Ultra Rare1967 Bigsby Condor Prototype. One of only Only 3

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There's a lot that can be said about this 1967 Bigsby Condor Prototype. But, like the seller, I really don't know where to start. He has this information though, which is a bit more than I could muster up:

"1967 Bigsby Condor Prototype Experimental Guitar, only 3 made, was to be called the Condor, one was given to Barney Kessel, the other was given to Howard Roberts, this one sat in Milwaukee since then, Paul Bigsby may have worked on this-no way to know, the pots are 1967, Paul died in 1968, Hammond was contacted for the electronics, and the work was contracted out to Gibbs Electronics in Milton Wisconsin, Natural finish, Rosewood fretboard, the guitar weighs 11 lbs. - 0.9 oz., biggest volute & headstock on Earth !!, huge neck profile, the guitar has been sitting for almost 50 years, it has not been tested, everything is in very good condition, don't miss this once in a lifetime chance to get an extremely cool & unique collectors item, has the original fancy heavy duty hard case."

The first thing I noticed was the way the strings break at the bridge at a sideways angle. I've never seen another guitar do that. I wonder how effective it is.

Currently listed at $3295 U.S.

R.W. Haller

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1965 Framus Strato Deluxe. A German Jazzmaster style guitar with active electronics and organ effect

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This is not the first Framus Strato to be featured here on Guitarz. We've seen it here, here, and here.

But I thought that this was such a great looking example of the model that we could have another look at this great German Jazzmaster inspired guitar.

It has a battery operated on-board pre-amp. I feel that that's pretty rare for guitars from the mid 1960s

This is also the first time I've seen one with the toggle arm on the volume knob. Evidentially it's spring loaded volume knob for an "organ effect". I'm guessing for pull and release swells.
Has anyone used one of these? Am I right?

Currently listed at $500, and so close to home it's hard not to get in the car and pick it up first thing in the morning

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.

Vintage 1960s MCI Guitorgan - electric guitar organ

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Before MIDI guitars, before guitar synthesisers even, back in the 1960s there was the guitar organ. Basically these consisted of the guts of an electric organ, stuffed into the body of an electric guitar. Hollow-bodied electric guitars were popularly used, such as this attractive Gibson-esque semi, the MCI electric guitorgan.

Other than all the extra switches on the front of the guitar and the blocked off f-holes, the other main giveaway to the extra electronics inside the body of the guitar is the large access plate on the rear.

Note the split frets - these were actually the triggers for the internal organ sounds - when the string makes contact with the portion of the fret, a simple switch is triggered to play the correct note. Just think of the amount of wiring there must be beneath the fingerboard.

This particular guitorgan is not only in working condition, but was also modified for MIDI in the 1980s and so could be hooked up to MIDI synths. It's currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,850.

G L Wilson

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

Univox M340 guitar organ

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Before the guitar synth there was the guitar organ. We looked at the Vox V251 guitar organ before (and there's a fantastic picture of one in the 2012 Guitarz Calendar - there are still a few left so buy your copy now before it's too late to post in time for Christmas).

Most guitar organs had the guts of an electric organ shoe-horned into a guitar body while individual frets for each string across all the fret positions were wired up so as to trigger the notes. This Japanes-made Univox M340 guitar orgran is thought to date from the early 70s (I guess it could be later 60s) and is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,000. An organ expression pedal is included, and apparently the guitar organ is in working order althugh a couple of the fret triggers are not working. I wouldn't fancy being the one who had to fix those.

G L Wilson

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

Vox V251 Guitar Organ

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Here's a great clip showcasing the now legendary VOX guitar organ on the I've Got A Secret TV show back in 1967. Thanks to Andy Stone for finding this one!

G L Wilson

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