If you've spent any time on our Facebook page, you probably know that we have a thing for truly bizarre guitars here at Reverb HQ. Well, New Years is upon us and in the spirit of year-end retrospectives, here are ten of the straight-up weirdest guitars we've seen for sale on the site this year.
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Brian Eastwood Distortacaster
As someone phrased it on our Facebook, this guitar looks like a Strat that was left on the dashboard of a car in Phoenix. This model is just one of a series of "Bender" instruments build by English builder, Brian Eastwood. Edit: Apparently this model is actually called a Bent Marvel. The Distortacaster is a different but similarly weird Brian Eastwood creation.
J.Frog George Lynch Shull & Bones
Most of the guitars from Brian Goff's Bizarre Guitars' Reverb page could find their way onto this list, but this skeletal selection stands out as possibly the oddest. This is a George Lynch signature model carved by J Frog. It almost goes without saying that it includes a coffin case.
Kramer Triax Prototype 1985
Clearly this guitar was modeled after a Klingon Bird-of-Prey. And it makes sense as it was built in 1985 and, as we all know, the Bird-of-Prey made its first appearance in 1984's Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. But I digress.
Mosrite Double Axe Prototype 1988
We've seen a number rare works by legendary innovator, Semie Moseley on the site, many of which were listed by Expat Guitars out of Kanagawa, Japan. Even with its odd angles and crevices, this one-of-kind prototype still echoes the classic shape of Semie's Mosrites from the '60s such as the famous Ventures Model.
Fedden Mutilator
Guitars with odd pointy shapes come and go, and plenty of brands have had their hand at see-thru bodies. But how bout both at once? What makes this Fedden guitar especially awesome, though, is its genuine Travis Bean-made aluminum neck.
'60s Wandre Spazial Bass
A decade before the aluminum necks were embraced by builders like Travis Bean, Italian maker Wandre was churning out unique instruments with unprecedented body shapes and particularly intense finishes. This Spazial bass is a fine example of all of the above.
Royal Flush Toilet Seat 1978
A year in, the venerable Royal Flush Toilet Seat guitar still ranks as one of the most viewed items on the site, which proves the old adage, there's nothing more universal than toilet humor. Keep in mind, that as of the writing of this post, there are still 2 of these for sale, priced at $199. Click here.
1966 Gruggett Raindrops
This guitar was produced by Bill Gruggett in in the mid-'60s. While not as well-known as Semie Moseley or Leo Fender, Gruggett was still an important figure in the luthier community of Southern California with a series of outrageous body shapes that totally outdid his contemporaries.
1985 Charvel Phoenix
Admittedly, we've gotten a lot of milage out of sharing this guitar, but like its eponymous Phoenix, it just keeps coming back. Another '80s gem, this bird was a collaboration between Wayne Charvel and artist Jim O'Conner.
B.C. Rich Bich Double Neck
This big bottomed B.C. Rich was built for the film, This is Spinal Tap. It has 12 strings which is one too many to make a joke about the strings going up to 11. But I'll sort of do it anyway.
Weird Gear