Posts RSS RSS

Welcome to our site

You can replace this text by going to "Layout" and then "Page Elements" section. Edit " About "

The Flyte Of the Conchordes or Flyte from the long arm of the law

/

guitarz.blogspot.com:



Now, this Conchorde prototype is a turn up for the books! It has a bit a twisted story to it too. According to the "owner", the guitar was stolen from Jim Burns's workshop! He knows it was stolen because Jim Burns told him! So if you're in the market for a hot guitar, you know where to look. I don't know what eBay's policy on selling stolen goods is but I suspect this auction may not run its course. I believe they check for counterfeits (or as we known them - "Lawsuit", copy etc.) so I suppose they'd check for items that had fallen of the back of the proverbial lorry too.

It would appear to be a handmade (by Jim Burns) prototype of the famous and lovely Flyte and probably ought to be in a museum.

In the listings own words:

Burns Conchorde Prototype Bass Guitar
Believed to be the only one ever made (any comments welcome)
prototype of the Flyte Bass
there is a six string Conchorde (looks newer than this bass to me)
but this is the bass version (looks older)
has pre - Burns U.K. lettering etc.
The bass seems older than a 1970s Burns U.K. instrument
It looks more late 60's / early 70's ...
obviously a prototype , obviously handmade
the pickups etc look like a late 60's Burns ( they look hand-wound )
I bought the Conchorde bass in approx 1974 ( used / secondhand )
from a dealer in Northern England.
I spoke to Jim Burns in approx 1975 about the Conchorde ...
(at a trade fair / exhibition in London, Russel Hotel ?)
He was very angry because he said the bass was stolen from his workbench
some years earlier.  He was very aggressive to me, he thought I'd stolen it)
I said I had bought it in good faith but he was so angry I had to leave quickly.
I played the bass in a band for many years
It sounded good and was good to play.
I want to sell this Burns to someone who will appreciate it.
any offers considered / any questions are welcome
U.K. delivery F.O.C. (no charge) international at cost.
David in Barcelona - not to be confused with the Costa Del Crime

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

10:21 PM | Labels: , , , ,

Solidbody Giannini Craviola

/

I knew the Giannini Craviola acoustic guitars - some have been presented on this blog already - but wasn't aware so far that at some point Giannini produced a solid body version of the Craviola.

Century-old Brazilian guitar company Giannini made solid bodies between the 70s and the 90s, mostly copies of Fender and Gibson, but there are no trace of this one in the catalogues I could check online. Nowadays, they are back to acoustics, including their most famous model, the asymmetric Craviola that has the lower part of a guitar and the upper part of a lute (on the acoustic version it seems to have a strong influence on the sound - so much that on its wikipedia article, it's not even labeled as a guitar!)

Of course, on a solid body the tone is not influenced by the design (or is it? this is an endless debate, and I'm on the side of the skeptical) but the result is beautiful, particularly since it's - as far as I can see on these photos - an archtop.

Simple and original, definitely a guitar I would happily add to my collection! 

Bertram

Edit: not an archtop after all, check the comments!

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

4:54 AM | Labels: , ,

Egypt Karnac Osirus from 1986

/

guitarz.blogspot.com:

OK, so it may be an 80s guitar, but this Egypt Karnac Osirus is a quality UK-made instrument and certainly not one that everyone else is going to be playing.

Quite how this model differs from the Egypt Karnac Luxor we previously looked at this time last year, I don't know, because they look identical to me. In fact, I suspect this may even be the exact same guitar. Perhaps the seller got the name wrong. Note that there is some confusion in the eBay listing, as we are told that Egypt Guitars were made in Glasgow, Scotland, but the heading says "Made in Ireland". The seller also claim that this is a prototype, serial # A004, and that only five examples of this model were made, and only one in this metallic lilac. If that's all true, it must be the same guitar.

Anyway, the auction finishes tomorrow night, so if an unusual Scottish-built metallic lilac 80s guitar is your thing, then snap it up!

G L Wilson

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

4:52 AM | Labels: , , , , ,

1962 Welson bass

/

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This vinyl-covered Italian beauty is a Welson bass from 1962. According to Fetish Guitars, "...the trade name Welson belonged to a Castelfidardo-based accordion making company founded by Orlando Quagliardi in 1921." They may seem somewhat eccentric nowadays, but the pushbutton pickup selection switches and the roller volume and tone controls and typical for Italian guitars of this period.

For more information see: www.fetishguitars.com/index/welson.html

G L Wilson

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

12:08 PM | Labels: , , ,

Art collge project fretless bass

/

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Andrew Keachie writes:
This is a one of a kind, hand carved fretless, short scale bass a friend of mine made for an art college project over 10 years ago. He gave it to me as a birthday gift a couple of years ago. He wasn't a luthier, just a creative genius. He happened to burn the prototype for heat one winter, so it's really the only one of its kind in the world.
This is another one that was posted on the Guitarz Facebook page. Please feel free to post your own pictures there!

G L Wilson

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

8:40 AM | Labels: , , , ,

Wishnevsky Scroll Tele

/

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's a "Scroll Tele" from the always interesting Steve Wishnevsky. Wow, that's one serious f-hole! But, never mind that, he claims that:
"...By simply removing a little wood around the bridge, the strings are able to vibrate more freely, producing a much more responsive and lively guitar.

You can hear the difference even without the guitar being plugged in. It's like a Thin Line, but with out the random area of feedback you get with a semi hollow body. It really works."

G L Wilson

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

3:05 PM | Labels: ,

The Höfner Bat prototype ... revisited

/

guitarz.blogspot.com:
Filippo writes:

Hello,

I noticed my Hofner Bat on http://guitarz.blogspot.com/2010/05/hofner-bat-prototype-from-1960.html

I'm restoring it.

Found the right tuners, the bridge, the truss rod cover and all knobs/controls. All Hofner parts (except for the selector and switch) from the 60s, of course.

A friend of mine, a genius, restored the neck & headstock. Completely restored except s/n and some finish wear. Impossible to realize it has been restored. Still not reglued.

Body and pickups still untouched.

The new scratchplate has been made after hours of work to obtain the right sizes. Conclusions drawn by an architect who has been based on some photographs + body signes valutation. A perfect job done with old 4 layers piece.

The amp: the original one is gone and it isn't possible to have it.

I'll buy a small amp (which?????) and in a way or in another way I'll install it with a 4" speaker or a bigger one mounted with an option.

This guitar will be equipped with a modern amp with digital effects without extra holes or other modifications. Of course!

It needs an amp, so why not a modern one? It's inside and will be great for (home and entertainment only) playing!

Best regards,
Filippo
Great to hear from you, Filippo, and I'm so pleased to hear that this fantastic old guitar is being restored. If you want to send us any further photos of the resoration process or the finished guitar, we'd love to see them here on Guitarz.

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

8:15 AM | Labels: , , , , , ,

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)