Unknown Mongrelcaster Offset Telecaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I spotted this today on the Facebook page for ugly guitars. The poster calls it the Mongrelcaster. There are no other pictures or information.

It's my new favourite offset-tele syle guitar. Congrats on standing out without being too wacky or disgustingly odd. It's somewhat reminiscent of an Eastwood Senn model . Modern and classic.

Does it remind you of another guitar?

R.W. Haller


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Gemelli. An Incredible original offset Italian guitar from 1964

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This Italian beauty caught my eye. I feel Ive seen a similar guitar but I cannot quite recall where. Made by Gemelli ( Italian for "twins" as it was a company founded by twin brothers) in 1964 this offset 4 pickup wonder has all the elements of a vintage Italian guitar. Glitter finish and rocker ( or are they push button? ) switches help to complete the overall package of awesomeness that is this guitar. The funky tremolo is just icing on the cake.

Currently listed at $1600 Canadian.

R.W. Haller

Edit: I knew I'd seen a similar guitar before. Check out this red Bartolini.


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Norma EG-200 Teisco Split pickup guitar from the 1960s

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We've looked at this awesome made in Japan Norma before on Guitarz, but I thought it was worth another look since this one recently popped up on eBay.

I love the pickup selector on this split pickup guitar. I think every option is there, including All Off. And that tremolo is, for lack of a better word, epic.

R.W. Haller

© 2016, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Prisma Toledo Jazzmaster inspired guitar made out of old skateboards

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I came across Prisma Guitars quite by accident. I do love happy accidents. Prisma guitar bodies are made ( partially or wholly depending on the model ) of old skateboard decks and the results are amazing. They remind me slightly of Gibson's Zoot Suit from a few years ago only much more cooler in my opinion.

I particularly love this Toledo as it balances the line between whimsical and sober. It's a great take on the well known offset design. It's also the closest I'll get to a skateboard without fractures or contusions.

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Aria Retro Classics 1532J - A tasty Re-issue of one of their 1960s Guitars

guitarz.blogspot.com:

You just have to love Aria guitars. Even if you don't love them, you have to respect them for not having many boundaries.

They are a lot like that friend you had in your early 20s who was up to do anything on any given night out. Sometimes because of them you had the best night of your life, other times you barely escaped with your freedom.

Even if you look at the diversity in the Aria guitars on this blog you see that they are up for anything.

I love the look of this Retro 1532J. It caught my eye as I thought it was a mint condition vintage guitar. But as it turns out, this is a reissue that they introduced in 2010. The shape is clearly to emulate the Jazzmaster or Jaguar, but it has a more pawnshop aesthetic.

Currently Listed on eBay with a price of $320US

Must fight the urge to click "Buy It Now" button..........

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 "Azor" singlecut offset-waist guitar from 1950s/1960s Europe (possibly)

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Bertram has alerted my attention to this peculiar vintage guitar on eBay.de (with the item actually being located in The Netherlands), the only distinguishing name on it being "AZOR" on the pickups. Here's what the eBay seller has to say about it:

50s/60s Electric hollow body guitar with original case

This must have been a very spectacular and futuristic guitar in its time!
It has a very unique combination of features:

First of all it's completely hollow. That makes it very light and very nice to play (even unplugged!).

It has asymmetrical body shape, reminiscent of a Fender Jazzmaster.

It has 2 single coil pickups. The neck pickup gives a very warm and vintage jazzy sound. The combination of the two pickups make it sound twangy, like a surf guitar. It has a 3-way selector. Two volume and two tone knobs.

The bridge is a solid ebony movable bridge, the type you mostly see on acoustic gypsy jazz guitars

It has a black plastic fingerboard(!!!!!!!) with large fret markers and white binding and zero-fret (again mostly found on vintage gypsy jazz guitars).

The finish is a amazing metallic brown sunburst. The scale is 65 cm.

It only has a few repaired cracks at the bottom (see last picture) but it's all solid and stable.

The guitar was sold by 'Casa Garrido' in Madrid. There's a label in the case and a stick on the headstock.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any info on the guitar nor the 'AZOR' brand. But in my opinion this is a very unique instrument in a great condition.

Does anyone out there seen anything similiar or have any more information on this guitar? Personally I wouldn't have likened it to a Fender Jazzmaster, other than to say it has an offset waist. If anything the design is more proto-Ovation Breadwinner LTD.

Currently listed on eBay with a starting price of £350.00 / €424,23.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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One to identify: Oddball singlecut offset-waist guitar, possibly Japanese

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We've had another email from our friend Francis (who previously shared photos and info about this guitar and also this guitar with us) who writes:

Hello Guitarz! Francis again. I always forget to ask you guys about this on the Guitarz blog but I used to own this weird mash-up of a presumably Japanese guitar (it's my girlfriend's now, so I still see it all the time). It's definitely way above the Teisco/Kawai/Guyatone threshold of build quality.

Here's where it gets weird: The tuners have split shafts like Klusons and are three uncovered gears on a plate with heavily yellowed buttons. The headstock shape reminds me a lot of those old Danelectros while the neck dimensions are pretty close to Fender Strat width, 25.5" scale, skinny overall thickness and 12" radius with a D-ish profile. It also has really low frets and a zero fret a la Mosrite. The Dano U2-inspired body is about an inch and a half thick with an odd stoptail that I only remember seeing on some Japanese "lawsuit" LPs. Bridge is a regular Tune-O-Matic. The finish on the whole guitar appears to be somewhere between cherry and walnut with a very slight burst pattern towards the body edges. I'm really not certain if this is poly or nitro. I do remember leaving a strap on it for a while which left a slight depression in the finish following the strap's fabric pattern. The body appears to be a single piece of mahogany, as does the neck. Pickups are Jaguar pickups complete with "claw". The electronics are full-size 500k pots, and a REALLY heavy duty toggle switch. Lastly, apart from an SG-inspired pickguard, the guitar also has an offset waist and feels a bit like a Duo-Sonic or Musicmaster when played standing up.

I really hope you or your readers could help me identify this. It's an interesting piece that I see my girlfriend and I using for years to come.

Hi Francis. That is indeed an oddity. It has an Harmony/Kay vibe to it, and I'm not sure if I've seen an offset waist on a singlecut body before, but I like it! I'm afraid that I personally cannot identify this guitar but perhaps our readers may be able to help?

G L Wilson

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