Hey up lads.
For some reason this just popped into my head (I am not on medication or sloshed, by the way). It must have something to do with Christmases past and memories of going round shops, window shopping, etc.
Anyway, I have distinct memories of that brief era when Dixons sold electric guitars, and this'd be late the 80s. I remember seeing a cheaper Yamaha model (some sort of superstrat-type model).
Their main offering seemed to be guitars made by Casio. There was some sort of plastic guitar synth thing, with 'strings' that were floppy lengths of plastic cord. Gawd knows how that worked.
Then there was something rather more guitar like but with what I remember seemed to be a sort of control panel on the lower bout. (Someone please tell me it was a built-in calculator!)
I also remember that a couple of years later I was watching that programme called 'Rock Steady' that used to be on Channel 4. One time it featured JJ Cale, who was playing a...Casio guitar (and probably working out his gig takings in between songs with the calculator?)
Anyway, some random memories there. Would love to hear from anyone who has memories of seeing/ plying/ owning these, plus any of you who remember Dixon's and Casio's odd respective dalliances with guitars.
Comments
JJ Cale's was the PG-380, essentially the same guitar but with a Floyd-like trem.
Edit: if you are interested, you can see it in this thread, and JJ's too.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2558816/#Comment_2558127
So, up we go. Helpful salesman asks “have you tried these new digital guitars.” (Did I detect a quiet snigger there?) “ Have a go with this”.
It was a weird plastic thing with nylon strings and a roughly conventional looking neck, body shaped a bit like a Vox Phantom gone wrong. Since we were all programmers we couldn’t resist anything digital.
Anyway, start noodling away, and hardly any sound comes out, probably every fourth note played.
”What’s wrong with this thing, or is it me?”. Took quite a while to realise that you had to pluck every single note, and that it couldn’t bend at all. Only then did I realise that at least half the notes I play are hammers or flick-offs, and they didn’t register with this thing.
NOT impressed!
I'm surprised the Salesman let me plug it in as I was only 15, albeit 6' 3" of 15
It probably sounded really bad, I wouldn't want to go back in time and hear myself on that day
I think it was £300 odd from Soho Soundhouse / Turnkey in 1989/90 I drove down from Manchester to get it, in my first car, and nearly got done for driving the wrong way around Soho square. I learned a lot about aggressive driving in London on that day.
I was well made, but the neck warped on mine, I was stupidly storing it somewhere unheated in a scary flat for security reasons, so I assume that was the reason
I was quite keen on the idea of a midi guitar, but eventually realised it was easy to learn to play a keyboard
While on the subject, anyone remember the Casio EG-5?
HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
Forum feedback thread. | G&B interview #1 & #2 | https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/
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HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
Forum feedback thread. | G&B interview #1 & #2 | https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/
HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
Forum feedback thread. | G&B interview #1 & #2 | https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/