Bond Electraglide 1984 - Black

The (infamous) Bond Electraglide guitar, with it's unique carbon fibre body, stepped fretboard and digital controls. Serial number 256 (see pictures), this is the earliest serial number that I've seen listed anywhere online.

The guitar is in VERY GOOD condition -- a minor ding on the back of the neck and the pick plate is slightly lifted, but it plays very well. Unlike many other listings, this comes with the original power supply and cable (working, see pictures). One of the pickup buttons is also a little bit sticky, but I'm confident this can be remedied with a bit of contact cleaning.

I've also included in this listing a video of the guitar in operation. Given this is an early example of an experimental guitar, it's important to bear that in mind when considering if it's suitable for you. This is not the easiest guitar in the world to play, and it's not a perfect guitar. But it is a great example of a fairly unique idea, and a real collector's piece.

You can read plenty more about this guitar on Wikipedia, including all the usual stuff about The Edge playing it on Joshua Tree; in this instance, the fretboard is phonolic resin rather than aluminium (probably because it's an earlier model). The headstock displays the text "CUSTOM", which I've also never seen in any other listing.

I bought this in 1991/2 (believe it or not, it was my first electric guitar!), but now it's time for it to find a new home.

The power supply has a switch for 240 vs 120V; please note that I have never tested this on 120V, and only run it on 240V in the UK. I have included a bunch of 250mv fuses, which the power supply requires.

I've also included a letter that I got soon after I bought the guitar from Paul Day, the "Guitar Guru" and author of The Ultimate Guitar Book, explaining a bit about the history of the guitar. Here's the description from Paul:

"The Bond story is a catalogue of high hopes, disasters and shattered dreams! Production problems were rife, and the instruments never lived up to their hype and expectations. The 'buzz' started in 1984 and by November 1985 it was all over. During that time there were NO actual production examples, ALL were considered to be 'pre-production' versions, an indication of just how many upsets Bond was experiencing!

"The MAJORITY that came out as this time did indeed have just twin dots at the 12th fret, and the fingerboard was made of moulded phenolic resin. However, many examples thus fitted suffered from 'Pret buzz', although the absence of actual frets and truss rod in the neck meant that little could be done to eradicate this. Even jacking the action up to ridiculous heights didn't cure it! I recall trying all possible methods when I had to check some of the early ones out. The circuitry also had inherent distortion, the power supply was unreliable, the neck-body chassis could literally 'explode' if exposed to undue temperatures, such as being left in a van or car - very disconcerting!

"All in all, the guitar was fraught with one disaster after another, and most of those 84-85 examples are far from ideal. If yours is OK you may have struck lucky with an exception that proves the rule! The one in the UGB is mine and was acquired from an ex-Bond employee.

"He was building up examples from leftovers, incorporating all the improvements and solutions that occurred AFTER the company went down! Mine has a metal fingerboard with no playing problems, likewise the circuitry and power supply are modified and work SO much better!

"The basic concept by Andrew Bond was a good one, and he merely addressed the fingerboard aspect; all the gimmicks were added by those who thought they knew better! Such an abundance of 'new' thinking didn't appeal to guitarists, who are essentially ultra-conservative.

"The need for a specific power unit and accompanying lead was another no-no, so many players tend to lose or break such things, with a none-working guitar as the inevitable result! The Plashy circuitry was pure gimmickry and totally unecessary - good for creating press but poor performance, forget it! I like the Bond because of what it represents, pure folly, rather than what it actually is!

"I can't shed any light on the 'Custom' logo, but such a variation doesn't surprise me, there were literally dozens of such variants! Differences abound in terms of components, construction, colours, hardware, logos et al. All are indications of a company Ploundering and doing R & D in public - a dangerous practice and one guaranteed to shorten commercial life! Pickups can be selected individually or in any combination, the latter either in-phase or out of phase. Your ears should be able to tell you what's going on. Green light means the chosen unit is in-phase, red indicates out of phase."