An Axe By Any Other Name

We all know the heavy hitters… Gibson, PRS, Fender, BC Rich, Jackson… Names synonymous with quality guitars. Well, in every guitar player’s life, we run across an axe or two by a manufacturer that few have heard of that are absolutely amazing for one or more reasons. Or a guitar by a known maker that may be off the beaten path. To that end, I give you my 4 finds that were diamonds in the rough.

The Vantage Avenger

The model I had was a single humbucker strat style with a standard Fender style trem, but HO-LY CRAP! Costing only $200.00 back in 1985, this thing SCREAMED shred. Now when I play electric, I have a style that crosses heavy metal and blues (i.e. a LOT of trem work). With NO locking unit, I could throw this guitar against a wall, and it would come back in tune every time. And the feedback capability without squealing was unsurpassed. This guitar was so good it was my main stage guitar for two years. Obviously, every lower end guitar could stand some tweaking, but this axe needed nothing except linear taper pots. Otherwise, she was an absolute monster.

The Hondo Strat

Any experienced guitar player knows that Hondo is the standard “Look! Mom and Dad bought me a guitar!” guitar. But the Hondo “natural finish” strat has one thing going for it: a body that gives you sustain for days. Granted, this is due to the fact that the body weighs at least twice as much as a standard strat, but that big hunk of harmonic wood is solid and true in its sustain capabilities. Granted, you’ll have to replace all (and I do mean ALL) the electronics, but it’s a solid building block for a custom axe.

Hagstrom (any model)

I’ve played a few of these, and they all have one thing in common: fast, slim necks! They also have that unique “twang” to their sound… especially endearing if you’re a fan of Duane Eddy or Rockabilly. These things classify as the same type of guitar you used to find at Sears or Bradlees but are higher quality. Not something I’d use on stage, but definitely a conversation piece due to their 60’s sunburst finishes and soap bar style single coils. You will need to replace the machine heads, but other than that, just a fun axe to have.

The Ovation Double Neck

You gotta love this guitar, especially if you’re a reasonably sized fish in a decent sized pond like I am. Not only does this guitar have excellent necks and playability, the larger unchambered body gives you great resonance and low end, producing an incredibly warm sound on both necks. If you have a strong hammering ability, you can “open tune” the 12 string neck and hammer chords with your right hand, while “hammer” soloing on the six string neck. And let’s face it: you bring this baby to a local club and people think you’re incredibly talented or advanced. Or they think they’re drunk and seeing double.

Talk to us! What’s your find?

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