Ibanez S670FM

guitarz.blogspot.com

A few weeks ago I was writing about the guitars I usually overlook when I'm browsing for new stuff to show on the blog, here is one of them - an  Ibanez again, the S670FM. It's hard to tell when classicism turns into banality, but once you go over its boring shape, you find a pretty nice guitar, with a thin round mahogany body (the Ibanez S series was intended to provide light guitars made of mahogany) and nice flamed top  - I usually loathe this but it's actually agreeable when it's not spoiled by a glossy transparent lack. Even the light sunburst is swell!

I like the routing for the jack output, and the sophisticated trem with fine tuning thingummies (sorry I'm too lazy today for precise technical details). If I was given one (yes, I'm the kind of guy who tries to win a guitar for free in these internet giveaways, because I promised to myself not to buy a guitar anymore if it cannot pay for itself, and I don't have a current project that allows that), I'd just add chrome humbucker covers (uncovered pickups are not my cup of tea) and probably enjoy it because I have nothing in this style, and I trust Ibanez for the sound...

Bertram

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

What is Nokie's guitar?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Jim writes:

I was looking at listverse.com today where they have the top ten instrumental songs from the 60s. Because I am in the US, I couldn’t watch the youtube video of The Ventures playing "Walk, Don’t Run". I decided I wanted to check it out so I went to YouTube and clicked the first Ventures video clip.

There is guy wearing a cowboy hat playing lead on a very strange looking little guitar. Any ideas what that is? Kinda cool looking with a massive tremolo bar.

Grace and Peace,
Jim Hevesy

Hey Jim, thanks for writing. Of course, The Ventures have over the years been associated closely with the guitars of Fender, Mosrite, Aria, Wilson Brothers and very likely a few others. However, this guitar appears to be none of those.

The "guy wearing a cowboy hat" is Nokie Edwards, but I can't say what the guitar is. It looks a little like one of Washburn's Idol series guitars with a Tele-like, probably bolt-on, neck. I suspect it may be custom-made guitar, possibly a one-off, but do any readers have a better idea as to its identity, who made it, etc?

G L Wilson

Edit: It's a Hunt Guitar built by Tony Hunt - see the comments. Thanks guys!

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

La Boz - Japanese Burns Double Six copy

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We looked at a Baldwin Double Six 12-string last month, and at a glance the guitar pictured here would appear to be another example of a Burns or Baldwin 12-string electric (the horns look Bison-esque), but is in fact a Japanese-made copy bearing the La Boz brandname. Looking at the picture below, you'll notice that they even - very cheekily - copied the "Wild Dog" and "Split Sound" tone settings... I'm not sure how well that would have gone down in the Burns camp!

Thanks to Tom for bringing this guitar to my attention. It's currently being offered for sale on eBay with a starting price of $499.

G L Wilson

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

N.I.C.E. Telecaster with P90s

guitarz.blogspot.com

I'm a recent convert but I like more and more the good old Telecaster, not as a object of cult though, but as a the most basic guitar that calls for endless modifications, upgrades and experiments - as long as it respects its simplicity. I enjoy this version by Swiss luthier N.I.C.E. Guitars - called the Twangster - with its two chrome P90s and the middle chrome single coil - an interesting combination for the sound, on the top of its elegance. 

The shape of the pickguard is a nice variation on the original one with its curves and dynamic lines, and the art deco top of the switch adds a touch of chic that makes this guitar quite a looker. I'd be curious to hear the music its sounds might inspire!

www.niceguitars.ch

Bertram

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

Mystery guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Hi Gavin,

Here's something for your erudite readers... what is this, and who made it?

This pic is a screen grab from "Salt and Pepper", a 1968 movie starring Sammy Davis Jr and Peter Lawford. Sammy visits a groovy London club and showboats his version of Hollywood groovyness.

Here's the scene from YouTube - the guitar closeup is around 1:36(ish).

AND, just for reading this far, check out THIS link!

All bests, and THANKS!

Colin Griffiths
Vancouver

Edit: Bertram has pointed out that it looks to be a Maton, and that we looked at the Maton Big Ben Bass over a year ago - you'll notice the similarities! - G L Wilson

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

Framus Atlantik 5/113 52 T

guitarz.blogspot.com

This 1960s Framus Atlantik 5/113 has all the cool characteristic features of the model - the slanted single-coil pickups, the batwing pickguard, the four knobs in line, the trem... - but also a nice custom psychedelic paint job... 

I wrote this here already about another guitar: the Germans were the best hippies! 

Bertram

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

EGC alu and lucite guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

(c) AE|2011, http://photography.fuzz-wire.net

Kevin Burkett of the Electrical Guitar Company creates boutique-quality aluminium guitars and basses. This particular example is a one-off, inspired by the now legendary Dan Armstrong plexiglass guitar, and which marries a lucite body to an aluminium Travis Bean-style neck. Unlike the Dan Armstrong which had such a deep-set neck that there was only room to accommodate a single pickup, the EGC has two P90s. Indeed, from what I can make out in the photographs, the neck/body interface looks to be one of its most interesting features. It appears that the neck and the plate at the rear of the body are formed from a single billet of aluminium, allowing the end of the neck to be flush with the top-end of the body with no need for neck pocket or deepset tenon.

(c) AE|2011, http://photography.fuzz-wire.net

More here: http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/201003_1/#pg193

Thanks to Dirk Lubbe for bringing this beauty to my attention.

G L Wilson

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

Rosetti Bass 7 by Egmond

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Rosetti was, and still is, a distributor of musical instruments in the United Kingdom. This 1960s Rosetti Bass 7 bears their name, but was in fact made by Egmond in The Netherlands and is quite typical for that brand. Note how it features a pickguard with integrated pickups and controls screwed to the top of the body, like something you would find on some archtop hollowbodies - only the body here is just a slab with no routing - all the electrics are in the pickguard. It's a crudely constructed instrument, but then these weren't high-end instruments, despite being the guitars and basses that many players started out on.

Really, today's up and coming players have it so very easy with good quality, affordable and playable instruments!

G L Wilson

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

Eko Rock VI rocket-shaped surf beauty!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Following a recent re-issue by Eastwood Guitars, the Eko Rock VI is Eko's own re-issue of the Eko Rokes guitar from the 1960s. These rocket-shaped guitars, also available in bass and 12-string models, were created for and named after 1960s pop band The Rokes who were Italy's answer to The Beatles.

This particular guitar offered for sale here on eBay was used by The Fuzztones recently on tour in Italy. It has a Bigsby-esque vibrato and - rather unusually - a Tele-style single coil pickup and a humbucker both positioned together in the centre position. This does seem an odd arrangement, but according to the listing these pickups deliver "a warm punchy mid sixties sound which is brilliant for rhythm but on the other hand can be selected to give a cool surf early 60s lead sound similar to a vintage strat!"

The retro styling coupled with modern playability offers something a little bit different in the modern guitar world where we see the same designs re-interpreted ad nauseum. I like it!

G L Wilson

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

Framus 5/51 acoustic single f-hole model from 1969

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's a sweet little guitar from Germany: a Framus 5/51 archtop with - unusually for an acoustic guitar - just a single f-hole on the bass side. As is commone with old Framus guitars, the neck is made from multiple laminates, and is also a bolt-on - proof that it wasn't just the Italians (Eko, etc) who used this construction technique on their acoustics.

G L Wilson

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