Guitarz 5000th Post!

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Though I'm not one to typically celebrate milestones I'm in the unique position of having been a fan of Guitarz for a lot longer than I've been a contributor.

So, I thought since I was going to abuse my power I'd celebrate 5000 posts by revisiting some of my favourite guitars featured on this site from when I was just a fan. Feel free to let us know if you have a favourite as well.

When this Hayman 3030 was posted it was the first time I'd ever seen a Hayman guitar. I don't think I'd even heard of Hayman before, which is made extra odd by that fact that I've been a Burns fan/owner for a long time. Some histories are missed. I am still on the lookout for a 3030 like this one to add to my arsenal, should anyone have an extra one they would want to part with.

This Forrest Custom Telecaster with B-Bender makes the list because it has 3 elements that I love ( aside from the fact it's a tele ). It's green , it's paisley, and it has a b-bender. A trifecta of telecaster love.

The Burns Jet Sonic designed by Pagelli came in two different colours. A Blue and Red combination and the less understated Black and Yellow/white shown here. I admit that I like the black version much more. If you have a crazy and unique design why bother dressing it in crazy colours. Probably the second or third guitar I'll buy if I ever win the lotto.

Another Burns! This Magpie from 1980 is a great example of the design and has the added bonus of a 6 in-line tuner configuration which in my opinion makes more sense with this design. The bird on the headstock is a nice touch too.

I've never disliked a Daion, and the Savage is probably my favourite design. The only fault I see in this Savage is that the original pickups have been replaced with dimarzios. Not that that isn't possibly an upgrade, I just think I'd prefer it to be stock.

This Greco Brawler BR600 is a great example of 1970s made in Japan quality, only this time it's not a copy of an existing guitar. The curves on this guitar are great and I see a nod to a Tiesco Tulip.

My first guitar was a 1984 Ibanez Roadstar and looked almost exactly like this one. But mine was a very reserved black. I loved this one on first sight as it simultaneously made me feel nostalgic and go "wow". I'm not sure I would have had the courage to play a bright beauty like this in 1984, to stand out so obviously. But I'd play it with pride now.

There is a lot to like about this John Birch guitar. The modular pickups, the simple design, the symmetry, the arm-carve on the bouts, and not least, the colour. This is one of those designs that I'm surprised didn't catch on. I guess it was ahead of its time.

This Quest Manhattan  is another fine example of Japan getting it right in the 1970s and 1980s. When I first saw this guitar I coveted it so much that I came to within inches of buying a seafoam green version at a very inflated price. I made the right decision and passed on the purchase, yet why do I feel remorse?



This Northern SG holds a couple of unique distinctions for me. Firstly, it's the only SG style guitar that I have loved the look of, even if it rails against all of my usual tastes. I cannot dislike this guitar.
Secondly, I'm pretty sure this is the first time Gavin posted a guitar that I sent him. It's really quite a beauty and is likely as playable as any 1970s Japanese guitar.


That's just the tip of the iceberg for my love of the guitars on this blog. Feel free to share your favourites as well.

R.W. Haller



© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Original 1970s John Birch bass

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At one time back in the mid 1970s barely a week could go by without seeing an example or two of British guitar maker John Birch's work on BBC TV's Top Of The Pops. They were fairly ubiquitous on the UK music scene, being used to artists such as Slade, The Glitter Band, Wizzard, Mud, Black Sabbath, Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore and others. Here we see an original 70s John Birch bass, which has obviously been very closely modelled on a certain famous American bass guitar design. It deviates from that design however in use of hardware such as John Birch's own Hyperflux pickups, the maple fingerboard, and the green burst finish. It also seems to have a baffling number of control knobs - this is something that John Birch instruments are particularly known for.

The image of the rear of the bass shows a heel-less neck-through design, and also - quite bizarrely - a huge backplate that covers the entire rear of the body. I'm thinking that maybe this conceals a larger than usual control cavity - maybe there's some specialised tone circuitry in there and controlled by the two extra pots on the front of the body.

Currently listed on eBay UK with a Buy It Now price of £1,500.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

British-made John Birch guitar with interchangeable pickups

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Although it bears the logo of string manufacturer RotoSound, this guitar is the product of legendary British luthiers John Birch. The pickups are interchangeable and can be changed from the rear of the guitar. The eBay listing tells how the whole interchangeable pickup concept came from Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.

One of the things I like about this guitar is its symmetry. You could flip it over for a left-handed player and the layout would be exactly the same. It even has output jacks on both sides of the guitar.

This guitar is currently listed on eBay with bidding currently at $510 at the time of writing.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!

Dave Hill plays the Superyob in the promo for Slade's "My Friend Stan"

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In the 1970s it seemed that nearly every popular band in the UK had to have a wacky John Birch guitar. Here we see Slade's Dave Hill playing the original Superyob guitar as built by the legendary John Birch.

The Superyob was reportedly not a very playable guitar and despite the insinuation in the above video that it was used in recording sessions, was in fact mainly used for mimed television appearances - and promo videos (obviously). The original Superyob is now owned by Marco Pirroni (ex Adam & The Ants guitarist - I had a very complimentary email from him a year or so ago about how much he enjoyed reading Guitarz) but is currently, I believe, on loan to the British Museum Experience.

For more about the guitars used by Dave Hill and his bandmates in Slade, Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, see this page.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

The Guitarz Chamber of Horrors!

If you enjoyed yesterday's Jerrycan guitar, then you might also enjoy today's little freak show that I have put together from some of the weirder guitars currently on sale on eBay.

First up, we have a one-off guitar built by legendary British luthier John Birch for Dave Hill of Slade, and apparently used by Hill on various TV appearances (although I confess I can't remember having seen it before).

Hurry! The auction ends in two days time. Buy it now for £25,000! (More on Slade's gear here).

Now feast your eyes upon this - a one-off Rolls Royce themed guitar, complete with flying lady hood ornament! But aren't Rolls Royces supposed to be elegant?

Starting bid is £700. Buy it for your chauffeur.

Finally, this abomination is supposedly someone's idea of a work of art. Presenting the Charvel "Coral Reef" guitar, which would probably look a whole lot better at the bottom of the sea.

Buy it now for £999 from this infamous German seller, well-known for their over-inflated prices on complete pieces of crap. Oh, and don't try any Pete Townshend style windmilling on this - you'll likely impale your hand on a spiky bit.

Whatever happened to Slade?

• Dave Hill's guitars: John Birchs, "Dad's Gibson", and The Superyob!
• Jim Lea's basses: plus the story of his trusy John Birch bass
• Noddy Holder's guitars: and how could we forget the man in the hat!

John Birch guitars proudly present the Superyob, a reissue of the now legendary guitar played by Dave Hill of Slade. This new version incorporates LED dot markers in the fingerboard and also features a laser built into the headstock which no doubt enhances the sci-fi laser-gun appearance of the guitar.

By the way, I believe that the original Superyob guitar is now owned by Marco Pirroni (ex Adam & the Ants).