80s Elektro Heavy Metal Balalaika (allegedly)

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Well, here's something a little bit ... different. The Russian traditional 3-string folk instrument gets a heavy metal makeover. Although in the demo video (below), it's playing 1980s electro-pop. I think for a metal sound it'd need a meatier pickup than a Tele neck-position unit.



Available from Folk Friends (in Germany) priced at €359,00 (approx US $478,67).

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.

Hand-made coffin-shaped box acoustic guitar - playable or just folk art?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here at Guitarz we love bizarre home-made oddities. The seller of this particular hand-made coffin-shaped box guitar found at a house clearance sale has "no idea is this is a proper guitar to be played or a piece of folk art". It does indeed look rather crudely made, like some souvenir instruments you see for sale whilst holidaying abroad.

However it does appear to have all its faculties all present and correct... other than the very bizarre frets which do not go right across the neck. The outer strings seem to be just above the fret ends and so it certainly wouldn't be playable in normal "Spanish" fashion. However the height of the nut - and indeed the action - plus the square section neck and those frets which are surely there purely to act as markers would suggest to me that this guitar is meant to be played with a slide. Unfortunately that's about all I can say for it.

Currently listed on eBay UK with an optimistic Buy It Now price of £79.99.

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.

Roberto's electric headless cuatro

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here, Roberto shows us his latest build. It's a cuatro (a small traditional Latin American guitar-like instrument), but given a modern-day twist as a solidbody electric instrument. It's also a headless design with the tuners situated at the base of the body.

Roberto has more pictures of the finished instrument here, plus photos of it during construction here.

Also, unless I'm much mistaken, isn't this cuatro left-handed?

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Ukrainian Kobza Bass - teardrop-shaped acoustic bass

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I know nothing about this instrument other than what the seller tells us in broken English. Apparently it's a Ukrainian Kobza Bass from the Harmony musical worskhop (hhhmmmm...where've I've heard that name before?) and is supposedly based on a traditional folk instrument. To my eyes it looks like an acoustic bass guitar with a Vox-like teardrop shaped body and equipped with piezo pickups and associated electronics. Whether the "Kozba bass" genuinely has any history as a Ukrainian folk instrument, I couldn't tell you, but my suspicion is that it is a modern bass-instrument based on the design of an old folk insrument. But if you know differently, please do pipe up!

Currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy it Now price of $325 (plus shipping from Ukraine).

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

...and speaking of Indian instruments, Pete List plays the shahi baaja

guitarz.blogspot.com: It's not a guitar but it is a fretted, stringed instrument of sorts. Sometimes referred to as the "Indian Banjo", the shahi baaja is like some weird amalgam of guitar, sitar and typewriter! That description makes it sound like some eccentric cobbled-together Heath Robinson contraption, but it does sound amazing, especially in the capable hands of someone like the above Pete List.

Thanks to David in Barcelona for bringing this video to my attention.

G L Wilson

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

Lu Edmonds plays the electric saz with Public Image Ltd

guitarz.blogspot.com: Another fine clip from last night's Later... with Jools Holland.

www.pilofficial.com

G L Wilson

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

Electric Thailand dragon guitar (or maybe it's an electric pin)

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Although the eBay listing calls this 4-string instrument a "Thailand dragon guitar", it's obviously an electric version of a traditional folk instrument and I'm thinking it might be an electric pin. We looked at a less ornate version back in May 2009.

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $699.

G L Wilson

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

Electric Turkish Saz being offered for sale on eBay

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Although this looks for all the world like an electric guitar (albeit with a rather clumsily designed body shape), perhaps the long thin neck and tied-on movable frets give away that it is actually an electric Turkish saz. It has three courses, this example currently being strung with a doubled bass course, although it appears to have the facility to double the treble-most string also. The positioning of the frets may appear to be rather bizarre to many of us, but this is because the instrument is set up for just intonation.

As for the sound, well judge for yourself:

Currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1,899.99.

G L Wilson

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

Marshall... "Bluesbreaker" acoustic guitar???

guitarz.blogspot.com:

The name Marshall should need no introduction to anyone interested in guitars or rock music in general. The amplifiers produced by this now legendary British company are almost omnipotent on stages around the world and have been used by just about everybody.

The name is so well known but it's unusual to see it actually on a guitar - and an acoustic guitar at that! This particular Marshall Bluesbreaker acoustic guitar is currently being offered for sale on eBay, although unfortunately has sustained some damage to its rear. These were distributed by Rose Morris (I'd guess in the 1970s) and were - the seller claims - actually made in Italy by Eko. The eagle-eyed will notice that this Marshall Bluesbreaker is nearly identical to the Eko Ranger other than having a different shaped headstock and - of course - the Marshall name applied to it.

However, I'm wondering if perhaps they were made by Fratelli Fuselli (Fuselli Brothers) who produced the E-ROS Dakota fashioned after the Eko Ranger design? I'd say there was more of a resemblance.

G L Wilson

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

Baglama bama a wap bam boo

We usually try to steer clear of repeat postings but I think this is sufficiently different from Bertram's recent post to allow ourselves a little indulgence. More of an extension really.

When I was buying my Baglama Saz in Turkey, I had the opportunity to try an electric one which was much more like a western style guitar. It had a solid, Strat-like body, bright red paint job and had a spiky, angled headstock. I should have taken a few pictures. However, I came across this one in a DailyMotion video. More traditional in style but definitely more "guitarish" and a chance to hear one in action.

Caution. For the sake of your sanity DO NOT click on my name!

David in Barcelona

guitarz.blogspot.com:Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Electro Saz

guitarz.blogspot.com

I've been wanting to show here an electric saz for ever, and I finally found a good picture of one. The saz is a Turkish version of a lute or oud (hence a close cousin of the guitar), with a longer neck and a specific scale of 15 intervals tuned in just intonation, and 3 double strings (if you want to make some research about the saz, it's also called bağlama).

The saz seems to be used in every form of Turkish music - its electrified version has the same status as the electric guitar - and I particularly heard some Turkish jazz and jazz-rock music played by incredible saz virtuosos that really attracted me to this instrument... Unfortunately so far you cannot find Made in China cheap saz to try out the instrument that stays quite expensive, so I couldn't get one yet (I played an acoustic one though, and really enjoyed it).

Bertram

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

Unusual folk instrument from Cassandra Elk

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's an unusual-looking acoustic instrument from Germany's Cassandra Elk brand. Seeing as it has eight strings arranged in four courses, my guess is that it's a mandola or bazouki-type instrument.

It's an interesting design and one that immediately made me think of Bertram's "neckless guitar" concept. I wish there there was a photo of the rear of this instrument so we could see how the neck is formed; is it a distinct piece or is it integral to the body?

The eBay listing is in German so we may have to ask Bertam for a translation, I think.

G L Wilson

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Electric Pin

This is an electrified version of a traditional Thai 3-stringed folk instrument.

You can see from the positions of the frets that this is a diatonic instrument, and reminds me of the mountain dulcimer, Strumstick and similar instruments.

It's tuning can vary depending on what key you want to play in. For example, for Am the strings would be tuned E-A-E.