Guitars I'd almost forgotten about (mid 70's - 80's)

[zontar]

Starting back before I got my Iceman, and through into the 80's I frequented guitar stores at least weekly. I read every issue of Guitar Player, and checked up on what guitars were out there. Well, I wound up with an Iceman, and a Mustang--and slightly after this a Les Paul. But recent posts here, and some guitar surfing on various sites has reminded me of a few other guitars I remember trying out, but not buying.

In no particular order-
The Fender Performer (http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Performing-Arts/Music/Instruments/String/Guitars/Electric-Guitar/Fender/Fender-41.html)
These weren't bad, but I thought overpriced for what they were. I guess Strats weren't cool enough then. Too bad. I basically saw them as Strats with humbuckers and a slightly different body. I didn't find them that comfortable to hold.

Musicman Stingrayad here. (http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/adDetails/214)
and the Sabre. (http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/adDetails/211)
I actually found these quite comfortable to play--when I could find them with a rosewood neck. But the necks on the ones I tried seemed weak. And they didn't seem to stay in tune very well--I did like the sound though

Peavey T-60 (http://www.rockandrollweekend.com/T-60%20all%20three%20-%20tops.jpg). I mentioned these in a Peavey thread--If I'd bought one of these it would have predated the Iceman. I did consider getting one, but while the sound was good, it wasn't quite me. They seemed well made, sturdy, I liked the necks. And the tone control actually changed the pickup from a single coil to a humbucker and back again.

The Gibson Victory (http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/780/618090.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Performing-Arts/Music/Instruments/String/Guitars/Electric-Guitar/Gibson/Gibson-048.html&h=200&w=426&sz=13&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=7_fupsPkHI_fKM:&tbnh=59&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgibson%2Bvictory%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%2 6sa%3DN) was supposed to offer a wide variety of tones--but many of them ere barely different than others, and some were useless to me, but ultimately I didn't think the guitar was worth the price. The Fender Performer was better.

And one of the ugliest production Gibsons ever, the Corvus (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3865/1712/1600/gibsoncorvusIII.1.jpg)
It was known, affectionately by some, as the can opener. I'd rather have a Moderne. (http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/780/616607.JPG) (Gibson finally made them in the early 80's. They looked cool. (I never played a Gibson one, but I did try an Ibanez one--I wish I'd bought it.) But beyond the look, the Corvus' shape made it awkward to play--at least I thought so. And at the age I was then--the shape didn't cut it.

History has a way of "disposing" of guitars that seemed like a good idea at the time, and some that were good ideas-but the world wasn't ready for them.

Anybody remember these, own one, or have others from their history? (Be they good, bad or ugly)

[Ti-Ron]

That Fender Performer looks really cool! Make me think a litlle bit to my Parker!

[Spikezone]

I always wanted a Moderne, and decided I would try to build one. Only thing was, once I started to look at some pictures of them, I decided I wanted to change the design a bit to suit my tastes more, and I ended up with "MYDERNE":
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/3964/myderne1lv0.jpg
-Mikey

[Mooh]

I always regretted not buying a Gibson L6S. There was one set neck and string through body that had a nice TeleDeluxe meets LP sort of vibe. It's beyond me why Gibson doesn't license Epiphone copies.

Peace, Mooh.

[torndownunit]

The Deans from that time period are amazing as well. I have a 1981 E'Lite Deluxe. One of the best guitars I have ever played.

http://www.ic-designs.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/1981_dean_elite_deluxe_-_1.jpg

[Mooh]

This topic will haunt me all day.

The Travis Bean guitars made a big splash for their long sustain, it was almost too much of a good thing. Aluminum was not the new wood.

Peace, Mooh.

[Mooh]

Okay, okay...

The Fender Starcaster. It wasn't quite the 335 killer I wanted it to be. I played several, bought none, though I certainly wish I had.

Peace, Mooh.

[Mooh]

The second generation Telecaster bass, mine was a '76 I think, had a great fat humbucking pickup and sounded like the opening of the gates of hell with flatwound strings. Mine was brown with a maple fretboard, and I had a matching Telecaster Deluxe, and lapsteel. Operative word: had.

Great bass. The closest I've got now is an Ernie Ball/OLP with humbcker.

Peace, Mooh.

[david henman]

And one of the ugliest production Gibsons ever, the Corvus (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3865/1712/1600/gibsoncorvusIII.1.jpg)
It was known, affectionately by some, as the can opener.


...odd looking indeed, though not quite as ugly as the performer or the t-60, but check it out! gibson actually put the volume control within reach!

must have been a design mistake.

:D

-dh

[NB-SK]

I always regretted not buying a Gibson L6S. There was one set neck and string through body that had a nice TeleDeluxe meets LP sort of vibe. It's beyond me why Gibson doesn't license Epiphone copies.

I'd buy one of those in a heartbeat.

[torndownunit]

The thing i can't figure out from the Corvus photo is how the back strap button would ever hold the strap on.

[zontar]

I never played an L6-S, but here's a page on them-L6-S (http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/gibsonL6S.php). If I found a rosewood fingerboard and was looking for a new electric, I might consider it.

I also never played a Tele Bass. The ones I know are these (http://thebassguy.com/bgbasses.html), at the top of the page, but I have seen basses with Tele style bodies. What's the main difference between this and an original P-bass?

I was going to mention the Starcaster, (http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Performing-Arts/Music/Instruments/String/Guitars/Electric-Guitar/Fender/Fender-49.html) but my experience with one was before the others, when I didn't yet have the means to get a new guitar. Despite how I feel about maple fingerboards--I'd have considered one of these.

I also never tried a Travis Bean (http://www.thealuminumking.com/images/TB1000A.jpg), but I like the headstocks. I did try more than one older Kramer with the aluminum necks (http://www.guitarsandeffects.com/guitarimages2006/kramer_450b_aluminium/kramer_bass_lp_classicplus_014.jpg), they had wood inset into the neck, but it still felt cold. And Gary Kramer did work with Travis Bean at one point. While Kramer guitars got heavily into the Superstrats, Gary Kramer (http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Nov/Don_t_Call_It_A_Comeback_Gary_Kramer_Guitars.aspx) is making his own guitars again.

As for Deans, they made some cool looking guitar bodies, although I wasn't crazy about the look of the E'Lite. However the older ones had HUGE headstocks that made some of their guitars neck heavy. Most of them I saw were also out of my price range--until they made the ones with the smaller headstocks.

And to be completist about it--I posted a link for the Gibson Moderne--but here's the Ibanez version--The Futura (http://www.guitarshop.net/GuitarImages_h/IbanezFuturaMINTFront1.jpg). I am seriously starting to think about finally using an old Gibson style neck to make a copy of this--I have some of the other parts already.

I'm enjoying this trip back in time, any thing else?

[co-intelpro]

I have a line on a Gibson Victory...I think I'm gonna snap it up. It's got an ebony fretboard, and I love the one I have on my Les Paul Pro from '78. It's a really unique looking guitar, and I have never seen anyone playing one before.

[Mooh]

zontar...Yeah, the L6S really floats my boat, but I won't likely ever get one. I have noticed that one can put together a reasonable copy with Warmoth parts.

My Tele bass was like the one in your link. That axe got me through hundreds of gigs in the late '70s and early '80s.

Peace, Mooh.

[zontar]

Actually I could have added the Gibson Flying V2 (http://www.medallionflyingv.com/v2.html) & the Explorer II. Both had similar body contours. They were comfortable to play.

I remember being at a music store near closing time. I was checking out guitars with a friend--the guys who worked there said to stick around after they closed. They broke out some beer, and asked my friend and I to grab a guitar and play for them. My friend grabbed a V2 (He plays left handed--and it was the easiest one for him to play--so I grabbed the Explorer they had next to it. At the time they were the most expensive solidbodies in the store. Nice guitars.

But they were out of my price range, unless I'd waited a year or more longer-and that's if I could still find one. Well, I could have found a V2 by then, but I'd have preferred the Explorer (and since that would have meant no Iceman and Mustang--I have no regret.) The reason it was still around is it was the same as the green one in the link above-4th from the left. It looks better in that picture than it did in real life. This was a different store than the one I mentioned above. My friend and I used to joke about it, and about who would buy it. Then one day we stop buy & the V2 is gone. We joked that they finally sent it back to Gibson. The salesman we knew best there said somebody bought it. I later met the guy, and found out he liked V's, but didn't know he bought it. I made almost made a joke about it, then found out he was the one who bought it. A few weeks later, it was back. It took awhile, but they got rid of it again. I never saw it again. Yes the colour doesn't affect the sound, but I couldn't have bought that guitar--especially at the young age I was then.

I sure wouldn't turn it down if someone offered it as a gift!

One of my first thoughts when I saw the picture was whether or not that is the same one. Did Gibson make more than one that colour?

The nicest looking ones were the walnut ones with thin maple layers in them. (the one on the far right) and the maple ones with walnut layers (the one next to it.)

Nice guitars though.