Nick Rhodes' Pixelator Fender Stratocaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

As I've said before, if we're going to show Fender Stratocasters on this blog they need to be pretty damn special - either that or particularly disgusting or amusing. This Pixelator Strat, I'm sure you'll agree, falls into the "special" category.

The brainchild of Duran Duran's keys player Nick Rhodes, this Mexican-made Fender Stratocaster has been customised by Sims Custom Shop with 100s of LEDs beneath a plexiglass top, which when controlled from a laptop (also included in the sale) allows video-streaming straight to the guitar's top, as seen in the YouTube clip below.


Currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of £5,000.

I'm reminded of Visionary Instruments' video guitars but think I prefer Nick Rhodes' system which uses a regular (albeit modified) guitar.

G L Wilson

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

Jolana RK120 - the Czech answer to the Stratocaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

It's immediately obvious which well known guitar was the inspiration for this late 1980s Jolana RK120 from Czechoslovakia, but it doesn't follow the template too closely and, in my mind, is all the better for it. It's surely preferable to a guitar that tries to fool you into thinking it's a Strat but then doesn't get the design quite right. For example I'm thinking of the Encore Strat copies where the lower horn is just the wrong shape - little inconsistencies like that bug me. The body shape here has a definite offset waist; it's a little like a Jazz Bass inspired version of a Strat.

This Jolana with the low production number of 0063, being an 80s guitar, has the obligatory locking trem (by Schaller in this case) and locking nut. The all-red finish on body and neck reminds me of my own DiMarzio cellophane Strat, but in this instance we have an ebony fingerboard.

G L Wilson

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

Squier Strat modded for stereo

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Wow, just look at this great confusion of pickups, knobs, switches and THREE output jacks! I'll let the eBay seller tell you about it:

Middle pick-up on Strat has been replaced by 2 slanted Fender pick-ups, one covers the 3 bass strings and one covers the 3 treble strings. Fuller sound as 6 coils cover 3 strings. [I think he means 6 "pole pieces" - GLW] The signals are then fed out through 2 separate volume controls to 2 jacks - one going to the left amp and one to the right giving a fantastic stereo sound. Each jack can of course, have its own effects foot pedal like reverb, chorus or octave box etc. Special offer - on one Fender Stratocaster Squier (as opposed to Mexican) - $745 + $45 shipping. Will build to your own specifications [...]

Normal Strat pick-up coming from 3rd jack.

This can be used for normal Strat playing with volume, tone and switching between the neck and bridge humbucker. Playing the 2 together is not a feature found on normal Strats as they are usually combined with the middle pick-up. You can of course have a third amp for surround sound.

Once you hear the amazing sound you'll never want to play a mono guitar again (unless it's a Martin). If you are not happy please send it back as we really don't want to sell it. The guitar has been modified to professional standards by the Guitar Guru of Toronto, who has finely tuned the action and fantastic sound.

Hey, I'm sure it works beautifully, and would be a great guitar for recording with. But all those switches look a bit much, and can you imagine try to play that at a gig with three cables coming out of it?

Thanks to Caleb who spotted this one on eBay.

G L Wilson

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

Fender ST-Champ travel Strat with built-in amp

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Although I can imagine one or two readers groaning when they see this blog post, I make no apologies for showing you all yet another Stratocaster. Yes, the Stratocaster does seem to have a certain omnipresence to it, but one of the things I enjoy about it is the sheer number of variations on a theme that we see. Rest assured, I'm not going to blog about a bog-standard Stratocaster - we've all seen those a thousand times and more; if I'm going to blog about a Strat, it's going to be different in some way.

This particular Strat is a Fender Japan ST-Champ and I guess it would be safe to say that it represents Fender's take on the travel guitar. It has a mini-sized body although the neck appears to be full-scale, a single humbucker and an on-board amp. The ST-CHAMP is definitely not to be confused with the 3/4-scale Squier Mini with on-board amp. The difference in quality should be apparent from the photos. Having not seen one of these before, my guess is that this guitar was produced for the Japanese market only. If you know differently, I'm happy to be told otherwise!

Thanks to Keith McCreary who found this guitar on the www.ishibashi.co.jp/eng site.

G L Wilson

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

Non-standard Standard Strat by Squier

guitarz.blogspot.com:


I thought I'd keep the Fender theme going a bit if that's OK. I've been promising myself for years that I was going to buy a Fender. My shopping list is "pre CBS Strat" (which I came within a hairs breadth of attaining once - 59 body 60 neck, metallic green respray out of a can £100), Telecaster Esquire, Thinline with bound body, Jazzmaster with anodised gold scratchplate (which I came within an eBay's breadth of attaining last year £3000 and some change (1958, excellent-mint condition - almost unbelievable).

My sights have lowered significantly of late apart from the '94 aluminium body that I'd bid and paid for before the seller decided he couldn't send it to my unconfirmed address and backed down.

I've only ever sold one item through eBay so don't have much experience as a seller so maybe someone can help with me something. What is with this "unconfirmed address" thing? Sellers won't post to an unconfirmed address even though eBay says they are still protected. I'm not sure why eBay doesn't just drop the option as, in their FAQs, even they discourage sellers from stating it in their ads as it reduces the chances of selling. Also, surely it's us buyers who more at risk from "sellers" who don't deliver. After all, you receive our money before you ship so we are taking a much bigger chance.

Anyway, back to the guitar. I was checking out my local online classifieds (loquo.com) and found someone who was selling a 2005 Squier Standard Strat for €125 (£104). I went along, looked it over and bought it.

Maybe it was just my expectations but this seems to be anything but standard. I guess it's a copy of another, high-end, Fender. It's obvious this wasn't going to be a luthier's wet dream but it's not bad, by any means. The body is matt varnished, tinted mahogany (looking not too dissimilar to my Mum's coffee table), maple neck and rosewood fretboard (as I understand). Big old 70s headstock - nice. The fittings are Squier, enough said. The middle and neck pickups are very bassy and boomy and the tone controls don't seem make one iota of difference whatsoever to the tone. Anyone had the same experience? And, is there anything I can do to brighten them up without changing the pickups? The bridge humbucker is hard edged aggressive and has a bright, dry, shrieky tone. I love it.

I'm not a great trem user and this two point trem seems very delicate. It moves when I bend the strings! I'm going to add an extra spring or two and see if that helps. If not, I'll lock it in place with some blocks of wood. Any tips or comments on that appreciated.

I shall be using this experiment with so it may well begin to transform, Frankenstein-like over time. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Pass the soldering iron Igor!

Stop Press: Just seen a Squier Obey Telecaster for €150, hmmm Franken-Tele-Strat-stein-thing! Where is that saw? Seriously. Anyone have experience of these Teles?

David in Transylvania

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

From New Zealand, a pair of Jansen Invaders - how collectable exactly are these?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

At first glance, this auction looks mightily suspect. Two 1972 Jansen Invader guitars - which would appear to be not very accurate Stratocaster knock-offs and rather knocked about at that - for HOW MUCH? $12,200.00? That's over $6,000 each! Is this another case of a highly optimistic eBay seller?

What do we know about these guitars? Well, they were obviously deemed of enough importance for an example to be included in the Museum of New Zealand. The museum website tells us that:

In the 1960s, many kiwi pop guitarists owned one of these – a Jansen electric guitar. Jansens were the first solid-body electric guitars to be mass-produced in this country, and they became firm favourites with our musicians.
[...]
Their Invader model, made in 1964 and based on the famous Fender Stratocaster, was a huge success. It was named after local hit band Ray Columbus and the Invaders. For several years in New Zealand, this was the guitar to have. It outsold not only the Stratocaster but all other imported brands.

Although Jansen guitars were often modelled on overseas examples, the company introduced many of their own innovations, especially in the design of the pick-up.
[...]
Already noted for their innovative pick-up design, Jansen staff put a lot of effort into studying ‘waveforms’. Perhaps the best Jansen pick-ups were designed by Paul Crowther, their organ designer, who later became drummer in the famous kiwi band Split Enz.

In the late 1970s competition from overseas, especially Japan, was heating up, and Jansen went out of production.
[...]
Today Jansens continue to be highly sought after both locally and internationally – as collectors’ items.

So, they might be collectors' items, but do they warrant the price tag we see here? Personally, I rather like the concept behind the design. It's obviously modelled after a Fender Stratocaster but has a couple of features seemingly lifted from the Jazzmaster including the bridge and tremolo, and the individual pickup selector switches (surely more logical than Fender's 5-way switch). As someone who likes Strats but has never liked nor gotten on with the traditional Fender Strat tremolo, the Invader does appeal. But at these prices, I'm not going to be trying out one any time soon.

A quick Google search does reveal that the vintage guitar prices seen here are not without precedent. It also reveals that there was a 12-string version too!

G L Wilson

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

Mike Oldfield's Red Fender Stratocaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Gef has emailed to tell about his Fender Strat, a guitar with a history having had a famous owner:

This guitar is a Fender Stratocaster from 1963 and was one of Mike Oldfield’s favourite guitars. He bought it in 1984 and sold it in December 2007. He used it on 15 albums during this era, the most famous one being "Tubular Bells II" and he used this guitar during the great World Premiere of this album in Edinburgh in 1992.

He used it for the very last time in Antwerp during the rehearsals of The Night of the Proms in 2006. Unfortunately, he didn’t play it during the concerts in Germany. It was the last time we saw Mike Oldfield with this wonderful guitar.

Mike has often said that this guitar “was his favourite one” alongside another, his current PRS 24.

Thanks for that! It's good to know that this guitar is still being cherished.

If any other readers have a guitar with a story to tell, please do get in touch!

G L Wilson

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

Univox Eagle Strat

guitarz.blogspot.com:

In February 2009 we looked at a Univox Eagle P-Bass, and here we see its 6-string counterpart, the Univox Eagle Strat which is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a starting price of $499. A product of Japan's now legendary Matusmoko factory this late 1970s walnut-bodied beauty is a close relation of the Aria Pro II Dragon Strat which we have also looked before.

If you're on the lookout for a Strat but at the same time want something a little bit different from the norm, you could do a lot worse than to buy one of these, but be aware that they don't come up for auction too often. Having had played a friend's Dragon Strat years ago I can personally atest to the fact that they feel and sound great.

G L Wilson

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

Another DiMarzio Cellophane Strat

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Regular readers of Guitarz will no doubt be familiar with my DiMarzio Cellophane Strat which I have posted about several times. Frank from Denmark has another one (pictured above) - indeed he's currently offering it for sale. He describes it as being pink rather than red, so I'm not sure if the finish is quite the same as mine or if we are interpreting the same colour differently. (Mine can appear red, pink or orange depending on the lighting conditions). His also differs in being routed from the rear for the controls, having a different pickup and control layout and a 22-fret neck as opposed to my guitar's 21-fret neck.

It's nice to see another one of these turn up. They are quality guitars and seem to be quite a rarity. I have owned seven Stratocasters over the years, and my Red Beauty has been my favourite one - and the one I would keep now if I had to have a Strat cull from my collection.

G L Wilson

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

Fender Custom Shop Strat/Tele hybrid

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This is a Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster/Telecaster hybrid masterbuilt by Yuriy Shishkov, and is one of only 10 guitars of this design. This stunning example, finished in emerald green on body, neck and fingerboard, is currently being offered for sale on eBay in the UK with a Buy It Now price of £3,200.

A similar example, with not quite such a stunning finish, is also being offered for sale with slightly less hefty Buy It Now price of £2,600.

G L Wilson

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

Mercurio S-type guitar with interchangeable pickups

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Mercurio Guitars were made from 2003-2006 in Chanhassen Minnesota USA, and have a particularly innvovative feature of interchangeable pickup modules. A set of DIP switches on the rear of the guitar allow the pickups to be selected in series, parallel, coil tap, in phase and out of phase modes. This particular example is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1,250.

I remember seeing these a few years back and it's a great idea for the session guitarist who wants access to an endless number of pickup combinations without having to cart around a whole arsenal of different guitars.

For most of us though, or at least people like me, as with the Variax modelling guitars it's just too much happening on one guitar.

Incidentally, I've seen similar interchangeable pickups on Gibson "test bed" guitars.

G L Wilson

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!

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!

Fernandes Love Driver is a real pussycat

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I almost feel that I should have to apologise when posting about another Stratocaster. However, this custom shop quality instrument is no Fender. Built in Japan's FujiGen factory in either the late 1970s or early 1980s (my guess would be the latter), this Fernandes Love Driver with "Erotic Body" is the kind of quality Japanese "copy" that got Fender thinking that if they can't beat them they may as well join them and which led to the emergence of the Squier and Fender Japan lines.

What would you call that finish? It's a kind of dusky pink sparkle. And I'm not usually one for fancy inlay work, but I do like the black cat at the 12th fret position.

G L Wilson

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

What the?????? The Destroyer

guitarz.blogspot.com:

While we are on an art theme, lets talk about art... and guitars. From the previous sorry attempt to something altogether much more interesting and I believe, more artistic on every level. If a guitar can be a work of art, I think this is one that deserves the tag.

This Guitar, The Destroyer, was built by luthier Mark Dalzell for the 2007 Jersey City Studio Artists Tour, which seems to be an "open studios" not a music tour.

Firstly, it looks amazing and secondly it looks like it was built by someone who knows what he's doing. He certainly does.

I'm going to list the features in Marks own words:

- Double neck 6-string guitar, 4-string mandolin
- Onboard digital effects Distortion, Chorus and Flanger
- Onboard analog "Theremaniacs" theremin
- Onboard chromatic tuner
- Scalloped brass nut on guitar and mandolin
- LED fret markers
- LED pickup indicators
- 1/4 scalloped neck on guitar
- 6-bolt neck
- Matching amplifier
- 60's styled chrome accents

It is well worth spending a little time checking out his Flickr stream to see some of his other creations, not to mention some spiffing shots of his Vermont 2009 golfing holiday. And don't miss the opportunity to check out his "Incredible Stupephone" on Youtube. It made my day and I hope it has the same effect on you.

David in Barcelona

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

Tempest Japanese Strat with built-in effects

guitarz.blogspot.com:
Remember the Fresher Straighter Japanese Strat-a-like with built-in drum machine? Well, here we have a similar guitar with built-in effects (sustain/drive, phase and auto-wah) this one bearing the Tempest brand. With a solid ash body and excellent build quality, this is one to look out for if you don't mind the bizarrely-shaped pickguard and all those extra controls.

G L Wilson

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

John Mayall's sawn-off Strats

guitarz.blogspot.com:
Latvis sent the above photo and comments that: "I know that John Mayall has many modified and odd shaped guitars. [In] 1990 he played this one at Kuusrock Festival here in Finland."

Indeed, John Mayall does seem to favour Strat-type guitars (in the above instance it's a Fernandes) with the body chopped down to the bare minimum. Quite why he likes such tiny-bodied guitars is anyone's guess. Perhaps it has something to do with the way he slings the guitar strap over his right shoulder?

G L Wilson

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

Dewey Decibel's FlipOut guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:
Dewey Decibel's FlipOut guitar puts a whole new perspective on the term "reverse body" as used by the likes of Gibson.

Yes, I have blogged about this guitar a long time ago, but I've not shown a photo of one before and haven't seen one on eBay such as this example currently being offered for sale.

This guitar, which is no longer in production, muse surely rank alongside Brian Eastwood's Bender Distortocaster as a novelty "double-take" version of the Stratocaster.

G L Wilson

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

Fender Stratocaster in Black Paisley finish

guitarz.blogspot.com

The readers of this blog might have noticed that I really don't like stratocasters, but I do like paisley and black and even more black paisley so I like the black paisley finish of this limited edition 1997 made in Japan Fender Stratocaster.

I could tell about the pickups, the pickguard or the tremolo, but this is still a summer post, so I can be so frivolous that all I care about is the finish (also after a few months of research, my girlfriend finally found for me a pair of paisley shirts - an exploit in Berlin - so I felt like celebrating!)

Bertram

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

An extreme solution to making a stereo Stratocaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

STEREO from BASTER on Vimeo.

Bertram posted this on Facebook yesterday, and I feel that it's too good for us to ignore here on Guitarz. Once again, this comes to us via www.muzicosphere.com.

Of course, this isn't the first double-bodied guitar sharing a single neck that we've seen on Guitarz.

G L Wilson

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