Kremona Kazanlik acoustic guitar from the 1970s made in Bulgaria

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This 1970s Bulgarian-made Kremona Kazanlik is quite obviously not the finest acoustic guitar ever made. You might even call it crude, as were many Eastern European guitars from this era. But such instruments are not without their charms, even if they are essentially a box with strings on it. This particular example features a bright yellow/red burst that has been applied to the whole guitar even the fingerboard (possibly in an effort to hide the identity of the cheap and nasty timber beneath).

The seller comments that the guitar has been used on a wall as decoration. Unfortunately this might be all the guitar is good for.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $49 (item located in Budapest, Hungary).

G L Wilson

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Kapa Challenger - cool 1960s vintage guitar from one of America's lesser known manufacturers

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As a resident of the United Kingdom I have never actually laid eye on a Kapa guitar "in the flesh" as it were, but through featuring them on this blog I have developed quite a soft spot for this little-known brand. Actually, even though the legend on the headstocks of these guitars declares "Made in USA" that statement wasn't completely true as the necks were known to be made in Germany by Höfner. Hardware was also courtesy of Höfner or else was sourced from Japan on some of the later models. However, bodies were made - and finishing and assembly took place - in Hyattsville, Maryland. This particular guitar was apparently the top of the line model, the Kapa Challenger, and whilst I guess it was Kapa's answer to the much emulated and ever popular Stratocaster, I can't help but see a combination of Höfner and Mosrite in the design. It just looks like a very cool guitar and looks like it would be ideal for surf music what with that Jazzmaster-style vibrato.

Check out that lovely piece of flamed timber used for the neck!

This guitar is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $799.99.

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.

Hehnke one-off ergonomic guitar with multi-scale fan-fretted neck

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Here's a guitar hand-built by Guitarz reader Dan Hehnke, who tells us:

I'm a luthier in Colorado, US (engineer by trade), but I love making unusual and comfortable guitars out of beautiful and whenever possible sustainably sourced woods.

This guitar has a chambered Alder body with a Koa top. The neck is cherry/maple/cherry laminated with a scarf jointed curly maple headstock, and with cherry binding. I love cherry for necks, and I don't know why more people don't use it! Yes, the body is my latest ergonomic shape that is really comfortable for the forearm, plus the cutaways allow it to be played normal horizontal style while sitting, or by putting the large cutout on the left leg is comfortable classical style. I made custom koa pickup rings and knobs for it. I also had a custom slanted TOM style bridge made for it, as I couldn't find anything that worked for me off the shelf. I designed it in Solidworks and had a machine shop make it out of 6061 aluminum. The current pickups are Duncan P-rails, though I have a set of custom made cream humbuckers for it on the way.

Thanks Dan for sharing your creation with us! We'd like to see more reader-built guitars on this blog, so please contact us or post a photo and accompanying text on the Guitarz FaceBook page.

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.

Electra Westone X-700JB Futura Bass, Made In Japan circa 1984

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Ah, you know we're big fans of Japanese-made guitars here at Guitarz, particularly those from the now legendary Matsumoku factory (could they ever do any wrong?), so I can't help myself showing this Electra Westone X-700JB Futura Bass which is pointy and Explorer-y in a very 1980s way but you only have to take one look at it and you know that it's going to handle well and perform perfectly. The design will not appeal to everyone, I mean it's going to look a bit out of place in your Bluegrass band, but as far as I'm concerned it's biggest problem is that it's got too many names! "Electra Westone X-700JB Futura" is quite a mouthful.

This bass is interesting from a historical point of view as in 1984 the brands Electra and Westone (both used by Saint Louis Music from the 1970s onwards on their imported guitars) were merged. A year later, however, the brandname - which I have already noted was rather a mouthful - was shortened to simply "Westone". It was also the in-house brand for Japan's Matsumoku factory for a while, before production was moved to Korea in the late 1980s (not to mention certain high-end models being made by Status Graphite in England, but that's another story).

This bass is currently listed on eBay with a starting price of $399.99 and no bids at the time of writing with just under a day before the end of the listing.

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.

Electra Japanese-made copy of a Hagstrom II

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Today I'm showing you this 1970s(?) Electra guitar just to prove that once upon a time it wasn't just the likes of Fender, Gibson and Rickenbacker that were being copied en masse by Far Eastern manufacturers*. It's a copy of one of Sweden's finest, the Hagstrom II. It seems quite unusual to see copies of European guitars, but of course guitars from Hofner, Vox and Burns have had their imitators over the years. This Electra Hagstrom II copy even features a replica of Hagstrom's "Tremar" vibrato arm - these days a replica would most likely feature generic hardware and you'd end up with a Strat-style trem irrespective of what the original was like.

Currently listed on eBay UK with a Buy It Now price of £350.

* OK, I'm generalising a little here, these days we have brands such as Eastwood and Pure Salem who are reissuing all sorts of cool designs, but the big distinction here is that these guitars are deliberately and joyfully retro. Back in the day when Electra copied Hagstrom, it was a copy of a then contemporary guitar. Just thought I ought to mention it before someone said "Hey, what about Eastwood?" in the comments!

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.

Rare 1960s prototype Guyatone Telstar with huge body and 24-fret neck

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's a 1960s Japanese-made guitar that is more unusual than most. It's a prototype Guyatone Telstar, has a very oddly shaped - and rather over-large - body with a "zolatone" finish (looks rather like Ovation's textured finish), and a 24-fret neck. This latter feature is very unusual for a guitar of this vintage - the Ovation Breadwinner which dates to the early 1970s is widely regarded as the first production model guitar with a 24-fret neck, although I believe there may have been other contenders to this particular crown. You'll note that despite the 24 frets, the top of the neck isn't particularly accessible with this body shape. Note also the bizarre almost exclamation mark-shaped position markers.

Thanks to Antony M who saw this guitar on eBay and posted it on the Guitarz FaceBook page.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $6,500. It may be a rare guitar, possibly even a one-off, but I still feel that price tag is a tad optimistic.

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.

Sunrise bass by Matsumoku

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I couldn't find any information about this beautiful Sunrise bass from the 1980s, but I love it! It combines the typical Matsumoku seriousness and natural finish with a sober but original outline and a light german carve... 

It would look perfect in my grand-mother's dining room - all dark wood - and even better on stage in my hands - it's an extra-long scale bass, just what I need!

Bertram D

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

EpicGrip - The Titanium Guitar Pick

guitarz.blogspot.com:

It sure looks cool but what are the advantages of a EpicGrip Titanium guitar pick to the modern guitarist? EpicGrips mainman John Wundes spills the beans:

Solid Titanium, super strong, incredibly light-weight, solid grip, durable as hell... This is the pick that rocks as hard as you do. Smooth rounded edges, high-polish, killer grip, insane durability, fantastic price. You won't find ANY titanium pick at this price, much less one with this level of craftsmanship.

Titanium is used in cars, planes, hiking gear, medical implants and spaceships, because it's light as plastic, with the strength of steel! The high strength to weight ratio makes the EpicGrip a great general purpose pick, and when you need to do high speed precision picking, THIS should be the pick you reach for.

Because it doesn't slip, the EpicGrip feels like an extension of your hand. Sound-wise, Titanium picks have a stronger attack if you hold them loosely, and a tighter grip softens the tone. It gives me an extra bit of dynamic range when I'm playing. Some rock guitarists in the 80s used to boil their strings to achieve a custom sound - now you can tweak your sound mid-riff, just by using the EpicGrip pick.

For more information and to get your EpicPick, please see the EpicGrip Kickstarter page.

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.

British hand-made Blackmachine B2 ebony-topped beauty currently being offered for sale on eBay UK

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I know I don't usually post pictures of guitars for Shred-heads, but even I have to admit that this Blackmachine B2 is a thing of pure beauty and because they so seldom come up for sale, I just had to bring this example - currently listed on eBay UK - to your attention.

Blackmachine guitars are hand built in the UK and feature natural finishes to allow the beauty of the wood to speak for itself. They are also famed for their very thin bodies as you can see in the side-on shot above. This particular model, built in 2006, features: Honduras Rosewood neck, grain aligned with Ebony fillets, Ebony fingerboard, Ebony top, 40 year old Mahogany body, Bare Knuckle Nailbomb Pickups (Camo finish) with coil tap, Sperzel locking tuners, and an Earvana compensated graphite nut. Blackmachine are currently not taking orders for guitars as they already have a large waiting list, so if this guitar appeals to you, this could be your only chance to lay your hands on one in the immediate future.

Bidding currently over £300 at the time of writing with two days to go on the auction - I think it'll fetch a lot more than that. [EDIT - It ended up selling for £4000 more than that - the winning bid was £4,300.]

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.

Rickenbacker 4003S8 8-string bass from 2002

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This 2002 Rickenbacker 4003S8 8-string bass is quite scrumptious. What would you call that finish? It looks like Fender's Aztec Gold but what is that in Rickenbacker-speak? Aztecglo?

However, bearing in mind the eBay seller has slapped a $3,200 Buy It Now price tag on this bass, I can hear alarm bells ringing when I read that:

Owner kept it tuned down a step to relieve tension on the neck, which we recommend, too. Tuned up to pitch bows the neck a bit more then usual on the bass side.

C'mon guys, this is a high quality professionally-made instrument from a world-renowned manufacturer, it's not some cheaply-made plank from China. The prospective buyer should NOT have to compromise. If the neck bows more than usual on the bass side, that says to me that this instrument has a problem that needs to be sorted. Don't Rickenbackers have two truss rods? At a guess I'd say, hey, maybe the bass-side truss rod needs adjusting.

This shouldn't be a big ask. After all, other manufacturers produce 12-string basses and these can be tuned to pitch, i.e. standard bass tuning (plus octave strings, obviously).

The moral of this story? If you want to earn big bucks selling your guitar/bass on eBay, how about spending a few bucks getting it set up properly in the first place?

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.