Unusual guitars. Guitar Shapes

There are many factors that influence the sound of a guitar and its characteristics. One of the main factors is the size of the case and guitar shapes. Let's take a closer look at how types of guitar bodies are.

Acoustic guitar shapes

Traditionally, there are five main forms of acoustic guitar. Classic form, dreadnought, jumbo, folk and grand auditorium.

It is worth noting that almost all of the above forms have their counterparts in reduced sizes (3/4, 1/2). Moreover, the design features of the reduced samples do not undergo any significant changes.

A short video on acoustic guitars with sound examples:

Electric guitar shapes

Solid-body electric guitars, unlike their acoustic counterparts, have a greater variety in body shapes. Among them you can find guitars of an unusual shape. So, let's list the main forms of electric guitars and their names.

• Stratocaster. The most recognizable and copied instrument is the Fender Stratocaster. The rounded base of the body, the upper part of the body is crowned with two horns. Narrow neck with 21-22 frets, the headstock is C-neck shaped and the pegs are oriented to one side. It is completed with three sensors of "single" type. It has a characteristic "glassy" sound.
• telecaster. Another brainchild of Leo Fender, which gained popularity at the dawn of the company; one of the earliest solid body instruments. It has a rather rough outline. The original neck of the Telecaster is made from a single piece of wood, most often maple. The string fastening deserves special attention; on rare vintage models, you can find a B-Bender system for adjusting the tension of the second string.
• superstrat- an extensive group of guitars from various manufacturers. The shape resembles the Fender Stratocaster, but they also have their own design differences. For example, varieties with longer and sharper horns are often found, which contributes to a more comfortable playing on the last frets.
• Les Paul. The design of the guitar shape belongs to the notorious Lester Polfuss. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is often copied, especially in the Asian sector. It has a classic shape, rounded outlines, the top of the body has a characteristic cutout for the left hand. Neck with 22 frets, symmetrical headstock with 3x3 pegs. The original models are made of mahogany, equipped with two humbuckers.
• SG- the most horned guitar from Gibson. Technically similar to Les Paul models. It has rounded outlines, the upper part of the neck with two short sharp "horns", which greatly facilitates playing on the last frets.
• Warlock manufactured by B. C. Rich - an electric guitar with an unusual asymmetrical shape with a pointed soundboard and a horned neck. In general, the body of the guitar resembles the Russian letter "X".
• explorer. Another easily recognizable Gibson legend. The case resembles a four-pointed asymmetrical star. A comfortable solid-body electric guitar with a light neck and a pickup switch moved from the deck surface to the edge.
• Flying V. Gibson's legendary arrowhead-shaped guitar. The technical characteristics are close to Explorer and SG guitars. The pegs are arranged in a 3x3 pattern.
• Randy Rhoads from Jackson is very similar in shape to the samples of the Flying V series. It has sharper endings. The pegs are located on one side, which emphasizes the asymmetry of the case.

5-neck guitar, 42-string acoustic hybrid, Frankenstrat, ax guitar and other iconic unusual instruments that made it to Gigwise's Top 30 Unusual Guitars.

The most unusual guitars in the world

Today, guitar making is not a simple industrial process, but something more. Just check out coverage from the latest NAMM shows, explore galleries of finished custom instruments from famous guitar makers, and finally take a look at prototypes of new production guitar models from major manufacturers. To date, the guitar is not just a musical instrument, it is an object of design, and in some cases a real work of art.

In the late 00s, the famous online publication Gigwise compiled a list of the 30 most unusual and famous tools used by Steve Vai, Paul McCartney, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and many others. Just take a look at them!

30. Gretch Rectangular - Bo Didley

This instrument stands out among others with its original soundboard - it has a rectangular shape! This was partly due to a reference to the tradition of playing on cigar boxes, but Bo himself always said that such a form for him provides maximum freedom in the movement of his hands.

29. 1983 Hamer "Unkle Dick" - Rick Nielsen

This rather wonderful instrument was produced by Hamer by order of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen. To select the design, a competition was held among the listeners of the band - as a result, the musicians themselves, together with the guitar manufacturer, selected the most original design, which is embodied in this instrument.

28. B.C. Rich Mockingbird by Slash

Yes, oddly enough, the Slash maestro does not only play Gibson Les Paul guitars. According to the musician himself, this guitar is his hidden love, and he sometimes regrets that he does not use it more often.

27. Jackson Y2KV KFC - Buckethead

Strange music, strange musician - and a slightly strange variation of the arrow from Jackson. The instrument takes its name from the bucket of KFC wings that Buckethead wears on his head as part of his stage outfit.

26. Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird - Billy Gibbons

There is a story among old school musicians that the original Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird prototype was designed for Bo Diddley (it's hard not to notice the parallels in the design of both instruments) - but he gave it to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top for unknown reasons. Gibbons liked this very expensive instrument very much, but he did not want to spoil it and approached Gretsch with the idea of ​​developing a similar guitar under this name, but with some individual edits.

25. ESP Flame Boy - George Lynch

The veteran of the heavy metal scene is known for his love of catchy and unusual instruments. And one of them was Flame Boy - a guitar stylized as an instrument consisting of bones.

24. JFrog Skull & Bones - George Lynch

Yes, this guy really loves skulls and bones. Perhaps the most famous instrument of the guitarist of the band Dokken, which he called "Mama". Initially, a signature model for Lynch was made by the JFrog workshop, but later, the guys from ESP began to produce similar guitars for him according to a similar specification.

23. Epiphone Union Jack Supernova - Noel Gallagher

A vintage, powerful and very patriotic mastermind tool by Oasis.

22. Dean VMNT - Dave Mustaine

In the early days of his musical career, Dave preferred guitars from Jackson and ESP. A little later, the first Dean fell into his hands - and he instantly fell in love with these instruments. Mustaine himself says that Dean sounds much better to him than any other guitars he has played. The VMNT is an arrow with a unique design, signature Dean head and powerful sound.

21. Hofner 500/1 - Paul McCartney

This instrument is familiar, perhaps, to all guitarists and especially bassists. 21st place in the ranking - the famous bass with a soundboard in the form of a cello body, created by Hofner and personifying an entire era of rock music. It's hard to believe, but this guitar is over half a century old!

20. Ed Roman Bootsy Collins Bass - Bootsy Collins

The first and not the last outrageous performer of funk and soul in our rating is Bootsy Collins, for whom the masters from Washburn created a bass guitar as bright as himself. The author of this instrument, Ed Roman, is a well-known hater of Gibson Les Paul guitars. We advise you to read at your leisure his posts about classic Gibson instruments.

19.ESP Queensryche

ESP visionaries love unusual shapes and complex specifications. One of their crazy guitar ideas was to make an instrument based on the logo of the American progressive metal band Queensryche.

18. Vigier Bumblefoot Guitar - Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal

It is generally accepted that rock musicians are very scrupulous and serious about working out their own image. Ron Tal proves with his approach to the choice of guitar design that a little bit of frivolity and self-irony does not hurt anyone. The tool was created back in 1988 according to the individual drawings of Ron ...

17. Vigier Swiss Cheese Guitar - Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal

…like this one, and again from Vigier. Again, an absolutely insane instrument in design, which spoiled a lot of nerves for the management of the Guns N' Roses group. When Ron joined the band, it was almost impossible to get him to choose guitars with more classical designs.

16. Triple Neck Arch-Top Mandolin - John Paul Jones

Multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones, best known as a member of the band Led Zeppelin, has always loved quirky experiments with music. One of these experiments is a three-neck mandolin from Andy Manson and Manson Guitars, released in a single copy in 2000.

15. 1965 Fender Stratocaster - Jimi Hendrix

An unremarkable serial Jimi Hendrix stratum, which instantly became legendary. It was this guitar that the most talented musician set on fire in 1967 during a famous performance in London at the Finsbury Astoria.

14 Cort Ax Bass - Gene Simmons

Yes, Cort is not only cheap guitars from small guitar shops. Ax Bass is the famous instrument of Gene Simmons from Kiss, perfectly complementing his stage image.

13. Ibanez Jam - Steve Vai

A whole family of tools without which our list would obviously be incomplete. Impeccable quality from Ibanez, sleek design and practicality in the form of a handle for easy carrying of the instrument.

12. B.C. Rich KKV - Kerry King

The collaboration between Slayer's Kerry King and B.C. Rich has given the world a lot of evil tools. But the musician's favorite arrow called B.C.Rich KKV stands apart - it is an evil, harsh and at the same time very elegant guitar, created specifically for powerful and rolling metal.

11. 1979 Karl Sandoval Flying V - Randy Rhoads

A few months before leaving Quiet Riot, Randy thought about building a custom guitar that would best suit his needs. Randy chose the famous engineer Carl Sandoval as the master, and the final cost of the guitar was $740.

10. Manson DL-1 guitar - Matthew Bellamy (Muse)

Matthew Bellamy of Muse has been choosing Hugh Manson instruments for years. Series and signature Manson models are distinguished by a huge number of unusual and sometimes very strange technological solutions, in particular in guitar electronics.

9. Dean Dixie Rebel - Dimebag Darrell

Over the years, Dimebag had more than 20 instruments in his arsenal - most of them came from the pen of Dean Guitars engineers. Perhaps Dimebag's most iconic and well-known instrument is the Dean Dixie Rebel, which has a Confederate-flag-themed soundboard.

8. Dean Double-Guitar - Michael Angelo Batio

An extremely unusual instrument, again released by Dean Guitars based on sketches by virtuoso Michael Angelo Batio. It is, in fact, two combined guitars, which can be played simultaneously with the right and left hand.

7. Picasso Guitar - Pat Metheny

Can you guess how many strings there are? 42! It's hard to say if all of them are used, but this instrument, designed and built by Linda Manzer, Metheny uses both on recording and live performances.

6. Prince Symbol Guitar - Prince

The symbol that this instrument is stylized as was first invented in the early 90s and was used on the cover of the Love Symbol Album. The electric guitar specifically for Prince was designed and manufactured in the mid-90s and was called Purple One.

5. Hamer Five-Neck - Rick Nielsen

Hamer 5 neck guitar. It doesn't look very elegant, but it's very convincing.

4 Frankenstrat - Eddie Van Halen

This instrument was created directly by the musician himself. Eddie tried to combine the features of guitars from Gibson and Fender in Frankenstrat - and he succeeded to some extent. Today, this instrument is one of the most recognizable in the rock scene.

3. Ibanez Triple Neck Heart Guitar - Steve Vai

There are only 2 of these guitars in the world. The first one was donated by Steve Vai to the Hard Rock Cafe chain, and the second one was sold at a charity auction. These instruments were first seen in David Lee Roth's music video for the song Just Like Paradise.

2. Quad-Guitar - Michael Angelo Batio

Michael did not stop at designing a double-neck guitar - especially for him, Wayne Charvel, with the help of engineers from Gibson, created a four-neck instrument. Interesting fact: the original prototype was stolen from the musician in 2006 during a US tour. A few months later, the unusual guitar makers from Dean made an exact copy for the virtuoso.

1. Gibson EDS-1275 - Jimmy Page

A guitar that embodies an entire era. Jimmy Page's 18-string double-neck Gibson, which is familiar to all guitarists. It is noteworthy that these guitars were mass-produced before Page, but they became truly popular after the musician appeared on stage with one of them.

Page got himself such an instrument in the mid-70s for practical reasons: he was tired of constantly changing 6- and 12-string guitars during the performances of Stairway to Heaven and The Song Remains the Same.

Human fantasy has no limits and guitarists are no exception in this regard. There is a huge variety of guitars that differ not only in sound but also in appearance, and there is a huge opportunity for guitar makers to realize their fantasies. In this article, we will show the most unusual guitars in the world.

Guitar-bicycle wheel

Bo Diddley's guitar box

You can store cigars in this guitar box and you can even play it.

Stick guitar

Guitar ODD Guitars Heavy Metal

This guitar is made from aluminum body, maple body, Warmoth neck, Gotoh tuners, Seymour Duncan pickups, Schaller bridge. The guitar was created in 5 days. The case was polished for 4 days and one day was spent on assembly.

Baster Stereo Double Body Guitar

This instrument is simply two Fender Stratocasters combined. It is difficult to say about the practical benefits of such a guitar, but as an art object it will do just fine.

1965 Fender Stratocaster

During a concert in London in 1967, Jimi Hendrix set fire to this guitar. In principle, there is nothing unusual in it, just the cost of this tool is comparable to the price of an aircraft.

Picasso Guitar

The creator of this tool is Linda Manzer. It has 42 strings and sounds great. Pat Metheny has used this guitar on recordings and in his live shows.

Guitar from a cola bottle

This guitar was made by Jack White from scrap materials and is played with an empty cola bottle. This shot opens the documentary "Get Ready for Loud".

guitar chair

This is The Rockin' Chair guitar. Again, it is difficult to say about the convenience and sound of such a guitar. But it looks funny.

Guitar from a gas can

Making such a guitar yourself is not difficult ... but does it make sense))

Atlansis Pegasus 6-string bass

This bass was made in Japan by Atlansis Guitars. This company, in addition to conventional instruments, is famous for the development of basses with 1st, 2nd, 3rd strings. And one of the masterpieces is the Atlansis Pegasus bass, the distinctive feature of which is that the sound is taken with the help of 18 pickups, three independent pickups for each string. The developers keep the design feature of this bass a secret.

Something

I don't know what it is. Just found in the Internet in the ads for sale.

Acoustic Guitar "Back View"

I don't know why there is no serial production of such guitars. Men would love this tool.

guitar Dewey Decibel Flipout Guitar

Looking at this guitar, you can break the brain. Nick Singer, the guitarist of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, does not interfere with this and uses this guitar in his performances.

Guitar-xxx

It's a guitar, you know what. Guitar for men with character.

Guitar End Of The Road

This guitar looks like it was smashed and then set on fire. Guitar makers at Devil & Sons Guitars have embraced the idea of ​​picking up a guitar from pieces after it's been smashed. But despite the appearance, the components of the guitar are new and of high quality, so the sound of the guitar is at a high level, and the guitar gets such an appearance during assembly.

Guitar Yoshihiko Satoh 12 Neck

This is a 72-string Fender Stratocaster by Japanese designer Yoshihiko Sato. The guitar has 12 necks and bodies.

flamethrower guitar

I don’t know whether such a double-necked flamethrower guitar actually exists or not, but since the above instruments exist, then this one may well exist.

So, the conclusion is that the weirder and pretentious the guitar looks, the harder it is not to play. No wonder most of the musicians play ordinary, but high-quality instruments.

Thanks for your attention and good luck!

Join the group in VK, there is a lot of interesting things

The design feature of the electric guitar gave a lot of room for the imagination of designers to fly. Many of them did not limit themselves to simple wood painting and began to experiment with form. The internet is full of photos of guitars with skulls, skeletons, multiple necks, etc. A significant contribution to the ranks of the original designer electric guitars was made by the notorious Japanese company ESP, which is famous for its instruments for heavy metal performers.

Beautiful electric guitars by Jens Ritter

On the other hand, there are craftsmen who do not pursue flashy appearance and create electric guitars that are considered the most refined and beautiful in the whole world. One of these guitar "artists" can be called Jens Ritter.

His guitars are limited edition works of art. For example, the Princess Isabella electric guitar was made in the amount of 50 pieces. It is composed of a very light swamp ash body with a mahogany neck and maple fingerboards. Jens made a special selection for the bridge and decorated the guitar with fittings made for him by a jeweler. The instrument has an amazing sound similar to acoustic jazz guitars. The network has a photo shoot in which Princess Isabella flaunts on the shores of Botany Bay Beach.

The main specialization of Jens Ritter is bass guitars. One of his latest instruments was the Cora, which took part in the NAMM Show 2010. The Roya Concept ONE PIECE FLAMED MAPLE looks no less impressive. This electric guitar is made from a single piece of corrugated maple and has a minimalist style. A feature of the instrument can be called the absence of the usual tuning pegs and tremolo. The guitar has a natural pattern that shows all the beauty of wood fibers.

famous electric guitars

Among the unusual guitars there are many instruments used on stage by legendary musicians. You can find not only incredible shaped electric guitars, but also double instruments, guitars with multiple necks and even two guitars with one neck.

Famous rockers sometimes like to stand out and make exclusive orders to guitar companies. For more than 35 years, the AX BASS guitar, made famous by Gene Simmons of KISS, has flaunted on world stages. The bass guitar was made by Kramer and copied several times. In 2010, thanks to Cort Guitars, it became available for purchase to all fans. Copies of the AX BASS are designed by Cort in collaboration with Simmons and feature an autographed headstock and chromed bridge cover.

Other famous guitars were two "girlfriends" dressed in furs. The famous Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill from ZZ Top once lit on such guitars. Bearded blues rockers had several types of these electric guitars, including curved and fully rectangular bodies.

small electric guitars

The smallest guitar in the world can be considered a nano-instrument created by scientists at Cornell University. This small electric guitar vaguely resembles the famous Fender Stratocaster and is 20 times smaller than a human hair. You can even play such a miracle instrument with a laser or an atomic microscope.

More practical instruments that are smaller than conventional guitars are made by many companies. These are mainly electric guitars designed for children and are a smaller version of a well-known instrument. Among the most famous are ESP LTD Kirk Hammet Junior, Ibanez Mikro GRM21, Squier Mini Strat or Epiphone Les Paul Express. Most of these guitars are made of inexpensive woods and cost between $100-200.

electric guitar ESP LTD Kirk Hammet Junior

The most expensive electric guitars in the world

It is difficult, when talking about outstanding guitars, not to mention the most expensive ones. Unlike most expensive items, the value of such instruments is not related to the gold case or the number of diamonds on the fretboard (although there are certainly some). Connoisseurs here pay money for the history of the guitar, and the price largely depends on the name of the person who played it.

For example, Bob Marley's Washburn 22 series Hawk electric guitar was sold by Different Journeys for $2 million. Earlier, Bob gave this guitar to his friend Gary Carls, who organized this fund.

Another electric guitar sold for the same price belonged to the legendary Jimi Hendrix. He played this Stratocaster at the famous Woodstock festival. The guitar has been resold at auction several times and was last seen in 1990. Then it was acquired by one of the co-founders of Microsoft, Paul Allen.

The most expensive guitar in the world is Bryan Adams' Fender Stratocaster. Nothing outstanding in design, however, it was sold at the auction of the Reach out to Asia fund for a record amount of 2 million 700 thousand dollars. A special feature of this guitar are the autographs of the greatest musicians that adorned its white body. Among them are celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Mick Jagger, Sting, Def Leppard ), Ritchie Blackmore and many others. A truly amazing compilation provided an opportunity to help victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami. Moreover, the guitar was sold twice during the auction: the first time it was bought by the royal family, who immediately donated it again to the foundation. The name of the second owner seems to have remained unknown to us.

Within the framework of this article, we are unlikely to be able to talk about other unusual instruments that a rich rock culture has given us. As a pleasant conclusion, we offer you to look at a selection of incredibly beautiful ESP guitars, which are made for individual orders for customers.

Sophisticated musicians come up with everything to make their favorite instrument special, not like those used by their colleagues in the shop.

We offer you a selection of the strangest guitars, many of which are now in museums, but it is still not clear how they are played.

1. In the 70s of the last century, the legendary virtuoso guitarist who stood at the origins of the Led Zeppelin group Jimmy Page popularized guitars with two necks. Twenty years later, guitarist Steve Vai took it a step further with his three-neck Ibanez model. One of its most interesting features is the holographic "magic eye" that looks at the player when the guitar moves into playing position. In any case, the guitar is so expensive and fragile that so far only Vai manages to play it.

2. The "Chapman Stick" was invented in the early 1970s by Emmett Chapman. This instrument allows the guitarist to play more notes at once than on a conventional guitar. The neck works more like a keyboard. It will be difficult to play this guitar without getting a pompous expression.

3. Erroneously called "BC Rich Bitch", this pornographic-looking custom guitar was designed by Jon Crist and the metal band Danzig in 1995. He named it "Rich Bich" - yes, without the "t" - and continues to play it to this day.

4. Selling for $2,400 at www.guitarcenter.com, this "gunshot" bass actually comes with a laser sight.

5. The "Abstract Rockingbat" is a luxurious handmade guitar that sells for nearly £3,500. If Batman were a metalhead, he would play on it.

6. One of the fastest guitarists in the world, Michael Angelo Batio was famous in the 80s playing with the hairy metalheads of Nitro. He was also the teacher of the young Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine. Although the oddly cutaway "Quad guitar" he helped design is perhaps his best gift to the world.

7. Designed by Abstract, these fluffy guitars are named "Dean Powder Puff Zee". Each of them will cost you a hefty £7,000.

8. Thanks to a very low seventh string, this obviously ugly model is the "Damien Death Cross" - a gothic cross, fretboard inlays and an arrow on the headstock. Wow, sharp.

9. The "Angel Sword" guitar became a minor Internet discovery in 2007 when this model was found on eBay and sold for $4500 at the time, which caused a flurry of comments. Perfect gift for Iron Maiden or "World of Warcraft" fans.

10. Most likely, this guitar was made with an ironic intent. In any case, recently her name "Wangcaster" was listed in the dictionary of slang and obscene words.

11. This headache-inducing instrument was named "The Picasso" for its stylistic resemblance to the work of Pablo Picasso. It is unique in that it has 7 necks and 42 strings. One musician did manage to master the guitar. It turned out to be jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, who even managed to record the song "Into The Dream" with her help. Reason to brag.

12. When the American singer Prince changed his name to a symbol in 1992, he ordered a guitar made in the shape of this symbol. The original tool, made by master Jerry Auerswald, was covered with gold. The purple version you see here was produced by Schecter and even hit the shelves. True, at a great price.

13. What will you get if you combine a guitar with a harp? Harp guitar, of course. Popular among 19th-century Italian troubadours, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin learned to play this instrument. It is strange that he never used the harp guitar in any of the band's recordings.

14. And this is the height of bad taste among guitars of the 80s. While Steve Way was using his three neck Ibanez, David Lee Roth's band member was playing this "heart": you can see it in action in the "Just Like Paradise" video.

15. Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has many guitars, but the most famous is his "Jack Daniels" model. Being a good entrepreneur, Michael also produces his own line of hot sauce.