Why aren't cheap guitars interesting like this Decca anymore?

[Retro Hound]

I was visiting a friend and tucked in the corner of his dining room was this old guitar. When I went to look at it, it was a Decca and had these interesting switches on it. He said it was in his dad's barn and got all wet so the electronics are shot, but it was fascinating to look at. It seems nowadays all cheap guitars are basically Stratocasters.

Oh, and what is this thing sticking out of the bridge? It seems to be where the strings are so they would have to go around it?

 

[Zip]

That Decca, when it was new, was a total piece of crap.
But now that its old, it's a rusted vintage piece of crap.

If you like interesting-looking guitars, Google some Russian guitars. Cheap and interesting. They have all the tone of limp cauliflower, and play about the same as said cauliflower. Lots of switches and gizmos, though. Saw one with 6 pickups once. A real tone-monster :thwap

Edit: Here ya go: http://www.junkguitars.com/pictures.html

2nd edit: Here's one on eBay with the same weird trem - http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1960s-A...854486&po=LVI&ps=63&clkid=6836594902459847479

 

[FrankenFretter]

The bridge looks like a Jazzmaster type tremolo bridge. That thing sticking up would be where the tremolo bar is inserted.

Rondo Music has some pretty interesting shapes for inexpensive guitars. They have the standard Strat and LP types, but also some odd ones now and then.

Edit: Is that a chunk of wood serving as saddles? Nice. Did it come that way stock?

 

[Katastrophe]

I like the funky look of that guitar. They don't make 'em like that because they tended to be made cheaply, didn't last and guitarists generally wanted the more conservative shapes of Fender and Gibson.

However, Eastwood guitars makes a bunch of different models, inspired by some pretty funky designs. Plenty of switches to mess with here! http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/

 

[oldguy]

Nice woodgrain on that 'burst.

The rest....... not so much.

 

[msteeln]

I've often considered getting a Russian guitar/bass like the melted potato Tonika's, but now I want either an Ural or Aelita asap, preferably both! You can't beat a commie hockey stick for a headstock, and you just know whomever played those got ALL the least unshaven girls in town... Rock on, comrade!

 

[mapka]

I still have my first electric guitar, a ca. 1970 Heit. Single pickup, crappy paint, but still an interesting relic.

 

[Moander]

Perfect guitar to learn electric guitar repair and maintenance on.

Crown and polish frets, learn truss rod adjustment by putting say 9's, adjust truss, move to 10's, re-adjust, etc.....

Good for electronic work as well......buy some new, cheap pots, and a jack, rewire the guitar. Install a standard pickup toggle switch, say a 5 way, and learn to rewire that thing bypassing those cheesey switches.....

 

[stiggowitz]

"Saw one with 6 pickups once. A real tone-monster"

Saw a 5 pup decca or tiesco; 4 between the neck and bridge and one between the bridge and tremolo, go figure.

 

[Retro Hound]

I like Moander's suggestion. I'll pass that on to the guy who owns it.

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Actually although not the bottom-rung hundred dollar variety, in the $200-$500 range you can find all kinds of cool and offbeat guitars today. Maybe not quite as offbeat as the one in the OP, but certainly not the ho-hum Strat/LP shapes. And the modern ones are actually playable, unlike many of the old bottom-rung Teiscos, Deccas, Kays, and Harmonies.

A few cases in point from my personal stable, eh?

This DeArmond Jetstar (bought new for $225 iirc) is an obvious choice, based on the old Guild Thunderbird (see headstock inlay):

Schecter has a lot of cool shapes in addition to their more pointy stuff. The Tempest, seen here impersonating an LP Special (bought used w/ohsc for $250), is neither Strat nor LP:

The Danelectro reissues are inexpensive and bring back their own late '50's and '60's designs, plus the occasional new design like my Hodad (used $250), which borrows from Mosrite for its shape:

One which did cost me only a hundred bucks (used) is this Brownsville Choirboy, vaguely LP-shaped, but with a Dano-type thinline semi-hollow construction (bolt-neck), and 3 ab fab single-coil toasters with Strat-style 5-way switching:

Toward the higher end (I bought mine like new for $400) of the inexpensive guitars, the Fernandes Ravelle is a great shape:

I've gigged all these modern offbeat guitars in church and with my various rock bands.

Eastwood has already been mentioned, they do "reissues" of old guitars, one of which is the Ovation Breadwinner. I actually have one of the originals from the early '70's:

Eastwood's version is rather pricey, probably about what the originals are going for. I bought mine c. 1980 for ~$225 w/ohsc.

 

[Retro Hound]

Now those are cool!

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Now those are cool!

Thanks! We are truly living in the Golden Age of Inexpensive Electric Guitars!

As for the funky variety, Schecter has/had a batch of models that I haven't owned but that are not expensive and retro-inspired:

Hellcat:

And don't forget DiPinto guitars:

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Oh, and the old Ibanez Talman:

And the former and current Ibanez Jet Kings:

 

[Bloozcat]

I'm still kicking myself for not picking up one of these Schecter PT Custom Diamond Series when MF was closing them out a few years back.