#Montgomery wards airline guitar professional#

Lawrence Seaway, and later the rails and highways-made the city a major manufacturing, commercial, and distribution center. Chicago's centrality-with access to the Mississippi River, the St. I maintained that one should not mess with someone elseРІР‚в„ўs art, whilst Dad felt that they bought it, they own it, they can do what they want with it.Chicago built guitars the way Detroit built cars.Р”Р‡or much of the 20 th century, the United States was largely rural and people tended to buy guitars and other musical instruments from catalogs.

Reminds me of the arguments I had with my father during the horrible era of digitally colorizing old B&W movies. Your assertion that Eastwood Airlines are real Airlines because Mike, who I believe to be a good guy, bought the name raises an interesting question: since major manufacturers like Gibson and Fender have undergone repeated changes of ownership, key personnel, manufacturing facilities, and specs, who really has the right to claim the name, the owner of such, or rather the entity that builds the best or more authentic version of a particular model? Beats the heck out of me. I do not know, I was not there, but I have read in the guitar geek press that Res-O-Glass turned out to be much more expensive to manufacture than anticipated and, as such, did not do so well for Valco, and also that the National Map guitars and such were pretty pricey in their day. But will it be worth the investment, especially if youРІР‚в„ўre a gigging musician? PerhapsРІР‚В¦ perhaps not. If you ever come across a Res-O-Glass guitar, by all means have a go РІР‚вЂњ you might even love it. ThereРІР‚в„ўs a reason why most guitars by most brands are made of wood, after all.Р”В«ut weРІР‚в„ўll leave the final answer to you РІР‚вЂњ after all, in everything in life, and certainly when it comes to guitars, your own taste is what matters, and itРІР‚в„ўll change from player to player. LetРІР‚в„ўs face it, a tone-chambered mahogany body beats plastic any day.

#Montgomery wards airline guitar professional#

So, the big question, then: are the new Airline guitars by Eastwood better than the originals? We would say so РІР‚вЂњ just as many professional musicians playing one, worldwide also would. But nowРІР‚В¦ are they reallyР’В worth the price tag they go for today, after the Jack White hype? MmmmРІР‚В¦ If you got one dirty cheap in the 90РІР‚в„ўs, that wouldРІР‚в„ўve been definitely 100% worth it, even if no one wanted to buy one anymore, today. The vintage Airline Res-O-Glass guitars are undoubtedly cool, and any guitarist will get extra kudos for owning one. The new Airlines sound great, rich, and are more comfortable and familiar to play than vintage ones. Despite the fact other musicians over the years have opted for vintage Airline Guitars (PJ Harvey, Calexico, Black Keys, Brian Jonestown Massacre) it was Jack White who most certainly brought the brand (especially the now-iconic JB-Hutto guitar shape) to the attention of a wider audience.Р”Р„irline 59 2P РІР‚вЂњ the current version of the classic Airline model, by EastwoodР”В«ut, of course, there are other, less obvious but very important changes РІР‚вЂњ or, as should we call them, upgrades: the tone-chambered mahogany body, Airline vintage voiced Single coils (Humbucker-sized), tune-o-matic bridge and bolt-on maple neck. Hutto, whose red Airline mustРІР‚в„ўve been one of the inspirations for Jack White playing one, decades later:Р”Р„h yesРІР‚В¦ Jack White. One of the first performers to be closely linked to the instrument was bluesman J. However, this characteristic made those guitars quite unique, and eventually a few professional players started to appreciate the qualities of the Res-O-Glass tone as РІР‚Сљa thingРІР‚Сњ. Most Airlines were made of Res-O-Glass simply because it made them cheaper and quicker to be put together РІР‚вЂњ with no particular regard for quality or tone. They were never intended to be great-quality instruments РІР‚вЂњ but cheap alternatives for beginners who couldnРІР‚в„ўt afford bigger brands such as Fender, Gibson or Gretsch. The original Airline guitars were cheap, plastic (or rather, РІР‚СљRes-O-GlassРІР‚Сњ) models made between 1958-1968 and sold by Montgomery Ward via shops and catalogues. But, how do the new ones, made by Eastwood Guitars, compare to the originals? Res-O-Glass vs.

Airline guitars have come a long way since their late-Fifties early days.