Molded and contoured top guitar Switch Stein IV by Trev Wilkinson

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At the first sight, this Switch Stein IV has a 1980s look that probably repels the average vintage cultist  who thinks that electric guitar history stopped the day Fender subcontracted its guitar making to Greco (all these angles! - though in one extra decade that will be probably sooooo cool).

But if you look closer, you will figure that this guitar has something special - first of all it is a recent model (2000s but I cannot tell more - because as often with Trev Wilkinson products, short lived guitar company Switch has a visibility deficiency - their website is no more, no fan page, very little reviews...). You will notice right away its ergonomically contoured top that is supposed to provide a more comfortable access to the strings and knobs, and the Parker Fly-esque upper horn (they enjoyed radical designs, GL has already posted about a Burns Flytesque model a couple of years ago).

But the very special thing about this guitar, is that it's one-piece, molded out of a composite material called Vibracell, supposed to have the best resonance and sustain one can expect from a guitar - that you can get from wood only if you are lucky or put a lot of money... For me that makes sense - I love wood for the feel and the look, but I'm far from being convinced that it's the ultimate material for an electric guitar! Vibracell allows one-piece construction, easy chambering, design freedom and low price... Unfortunately early XXIst century is not the right time to be innovative in guitar making, so no surprise these guitars didn't take in spite of the unanimous positive reviews I could read...

I wonder if this material will ever find its proper use - maybe for other instruments aimed at less conservative crowds...

Bertram

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Switch Guitars - a modern classic and a future collectable?

This eBay Seller has recently had a number of Switch guitars for sale, and from his blurb implies that he has others "waiting in the wings" and not yet listed. These guitars feature one-piece body and neck molded from a plastic material called Vibracell, which apparently has a similar consistency to mahogany. The sustain is supposedly an improvement on mahogany, and of course being entirely wood-free, these guitars have very good green credentials.

The example pictured above is the Future VI model, which appears to have been influenced by a favourite guitar design of mine, the Burns Flyte guitar.

My local music shop stocked this brand of guitar a few years ago and had examples in some quite eye-dazzling fluorescent colours - yellow, orange, green... I was always quite intrigued by them, but I think the loud colours deterred me somewhat.

The seller of these guitars on eBay has stated that Switch Guitars, the company, is no more (despite the official website still being active, but note the copyright date of 2003-2005 at the bottom of the home page). Perhaps they were too forward-thinking for their own good. I wonder, could these weird plastic guitars be the vintage guitars of the future? I have to admit that I like them.

Switch guitars: these guitars are interesting. They claim to feature Vibracell technology. I believe this refers to the stuff they're actually built from, that is, some kind of plastic resin. Interesting they have both electric and acoustic models in their catalogue. I like the ones that look as if they've been styled after the Burns Flyte guitar.