Res-O-Glas Nick Page Strich-2

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I regularly check what's going on at Berliner luthier Nick Page (I evoked here a couple of time his Baron model and mentioned his metal front or paisley ultra-cool telecasters), and I'm never disappointed. Today I want to show the res-o-glas body Strich-2, again a perfect combination of old school design and contemporary spirit. The shape is reminiscent of Rickenbacker Combo 600 or Gretsch Astro Jet, with its big upper horn and German carve, but more rounded, probably to increase the resonance of a bigger hollow body made of the res-o-glas you find in 60s original Airline guitars. 

This model has Filtertron pickups, but other ones are equipped with Nick Page custom ones, that is not so common amongst small luthiers. Gear and headstock are also original, and all this confirms that German guitars legacy is still alive, and that small companies keep the spirit high, where fat ones just manage to stay fat.

Bertram

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

Exclusive: Tantra electric guitars brochure

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Hervé Le Garsmeur, one of the founders of French guitar manufacturers Tantra, has kindly shared with us this Tantra catalogue, the original of which is apparently disintegrating and, he suspects, may be the last one on the planet. So, here it is for prosperity:

Thank you for allowing us to share this, Hervé. It's very much appreciated!

G L Wilson

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

Guild X-100 Blade Runner (again)

guitarz.blogspot.com:

The last time we looked at a Guild X-1000 Blade Runner (as used by Joe Perry in the "Walk This Way" video), it generated quite a lot of discussion in the comments.

Back then I was astounded that someone would ask £7000 for such a guitar (i.e. over $11,300 in US dollars), so in comparison this example, which has been on eBay for the last few weeks, seems to be more conservatively priced with a starting bid of $2,995.

Also, since that last post, I have learned that the Schecter Genesis was indeed copied from this Blade Runner.

G L Wilson

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

1960s Melody Guitar

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Hey, it's got a triple cutaway design, a bank of pushbutton switches, a pearlescent celluloid finish, four pickups... it's GOT to be 1960s Italian, hasn't it?

And indeed it is. It's a Melody, which for a while, operated as a subsiduary to Eko. For the full story, check this article on the always brilliant Fetish Guitars website. This particular example (pictured above) sold on eBay just recently for what seems like a very fair price of €412.

G L Wilson

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

Kay semi-hollow

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I'm afraid that there's nothing I can tell about this Kay semi-hollow guitar (Kay is a complicated topic), but that I love semi-hollow body guitars with double florentine cutaway, the sliding pots are really cool, the F-hole is quite special, and the pickguard looks like the batwing ones you find on some vintage Höfners.

Bertram

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

1960s Fenton Weill Twistmaster (we think)

guitarz.blogspot.com:

There's something awfully "homemade" looking about these vintage British guitars from Fenton Weill. This model, which the seller suspects is a Fenton Weill Twistmaster (I don't know enough about the brand to contradict that claim) is typical in that it looks as if it was assembled in someone's garden shed. Note the interesting double pickguard. Another odd feature is that although the guitar is finished in blonde, the back of the neck is inexplicably picked out in black.

There must surely have been some connection with Vox and/or Jennings Musical Industries of Dartford, Kent. The headstock is exactly the same as that I had on my old Vox Clubman II. The Fenton Weill neck looks to be glued in, by the way; it's not a simple bolt-on job.

G L Wilson

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

1980s mirrored Erlewine Lazer travel guitar

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This Erlewine Lazer travel guitar - made famous by Johnny Winter - has been modified to become a lefty, hence the knobs moved from the front to what is now the top (but actually with the back cutaway, it's still usable as a righty).  

With its single splitable DiMarzio humbucker, it's the early version of the Lazer - the IMC. The big tuning bridge with its fanned tuners is extremely cool - I'm surprised that it's not more common for headless guitars, because it seems to be a pretty good solution - but one should try it to be sure...

Bertram

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