Hamilton Custom Guitars: another example

guitarz.blogspot.com:

There has been a lot of interest in this 2013 post about this Hamilton Custom Guitar. Mark Natola contacted us to say that he is a Hamilton owner too, having recently bought a beaten-up example via Craig's List.

Mark has very kindly emailed the several photos of his Hamilton Custom Guitar that you see here. He tells us that:

...the head stock was broken when I bought it. In addition, the fret board was splitting away from the neck and the pick guard was broken in several places. Other than that, it was in fine shape, 😊.

I brought it to a luthier who removed the fret board, cleaned up the neck, glued the fret board back on and replaced the frets. He repaired the head stock based on the “Made for Raymond” photo posted on the blog. In the mean time, I had a new pick guard made based on the metal shielding found below the original pick guard. We decided to stick with the original pickup and pots as they could not be replaced. I took the bridge apart and soaked and scrubbed the chrome parts with naval jelly. They cleaned up very well. The tuning keys were also soaked and cleaned in the same manner. Finally, I made a conscious decision to keep the original laquer finish, which is checked from age. Consequently, when the head stock was repaired it was necessary to stain it using a stain similar to the body color. My guitar had a “Made for Corinne” signature, however part of the name was missing due to the damage to the headstock. We decided to remove that and leave the Hamilton Custom intact.

I have now seen several guitars and it looks like there are subtle variations in the plate below the bridge. I can send more images later if you are interested.

Mark goes on add:

...it would seem as there are at least five of these floating around including mine.

• There is "Made for Raymond".

• Mine, formerly "Made for Corrine"

• A white one I saw posted on Pintrest a while back, without an inscription as far as I can tell

• One mentioned on this blog that was bought in Boston, with case and mid 60's sheet music

• One mentioned in recent post by guy from Long Island whose father chromed the hardware.

Am I missing any?

I wonder if the white one on Pinterest is the same one as owned by the father of Thomas who commented on our original blog post?

If anyone else has any more information or photos of Hamilton Custom guitars, please contact us!

G L Wilson

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Sano Acoustic Guitar Mystery. Possible connection to Lowden or Yairi

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Hello all, as I get ready to send my youngest off to full time school, I may actually have more time to post here. Unless I get one of those job thingys. Let us hope not.

Here we have my newest acquisition.

I spotted this Sano Acoustic guitar as it reminded me a lot of my Lowden O-10 ( see the last picture). Then I ended up down the rabbit hole of google research. There is little to be found on the subject of Sano acoustic guitars. There is quite a bit about Sano amplifiers and their possible connection to Ampeg. 

Sano started off building accordions and were in the forefront of accordion amplification. They imported electric guitars from Italy in the 

1960s and started to focus on guitar amplifiers at the time. 

I did find some information that said there was possibly some Sano acoustic guitars build by Yairi in the 1980s. Lowden also built guitars with Yairi in the eary to mid 1980s. There was even a short lived brand of guitars that were Lowden designed sold under the name Artisan ( less than 1000 guitars ).

This guitar is amazing. Has all the balanced tone of my Lowden and is perhaps even better sounding when using a more aggressive strum attack. The top is solid cedar and the back and sides appear to be mahogany, but I cannot tell if they are solid or laminated. The fit and finish are quite good even if not quite as refined as the Lowden. And the trim work definitely suggests this guitar is worth more than I paid for it. 

A couple of interesting things on this guitar. The volute is the biggest pyramid volute I've seen in person, yet it's well placed enough to be unnoticeable while playing. The pick-guard is more unique than you may think upon first glance. It's rosewood, and it's actually inlaid into the cedar. In all my years of guitar obsession I've never seen this approach. 

Has anyone seen these guitars before. The only labelling or markings are a serial number on the neck block and a small label inside that says "Sano Craftsman Made". No country of origin, or any other markings. 

Be interested to see if anyone else has been as lucky to come across one of these guitars.

R.W. Haller

© 2016, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!Please read our photo and content policy.

No name Baritone Electric guitar with 4 pickups. What is this guitar?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'd love to hear the pickup combinations on this no-name baritone guitar. I could probably spend hours playing with those rocker switches. I also love the volume and tone controls, they probably aren't very convenient, but who cares.

A bit of research leads me to believe that this is a Lindell or Tiesco VN-4. Anyone know this guitar?

Currently listed for $450 Canadian.

R.W. Haller

Amendment: It seems we looked at this guitar here on Guitarz back in 2009. And that the name Demian was an actual name and not just something I lost in translation.

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

What guitar is this? Vintage Electric Guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

The seller of this guitar found it in the basement and said that it was his/her father's guitar when he was a kid.
It's hard to tell what the guitar is. I'm assuming 1960s Japanese but I cannot recall a guitar with a headstock nearly as big as the body.
I'm at a loss for figuring this one out.

Anyone?

R.W. Haller


© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Solar Powered Lazar Beam Guitar. Jagster in Red

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I cannot quite read the headstock on this Jagster. Duncan? Mincan?
It looks like a nice enough and affordable take on the design. Just $225.

I'll let the seller explain the rest:

"Solar Powered Lazar Beam Guitar! Never used, still has the plastic on the pick guard. Didn't see any "live" action as I couldn't get the Space Ship part right. Jazz Master style with HSS configuration, upgraded electronics and pups. Cool vintage Hugger Orange finish. Selling for the cost of the upgrades. $225 or will trade for a Flux Capacitor, Mr. Fusion model. This is a well built instrument!"

He's clearly referencing the classic 1970s Canadian rock radio hit Spaceship Superstar by the band Prism.

And for that, he's totally awesome.

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

One of a kind Treble Clef Guitar. Thankfully

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Egads! Words. They nearly fail me. I'll try.

Honestly, I could forgive this guitar for existing if it weren't for a couple of factors:

1) Even though I much rather prefer a maple fretboard, never before has a design suffered so poorly by not being a darker wood fretboard. Continuity, anyone?

2) The seller is asking $950 for what essentially appears to be a novelty guitar built from the parts of an unknown Stratocaster copy.

For shame sir or madam, for shame.

R.W. Haller


© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Rickenbacker 4001 Clone Bass Made in Japan. Matsumoku? Ibanez? Greco? Snowman?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here is a really nice example of a Rickenbacker clone just hanging out in the snow. I'm not sure if it's a testament to the Japanese build quality that it can endure the Canadian winter, or if the seller believes that it's an advantage to the sale. Perhaps they can throw in a set of snowshoes and a vinyl copy of Rush-Fly By Night ( By-tor be damned! ).

All in all this is a nice neck-through design that does justice to the original Rickenbacker it was made to copy

Currently listed at $700 Canadian

R.W. Haller






© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Prototype Luthier Crafted Double Neck Acoustic Guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Given Gavin's love of double necked guitars I would be remiss to not share this prototype acoustic here on Guitarz.

I like the general body shape and it looks like it may not be as cumbersome as other double neck acoustics. I cannot find much information about the guitar though. The label says its an AB-07. That could be a model or a make. It also says that it was made in Montreal. I can't read anything else on the label.

I'm not sure about the finish on this one though. It looks a bit dense on the back, neck, and the sides. The top looks ok though.

Currently listed for $500 Canadian

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Info wanted on singlecut Kay electric guitar, probably 1970s

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Dear Mr. Wilson,

I have been following your amazing and entertaining Guitarz blog for some years. I am writing you as I just got a Kay guitar (for almost no money, to ease any guilt trip in such a risky decision... I am aware of Kay's reputation). There is no identification label on it and I could not find it in any online catalogue.

I attach a few pics (unfortunately their quality is as good as I could do with my old camera, I am the worst photographer in the world). Before I decide what to do with it I thought your website would be the good one to tell me something about it, as I had never seen such a model: sort of Les Paul-like, but with the typical Kay single coils. It is pretty much a mess, besides the cosmetic wear. The paint job is really questionable, part of the headstock broke and after the (bad) repair someone switched the two 3+3 pegs, the wiring was falling apart, the string retainer was missing and I just replaced it with a quickly-made metal block using the original holes to see if the guitar plays... In the end it does, and I am still curious to identify it because I find some attractive weirdness in it.

I would be really happy if anyone could give me some clues. Thanks in advance for your kind attention.

Best regards

Giancarlo

Thanks for your email and photographs. Although your Kay guitar does look familiar I am afraid that I can't identify the model for you. It does look like maybe it was supposed to be a (crude) copy of the Gibson L6S rather than a Les Paul. It does have a similar "pot belly" shape to it.

Quality on 1970s/1980s Kay guitars does vary considerably from one model to the next. This would be because they originated with a number of different manufacturers. I recently played on a friend's Kay branded acoustic. It was obviously quite a cheaply made instrument, but the action and playability were surprisingly good. Also the semi-famed K45 travel guitar (marketed in the US as the Austin Hatchet) was a quality instrument and so solid and sturdy you could have knocked a brick wall down with it.

If anyone has any more info on the above guitar, please contact us in the usual way via the comments below.

G L Wilson

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Very Cool Vintage Japanese Solid Body Guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Look at the upper horn on this awesome Japanese guitar. I'm not sure I've seen this model before.


Someone has looked after this guitar quite well. It has a few marks on the finish, but no noticeable dings or gouges. Sporting 3 gold foil pickups, mini switches, and an intact tremolo, it's hard not to message the seller right now and ask if they would consider shipping.

If I had to hazard a guess I'd say it was a Kawai or perhaps Guyatone.

Thoughts?

Update: I went to check the sale again and I guess someone loved it as much as I did, as the guitar is no longer listed.


R.W. Haller


© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Weird minimalistic headless guitar with case ... Can you identify?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

For your consideration is this strange minimalistic headless guitar with its own bespoke hard case, currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $695.00. The seller knows virtually nothing about it, the listing being as follows:

Hello! This guitar is in very good condition. I don't really know anything about it as far as history goes. It appears to be a one off prototype. There are no markings or serial numbers or anything like that. It sounds really nice and everything seems to work great. Free priority shipping. Thanks!

Which doesn't tell us a great deal. In the listing title the seller has queried "Steinberger? Gibson? Hohner?" but I think we can safely ignore those red herrings, they are just there to get people to look at the listing. It's of a bolt-on neck construction and my guess is it's Japanese or maybe early Korean. If I had to suggest a brand name for it, I'd consider Hondo who at least were known to dabble with the occasional bizarre design of this ilk.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

No-name 1960s Japanese solidbody guitar with a strong Burns influence

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Tyler B writes:

I thought I'd share with you the most recent addition to my collection. Outside of the fact that it is made in Japan, and likely mid-to-late 60s, I can't really tell you more about it's origin. The seller was quick to throw around the word Teisco and while that may very well be accurate, I'm not going to assert it as fact. I've seen the same truss rod cover and pickups on Imperial and Guyatone branded guitars specifically, but coming from a time when building guitars was anyone's game, who knows. There is no trace of any emblem or other branding anywhere; no glue residue, screw holes, etc.

However, I do know it has a definite resemblance to the Burns Bison. The pointed horns, large single coils, and a segmented pickguard really pick it out as an obvious influence.

The rotary allows you to select the usual 5 positions on a Strat, and offers a sixth position for all 3 pickups at once. I can't really tell what the slider switch does for sure, though it seems to be wired to the tone circuit (you may be able to see in the picture), perhaps some sort of boost?

Beyond the electronics, the hardware is the usual kind you'd expect on a guitar like this. Sadly, while the bridge is still easily adjustable, the roller saddles have succumbed to decades of neglect and are frozen. That said, without the bar, the vibrato won't do much good anyhow...but it sure is pretty! I also found the neck pocket pretty interesting.

This was a rare one for me, I never seem to get these old things in working order, it was nice to be able to clean it up and go without having to completely restore it! Plays pretty well thanks in part to a straight neck and fairly clean frets, I'm hoping to get it out on stage sometime soon!

Tyler B

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.