No Fender, No Gibson, All Unusual.

A collection of guitar imagery, accompanied by the occasional diatribe, curated by Nick Smethurst of Melbourne, Australia. ~ The only common factor is my particular aesthetic, which happens to revolve around unusual, uncommon and oddball instruments. There are already plenty of blogs celebrating offsets, Les Pauls etc - this is not such a blog. This is instead a forum for one-offs, weird discoveries and those precious instruments that only 1 in 100 people can appreciate. I hope you'll enjoy it. (Where possible, if a guitar is for sale, i'll include purchasing links.)

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A long hiatus

If I started posting again, would that be a good idea?

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Yeah, I know, I disappeared for a lot longer than planned. Forgive me. I'm back now and i've got piles of odd guitars to tell you about...!

This, friends, is the Edwards Aloha-Ken. What a dreamboat. Available now from Ishibashi, this is a very fine MIJ Les Paul copy in it's own right, near-perfect tropical finish not withstanding. I love this so much more than the over-hyped paisley telecasters...

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Sorry for the irregular posts at the moment - i'm finishing my job and travelling interstate to finish my band's new LP. More weird guitars soon, though, I promise.

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Versoul Raya, Raya Baritone and Raya Baritone 12

(For when you have a spare $6k+, I suppose?)

Kari Nieminen's boutique builds may occupy a price bracket normally reserved for only the most disgustingly obnoxious of custom strats, but in a refreshing turn of events, they're actually quite left of the norm - even if they're well outside the grasp of anyone who doesn't manage a hedge fund or tour global stadiums.

This Finnish firm have been designing instruments for over 30 years, sparing no expense in the process. Moose shinbone nuts? Custom electric razor-style pickup covers? 23-carat gold fretboard markers - and the addded option of a full 23-carat gold coating on the entire guitar? Sure, why not.

At the end of the day, though, those slightly jarred offset bodies and flipped headstocks are the reason i'm drawn to them. The three models i've showcased above include a standard-scale model (25.4", fender-esque), a 26.75" A-to-A-tuned Baritone (with tremolo! Baritones with trems are too infrequent, in my humble view), and a likewise-scaled Bari-12 string - which will either strike you as completely ridiculous or absolutely genius.

There are many other models to read up on, though, if the curiosity strikes you. Acoustics, Resonators, Basses, Sitars - they're all there. Hell, there's even a borderline-parodic custom model for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, appointed with a giant functionless blue orb behind the bridge. I guess if you're that wealthy, and you already have a world-class guitar collection to boot, then the absurd becomes almost non-optional?

(The Versoul Website is a nice place to start if you want to learn more, but it appears to be long out of date, with the most recent news having been posted in late 2009. US dealer Destroy All Guitars seem to keep a fair stock - i've posted photos from their catalogue above - but they mostly appear to keep one-offs at the moment, as opposed to the production models discussed herein. Still, if you want a $6,199 resonator with a Shaman glyph on it, or a $9000+ mini-acoustic...)

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It looks like an SBG2000… And yet, it isn’t. Time for a Google.

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looks like a First Act logo on the headstock

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Jinx! Glad we figured this out at the same time.

[thatcoolbandpic]

Matt Pike, High on Fire

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It looks like an SBG2000... And yet, it isn't. Time for a Google.

EDIT - turns out it's his custom First Act 9-string.

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Victor SG18

They say it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission - bearing that in mind, I hope it doesn't seem too self-indulgent to talk about a weird guitar from my own collection! Then again, there's only one other article i've been able to find about the SG18, so I figure it's in the best interest of the global Odd Guitar Community to document my experiences with it...!

I can recall, back in 2010, walking into Tym Guitars to see the above-featured thing adorning the wall. The friend I was there with had to stifle a curious mix of disgust and amusement upon considering it's mutant, mirrored body and old arcade switches. Me, though? I was instantly smitten.

In an ensuing conversation with Tim, he mention that this particular gem was "the rarest Japanese guitar [he'd] come across", saying that he'd seen it in catalogs (as shown in the fourth photo above!) but not on the market at any point. So here one was, waiting to come home with someone, and being the hopeless case that I am...

So - where to start with my mate Vic? The weirdly high powered pickups which measured as high as 12k when it was last serviced? The not-quite-baritone long scale neck, which has allowed me to comfortably tune the lowest string down to B, but never as high as E? The completely unusual pickup arrangement and faux-jazzmaster-meets-pinball-machine switching system? The fact that the entire series of Victor guitars have the RCA/HMV dog logo on the headstock??? Yeah, this may just be the apex of weird guitars!

So how does it sound? Somewhat surprisingly, it's hotted-up pickups and solid slab body remind me a lot more of 50s American guitars than of the Teisco-style Japanese guitars from the same era. I've always loved the heavily trem-arm-bent, reverb soaked 50s guitar tone on early Modest Mouse LPs, and this thing nails that feel in spades, as well as being perfect for surf-esque and garage tones besides. With the aforementioned capacity to tune it quite low, too, you can also take it into Danelectro baritone territory if you're so inclined! 

I'm not aware of any others on the open market at the moment, but seeing as how i'm lusting after one of the Harvester guitars mentioned in my last post, i'd consider selling mine if someone was keen! The three non-advertising photos above are all of my actual guitar. Feel free to get in touch if you'd be interested?

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Harvester Guitars #27 Antonio 'Cheetah'

A love affair begins?

As my Travis Bean post intimates - and as the fact of my owning two Electrical Guitar Company models makes abundantly clear - I love aluminium instrument construction. You'll forgive me if this inadvertently sounds like i'm bragging, but I just want to make the lunatic nature of my predilections known! 

So here I am, mindlessly browsing guitar imagery at work, when I spy the above construction. This sort of slightly angular body has always appealled to me too, so naturally I followed the URL, finding myself at the Harvester Guitars homepage - imagine my surprise at seeing that they're based here in Melbourne! As though this guitar wasn't neat enough on it's own, here's a local builder who's passionate about Aluminium guitars in the same fashion as me, too.

The specs for this particular guitar are just as impressive as it's physical appearance:

Harvester Antonio hybrid neck-through system with tremolo in the style of the Wandrè Tigre. 3 X P90 pickups custom wound for Harvester by Curtis Novak. Candled deep gold lacquer. Padauk board. 25" scale. 

Novaks! Paduak! And a reference to one of the pioneering Weird Guitar builders to boot! I hope this poor fellow is ready for the absolute tirade of enthusiasm i'm liable to send his way.

This wonderful guitar has sadly already sold, but Anthony looks to be actively taking on work, which may just warrant a quick phone call on my part...

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More steel. That pickup configuration is genius.

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One of Loic Le Pape's genius steel constructions.

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Travis Bean TB1000A (Artist)

I could've started a blog called "travisbeanenthusiasm.tumblr.com" and still have published just as much content as I've otherwise done. My profound love of these pioneering and rare instruments knows no bounds. 

While John Veleno was marketing his Aluminium necked guitars ("aluminum" for the Americans hereabouts) in 1972 - two years before Mr Bean's went on sale - and though Kevin at EGC has done an incredible job of re-establishing the market for TB-inspired guitars and basses, the craftsmanship and scarcity of the half-dozen assorted Bean models has led to their holy grail status for collectors of instrumental esoterica.

There was apparently a time when you could find reasonably priced TBs on the open market quite often, but renowned asshole (and, though it pains me to say, actual genius musician) Vincent Gallo single-handedly spoiled the second-hand pricing for nearly a decade, offering twice the market value for any and all Beans he could get his grubby mitts on. Fortunately, that early-to-mid-2000s excess has died off a little, and reasonable pricing is starting to re-emerge.

The guitar above, listed for sale by an Illinoise-based eBayer in the past few days, is one of the nicest looking Artist model TBs i've seen in a while - and with an opening bid of $2750 and a Buy It Now price of $4700, it's offered for a significantly lower price than they've commanded in past. While the single-coil TB500 is more collectable due to rareity, and the TB1000s ("standard") pop up a lot more often, the block-inlay Artist models have always seemed just that much nicer to me. Even at the Buy-It-Now price, this is excellent value for money, and ought to make someone very happy.

On an unrelated note - anyone want to loan me $4700USD?

(There's a phenomenal fan-run Travis Bean resource here that's definitely worth a look, even for the casual reader.)

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We’re all in love with this old Ventura Barney Kessel copy!

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I’ve always been a little unsure of these - if we’re going with old Gibsons (or copies) named after people, i’m more a Trini Lopez or Howard Roberts guy - but man, that’s some guitar…

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I’ve played a few guitars - surprising, I know. Whenever it comes up in conversation, though, I tell people the same thing: the best guitar i’ve ever played was a Gretsch Astro-Jet, and it was at Retrofret in Brooklyn, December 2010.

Look, it’s funny looking, the jokes make themselves. That doesn’t take away from how well it played. That same guitar didn’t end up selling til earlier this year, and I was crushed when it happened, as i’d always held out some kind of absurd hope that it’d end up at my house.

There’s a couple on the market right now - one at Olivia’s Vintage Guitars, from whom i’ve borrowed most of the photos herein, and another (far overpriced) example at Pete’s Rare Guitars too. The usual $3K+ price range for the Astro-Jet reflect both their scarcity and the superlative build quality of 60s Gretsches too. There was one hanging in the window of my favourite guitar shop in Australia, Tym Guitars in Brisbane, for years - not for sale, of course, but simply so Tim could remind the world that he owned it. (Shout-out to Tim for being one of the greatest, most patient, most passionate and most knowledgable human beings going).

A final note - Tom Lyngcoln of The Nation Blue and Harmony shares my affinity for these guitars too. We had a superb chat about them at the most recent Brisbane Harmony show, just days before I moved to Melbourne, and i’ve included a photo of him playing his (which was found on Tonedeaf and taken by Carl Dziunka) at the bottom of this photoset. Yes, it sounds amazing, and yes he loves it. Lucky bastard.

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Bill Lawrence MB120

Another day, another Ishibashi mystery guitar!

Bill Lawrence is a renowned US pickup designer and musician. His custom pickups are highly regarded, and he worked for Fender, Peavey and others over the years - this I knew from my devoted geekery. Finding a guitar with his name on the headstock, however, was news to me.

This thing looks a little bit Ric-ish, and also a little bit like the Eko M24/Guild M80 guitars from the late 70s and early 80s which I love so much, but I've been able to located next to no information on it's specs or quality. The Blue Book valuation guide says:

Bill Lawrence guitars feature designs based on American designs. The MB-120 features an offset cut body, three-per-side tuners, two humbucker pickups, and a stop tailpiece... These models are available primarily in Japan. Instruments may turn up in the western states in the U.S. market. Estimated prices may run from $250 to $450, depending on condition.

...which is magnificently unhelpful, really. It doesn't even help in my determining if it has a thru-neck (like the M24/M80) or just a set-in. I've been able to find evidence of another model too - a certain M68 - for which i've included the ad above. They're almost identical from the front, but the 68 appears to have a bolt on neck, which makes it significantly less awesome in my books.

This one is still for sale via Ishibashi's U-Box - you should buy it before I have a chance to consider doing so.

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This is a valid point.

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Real talk - I happen to think most Cole Clark guitars are total dross, but their really early 2000s' Tele copies (before Fender sued them!) are super nice. I can't decide if this is hideous or amazing though - any opinions?

(This guitar, and another that is less questionable but more yellow, are for sale at Music Swop Shop at the time of writing. Great prices though - they can't possibly last long! UPDATE: this guitar has SOLD.)

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In writing an ad for one of my custom guitars last week, which happens to be modelled on the absolutely genius Guild S300, I wrote of the body shape that "If you don't love it, we probably can't be friends." I am only half-kidding, honestly. I wanted to take some time to talk about my love for this guitar, as well as where that love came from. There are a fair few links below - hope you lot don't mind.

I first saw one of these wonderful guitars being played by Katy Davidson, formerly of the band Dear Nora and presently of both Key Losers and The Gossip. Dear Nora toured Australia a couple of times, and I remember being totally enamoured of her weirdo instrument - you can see her playing it in the second photo above.

Fast-track to 2011, when I was ordering my Electrical Guitar Company custom baritone, and the S300 seemed the logical shape to go with. Though i'm selling the guitar due to lack of use, that's more to do with my not needing a 30" scale baritone any more, rather than the body style - as soon as I sell it, i'd say i'll be out searching for an original S300 instead!

Unfortunately, Kim Thayil of the recently reunited Soundgarden has taken to using one (check out his guitars in the bottom left photo above, courtesy of a recent Premier Guitar article - note the other vintage Guild too!), meaning this cult guitar has been dragged back into the spotlight - and quite possibly out of my hands for the time being. Tough life, I know.

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John Frusciante circa 2012

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I read recently that the abovementioned Mr Frusciante had, after years of devoted/misguided Stratocaster usage, switched to the inimitable Yamaha SBG2000. I have the softest of spots for these completely amazing guitars - the higher end SG/SBG series Yamahas will no doubt pop up a lot on this here page. This one of his is almost certainly custom-finished - it's actually a purple which i've never seen before.

(As for John - I hate the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as much as any sensible person, but his solo work is actually ridiculously special. If you aren't familiar with it, here's a place you might start.)