ELECTRICIZED

Fender Strat Plus

1987-1999
Alder or Ash / Maple / Maple or Rosewood

By many considered one of Fender’s finest, the Plus series was released and introduced a lot of new props. It was the first Strats to featured Gold Lace Sensor pickups as well as locking tuners. Those pickups were appreciated for keeping a 50s feel, but without the hum. Hear it

Fender Precision Bass Plus

1989-1993
Alder or Ash, Maple, Rosewood

Nicknamed “Boner P-Bass” because of its elongated horn, it is one of the first 22 frets american made bass. Two Lace sensor pickups (one Jazz + one precision). Hear it

Gibson Grabber

1973-1983
Maple, Alder

Released at the same time as the Gibson Ripper, the Gibson Grabber broke even more the EB series mold.

The Grabber was Maple head to toe up until 1975, when the body got swapped with Alder. Same headstock as on the Flying V.

A single pickup, modular, could be easily moved to a neck or bridge position. In parts due to the wood choice, Its tone is brighter than what you could expect from a Gibson humbucker. Hear it

A limited edition re-run was produced in 2009.

Gibson Ripper

1973-1983
Maple, Alder, Ebony

Gibson EB bass series was very popular, but getting old. They freshened up in 1973 with the release of two basses that would clash with the Gibson tradition: The Gibson Grabber and the Gibson Ripper.

Instead of the Mahogany body, the Ripper was built with Maple (and alder in 1975), woods usually found on a Fender Production line. The bass was kept at low cost by keeping it cosmetically basic. In 2009, Gibson released a limited edition reissue called the Gibson Ripper II.

Photo: BCR Music

Gibson Byrdland

1955-Present
Spruce, Maple, Ebony

The name Byrdland is a mashup of the names of Billy Bird and Hank Garland the two guitarists who participated in its design. They had requested a short scale archtop that would be less bulky than the traditional hollowbody, and this is basically what they got: A short-scale thinline L5CES.

P90s, PAF pickups, venetian or florentine cutaway, the Gibson Byrdland went through several phases, but was always seen as a remarkable and prized instrument. Some of Gibson’s finest. Hear it

Photo: Georgesmusic

Bo Diddley

1928-2008

The Stones, the Beatles, the Who, Hendrix… You name it. Everyone has been influenced by the simple yet feverish rhythms of Bo Diddley. “The Originator”, as they called him, defined the genre and is unmistakably considered a cornerstone of blues rock. He was also famous for having female guitarists in his band. 

His two main instruments were the cigar-box shaped Grestch Twang Machine and the Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird. Both were designed by Diddley himself, respectively in 1958 and 1959. Yes, Bo Diddley was a man, and a remarkable one.

Washburn G-40V

1988
Maple, Ebony

Made in Japan as part of the G series, the G-40V uniqueness comes from its triple coil pickup. Push buttons allow to switch each coil on or off. If you’re interested in hearing how it sounds, one of these rare birds is currently for sale on ebay.

Casio PG-380

1987- Early 1990s
Alder, Maple, Ebony

Before Casio came into play, Roland had no real competiton in the Midi guitar market. A total of five models were made by the japanese brand, all at the famous Fuji-Gen factory were Fender and Ibanez models were also produced.

The Casio PG-380 established Casio’s superiority over Roland. Like all the other Casio models, the PG-380 is a superstrat stuffed with loads of electronics; so many in fact the designers had to give up the contoured ‘beer gut’ typical to the stratocaster body. Hear some bits

Carvin DC 150

1976-1992
Maple, Ebony

Jewel of versatility, the the Carvin DC-150 is Gibsonesque only in appearances. Each pickup can be turned to single coils via a mini-switch, and a third mini switch acts as a phase inverter. Combined with stereo output, imagine all possibilities…  Hear it.

Both DC-150C (blonde) and DC-150C (black) were exclusively made out of maple. An optional ebony fretboard was eventually offered. In 2002, Carvin reintroduced the DC-150 with a lot of changes that turned it officially into a Gibson clone: New pickups, rounder body shape, mahogany / maple top construction, no mini-switches, 22 frets.

Dunlop Tortex Pick

1972-Present
Thermoplastic

Since an international ban on tortoiseshell in 1973, Dunlop has been successfully offering the most iconic and recognizable pick in guitar history. The variety of colors/thicknesses makes any decently obsessed guitarist want to try them all. And that logo is spot on. Keep smiling, Turtey.

Fender Princeton

1947-1986

Here is one of the most popular studio amps Fender ever made. The Princeton was introduced in 1947 as an entry level amp, along with the Fender Champ. The Princeton was a fairly basic 15 Watts amp that has been particularly priced for its recording qualities. The Princeton Reverb was added in 1964, which was basically a version with reverb and vibrato. That amp is also the home of the very first Mesa Boogie mods.

While the classic model was discontinued in 1979, Fender kept the popular Princeton Reverb in the catalogs until 1982. It was then replaced by a 22 watts version, the Princeton Reverb II. 8000 units of the version 2 were produced before Fender dropped the series from the catalog. Fender reissued some of the Princeton series in 2006. Hear the Fender Princeton roar

For sale

Charvel Explorer Shazam Bass

1984

The eighties glam metal is resumed right there. I swear i can hear some Def Leppard just by looking at that bass. This is straight from San Dimas era, in other words, the best of Charvel. For sale

G&L SC-2

1982-1983
Maple

The SC series were composed of three models SC-1, SC-2 and SC-3 (based on the number of pickups) and were part of the early designs to come out of Leo Fender’s new company, G&L. Entirely made of maple, the SC guitars have bright highs and a sustain that goes on for ever. Hear it sing.

This model never prove to be as popular as originally intended, and Leo Fender decided to redesign the model with a different body shape in 1983. Only 600 SC-2 guitars were made prior to that change.

Photo: Smiles2miles

Fender Performer

1985-1986
Alder, Basswood, Maple, Rosewood

Originally designed by John Page in 1983, the Fender Performer was supposed to be Fender’s entry point to a competitive metal market, dominated at the time by brands like Jackson or BC Rich. The headstock is somewhat reminiscent of the one of a Fender Swinger and has probably the worst looking Fender logo decal ever produced. The body looks vaguely like a Parker Fly with pointed horns. What’s quite unique to the performer is a pair of slanted humbuckers that are surprisingly versatile. A mini-switch allows to choose between single-coil or humbucker mode. Hear Scott Grove make them purrr!

As the stories goes, this model would have been made with leftover scraps from strats. Not a problem for the Fuji-gen factory who manages to pull out a great sounding guitar in 1985. Sadly, the performer never conquered any crowd and faded out of the catalogs a year after its release.

Photo: Bill Rushing

Charvel Model 88

1988
Mahogany, Rosewood

A limited edition Charvel. Only 1000 units, made only in 1988. Lovely body made out of african ribbon mahogany.  The body of the prototype would later be used to produce the Jackson Dinky Harry Cody. (The EMG pickup on the photo is not original)