Rodolfo Cucculelli 14-string guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com

After the harpolyre, another example of guitar with so many strings that I doubt that it can played  if not like a harp - at least for the upper strings. Actually I have to admit that this Rodolfo Cucculelli 14-string guitar might reach the limits of my understanding of acoustic laws. It looks obvious though I learned to be suspicious with obvious (remember the reverse headstock controversy), but to me it is not possible fort these extra strings - having each a different scale - to be played with the frets and be in tune, am I wrong?

bertram

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Casio EG-5 cassette guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm aware of the Casio's MIDI and synth guitars, but I've never seen one of these before.

It's Casio EG-5 and is a real product of its age (the 1980s, of course) and a wonderful piece of "guitar cheese".

The insubstantial plastic body most obviously, and curiously, features an integral cassette player. Whether this is for recording the guitar as you play, or for playing your own backing tracks (or perhaps both) is not clear.

This particular example is being sold on eBay by a French seller and looks like it isn't currently in full working order (it'd need some strings for starters).

I'm wondering if this was a Japan-only model that somehow made it out to Europe. Has anyone out there seen one of these before? Perhaps you've even owned or played one? Please let us know in the usual way in the comments beneath this post.

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

1830 Harpolyre

guitarz.blogspot.com

No, Steve Vai was not the first one to show off with a triple-neck guitar - though this one is much more convincing! This early 19th century instrument was part of a creative wave for new instruments that issued the modern acoustic guitar. It seems to me that this is the ultimate form of harp guitar - an upgrade of the regular model that look so uncomfortable, and a much better solution than the modern too-many-stringed one-neck guitars... But I have to admit that I never put my hands on any of these instruments, so if anybody knows better, your comment is welcome...

More about harpolyres here.

bertram

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

An unusual twist on the Strat design

guitarz.blogspot.com:

As we all know, the Stratocaster is the most copied guitar ever. These days many of these plagiarists like to tweak the design to put their own spin on it, but I've never before seen anything quite as odd looking as this.

I don't know if this is a mass produced item or a one-off created by an individual (I suspect the latter), but it looks like the maker has used a Strat template for the body except for the area of the treble-side horn where they've switched the template for an upside-down Telecaster. It just looks awkward to me.

I don't think it would be worthwhile asking the seller anything about this guitar because someone already asked him if he could show a photo of the headstock and he replied he didn't know what a headstock is! But apparently, it's an Uno, not that I'm any the wiser for learning that piece of information.

On the subject of the headstock, it's partially obscured in the photo but I suspect that it may well be an uncut "paddle" shaped head as sold by various parts suppliers.

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Ernie Ball Earthwood Acoustic Bass

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I've been waiting for one of these to come up on eBay for ages now, so that I could grab a photo and post it here on this blog. It's an Ernie Ball Earthwood Acoustic Bass and is considered by those in the know to be a truly legendary instrument.

These basses were produced between 1975 and 1985, and unlike many acoustic basses which are little more than bass versions of acoustic guitar models, the Earthwood was designed specifically as an acoustic bass.

It is a behemoth of an instrument. I don't know if you can appreciate it from the photo here, but this bass is huge. The body is nearly 7" deep. The scale length is 34" but unlike modern basses the neck joins the body at the 12th fret.

It has a phenomenal sound and is acoustically very loud. If you want to hear one of these babies, listen to the Violent Femmes whose Brian Ritchie famously plays an Earthwood.

The following clip, Country Death Song, is one of my own favourites:

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Visionary Instruments' Video Guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

It's probably easiest to let the video do the talking!

For more info, please see:

• http://news.cnet.com/2300-10797_3-10001824.html
  
• http://visionaryinstruments.com/Video%20Guitar.html

(Thanks Brad!)

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Unusual folk instrument from Cassandra Elk

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's an unusual-looking acoustic instrument from Germany's Cassandra Elk brand. Seeing as it has eight strings arranged in four courses, my guess is that it's a mandola or bazouki-type instrument.

It's an interesting design and one that immediately made me think of Bertram's "neckless guitar" concept. I wish there there was a photo of the rear of this instrument so we could see how the neck is formed; is it a distinct piece or is it integral to the body?

The eBay listing is in German so we may have to ask Bertam for a translation, I think.

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Giannini Craviola 12-string

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I must say that I've always loved the design of the Giannini Craviola guitar such as this example currently for sale on eBay. It's a non-traditional acoustic guitar design that doesn't simply borrow from the shape of certain electric guitars. I like that it looks half lute, half guitar; there's something almost baroque about it.

However, opinions about the playability of these guitars seems quite polarised in a love them or hate them scenario. These Brazilian-made guitars certainly have a bit of a cult following amongst those that love them, but you'll also find stories of unplayable guitars with warped tops and lifting bridges.

Examples produced in the 1970s and 80s were built of laminated wood - which could explain some of the above-mentioned problems - whereas more up-to-date examples are built from solid wood. If you fancy one of these guitars, here is one instance where you would almost definitely be better off buying a new or relatively new example rather than a vintage guitar.

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

1966 Teisco Demian Baritone VN-4

guitarz.blogspot.com

Isn't this Teisco Demian Baritone Guitar a delight for the eyes? Like many guitars of its generation - it was produced around 1966 - its origin is lost in the limbos of electric guitar history... Couldn't find any trace of a Demian brand - the name on the headstock - but saw it also labeled Silverstone or Ayar. Anyway the guitar is clearly a Teisco, the pioneering Japanese guitar company that started the endless love/hate relation between guitar makers of East and West.

I like the 4 pickups - I never played a 4-pickup guitar, but it allows plenty of knobs and switches - and all the chrome in front. The sound is supposed to be quite harsh - the magnets of the pickups are so strong that they attract all the metal around - and it suits to the brute in me... I have my share of great guitars, but I still miss a rough one with a harsh garage sound - I hate versatility in guitars!

bertram

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Orfeus Hebros Bass from Bulgaria

guitarz.blogspot.com:
I couldn't say what she'd be like as a player, but visually this Soviet-era Bulgarian-made Orfeus Hebros Bass is a beauty. Can you believe that they referred to this finish as "sunburst"? (Surely not, I think the seller must be mistaken). To me, it looks art deco.

As with many basses of similar provenance, it's short-scale and has a very narrow neck. This example has a fair amount of wear and tear which would imply that it's seen some use over the years. Either that or someone's been knocking it around a bit.

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!