Gretsch Broadcaster 1970s solidbody oddity

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This Gretsch Broadcaster circa 1975-76 wouldn't win any beauty contests. It's as if they wanted to make a Fender-like solidbody but didn't spend too much time actually designing the guitar, so it's a big slab-bodied affair. Despite that, I'm sure it's a perfectly competent player; the seller claims that "you can obtain tones from twangy country to AC/DC".

Currently listed on eBay with a possibly overly optimistic starting price of US $1,175.

G L Wilson

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Hoyer German-made copy of a R-style stereo bass

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I think just about everyone viewing this blog will know immediately what kind of bass it is that this 1970s Hoyer is copying in its design. Somehow it seems almost righteous that an instrument designed by the company founded by Adolf Rickenbacker should end up being copied in Germany. And although it isn't the most accurate copy, it does seem to be beautifully made; witness the checkered binding, the glued in neck, and note the stereo outputs on the pickguard. The seller insists that this is "one of the most hard to find basses made by Hoyer and extremely rare" and goes on to sing its praises as regards playability and performance.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of €1,249 (item currently located in Berlin).

G L Wilson

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Ibanez Ergodyne EDA 900 space-age ergonomic bass

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I'm guessing that this Ibanez Ergodyne EDA 900 Bass is so-called because the design is supposed to be ergonomic. It certainly looks rather space age - the silver finish only enhances this - but I can't help thinking that I'd feel awfully self-conscious if I had to strap this on at a gig. As well as the massive magnetic pickup that we can see in the picture, this bass also has a piezo pickup system, which would help explain the four control knobs.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $559.

G L Wilson

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Japanese-made, possibly prototype, Tokai Tsunami looks strangely familiar

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Damn, that's a good looking guitar. And as a Japanese-made Tokai, it ought to be beautifully crafted and a fine player to boot! It's a Tokai Tsunami and while it isn't a copy of any previously known guitar, I think everyone would agree that the Rickenbacker influences in the design are screamingly obvious. It's like the solidbody Rickenbacker that never was. (Having said that, I think there's also a touch of my beloved Yamaha SG-3 in the design too).

The guitar is from 2002 or thereabouts, is in as new condition, and the eBay seller claims that this particular example is a prototype although as far as I can fathom that claim is made due to the apparent lack of a serial number and pickups that differ from known production examples.

Currently listed on eBay with what seems like a wholly reasonable Buy It Now price of US $599.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Supro Normandy S613 - a very cool vintage guitar from Chicago

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It might have not have the snuggest fit of a neck into the neck pocket and perhaps a higher action than many of us are used to, but for me this vintage Supro Normandy guitar is über cool. The eBay seller tells us:

This Supro was toward the end of the National, Valco, Supro, Airline Era. The Chicago factory closed a few years after these were made there, and this model has simpler controls and some Japan hardware on it in a last effort to be compete with the Japanese imports coming in at the time and try to gain some more market share for Valco products, but has the same famed pick-ups under the black covers that give the sound Link Wray made famous with his old Dual Tone Model, and More Recent bands like White Stripes & The Black Keys have adapted that sound for their own music. I personally like the thinner neck profile on these as oppose to the baseball bat profile on their older models...

Did you see what he did there? It's the old "use a Link Wray connection to make it seem ever cooler" ploy.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $599.

Before I sign off today, let me just tell you that I won't be able to post for a couple of days. I've got a big gig to play tomorrow night (well, big for me anyway) that involves some travelling and a very full schedule so I shall be away from the computer for a while.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Handmade hollowbody acoustic-electric tenor guitar for sale on eBay

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When I first saw the thumbnail-sized photos for this guitar on eBay I thought it was yet another of those ghastly and often highly inaccurate model guitars. However, clicking through to the actual item's page, I find out that it is a handmade acoustic-electric tenor guitar. It does look rather "rustic" in appearance, but I think that's part of its charm. The seller claims that it is a very playable instrument, and the auction has already attracted a few bidders even though we're not talking big money at this stage. My one worry about it is that I doubt it has a truss rod (there certainly isn't a truss-rod cover to be seen, and bear in mind that this is a set neck instrument), so if there is any movement or curvature in the neck it's going to be difficult to correct. But as an example of a one-off hand-built instrument, probably not made by someone who's a luthier as such, it is a very interesting guitar.

Currently being auctioned on eBay UK.

G L Wilson

© 2014, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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David Plumb ergonomic acoustic guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I find myself strangely fascinated by this strangely-shaped ergonomic acoustic guitar by luthier David Plumb. I think I tire of seeing cookie-cutter electro-acoustics with cutaways. And hey, if you're going to do asymmetrical you may as well do so without resorting to cliché. But the unusual potato design makes sense, giving plenty of upper arm support for the right arm, whilst being shaped to more easily facilitate a more comfortable playing position with the neck pointed upwards on the diagonal. Tonewise, Plumb claims it sounds like a Martin D-16 with less bass.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $2,400.

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.

Unknown probably Japanese short-scale bass looks oddly familiar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Guitarz reader David brought this strange little short-scale bass to my attention having seen it advertised for sale on a French website. My immediate thought was that it looks very similar to the Musicvox Space Cadet model (see the 12-string bass version here), but almost certainly pre-dates it. Most likely a coincidence; I believe with the Space Cadet model, Musicvox's Matt Eichen was simply trying to make a "toned down" more conservative version of the Musicvox Space Ranger.

The pickups are also worthy of note, looking very similar to Bill Lawrence units, but may just be lookalikes.

Asking price is €325.

G L Wilson

EDIT: Someone via our Facebook page tells us that it's not Japanese at all, rather it's European, namely an Egmond Tornado bass. However, I've been unable to corroborate this.

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Gibson V2 - a redesigned Flying V from the late 1970s / early 1980s

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1980 Gibson V2 in Goldburst, Buy It Now US $5,940

1980 Gibson V2 in Bahama Blue Sparkle, Buy It Now US $6,190

1980 Gibson V2 in Maple, Buy It Now US $3,290

1980 Gibson V2 in Black, Buy It Now US $4,190

1981 Gibson V2 in White, Buy It Now $US $4,390

In 1978 Gibson decided to bring back the Flying V in a new re-designed version, dubbed the V2. it was actually intended to be the companion model to the E2, the then latest incarnation of the Explorer, and was designed by Tim Shaw. The sculptured body contours were originally intended to show off the maple and walnut layers making up the body, but obviously this only had visual impact on natural-finished examples. Additionally it has a Strat-style "tummy tuck" contour on the rear. The boomerang-shaped pickups were designed to sound like single coils but without the associated noise issues; visually along with the boomerang tailpiece they echo the V-shape of the body. In 1982 the pickups on the V2 model were swapped for more conventional looking "Dirty Finger" humbuckers.

Initially the V2 was available in Walnut top and Maple top finises, but the Maple top sold poorly and so, circa 1980-81, Gibson refinished their Maple top inventory in a variety of colours (some seen above), including: Pearl white, Blue sparkle, Blue sparkle metallic, Candy apple Red, Sunburst, Goldburst, Silverburst, Black, and Black Sparkle.

Olivia's Vintage currently have a bunch of these V2s for sale on eBay (see photo captions for links and Buy It Now prices). You'll notice that the prices vary significantly depending on the finish. I guess it's a "collector thing".

G L Wilson
 
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Vox-inspired guitars from 1960s Japan

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's a 1960s Japanese copy of a Vox Teardrop style guitar that I've not seen before. It's not that accurate a copy having quite a few features that are a distinct departure from the original. Most notably, the body has a German carve to the top and a triple-bound body.

Don't be fooled by the Vox name on the headstock, which has almost certainly been added at a later date by someone owning this guitar. The eBay seller claims (quite predictably) that the guitar may be a Teisco. It's not a model that I have seen before, but it is plausible.

Below we see a 1960s guitar that is definitely a Teisco-made Vox copy. The Teisco EV-2T is based (loosely) on the Vox Phantom. As with the Teardrop guitar, the resemblance is quite superficial.

The necks of the two guitars are very similar. Note the multi-laminate construction, the shape of the headstock, and the position of the bolts for the string retainer. Here is the Teisco EV-2T (Phantom):

And here is the Teardrop:

If anyone out there has any further information on these guitars - particularly the Teardrop - then please leave a comment below.

The Teardrop is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $649.99, and the Teisco EV-2T (Phantom) is similarly listed at US $539.96.

G L Wilson 

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Please read our photo and content policy.