Hamilton Custom Guitars: another example

guitarz.blogspot.com:

There has been a lot of interest in this 2013 post about this Hamilton Custom Guitar. Mark Natola contacted us to say that he is a Hamilton owner too, having recently bought a beaten-up example via Craig's List.

Mark has very kindly emailed the several photos of his Hamilton Custom Guitar that you see here. He tells us that:

...the head stock was broken when I bought it. In addition, the fret board was splitting away from the neck and the pick guard was broken in several places. Other than that, it was in fine shape, 😊.

I brought it to a luthier who removed the fret board, cleaned up the neck, glued the fret board back on and replaced the frets. He repaired the head stock based on the “Made for Raymond” photo posted on the blog. In the mean time, I had a new pick guard made based on the metal shielding found below the original pick guard. We decided to stick with the original pickup and pots as they could not be replaced. I took the bridge apart and soaked and scrubbed the chrome parts with naval jelly. They cleaned up very well. The tuning keys were also soaked and cleaned in the same manner. Finally, I made a conscious decision to keep the original laquer finish, which is checked from age. Consequently, when the head stock was repaired it was necessary to stain it using a stain similar to the body color. My guitar had a “Made for Corinne” signature, however part of the name was missing due to the damage to the headstock. We decided to remove that and leave the Hamilton Custom intact.

I have now seen several guitars and it looks like there are subtle variations in the plate below the bridge. I can send more images later if you are interested.

Mark goes on add:

...it would seem as there are at least five of these floating around including mine.

• There is "Made for Raymond".

• Mine, formerly "Made for Corrine"

• A white one I saw posted on Pintrest a while back, without an inscription as far as I can tell

• One mentioned on this blog that was bought in Boston, with case and mid 60's sheet music

• One mentioned in recent post by guy from Long Island whose father chromed the hardware.

Am I missing any?

I wonder if the white one on Pinterest is the same one as owned by the father of Thomas who commented on our original blog post?

If anyone else has any more information or photos of Hamilton Custom guitars, please contact us!

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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New Complexity Harmonic Isolator

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A few months ago I presented two guitars by Australian small company New Complexity (the Contra and the Harmonic Master) - they just released their new model: the Harmonic Isolator. As you can see, this is once again not a standard guitar but almost a new instrument that allows harmonics to fully develop for each note played - on its specific scale.

The pickups before and after the bridge (and optional sustainer) have their own outputs and can be amplified and effected independently - you can hear what it sounds like on the video down here.

Isn't it lovely that young luthiers keep electric guitar evolving? I particularly appreciate this one because it will lead inevitably to the invention of a new kind of music (I remember being very sad when I saw a guy playing standard blues on a Teuffel Birdfish on a demo - it is not possible here!)

Bertram D

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New Complexity (part 2): the Contra

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Yesterday we had a look at New Complexity's Harmonic Master, this is their Contra, a more regular model - with its strat-like 3 single-coils - but no less creative in its minimal classicism. 

I like the transparent pickguard showing the clever pickup routing, the string-through/tune-o-matic combination, the reduced controls, the minimal headstock and the sober yet imaginative outline. You have to admit that it is not easy to compete with the Stratocaster and reach such an interesting result! 

Bertram D

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New Complexity (part 1): the Harmonic Master

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I often have the feeling that Australia is where things happen nowadays when it comes to our favorite subject: guitars! Several of my favorite websites / blogs / Facebook pages emanate from Oz, and they show passionate innovative people busy with improving guitars, when other countries that once ruled are just stuck in a bygone golden age…

Take New Complexity, a one man company in Melbourne, and its Harmonic Master, a 12-string 'third bridge' guitar with a pickup behind the bridge that catches harmonic resonnance, a fully adjustable 12-saddle gizmo as a stop-tail to tune it and 3 different outputs. This is not a guitar with mere cosmetic modifications or sophisticated gear, it's a rethinking of the instrument! 

If you wonder what it's all about, this video explains and demonstrates what the Harmonic Master does. Definitely an instrument I'd love to try!

Bertram D

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Shonky Mako Prototype Guitar

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It can happen with these kind of experimental designs, I can't tell if this Shonky prototype is ugly or brilliant… Some part are quite ergonomic, some aren't, some details are even awkward, but all in all it's a nice try - hundred times better than the average clone… What do you think?

Bertram D

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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steel bodied Loic Le Pape Mustang

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Loïc Le Pape is one of these French guys who makes übercool guitars out of steel - here is his take on the Mustang. Simple and raw, it looks like the ultimate nu-garage rock guitar, isn't it? 

Also it has interesting pickups, the SP Custom (also a small French company) Trinity humbuckers based on coupled hand-wound Telecaster and Jazzmaster single-coils - 3 sounds in one pickup - plus a piezo...

I'd definitely play this guitar!

Bertram D

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Born Custom Guitars OG-Drop solidbody electric guitar with Pistachio top

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Of course, here at Guitarz we don't just focus on weird and wonderful guitar finds on the auction sites. We're guitar aficionados and besides all the weird and wonderful guitars, vintage instruments, beautiful - or even occasionally horrendous - guitars, we are very keen to celebrate contemporary guitar design, and we have a particular fondness for the "little guy", i.e. the small guitar companies out there who are keeping the spirit of experimentation and guitar design alive. The guitar pictured here is a case in point, an experimentation in the use of an alternative and rather unusual tonewood. I'll allow Campbell Davis of Born Custom Guitars to explain:

We (Born Custom Guitars) are a new and small company located in Colorado. We're all big fans (all three of us!) of your blog, and we wanted to share a guitar that we recently completed that we feel is pretty unique. As a company, we love traditional tone woods, but we also really like experimenting with and promoting alternative tone woods. In either case, we use only salvaged, reclaimed, or sustainably sourced woods.

The guitar seen in the attached photos and video is our "OG-Drop" model. This particular guitar sports a Port Orford Cedar body and neck, Granadillo fretboard, and a Pistachio top…that's right, Pistachio! Pistachio trees are grown commercially for their nuts, but are only commercially productive for 50-80 years. After that point, they are usually chipped/scrapped, despite the fact that they can often live up to 200 years. The Pistachio top on this guitar was salvaged from a farm in California before it was scrapped. Pistachio is very heavy, hard, and dense and pairs very well with the lightweight and airy Port Orford Cedar (POC). The POC neck and body originate from a southern Oregon forest that was almost completely destroyed by a 500,000 acre fire a little more than a decade ago. The fire left many dead but harvestable trees. POC is really lightweight but incredibly straight grained and stable and we've found it to be an excellent alternative for Maple necks.

Thanks to the guys at Born Custom Guitars for showing us this beauty. I personally think it looks quite stunning, and as the video demonstrates it sounds sweet too!

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!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Design your guitar with Moniker Guitars

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Kevin from Moniker Guitars here. Moniker Guitars is a small/brand new Austin, TX based guitar maker. We build custom electric guitars that you can design and order at MonikerGuitars.com. No one else is doing anything quite like this and guitar players have responded to the chance to design their guitar by choosing colors, parts, and even adding text or graphics.

We're currently running a Kickstarter campaign and have some awesome deals on our new semi-hollow guitars. Early bird specials starting at $800.

Kevin

Looks great to me - head on over to MonikerGuitars.com and/or their Kickstarter campaign for more information. - 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.

Hamilton Custom Guitar made for Raymond ... does anyone know anything about this guitar?

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When I first saw the photos of this Hamilton Custom guitar, I thought it was yet another obscure 1960s Japanese-made creation, but upon looking closer I have revised this opinion and I expect that it's probably a handmade American instrument. As to how prolific - or even professional - a manufacturer Hamilton was I cannot say, but I expect it was a very small part-time operation (perhaps in the vein of Harvey Thomas).

The script on the headstock is interesting. "Hamilton Guitars" looks as it could be a transfer-applied logo, but surely "Made for" and "Raymond" have been painted on by hand with the latter emulating the font used in the logo (or maybe the whole thing has been hand-painted?). This hints heavily at the small operation I was talking about.

Witness also the crude handmade bridge. I say crude, but note that the saddles are fully adjustable. Other interesting features include a heavily radiused fingerboard which puts me in mind of my own Jolana Disco guitar.

The seller knows little about this guitar saying that it was an estate find, and is currently listing it on eBay with a starting bid of $499.99.

G L Wilson

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

GIG 10 Raptor bass prototype with quilted maple body & Matsumoku neck

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Here at Guitarz we like to applaud small guitar companies everywhere who of course have to compete against the usual suspects in the guise of Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, etc and also against cheap Chinese imports. Having said that, I can't in all honesty say that I like the design of this prototype Gig 10 Raptor bass. Unfortunately, the design looks all too random in a "weird for the sake of it" way, and I say that despite being a fan of "holey" guitars. But never mind me, I'm sure there's a whole bunch of people that it'll appeal to, after all it does look like a bass that's been born to rock. If B.C. Rich had come up with this design, it could have been a classic already. This prototype from GIG 10 Guitar Productions of the Pacific Northwest, USA, features a refurbished Matsumoku-made neck circa 1985 married to a one-piece solid maple body with a highly figured quilted grain.

Currently listed on eBay with a starting price of $499.

G L Wilson

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

Brand new retro-styled guitar designs from PureSalem

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Richard writes:

My name is Richard Sell and I am the owner of PureSalem Guitars. We are a new small company that plans to open in early 2013. PureSalem will be producing small runs of oddball, weird and wonderful guitars. There will always be something new popping up. As a left handed player I will be producing all PureSalem models in lefty versions as well and at no additional cost. PureSalem is a 100% DIY company and a true labor of love. I think players will enjoy the quirkiness of what we are going to put out and at a great price point which certainly doesn't hurt either.

Hi Richard, those designs are certainly quite refreshing in this day and age of so many cookie cutter guitars. Sorry to draw comparisons, but the one at the top of the above montage looks almost like a combination of a Vox Marauder and a Ovation Breadwinner, whilst the yellow guitar with its reverse body is reminiscent of the Tokai Hummingbird. It's nice to know also that you are catering for the lefties, who are a group of players who are all too often unfairly overlooked. Please keep us posted about any developments with Pure Salem guitars; we look forward to hearing a lot more about your company!

G L Wilson

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

Custom 77 Roxy - a new classic?

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I know that I probably spend much too much time ranting here about how unimaginative guitar making became in the last decades, so let's cut the crap and rejoice over creative luthiers and small companies that can still produce guitars such as the Custom 77 Roxy, an original yet sober, timeless and classy semi-hollow wonder that has everything it takes to become a new classic.

I love this guitar, firstly for its beautiful bevelled outline, both sensual and dynamic, and the fact that it's a semi-hollow that doesn't have to be a copy of an ES-335 to have credibility. I also appreciate the Duesenberg-style bridge humbucker + neck P90 combination, the simple pickguard, the wraparound bridge, the old-school F-hole on this radical body, and the controls positions seem to be well thought - not just placed where tradition tells... I just wish it was bigger but it's just because I'm big and I'm still looking for my dream semi-hollow guitar!

Custom 77 is an interesting French guitar company that released nice original models, on top of producing the inevitable Fender/Gibson copies (it's probably necessary to generate basic income, but that's the buyers's fault, isn't it?) - all with Iggy/Ramones/Clash inspired names - plus basses and acoustic guitars, also drums and cymbals and they just started an effects boutique line. I will keep an eye on this company because I'm sure that they will keep releasing new cool stuff and one day I will want some of it... 

Bertram

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

Gilmour Choi Hee Sun Signature Telecaster

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A little bit of simplicity after all the previous marvels, this Gilmour Choi Hee Sun Signature guitar is what one could call a supertele - it has the basic design of a telecaster but the uncovered humbuckers , simplified controls and Floyd Rose tremolo of a superstrat - plus the reversed headstock that I quite like (I always thought that Fender should give the choice of reverse/non-reverse headstocks on all their models - for the access to the tuners and the look, I prefer reverse).

Gilmour Guitars is a small Korean company, Korea is obviously not only subcontracting for western companies but I don't know Korean original models (correct me if I'm wrong) - unlike what happened in Japan in the 1960s (another brand from Korea making no original models but incredible engraved metal work is Moollon). Choi Hee Sun is supposed to be one of the best rock guitar players in South-Korea.

Bertram

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

Taranaki P-style

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I'm always attracted by guitars trying to escape usual designs, even if the result is not completely satisfactory - as it is the case with this Taranaki P-style. I understand that the big horns are meant to regain the material lost with the very deep curves, or even increase some very localized vibrations (I couldn't find any technical description for this body but I've found some luthiers documentation describing extensively how the vibrations travel in the body and how horns can have a strong influence).

Actualy there is almost nothing about the Taranaki guitars, there is no proper website but a distribution company one where Taranaki is actually not mentioned - it seems that the guitar being unsuccessful provoked the fall of the company, because they were released in 2008 and announced to be widely distributed and in 2010 there are no traces of them... Anyway, I gathered that the Taranakis were conceived in Germany and made in Korea, that there are two models - this P-style with three P-90 pickups, and another one with humbuckers, that they use high end gear, and I saw different finishes - a couple transparent colours on flamed maple tops and plain white...

So yes aesthetically it's a kind of failure, but this demo reveals a pretty nice sound...

If anybody has more information about this guitar, it's welcome, I'm quite curious about it... 

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Stroup Tele that thinks its a Jag

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This is a handmade T-type guitar from Stroup Guitars currently being offered for sale on eBay. Made from Canadian Maple and with solid brass metalwork, by the maker's own admission it looks a little rough round the edges, rugged even, but I think this is part of its charm. The maker also mentions that he was inspired to build this having played a Jag for many years, and indeed this guitar does feature metal plates and Jaguar-like controls. Whether these controls include the Jaguar's now legendary "strangle switch", I couldn't say. Also it's a shame there's no Jag-style trem.

G L Wilson

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Roberts Tezuka

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I've had an email from Vaughn who asks if I am aware of Roberts Guitars, a small company producing original quality guitars right here in the UK, in Bristol, to be precise.

Well, yes, I am aware of them and have been meaning to feature them on this blog for a very long time. I'm always very keen to feature our own "home-grown" guitars if I am able.

Pictured above is Vaughn's own Roberts Tezuka. He writes that:

"Its got different pickups than the majority of the ones they made - I wanted more vintagey pickups and Roberts obliged.

The finish is described as "burnt chocolate matt" and the pictures don't do it justice... got a really nice sheen to it. The guitar weighs more than a Les Paul but I find it comfortable enough for prolonged playing and the density adds to the tone and sustain considerably."

It certainly is a looker! The Tezuka features a hand-cut hand-finished body of solid ash (alder is also available) married to a set-neck of maple topped by an ebony fingerboard with hand inlaid custom markers. The headstock is topped with walnut and features Roberts' own fine tune machine heads. Pickups would ordinarily be Roberts' custom-wound Z2 Power Pro split rails; however it's nice to know that they were happy to oblige with the request for vintage pickups instead. Electrics comprise two volumes, one tone and a three-way selector switch, with a coiltap being offered as an option.

G L Wilson

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Lowry Modaire custom headless guitar

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I like the design of this Lowry Custom headless guitar. It is very neat, and cunningly incorporates regular guitar machine heads in cutouts in the body's top behind the bridge. This means the guitar doesn't have the ridiculously small minimalistic body that many headless guitars suffer from. It has a nice amount of body mass - including behind the bridge - thus ensuring a good tone and sustain.

Apparently, Lowry Guitars produced hand-crafted guitars in Concord, CA from 1975 to the early 1990s.

This particular Modaire model, with styling reminiscent of the Gibson Moderne - even the model names are similar - dates to 1994 and is one of the last instruments built by this maker.

G L Wilson

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Billy Boy guitars

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When surfing the Web I like to discover small guitar companies - I actually have in mind to start a new blog about these companies, for those who are bored to death with the endless reproduction of the same Fender / Gibson 4 models... I'm too busy now for an extra blog but I'll think of it seriously for 2010...

Anyway, browsing for what's going on in  the field of Italian guitars (you remember that Italy is providing regularly amazing vintage guitars for this blog), I just discovered the Billy Boy "brand" - well I think that the company is just one guy! Billy Boy guitars don't have a proper website but get along quite well with a MySpace - if you're interested, go there and check the many pictures presenting his different models.

Billy Boy has just three guitar models, the solid body that you can see on the picture, a semi-hollow and a Jumbo model - there are also some basses. His trade mark is the cartoonish skull bridge that exists also with a trem (if you don't like it, you can also ask for another bridge). Since his production rate is not high enough to produce stock guitars, most of Billy Boy's are one-offs, not for the shape, but for the pickups and knobs combinations. The picture I chose shows guitars with two humbuckers + one central lipstick and they are already slightly different. If you check other guitars on the Billy Boy MySpace, you'll find quite radical pickup combinations that I'd be embarrassed to describe here!

bertram


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