Terry CarletonSocial Links Navigation Grid List Latest articles by Terry Carleton One of the rarest and most sought-after Japanese-made Teiscos, the 1968 May Queen is a guitar designed for players, not just beginners By Terry Carleton published 25 October 23 Made for just one year, Teisco's May Queen was three times the price of its regular guitars. There's a reason for that… Smuggled out of Europe, a Communist Bloc Guitar Like This Delfi Kosmos Is a Rare Sight By Terry Carleton published 17 August 23 A copy of Gibson's fabled Moderne, this oddball axe is a relic of rock and roll’s war against Soviet repression Hard to Find but Worth the Hunt, Yamaha’s Prized ‘Flying Banana’ SG-3c Is One of the Best Holy Grail Oddball Guitars on the Vintage Market By Terry Carleton published 30 June 23 Rising considerably in price, this great playing, great sounding axe is quality all the way What’s Old, Covered in Sparkly Plastic and Sounds Like a Dream? This 1961 Goya S90 by Hagstrom By Terry Carleton published 2 May 23 An early pioneer in the history of European electrics, this funky axe sounds as good, if not better, than it looks! Just Look at All the Dang Buttons on This Vintage Goya! Houston? We Have a Problem By Terry Carleton published 16 March 23 Featuring nine push buttons, this 1967 Goya Rangemaster Model 109 sports a beautiful German carve and Brazilian rosewood ‘board Played by the Likes of Hank Marvin and Rory Gallagher, Guyatones Are Among the Best Japanese Vintage Guitars Around By Terry Carleton published 15 March 23 Still in business today, Guyatone is one of Japan’s earliest guitar makers This Mid-1960s Victoria Mod Job Shows What You Can Do With Some Choice Spare Parts, Ingenuity and Imagination By Terry Carleton published 7 March 23 A cool and affordable way to add a lot of mojo to your guitar palette Like the Hagstrom, Vox, Framus and Italian EKO Guitars of the Era, This 1965 Meazzi Hollywood Zodiac Plays and Sounds Great By Terry Carleton published 24 February 23 While it looks slightly quirky, this elegant build is a straight-ahead, no-nonsense, meat-and-potatoes workhorse. Even Stranger Than This B-2 Bomber Guitar’s Shape Is Its 42-Inch Wingspan By Terry Carleton published 27 January 23 But it all makes sense when you discover it was made by a 7-foot-tall, ex-U.S. Navy, goth-metal bombshell This 1964 Greenburst “Jetstar” M.I.J. Mongrel Mash-up Is Loud and Ready to Rock By Terry Carleton published 16 January 23 The pitbull nature of its look makes you want to smack it around like Jack White or Dan Auerbach might Designed for Players With Refined Tastes, the EKO Florentine 2 Is a Unique Under-the-Radar Vintage Guitar By Terry Carleton published 6 January 23 Located in Recanti, Italy, and still operating today, the EKO Company was the largest exporter of electric guitars in all of Europe The Cold War Era BPAMI Formanta Solo Two Has a Vibe Unfamiliar to Most Westerners By Terry Carleton published 3 January 23 Weighing 13 pounds and sporting a fuzz circuit, this Soviet-made electric guitar is heavy in feel and sound David Bowie, Jack White and Dan Auerbach Have Played the Westwood, but It’s Still Obscure Enough to Look Like a Custom Build By Terry Carleton published 17 November 22 This restored and modified ’62 National Westwood “Map” puts a world of tone at your fingertips Here’s One Vintage Sparkle Finish Guitar You Can Bag Relatively Cheap By Terry Carleton published 4 October 22 Twinkle, twinkle, little Tele-Star, how I wonder what you are worth Elvis and Zappa Played a Hagström… But Have You Ever Seen One of These? By Terry Carleton last updated 13 September 22 The Hagström 1 is a rare guitar with an equally rare construction. Cool Vintage Guitars Don't Need To Be Expensive By Terry Carleton published 9 September 22 With a few mods, this budget 1967 Teisco K2L lab rat became a great playing – and priceless – custom build The Best Vintage Guitar Brand You’ve Never Heard Of By Terry Carleton published 1 June 22 Despite a brief flirtation with some big names, Standel guitars, like this 1967 Custom, never got the love. Putting the Macca in Maccaferri – this $5 Toy Guitar from the 1960s is Now Priced in the Thousands! By Terry Carleton published 14 April 22 The Selcol Beatles New Sound Guitar is a Maccaferri Marvel by another name. The Whatchamacallit: an Unusual Instrument with an Even More Unusual Story By Terry Carleton published 2 March 22 Reunited with its owner after 50 years, this custom double-neck is a blast from 1954. Cool, Quirky and Collectible: the Teisco Spectrum 5 By Terry Carleton published 13 January 22 With its innovative features this oddball Holy Grailer is interesting enough to push anyone’s buttons. The Gretsch Guitar That Was Far Too Clever For Its Own Good By Terry Carleton published 24 December 21 Despite its secret weapons the Viking failed to conquer when it landed. Mike Dugan Walks Us Through the Wonderful World of Weird Guitars By Terry Carleton published 22 November 21 As the caretaker for a vast collection of unusual vintage axes, blues guitarist Mike Dugan has carved out a second career in front of the camera. It's Cheap, Nasty, and Sounds Terrific: the Silvertone/Teisco EV3T By Terry Carleton published 16 November 21 Some 50 years later, Teisco guitars like this have found their way into respectability among not just collectors but also players and session musicians. This Department Store-Bought Supro Folkstar is Causing a Stir on the Vintage Market By Terry Carleton published 5 November 21 A plastic whack job that sounds like a true resonator. What Do David Bowie, Jack White and St. Vincent Have in Common? By Terry Carleton published 2 November 21 They’ve all played off-brand guitars like this Japanese-made Norma EG-421. 12 MOST READ1“The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up when you make a mistake…” John Petrucci’s top five tips for guitarists2Quick! Fender Play just dropped its biggest ever discount – save a massive 75% off online lessons for a limited time3“I didn’t want to be the flashy lead player. Whether it was Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, David Crosby or Richie Havens, what the left hand was doing was more fascinating to me than what the right hand was doing": The Paul Stanley interview4The iconic Batwing-shaped axe made famous by Soundgarden: the new Guild Polara Kim Thayil Signature reviewed5“Any good guitar player will tell you his vibrato is as sweet as honey…” Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Joe Perry, Tom Morello and many more on what Paul Stanley’s playing brought to Kiss
One of the rarest and most sought-after Japanese-made Teiscos, the 1968 May Queen is a guitar designed for players, not just beginners By Terry Carleton published 25 October 23 Made for just one year, Teisco's May Queen was three times the price of its regular guitars. There's a reason for that…
Smuggled out of Europe, a Communist Bloc Guitar Like This Delfi Kosmos Is a Rare Sight By Terry Carleton published 17 August 23 A copy of Gibson's fabled Moderne, this oddball axe is a relic of rock and roll’s war against Soviet repression
Hard to Find but Worth the Hunt, Yamaha’s Prized ‘Flying Banana’ SG-3c Is One of the Best Holy Grail Oddball Guitars on the Vintage Market By Terry Carleton published 30 June 23 Rising considerably in price, this great playing, great sounding axe is quality all the way
What’s Old, Covered in Sparkly Plastic and Sounds Like a Dream? This 1961 Goya S90 by Hagstrom By Terry Carleton published 2 May 23 An early pioneer in the history of European electrics, this funky axe sounds as good, if not better, than it looks!
Just Look at All the Dang Buttons on This Vintage Goya! Houston? We Have a Problem By Terry Carleton published 16 March 23 Featuring nine push buttons, this 1967 Goya Rangemaster Model 109 sports a beautiful German carve and Brazilian rosewood ‘board
Played by the Likes of Hank Marvin and Rory Gallagher, Guyatones Are Among the Best Japanese Vintage Guitars Around By Terry Carleton published 15 March 23 Still in business today, Guyatone is one of Japan’s earliest guitar makers
This Mid-1960s Victoria Mod Job Shows What You Can Do With Some Choice Spare Parts, Ingenuity and Imagination By Terry Carleton published 7 March 23 A cool and affordable way to add a lot of mojo to your guitar palette
Like the Hagstrom, Vox, Framus and Italian EKO Guitars of the Era, This 1965 Meazzi Hollywood Zodiac Plays and Sounds Great By Terry Carleton published 24 February 23 While it looks slightly quirky, this elegant build is a straight-ahead, no-nonsense, meat-and-potatoes workhorse.
Even Stranger Than This B-2 Bomber Guitar’s Shape Is Its 42-Inch Wingspan By Terry Carleton published 27 January 23 But it all makes sense when you discover it was made by a 7-foot-tall, ex-U.S. Navy, goth-metal bombshell
This 1964 Greenburst “Jetstar” M.I.J. Mongrel Mash-up Is Loud and Ready to Rock By Terry Carleton published 16 January 23 The pitbull nature of its look makes you want to smack it around like Jack White or Dan Auerbach might
Designed for Players With Refined Tastes, the EKO Florentine 2 Is a Unique Under-the-Radar Vintage Guitar By Terry Carleton published 6 January 23 Located in Recanti, Italy, and still operating today, the EKO Company was the largest exporter of electric guitars in all of Europe
The Cold War Era BPAMI Formanta Solo Two Has a Vibe Unfamiliar to Most Westerners By Terry Carleton published 3 January 23 Weighing 13 pounds and sporting a fuzz circuit, this Soviet-made electric guitar is heavy in feel and sound
David Bowie, Jack White and Dan Auerbach Have Played the Westwood, but It’s Still Obscure Enough to Look Like a Custom Build By Terry Carleton published 17 November 22 This restored and modified ’62 National Westwood “Map” puts a world of tone at your fingertips
Here’s One Vintage Sparkle Finish Guitar You Can Bag Relatively Cheap By Terry Carleton published 4 October 22 Twinkle, twinkle, little Tele-Star, how I wonder what you are worth
Elvis and Zappa Played a Hagström… But Have You Ever Seen One of These? By Terry Carleton last updated 13 September 22 The Hagström 1 is a rare guitar with an equally rare construction.
Cool Vintage Guitars Don't Need To Be Expensive By Terry Carleton published 9 September 22 With a few mods, this budget 1967 Teisco K2L lab rat became a great playing – and priceless – custom build
The Best Vintage Guitar Brand You’ve Never Heard Of By Terry Carleton published 1 June 22 Despite a brief flirtation with some big names, Standel guitars, like this 1967 Custom, never got the love.
Putting the Macca in Maccaferri – this $5 Toy Guitar from the 1960s is Now Priced in the Thousands! By Terry Carleton published 14 April 22 The Selcol Beatles New Sound Guitar is a Maccaferri Marvel by another name.
The Whatchamacallit: an Unusual Instrument with an Even More Unusual Story By Terry Carleton published 2 March 22 Reunited with its owner after 50 years, this custom double-neck is a blast from 1954.
Cool, Quirky and Collectible: the Teisco Spectrum 5 By Terry Carleton published 13 January 22 With its innovative features this oddball Holy Grailer is interesting enough to push anyone’s buttons.
The Gretsch Guitar That Was Far Too Clever For Its Own Good By Terry Carleton published 24 December 21 Despite its secret weapons the Viking failed to conquer when it landed.
Mike Dugan Walks Us Through the Wonderful World of Weird Guitars By Terry Carleton published 22 November 21 As the caretaker for a vast collection of unusual vintage axes, blues guitarist Mike Dugan has carved out a second career in front of the camera.
It's Cheap, Nasty, and Sounds Terrific: the Silvertone/Teisco EV3T By Terry Carleton published 16 November 21 Some 50 years later, Teisco guitars like this have found their way into respectability among not just collectors but also players and session musicians.
This Department Store-Bought Supro Folkstar is Causing a Stir on the Vintage Market By Terry Carleton published 5 November 21 A plastic whack job that sounds like a true resonator.
What Do David Bowie, Jack White and St. Vincent Have in Common? By Terry Carleton published 2 November 21 They’ve all played off-brand guitars like this Japanese-made Norma EG-421.
