three uncovered gears on a plate with heavily yellowed buttons. The headstock shape reminds me a lot of those old Danelectros while the neck dimensions are pretty close to Fender Strat width, 25.5" scale, skinny overall thickness and 12" radius with a D-ish profile. It also has really low frets and a zero fret a la Mosrite. The Dano U2-inspired body is about an inch and a half thick with an odd stoptail that I only remember seeing on some Japanese "lawsuit" LPs. Bridge is a regular Tune-O-Matic. The finish on the whole guitar appears to be somewhere between cherry and walnut with a very slight burst pattern towards the body edges. I'm really not certain if this is poly or nitro. I do remember leaving a strap on it for a while which left a slight depression in the finish following the strap's fabric pattern. The body appears to be a single piece of mahogany, as does the neck. Pickups are Jaguar pickups complete with "claw". The electronics are full-size 500k pots, and a REALLY heavy duty toggle switch. Lastly, apart from an SG-inspired pickguard, the guitar also has an offset waist and feels a bit like a Duo-Sonic or Musicmaster when played standing up.

I really hope you or your readers could help me identify this. It's an interesting piece that I see my girlfriend and I using for years to come.

Hi Francis. That is indeed an oddity. It has an Harmony/Kay vibe to it, and I'm not sure if I've seen an offset waist on a singlecut body before, but I like it! I'm afraid that I personally cannot identify this guitar but perhaps our readers may be able to help?

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Something tasty for the Soutpaws: Hallmark Swept Wing in gold sparkle

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Now here is something a little bit different for the left-handed player who is sick and tired of the usual lack of choice for those of their persuasion: it's a Hallmark Swept Wing in eye-catching gold sparkle. The influence of Mosrite is obvious, and indeed Hallmark have a touch of Mosrite in their pedigree as ex-Mosrite staff were employed by the original Hallmark company. The guitar seen here is one of the more recent re-issues, this one dating from 2005, although the seller claims that it is in brand new condition, having never been played or used. It's a pity for a guitar like this to be languishing unplayed in a collection. Someone needs to buy it and give it a proper gigging life, let it be heard and seen!

Currently listed on eBay with a starting bid of $973 and a Buy It Now price of $1,267.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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1965 Supro Oahu short-scale guitar with DeArmond pickup

guitarz.blogspot.com:

With a scale length of 22" and a single DeArmond "Pancake" pickup, this Supro Oahu from 1965 currently listed on eBay could be quite a catch for someone. Stylistically you can see the resemblance to the Supro Pocket Bass, another short-scale instrument popular with collectors of the brand. It's a rare guitar from quite a collectable brand; the seller claims that the pickup and neck alone are worth $350. The Buy It Now price is $475.

The only thing that puzzles me is why the Supro legend is upside-down on the headstock.

G L Wilson

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