Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na ....Raven? Custom Batman Comic Finished Raven guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I think I had a Raven in the early 1980s. I'm not sure because the guitar I had didn't have a name anywhere, and the internet was only at Al Gore's house and he wouldn't let me check for guitars on the web. 

I only now suspect that it was a Raven after seeing this Custom Comic Finished guitar. The body shape, pickguard, and pickup were all the same as the ones shown here. 

I hated mine. It was the 80s and it wasn't a Fender or Gibson. I wonder if Batman could have changed my adolescent mind.

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.

ESP LTD Lion guitar - a beautiful and unashamed objet d'art

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I saw this picture on Facebook earlier today. It's a creation of the ESP Custom Shop in Japan. The Facebook post was accompanined by all the predictable "How on Earth do you play that?" comments, all of which are quite obviously missing the point. You don't play it, it's a work of art.

It's a similar situation to artist Yoshihiko Satoh's "Present Arms" art pieces (12-necked Stratocasters!); a lot of these photos have been doing the rounds again virally on Facebook et al, with most commenters simply not understanding that whilst these are technically functional pieces, you are not really supposed to play them. It's their inherent absurdity that makes them objets d'art.

Guitars as art? Why not? I'd hang 'em on my wall if I had the opportunity.

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.

Presenting the latest creation from Eric Mecum...

guitarz.blogspot.com:  

We've looked at a couple of Eric's eccentric six-string creations before (here and here), and pictured above is his latest. In Eric's own words, it:

...still needs a little tweaking but sounds cool. Old 1986 Seymour Duncan pickup. Teisco neck. Pipe fittings box.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Eric. Nice to have a guitar which you can keep your liquor and jazz mags inside.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - 10 years and counting!

Vintage & Rare Guitar Of The Week: Girl Brand Opium Girl poppy festooned T-type guitar

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This Girl Brand "Opium Girl" guitar is quite appropriate for this time of the year when the poppies have started blooming. (Incidentally, our poppies here in Pembrokeshire in South West Wales are yellow rather than the more usual red).

Girl Brand guitars are one-off works of art by luthier Chris Larsen of Arizona, and as such do not come up for sale very often in the usual guitar marketplaces, however this example from 2002 is being offered for sale by Jay Rosen Music in the USA via Vintage & Rare.

Although the Telecaster influence is obvious, the body is actually of a hollow construction, formed from an aluminium rim supporting top and back plates. These vary from one individual Girl Brand guitar to the next and can be made from materials as diverse as formica, rusted steel, plastic laminates, street signs. Some examples even feature windows in the top of the guitar allowing you to see objects placed inside the guitar body (depending on the "theme" of the particular guitar).

This particular example is priced at €2854 / $3695.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

The Fender Custom Shop gets weirder: Crash Strat, Pro Junior amp and canvas set

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Here we have a Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, masterbuilt by by Todd Krause, with matching Pro Junior amp and a large art canvass all painted by renowned graffitti artist John "Crash" Matos. The canvass features white silhouettes where the Strat and the amp were supposedly sitting when the painting was made. Strats with artwork by John Matos have been favoured by Eric Clapton in particular, and are often referred to as Crashocasters.

Apparently this is one of two such sets made circa 2007, but because of the nature of the original artwork each set could be said to be unique. I'm guessing such items are aimed squarely at the collectors' market rather than at players, although of course this are fully functioning musical instruments. It does seem very far removed from Leo's original vision of "everyman" production line guitars, but I guess that's the nature of the "art".

I'm not sure how it is supposed to be displayed. Would you just have the whole shebang lying on the floor or would you have to somehow fix the guitar and amp to the wall behind the canvas?

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $12,999.95.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

El Daga one-of-a-kind "art guitar" looks surprisingly familiar...

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This oddly-shaped and very brightly coloured "one-of-a-kind El Daga art guitar" does indeed look very familiar. Never mind the very peculiar outline defining the shape of the body, the reflective (vinyl?) affixed to the surfaces or the metallic plastic trim used as binding, the real give-away is the sweeping wave-shaped pickguard.

Could it be that the El Dega is really a re-modelled and tarted-up 1960s Japanese Zenon guitar? Popularly believed to have been made by Teisco, this model appeared under various brand names.

I think I prefer the non-carved up version.

El Daga Art Guitar: Buy It Now for $1,295.

1960s Japanese Zenon guitar: currently being auctioned on eBay with bidding at $48 at the time of writing and just over a day left.

Thanks to Vince Gotera who spotted these items on eBay. Also, many thanks to Bertram who has been ensuring that we have a daily blog post here on Guitarz whilst I've been in my sickbed since last weekend.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Vintage & Rare guitar of the week: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans jumbo acoustic

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Currently being sold by The Guitar Doctor, USA via Vintage & Rare is this Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Jumbo Art Tribute Guitar by Greg Rich, and apparently this is the only example made actually signed by both Roy and Dale.

As well as the painted top and back, the guitar features some appropriately OTT cowboy inlay work on the fingerboard and headstock.

I'm not personally a fan of old Western movies but I do find myself drawn to this guitar, most likely for its kitsch value.

The following video proves that it's not just an "art" guitar, but is a player too!



Interested parties need to call the Guitar Doctor, USA, for a price.

For the world's worst cowboy guitar, see here!

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

So-called Art Deco resonator guitar with over-the-top finish and baked bean can detail

guitarz.blogspot.com:

There's no denying that the artwork on this old acoustic guitar (a so-called "Customised Resonator Guitar" even) has been beautifully executed. It is supposedly Art Deco inspired, although I think it is rather too busy to fit in faithfully with that genre. The playing cards around the sides of the guitar are really one step too far and lend it a tacky Las Vegas look rather than one of sophistication which I believe was the desired effect.

What really spoils it is the base from a catering-size tin of baked beans that has been inset where the soundhole once inoffensively appeared. I usually try not to sink to lowest common denominators when describing guitars like this, but in this instance all I can think to say is that it looks crap. Pairing this with a second soundhole insert, quite obviously a strainer intended to sit over the plughole in the kitchen sink, does nothing to help matters. Yes, by all means use these elements on cigar box guitars; they seem to make some sense there and indeed are part of the charm of such instruments. But on an instrument that is trying to look sophisticated, such elements could not be more out of place.

Furthermore, shoving the bottom of a baked bean tin into the top of your guitar will not magically transform it into a resonator. The spun aluminium cone of a resonator guitar is a fine piece of precision engineering. Its function cannot be replicated with the bottom of a bean tin with a few holes punched in it. All that is going to do is to create a few more spurious vibrations and cause the guitar to rattle.

You might consider this a nice example of a piece of folk art and that the Buy It Now price of £270 would be money well spent, but personally I'd give it a miss. If it does actually sound any good, it'll be by accident rather than design. Note that in the YouTube video showing the guitar, the video finishes just before the guitar is about to get played. That alone speaks volumes!

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Steinberger GM1T Egyptian - one-off NAMM 1991 special

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I've always enjoyed 1960s Italian Ekos and Crucianellis with their ostentatious celluloid pearlescent finishes; likewise similarly finished models from Sweden's Hagström have also appealed. But looking at the above Steinberger GM1T Egyptian, I have to ask myself if it's possible to put too much Mother Of Toilet Seat onto a guitar?

The Ancient Egyptian-themed finish on this Steinberger was created for the 1991 NAMM show by artists Greg Rich and Phil Jones, who apparently have created similar pieces for Fender and Gibson. The guitar has just the single EMG pickup - I guess so there is more of a "canvass" available for the artwork - and it also sports a gold-plated TransTrem (a Steinberger innovation which allows the player to lock in transposed tunings using the tremolo arm).

Apparently this guitar sold at the 1991 NAMM show for $10,000. It is now being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $5,995.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

ESP Ltd EC-CZ II Clockwork Zombie with artwork by dark artist Mr Sam

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I know, I know... I rarely feature "metal" guitars or those designed purely for shredding as it's not really my area of interest in the guitar world and I feel that plenty of other guitar blogs already more than adequately cover these type of instruments.

However, this particular ESP Ltd EC-CZ II Clockwork Zombie, currently being offered for sale on eBay UK at a knock-down Buy It Now price of £499, caught my eye. It's a limited edition issued as part of ESP Ltd's Graphic Series and features original artwork by Sam Shearon, a.k.a. dark artist Mr Sam.

Almost exactly two years ago as I write this, I spent some time in the company of Sam Shearon, who is an absolutely charming fellow with a seemingly endless supply of stories and anecdotes on all matter of subjects, and from having had a close-up look at his artwork I can testify to his considerable talents. We did speak about doing an interview for Guitarz about Sam's work for ESP Guitars among others, but there were so many other distractions that weekend, some involving sampling the delights of various alchoholic beverages, that sadly we never got around to it.

One thing that amazed me was that although Sam's intricate artwork looks airbrushed, he said that he does all his artwork on a PC using a mouse! Wow, he must have a very steady hand.

I'm told that Sam's designs on ESP Ltd guitars often sell out nearly as soon as they are released. The particular model had a retail price of £849 in the UK, so at this eBay seller's price of £499 some lucky shredder could get themselves a bargain.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Peter Malinoski Art Guitar #57

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Peter Malinoski is an artist who builds guitars because he wasn't satisfied with the standard of mass-produced guitars as sold in the stores. His guitars are often very organic-looking, and sometimes totally eccentric. As he explains:

I consider the guitar as a complete sculptural object where all forms, shapes, colors and material share a design integrity, where the back is as important as the front and the sound as important as the image; they are not simply a collection of pieces and parts. Although I use standard off the shelf components like strings, tuners and bridges, I make my own pick-ups and build them into the guitar as part of the total design integrity. [...] My intention is to create unique and beautiful instruments that are to be used to make unique and beautiful music.

Peter Malinoski Art Guitar #57, possibly one of his more sober designs, is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1,595. See more detailed photos and specs here.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

More from Eric Mecum: plywood body guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

The missing part of the NO-caster was a vehicle for an old archtop pickup. Neck and bridge were left over parts from another Mississippi Gabe Carter project. Back board isn't needed but gives it some girth. Peavey neck has a great radius. The pickup's self-contained cord is only 4 feet long so I taped a coupler to back, acts as jack. Pickup sounds fricken amazing!

Eric Mecum
www.ericmecum.com

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

The NO-caster by Eric Mecum

guitarz.blogspot.com:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present The NO-caster! Three kinds of aged plywood, recycled 27in inner tubes, galvanized bridge, many screws, gesso paint, tape, electronics cover part of a spar urethane can, peavey single coil pickups, and a 25.5 scale neck. Can be played sitting but guitar strap is preferred."

Eric Mecum
www.ericmecum.com

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Gretsch G6120S Nashville Jolly Roger

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We've looked at pirate-themed guitars before on Guitarz - see here and here - and here, pictured above, we see a Gretsch G6120S Nashville with Jolly Roger graphics courtesy of the Custom Shop. I'm not usually one for intricately decorated guitars, but this one I quite like. Somehow the graphics seem to be sympathetic to the design of the guitar. Still, with a Buy It Now price of $9,500 I think I'll leave this one to someone else to add to their collection.

Via Vince Gotera on our FaceBook page.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Michael Spalt Totem

guitarz.blogspot.com

Here is the Maccaferri's Hole, an unique issue of the Michael Spalt Totem series. Included in the resin top are various bit of recycled materials, including a part of a broken plastic Maccaferri toy guitar with a F-hole filled with beads and rhinestones... Spalt's website claims that the resin used for these guitars has been conceived to have the same thermal expansion and contraction quality as the wood used for the body, and that its rigidity provides sustain the way a maple top glued on mahogany does on more classic guitars...

More than the ornate bodies, I like what Spalt does with pickups, some guitars have unique combinations like a Filtertron, a P90 and a minibucker, or two P90s side by side in bridge position; and there are some cool custom pickups like the ones you can see here, with colored bone tops. This, some nice body designs and some highly experimental models make it worth visiting the Michael Spalt website if you never did (no I don't feel that this is advertisement, these handmade guitars are anyway unaffordable).

A funny thing is that these colorful tops are supposed to be arty, but I have more a constructivist idea of art, and for me the highest aesthetic emotion comes from form and ergonomics, not from ornaments, so I show you the back of the guitar, a nice piece of functional sculpture...

Bertram

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

Made in Japan 12-string Guitar Sculpture

guitarz.blogspot.com

Any comment would be superfluous, isn't it? There's more where it comes from...

Bertram

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

Motorized remote-controlled guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Présentation from Gryphée on Vimeo.

Here's an email from Gyphée:

Hi there,

A friend of mine make me discover your web-site, it's really great!

You maybe be interested in my project. I'm a french musician and I start a new project during the summer, called Gryphée. It's a motorized and remote controled guitar, tunned in 450Hz, with 5 stings in B and one in Fb.

It's done big drones, with stranges overtone.

You can watch a video here: http://vimeo.com/17466126 (see above)

I have a Myspace even if it's became a very bad place: http://www.myspace.com/gryphee

I have a mini-album here: http://www.archive.org/details/isor025LesRondesAbiment

Right now, a friend do the mastering of the second called "The Rotations Project" with 10 other european musicians who used the same sample of motorized guitare to do something new. And I will record another one in January.

I hopes you will like it.

Regards from France.

Gyphée.

Thanks for that. As well as weird, wonderful, beautiful, strange and outrageous guitars, we always enjoy seeing guitars used in art installations and in experimental music.

G L Wilson.

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Self-playing doubleneck Telecaster - The Doppelcaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:



Bertram is, I guess, one of those people that balks at blowing his trumpet so I guess it's up to me. There is a whole bunch of interesting musical things going on over at Dhellemmes Towers. Not only has he finished making his Dopplecaster but he has now featured it as an artwork/installation at the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart. Beautiful it looks and beautiful it sounds, as you can see below.



David in Barcelona

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Maywa Denki - Big in Japan

guitarz.blogspot.com:

In the land of the self playing guitar machines, the one armed guitarist is king. I think Tom Waits said that

We've featured art-guitars before (The Destroyer and the Les Paul-playing sparrows spring to mind) but I'd like to bring to your attention another little artistic gem - and to recount a little of my rather relaxed Sunday.

When not following the antics of the Papal entourage in this beautiful and still quite Catholic city (today the Sagrada Familia is officially a bona fide church), I found myself tinkering round with a Gakken SX 150 synthesiser kit - bought a while back but not really explored in any depth. With the kit came a thick, glossy magazine cum instruction brochure.

I hadn't take much notice of the magazine before as it's in Japanese and obviously hard to understand. Actually a lot of it is about nutty japanese artist/musicians so it's all but impossible to understand - probably even to the Japanese.

That may not be totally fair because it does actually look really quite fascinating. "LOOKS" is the operative word in a lot of the instruments featured in the magazine. It wasn't obvious at first but a lot of Gakken's instruments are quite experimental with an emphasis on the "mental".

In the magazine there are unusual instruments played by the likes of musician/artist Maywa Denki, for instance, that combines guitars, electronics, art and comedy (well, I assume it's meant to be funny). I've not heard much of him before (apart from his Otamatone, the musical tadpole) but he seems to be quite "Big In Japan", he he!

Back to my day: I spent a jolly morning listening to electronic music, the afore mentioned tinkering, making a rabbit and sausage casserole and after lunch - after the siesta after lunch that is - I spent a pleasant afternoon Youtubing Gakken, Maywa Denki and weird Japanese videos - with a slight diversion to the astounding, and apparently nice lads, Muse.

Anyway... this impressive, though for him quite conventional, video is a great example of his inventiveness. It's a bit long and the best bit doesn't kick in till 2 minutes into the video. But it's worth it.

As a viewer with the rather telling nom de plume of Merzbowxnoise says "Everything is possible in Japan!"

I can't see Sir Eric Clapton taking up this contraption just yet.

Rock on! David from Sacred Barcelona

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Art college project fretless bass

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Andrew Keachie writes:

This is a one of a kind, hand carved fretless, short scale bass a friend of mine made for an art college project over 10 years ago. He gave it to me as a birthday gift a couple of years ago. He wasn't a luthier, just a creative genius. He happened to burn the prototype for heat one winter, so it's really the only one of its kind in the world.

This is another one that was posted on the Guitarz Facebook page. Please feel free to post your own pictures there!

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!