Fun Stuff > BAND
Off the beaten (guitar) path
Chad K.:
On all these guitar threads I have noticed a tendency of people to buy the standard issue fare (i.e. strat, les paul, j-bass, maybe a jaguar if you're feeling frisky). So who out there is into more obscure guitars (either brand or model)?
I currently only play weird-ass and lesser known guitars, typically of the late 70's early 80's Japenese variety. They have that vintage vibe, they're well constructed, and they're normally cheap as hell. I'm currently rocking-
1. no-name 70's ash slab japanese jazz bass copy nicknamed the "Millenium Falcon" because it's pieced together with lots of different parts from other basses, as well as upgrades like a Badass II, and emgs. It has a cigarette burn on the headstock from a prior owner, several screw holes from different bridge covers, and vibe and tone for miles. I love this bass.
2. 80's Yamaha BB200 that I am in the process of stripping and will be staining soon and giving a pickup upgrade to Teslas. I will probably put on a tortoise shell pickguard and fender-style bridge cover.
3. '82 Ibanez Roadstar bass, refinish to a chocolate brown stain and new custom cut pickguard.
4. '81 Aria Pro II Thor Sound stripped and refinished in walnut stain with Gibson humbuckers, coil taps installed and gibson pickup covers. It's a monster.
I have owned the following crazy-cool guitars-
1. '54 Kay Hollowbody nicknamed "The Dirty Kay" that had been mysteriously stripped and relacquered with a paintbrush, which had yellowed. Played like a baseball
bat and sounded like a Mississippi juke joint
2. '60's Burns/Baldwin Vibraslim Hollowbody bass - The coolest bass I've ever owned. I traded it for an '81 Ibanez Studio 100 thinking after years and years of playing bass I wanted to be a guitarist. I bought it for $500 4 years ago, it is currently in the $1500- $2000 range as it is the crossover year when Baldwin pianos bought Burns guitars, so both names are all over the parts. Dumb trade on my part.
3. Electra Les Paul Copy- Made by Saint Louis Music (Ampeg, Alvarez, etc.) and designed by a friend's dad in the 70's who headed up Electra's production. It played like butter and looked gawdy as hell with its gold hardware. Fun fact- contrary to popular belief, Frampton played these things, not Gibson Les Pauls.
4. Said Ibanez Studio 100 - If you can buy one- do it. Brass hardware, coil taps, screaming pickups, all natural mahogany body, this was a close second to my Aria. I sold it to a good friend with the understanding that I have a right of first refusal.
5. '81 Fender Squier Bullet bass- When Squier meant "Japanese" not "Cheap Piece of Shit". This odd duck was Fender's solution to a problem caused by tele bass necks and no tele model in production. It had a smaller, precision body, mustang mini single-coils, and a full scale tele neck. You used to be able to get them for $150-$200. Now they're recognized for the tone monsters they are, so getting one less than $450-$500 is hard. I got rid of it because the damn single coils had 60 cycle hum like crazy. It also created many "Spinal Tap" moments live, with radio signals suddenly coming in from out of nowhere.
Anybody else out there like the red-headed step children axes?
imapiratearg:
I don't know, I want a Schecter S-1. Does that count as off the beaten path?
celticgeek:
This is the one I want, although I can't play well enough to make it worth while.
The Bozo 12 String:
Chad K.:
--- Quote from: imapiratearg on 17 Oct 2007, 22:06 ---I don't know, I want a Schecter S-1. Does that count as off the beaten path?
--- End quote ---
Well, I wouldn't necessarily call an S-1 "obscure," as it's available in Musician's Friend, etc. It is, however, definitely a deviation from the usual suspects. I will therefore go with a tentative "yes," and a congratulations for out of the box thinking.
Ed. Note - I recognize that there may be a variety of different interpretations of what constitutes an oddball guitar- Certainly some of the brands I mentioned are not exactly unheard of - Yamaha, Ibanez, Fender, etc. I'm more interested in things people wouldn't orinarily gravitate toward, or for which there is a ready access to advertising or information. For instance, think of those lost gems like Burns, Wal, Shergold, Hayman, Framus, Hagstrom, etc.
ImRonBurgundy?:
I have a green DiPinto Galaxie IV. DiPinto's one of those smaller manufacturers that draws inspiration from weird 60's and 70's guitar designs (see also: Italia Guitars, Westwood Guitars), and I like them especially because they make well-made, affordable guitars for left-handed players. Most of the big-name companies only offer either their low-end crap or super-expensive models in a lefty flip.
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