oddball Fenders and Gibsons

[Curly]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Fender Japan made an angular strat type guitar around the time of the Katana.

I thought it was interesting from a design standpoint, but it never caught on.

I'm going to look for a pic in my Fender books.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

http://www.stevesmusiccenter.com/FenderPerformer.html

 

[danglybanger]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Dude, this guitar is SO you:

Gibson Futura

Odd for it to show up on eBay wiith such a low BIN, AND a TOM/Stop bar bridge instead of a Kahler...

Yeah, I have a thing for the odd Gibbys as well.

Same as a Gibson Corvus from the looks of it... a guitar crazy and ugly enough that I would actually play one.
here's another with a crazy bridge
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33040&item=3771028089&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I personally always liked those bolt on 70s les pauls with weird pickups like this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33040&item=3769978801&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33040&item=3770389255&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Also like old les paul recordings, and v2s with those weird pickups.

I LOVE Gibson MIIIs, sorry for the bad pic here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33040&item=3770979364&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I have a big softspot for Gibson and Fender models that... didn't quite catch on, as you can see. I got me a Jag, see sig url for pics.

Yeah... Katana's were weird as f*ck, anyone remember the Fender Performer from like the 1980s? Like a really pointy elite strat with weirdass trapezoidal pickups and push button pickup selectors. Wish I could find a pic... editted to say, look up
dan

 

[TheProphet]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

No, it wasn't an SG... it was a blonde colored bass with a black pickgaurd the same style as the one posted by dd12939. Not sure if those were the same pickups he had in his, but same style of bass.

Sounds like you're talking about a Gibson Ripper bass

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Armotron is right. Here it is, the Fender Starcaster for only $99.00. I can see why you like it. :smack:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38082&item=3770365459&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW



Or did you mean this fender Starcaster? :firedevil
http://guitargeek.com/gearview/526

not the 99.00 Strats...the 70's 335ish axes

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

I'd like to have one of those Espirit Fenders like Robben Ford used to play. But my Hamer Monoco Super Pro is close enough! The only oddball Gibson I ever liked was the Moderne, the Flying V and the Explorer. I'd still like to have a great Explorer. Lew

Lew...I love my Moderne, but you're right Explorers are just cool!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Armotron is right - Fender has a new REALLY CHEAP guitar called a Starcaster that they sell at Cosco, I think. The headstock is triangular shaped but the body is like a Strat.

Back in the 70's I was in love with the semi-hollow Starcaster! There was something odd about it's shape that made it really intriguing. And I liked the fact that it had a maple fingerboard, unlike most semi-hollows. But I've never owned one. Kind of hard to find any for sale these days.

Thats the one...I LOVE these guitars but if you do find one for sale they want a ton of cash for it!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Thank you guys for helping me not to look like as much of an ass as i did! :smack: :dance:

You didn't look like an ass, you were just not around in the 70's...no biggie!

 

[skh515]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

This is a trip down memory lane for me.
I had a friend who owned one of those S-1 Gibsons back in the '70s. I thought it was a cool guitar. He sold it to buy an Ibanez LP copy, not sure why.
I also knew a guy who had a LP Recording, an even cooler guitar. He sold it in the early '80s to buy keyboards. I'd love to have one of those.

Hey Lew, everyone needs an Explorer. I don't know why, they just do.

I had a Musicmaster Bass a long time ago, does that count as an odd ball?

 

[Armotron]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

You didn't look like an ass, you were just not around in the 70's...no biggie!

Wish i was the music then was kick ass.

 

[Curly]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

http://www.stevesmusiccenter.com/FenderPerformer.html

yup, that's the one ... a Performer

I remembered that as looking kind of cool, but now it kinda looks like a jigsaw puzzle part.
or something a blues guy might play

 

[Xeromus]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

yup, that's the one ... a Performer

I remembered that as looking kind of cool, but now it kinda looks like a jigsaw puzzle part.
or something a blues guy might play

it's a pretty interesting piece, I might go down there and play it sometime.

 

[Stirt]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

I just traded a beat up Strat straight across for one of these last week:

www.mark-shields.net/wow/epi.html

I played it at my gig this weekend and it stinking roared. Very nicely built, retro looking and feels great in your hands. Not much info on the net about them. Epiphone Genesis Deluxe made from 1979 to 1981. Epiphone's first shot at overseas manufacturing. Very impressive guitar. Anybody seen one before?

Gregg-

 

[rinse_master]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Weird, looks a little like a Yamaha SG2000, but not quite, nice though!

 

[danglybanger]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Does anyone have an information or links to these Fender Espirit guitars...? I can't find information anywhere! My best friend owns one, it was his first serious guitar (he did own a broken strat copy before that), though he hardly plays it these days. He might be interested in selling it.

For one thing it's "Esprit" (Espree). (Sorry... my car's called an Esprit too, so I should know). They made a smaller version (I think) called the Flame. Made in japan from what I remember
look here
http://www.hendrixguitars.com/Fe2222.htm
or here
http://www.vguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=18
wouldn't mind one myself
slade

 

[Fusion1]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Was the Fender Katana their try at a Rhodes-esque V shaped guitar? it looks like it was of the same era as that Performer pictured above. I saw it in the 50th anniv. Fender book on the same page and it was a black V and I recall the body had a stepped bevel around the perimeter.

Anyhow that guitar struck me as a nice collector piece, not sure how it would play but it looked nice!~

 

[danglybanger]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

Was the Fender Katana their try at a Rhodes-esque V shaped guitar? it looks like it was of the same era as that Performer pictured above. I saw it in the 50th anniv. Fender book on the same page and it was a black V and I recall the body had a stepped bevel around the perimeter.

Anyhow that guitar struck me as a nice collector piece, not sure how it would play but it looked nice!~

Not a V... more of a slanted triangle. With a wedge taken from the bottom. They made a squier model too.

 

[Curly]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

here's a site that has info & pics of some of the other Fenders mentioned - Katanas, Esprit, Flame, etc ...:
other Fenders

 

[Fusion1]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

To me that's close enough to at least say inspired by a Rhodes guitar, but I see what you are saying about it being more of a triangle than a V. Too bad it never caught on. Reversed tele headstock and that would be gold! Gold I tell ya!

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: oddball Fenders and Gibsons

A friend of mine had a Katana it was a real cheap piece of junk like the starter guitars at Wall Mart. Another friend of mine had a Gibson USA1. The USA1 was a weird guitar.

Snowdog