Vintage 1960s Mark in Dartford Kent, Vox Clubman Bass for South Paws

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A guilty secret of mine is that I do actually quite desire one of these: a original 1960s Vox Clubman Bass, "Made in Dartford, Kent" (England) by Jennings Musical Industries (JMI).

Pre-dating the Italian-built Vox guitars of the later 1960s, the short-scale Clubman Bass was part of Vox's range of "student" instruments. The body was made of plywood, and whilst the neck had no adjustable trussrod it did have a steel bar embedded beneath the fingerboard. [EDIT: According to the Vox Showroom website, it had TWO non-adjustable steel rods embedded in the neck.]

So, if it's such a cheap, crudely made instrument, why should I be interested?

Well, it's just that the Vox Clubman Bass has quite a reputation for playability and versatility. It has that particular sound that typifies an era but yet still manages to sound relevant today. I also quite like the design and used to own a similar Clubman II guitar that was my 2nd electric guitar (I've lost count of how many have followed - I'm sure it's in three figures) so it's partly a nostalgia thing, I guess.

This particular example, currently being offered for sale on eBay UK with a Buy It Now price of £320, is the rarer left-handed version. Whether it sells is another matter; a right-handed example in the more common red finish failed to sell earlier today with a Buy It Now of £399.  I know these instruments are quite desirable amongst collectors and people like me, but I do wonder if perhaps they are being priced a little too highly in today's market.

Note that this example has a jack output socket which is probably a later conversion as from the factory it would have been equipped with a television-aerial type co-axial socket.

G L Wilson

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Pure Salem Sad Fester Left-Handed guitar with beautiful top wood

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I've never played a Pure Salem guitar but I'm well aware of them. And I've heard that they are great for their price range. I've always associated them with Eastwood guitars in that they take familiar guitars and put a nice twist on them, or take less familiar guitars and re-introduce them to the masses.

I love the top on this Left-Handed Sad Fester. Is that walnut? Or something more exotic? I've checked their website quickly and could not find one like this to find out.

At $400 it would be a great guitar for any lefty. Or I could buy it and string it backwards.

R.W. Haller





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1984 Roland G-700 Guitar Synth with LEFT-HANDED GR-707 Guitar Controller

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Here's something special for our left-handed guitar-slinging friends out there. It's a 1984 Roland G-700 Guitar Synth with GR-707 Guitar Controller which not only is in the cooler black finish (silver was standard, red was another option) but is also left-handed. I don't think I've seen a left-handed example of one of these before; unfortunately I am unable to tell you how many were made, but you can bet it wasn't very many.

Isn't it crazy to think that this gear is now 30 years old and in the guitar world that seems to qualify as "vintage"? I remember when these first came out and we all thought "What the hell are Roland doing putting out such a crazy design?" But then, along came the SynthAxe and we thought the Roland controller was relatively normal. Today it has a retro-futuristic vintage charm, but it does feel very strange to be getting nostalgic about stuff like this.

Whilst the synth unit looks rather bulky by today's standards, I'll say this for it: at least it is labelled with LARGE numbers and has LARGE easy to read displays. I can't be dealing with the teeny tiny display screens on modern-day equipment. It's like, excuse me whilst I get a magnifying glass out so I can read this.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $1,999.

G L Wilson (with thanks to David from Barcelona who posted it first on Facebook)

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Possibly unique left-handed Rickenbacker 4005/6 semi-hollow Bass VI

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Andrew K writes:

What we have here is a Rickenbacker 4005. If that was not rare enough already, it is a lefty. Even rarer than that, it is also a Bass VI. Apparently the 4005 was introduced in 1965 and remained in production until 1984. This also applies to the 4005/6 model seen here, although perhaps the 4005 was never a production model as much as a custom model, so lord knows if any were made after the late 60s. It is a guitar very much of its time, appearing in the tiny gap of time between the rise of the humbucker and the fall of clean tones as well as the only time when bass VIs were 'relevant'. Unlike the Fender Bass VI which was a stand-alone design, or the short scale basses turned VIs made by Gibson, this appears to be the full 33 1/2 inch 4000 series bass scale, meaning chords are a distant memory here. The price here is steep, but seemingly justified. I can't say another of these will EVER see the light of day, especially not in Left handed spec.

Other weird 4005 basses to look out for are the 8 string version, the lightshow edition, and the 8 string lightshow edition.

Before I go I'd like to talk about the unfortunate tale of this bass for a second. Given the extortionate cost of the 360 model guitar in the late 60s, we can only imagine the cost of the 4005. This obviously hurt sales, and the lack of any real big names behind the model didn't help. The model is also unique in being an early example of an actual semi-hollow body bass, rather than the mis-named EB2 and violin body hollowbodies. But as 1970 approached, the disastrous pickup placement (on some bass models, the bridge pickup touches the bridge) and hollow body were seen as outdated and the thin sounding pickups were too weak for the in-crowd. By the early 80s they were so utterly worthless that the bassist for one of Steve Albini's groups, and the bassist for the Replacements, Tommy Stinson, were easily able to afford them. The closest shot at fame the bass had was with Mani from the Stone Roses (who later ditched it in favour of the underrated 3000 series bass), and only rare appearances since.

This sad history means what is a very unique design of bass basically languished in obscurity before becoming so valuable no-one can buy them. Ricks are called semi-hollow for want of a better description, but the body top is thicker and a solid piece of wood, routed out from the rear with the neck set under the pick-ups creating a union of centre block and neck rather than the slim tenon joint used on the laminate Gibsons. This basically means the body isn't going to thump like a violin bass or EB2 bass, and is likely to be far more piano like. The only basses with similar construction not custom made are the small-bodied G&L ASAT and the Gibson Midtown bass, both of which have their own tone as well. I honestly think Rick need to reissue this thing, it may have failed first time round, but times have changed, and this bass is primed to be a hit. The world has changed! We're mature enough to realise our stupidity now! We'll burn all the P-Basses if you just put this back in production!

Thanks Andrew, I've been meaning to feature a Rickenbacker 4005 bass for a long time and you managed to find a lefty Bass VI version. Very cool. I've also been meaning for a very long time to mention a really fantastic book, The Rickenbacker Electric Bass - 50 Years As Rock's Bottom by Paul D. Boyer and published by Hal Leonard. Although you might think that as the book covers a very specific niche subject that it would only appeal to the real fanatics, it is so well written and beautifully illustrated with colour photographs throughout that I think it would keep ANY guitar enthusiast enraptured for hours, and not just the bass players and/or Rickenbacker enthusiasts.

Here, by the way, is what Paul D. Boyer has to say about the Rickenbacker 4005/6 (page 42):

The 4005 served as a baseboard for some interesting variations. The first of these was the six-string 4005/6. Similar in purpose to Fender's "Fender VI," the instrument  was strung EADGBE, but an octave lower than a standard guitar. Both rounded-top and WB [i.e. non-rounded top "with binding"] versions of the 4005/6 exist, and at least one leftiy4005/6 was made. While the six-string bass was offered on price lists from 1967 to '78, very few were made.

The book also shows a photo of a 4005/6 (very possibly the very same example that we have been looking at here) being examined by David Jones of True Tone Music.

The lefty Rickenbacker 4005/6 shown above is currently being offered for sale by Chicago Music Exchange via Reverb.com and has a Buy It Now price of $18,950.

G L Wilson

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Vox Phantom bass - rare left-handed model

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Here's something you don't see very often, a left-handed Vox Phantom Bass. This particular instrument has been custom built from original 1960s New Old Stock vintage parts. Like the doubleneck Eko we looked at a few days ago, I'd wager that this Vox was pieced together by Brandoni Guitars. Remember that the Eko factory in Italy also produced Vox guitars in the 1960s after production was outsourced, Vox guitars having previously been built in Dartford, Kent, in the UK.

This bass is currently listed on eBay and has 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!
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Unknown 1960s four-pickup leftie guitar - Can anyone help identify?

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This 1960s four-pickup leftie solidbody guitar looks in need of a little TLC and a renovation! But what is it? Does anyone out there recognise it? My thinking is that it is probably Japanese, but I'm going mainly by the headstock shape which does seem strangely familiar. The finish on the front of the guitar and the face of the headstock has been stripped. I'm wondering if it may have had some kind of plastic/celluloid coating - could those strange marks on the stripped surface be where it was glued?

Currently being auctioned on eBay with bidding at US $109.26 at the time of writing.

G L Wilson

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Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe 1980s Explorer-type Matsumoku-made guitar

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I readily admit that I have a soft spot for 1980s Japanese-made Aria Pro II guitars - even pointy ones like this Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe. Although quite obviously based on Gibson's Explorer the designers have made this version their own with a slimmer more contoured body shape. The quality of Aria guitars from this period is down to their origination in Japan's famed Matsumoku factory. This particular guitar is a rare left-handed example and features the addition of an aftermarket Kahler tremolo. If you're left-handed and the design of this guitar appeals (which probably means that your band plays metal) then you could do a lot worse than give this guitar a whirl.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $599.99.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Something tasty for the Soutpaws: Hallmark Swept Wing in gold sparkle

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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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James Trussart Steel-O-Matic leftie - steel-top Strat in Satin Black finish

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Here's one for the left-handed player with a bit of cash to splash, and preferably someone who's in the market for a boutique S-type guitar.

This James Trussart Steel-O-Matic is the first time I've seen a Strat-style guitar from Trussart, who normally favours the Telecaster design, although he has dabbled with LP and Jazzmaster-derived guitars too. This Strat-styled Steel-O-Matic could be the companion model to Trussart's Jazzmaster-styled Steelmaster, both featuring steel-topped wooden bodies and being somewhat reminiscent of guitars made by legendary British luither Tony Zemaitis.

Personally, I think that Trussart's all-steel bodies have more of the cool factor about them, but can understand they might not be to everyone's tastes. (I realise that the slab-bodied Telecaster design lends itself to production in steel, whereas more contoured designs such as the Strat and Jazzmaster are more easily replicated in wood).

Currently listed on eBay by leftyguitarsonly.com with a Buy It Now price of $4,740. I wonder what the Fender Custom Shop would charge for a steel-top Strat?

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Jef shows us his self-built Thinline

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Here's an email I received this morning:

My name is Jef, I live in south west of France, near Toulouse. Here are some pictures of a guitar that I made with many parts recovered: neck, pickups, Japanese (Teisco?) I think. The "hand-made"body (sort of "thinline") is made of plywood (I assume!), the neck being in poor condition, so I began my first refrettage and a first attempt, it's not so bad ...

There's also a cheap "badass wraparound" find on ebay, and copies of Kluson tuners...

She's not very easy to play, but it's my guitar!

Thanks for your great blog...and sorry for my bad english....

Jef

Thanks for sharing with us. We always like to see readers' original guitars. That's quite a classic look you've got there. It has a vintage Kay/Danelectro vibe but with the modern twist of an upsidedown headstock.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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More from Pure Salem guitars - just look at these beauties!

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Just under a year ago we looked at a couple of prototype designs from Pure Salem, a new guitar company offering retro-styled guitars with modern production standards and playability. Pure Salem have recently unveiled their range of guitars (although not all the prototypes made it to final production models in case you were wondering what became of design based on the Meazzi Zodiac).

However, just look at what they ARE offering (pictures above), all of which are available in all finishes in both LEFT and RIGHT-HANDED versions. Lefties, take note!

Some of the guitars are obviously Fender inspired (the Wood Soul, Sad Fester, and Reverberation models), whilst the Tom Cat is a modern take on the Guild S-200 Thunderbird. As for the other designs, sharp-eyed readers may recognise some of the influences from vintage guitars featured here on Guitarz.

If you want a closer look, you could do far worse than check out this video demo of the Pure Salem Wood Soul by John Way:


Pure Salem guitars are priced between $625 and $825 depending on model. See their website for further info and/or their very busy FaceBook page. I think they look and sound fantastic, and would love to get my paws on one.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Trussart SteelTop Antique Silver Dragon Engraved, rare southpaw version

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Here's another one for the lefties... Or maybe I should say the loaded lefties. It's a left-handed 2008 James Trussart SteelTop Antique Silver Dragon Engraved model originally made as a one-off for a Nashville-based artist, and now being made available for sale on eBay. To borrow from the eBay listing (which in turn borrowed from the Trussart website):

The SteelTop has the look and feel of a vintage instrument while also featuring another James Trussart original invention: the recessed steel top plate. The metal plate sits in a recessed area on the face of the instrument, which keeps the edge of the metal plate covered, adding comfort as well as styling.

In addition to the recessed steel top plate, our exclusive chambered wood body and custom metal appointments are beautiful to look at as well as being functional. For instance, the recessed steel head cap adds mass to the headstock and increases sustain. The steel, while also being the perfect medium to display the beautiful Trussart custom finishes and engraving, also has tonal advantages. The SteelTop tone is a uniquely classic sound that, combined with the resonant qualities of the chambered body and steel top, can range from sweet thick classic tones to the heaviest lead tones.

Equally at home being played on stage or on display as a piece of art, you will know you have something special the moment you lay your hands on this instrument, as every Trussart is loaded with unique custom details. The construction of these instruments is only half of the story; the other half is the finish. SteelTops are available with distressed finishes that come with a history and a slight element of neglect-of decay-so it has a personality all its own.

This Trussart has found its way into the hands of many guitarists including Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, Pete Stroud of the Sheryl Crow Band, Kirk Douglas of The Roots, and Brian Ray of the Paul McCartney Band, to name just a few.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $4,299.99.

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.

Vox Phantom XII assembled from 1960s Italian "new old stock" parts

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Here's another for our southpaw friends, a Vox Phantom XII. The Vox Phantom is one of those guitar designs that you either love or hate. I'm in the former camp. Anyway, I'll let the eBay seller explain about this particular example:

Italian made Vox Phantom 12 string left handed guitar... BRAND NEW... custom made from matured, original unused parts.

This is an example of a limited supply of old Vox and Eko guitars that have only recently been assembled from stock that has been stored, slowly maturing for many years.The body,neck,scratchplate and control knobs are all vintage original Vox old parts... the bodies were sprayed up and stored in the mid to late 1980s ... Modern Vox type pickups have been added with a set of repro machineheads. The electric wiring is brand new. What you get is a vintage guitar BRAND NEW!!!

Finished in Black with 3 single coil pickups, chrome hardware, rosewood neck.

This guitar is a beauty!!!

Why buy a new Vox made in Korea for over £1200 or an American rip off when you can have an Italian LEGEND for £865!!!?

I'm guessing that the seller, elitepianos are one and the same - or else closely allied to - Brandoni Guitars.

The neck would appear to be a right-handed example - note in the above photo that the Vox logo appears to be upside-down for a left-handed player. I don't suppose this will pose any real problems, but I hope they made some concession to the player with regards to the side dots on the neck - they're not a lot of use on the wrong side.

Currently listed on eBay UK for £865.

G L Wilson

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

Fender Japan Aerodyne Jazz Bass rare left-handed version

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Fender's Aerodyne series of guitars and basses were another - rather elegant - variation on a theme courtesy of the ever resourceful minds at Fender Japan, with bodies that feature a gently arched top and binding. This particular Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass is a rare left-handed example. Note that the bass features both Precision and Jazz Bass pickups.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $999.99.

G L Wilson

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

A cartoon guitar for the southpaws: Fernandes Um Jammer Lammy

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We've looked at one of these guitars before, but if I remember correctly this example is more faithful to that pictured in the original Um Jammer Lammy video game artwork, being left-handed. If you want names and model numbers, it's a Fernandes UJL-2000, but it's easier to remember as the cartoon guitar based loosely on the Les Paul design. According to the eBay seller:

It is a three-dimensionalized guitar that Um Jammer Lammy, lead guitarlist for a band "Milkcan", main protagonist uses in the video game, "Um Jammer Lammy" published by Sony for the PlayStation video game console. Looks a toy but was built carefully by a Japanese famous make, Fernandes. It has 609 mm / 24 inch scale as Fender Mustang has.

The weird thing about this particular example is that it's been converted to right-handed playing. Imagine, someone actually chose to play this strange-looking guitar and then played it upside-down! How odd that must have looked. Hopefully for the adventurous-minded southpaw, it won't be too difficult to convert back to left-handed.

Currently being offered for auction on eBay with a starting price of $1,499.99.

G L Wilson

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

Left-handed Kramer Ferrington acoustic bass from 1987

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I'm always on the lookout for interesting guitars and basses for our left-handed friends, and reckon that this 1987 Kramer Ferrington acoustic bass isn't something that you see every day, let alone find as a left-handed model. These "electric-shaped" double-cutaway acoustics were designed by Nashville luthier Danny Ferrington, who in the early 1980s had been creating similar one-off designs for himself and a whole bunch of celebrities, before his designs were snapped up and put into mass production by Kramer thus giving Ferrington his 15 minutes of fame.

Well, I say "mass production" but according to our eBay seller here, this left-handed example of a Kramer Ferrington Bass is one of only two known to have been made. It is currently being auctioned sale on eBay with a very low starting price - it'll be interesting to see what it fetches when the auction finishes on the 27th of this month.

G L Wilson

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

For the left-handed player who has everything... leftie Gold Tone Banjitar

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I've just been trawling through all the left-handed guitars on eBay, trying to find something a little bit different for our southpaw friends - who, rather unfairly, do not get the same range of choices when it comes to guitars as right-handed players (northpaws?) - and the best that I can find is this Gold Tone Telecaster-styled left-handed banjitar - ideal for the left-handed guitarist who wants to let a little banjo into his or her life!

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $779.

G L Wilson

EDIT: Several of you have commented that the above photo is a stock photo of a right-handed guitar which has been flipped to make it look left-handed. It's good to know you guys out there are alert, which is more than I was when I wrote this blog post late on Friday night. But the point is that the left-handed version of this guitar/banjo does exist and is what the successful bidder on the auction will be getting.

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

Shergold Marathon Bass VI left-handed 6-string bass circa 1986

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We looked at a Shergold Marathon Bass VI earlier in the year, but the example now pictured here is even rarer simply because it is a left-handed version. I'm particularly pleased to feature this instrument on the blog as I am always on the lookout for interesting guitars and basses that might appeal to our left-handed friends. This is definitely "Left-handed guitar of the week", I'd say "...of the month" even, and a contender for "of the year"!

The Marathon Bass VI features a single pickup - a humbucker with 16 pole pieces which can be switched between humbucker, single coil and phased options, thus allowing for a whole palette of tones. (Whilst we're looking at this instrument, I do feel the need to rant once again how much I loathe people referring to these Bass VI guitars as "baritone guitars". They are NOT baritone guitars; baritone guitars are not tuned as low as a bass's low E, but instead occupy a tuning somewhere in-between a traditional guitar and a traditional bass. The mix up in the nomenclature comes from people not wanting to confuse a Bass VI with the modern 6-string bass which has a different tuning and string spacing; however these people are just creating confusion elsewhere instead. Prats.)

This left-handed Shergold Marathon Bass VI is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,799. That's not quite as outrageously priced as the last (right handed) example we looked at ($4,500), but I'm still amazed that these basses can command even half of that. I'm sure they are quality instruments, all I'm getting at is that originally they were priced quite moderately; you'd get a lot of guitar for your money whereas now it's a case of a LOT of money for your guitar.

More photos here.

G L Wilson

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

Vintage & Rare Guitar of the Week: The Lanzi Telecarla from Argentina

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Last month here on Guitarz we looked at a bass from Argentinian luthiers Lanzi Instruments, namely the Lanzi Mk1 Rick Bass which takes the famous Rickenbacker 4000 series bass design as a starting point and boldy updates it for the 21st Century.

Here we see a left-handed Lanzi Telecarla W. Herrera Signature model in gloss white, which takes Leo Fender's classic design for a certain 62 year old guitar and updates it in the same way that the Rickenbacker design was updated for the MK1 Rick Bass.

This guitar is currently available for sale via Vintage and Rare - please enquire for a price. And if anyone knows who W. Herrera is, please enlighten the rest of us!

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Lefty Gibson custom SG Elliot Easton

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Elliot Easton plays lead guitars in The Cars and happens to be left-handed, that gives me the opportunity to present a lefty guitar - something we can never do enough. So here is his signature Gibson SG about which I have nothing special to say - I can just point at the Maestro tremolo and its long engraved tail piece. 

I was wondering why the typically Gibson pale blue finish - their response to Fender's 'Lake Placid Blue' - is called 'Pelham Blue' and I found out that it's based on a Cadillac finish from the 1960s - but now I don't know why Cadillac called their blue 'Pelham'...

Bertram

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!