1962 Burns of London TR2 bass

guitarz.blogspot.com

It's always a real pleasure to show a Burns (whatever incarnation) instrument here, for they always have such handsome designs - the real British elegance! Look at this TR2 bass, apparently a really rare model, about which it's impossible to find any information - don't you feel that you need to be dressed in tweeds to play that?

Bertram D

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

Silvertone 1457

guitarz.blogspot.com

This Silvertone 1457 is a classic amongst the classic vintage guitars, but for some reasons we never had the chance to show one on Guitarz. As you can't fail noticing, this Silvertone model was actually built by Danelectro and shares the typical Dan'o features - masonite body, lipstick pickups and above all a boldly pop design - one of their bests, all in curves and claws! And I love the headstock, even though it's technically absurd!

Another characteristic of the 1457 - shortly released in the mid-1960s - was to be sold together with an amplifier case - something than never took but was a nice gadget for beginning guitarists at the time. Silvertone was the instrument line of mail-order catalogs Sears and Roebuck, and had their guitars made by Harmony, Kay and Danelectro; the 1457 package with the 'Amp-in-a-Case' has been very popular, and was even sold with a a guitar playing method on a 45rpm record!

Bertram D

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

The Shield: electric "Harpejji" solidbody 25-string touch-style tapping guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Probably the easiest way to understand this instrument, dubbed The Shield, would be to watch the YouTube clip below. Some would say it's not really a guitar, but as it's an electrified fretted, stringed instrument I reckon it's worthy of a place here on Guitarz. Based on a Greek drawing, it was handbuilt for the current owner by an American luthier and finished by another luthier in Italy. You do have to wonder that if it really is the marvellous instrument that the seller claims, and the "only one in the world" at that, then why is it being offered for sale on eBay (with a Buy It Now price of $1,999)?

Anyway, the video:


G L Wilson

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

1962 Italian-made Crucianelli Elite 40-V blue sparkle

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Adrián writes:

This weekend I ended up at some guy's house in Galicia (Spain), and I took photos of what I found.

Apparently it's a 62' Élite, with 4 humbuckers. The pickup selector stands for none, bass, middle, bass+treble, treble and all. Very thin body, with a flashy finish all through the neck and the large headstock. The bridge was modified on repairs, it used to have a tremolo.

The photos are bad quality, but I thought you would like to see it anyway. We plugged it in and sounded amazing, the pickups are in perfect condition.

I don't think this guy is going to put it on sale, since is a family heritage. He also had a 12 string Eko I couldn't get to see...

Hope you like it! Keep up with the blog, it's amazing!

Regards,

Adrián

Hi, thanks for sharing. But surely those pickups are singlecoils rather than humbuckers? Possibly they can be grouped together into humbucking mode? I notice also that the tuners have been replaced for a set intended for (or taken from) a guitar with a 3+3 headstock arrangement. Anyway, you can read a little more about this guitar and similar models over at Fetish Guitars.

G L Wilson

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

The barbershop guitar: Comet double-cutaway parlour acoustic

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Marcus posted this picture on our Facebook page and writes that:

This is hanging on the wall at a barbershop in Toronto. Any ideas? The brand is "Comet."

It looks like a Stella with pretentions of becoming a Strat. Has anyone out there seen anything similar?

G L Wilson

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

Vintage & Rare Guitar of the Week: 1963 Framus Strato Deluxe sunburst

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We've looked at various Framus Strato and Strato Deluxe guitars before here on Guitarz but I do think this model bears looking at again. This 1963 Framus Strato Deluxe sports three pickups - note how they are all mounted straight with none at rakish angles as often seen on these guitars - and a bewildering array of knobs and switches. As someone who gets confused by a Les Paul's layout of volume and tone controls for each pickup and who would prefer a single volume control, a pickup selector and nothing else, I wouldn't relish trying to remember my favourite tone combinations on this Framus but I have to admit it does look rather cool. As do the metal cover plates, with one huge plate acting as a vibrato cover plate and control plate.

It's also worth looking around the back and at the neck heel. That's quite a peculiar looking bolt-on neck arrangement. I'd imagine it's a bolt-on tenon joint system. Yes, there does appear to be a huge gap between body and neck but as long as the tenon itself is seated firmly into the body it shouldn't cause any playing/performance difficulties.

Currently being offered for sale by Wutzdog Guitars of Germany via Vintage & Rare priced at €490.

G L Wilson

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

Egmond Manhattan

guitarz.blogspot.com

You can easily recognize here an Egmond guitar with its white plastic block comprising the neck pickup and a slanted pickguard ending in a control plate under which all the electronics are. This system could turn any guitar into an electric one - either hollow or solid body. 

Even knowing that this early 1960s Manhattan model was a cheapo (and concretely this means no truss rod), its minimalist design is quite cool and this model with very pop Lake Placid blue finish is in good condition.

Bertram D

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

Unicorn guitar from Screaming Leaming

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Screaming Leaming has created guitars for the likes of KISS, WASP, Rick Derringer, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Van Halen and others; we previously looked at another of his 6-string creations here.

This Unicorn guitar, again carrying the Gearhead brandname, is the kind of thing that several years ago I'd scour eBay for in order to get a few cheap laughs on the blog. It has that unusual distinction of being quite dreadful and quite wonderful at the same time. The seller claims that it is an "exceptional guitar" which "plays super nice", but I do have to wonder what condition it was in before it had a "$250.00 action job done to it".

Currently listed on eBay with a starting price of $3550 (ouch!) and a Buy It Now price of $3790 (more ouch!).

For my other favourite horsey guitar, be sure to check out the Dobbincaster!

G L Wilson

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

Herrnsdorf futuristic marvel

guitarz.blogspot.com

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!

The Landing L300 "Strat Bass"

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Further to yesterday's post where we were discussing the new Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Bass and where I suggested that Fender may as well issue a Stratocaster Bass next, Jeremiah has emailed me to tell me that Landing Basses already offer a Stratocaster-inspired bass, the L300. It has a 30.5" short scale length (or optionally 32") but otherwise all features - pickup placement, controls, etc - are as on a Stratocaster guitar. With such a pickup layout it doesn't mean you'd necessarily get the best sounds for a bass instrument - especially seeing that the bridge has by necessity been moved backwards to accommodate even a short scale bass scale length resulting in a larger gap between the bridge pickup and the bridge - but I guess that aesthetics were more important in Landing's opinion in a desire to make this bass look as much like a Strat as possible. For those who like the Strat body but would prefer proper bass pickups there are other options available in Landing's range. They also produce their own Telecaster-inspired bass, the TBASS.

G L Wilson

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