Dia De Los Muertos - Day Of The Dead

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Today in the Spanish speaking world, is the Day of The Dead. To celebrate that, we have a suitably bone coloured, skull encrusted, coffin topped instrument. On paper, the final design of this custom built guitar could, in some hands, have ended up very differently and lot less tasteful. We've seen on several occasions, here on Guitarz, the fruits of the unrestrained and unfettered creativity of some instrument builders which have not always raised the luthiers art to the highest of aesthetic pinnacles.

In my humble opinion, Jimmy Messer's DOTD guitar built by First Act is a rather beautiful and elegant instrument. Best known as guitarist for Texas band Goudie and guitarist/co-composer with Kelly Clarkson (American Idol winner), Jimmy has commission several guitars from First Act so he must be pretty pleased with them.

OK, I know there must an American reader or two falling his chair right now. First Act are best known for the their kid's starter guitar packs from Target/Walmart in the US. I've never heard of them but it seems they are also available in Blighty. So if anyone has tried their budget guitars, I'd love to know what you think.

Quite apart from their nicely designed custom guitars, their web site has a lot of interesting things going on that take it beyond the realms of other guitar makers. I'm a big fan of businesses that get out into the community and encourage kids to be creative and there are some bigger manufacturers that could do worse than to take a leaf out of First Act's book. Worth spending some time there. Guitar business of the day!

PS Happy DOTD to one and all.

David in Barcelona

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

10 or 15 string Cuatro Sonero handmade in Puerto Rico by Don Cristobal Santiago

guitarz.blogspot.com:

The traditional Puerto Rican cuatro is a lute-like instrument having ten strings in five courses, tuned in fourths from low to high B-e-a-d'-g'. This solid-body electric version, recently offered for sale on eBay, was built by Don Cristobal Santiago in 1994 and is currently strung with 10 strings but is able to accommodate 15 strings, so that each course would be made up of 3 strings. Mind, am I the only one who thinks that the positioning of the 15th machine head looks a bit like an afterthought?

G L Wilson

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

Harmony H82 electric tenor banjo

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's another electric banjo, this time it's a Harmony 4-string tenor and, unlike the previous ones we have looked at, it doesn't have a skin top to it - so that purists may argue that it's actually a tenor guitar. It has an electric guitar style magnetic pickup mounted onto a spruce top. The seller has copied out the marketing blurb from the 1955 Harmony catalogue that this appeared in, and which I in turn shall reproduce here:

A completely NEW instrument!

Harmony Electro Banjo (Pat. Apppl'd For).

A new instrument in which banjo tone is created electrically - an achievement of Harmony research and ingenuity.

Tuned and played as the traditional banjo. Though the magic of an ingenious bridge and electronic pickup assembly, mounted on a resonant spruce sounding board, it produces the familiar crisp banjo tone so popular today - through an amplifier.

Finished in Jubilee Red and white. Harmo-metal band with fluted red plastic insert at top edge. Pearlette inlaid fingerboard, with edge binding.

Individual tuning keys.

G L Wilson

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

(Customized) vintage BC Rich Mockingbird

guitarz.blogspot.com

At first when I saw this BC Rich Mockingbird, I was positively astonished - I always favor guitars with pickguards, and the sunburst finish that I usually don't like almost gives it a nice classic feel - and reveals what it owes to the Firebird. Then I remembered the Vox post a few days ago, and the suspicion about the authenticity of its strat pickups configuration.

And indeed, I always saw Mockingbirds with humbuckers, no pickguard, tune-o-matic bridge (rarely a Floyd Rose trem), like the metal oriented guitar it's meant to be. Then I noticed the headstock - reverse with 6 tuners in line and a big R logo... Definitely not original, and in spite of what its eBay seller claims (and I'm sure that he knows that this is not true), this is not a vintage Mockingbird but a frankenstein - and I have to admit that I quite like it better like this!

Bertram

Edit: this post called controversy, since - though I made a research about vintage Mockingbirds - several comments confirm it as an original BC Rich (maybe a short lived Mockingbird II trying to invest the strat market) and not a modified one - but I still need a concrete proof... Check the comments for more information.

Second edit: it's confirmed, it's an original from 1983 - check the comments for more (you will note that the info doesn't come from the Internet, but from an old paper magazine!). Thanks to the contributors to this post and shame on me!

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

1950s Stella electric with 3 pickups

guitarz.blogspot.com:

How cool is this? A Stella-brand electric guitar from the 1950s. Of course Stella are best known for their cheap and cheerful acoustics beloved by many an old bluesman, but - whilst rare - their electrics are not unheard of. This 3-pickup example is supposedly particularly uncommon. The seller suspects that it may originate from Japan, and I guess that could well be the case. I just love those three golden pickups with a volume and tone control for each. Although it appears to be a solid body, the seller says it is chambered which may be a good thing seeing as the body is reportedly "bigger than a Jazz Bass".

G L Wilson

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

Mike Keneally - Wine And Pickles

Artist: Mike Keneally
Album: Wine And Pickles
Year: 2008
Genre:  Alternative
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. 2CTV (0:32)
2. Feelin' strangely (7:03)
3. Li'l (Signature Sound version) (7:29)
4. Backwards deb (3rd person) (6:18)
5. Bubble creek (1:58)
6. Never ever wrong (2:57)
7. Unused hum (0:25)
8. I heard about what you said (0:53)
9. Inhale (with Lyle Workman) (6:39)
10. 4S (6:14)
11. Skull bubbles (uncut) (7:09)
12. Stop for flashing red light, part one (4:02)
13. Lonely man (studio) (3:58)
14. Selfish otter (uncut) (6:09)
15. A concise piano statement (0:39)
16. AeroDef (1:53)
17. Kevorkian 3 (1:45)
18. Thou shalt not kill (2:10)
19. Paloma (alternate version) (2:02)
20. Kevorkian 17 (0:42)
21. The endings of things (7:06)

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BARTOLOME CALATAYUD

Bartolomé Calatayud, adalah seorang Komposer & Gitaris Klasik yang dilahirkan di Pulau Mallorca - Spanyol Tahun 1882. Semenjak kecil ia sudah belajar Gitar Klasik dengan Antonio Mestres dan belajar Harmonisasi dan Komposisi dengan Komposer D. Antonio Noguera. Setelah Dewasa untuk melanjutkan studinya, ia pindah ke Velencia dan belajar Gitar Klasik dengan Maestro "Fransisco Tarrega".

Kecintaannya dengan Gitar Klasik ini membawa ini mengembangkan bakat dan kariernya dengan melakukan Tur Konser keliling Spanyol, Francis, Swiss, Portugis dan Amerika Selatan dengan teman-teman dalam satu kelompok musik dan tari. Dimasa tuanya ia kembali ke Mallorca dan menjadi Guru Gitar dan Komposer di sana. Walaupun tidak tercatat secara resmi sebagai murid Tarrega, Catalayud seorang Gitaris dan komposer yang cukup produktif dan ini terlihat dari hasil karyanya pada Musik Klasik seperti :

Cuatro Piezas Faciles Para Guitarra: Vals, Cancion De Cuna , Romanza , Pasodoblillo
Tres Piezas Faciles Para Guitarra: Cajita De Musica, Divertimento, Melodia
Cuatro Juguetes: Boceto Andaluz, Gavotta, Danza, Minueto
Tres Piezas Para Guitarra: Mazurka, Caramba!(Habanera), Canconeta
Tres Piezas Para Guitarra: Lamento Gitano - Solea, Fandanguillo, Bulerias
Suite Antiqua: Antante, Zarabanda, Pavana, Minueto, Rondino
Dos Piezas Para Guitarra: Bolero, El Majo
Dos Piezas Para Guitarra: Bagatela, Gavota
Tres Canciones Populares Catalanas: Muntanyes Regalades, La Preso De Lleida, La Pastoreta
Triptico Para Una Dama: Bondad, Simpatia, Alegria
Vals Y Mazurka
Sonatina No. 1 A Minor
Sonatina No. 2 D Minor dll

Ia meninggal pada tahun 1973 pada usia 91 tahun.











Free Download Partitur :
Danza - Calatayud
Alegria - Calatayud
Fandanguillo - Calatayud
Tarantella - Calatayud
Valse - Calatayud
Divertimento - Calatayud

Jimmy Bruno - Polarity

Artist: Jimmy Bruno
Album: Polarity
Year: 2000
Genre:  Jazz, Jazz Guitar
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. How Long Has This Been Going On (4:37)
2. Lazy Afternoon (4:35)
3. Polarity (4:12)
4. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face (4:15)
5. Eleanor Rigby (5:16)
6. Estate (6:00)
7. Summertime (3:49)
8. Tenderly (4:21)
9. Carioca Blue (4:52)
10. Emily (4:07)
11. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You (4:17)
12. Cherokee (4:16)
13. Poem For #15 (4:59)

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Nechville Meteor Electric Banjo

guitarz.blogspot.com

OK, to be honest, I know nothing about banjos, and even less about electric banjos, so maybe I'm unduly amazed by this Meteor by Nechville, but I find the concept of the cutaway really brilliant and inspirational! It's so cool that it deserves to be a guitar (sorry banjo lovers!)

I won't pretend I can bring any more information about it - I would just copy-paste what you can find on Nechville's website, so if you're interested, just click on the link above. 

Bertram

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

Duesenberg chrome custom by Zinc

guitarz.blogspot.com

This gleaming artifact is - according to its eBay seller - a Duesenberg-based custom work by French luthier Zinc (about which I couldn't find any information by the way).

It has for sure the characteristic humbucker/P90 configuration of hollow-body Duesenbergs, also the Duesenberg knobs and switch (plus one extra that might be a killswitch), but the body doesn't really fit to any Duesenberg model I can identify: the F-hole is too wide, the cutaway too pointy and the body too round to be a Starplayer - the closest model to it... Also the neck is for sure no Duesenberg, but a strat copy (carrying a Zinc logo) - so it could be that only the gear made it to this custom - then the body is a mystery... Love the chrome finish though!

Bertram

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

Jimmy Bruno - Live At Birdland Vol.2

Artist: Jimmy Bruno
Album: Live At Birdland Vol.2
Year: 1999
Genre:  Jazz
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. Reticulation (5:03)
2. Chesapeake Blues (6:16)
3. Joy spring (5:10)
4. Poinciana (5:53)
5. (I can't give you) Anything but love (5:06)
6. Broadway (6:22)
7. Lover man (6:20)
8. I hear rhapsody (7:47)
9. Darn that dream (5:51)
10. I want to be happy (7:42)

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Jimmy Bruno - Live At Birdland Vol.1

Artist: Jimmy Bruno
Album: Live At Birdland Vol.1
Year: 1997
Genre:  Jazz
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. Introduction (0:13)
2. F 8 (5:52)
3. Move (5:23)
4. Grooveyard (6:59)
5. Valse Hot (4:40)
6. Segment (5:16)
7. Au Privave (8:32)
8. These Foolish Things (5:56)
9. For J.T. (7:22)
10. Anthropology (9:24)
11. My One And Only Love (6:18)

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Vintage Parlour Guitar with Hopf pickup

guitarz.blogspot.com:




I'm the first to admit I don't know much about parlour guitars (except that they are smaller. I know that much) and I'm not entirely convinced this seller does either but here's what he says...
"Rare, pre war parlour guitar with extreme RARE HOPF SPEZIAL pickup system made in Germany in the 1920s/1930s. The guitar is made of solid woods: (spruce top , maple body, maple neck) with rare HOPF SPEZIAL pickup
The instrument comes from my collection ! The guitar was not repaired or modified. Everything is in original condition."

And it is, as any self respecting haus frau would say, dirty, dirty, dirty!

Too right it's in original condition (assuming the original owner lived outdoors for the last 70 years and assuming the manufacturer included in the original spec, a twisted metal bar, a chunk of grey plastic cable, an old on/off switch and volume knob from grandad's valve radio and an old metal box all screwed to the front of the instrument).

At 750 Bucks (478 Sovs to us Limeys), this seller is definitely in the "optimistic" end of the market. A couple of months back I eBayed one of these pickups with a Hofner logo plus a chromed scratchplate with two more pickups in the same design with the Ideal logo for about £100 including delivery. Discounting £100 (to be generous) for the extremely rare pickup that leaves us with about £378 for an unknown (though admittedly oddly attractive) make of acoustic guitar in dubious condition with a big crack and various holes drilled in the front. Get on over to eBay and hit that BIN button before I do!

David in Barcelona

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

DANELECTRO Vintage VIOLIN SHAPE Acoustic Guitar - WOW!!!!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We do get to see a lot of instruments being hawked under the banner of RARE!!!! on eBay (usually accompanied by WOW!!!) and often referring to a spectacularly bilious Steve Vai-esque paint job, an INCREDIBLE!!!! "C", "D" "U" or "X" neck profile, Kryptonite TONE-MONSTER PUPS, mother of Death-Metal-Toilet-Seat inlays or some such DAMN-GOOD-REASON-IT'S-RARE attribute, but this, as the seller say's is indeed PRETTY RARE!!!!! WOW!!!!!

And, pretty… pretty, to boot. A vintage Danelectro violin shaped f-hole archtop acoustic. And to answer his question. No, I have never seen another like it (except for the teardrop shaped Danelectro acoustic Gavin found about a year ago and another (signed by Steve Winwood and Kris Kristofferson WOW!!!) which appeared in an auction in 2007). Acoustic Danelectros are rare creatures indeed.

It's a cracking guitar (if you like violin/viola shaped guitars and as I own three, I must do) and in great condition. Apparently the original owner was in a cruise ship band (thought he doesn't say whether he took this on board with him). The seller also says that, based on his research (it doesn't say what that entailed or what his source was) it's from the 50's. I won't argue with that because I just don't have a clue. WOW!!! WOW!!!! WOW!!!!

Please excuse all the exclamation marks. I bought a job lot and have to use them up (there was also a bunch of {yellow} italics thrown in for free - and I'm not one to pass up a bargain).

David in Barcelona

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

Jimmy Bruno - Like That

Artist: Jimmy Bruno
Album: Like That (With Joey DeFrancesco)
Year: 1996
Genre:  Jazz
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. E.V. (4:42)
2. Raezer's Edge (5:05)
3. Waltz For Nancy (5:43)
4. There Is No Greater Love (6:14)
5. The Iguana's Uncle (4:26)
6. Pat's House (5:25)
7. Night Dreamer (6:17)
8. The Way You Look Tonight (6:26)
9. Like That (4:50)
10. Stars Fell On Alabama (3:28)
11. Unit Seven (8:09)

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Vox White Shadow

guitarz.blogspot.com

The Vox White Shadow is better known with 2 humbuckers and no pickguard, it's the first time that I see one with this strat configuration, and actually the pickguard improves its very special shape (again I wish I could see it in natural finish, because this blue finish doesn't do it any good). This twisted strat design has this kind of typically 1980s stylization that claimed then that psychedelic times were over - here came the computer age... 

The guitar case is also a nice design effort as you can see here.

This guitar was built at Matsumoku factory in Japan - Vox never built their own instruments but subcontracted them to several international companies, like Italian Eko in the 60s for the famous teardrop-shaped Mark VI or the Phantom, or in the case of the White Shadow to Aria - in the early 80s for Vox guitars first come-back.

Take the opportunity to have a look at Vox's new come back in the guitar field, with their 2008 beautiful high-end semi-hollow Virage model - unfortunately not the kind that most people can afford.

Bertram


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

1962 Fender Stratocaster electric guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

After the recent post on the completely stripped 59/65 Fender "Sonic Master"...
We have a completely stripped Stratocaster, with probably the most understated eBay listing I've seen for a pre CBS Strat in a looooooong time. And no sign of exclamation marks except to say "We only accept PAYPAL! ". Which is great, really.

The only pity is the lack of detail in the listing. I quote...

"The guitar has had the finish stripped.
There is light play wear on the body.
There is some surface rust on the body.
All electronics work".

That's it. There is no more.

I'm not a big Strat fan and in fact only own one Fender guitar (the FR48) but seeing this cheeky little number stripped to the wood, I'm kind of warming to them.

I've posted about guitars from these guys before. They claim to be nothing more than buyers and know nothing about guitars per se. However they do have a knack of coming up with some tasty vintage guitars - They have some very sweet lap steels at the moment - so well worth putting on the "favourite sellers" list. The only down side (for me) is they're in the US of A and that always means you have to factor in the shipping (which isn't that bad, considering) and the totally unpredictable import duty which can really mount up.

Stop Press: For those of you wondering about the date...

I just got this email from them.

"According to the serial #81987. The guitar dater project says its 1962". 2112Jefferson
Thanks Jefferson.

I don't normally edit posts once they're up but, in case anyone is in doubt... I think this is a CRACKING guitar and if I could afford it, I'd be glad to have it hanging over my rotund, middle aged belly.

David in Barcelona

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

Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - More Meat - 2010

Artist: Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats
Album: More Meat
Year: 2010
Genre: Progressive Fuision, Jazz/Funk Rock, Instrumental
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. Passing the Ace (5:38)
2. Mountain of Meat (4:57)
3. The Gunboat Is On! (4:26)
4. Shag (5:37)
5. Greasy Louise (4:06)
6. For Your Courtesy (5:36)
7. And We All Swing the Tuna (5:02)
8. Moby Dick (3:30)
9. Lobster Legs (4:58)
10. Shilo's Forbidden City Blues (5:35)
11. Roller Girl (7:17)
12. Dr. Blotter & Miss Purple (Ride in the Echoplex) (7:38)

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chickenfoot skinbeater Chad Smith has announced that a new album by his other band, the Bombastic Meatbats, entitled More Meat, will be released on 19 October. Which leads us to ask the burning question: Where does he find the time?

After all, it was only last year, during the midst of a Chickenfoot tour and the planning stages of the next Chili Peppers album, that the jazz-funk fusion-y Bombastic Meatbats (which also includes keyboardist Ed Roth, guitarist Jeff Kollman and bassist Kevin Chown), released their debut album, Meet The Meatbats.

Somehow they fit recording sessions into their schedules, and as Smith says of the new disc, "More Meat is just that... it has much more music on the bone. We stretched out more, the playing is tighter, and there's a more improved recorded sound, haha!"

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MANUEL DE FALLA

Manuel de Falla, adalah salah seorang Komposer Musik Klasik yang dilahirkan 23 Nov 1876 di kota Cadiz - Spanyol. Sejak kecil Manuel de Falla sudah belajar musik dengan ibunya dan diumur 9 tahun dia sudah mulai belajar Piano di kota dimana ia dilahirkan. Tahun 1890 ia melanjutkan studinya di Madrid dengan belajar Piano pada Jose Trago dan belajar komposisi pada Felipe Pedrell. M. Falla pernah memperoleh juara 1 dalam kompetisi piano di sekolah musik dimana ia belajar. Setelah selesai belajar di Madrid ia mulai menulis komposisi kecil dengan gaya Musik Tradisional Andalusia yang memang mempengaruhi hidupnya dan salah karya pertamanya dalam opera adalah La vida breve. Tahun 1907 - 1914 di berkarier di Paris dan bertemu dengan komposer besar seperti Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy dan Paul Dukas dan memberikan pengaruh pada musik Manuel de Falla. Diawal Perang dunia I, ia kembali ke Madrid dan mulai banyak menulis karya nya seperti :

- The ballet El amor brujo - 1915
- The nocturne untuk for piano dan and orchestra - 1916
- The ballet The Magistrate and the Miller's Wife - 1917

Tahun 1921 - 1939 Manuel de Falla pindah dan tinggal di Granada, disana ia melanjutkan menulis komposisi opera El retablo de maese Pedro (1923) dan concerto harpsichord (1926). Ia juga banyak menulis komposisi untuk Orkestra dan Musik Ruangan. Tahun 1939 di Pindah ke Argentina dan disana ia menjadi guru musik dan menulis komposisi, Tahun 1946 di meninggal di Cordoba - Argentina. Selama hanyatnya Manuel de Falla hidup membujang (tidak menikah) sehingga ia tidak memiliki keturunan.

Beberapa karya Manuel de Falla yang di tulis kembali dalam Gitar antara lain :
Chanson du Feu Follet, Dance of the Corregidor, Dance of the Miller, Danza del Fuego Fatuo, Danza del Molinero, Homenaje a Debussy & La Vie Breve.















Free Download Partitur :
Chanson du Feu Follet - Pujol
Dance of the Corregidor - Behrend
Dance of the Miller - Behrend
Danza del Fuego Fatuo
Danza del Molinero
Homenaje a Debussy - Miguel Llobet
Homenaje a Debussy - Permjakov
La Vie Breve

	02 - manuel de falla homenaje, le.
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Homenaje a Debussy MP3

Jimmy Bruno - Burnin'

Artist: Jimmy Bruno
Album: Burnin'
Year: 1994
Genre:  Jazz
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. Eternal Triangle (5:45)
2. Pastel (5:12)
3. One For Amos (4:48)
4. Love Is Here To Stay (5:04)
5. Burnin' (4:37)
6. Moonlight In Vermont (8:16)
7. Central Park West (1:58)
8. Giant Steps (5:41)
9. Witchcraft (4:37)
10. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (5:03)
11. A Rose For Peg (4:38)
12. That's All (7:20)

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Gibson Trini Lopez

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I remember seeing Trini Lopez on TV when I was a kid but never really got the music as this "Latin stuff" was definitely for the mums so this post is by way of making up a little for my youthful callowness. A beautiful 1967 Gibson Trini Lopez on eBay. I thought the headstock was reminiscent of a Firebird and a little Googling brought up this image of a Trini Lopez deluxe with reversed neck courtesy www.vintageguitars.org.uk



At the risk of sounding cynical (Moi?), this was a period when guitar manufacturer's marketing departments were working overtime to get us buying their products. It's hard to believe now but the guitar market was in decline at the end of the sixties and there were a lot of businesses trying to get a share of the pie. So, we have a Gibson 335 with diamond sound holes and a Firebird neck being promoted by a big star. It's notable that the Deluxe has florentine cutaways as opposed to the roundy ones. It's great that even something as cold as hard commerce can come up with something as beautiful as this.

David in Barcelona

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

Jimmy Bruno - Sleight Of Hand

Artist: Jimmy Bruno
Album: Sleight Of Hand
Year: 1992
Genre:  Jazz
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. Egg Plant Pizza (3:24)
2. Stompin' At The Savoy (5:27)
3. Body And Soul (5:37)
4. Wheat Thins (5:19)
5. Night Mist (6:01)
6. Big Shoes (6:38)
7. Manha De Carnaval (8:58)
8. Tenderly (6:49)
9. Song For Jimmy And Susanna (5:11)
10. All The Things You Are (6:56)
11. Lionel's Hat (3:12)
12. Here's That Rainy Day (4:24)

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Goya Panther

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This Goya Panther is described as a "Fender style Jaguar" which it leans towards but, thankfully it isn't just a copy. It is a lovely looking guitar despite have lost a fair amount of paint off the front. A plus for lovers of relic guitars. A bit of a shame for the rest of us. Never mind. I shan't be blathering on about my dislike of relicism so don't worry.

A little bit of info from the seller's Goya information site on Tripod - "The Goya Rangemasters electric guitars were produced between 1965 - 1969. The 'Goya' brand name was used at various times by Hershman Musical Instrument Company of New York, an importing firm, and as was so often the case with distribution companies one brand name turns up on guitars from a number of different sources. The Rangemaster model, for example, is of Italian origin, reflecting a 1960s predilection for multiple control layouts and most likely comes from the EKO factory. The vibrato bar, however, was provided by another Goya supplier, the Hagstrom company of Sweden. NOTE: Someone informed me that they had talked with a production manager from EKO in the 60s who said they had no involvement with Goya. That same person suggested to me that the Polverini Brothers in Italy made the Rangemaster guitars. It has also been suggested that Italian guitar maker Galanti made the Goya Panther models. The Goya Panther and the Galanti guitars look nearly identical."

A cool looking guitar with some history.

David in Barcelona

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

Fender Dan Smith Stratocaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This is a Fender Dan Smith Strat from the 1981-83 transitionary period (for more info, read here). As you can see from the photo, the gold finish is incredibly well worn, but allegedly this is no artificial relic job, this is the real deal. Which begs the question, what on earth was its owner doing to it to create such wear and tear?

G L Wilson

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

Buckethead - In The Search Of ... (Limited Collection Edition)

Artist: Buckethead
Album: In The Search Of ...
Year: 2007
Genre:  Guitar Instrumental, Guitar Virtuoso, Avant-Garde
Format: 320 kbps mp3
NOTE:13 CD (see details)
   In Search of The is a set of thirteen albums by Buckethead, released on February 21, 2007. Each was initially personally numbered and monogrammed by Buckethead himself. No two sets were the same, as the covers were hand-drawn and unique from one another. It is considered a special release, making it the first of Buckethead's albums to be referred to as such.   According to Travis Dickerson:

   “ ...this is not a regular CD. It's hand made, hand burned. The cover is whatever is deemed to be written on it. This is not a manufactured deal, each one is different and will be numbered and monogramed. No two of these will be the same. I have never heard of an artist doing something like this. This is as direct from the artist to the fan as I have ever heard of.

   As far as the content, I don't know, but the mystery around it is no surprise. Again, I can't speculate because I don't want to mislead anyone, I just don't know anymore. My gut sense is this is a conceptual work, a piece of art. It could contain anything.”

The original box set could be purchased as either a box set or separately. There seems to be no underlying theme or thread to the songs on the separate discs, and they feature many different and diverse styles of music. In addition, each song stands alone; none of the tracks fade into each other. The set also lacks any type of track listing as all the songs are untitled, however, unofficial track names have been assigned by fans of Buckethead which are known to reflect his personality and his previous work. As such, references to past material are present. There is a total of 92 songs in the set ranging in lengths from 0:33 to 19:45, not including "Vol. 13: E" which is one unbroken 45-minute track, which has the drum beat from the song "They're coming to take me away".

   Buckethead drew the covers on each set of In Search of The until he reached the 999th copy. All further copies available are no longer hand-made and feature the same artwork from set to set.

   There are no credits to the set's name, so the all of the music on the set was most likely performed solely by Buckethead; however, this has not yet been confirmed. 
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com

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Download# (All-in-one file) ~1.25 Gb
Tracklist:
Vol. 1: I
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 0:54
2. "Track 2" 14:51
3. "Track 3" 2:58
4. "Track 4" 2:31
5. "Track 5" 0:41
6. "Track 6" 15:02
7. "Track 7" 1:44
8. "Track 8" 5:33
Vol. 2: N
No. Title Length
1. "Track 1" 1:26
2. "Track 2" 10:49
3. "Track 3" 2:58
4. "Track 4" 2:09
5. "Track 5" 15:49
6. "Track 6" 3:18
7. "Track 7" 6:04
8. "Track 8" 2:16
Vol. 3: S
1. "Track 1" 14:51
2. "Track 2" 2:16
3. "Track 3" 3:48
4. "Track 4" 7:32
5. "Track 5" 4:24
6. "Track 6" 10:31
Vol. 4: E
1. "Track 1" 3:20
2. "Track 2" 7:07
3. "Track 3" 9:02
4. "Track 4" 3:29
5. "Track 5" 5:21
6. "Track 6" 3:29
7. "Track 7" 3:58
8. "Track 8" 6:39
Vol. 5: A
1. "Track 1" 10:35
2. "Track 2" 1:14
3. "Track 3" 4:48
4. "Track 4" 10:11
5. "Track 5" 5:00
6. "Track 6" 1:40
7. "Track 7" 1:58
8. "Track 8" 2:54
9. "Track 9" 4:03
Vol. 6: R
1. "Track1" 19:45
2. "Track 2" 3:42
3. "Track 3" 4:30
4. "Track 4" 1:11
5. "Track 5" 15:46
Vol. 7: C
1. "Track 1" 2:58
2. "Track 2" 16:40
3. "Track 3" 4:14
4. "Track 4" 4:20
5. "Track 5" 1:52
6. "Track 6" 11:03
Vol. 8: H
1. "Track 1" 10:20
2. "Track 2" 2:26
3. "Track 3" 5:27
4. "Track 4" 9:55
5. "Track 5" 2:30
6. "Track 6" 0:33
7. "Track 7" 3:32
8. "Track 8" 4:36
9. "Track 9" 2:14
Vol. 9: O
1. "Track 1" 9:23
2. "Track 2" 4:23
3. "Track 3" 5:18
4. "Track 4" 16:52
5. "Track 5" 6:37
Vol. 10: F
1. "Track 1" 5:13
2. "Track 2" 9:35
3. "Track 3" 6:45
4. "Track 4" 1:13
5. "Track 5" 6:45
6. "Track 6" 3:36
7. "Track 7" 7:13
8. "Track 8" 2:07
Vol. 11: T
1. "Track 1" 2:56
2. "Track 2" 4:21
3. "Track 3" 1:10
4. "Track 4" 4:04
5. "Track 5" 6:10
6. "Track 6" 3:14
7. "Track 7" 3:24
8. "Track 8" 3:50
9. "Track 9" 4:05
10. "Track 10" 4:25
11. "Track 11" 4:46
Vol. 12: H
1. "Track 1" 3:12
2. "Track 2" 10:48
3. "Track 3" 2:15
4. "Track 4" 10:16
5. "Track 5" 2:57
6. "Track 6" 3:33
7. "Track 7" 1:19
8. "Track 8" 15:19
Vol. 13: E
1. ""Track 1"" 45:01

Woven bamboo archtop from Taiwan

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I can't tell you much about this guitar, but you can see for yourselves photos from the construction process here.

Thanks to Frogleg Che who posted this on the Guitarz Facebook page. Please feel free to post pictures of your own interesting or unusual guitars on our Facebook page - they may even make it onto the main blog.

G L Wilson

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

Goran Sollscher, Camerata Bern - Antonio Vivaldi: Concerti

Artist: Goran Sollscher, Camerata Bern
Album: Antonio Vivaldi: Concerti
Year: 1985
Genre:  Classical, Guitar with orchestra
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:

1. (Allegro Giusto) 3:26
2. Largo 5:03
3. Allegro 2:04
Trio Für Violine, Laute Continuo In G-moll RV 85
1. Andante Molto 4:40
2. Larghetto 3:01
3. Allegro 1:43
Concerto Für 2 Violinen, Streicher Und Continuo B-dur RV 524
1. Allegro 4:20
2. Andante 3:55
3. Allegro 2:56
Concerto Für 2 Mandolinen, Streicher Und Continuo G-dur RV 532
1. Allegro 3:57
2. Andante 4:29
3. Allegro 3:20
Concerto Für 2 Violoncelli, Streicher Und Continuo G-moll RV 531
1. Allegro 3:47
2. Largo 3:07
3. Allegro 3:05
Trio Für Violine, Laute Und Continuo In D-dur RV 82
1. Allegro Molto 3:55
2. Larghetto 3:16
3. Allegro 1:55

What we have here is a selection of Vivaldi's works for mandolin (the Double Concerto, RV532) and lute (Concerto, RV93 and Trios, RV82 and 85), all played on the guitar; sandwiched among them are the Concerto for two violins, RV524 and the solitary one for two cellos, RV531, the former with no other current recording.

The best LP version of the lute works played on the designated instrument remains that of Lindberg on BIS (LP290, 9/85) but if the guitar is accepted as a substitute (which it commonly is) then Sollscher takes a clear lead. As he is no biological 'sport' he has resorted to double-tracking in RV532 (and he couldn't find a better partner). Not only does he play with refinement and sensitivity, he also embellishes the repeats very elegantly—and not just by throwing in a few ornaments. The same is to be said of the soloists (Karen Turple and Patrick Genet) in RV524, whose vibrato is occasionally a little intense—but never objectionably so. The cellists (Thomas Demenga and Regula Hausler) are far more cautious in the Largo of RV531 but, avoiding any heaviness of tone or attack, produce the best-yet recording of the work on non-period instruments.

Of Berne Camerata one can write only appreciatively: they play with the utmost clarity, precision and life, and the recorded balance with the soloists is all one might ask. Tempos are well chosen, with the exception of RV93, the first movement of which is taken very briskly indeed. The recording, aided by a good acoustic, is crisply clear.
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Kazuhito Yamashita - Guitar Concertos

Artist: Kazuhito Yamashita
Album: Guitar Concertos
Genre:  Classics, Acoustic Guitar
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
Giuliani:
1. Concerto for Guitar and Strings in A, Op 30- Allegro maestoso (13:22)
2. Andante siciliano (6:09)
3. Alla polacca (7:13)
Vivaldi
4. Concerto for Guitar and Continuo in D, RV 93-allegro giusto (3:21)
5. Largo (5:22)
6. Allegro (2:03)
Carulli:
7. Concerto for Guitar, strings and 2 Horns in A, Op.140-Allegro (8:09)
8. Polonaise (5:11)

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Tokai Talbo A-140S -Red Skeleton

guitarz.blogspot.com:

With Hallowe'en just around the corner, who would be without a skeleton guitar to usher in the creatures of the night?

What you haven't got one! Well, luckily for you, I've been checking out eBay on your behalf. This beauty in a deep devilish red could be just what you need. Fortunately for us the seller has posted a bunch of great photos so it's well worth nipping over to eBay to check it out. Unfortunately he doesn't say very much about the guitar so I'm not sure if it's an aluminium body. It's from the 90s so it probably is. A wicked looking guitar, whatever it's made of.

I tried a little Googling on this beastie but haven't come up with another with the Skeleton moniker. So I can't see where the connection is. Maybe the seller is trying for a festive sale.

David in Barcelona

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

Vintage Norma Guitar with fallen F holes!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

What the...? Double take time in eBay town! I tagged this guitar because I thought it was a conventional but very nice looking guitar, especially the pickups. I love the surrounds. Today when I was double checking it I noticed the f holes. What the? I'll say it again for the third time. What the? I don't think I've seen such a strange thing on an otherwise conventional instrument - ever. What on earth were they thinking? The top of the f holes are right beside the bridge, where there is most downward pressure. I'm surprised it's survived. Maybe , as the bottom is the deepest part, they thought it was the best place for sound projection... No, you're right. That doesn't make sense at all.

This definitely comes under the category " well, someone must have thought it was a good idea!"

David in Barcelona (back from Sitges)

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

Tetsuo Sakurai / Greg Howe / Dennis Chambers - Vital World (2010)

Artist: Tetsuo Sakurai / Greg Howe / Dennis Chambers
Album: Vital World
Year: 2010
Genre:  Heavy Fusion, Progressive Instrumental, Jazz Rock
Format: 320 kbps mp3
Password: http://guitar-maniacs.blogspot.com
Tracklist:
1. Critical Planet (2:31)
2. Alien's Feast (6:14)
3. A Tear Of The Clown (7:11)
4. Are You Ready (6:18)
5. Another Kingdom (5:15)
6. Triangle Square (6:39)
7. Monster Parade (6:54)
8. Father (5:48)

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Mandolin beauties galore from Framus

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Martin Niggemann writes:

I just stumbled upon a recent addition to the Framus vintage archives you might be interested in: the mandolin section. Apparently they made a couple of high-end electric/acoustic mandolins that were modelled on their famous jazz and electric guitars, e.g. the Black Rose, Television/Hollywood, etc., but with a twist!

I never came across any of these on eBay, so I suppose they are quite rare.

Cheers from Germany,
Martin

Thanks for that, Martin. I never knew that these existed either. I note also that there are 10-string and 12-string mandolins (each with 4 courses of strings in pairs and/or triples) as well as the more familiar 8-strings. I really like the solid-body electric - it's a much more pleasing shape than the more usual Fender Mandocaster.

G L Wilson

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