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Michael Wright
Mosrite Stereo 350
Remember that line from the old song, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all…”? In some ways, it’s a summation of the life of Semie Moseley. In fact, if it hadn’t been for his serendipitous relationship with The Ventures, he might have been one of those obscure guitarmakers we have…
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Michael Wright
Ovation UKII 1291
Rodney Dangerfield of solidbody electric guitars
1980 Ovation UKII 1291 If there’s a Rodney Dangerfield of solidbody electric guitars, it would be named Ovation. For more than a decade, Ovation tried unsuccessfully to leverage its achievements with revolutionary Lyracord bowlbacks and pioneering pickup systems into a presence in the lucrative solidbody market. Despite real innovations, including radical shapes, FET preamps, and…
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Michael Wright
Domino Californian Rebel
Instrument Profile
California. The Left Coast. It was probably home to North America’s earliest inhabitants, as emigrants from Asia crossed the Bering Strait and began their march toward South America. But California figured little in much of anything else until 1848, when the folks setting up a lumber mill on John Sutter’s property near San Francisco noticed…
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Michael Wright
Stella Concert
Circa 1932 Stella Concert. Photo: Michael Wright. Had blues legend Huddie William Ledbetter (a.k.a. Leadbelly) not played a Stella 12-string, the brand might only have been remembered as the name on cheap, faux-finished birch acoustics that poured out of the Harmony factory in the 1960s. But, in fact, the brand as represented by this circa…
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Michael Wright
Kay Violin-Style Guitar
1938 Kay Violin-Style Guitar. One prominent thread in the story of the guitar is a quest for more volume – a search that was effectively achieved with the dominance of the electric guitar that began in the early 1950s. But it actually started in the 1890s when, influenced by the popularity of mandolin orchestras, guitarists…
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Michael Wright
Gretsch Chet Atkins Nashville 7660
1972 Gretsch Chet Atkins Nashville 7660. Photo: Michael Wright. In many ways, the storied past of Gretsch guitars is a microcosmic reflection of the many twists and turns of the American guitar industry, from early immigrant success story to classic American guitars to big corporate buy-out to looking for cheaper labor to foreign imports, with…
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Michael Wright
Ibanez Destroyer II
1985 Ibanez Destroyer II DT-250. Photo: Michael Wright. Back in 1958, when Gibson unleashed its now legendary trio – the Explorer, Flying V, and Moderne – its designers probably had no idea how big the shapes would become. Certainly, the response to these innovative guitars at the time gave no indication. They tanked pretty quickly.…
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Michael Wright
Murph Squire 11-T
1965 Murph Squire 11-T We live in a golden age, with an incredible selection of guitars available in virtually any price range. But if there ever was another golden age, the 1960s are in line for the nomination. While the across-the-board quality may not have been as good as it is now, the variety of…
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Michael Wright
1963 EKO Model 500/3V
1963 EKO Model 500/3V. Photo: Michael Wright. However you say it, “echo” or “eek’-oh,” these Italian guitars from the early 1960s, along with Hagstrom from Sweden and Framus from Germany, represent the strongest European contenders for a share of the American guitar boom of that swingin’ decade. Indeed, there may have been a stronger connection…
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Michael Wright
B.C. Rich Eagle
1981 B.C. Rich Eagle. Photo: Michael Wright. When my son was young I used to do “guitar shows” for his classes, showing off 10 or so electric guitars that started with conventional shapes – a Les Paul and a Strat – and progressed to more unusual designs. I’d often conclude with this cool 1981 B.C.…
