Archive for the ‘Electric Guitars’ Category

Yamaha Signature Series Electric Guitars

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Known simply as the Signature Series, this line of Yamaha produced electric guitars has become one of the most well known in the recording industry. Each and every single one is designed in coordination with an artist and introduced to the world.

Sammy Hagar Yamaha Signature GuitarOne such version was developed in Hollywood, California with the help of Sammy Hagar. It features a solid body and two humbucker pickups. There is a standard Yamaha neck and the bridge pickup is a Seymore Duncan JB. There are separate volume controls as well as a rosewood fretboard with a Cabo Wabo on the 12th fret.

Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit has also helped to develop a Signature Series Yamaha guitar. While in his earlier years in the recording industry he had an official endorsement with Ibanez, they soon asked him to modify one of his guitars so they could market it which ended the relationship. Through his collaboration with Yamaha he was able to design his own guitar from the ground up which became a Signature Series.
Yamaha Signature Guitars
There are also several lines of Signature Series basses such as one poduced with the help of Billy Sheehan. Sheehan is known for his work with such names as David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and Steve Vai. This particular design features a body composed of alder and a neck made of maple. It has 21 frets and Hip Shot detuners. It also comes complete with 2 DiMarzio pickups. Each one of them has their very own output. Since Sheehan prefers bolt-on necks, this particular line does not make use of a through-neck design.

Michael Anthony from Van Halen also has his own Signature Series bass. It uses the neck-through design which is commonplace on the BB series only it has been streamlined. The body too has been smoothed out and features deeper cutaways then the standard models. For pickups, this bass uses an Alinco Split single coil, an Alinco V Soapbar and HipShot detuners.

Even Nathan East who is known for his work with names like Eric Clapton, Phil Collins as well as Stevie Wonder has his own Yamaha Signature Series which is a five-sting design with a double cutaway body made of both maple and alder. It comes with a 24 fret neck composed of maple and mahogny as well as two stacked Alinco humbucker pickups. There is also a bridge pickup that has individual saddles to allow for a better inotation. Featuring several control knobs as well as an equalizer, this Signature Series has a lot of versitality.

The Signature Series are aptly names as such. Each one stars out it life as a dream instrument from a big name in the recording industry. Through the effort and collaboration of the recording artists and Yamaha, this dream becomes a reality. Not only does the musician get their dream instrument, but anyone can too. They are a perfect match of style and functionality making them a highly sought-after instrument by many.

Epiphone Electric Guitars

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

It was back in 1873 when Anastasios Stathopoulos founded Epiphone. It would later be owned by the Gibson Guitar Company until 1957 when it would become part of the Chicago Music Company.
Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar
Until its purchase by Gibson, Epiphone was the number one competitor to their archtop lines of guitars which included the Deluxe, Emperor, Triumph, and Broadway.

The Epiphone was considered to not only be a top contender in this industry, but also was considered to be far surpassed with regards to both the quality of construction as well as sound reproduction. Until their absorption into Gibson following World War II, Epiphone also had a number of lines of banjos and many other stringed instruments.

The Ottoman Empire which today is known as Izmir Turkey was where Anastasios Stathopoulos first started developing his stringed instruments starting with lutes and fiddles. After his immigration into the United States back in 1903, he returned to what he knew best which was the manufacturing of high-quality stringed instruments. These were produced by hand in his Long Island workshop until 1915 when he died and passed on his legacy to his son.

Epiphone Electric GuitarsIt would not be until 1928 that the very first Epiphone guitar line would be produced. They continued on throughout the next few decades as a leader in the guitar industry until Epi Stathopoulos’s death back in 1943. With his brother in control of the company, it would soon begin to falter due to their lack of managerial skills. Eventually World War II would sink in a final blow and the company would be bought out by their rival, Gibson Guitars.

Shortly after Gibson took over the name, the Epiphone Casino would be introduced; quickly becoming a hit among musicians. It was manufactured into the same shape as the Gibson ES-330, but featured a very heavy sound to it which was extremely popular amongst the rhythm players. This guitar was a hollow-bodied electric guitar that made use of the P90 pickup.

The first big name musician to pick up the Epiphone Casino was none other then Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Soon afterwards, John Lennon and George Harrison would also grab one. After the solo in Taxman was played by Paul using a Casino, the entire world soon followed suit and sought out the Epiphone guitar.

This included Japan and throughout the 1970’s, Epiphone produced a number of lines especially for sale in the country. While these were not produced in the States, they were none the less just as fine of quality. The company which manufactured these Epiphone guitars under a license with Gibson continued to produce them in Korea until just after the start of the new millennium.

There have been a number of excellent lines manufactured under the Epiphone name including the Zephyr, Emperor, Sheraton, and Riviera which were available in North America. In China, North Korea as well as Japan, a number of unique models was produced through several different manufacturers

Today these guitars are highly sought-after by collectors around the world. The Epiphone guitars are still manufactured today and are still considered to be of the highest quality possible.

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Ibanez Electric Guitars

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

In Japan, you can find the company Hoshino Gakki which has become known for their line of electric guitars known as Ibanez. It was back in 1908 that Hoshino Gakki entered into the music industry when they first began by selling musical instruments for Hoshino Shoten.
Ibanez Electric Guitar
However, it would not be until 1929 that the name Ibanez would become known. It was at this time that the company began to import Spanish-made guitars known as the Salvador Ibáñez. Unfortunately, soon afterwards the Spanish Civil War broke out and the factory was destroyed.

It was at this time that Hoshino Gakki made the decision to purchase the brand name rights so that they could begin the production of thier own. By 1935, the Ibanez Salvador was being sold throughout Japan.

It was in 1957 that the modern era for Ibanez Guitars would come to. During this time they began creating some of the wildest designs available on the market. While many of the other Japanese guitar manufacturers were simply copying European designs, Ibanez stood out fo their radica, unique and interesting designs.

Ibanez Jet King Semi HollowBy the mid-1960’s the Ibanez designs began to follow suit with those of the American’s like Fender and Gibson as a means of staying competative. This was the same era that the first Japanese motorcycles and other japanes made products would become widely available in the the Western World. Because of this the company faced a number of lawsuits for copying the designs of the big name manufacturers and so they chose to begin making their own designs. Ever since the 1960’s every single Ibanez guitar has been designed without any influence from their competitors.

It would be the 1980’s that Ibanez would really make a name for themselves thanks to the relationship between Hoshino Gakki, the parent company, the famous guitarist Frank Zappa. This relationship led to the creation of the Ibanez IEM as well as Universe. While based on the earlier designs of Roadster and Iceman, they were none the less a very successful design.

Ibanez Guitars also moved into the acoustic guitar industry whenh they began producing their own lines of both nylon as well as steel-stinged guitars. The Tama acoustic guitar was produced from 1974 until 1979; at a drum factory of all places. In 1979 Their guitar line was changed to the Artwood Series.

The same factory which Ianez produced the vast majority of their electric guitars also became the home for Roland synthesizers. The FujiGen factory produced the Stratocaster-style Roland G-505, the Ibanez X-ING IMG-2010 as well as the twin humbucker Roland G-202.

Today Ibanez produces a number of lines of electric guitars, bases, acoustic guitars, amps and much more. Their continuing commitment to excellence in the music industry has iven them a spot amongst the greatest names in guitars like Fender, Gibson and even Yamaha. Their older lines have also become quite a bit of a collectors item with fans seeking them out in Japan to bring back to their home country.

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Electric Bass Guitars

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

For quite some time, the electric bass guitars have replaced the upright bass in popular music. These guitars have been more popularly used in the rhythm section of popular music. The more specific music genres that make use of electric bass guitars in the harmonic framework and the best include rock, blues, country, metal, pop, and country. In addition, electric bass guitars are used distinctively as soloing instruments in funk, Latin, and jazz music.
Bass Guitar
Basically, the electric bass guitars have the same appearance as with the electric guitar, however, the electric bass guitars have longer necks, larger bodies, and longer scale lengths. Moreover, there are only four pitches used in tuning to the same pitches as the double bass guitars.

The electric bass guitars are considered as transposing instruments as these are notated in an octave higher than it sounds. This is done to address excessive use of ledger lines. The tuning used for electric bass guitars, is the standard tuning used on the lower four strings of 6-string guitars; though it is an octave lower for these guitars.

Some of the most commonly used strings types in electric bass guitars include the flat wound, round wound, ground wound, and half wound. The selection of the string type is important because it influences the tonal range of these guitars. The most commonly used string type though is the round wound, which produces a greater sustain and a higher timber.

On the other hand, the tuning options for electric bass guitars include four strings, five strings, and six strings. The four strings tuning include the CGDA tuning for an extended upper and lower range. Likewise, the five strings tuning include the BEADG for an extended lower range. Furthermore, six strings tuning include the BEADGC, which is actually a four-string with additions of low B string and high C string.

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Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

The Stratocaster is a Fender guitar originally designed by George Fullerton, Leo Fender and Freddie Tavare back in 1954 and has been continuously manufactured by Fender ever since. Its design is that of a double-cutaway that features an extended top horn to improve the balance while played standing.
Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar
It is one of the most common as well as oldest guitars currently produced today. The Gibson SG, Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul are the only other currently manufactured guitars that share the title as the most common and oldest designs. The Stratocaster has helped to mold and shape the music industry into what it is today.

The very first Fender Stratocaster came in a two-color sunburst style finish along with a body composed of solid ash. The neck featured 21 frets and was composed of a solid piece of maple. It came with black colored dot inlays as well as Kluson heads. The original design stayed the same until 1957 when Fender changed the body from ash to alder.

It was not until 1960 that Fender would begin to offer alternative color options standard. Prior to then any other color options were completely customized. The Stratocaster was finished Dupont lacquers for an additional 5% increase in the cost.

Fender Stratocaster Electric GuitarThe pick-guard was of a unique design that was developed to allow all of the electronics other then that of the jack plate to be surface mounted for easy access. While the design has gone through a number of changes over the years as a means of improving sound and usability, but many guitarists still prefer the feel of the older designs.

So popular is the Stratocaster that it has been copied and imitated on a number of occasions since its introduction. It was because of these copies and imitations that the term strat is used generally to describe any guitar of similar design. However, the term itself is a copyrighted on which is held by the Fender Musical Instrument Corporation.

The Fender Stratocaster is a unique and radically contoured design which has been dubbed the comfort contour body by Fender. It is easy to tell the Stratocaster from a Telecaster due to these sleek contours.

There are three single type coil pickups in the Stratocaster which are selected through a 3-way. By jamming the selector between the 1st and 2nd position, people found that they could utilize two of the pickups. As a result, Fender realized a change was needed and introduced the 5-way selector which is commonplace today. This particular guitar along with its 5-was, has been used by a number of famous musicians including Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler as well as Eric Clapton.who often used positions 2 as well as 4 to create their well-known quirky tones.

While there have been a number of changes over the years to the original design, the Fender Stratocaster has been able to stand the test of time in order to become one of the greatest guitars in music history.

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Gibson Electric Guitars

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

In Nashville, Tennessee one can find the Gibson uitar Corporation. They are a world-class manufacturer of electric guitars and have been producing various lines since the 1930s. The company also owns a number of other guitar companies including Epiphone, Valley Ats and Kramer to name a few. On top of guitars, they also produce the Baldwin pianos and Slingerland drums.

Gibson SG Electric Guitars

Gibson Guitar was founded by Orville Gibson who had been producing mandolins since the late 1800s. Soon after he would begin to produce their first lines of hollow-body guitars; manufactured on a commercial scale. They produced a number of flat-top guitars and were the first to produce a commercially available electric hollow-body.

Gibson Electric GuitarsTheir most popular electric is the Les Paul which was made popular by Charlie Christian during the earlier years of the 1950s. While producing a popular line, they were not able to stay afloat and by the end of the 1960s Gibson had been consumed by the Norlin Corporation. It was not until 1986 that the name would become well-known once again after the original owners rescued the company and its guitars from certain doom. As a side not, while being named after Les Paul, the guitarist had very little input into its development but rather he was paid to endorse it.

Throughout the 1950’s, Gibson was headed up by Ted McCarty. While they had become known as a conservative company unwilling to change its sights of making a traditionally shaped guitar, it was 1958 that the Flying V and Explorer were introduced. Unfortunately, neither one of them were a big hit which when coupled with the force known as the Fender Stratocaster, Gibson was unable to make ends meet and their designs continued to become worse.

Gibson has recently become known for their SmartWood Exotic Les Pauls which consist of 6 different designs; all of which are finished with exotic woods. Known as SmartWood for a reason, these guitars are manufactured in a sustainable process which allows no damage to the rain forests in their creation.

Today their biggest line is known as the Gibson Robot Guitars which feature a unige tuning system which can self-tune the guitar in a manner of only a few seconds. While there had been externally utilized smart tuning systems in the past, Gibson Guitars became the first to incorporate it directly into a guitar.

Gibson Electric GuitarThere are many authorized and unauthorized copies of the Gibson guitars available throughout the world. Many guitarists choose to collect the older Gibsons due to their rarity. As with any older guitar, the values of a well-used Gibson electric guitar is greater then that of a new one. Some fanatics will go all the way to completely restore an old Gibson if they happen to come across one somewhere. The company holds a number of firsts in the industry which has allowed them to continue to be a very popular choice for many musicians today.

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Laurel Electric Double Cutaway Guitar – Sunburst

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007


Manufacturer: Laurel

Lowest Price: $79.98
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Laurel Electric Double Cutaway Guitar Natural

Monday, April 30th, 2007


Manufacturer: Laurel

Lowest Price: $75.59
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Laurel Electric Double Cutaway Guitar – Black

Monday, April 30th, 2007


Manufacturer: Laurel

List Price: $149.99

Lowest Price: $79.98
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S101 Left Hand Double Cutaway Electric Guitar

Saturday, April 28th, 2007


Manufacturer: Laurel

List Price: $189.99

Lowest Price: $89.99
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