Unusual guitar designs. Guitars of an unusual shape: rare and unique The strangest guitars

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 most fast 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 unusually cutaway "Quad guitar" he helped design is perhaps his best gift 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 american singer Prince in 1992 changed his name to a symbol, 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.

What do you think is important for a great musician besides being able to play an instrument well and be famous? And that's what! Every musician dreams of achieving individuality both in music and in image. Distinctive features can separate you from a large number performers. Many bands think over in detail their image, their attributes. Today we will focus on one aspect of the musician's image. It will be a change in the appearance of the guitar.
One of the directions is a change in the design of the instrument. The first thing I wanted to draw your attention to is the airbrushing of the guitar. Professionals of this business will give individuality to your guitar and make almost any picture on it according to your desire. The main thing is to come up with or choose an image that suits you. I suggest to look at some interesting works.

Airbrushing on guitars

By the way, I looked at an interesting design of dishes on one of the sites.
The next refinement may be a change in the body of the guitar. The scope for imagination here is also quite wide. Below are a few examples.

Unusual guitar bodies

Now I would like to introduce you to some famous musicians who play unusual guitars.

Alexander Hamer (gr. Kruger) and his dragon guitar

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 tool.

28. B.C. Rich Mockingbird by Slash

Yes, oddly enough maestro Slash plays not only guitars Gibson Les Paul. 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

Among musicians old school the story goes 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

At the dawn of his musical career Dave favored mostly 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 - famous bass with a soundboard in the form of a cello body, created by the Hofner companies 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 famous hater of Gibson guitars. Les Paul. 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. This particular guitar in 1967 most talented musician set on fire 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- famous instrument Gene Simmons from Kiss, perfectly complementing his stage persona.

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

In Dimebag's arsenal different years there were more than 20 instruments - 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 received name 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.

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 are guitars. 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 case has a characteristic cutout under 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. One more easy recognizable legend Gibson. 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. By technical specifications 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.

A guitar cannot always be a guitar - you can play on a shovel, on an ax, on an oar and in general on anything, if only there is enough imagination. Some inventors come up with original designs and shapes for their instruments in order to stand out or bring some fresh metamorphosis to the art. Not all instances are quite successful - excessive pretentiousness, in our opinion, speaks of insincerity. But a tool with a certain idea really interesting find. Let's take a look at some unusually shaped guitars.

A controversial variant of an unusually shaped guitar - a butterfly guitar

Guitars of an unusual shape: look and be surprised!

Spade guitar

Definitely first place. Perhaps, the best option. After all, what is a shovel? This is a tool that is used to dig, that is, it is a symbol hard work. And licking on an object that carries a clear symbol is worth a lot. It seems that the creation of such an object is a kind of prick to the side younger generation, they say, look, son, what "dad" plays. On the Internet, you can sometimes stumble upon a video of engineers assembling spade guitars, but the most popular for the Russian-speaking population is the creation of Pavel Yatsyna from Red Mold. The band's estate has a patented rake guitar, a shovel guitar and a paddle guitar.

Spade guitar

Ax guitar and rifle guitar

Gene Simmons and his famous ax guitar Rifle guitar

The ax guitar is clearly meant for metal. Once the "axe" became calling card KISS group. In 1978 famous master Steve Carr designed this bass guitar with Jim Simmons. By the image of the instrument, one can say: especially aggressive when combined and appearance, and hellish string picking. Just don’t, of course, mess with her in the crowd - otherwise, it will be a real rubilovo! In continuation of the "killer" theme - a guitar-rifle. With this one you can really strike on the spot!

Guitar in the form of a female figure

Some copies of this guitar of an unusual shape are vulgar, some are aesthetic - but, in any case, original. Yes, now you will not surprise anyone with an erotic theme - it was fresh in the second half of the 20th century, when people were surprised by such topics. However, it is always nice to have such a thing in the collection. By the way, the expression “six-string girlfriend” thus acquires some relevance.

Guitar with multiple necks

You should not pass by absolutely unprecedented guitars with two, three, four, and so on necks. In the 1970s, such "designs" were popularized by Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai. Agree, you need to have a special skill in order to be able to manage such miracles of thought!

Author's guitars of unusual shape and design

In conclusion, we should recall a few author's guitars. Here is a collection of guitars prince, famous painted guitar Egor Letov, favorite Fender Kurt Cobain(Nirvana) and signature guitar model of a true Brit Noel Gallagher(Oasis).

But somehow I don’t want to focus on species like butterfly guitars or fork guitars. This already smacks of the aesthetics of postmodernism - everyone strives to invent something beyond the original, but not everyone succeeds. The result is shapeless and unprincipled heaps. Don't forget, Rock is an idea, not pop. What is your guitar?