Holy grails do exist, and they can be found in opportunity shops, pawn shops and garages in the possession of long-retired musicians or their family.
A notable phenomenon in the world of electric guitars is that cheap vintage instruments, often student models or Japanese imitations of more expensive brands, have become quite sought after on the secondhand market. They’re famous for their quirky appearance, lofi sound and unique electronics. Electric guitars such as this are often referred to as “Pawnshop Guitars” and for many years now have been embraced by indie and garage bands the world over. They may not play particularly well or be made of the finest tonewoods, but they sure are unique and iconic. Here’s ten of the coolest.
Harmony H78
Between 1945 and 1975, the Chicago based Harmony brand produced around ten million guitars, focusing on student models sold through JC Penney. The Harmony H78 is a fully hollow guitar loaded with three DeArmond Gold Foil pickups. It has a killer lofi 60s garage tone and as famously demonstrated by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and sounds really quite good through a fuzz pedal.
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Danelectro Shorthorn
The Danelectro Shorthorn is best known as the guitar Jimmy Page used for DADGAD tuning, most notably on the song “Kashmir”. Although intended as a cheap student guitar, the Shorthorn, now available as the 59DC, is now famous for its association with both Page and Syd Barret of Pink Floyd. A cheaply constructed, hollow bodied guitar constructed with Masonite and Poplar, the Shorthorn has a distinct twangy sound not unlike a Telecaster. Known for its very distinctive look, the Shorthorn’s double-cutaway shape, lipstick tube pickups, ‘Coke bottle’ headstock and striking black and white colour scheme are all part of the charm.
Mosrite Ventures Model
Mosrite was founded in 1956 in Bakersfield, California by Semie Moseley. Known for their innovative design, thin necks and hot pickups, Mosrites were very solid guitars. The Ventures model was designed specifically for the highly influential surf rock band The Ventures and was considered the flagship guitar for the brand. It has a cool asymmetrical double cutaway shape, two P90 pickups and a Bigsby vibrato arm, the perfect axe for surf music and now one of the quintessential pawn shop guitars.
Kay K6533 Value Leader
Kay offered up their first electric guitar in 1936 but are best known for their large production of student-grade, budget instruments in the 1960s. The Kay K6533 Value Leader is a low-end, hollowbody archtop with a single DeArmond pickup in the neck position. The K6533 was made famous in the 2000s by Jack White who used the guitar on his signature song “Seven Nation Army”.
Yamaha Flying Samurai
The Flying Samurai was an original Yamaha shape that debuted in 1967, designed to appeal to surf guitarists, of which there were many in Japan at that time. With long, very 60s looking horns, weird funky curves and a bright twangy tone, the Samurai has ‘Surf Rock’ written all over it. With a spanky, Strat-like single coil in the neck and either another in the bridge or two working together in the bridge as a humbucker, the Samurai has plenty of versatile tones on tap. Recently brought back into the spotlight by Stu MacKenzie of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, the Flying Samurai is having a pawn shop resurgence that is well-deserved.
Guild S-200 Thunderbird
Perhaps the coolest guitar that Guild ever produced was the highly idiosyncratic Thunderbird. A solid bodied, offset guitar with looks to kill, the Thunderbird debuted in 1964 and is beloved ’til this day. Looking a little like a Jazzmaster but far more menacing, the Thunderbird has an array of knobs and switches that are confusing to say the least, but useful in the hands of an expert. Featuring two mini humbuckers that sound absolutely fantastic, the Thunderbird plays great and even has a built-in kickstand which is pretty hilarious but also charming. An original Thunderbird can go for a pretty penny these days but luckily there are now also reissues on offer!
Supro Dual-Tone
The Dual Tone is a funky singlecut Les Paul ripoff manufactured by Valco in the late 50s. These early electric guitars were made of a wood composite before the brand switched to fibreglass, but either way it’s a fine looking instrument. Despite looking like humbuckers, the pickups in the Dual-Tone are actually single coils, though they’re hot enough to burn your house down. Both Link Wray and David Bowie himself rocked a Dual-Tone and that’s really all you need to know, these guitars are just dripping with character and sound great.
Teisco Sharkfin
Teiscos are basically the epitome of what we think of when we hear ‘pawnshop guitar’. With their quirky body shapes, weird and wonderful pickups and low price tags, Tiescos just have that off-kilter garage rock feel to them that we all love. The Sharkfin is pure 60s surf, with a spiky offset body, anywhere between two and four single coil pickups and a big old Bigsby vibrato. Japanese craftsmanship, even when it comes to low-end guitars, really does stand the test of time.
Eco Rokes
The Eco Rokes is a bit of a deep cut but it’s my favourite so it gets a mention. An Italian-made beauty designed for the Italian psychedelic band The Rokes, this guitar has an insanely cool flying wedge body shape, a solitary single coil DeArmond pickup and a Bigsby vibrato.
Also available in 12 string and bass versions, the Rokes is a rare beast so an original now comes with a pretty hefty price tag. Luckily, this space age wonder was reissued in the 2000s with the additional option of a humbucking pickup to boot.
Airline JB Hutto Res-O-Glass
This iconic hunk of red fibreglass may as well be called the Jack White guitar. As synonymous with the White Stripes as the man himself, these electric guitars are is notoriously hard to play and keep in tune but is undeniably one of the coolest looking guitars ever made. Loaded with two single coil pickups that absolutely scream, this is a classic example of a cheaply made guitar that is now very highly sought after on the second hand market due to its association with a great player.
