Guitars

Guitars

The Electric Arsenal

A company-by-company evaluation of what's available:

Ampeg (The Ampeg Company, P.O. Box 310, Elkhart, Indiana, 46514). After phasing out their see-through guitars, Ampeg has developed a new line of electric guitars and electric basses under the "Stud' tradename. Ranging in cost from $219.50 for the GE100 Stud to $275.00 for the GEB750 Big Stud, all of these instruments reflect the company's experience in building hybrid solid bodies which combine dependable playing properties with advanced construction. They all have two-way adjustable neck rods, all the wood bodies have been treated with epoxy to cut down on resonance, and the guitars have special pick-ups which give a very gutsy mid-range sound. This new Ampeg series is really a work-horse type of guitar, designed With clean, solid lines, a minimum of gadgets, and is covered with a one year guarantee against defects in either material or workmanship.

Fender (Fender Musical Instruments, 1300 East Valencia, Fullerton, California, 92531). Fender now has over a dozen electric guitars and sijf electric bass guitars in their line. Prices go from $162.50 for the Musicmaster to $451.00 for the Jaguar. Electric basses cost from $139.50 for the Musicmaster bass to $356.50 for the Jazz bass. The company also has some higher priced, hand-crafted guitars such as their acoustic-electric Montego ($750 to $850) and their hand carved Ltd. ($1,500). Among the special Fender features found on their medium to higher priced guitars are special pegs, humbucking pick-ups that are individually adjustable, a micro tilt neck to adjust the action precisely, and the tradition off-set body contour.

Fender guitars are priced to give you what you pay for. The Bronco and Musicmaster models start off the line — single pick-up guitars with tone and volume controls. The Bronco has a tremolo bar and its pick-up is near the bridge; the Musicmaster has one pick-up near the end df the neck. From these Fender moves into medium priced models such as the. Telecaster Thinline (2 humbucking pick-ups with adjustable pole pieces; 3 position master pick-up selector switch; master volume and tone control) and the Stratocaster (3 adjustable pick-ups; bullet truss rod and micro adjustment neck; master volume control; 2 tone controls, and master selector switch). The Jaguar has 2 adjustable pick-ups with 6 individual pole pieces, tremlo bar, on-off switches for pick-ups and tone controls, lead-rhythm switch, volume and tone controls for both lead and rhythm, a bridge string mute, and is in the "most expensive unit" category.

Gibson (Gibson, Inc., 7373 North Cicero Avenue, Lincolnwood, Illinois, 60646). The people who brought you the Flying V, Firebird, and Les Paul guitars are still at it with a wide variety of solid body and semi-hollow guitars in their line. For electric rock work, Gibson features a number of solid bodies like The Standard and The Special. The Special has a number of extra features including a Bigsby tailpiece and chrome plated pick-up casings. Gibson has also revived their Les Paul guitar which has a tone switch, pick-up selector, decade control, bass and treble controls, and an impedance switch.

The company is also producing a full line of bass guitars (six in all) ranging from the EB-3 to the SB-350. All have the'distinctive Gibson bass sound - totally different from that which you'll get on a Fender bass.

Gibson also makes some very fine hollow body, f-stop, jazz type electrics such as their L-5CES "Master's Guitar". The L-5CES has a tune-o-matic bridge, an extra long scale, adjustable truss rod, humbucking pick-ups, and finely crafted maple body and neck work.

Gretsch (Gretsch, 1801 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202). Best known for their Chet Atkins models guitars, Gretsch now has five different Chet Atkins to choose from. Their Tennessean is the only single cutaway of the line while it and all the others, except for the Super Chet, have Bigsby tailpieces. The Country Gentleman is perhaps the most familiar Atkins model guitar and it features high-ratio machine heads, adjustable bridge with individual string saddle adjustments, adjustable pick-ups with a standby switch, and 18 frets clear of the body. Gretsch guitars are especially useful for studio recording since their design allows for a wide range of tones and attacks to be developed by simply working on the adjustments with one Gretsch guitar and a good amp.

Guild (Guild Musical Instruments, 225 West. Grand Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey, 07202). Guild makes a full line of electric guitars and basses both semi-hollow and solid body, plus a Couple of hollow body acousticelectrics. Prices range from $210 for their S-50 single pick-up solid body to $950 for their special order Artist Model. Their Starfire, semi-hollow line has a body less than 2 inches thick with a 24 3/4 inch scale and a rosewood finger board.

Guild also makes a Bluesbirds series which have a 3/4 size body with a full scale neck. Adjustable bridge, 2 gold-plated humbucking pick-ups, a phase switch, master volume control, and Grover machine heads are features of the M-75GS, an exceptionally nice model.

Hagstrom (Arc Musical Instruments, 56 Harvester Avenue, Batavia, New York, 10420). Although they carry a full line of electric guitars and basses, Hagstrom has beep creating the most noise with their new "Swede" electric. Admittedly designed to compete with the Les Paul Gibson, but lower in price, the Swede has 2 anti-hum pick-ups with individually adjustable pole pieces, 2 threeway toggle switches — one for pick-up selection, one for tone variations - plus a 22-fret neck with deep body cutaway, machine heads, and a back plate which allows instant access into the electronic circuitry should servicing be necessary.

Two hollow body electrics are in their line: the Jimmy D'Aquisto model_and the V-IN model. They also have three electric bass guitars in their line, the Swede Bass, the F100B which has a Fender-type design, and the F400N which has a Gibson-Guild body design.

The necks of all Hagstrom guitars are guaranteed to stay in alignment for ten years, which is the most remarkable guarantee I've ever heard of from a manufacturer.

Harmony (The Harmony Company, Chicago, Illinois, 60632) They aren't known for making expensive guitars, but for their pricerange, Harmony electrics are really a buy. For around two hundred dollars you can get a guitar that produces veiry original, funky sounds. They have an extensive line of hollow, semi-hollow, and solicLbodies. If you're looking for a first beginning guitar or a second one to fool around with, try a Harmony.

Hofner (Sorkin Music Company, Inc., 370 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, New York 11787). Ah yes, shades of Paul McCartney. Hofner is one of the major Germany guitar manufacturers which are competetive with the better American brands.

A number of the Hofner models have very advanced electronics. The Model 4575/VTZ double cutaway has a transistorized treble boost and fuzz system built-in to the guitar, four volume adjustment controls, three pickups, a treble and fuzz toggle switch, and a slide selector switch for each pick-up giving seven different tones per pick-up.

Other Hofner models you might want to check out include the Hi-Fi (Model 4579) which has a Les Paul shape, two pick-ups with individual volume and tone controls, and weighs just IV2 pounds; and the Model 176 solid body with tremolo tail piece, three double-pole pick-ups, over-all volume control, five-position tone selector, plus a half-dozen other controls.

Hofner has five different electric basses in their line including the Beatle Model (500/1) which is available as a left-handed guitar (500/1LH) in case you really want to get into it. The Beatle bass has the unique Hofner violin body and is also being made in a deluxe model (G500/1). Hofner also makes a semihollow body bass that is similar to one Harmony used to make and to the Framus TV-Star model Bill Wyman played during the Stones" early days. It's the model 500/4.

MCI (MCI, Inc., 7400 Imperial Drive, Box 8053, Waco, Texas, 76710). MCI makes the "Guitorgan" which is a very "electric" electric, guitar. It plays like any electric, but also can be adjusted to sound like an organ, accordian, vibes, synthesizer. . ^ can play octaves, 5ths above the keyboard, and so forth. The sound output is stereo and a volume pedal is included with the guitar. There are two Guitorgan models: B-300 can sound like a Hammond organ as well as guitar; the B-340 has flute, reed, and string stops.

Mosrite (Mosrite of California, 1424 "P" Street^ Bakersfield, California, 93301). If anyone has a complaint about the way Mosrite makes guitars it's usually that the action on the finger board is so fast that you hand can literally slide right off! Mosrites really do have a special feel to them that you'll either love or hate, but you shouldn't miss trying. Among the models they have available are two solid bodies: a six-string and a bass; and two semi-hollow models, both six-strings. The solid body is the VI Standard ($398.00) and the VI Bass ($398.00). The semi-hollows with f-stops are the Celebrity III ($298.00) and the Celebrity I ($498.00). All are double pick-up guitars.

Ovation (Ovation Instruments, Inc., Greenwoods Rd., New Hartford, Connecticut, 061357). Ovations makes both acoustic-electric and solid body electric guitars in their electric line. The acoustic-electrics include the Electric Legend (1617-4) at $504.00, the Electric Artist (1621-1 in sunburst finish) at $429.00, the Electric Country Artist (1624-4) at $429.00, all conversions of their acoustic series of guitars.

Their solid bodies are a new addition to their line. The Breadwinner and The Deacon, $349.00 and $449.00 respectively. They feature special Ovation pick-up modules, and transistorized pre-amplifiers built-in. The differences between the two models gets down to the finish and hardware on the guitar, the Deacon being the more deluxe of the two.

Rickenbacker (Rickenbacker, Inc., 201 East Stevens Street, P.O. Box 2275, Santa Ana, California, 92707). Rickenbacker makes any number of electric guitars and electric basses in both solid body and "thin" body designs. Prices start at $248 for their Model 420 solid body and go to $759 for their Model 366 Deluxe Thin Body which can be used as either a six or twelve string electric. Rickenbacker has developed dozens of custom design features for their guitars over the years. Which are included depends on the cost of the guitar within the series that you buy. Among the features available are: special tail piece, special bridges for fine adjustment of string tone and height, their own pick-up design, Rick-oSound stereo output, dual neck rods, the six-twelve string converter allowing instant change from 6 to 12 strings, adjustable pick guards, slot head, tone switch, and vibrato. You can pick and choose what you want.

XES (X.E.S. - Series Inc., 66 Carmine Street, New York, New York, 10014). Featured in the July, 1973 issue of CREEM, the XES is one of the new breed of electric guitars that is more electric than guitar.

Other manufacturers of electric guitars you should keep in mind include: Carvin Company, 112 Industrial Avenue, Escondido, California, 92025 who sell guitars by direct mail and also sell parts if you want to build your own or do modifications; Framus, Philadelphia Music Company, 456 West Ridge Pike, Limerick, Pennsylvania; Goya, 53 West 23rd Street, New York, New York 10010; and Vox, 8345 Hayrenhurst Avenue, Sepulveda, California.

Acoustic Guitars Can Kill Your Mama!

Acoustic guitars have a place in the land of rock for a number of reasons. First of all they are the antecedent of the electric guitar and can, therefore, be played by the electric guitarist. Second because sounding and voicing effects are possible with an acoustic that are difficult to duplicate electronically. Third because steel string electrics have a tonalpercussive effect when strummed that comes across in the recording studio as an effect in itself, or maybe you never heard a Neil Young record.

There are a vast number of acoustic guitars available, nylon-gut string classicals, steel string flat-tops, f-stop and round hole, and so forth. You should become familiar with all types of acoustics, the sound they produce, and the ends to which they can be used in a rock situation.

A random sampling of the acoustics available suggests that just about every type of acoustic is made at every price. You can get a steel string flat-top for $100 or $1,000; the same goes for a Spanish or classical guitar. Unlike electric guitars, it's often possible to find a gem of an acoustic at a price that is relatively low. Each guitar has its own voice, feel, and response, no matter how many are turned out on what assembly line. Some acoustics are also made more or less by hand, which results in a fine instrument.

I'd recommend you check out the following: Harmony's H6510 Grand Auditorium Guitar ($179.95) and H6382 Regal Deluxe Grand Concert Folk Guitar 159-95). (You might also find some of their less expensive acoustics [they go down to about 60 bucks] worth looking into); Original Musical Instrument Co., Inc."s (1404 Gaylord Street, Long Beach, California, 90S 13) Dobro, guitars which range in price from $315 for their Model No. 30 to $450 for their ornately hand carved metal body Model No. 36; Guild has come beautiful steel-string flat-tops including their F-48 Navaree with its jumbo body; Harptone (127 South 15th Street, Newark, New Jersey, 07107) is making an interesting line of guitars, including an acoustic bass. I really like their Rs-6Bc six-string that looks like the old Gibson black finish guitar-Everly Bros, model.; Ovation makes a full line of acoustics all with the bell-back that they've developed. If you're planning to record rhythm guitar sounds you'd do well to use a Martin. They're exceptionally good for studio work, with just the right bite to be heard and yet a full mellow sound. You should also use 'Martin for stage work. They have any number of models in their line, both six and twelve strings; if you're a Fender fan, try out their steel-string flat-tops.