Herbert Todt / Pergold violin bass

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This astonishing violin bass was created by luthier Herbert Todt for East-German company Pergold - that was probably a brand used by workers of bigger companies in Markneukirchen like Musima when they made higher end instruments in their personal workshops - for example this one has a carved solid archtop, not a plywood one, and laminated neck. 

And it has 'comma' soundholes, similar to but more specific than the ones of the Migma we saw a few days ago, and for which colorful names have been proposed by our readers...

Bertram D

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unidentified customised German guitar

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I have no idea what this guitar might be... It's much likely German from the 1970s, though the shape makes me think of a Defil - a Polish brand. The pickups look quite Musima - or one of the many Markneukirchen guitar brands -, but the pickguard could be from Höfner, and I've seen this kind of bridge and trem on many German guitars. 

It has obviously been refinish in this quite peculiar glitter khaki green and the knobs probably come from a radio, so I bet it's a Frankenstein, still something tells me I should recognize the original model - am I not a double florentine hollow-body guitars fan?

So, anybody has an clue?

Bertram D

Edit: I was wrong all along, it's an Egmond 2ES1 Colorado!

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - 10 years and counting!

Herrnsdorf futuristic marvel

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I should definitely not show this Herrnsdorf guitar but keep it secret and buy it for myself as a reward for all the time and energy I've spent here sharing and celebrating our electric idol... But it's just not the right time so I'll just spill it: this guitar is an ultimate collector dream!

Herrnsdorf was a DDR Markneukirchen brand even more eccentric and radical than the average as you can see, that also released the Rellog Gitona pickups. This design is just amazing, there should really have a brand that revives these DDR beauties before they fall into oblivion or disappear the vaults of collectors! 

Bertram D

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - 10 years and counting!

Musima Herrnsdorf archtop

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Here is a good old DDR Musima-Herrnsdorf archtop. Herrnsdorf was another Markneukirchen-based instruments company started in the 19th century, turned electric in the 1950s - producing inevitably cool Schlaggitarren, mother-of-toilet-seat covered Hawaiian guitars and solid body upright basses - then merged with Musima in the early 1970s. The top of the guitar sports a Musima logo and the all-in-one scratchplate / control plate / pickup cover the Herrnsdorf brand.

It seems unlikely that in the 1970s anybody would still produce this kind of device to turn an acoustic archtop into an electric one so I guess this guitar is probably old stock put together - after all Herrsndorf pickups were also known as Rellog, a quite famous East-German brand, so they had to be used, even if the guitar itself - though elegant and well proportioned - has nothing of the flamboyant models of the 1950s...

Bertram D

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - 10 years and counting!

Strangely shaped guitar with Rellog Gitona pickups

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This strangely shaped vintage German guitar set with Rellog Gitona pickups is much probably a Herrnsdorf - considering  its characteristic headstock and prolongated fretboard -, though it doesn't sport any brand...

I cannot tell if this design is great or horrible - probably both!

Rellog Gitona (Gitona stands for Gitarre Tonabnehmer - guitar pickup) was a Markneukirchen-based East-German brand, as was Herrnsdorf.

Bertram D

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