Guitar design elements that make your eye twitch uncomfortably?

prowla · October 2023

Ibanez basses.

prowla · October 2023

crunchman said:

Ridiculous relicing

It's up there with ripped jeans and bloated lips...

BobHillman · October 2023

I've just thought of another one - those Steinberger tuners that were fitted on the Epiphone Firebird Studio - where you have to wind them back to the zero point before you can put new strings on (and I would imgine that headless guitars would suffer from the same problem). Having round buttons on them also makes it impossible use a string winder.

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/tuning-machines/solid-peghead-guitar-tuning-machines/steinberger-gearless-tuners/

S56035 · October 2023

Reverse headstocks

BobHillman · October 2023

I can cope with the reverse headstock on the original Gibson Firebird, but other wise, especially on Kramer, or Jackson guitars, they just look wrong.

BobHillman · October 2023

And here are two more examples of complete and utter wrongness (from Gavin Wilson's always interesting guitarz.blogspot (unfortunately, he seems to be doing more important things - making a living, I suspect, and who can blame him? )

https://guitarz.blogspot.com/2011/01/kramer-invader-prototype-1-of-1.html

http://guitarz.blogspot.com/2009/10/kramer-triax.html

(on the second of the two, Gavin comments that "apparently only about 10 of these exist." ) 10?!!!

BobHillman · October 2023

https://guitarz.blogspot.com/2016/06/chinese-counterfeit-super-bizarrely.html

Even more wrongness - forget the case, will this thing fit in your car on its own? It appears that it won't even fit in the box. And let's be serious, BC Rich have come out with some crazy designs in the past (especially the wonderful Mockingbird) but I think we can be certain that it isn't one of theirs ,that is just ridiculous!!!

Let's face it, with a guitar like that, you need either HSS pickups, or HSH, and, more importantly, a sense of humour - because if you turn up to rehearsals with that monstrosity, everybody will be...Extracting the Michael. Not forgetting the fact that you might need a larger rehearsal room, simply so that you can turn around without bumping into another band member. The possibilies of this guitar are utterly endless (unfortunately, for all of the wrong reasons).

Philly_Q · October 2023

BobHillman said:

https://guitarz.blogspot.com/2016/06/chinese-counterfeit-super-bizarrely.html

Even more wrongness - forget the case, will this thing fit in your car on its own? It appears that it won't even fit in the box. And let's be serious, BC Rich have come out with some crazy designs in the past (especially the wonderful Mockingbird) but I think we can be certain that it isn't one of theirs ,that is just ridiculous!!!

They couldn't even be bothered to come up with their own scratchplate design, they just chopped a bit off a Strat one. Bag o' shite.

BobHillman · October 2023

Philly_Q said:

BobHillman said:

https://guitarz.blogspot.com/2016/06/chinese-counterfeit-super-bizarrely.html

Even more wrongness - forget the case, will this thing fit in your car on its own? It appears that it won't even fit in the box. And let's be serious, BC Rich have come out with some crazy designs in the past (especially the wonderful Mockingbird) but I think we can be certain that it isn't one of theirs ,that is just ridiculous!!!

They couldn't even be bothered to come up with their own scratchplate design, they just chopped a bit off a Strat one. Bag o' shite.

If there was anything I said about this monstrosity that implies that it might have any use whatsoever, could I apologise?

Philly_Q · October 2023

BobHillman said:

Philly_Q said:

BobHillman said:

https://guitarz.blogspot.com/2016/06/chinese-counterfeit-super-bizarrely.html

Even more wrongness - forget the case, will this thing fit in your car on its own? It appears that it won't even fit in the box. And let's be serious, BC Rich have come out with some crazy designs in the past (especially the wonderful Mockingbird) but I think we can be certain that it isn't one of theirs ,that is just ridiculous!!!

They couldn't even be bothered to come up with their own scratchplate design, they just chopped a bit off a Strat one. Bag o' shite.

If there was anything I said about this monstrosity that implies that it might have any use whatsoever, could I apologise?

Don't worry, you didn't.

EvansDrD · October 2023

Bit of a niche one but the Gibson Tal Farlow

horrible inlays

horribe mandolin scroll

a real shame because it is one of the best archtops they ever made

ICBM · October 2023

BobHillman said:

I've just thought of another one - those Steinberger tuners that were fitted on the Epiphone Firebird Studio - where you have to wind them back to the zero point before you can put new strings on (and I would imgine that headless guitars would suffer from the same problem). Having round buttons on them also makes it impossible use a string winder.

Still an improvement over the ludicrous banjo tuners though.

Although I find simply using vintage-style left-hand tuners is the best option - it’s no harder than tuning the treble strings on any 3-a-side headstock, or a 12-string.

axisus · October 2023

viz said:

Anything with a partner’s / spouse’s name chizzled Into the wood.

That's just horrible and ruins a guitar. i wish my wife would stop doing it.

Offset · October 2023

BobHillman said:

I've just thought of another one - those Steinberger tuners that were fitted on the Epiphone Firebird Studio - where you have to wind them back to the zero point before you can put new strings on (and I would imgine that headless guitars would suffer from the same problem). Having round buttons on them also makes it impossible use a string winder.

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/tuning-machines/solid-peghead-guitar-tuning-machines/steinberger-gearless-tuners/

Odd - these are fitted to my 2013 F'bird and I find them simple to use. They keep tune well too.

Tannin · October 2023

EvansDrD said:

Bit of a niche one but the Gibson Tal Farlow

horrible inlays

horribe mandolin scroll

a real shame because it is one of the best archtops they ever made

Never heard of them. I had to google.

Well yes. Some pretty weird .. OK stupid ... design decisions there. But it has a strange sort of gawky-is-sexy appeal to it. Hey, you're in Archtopland, the place where D'Angelico headstocks come from. Did you expect good taste and moderation?

Airmiles · October 2023

Is this really only me?

Guitars with direct mount pups and a gaping hole around them - yuck yuck yuck - they look like "Friday afternoon" projects...

For the full effect - draw the eye in and add a figured top and chamfer the edges...... it's like putting flip-flop paint on an Allegro....

guitarjack66 · October 2023

Airmiles said:

Is this really only me?

Guitars with direct mount pups and a gaping hole around them - yuck yuck yuck - they look like "Friday afternoon" projects...

For the full effect - draw the eye in and add a figured top and chamfer the edges...... it's like putting flip-flop paint on an Allegro....

Flip flop paint would work on an Allegro. Brilliant at hiding the rust!

Sporky · October 2023

Yorkie said:

For me it’s through-body strings. I don’t use vibrato arms and I don’t believe in magic sustain

I like them because it feels like the strings help hold all the guitar together, instead of being entirely on the front, which us unstable.

EvansDrD · October 2023

Tannin said:

EvansDrD said:

Bit of a niche one but the Gibson Tal Farlow

horrible inlays

horribe mandolin scroll

a real shame because it is one of the best archtops they ever made

Never heard of them. I had to google.

Well yes. Some pretty weird .. OK stupid ... design decisions there. But it has a strange sort of gawky-is-sexy appeal to it. Hey, you're in Archtopland, the place where D'Angelico headstocks come from. Did you expect good taste and moderation?

Hahaha - very good point indeed. I am perhaps in the minority of archtop players who don't much care for 'bling' (I don't care for gold, I really can't stand the much-loved L5 tailpiece).

Philly_Q · October 2023

guitarjack66 said:
Flip flop paint would work on an Allegro. Brilliant at hiding the rust!

I saw an Allegro parked near my road yesterday. W reg. It's a sort of orangey colour, the paint has gone completely matt and there are big cracks in the paint with, I'd imagine, rust beneath. I guess it works though, somebody managed to drive it there.

Litterick · October 2023

Philly_Q said:

guitarjack66 said:
Flip flop paint would work on an Allegro. Brilliant at hiding the rust!

I saw an Allegro parked near my road yesterday. W reg. It's a sort of orangey colour, the paint has gone completely matt and there are big cracks in the paint with, I'd imagine, rust beneath. I guess it works though, somebody managed to drive it there.

I felt much the same about the pink paisley guitar in the Nash Telecasters thread.

Funkfingers · October 2023

Fishman Fluence humbuckers with the faux metal caps and black plastic sides.

Fine in a pickup surround or through the pickguard of a Stratocaster-derived guitar.

Fugly on an SG with the large "batwing" pickguard because the humbucker has to protrude so far to get anywhere near the strings.

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Guitar design elements that make your eye twitch uncomfortably?

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