Guitars that never made it

[62 Jazzmaster]

How about a vintage Japanese acoustic with a whammy bar?

1965 Zen-On model K 50-T

There was also a non-cut-away model, the K40-T:

 

[cyclopean]

The Marauder had a brief run, thanks to KISS.
That was actually my first "real" guitar (not because of KISS) - blonde with a white pickguard. Nostalgic me started looking around for one a few years back, and holey schnikeys, people were (and still are) asking quite the chunk of change for them. As in, $1500 and up.

Harvey Milk make them sound great.

 

[BrazHog]

I really liked the Gibson recording when it came out. Maybe too ugly for the general market.

The demo disk of the Recording model is definitely something else.

 

[BrazHog]

Also one of my pointy faves…The Alvarez Dana Scoop. When you really need to caress that last fret.

And, circling back to the topic of this forum, let me introduce to you the Dana Scoop Nashville:

 

[Censport]

The Bond Electraglide from 1984-85. A stepped sawtooth-shaped fingerboard replaced the frets. I played one - hard to bend notes - basically "meh".

Bond Electraglide - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I remember when they closed out and George Gruhn was selling the remaining stock, $350 each. I was working around the corner at Hewgley's and one of our regular customers bought one on a lark. He joked about using it at a gig: "Hey girls check it out, my guitar has lights on it!" Never heard if that worked out for him.

Looked on Reverb and there is only one listed, well over $3,000. Still gonna pass.

Speaking of my Hewgley's days, we sold Peavey Razers and Mystics. Or we tried to. I wanted a Razer but my boss made such fun of them that I was too embarrassed to buy one. Just had to wait 35 years to find a nice one, thanks to @Vermoulian . He sold it to me a couple of years ago, and I've cherished it ever since.

It doesn't hide in the case either. Stays out where I can play it, which I often do.

 

[Dismalhead]

The 1986-87 Gibson SG Special 400. The short-lived and wildly unpopular 'hair metal' SG. I have one which I am (slowly) converting to an SG Jr.

View attachment 1054698

I put a Kahler trem on my '84 SG Special back when it was new. Dumbest thing I ever did to a guitar.

 

[radiocaster]

Without a doubt, one of the craziest flattops Martin ever made, and it didn't really catch on either.

Of course, everybody will recognize the D-18E as the axe Kurt Cobain used on Nirvana's unplugged performance.

And another famous user was Tracy Chapman, who used one during her early days.

But neither used the guitar as it was intended. Tracy Chapman used hers plugged into the PA, like one would do with an Ovation. And Cobain had a Bartolini Soundhole pickup fitted because he hated the sound of the stock DeArmond pickups. The fact that he strung his up with Acoustic strings rather than electric strings also explains a lot when it comes to the resulting sound.

Because, if you use them as an electric, as they were intended to be used, they sound quite awesome.

Sounds a bit like Billy Bragg's Steer at the beginning of that vid.

 

[schmee]

Many of the early Supro or Nationals seemed to never show up live. I used to have a 60's catalog. I cant even find pics on line of some of the really ugly ones.:
National:

 

[BB]

Many of the early Supro or Nationals seemed to never show up live. I used to have a 60's catalog. I cant even find pics on line of some of the really ugly ones.:
National:
View attachment 1057996

That was my very first electric guitar! Same color even. It was used, but looked new. Gift from my Parent's under the Christmas tree for Christmas 1966-67.
Wish I still had it! Traded it in for Lyle 335 style hollow body.....my first bad trade!

 

[stratisfied]

Epiphone will hate me for this, but the P93 is a dog unless heavily modified!

View attachment 1055471

LOL! I had one and immediately sent it back. Before I did, I had a buddy play. He did the thrumthrum, click, thrumthrum, click, thrumthrum, looked at me and said “Jesus. 3 pickups and every setting sounds the same … what kind of crap are they selling?”

 

[stratisfied]

Along the lines of the Sears Effector, St. Louis Music Marketed the Electra MPC Series Les Paul in the '70's as a pro-level guitar with cigarette pack sized, plug-in effects modules. Phase Shifter, Dynamic Fuzz, Treble/Bass boost, Tank Tone (fixed wah pedal), Overdrive, Filter Follower, Auto Wah, Tube Sound, Octave Box, Frog Nose (headphone amp) and Compressor were all made available for MPC equipped guitars.

MPC Effects Modules

 

[northernguitar]

Don't expect Martin to reissue these anytime soon, though.

I have often wondered why they haven’t as a signature guitar. They’d sell a gazillion.

 

[badscrew_projects]

Because Dearmond pickups belong to Fender these days?

 

[TX_Slinger]

The 1987 Washburn RS10(V). Took only one cease and desist letter from PRS to kill this one and make it a single year offering. Pickups were horrible EMG Selects with licensed FR but the Carbonite fretboard was kinda cool in the one I had. Interesting that the finish on mine wasn't listed in the catalog.

 

[Frontier9]

Gretsch TK 300. Looks like they just gave up when they got to the headstock!

I love that one 'cause it's just so dang odd. I call it the Gretschtzky - you can play hockey with it.

 

[tonyguitargoat]

I have a book called something like "A Thousand And One Guitars You Should Play Before You Die". Most of them you wouldn't want to play - they look like something you may have made in woodwork class at school. Only the traditional shapes look right...