1968 Standel 520-C Deluxe Artist - semi-hollowbody from a "forgotten" American brand

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Standel (Standard electronics) was founded by Robert Crooks in Temple City, California in 1953. They were primarily involved in the production of guitar amplifiers, Crooks having initially been requested to build a custom amp by a certain Paul Bigsby to accompany his solid body guitars and pedal steels. Guitars featuring the Standel name appeared 1961 and 1967 although these were actually built for Standel by Sam Koontz. As you can see on the above pictured Standel 520-C Deluxe Artist (supposedly from 1968 suggesting there is some confusion about the dates somewhere) there is a distinct Gretsch-like quality to the design to this particular model (other models had a more Mosrite-like aesthetic). The guitar features a mahogany body with maple laminated top, mahogany neck with Indian Rosewood fingerboard, and - furthering the Gretsch analogy - two D'Armond pickups.

This guitar (which the seller inaccurately names as "Standell" rather than "Standel") is currently for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $3,500. That this is no doubt a quality instrument, and a rare one at that, I will not dispute, but I'm not 100% convinced that it should be priced as if it were a vintage Gretsch from the same period.

Thanks to Andy Stone who spied this beauty for sale on eBay.

G L Wilson

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

1965 Standel Custom Deluxe

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After last week's Mosrite, here is another apple candy red wonder, another guitar that has been seen on Guitarz already but deserves to be adored by our new followers (with a better picture), and another offspring of Mister Moseley (says the rumor, in the absence of more official records) created in the early 1960s for the Standel amps company: the short lived Standel Custom Deluxe that is somehow the dream vintage guitar - super cool, super rare, with plenty of chrome, knobs and switches, a German carve, bisonesque horns and an unique headstock. 

Another guitar that deserves to be reissued, if you see what I mean!

Bertram


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

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Standel Custom Deluxe Model 101 (1966)

Don't you think that this 1966 Standel Custom Deluxe Model 101 is absolutely stunning? It has everything I love on a guitar - the psychedelic long pointy horns, the metal front plate (on which if I understood well the bridge and the trem are fixated) and the plastic one which design visually modify completely the strat shape, the switches, the simple though extremely original headstock... Does anybody have an idea of who ever played this guitar?

I didn't know Standel until now, it's worth having a look here to know more about this aborted rival of Mosrite. I just noticed already before some other crazy headstock design on semi-hollow vintage guitars, somewhere on the Web...

Bertram