Tag: features

1 “Back In Black”
AC/DC, Back In Black, 1980
Though assailed by the increasingly popular synthesizer in turn-of-the-decade pop music, real rock bands stuck with what worked – guitars, bass, and drums – and none purveyed the spirit better than AC/DC. Loud, “dirty,” and quite capable of raising parental ire, the band churned out successive hit albums, all with their trademark catchy lyrics and hooks. “Excess” claimed vocalist/lyricist Bon Scott in 1979, and in terms of mass popularity, AC/DC peaked with Back In Black; the album introduced new vocalist Brian Johnson, and the title track – a fitting ode to Scott – is kicked off with Angus Young’s SG/Marshall setup delivering his famous driven-but-not-too-distorted tone with three chords that form a riff every aspiring guitarist learns, first thing.

2 “Crazy Train”
Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz , 1981
Determined to show his ex mates in Black Sabbath he’d be just fine without them, Ozzy snagged L.A. guitarist Randy Rhoads to lay down licks on his first solo album. Nice call, there, Prince of Darkness! The quiet type, Rhoads’ spoke loudly with his musical ability and stylistic curiosity, which melded to make him one of the greatest players of his generation, and for this track, he created a riff that to this day remains atop the “gotta learn it” list for every kid with his first guitar.

3 “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
Guns ’N Roses, Appetite For Destruction, 1987
Case study in how a hooky little lick – in this case played as a joke – can serve as the perfect setup to a great set of lyrics, which in turn inspire an equally remarkable guitar solo (or in this case, three!). With Guns guitarist Slash, things were never fancy. His style is meat-and-potatoes, his tone the tried-and-true Les Paul (well, back then, a Les Paul copy) through a Marshall, occasionally spiced with wah. And here, they combine on the first hit from what many consider the decade’s best album, the song’s intro serves as trademark not only for the band, but for the era.

4 “Money For Nothing”
Dire Straits, Brothers In Arms, 1985
Though glossier than previous Dire Straits hits, guitarist Mark Knopfler followed up this song’s synthy intro (and Sting’s haunting “I want my MTV” vocal line) with one hellaciously hooky riff that helped make the track the band’s best-selling single. Chasing a different tone, Knopfler eschewed his trademark Strat for this and instead used a Les Paul Junior through a Laney amp.

5 “Start Me Up”
The Rolling Stones, Tattoo You, 1981
Perhaps the last great Stones lick – plied by Keef with his Tele strung just five-wide and tuned to open G – kicks off a song that was actually a cast-off from 1975’s Black and Blue album, where it began life as a reggae tune, and was bypassed again as a rock song when the band worked up 1977’s Some Girls and 1979’s Emotional Rescue.

6 “Pride and Joy”
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas Flood, 1983
With lyrics inspired by his relationship with a woman (not the same one who inspired his trademark instrumental, “Lenny”!), the track is a simple blues shuffle, dressed up considerably front to back by SRV’s glorious Strat tone (at this point played through a Marshall Model 4140 Club & Country and a blackface Fender Vibroverb). The first of his singles to chart, it introduced SRV to the masses – and his unmistakable playing style, from the intro to one of his best solos to the Freddie-King-inspired conclusion.

7 “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns ’N Roses, Appetite For Destruction, 1987

8 “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, 1984, 1984

9 “Panama”
Van Halen, 1984, 1984
Van Halen at its artistic peak; the band’s final album with original vocalist David Lee Roth was arguably its best work. And these two tracks, especially, oozed the essence of that original lineup – whether in the form of Roth’s cocksure front-man style (in terms of both song lyrics and live performance) or the tightly syncopated interplay between brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen.

10 “Hell’s Bells”
AC/DC, Back In Black, 1980
The coolest riff on an album with a handful of the best ever played, the introductory blending of the sanctuary bell (does it toll for thee?) with Angus Young’s perfectly plied (and harmonically sinister) A minor, D/A, and C/A chords is sheer musical alchemy.

11 “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
Scorpions, Love at First Sting, 1984
Germany’s entry to the heavy metal games were driven by two guitars, and most would say the combination that helped create this song – Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs – were its best one-two punch. Schenker has long been a hardcore fan of the Gibson Flying V, while Jabs spent time on a Gibson Explorer or one of his modded Fender Stratocasters.

12 “Beat It”
Michael Jackson, Thriller, 1982
In a stroke of marketing genius, Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones asked Eddie Van Halen – at the time, the undisputed king of rock guitar – to play a solo atop a viciously driving R&B rhythm. The end result became what every guitar geek knows is the best song on what happens to be the best-selling album of all time. Oh, and Steve Lukather’s rhythm-guitar groove ain’t bad, either!

13 “Master of Puppets”
Metallica, Master of Puppets, 1986

14 “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
U2, War, 1983
A call for political peace in the band’s home country of Ireland, the song was a hit in the U.K. but didn’t catch on in the U.S. (beyond the college-radio crowd) until released as a video shot during a performance at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater. For most Americans, it served as an introduction to the Edge’s jangly, delay-fed guitar tone and melodic playing style.

15 “Surfing with the Alien”
Joe Satriani, Surfing with the Alien, 1987

16 “Jump”
Van Halen, 1984, 1984

17 “I Love Rock and Roll”
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, I Love Rock and Roll, 1981
A true rock-and-roll success story; the dark horse of the disbanded Runaways (Lita Ford and Michael Steele were supposed to emerge as the stars) covers a disregarded single by an all-but-forgotten British pop band to create one of rock’s greatest anthems. Gritty, in-your-face, and with an overt girl-takes-the-guy message viewed as empowering, it was number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 for seven weeks. Had Gibson been handing out signature models at the time, Jett’s Melody Maker might have been a best-seller.

18 “Texas Flood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Texas Flood, 1983

19 “Rock This Town”
Stray Cats, Stray Cats, 1981
The ’50s-inspired sounds of the Stray Cats certainly stood out in an age of ultra-modern synth-driven pop music. America’s first taste of the band (which released its first single in the U.K.) came via this track, with its fast-strumming intro setting up a sound and a song even your parents could dig! Guitarist/band leader Brian Setzer was – and remains – dedicated to the details; in the Cats, he used Gretsch guitars, usually a 6120, and usually with a (what else?) Gretsch vibrato that saw its share of work, along with a Fender Bassman or Princeton.

20 “Tom Sawyer”
Rush, Moving Pictures, 1981

21 “Where the Streets Have No Name”
U2, The Joshua Tree, 1987

22 “The Trooper”
Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind, 1983

23 “You Shook Me All Night Long”
AC/DC, Back In Black, 1980
Yet another can’t-miss intro lick by Angus Young. Played anywhere even today, from basements to bars to arenas and by everyone from rockers to punks to country pickers, every person in the audience will know it – and start to groove in anticipation of the first rhythm chord.

24 “Livin’ On a Prayer”
Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet, 1986
Introducing the talk box to a generation of rock fans perhaps not familiar with the work of Peter Frampton or Joe Walsh, Richie Sambora used it to augment a killer riff that sets up one of the catchiest sing-along choruses of the era.

25 “Couldn’t Stand the Weather”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Couldn’t Stand the Weather, 1984

26 Legs
ZZ Top, Eliminator, 1983

27 Limelight
Rush, Moving Pictures, 1981

28 Always With Me, Always with You
Joe Satriani, Surfing with the Alien, 1987

29 Stray Cat Strut
Stray Cats, Stray Cats, 1981

30 Paradise City
Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction, 1987

31 Forever Man
Eric Clapton, Behind the Sun, 1985

32 Cold Shot
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Couldn’t Stand the Weather, 1984

33 Ace of Spades
Motorhead, Ace of Spades, 1980

34 Rebel Yell
Billy Idol, Rebel Yell, 1984

35 She Sells Sanctuary
The Cult, Love, 1985

36 Photograph
Def Leppard, Pyromania, 1983

37 Purple Rain
Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain, 1984

38 The Attitude Song
Steve Vai, Flex-Able, 1984

39 Another One Bites the Dust
Queen, The Game, 1980

40 Heat of the Moment
Asia, Asia, 1982

41 One
Metallica, …And Justice For All, 1988

42 Every Breath You Take
The Police, Synchronicity, 1983

43 How Soon Is Now?
The Smiths, Meat is Murder, 1985

44 Owner of a Lonely Heart
Yes, 90125, 1983

45 Don’t Tell Me You Love Me
Night Ranger, Dawn Patrol, 1982

46 867-5309/Jenny
Tommy Tutone, Tommy Tutone 2, 1981

47 Lenny
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Texas Flood, 1983

48 Gimme All Your Lovin’
ZZ Top, Eliminator, 1983

49 Breaking the Law
Judas Priest, British Steel, 1980

50 Round and Round
Ratt, Out of the Cellar, 1984

1. 1960-’62 Fender Jazz Bass
($25,000 to $38,000 in custom-color finish)
The holiest of Fender Bass grails is a “stack knob” custom-color Jazz. The “J-Bass” proved the market could support fancy, pricier bass guitars; a solid duco-finish Jazz was a hot-rod four-string nonpareil. By the mid ’60s, they were ordered comparatively often – not so in 1960! Highly collectible since the ’70s, a custom-color Jazz Bass still tops the list today. Sunburst models from the period fetch $16,000 to $21,000.

2. 1970s Zemaitis “Heart Hole” Bass
($24,000 to $29,000)

England’s Tony Zemaitis hand-made his electric guitars for many years, but built very few basses, mostly for U.K. rock stars like Ronnie Lane and Greg Lake. With only four extant, this model would be the ultimate four-string in the Velvet Goldmine.

3. 1963-’65 Gibson Thunderbird IV
($20,000 to $23,000 in custom-color finish)

Arguably Gibson’s greatest bass, the two-pickup, “reverse-body” Thunderbird IV, with its neck-through design, combines style and function like few others. With a production run painfully short at less than two years, it could be ordered in any of 10 flashy colors and is the ultimate Gibson four-string (sunburst models from the same period go for $9,000 to $13,000).

4. 1958-’60 Fender Precision Bass
($18,000 to 23,000, custom color)

Originally offered in any color – as long as it was blond(!) – by the early ’60s, the Fender Precision could be had in a rainbow of finishes. The Precision ruled the ’50s, and a late-’50s (maple neck, anodized pickguard) model will rule many collector’s wallets, especially if not in the then-standard sunburst (which go for $8,000 to $11,000; ’51 to ’60 models sell for as much as $19,000). Any pre-CBS P-Bass will follow – the rarer the color, the higher the dollar!

5. 1961-1964 Fender Bass VI
($10,500 to $14,500, custom color)

Leo Fender’s answer to a cheap-but-practical Danelectro was this super-elaborate three-pickup/30″-scale twang machine – with vibrato! The $329 Fender VI was “bass-ically” an overgrown guitar, and was a hit with studio players, though few others could afford one. Jack Bruce started his career on a sunburst model; now, collectors crave flashy custom-color examples while sunburst models fetch $5,500 to $7,000.

6. 1963-’65 Gibson Thunderbird II “reverse body”
($10,500 to $13,000, custom color)

Gibson’s first long-scale competitor to the Fender Precision, the single-pickup Thunderbird II was built in larger numbers than the IV… but that’s not saying much. Anything other than brown sunburst (which go for $6,000 to $10,500) was a custom order, so few exist – even fewer without the common headstock fracture!

7. 1970-’75 Rickenbacker Model 4005 L “Lightshow”
($11,000 to $12,000)

With only a handful built, this psychedelically-minded hollow Rickenbacker with internal colored lights pulsing to the music qualifies as the company’s ultimate four-string rarity. One went to a girl group in Las Vegas, one went to John Entwistle. Find one, and Rick collectors will find you!

8. 1965-’66 Gibson Thunderbird IV
($8,000 to $12,000, custom color)

The second generation Thunderbird, launched in the summer of ’65, switched to a “non-reverse” body (with more-prominent upper horn) and abandoned the neck-through design. While not as favored by collectors, these T-birds are even less common than the first series – the two-pickup IV especially. Any finish other than sunburst (which sell for $4,000 to $5,000) is seriously rare.

9. 1968-’69 Rickenbacker Model 4005
($8,000 to $10,000 8-string)

In 1965, Rose-Morris inquired whether Rickenbacker might build a hollowbody bass. The company complied, but the awkward four-string 4005 never caught on. Just to drive collectors crazy, Rick also tried 6- and 8-string versions in barely more than prototype numbers. Rarely seen, even more rarely heard, but a major Rickenbacker collectible. The standard 4005 of that era goes for $5,000 to $6,500, while the 6-string version goes for $6,500 to $7,500.

10. ’70s Alembic Custom Shop Dragon Doubleneck
($8,000 to $9,000)

Nothing says ’70s badass like a doubleneck bass; being a hand-made Alembic is just icing on the cake! For sheer flash, nothing beats this imposing monster – and nothing could match its hi-fi sound possibilities, either.

11. 1965-’66 Gibson Thunderbird II
($6,000 to $9,000, custom color)

The “non-reverse” single-pickup Thunderbird II was produced in larger numbers than the IV, but is still rare (and has never been properly reissued). Add a custom color (sunburst models sell for $2,500 to $3,200) and a never-broken headstock, and you have a Gibson bass that’ll set hearts racing. Ask Glenn Cornick!

12. 1958-’59 Rickenbacker Model 4000
($7,200 to $8,900)

Rickenbacker’s first bass, and the earliest long-scale challenger to Fender’s Precision. With a neck-through design and a horseshoe pickup, the 4000 sounded great and the cresting-wave body was stylish and practical. It took Rickenbacker time to crack the bass market (making for low production), but the ubiquitous ’70s Rick 4001/4002/4003 models are this one’s children.

13. 1962-’64 Gibson EB-6
($7,500 to $8,000)
Gibson’s second attempt at a 6-string bass, it’s essentially an overgrown SG. With six big Kluson tuners and two P.A.F. pickups, this was one roaring monster of twang, but with only 66 shipped faded to obscurity very quickly. Also expensive like Fender’s VI, Gibson somehow omitted the whammy bar!

14. 1968 Fender Telecaster Bass
($6,500 to $8,000 Blue Floral and Pink Paisley)

The ’60s hit CBS/Fender in a big way in ’68, with the hippier-than-thou Telecasters with floral and paisley wallpaper applied to the slab bodies under a heavy clearcoat. The basses (especially the blue) are rarer than the guitars and is one of the few CBS-era four-strings with heavy collector appeal. For comparison, a blond version from ’68 brings $3,500 to $4,000.

15. 1960-’61 Gibson EB-6
($6,500 to $7,000)

Gibson’s first Danelectro-inspired “baritone guitar” was basically a single-pickup ES-335 fitted with a bass bridge. Much more expensive than Nathan Daniel’s $135 Masonite box, rather less versatile sounding, it died a quick death and thus is yet another very rare Gibson.

16. 1961-’65 Rickenbacker Model 4001
($5,500 to $6,900)

A deluxe development of the Model 4000, the flashy two-pickup 4001 would eventually become Rick’s signature bass. In the early ’60s, it was a very expensive obscurity until U.K. players like Paul McCartney, Pete Quaife, Roger Waters, and eventually, Chris Squire, made the export-model 4001S (with dot neck and unbound body) a bass icon, leading to mass acceptance.

17. 1953-’58 Gibson Electric Bass (EB-1)
($5,300 to $6,400)

With Gibson’s first electric bass, Ted McCarty’s disdain for Fender manifested itself in a wildly different design. With a solid mahogany violin-shaped body, big, boomy pickup, and even a stand-up end pin, these were intended to create the big, warm upright thump, but louder. In ’58, the model was renamed EB-1, and collectors often refer to the entire run by that name.

18. 1965 Fender Bass V
($4,500 to $6,300, custom color)

With a short neck, only 15 frets, a long body, and a pickup in a harmonically awkward spot, the Bass V was not Fender’s masterpiece. Five-string basses eventually prospered, but not in this form. Still, the magic of Fender’s custom colors and limited production make for another Fullerton collectible; sunburst versions from ’65 go for $2,900 to $3,500.

19. 1971-’99 Alembic Series II
($5,000 to $6,000)

In the early ’70s, San Francisco’s Alembic reinvented the electric bass, using low-impedance pickups, onboard preamps, and multi-laminate construction, they were like nothing before. The Series II, with the “omega” body cutout, typifies the company’s high-end approach.

20. 1990-2000 Alembic Stanley Clarke Signature
($4,500 to $5,500)

Many ’70s rock-star bassists embraced the Alembic, but it was jazz/fusion phenom Stanley Clarke who became most indelibly associated with them. Clarke’s personal basses included short-scale/vibrato-equipped models – even a “tenor bass” tuned up to guitar range!

21. 1971-’79 Alembic Series I
($4,400 to $5,500)

The original Alembic bass, with the “omega” pointed lower body designed to force the player to use a proper stand! Offered in three scale lengths and different wood combinations, this is still the classic ’70s Alembic of many player’s dreams.

22. 1961-’63 Gibson EB-3
($4,600 to $5,300)

Jack Bruce, come home! In 1961, the solidbody EB-3 replaced the semihollow EB-2; with two pickups and a rotary Tone selector it was Gibson’s most deluxe four-string. Later models are fairly common, but early-’60s EB-3s were produced in smaller numbers and today are hard to find.

23. 1958 Gibson EB-2
($4,000 to $5,000)

Gibson’s second bass, this mate to the ES-335 was initially judged a failure. Retired in ’61, an unexpected wave of popularity in the U.K. caused a revival by ’64 alongside its Epiphone cousin, the Rivoli. Still, the original banjo-tuner/black-pickup version is the collector’s choice – especially in the scarce blond finish.

24. 1959-’60 Gibson EB-0
($4,000 to $5,000)

Often referred to as the “Les Paul Junior Bass” (although it doesn’t carry Paul’s signature), the earliest EB-0s share the guitar’s Cherry-finish slab body. Gibson’s first entry-level bass, the EB-0 sold better than previous models, but by later standards is still a rare instrument.

25. 1956-’63 Höfner 500/1
($3,300 to $4,800)

Remembered now for its connection to the Beatles, the early violin-body Höfner 500/1 is also significant as the first European electric bass, original in its own right. Light and airy in feel and sound (unlike Gibson’s slab-o-mahogany EB) the Höfner is the progenitor of generations of 30″-scale hollowbody four-strings from all over the world. Lefty versions fetch top dollar.

This article originally appeared in VG August 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

1. 1966 Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
($2,000 to $2,500)
Four capacitors, three resistors, one germanium transistor, plus a boost pot, two jacks, a switch, and a battery, and there you have it – the most vaunted and most valuable effects unit ever created! But as with so many collectibles, complexity isn’t necessarily an indicator of value ($825,000 for a 1918 “inverted Jenny” postage stamp anyone?), and the Rangemaster has several blue-chip factors in its camp. For one, original examples are very rare; two, Eric Clapton, Brian May, and Tony Iommi used one; three, this simple box of bits does something absolutely luscious to your tone. All that, a certain Zen-like simplicity, and quaint yesteryear design and graphics make this our magical #1.

2. 1993-’99 Matchless RV-1 Tube Reverb Unit
($1,400 to $1,700)
It’s exciting to see a “youngster” (in relative terms, at least) land this high in the charts, and the RV-1 achieves its place simply by embodying an outboard tube-driven spring reverb effect that’s as lush, deep, and multi-dimensional as any guitarist could hope to experience. From surf to subtly spacey ambience, it’s the crème de la crème of sproingggg.

3. Late-’60s/early-’70s Univox Uni-Vibe
($1,300 to $1,500)
If Hendrix touched it, you can bet it’s enshrined as effects legend. Originally intended mainly as a rotary speaker simulator for organ players, the ’Vibe – manufactured for Univox by the Shin-Ei corporation of Japan – was really a four-stage phaser with four pairs of light bulbs and cells for a liquid, juicy tone that hooks plenty of players from the first moment they hear it, and which caught fire big-time in the late ’60s. To hear the original, check out Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile,” “The Wind Cries Mary,” or his performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock – and have your waterwings at the ready!

4. 1971-’73 Maestro Rover Rotating Speaker RO-1
($1,150 to $1,450)
Rather an odd duck of rotating-speaker design, the Rover RO-1 is nevertheless an extremely hip-sounding unit, and a rare acquisition besides. This circular unit measured 19″ in diameter, 9″ high (stand excluded), and produced its Doppler-inducing rotary-speaker effect by means of a 6″ speaker inside a plastic enclosure that spun within the corrugated drum. Groovy!

5. 1976-’77 Tycobrahe Octavia
($1,100 to $1,300)
The half-dozen or so original “Octavia” units were built one at a time by Roger Mayer for Jimi Hendrix and a few other formative artists, but since Mayer never copyrighted the name or released the pedal to the market, it was left to Tycobrahe to jump into the fray with this production model in the mid ’70s. For octave-up freakout and dissonant fuzz hijinks, this is your momma.

6. 1976-’77 Tycobrahe Parapedal
($1,100 to $1,300)
An original Tycobrahe design, the Parapedal was billed as a wah, but was far more complex. In addition to a somewhat traditional wah sound, the Parapedal added a second tone much like a sweeping phaser or even a tracking analog synth, with an emotively vocal dip in level and tone at the end of the pedal sweep.

7. 1976-’77 Tycobrahe Pedalflanger
($1,100 to $1,300)
The third in a tight grouping of Tycobrahe rarities, the Pedalflanger produced a manual or automatic flanging effect that could also imitate phasing, chorus, and vibe sounds, making it a nifty four-in-one.

8. 1994-’99 Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive (gold case)
($1,050 to $1,300)
The Klon Centaur is something of a modern classic, and more of a tone-thickening booster than a traditional overdrive pedal. Its beating heart lies within an ultra-secret circuit covered in epoxy to foil copyists, and is blessed by secret sprites that only appear on Tone Mountain once every third full moon to bestow unbridled sonic mojo. Word.

9. ’70s Maestro Echoplex Groupmaster (solidstate)
($800 to $1,300)
Intended as a studio rendition of the storied Echoplex, the rare Groupmaster included a four-channel mixer in front of its analog tape echo, with solidstate circuitry that gave your tone a juicy little sumpin’-sumpin’ besides.

10. 1961-’66 Fender Reverb Unit (blond, brown, or black)
($750 to $1,275)
Fender might have been surprisingly slow to introduce reverb to the lineup, but when it did – in the form of this outboard tube-driven spring reverb unit – it set the standard that launched a thousand surf tunes.

11. 1974-’77 Mu-Tron Bi-Phase (with optical pedal)
($1,000 to $1,250)
This variable-resistor-based phaser offered extensive control functions, and yielded a deep, lush tone. Whether used on automatic or controlled manually via an external optical pedal, its dual sections (A and B) could be set independently or blended to create a tone few phasers have approached since.

12. ’77 Mu-Tron Flanger
($1,000 to $1,250)
Another great, spacey effect from a company whose quality seemed a cut above so many pedal makers. And what happened to Mu-Tron? The company died a slow, agonizing death in its efforts to market the Gizmotron automated guitar “bowing” device, invented by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley of 10cc. I’m not in love…

13. ’60s Maestro Echoplex (tube model)
($900 to $1,100)
The king among tape-echo units, the tube-powered Maestro Echoplex EP-1 represented a revolution in slap-back and atmospheric echoes alike, while also adding a thickening boost to any guitar signal that was jacked through it. The first versions of the Echoplex were manufactured in the late ’50s by Market Electronics, of Cleveland, and were roughly based on the tape-echo circuitry built into Ray Butts’ EchoSonic amp, which he built for Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins, Carl Perkins, and others in the ’50s. The unit’s reputation (and availability) caught fire, though, when manufacture was moved to Harris-Teller, of Chicago, with marketing and distribution under the Maestro wing of the Gibson family.

14. 1958-’59 EccoFonic echo unit
($900 to $1,100)
Cruder and therefore destined to an earlier graveyard than the Echoplex that survived it, the EccoFonic – sold by Fender in 1958-’59 – was another interesting take on the tape-echo unit, and one that tapped the signal from amp to speaker to inject three user-selectable delay times.

15. 1960s Binson EchoRec (tube unit)
($900 to $1,100)
Getting a feeling echo was a big deal in the early ’60s? Binson was a major player in Europe’s move toward psychedelia, and helped early Pink Floyd to achieve the spacey delays heard on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” among other tracks. To produce their delayed signal, these quirky gizmos used a magnetic drum recorder instead of tape.

16. Late-’60s Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face
($800 to $1,100)
The Maestro Fuzz-Tone and Vox Tone-Bender might have preceded it, but the Fuzz Face made the biggest and longest-lasting impression on Fuzztown, and pumped countless star tones into the stratosphere besides, so it’s a deserving classic, no doubt. The Fuzz Face functions on an extremely simple circuit, with just a few more components than its stablemate Dallas Rangemaster, but with a crucial two germanium transistors coughing up the goodly hairballs. The first unit hit London’s Sound City music shop in 1966, where one young pretender to the guitar throne soon to be known as Jimi Hendrix had taken to hanging out. He wasn’t pretending for long.

17. 1966-’67 Vox Clyde McCoy Wah-Wah Pedal
($700 to $1,100)
Originally invented by design engineer Brad Plunkett in 1965 for Vox’s U.S. distribution partner, Thomas Organ, in a bid to electronically emulate the muting effect for which trumpeter Clyde McCoy was briefly famous, this seminal wah soon underwent several evolutions in production. A short run of Clyde McCoy units was purportedly made by Thomas Organ in California, before being jobbed out to Jen Electronics in Italy, while Vox U.K.’s rendition was briefly manufactured in Dartmouth, Kent, before heading off to Jen, as well. Known for its trenchant, vocal tone, the Clyde McCoy is still considered the most expressive of wahs, and certainly the rarest.

18. ’70s Roland Space Echo (several models)
($500 to $1,100)
As taken up by Japanese maker Roland, the tape delay evolved to offer continuously variable motor speeds, along with (arguably cheesy) reverb and (eminently lush) chorus on higher-end models. Another great road to analog echo-o-o-o.

19. 1971-’74 Maestro Bass Brassmaster BB-1
($925 to $1,075)
The rare and fabled Brass Assmaster, er, Bass Brassmaster was a fuzz pedal designed for the four-stringer, but taken up by six-stringers, too. More complex than the average two-knob fuzz, the BB-1 offered controls for fuzz and instrument sensitivity, and switches for tone (Brass 1/2) and Harmonic, along with a name that harks back to the fact the fuzz was initially an effort to emulate horn sounds with the guitar.

20. ’60s Watkins/WEM Copicat Echo (tube unit)
($800 to $1,000)
Providing, for a time, the chart-topping echo of guitarist Hank Marvin of The Shadows, along with that of several other British notables, the Copicat was Charlie Watkins’ clever, compact answer to the tape-echo.

21. 1971-’75 Maestro Theremin TH-1
($825 to $975)
Less “effect” than “instrument,” one might argue, the Maestro TH-1 is nevertheless a rarity as a major-brand-name theremin. Not ideally suited to the melodic playing some theremin enthusiasts pursue, it’s nevertheless a great tool for adventurous retro electronic avant-garde-iness. And sci-fi soundtracks.

22. 1969 Jax Vibra Chorus (by Shine-Ei)
($775 to $950)
Something like a combination of Uni-Vibe and tremolo effect (and manufactured by the parent of the former), the Vibra Chorus issues a sweet, seductively watery tone that can be extremely musical and appealing. Shame they aren’t more plentiful.

23. ’80s Korg SDD 3000 Digital Delay
($775 to $925)
An early, powerful, and much-loved rackmount unit, the Korg SDD 3000 Digital Delay was a standard in many studios, and one of the secret weapons behind The Edge’s guitar tone on several U2 recordings.

24. ’70s Roland Analog Synth SPV (rackmount)
($750 to $900)
This early, rack-mounted unit from the pioneer in guitar synths is the rare sibling to the more common GR floor units, and is still touted for its thick, pliant analog sound. Quirky, sure, but eminently playable, and deliciously analog.

25. 1978-’82 Roland Vocoder VP-330 Plus
($750 to $900)
Although configured much like a synth, with keyboard and myriad controls, the VP-330 Vocoder Plus took any input signal you could give it – voice was common, but certainly guitar, too – and used it to shape its envelope and filters, analog-synth style. Best known from the work of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, and Laurie Anderson.

This article originally appeared in VG December 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

1. 1958-’59 Gibson Explorer
($250,000 to $310,000)

Part of an attempt to market “modernistic” guitars in the burgeoning “space age,” when it hit stores, the Explorer got little attention from buyers. Orders were scarce, so production numbers stayed very low. Eric Clapton played one in the ’70s, and since then, collectors have become fond of the color and sound of its body, made of African limba – which Gibson re-named “Korina” for the sake of marketing.

2. 1936-’42 Martin D-45
($250,000 to $400,000)

Vintage Martin dreadnoughts are considered the pinnacle of steel-string acoustics, and those given the Style 45 dress – Brazilian-rosewood back and sides, ivory-bound body and neck, and fancy fretboard inlays – were priced beyond the reach of all but a few Depression-era players.

3. 1958-’60 Gibson Les Paul Standard
($225,000 to $375,000)

Though Gibson tried to make a splash in the market by giving its Les Paul model a fancy maple top and sunburst finish, the guitar failed to truly catch on. Its status changed dramatically, though, with the 1966 release of John Mayall’s Blues Breakers featuring Eric Clapton. Then Michael Bloomfield started playing one, which further influenced top-tier guitarists of the late ’60s; the list of players who picked up a “’Burst” afterward includes names like Page, Allman, Kossoff, Gibbons, and Beck. Today, it’s not only the preeminent collectible solidbody, but some would say the reason solidbodies are collectible, period.

4. 1930-’33 Martin OM-45
($265,000 to $350,000)

Another example of how rarity drives values into the realm of unobtanium, the OM-45 was made in very small numbers each year (think barely-into-double-digits at the most!). The first-year “Deluxe” version brings the highest dollar.

5. 1958-’59 Gibson Flying V
($200,000 to $250,000)

Another of Gibson’s “modernistic” Korina-bodied guitars, like the Explorer, it was offered for only two years. Its unusual V-shaped body was eye-catching, but again, not popular. So, only 98 were made. It was most famously used by blues legend Albert King. Reintroduced in the ’70s with a more traditional mahogany body, it then became popular amongst rock players.

6. 1931-’36 Martin D-28
($140,000 to $170,000)

Though not as fancy as the D-45, its $100 price tag still put it mostly out of reach in the midst of the Great Depression. Thus, production stayed low.

7. 1928-’42 Martin 000-45
($93,000 to $160,000)

One of the models that mark evolutionary changes at Martin, with the advent of bracing for steel strings in ’28, values jump. In ’34, Martin transitioned it to a 14-fret, creating the version preferred by collectors.

8. 1938-’42 Gibson Super Jumbo/SJ-200
($90,000 to $120,000)

Gibson’s answer to Martin’s D line, it was larger, showier with its sunburst finish and “moustache” bridge, and wound up in the hands of many a big-screen singing cowboy.

9. 57 Gibson Les Paul model
($86,000 to $106,000)

Gibson’s original Les Paul, the “goldtop” was refined through the early/mid ’50s until it peaked in ’57, when it was used to launch the company’s new “humbucking” pickups.

10. D’Aquisto archtops
($75,000 to $100,000)

Luthier James D’Aquisto (d. 1995) apprenticed under the famed John D’Angelico. D’Aquisto mostly built to order, and his rarest models bring a premium.

11. 1929-’31 Martin OM-28
($68,000 to $95,000)

Unlike other Martins, the first version today is most revered, with its “pyramid-end” bridge and banjo-style tuners.

12. 1950-’51 Fender Broadcaster
($49,500 to $86,000)

Leo Fender’s first Spanish-style guitar was also the first to incorporate a “bolt-on” neck, which lent well to mass-production. Its single-cutaway design is simple, and its workingman’s appeal never waned. Known today as the Telecaster, it’s one of the “big three” collectible electrics, along with the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul.

13. 1957-’61 Gibson Les Paul Custom
($49,500 to $81,000)

The fanciest version of the original Les Paul, it was given a black finish (Les’ original preference!), binding on its body, neck, and headstock, gold-colored hardware, and block inlays on its fretboard. The model came into its own, however, when Gibson added a third humbucker.

14. 1918-’43 Martin 000-42
($40,000 to $80,000)

15. 1958-’59 Gibson ES-335TD
($40,000 to $80,000)

Gibson’s thinline concept crossed attributes of hollowbody and solidbody guitars and became one of the classics. The earliest ones – with dot inlays on the fretboard – are the most collectible.

16. 1956-’64 Gretsch White Penguin
($40,000 to $78,000)

A dressed-up solidbody showpiece first built for Jimmie Webster to play at trade shows, it was produced in small numbers.

17. 1927-’38 Martin 00-45
($59,000 to $75,000)

18. 1932-’36 Martin D-18
($55,000 to $75,000)

19. 1959-’62 Fender Stratocaster
($40,000 to $75,000)

The axe that led the way as guitar-driven pop music moved to the forefront. The “Strat” was cutting-edge, with a body that was thinner and lighter, and an evolutionary vibrato. High-profile rock-and-roll guitarists’ took to it. The fact it was available in various shades of automotive paint (which Fender called “Custom Color”) added to its luster – and collectibility!

20. 1923-’30 Ditson Style 111
($57,000 to $70,000)

Martin – built guitars for a music distributor, this one was the basis of Martin’s own dreadnoughts.

21. 1959-’64 Fender Telecaster Custom
($23,000 to $70,000)

Fancied up with binding on the front and back of its body, custom-color versions are the most collectible – the rarer the color, the more its worth.

22. 1931-’33 Martin OM-28
($57,000 to $68,000)

23. 1936-’40 Gibson Advanced Jumbo
($55,000 to $65,000)

The original – and just slightly smaller – version of the Super Jumbo.

24. 1947-’64 D’Angelico New Yorker (cutaway)
($40,000 to $59,000)

John D’Angelico started luthier training at the age of nine and studied violin making, which influenced his archtop designs. His are considered some of the finest instruments made.

25. 1952-’61 Fender Telecaster
($30,000 to $49,000)

The final step in the early evolution of Leo Fender’s classic.

This article originally appeared in VG April 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

1. Dumble Overdrive Special
($28,000 to $35,000)
The most valuable amp on the market today, the most revered tonally, and lately, perhaps the most copied design, the Overdrive Special (featured in the May ’11 issue of VG) drips with a creamy, thick voice that players, literally, can’t get enough of.

2. Trainwreck
($18,000 to $22,000)
Often cited in the same breath as Alexander Dumble’s creations, and just a tick behind him on the collectibility meter, the late Ken Fischer’s Trainwrecks are considered by many to be the “ultimate driving machine” of the guitar-amp world. Arguably assessed as the Ferrari to Dumble’s Mercedes-Benz, Trainwreck amps are hot, hairy, high-gain machines that reward guitarists who can handle them with an unprecedented playing experience – a certain “one-ness” between guitar, player, and amp that few others hint at. Heady stuff if you ever have the (rare, and unlikely) opportunity to strap into one.

3. 1958-’59 Fender Twin
($11,500 to $14,000)
Notable not only as one of the first high-powered amplifiers, Fender’s tweed Twin of 1958 is also a gutsy tone monster.

4. 1958-’60 Fender Bassman
($9,000 to $11,000)
The tweed Bassman (model 5F6-A) is the amp that brought many players back to the sonic glories of vintage, non-master-volume tube circuits. It remains one of the most emulated designs on the boutique scene, while, at the other end of the spectrum, is still a popular DIY kit for players looking to sniff a little solder for themselves. The Bassman consolidated several major design components for the world of production guitar amps – including the long-tailed-pair phase inverter, cathode-follower tone stack, and fixed-bias output stage – many of which remain mainstays of virtually all larger amps to this day, and sounded utterly glorious in the process.

5. 1959-’60 Fender Bandmaster
($9,000 to $11,000)
Often described as “a Bassman with only three ten-inch speakers,” the Bandmaster is actually a different beast in several ways, with a little less power, an earlier breakup, and an edgy-yet-snappy tone.

6. 1962-’64 Marshall JTM45
($8,000 to $10,000)
Despite being derived virtually point-by-point from Fender’s 5F6-A Bassman schematic, British components give the JTM45 a tone all its own.

7. 1966-’67 Marshall JTM50 “Bluesbreaker” Combo
($8,300 to $10,000)
Eric Clapton plugged into this combo – essentially a JTM45 with KT66s in a 2×12 cab – to coin one of the most seminal tones of recorded guitar history.

8. 1965 Marshall Model 1973 “18 Watter” 2×12 Combo
($8,000 to $10,000)
This small Marshall (in terms of output, at least) makes a big, crunchy sound, and has earned a major cult following in the process.

9. 1966-’69 Marshall Super Lead
($7,000 to $8,900 custom color)
Several models have contributed to the Marshall mystique, but the Super Lead was undeniably the big boy of them all – the amp that took genuine rock stars onto the big stage. Through the playing of Hendrix, Clapton, Page, and Kossoff – and that of countless others who plugged in through the ’70s and beyond to achieve that tone – the gut-punching thud, midrange grind, and crispy crackly high-end sizzle of the Super Lead’s beating EL34-fueled heart became the sound of rock for decades, virtually unrivalled in that arena until recent years.

10. 1963 Fender Vibroverb
($6,900 to $8,300)
Fender was slow to bring reverb to the table, but it arrived in grand style in 1963 in this short-lived 2×10 combo, one of several “holy grail” models of which the California builder can boast.

11. 1966-’69 Marshall Model 1987 “plexi”
($6,400 to $8,000 custom color)
A slightly quicker road to sizzling EL34 breakup than its 100-watt sibling, the 50-watt Model 1987 with plexiglass front panel is an undeniable classic.

12. 1957-’60 Fender Super Amp
($6,500 to $7,500)
Pumping around 30 watts from two 6L6s through a pair of 10″ Jensen Alnico speakers, the compact tweed 5F4 Super was purportedly Leo Fender’s personal favorite.

13. 1966-’69 Marshall Model 1992 Super Bass
($6,000 to $7,500 custom color)
A bass amp? In name and initial design concept, perhaps… But a plethora of players quickly discovered that the Model 1992 was just a click around the dial from the Super Lead, and therefore a total rock monster.

14. 1965-’66 Kitchen-Marshall JTM45
($5,500 to $6,800)
With an alternative look and badge, these creations by Marshall for the Kitchen Music chain in North London often included minor circuit twists, and were among earlier Marshalls to use EL34 output tubes.

15. 1965 Marshall Model 1958 “18 Watter” 2×10 Combo
($5,400 to $6,700)
Identical to the 1983 in a smaller cab with 10″ speakers, the Model 1958 offers another form of that juicy EL84 goodness.

16. 1965-’66 Marshall Model 1974 “18 Watter” 1×12 Combo
($4,800 to $6,000)
With its single 12″ Celestion speaker, this might be the amp that comes to mind most often when the hallowed “18 watter” name is dropped.

17. 1964-’65 Vox AC100
($4,500 to $5,500)
Developed to help The Beatles conquer the likes of Shea Stadium, the AC100 is a very different kind of Vox – clean, bold, and blisteringly loud.

18. 1960-’63 Vox AC30 Twin
($4,600 to $5,400 custom color)
Just ask The Beatles, The Shadows, Tom Petty & Mike Campbell, Peter Buck, Brian May… the hallowed AC30 is a seminal tone template for the ages.

19. 1987-’89 Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 Full Stack
($4,000 to $5,300)
To celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1987, Marshall blended several elements of its vintage and contemporary amp designs and covered it all in silver, to make what many consider a modern classic.

20. 1995-’99 Matchless DC30
($4,300 to $5,200 reverb, exotic wood)
In achieving Matchless founder and designer Mark Sampson’s goal of being “…an AC30 that wouldn’t break down,” the DC30 also became one of the best-loved and most-used amps of hard-working players in the studio and on the touring circuit. These EL84-based class-A beauties are entirely hand-wired in the lauded point-to-point style, and deliver classic British chime, shimmer, and crunch, but with a certain modern clarity and fidelity and a bulletproof robustness relied on by countless pros. Bolted into one of Matchless’ rare exotic-wood cabs, they look awful sweet, too.

21. 1960-’65 Vox AC15 Twin
($4,200 to $5,200 custom color)
The Vox AC30 garnered more attention for years, but in this age of reduced stage volumes and project-studio recording practices, the smaller AC15 has become even more desirable in some players’ estimation. Dick Denney’s creation benefited from several design elements that were specifically intended to flatter the voice of the electric guitar, rather than merely amplify it, and these babies achieve that in spades. Plug into the stout EF86 pentode preamp channel for creamy, milkshake-thick tones or the ECC83 channel for more jangle and sparkle, and you quickly hear what all the fuss is about.

22. 1962 Fender Dual Showman
($4,000 to $5,000)
With help from the pummeling of Dick Dale’s Strat and a pair of hefty JBL speakers, Fender developed the ultimate surf-guitar amp.

23. 1967-’69 Park 75
($4,000 to $5,000)
A 50-watt “plexi” in disguise, this variation made by Marshall to get around distribution exclusions carried a few circuit tweaks that make it a favorite of some players.

24. 1995-’99 Matchless SC30
($3,900 to $4,700 exotic wood)
With just a single 12″ speaker in its exotic-wood cab, the SC30 is a more-compact performance tool than its more popular big brother, the DC30, yet is still a surprisingly heavy hump from van to stage, thanks to meaty transformers and tank-like build quality.

25. 1965-’66 Marshall JTM50 Model 1963 PA Head
($3,800 to $4,600)
Can’t get your hands on a 50-watt Lead amp? Turns out the Marshall PA head did much the same trick, for a little less cash – as many players quickly discovered.

This article originally appeared in VG June 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.